41 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

**Chapter 41: Mission Accomplished!** Ivyst was currently fuming with anger. As the Third Princess of the Saint Roland Empire, it had been a long time since she felt threatened by anyone. Although she was the most overlooked among her siblings, her innate strong powers had rarely put her in such a situation. The most common reaction she encountered from others was fear. But today, an audacious little bug dared to stand before her and spout threats with unashamed arrogance. To make matters worse, this bug hailed from the Church of Providence. The Church of Providence, as one of the three major churches of the Saint Roland Empire, had become increasingly autocratic in recent years. It even seemed to be ominously surpassing the Silent Church and the Church of Abundance. In terms of the number of supernatural beings and their influence, the Star Knight Order they had established was nearing the scale of the Royal Guard. Even their top-tier supernaturals were quite formidable. Among them were six Fifth-Tier Legendary ranks, if you included the newly emerged heiress of the Snow Eagle Family. As for the mightier Sixth-Tier Demigods, it's rumored that a former Archbishop from the church lay entombed, using various means to sustain life, only to surface should the church face peril. Regarding Sealed Artifacts, the Church of Providence amassed a terrifying cache. Merely those recorded as Zero-Tier Sealed Artifacts numbered four, not counting any hidden holdings. Beyond supernaturals and artifacts, purely in terms of followers, the Church of Providence was the indisputable leading church of the Saint Roland Empire. Take Orne City, for instance. As a border capital, it boasted a population of 800,000, roughly a quarter of whom were devotees of the Church of Providence. It's no wonder they no longer practiced humility as before. But herein lay the problem: Ivyst was royalty, and now even the church dared to dismiss her so. Thinking back on the terms proposed by that cleric, she couldn't help but scoff. Amusingly, what the fellow sought today also involved Duke Tirthéus. As the governor of the southern province, he had grown increasingly dissatisfied with these churches over the years. Given the empire's weak grip on the south, coupled with its proximity to the frontier and the demon battlefield, skirmishes had frequently erupted, with many cities lacking control and intimidation, gradually giving rise to lawless zones. Life for commoners was grueling in such conditions. And the more arduous life became, the more they yearned for spiritual solace. Thus, faiths of major churches began to wildly proliferate in this fertile ground. The Church of Providence was one among them. Due to its vast influence, even city councils and security bureaus in places like Orne City dared not act rashly. Alternatively, they might have chosen to align with the church due to entrenched connections and the temptation of gain. Here's a rather laughable fact. For several years, the royal family hadn't received population taxes from these border cities—a sum that was staggeringly large. These churches often banded together, deceiving people with tax reduction policies. Yet, the commoners did not lead better lives by paying fewer taxes. In reality, they donated five to six times as much to the church in devotion to their faith. As the governor of the southern province, Duke Tirthéus had come to Orne City to address these longstanding issues. Collecting taxes! Collecting taxes! Collecting taxes, damn it! This was also one reason Duke Tirthéus had no time to meet Ivyst. He was simply too busy. This wasn't a battlefield where one could deploy the army just because church districts neglected taxes. If he did, he’d be ousted as governor by tomorrow. Sensing some unrest, knowing Duke Tirthéus personally arrived in Orne City, the churches began to stir as well. Thus, the Church of Providence dispatched someone to meet Ivyst. The meeting concluded with dissatisfaction. Ludicrously, those fools actually hoped she, as the princess, would stand in opposition to Duke Tirthéus on behalf of the church. Or better yet, create disturbances to muddy the waters of Orne City, delaying the tax investigations, giving them time to transfer assets. In return, they "generously" offered Ivyst 50,000 gold coins as campaign funding. The princess was worth merely 50,000 gold coins? Ivyst felt her intelligence was affronted. Besides, everyone knew her visit to Orne City was to foster goodwill with Duke Tirthéus. That anyone could propose such terms showed those behind the scenes were either idiotic or malicious. Ivyst was already in a foul mood, but the fact that individual dared to threaten her made it worse. "Your Highness, regarding the 300-plus innocents outside the city, if you need assistance, the church will certainly support generously. Please consider carefully, or unforeseen events might occur over time." On the surface, it seemed sincere, but the final phrase revealed its true intent. Regardless of what they envisioned, Ivyst interpreted this as a threat. She had mentally sentenced the individual and those fools to death. Initially, she wanted to kill him on the spot, fitting her nature. But on second thought, could the Church of Providence be so foolish? Fully aware these terms would anger her, they sent such an imbecile? Could it be they wished for her to commit murder here, exacerbating the incident, allowing the victim’s identity to confuse matters? With that thought, Ivyst temporarily suppressed her murderous urge. Nevertheless, the 300-plus stranded civilians indeed posed a significant issue. Perhaps this was the trap set by the Church of Providence and the city council. Yet, she had no choice but to step into it. This realization only worsened her headache. She wondered whether that fellow had any solutions, as she seemed desperate. After all, appeasing the populace's livelihood was a significant task, far beyond relying on quick wit or intrigue. Now, the only option seemed to believe. Trusting that fellow would bring another surprise. However, three days were a short timeframe. Even processing fifty people per day would require around a week. Thus, Ivyst was mentally prepared for potential setbacks. If Lynn came seeking an extension, Ivyst wouldn’t refuse. But she would seize the opportunity to thoroughly teach him a lesson, suppressing his arrogance completely. Ivyst coldly sipped her tea, then noticed Lynn sneaking in through the doorway, his demeanor heavy with stealth. Seeing him unexpectedly eased her mood somewhat. She wasn’t sure why. "What is it?" Perhaps suspecting his visit's purpose, Ivyst spoke sternly. In the next moment, Lynn kneeled on one knee, presenting a stack of papers with both hands. "Your Highness, these are the extraordinary contracts signed by the refugees outside the city," Lynn said earnestly, "312 in total, with 311 actually signed." "Aside from a resistant criminal whom I dealt with on the spot, the rest are all here. Mission accomplished!" His voice was loud, seemingly meant for the entire estate to hear. Even a maid passing by outside paused, thinking it was joyous news. Ivyst stared at him, somewhat stunned. "You... what did you say?"