After a warm winter spent in the manor, Lin Yan assembled her troops and prepared to set off.
Lin Yan intended to take personal command this time. Although she had no prior experience leading an army, her presence alone would elevate the entire troop's morale.
Moreover, as a high-level light mage, her presence would significantly reduce casualties.
Lin Yan wore mithril armor, found among Maurice's treasures, and held her staff. She did not ride a horse.
Instead, she sat in a carriage pulled by unicorns, with Maurice beside her.
The affairs of the territory were left to Madam Santi, who, after months of training, could handle all matters with proficiency.
Maurice took a waterskin from his spatial ring and offered it to Lin Yan, who accepted it amidst the carriage's swaying.
"You should have agreed to our help," Maurice said, watching Lin Yan jolt in the carriage, a pang of concern in his voice.
He imagined Lin Yan should be in a luxuriously comfortable room, basking in warm sunlight, sipping black tea and enjoying pastries.
Not enduring such hardship in a bumpy carriage.
Yet, he also knew he had to respect Lin Yan's decision. They had offered to assist her in this expansion, but she had refused.
"I can't always rely on you all. They need to gain experience too," Lin Yan gestured towards the soldiers outside.
Nearly all adult males in the territory had enlisted. This year's spring plowing was handled by the elderly and women. Some of these men had just reached adulthood, while others were students from the academy.
When Lin Yan decided to conscript and expand her territory, all adult males had volunteered.
They had pledged their loyalty to Lin Yan and were willing to lay down their lives for her ambition. All they sought was a better life for their families and friends.
Additionally, they hoped to elevate their status through this war, shedding their identities as commoners.
Within the Holy See, the families of the captured Holy Knights received a letter from the former Saintess.
These letters appeared suddenly at their doorsteps, unnoticed by others, but all reached the heads of their respective families.
The content of the letters was identical: pay money to ransom back the most outstanding youths of their clans.
These families were perplexed as to why their most brilliant sons had ventured into the territory of the Rose Viscount, even intending to kill her.
Although they doubted the authenticity of the letters, their family members had indeed been absent for a long time.
The patriarchs who received these letters agreed to meet. Upon gathering, they produced the identical letters.
After questioning their servants, they confirmed the culprit: the current Saintess of the Holy See.
These high-ranking officials of the Holy See, upon reaching this conclusion, thought of the former Saintess, who had never been particularly prominent. They struggled to connect this incident to her.
"It seems our Saintess is truly extraordinary!" And indeed, had she been ordinary, she wouldn't have so thoroughly deceived the most outstanding youths of their families.
"We truly underestimated our Saintess. His Majesty the Pope even wished to welcome back the Lady Rose, given her connections with the elves and dragons, which would have allowed us to completely suppress the Dark Holy See.
Who would have thought our current Saintess would desire her demise!" a Cardinal stated with evident displeasure, examining the servants' testimonies.
The decision to welcome back the former Saintess had already received the agreement of most high-ranking officials in the Holy See, and they had cast their votes in favor. Now, their descendants were directly attempting to assassinate her, which was a grave insult.
"Perhaps we should inquire with the Saintess herself about how she intends to handle this. Since our children were serving her, shouldn't the ransom also be her responsibility?" another patriarch said mockingly.
Our current Saintess also learned of the disappearance of those Holy Knights. Upon hearing the news, she panicked for a moment.
She quickly regained her composure, realizing that her contacts when dispatching them were secret. No one would know that their disappearance was linked to her.
Even if it were known, their animosity would likely be directed towards Angelina, as their disappearance occurred within Angelina's territory.
Now, she began to hope that these individuals would perish in Angelina's territory, thus forcing Angelina to face the wrath of the Holy See's high officials. This fury would utterly incinerate Angelina.
With this thought, she smiled, delighted that the former Saintess would never return.
However, her joy was short-lived. When the high officials presented her with a letter, she collapsed onto the ground, knowing she was finished.
The downfall of that group in that territory had made her an enemy of almost every high-ranking official in the Holy See. Furthermore, she had thwarted His Majesty the Pope's plan. Her tenure as Saintess was effectively over.
Now, only the Holy Son could save her. Yes, the Holy Son.
She recalled the Holy Son, who was always so tolerant and gentle towards her. She rose from the ground and ran outside.
Lin Yan's significant actions alerted the lords of the surrounding territories. After determining Lin Yan's direction of travel, the lord in that path immediately became concerned.
They had already ascertained Lin Yan's troop strength, which was more than his territory could withstand. Therefore, he promptly contacted neighboring lords with whom he had a good relationship, and swiftly dispatched a message to the royal city.
He needed to find sufficient assistance as soon as possible and compel this woman to cease all her actions.
He had not offended this woman, and such a war was entirely unreasonable. His Majesty would undoubtedly support him. As long as he could hold out until reinforcements arrived, he could continue his current life and even gain a larger territory.