To Selina, the Sister of the Vol Township Branch Church.
The Central Church Headquarters has been informed of Sister Selina’s outstanding performance in the defense of Messiah City.
Unanimously recognized by the Saksal Council.
We hereby invite Sister Selina to the Central Church for commendation and promotion.
Sincerely, Gaia (Council Chairperson)
The content of the letter was concise and straightforward, making Selina feel that the bureaucracy in this world seemed rather pragmatic.
It was a relief to have no unnecessary words.
The direct invitation from the church flattered Selina.
Normally, a sister like her would need to apply to enter the Central Church.
If the application failed, she’d simply stay in the countryside—simple and crude.
The other invitation was from the Empire.
The letter’s content was equally straightforward: an opportunity to serve as the princess’s escort.
Probably someone from the crowd who saw her in action reported it to the Empire.
They wanted her to undergo formal knight training, then serve as the princess’s attendant and bodyguard.
Although the Imperial Guard were tasked with protecting the royal family, since she was a woman, it would be more appropriate to have a same-gender personal guard.
At the very bottom, it even mentioned marriage arrangements, with the partner’s title no lower than viscount…
By ordinary sister standards, she might have agreed, but unfortunately, she was a modern person who had crossed over, with free views on love and marriage.
It was better for her to decide on such matters herself.
Still, to be safe, it was better to send a reply.
Entities called “Empire” were often a bit petty.
After mentally noting that, she picked up the money pouch and weighed it.
The travel expenses came from both the Empire and the Church—two portions, not a lot, just enough to reach the capital.
“I never expected even the Empire. Selina, what exactly did you do when you were forcibly conscripted? You’re that popular?”
“Uh, I didn’t expect it either.”
She scratched her head, turned the invitation over to check for anything she might have missed.
“But I didn’t think I’d have a chance to become the princess’s personal guard. That sounds like a better deal than the Central Church’s offer!”
The priest elbowed Milia and said sternly, “We’re church personnel. We must be loyal to the Church. If the Inspectorate hears that, you’ll be disciplined.”
“Oh, oh.”
Milia shut her mouth.
Inspectorate
The church’s oversight body, mainly responsible for monitoring whether members were loyal to the Church, with zero tolerance for infiltrating heretics.
Executing first and reporting later was common.
Those words from Milia could permanently cost her the position of sister.
At the very least, she was loyal to the Empire.
Fortunately, in such a remote rural church, the Inspectorate couldn’t be bothered to come.
Barring any accidents, Selina would choose the Church route.
As for the other letters, it was better to keep them put away, especially the one from the Empire.
That night, Selina sat in her room lost in thought.
Based on her experience reading power struggle novels, even in wartime, the human high ranks weren’t united.
The Church and the Empire—the higher the status, the tighter their connection.
Hiding in this small town would never let her see the full picture of the world, including the purpose of this war, why she had crossed over, Sela’s background, and why she had run away from home.
The world was full of mysteries, and she was still a weakling at the third rank.
Her mana level had stalled.
The training method Laite provided was already the limit for the third rank.
To advance further, she had to step out of her comfort zone.
Messiah City nearly fell, and some of that was related to the negligence of certain high-ranking officials.
If Messiah had truly fallen, the vast area behind it would have become a living hell, including her hometown and this church.
Everything she cherished would disappear.
Since this body still had strong plasticity, it was better to set off as soon as possible.
She aimed to reach the sixth rank by age twenty, which should qualify her for a mid-level position.
Tonight’s sky was very clear, the moon more than half missing, as if foreshadowing the fate of this church.
Selina’s luggage was minimal—just a few clothes.
The next morning, Selina stood outside the church, dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well.
Milia stuffed today’s breakfast into Selina’s arms—a whole piece of sheep’s milk bread, fluffy and soft, easy to preserve.
Of course, it wasn’t cheap.
Laite hunched over.
He had become more silent than before.
Without saying a word, he placed a money pouch in Selina’s hands.
“So much? I can’t take this. What will you do for the future?”
Selina frowned.
The pouch was heavy, containing not copper coins but silver ones.
In this rural area, that was a considerable sum.
“Don’t refuse. This is what Sela saved up during her years at the church. She said that if you came looking for her, you should take this money too. Prices in the capital are high, so don’t live too frugally.”
Since Laite said so, Selina accepted gladly.
Thanks for the gift, Mom.
It seemed Sela still wanted her to come find her.
Selina’s mood suddenly improved a lot.
No lengthy farewells, just simple goodbyes.
She didn’t like sappy scenes—once entangled, they were hard to get rid of.
The travel expenses in the package must have been carefully calculated.
After paying seven copper coins, Selina boarded a carriage leaving Wol Township for the nearest city.
This wasn’t her first time leaving Wol Township, but this time, she would be gone for a long time.
She wasn’t a sentimental person.
After a quick glance at the hometown where she’d lived for over a decade, she turned her gaze forward.
Once the carriage entered the city, it didn’t care about her anymore.
She asked the city guard where the airship station was, walked over, and caught the nearest direct airship to the capital.
The airship fare was expensive—two silver coins for one ride, which was almost several months’ income for an ordinary family.
Maybe because she hadn’t slept much the night before, Selina fell into a deep sleep as soon as she boarded.
When she woke up, it was nearly dusk.
This world’s technology might not be backward—magic technology counted as technology too.
Of course, these techniques only served the rich and powerful.
Riding this airship wasn’t much different from flying in a plane, and she slept quite soundly.
Unfortunately, the airship didn’t go all the way.
According to the staff’s explanation, airships were forbidden within the capital.
Anyone taking an airship to the capital had to first enter the capital’s outer city, then transfer to an inner transit to reach the capital proper.
At first, she had no idea what this “inner transit” was, assuming it was some special carriage.
Stretching lazily, as the airship arrived, Selina left the cabin and couldn’t help but gasp.
The sight before her was breathtaking.
As the empire’s core, the city called the capital far exceeded Selina’s imagination.
Towering walls over fifty meters high, their surfaces carved with intricate and precise runes.
The airship station was incredibly luxurious, no less than the airport of a first-tier city back home.
The ground was flat and clean, without a trace of dirt.
The reliefs on the walls were magnificent, extremely lifelike, depicting stories of the goddess.
She felt like a country bumpkin girl from the countryside.
Well, that was probably accurate?
Despite having a modern soul and having seen many skyscrapers, this world’s architecture had its own aesthetic, and even she could appreciate it.
Unfortunately, she had no time to admire it now.
She had to reach the Central Church before sunset.
After asking a guard where to catch the inner transit, she lifted her sister’s skirt and hurried toward the station.
Then…
She got on a subway…
So… she was home?