Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 82: Upstart
"Quack! Maria!"

Upon hearing that voice, the Empress Dowager felt her body go limp; that name pierced her soul like a bullet.

Queen Mother Maria was a true anti-mystic in the entire Winter Palace. She always opposed her son and daughter-in-law's ethereal spiritual pursuits. However, her reserved nature prevented her from using tantrums and tantrums like a country woman to stop the situation from developing.

She rejected any form of spiritualism, believing it to be nothing more than illusions caused by drugs and specific circumstances, and that her daughter-in-law was surrounded by incompetent charlatans.

But today, she truly doubted herself; she felt the terror of her soul being dominated.

It's terrifying enough that a bird would open its beak and call out the person's name.

What's even more terrifying is the way this bird calls.

Maria, this unadorned abbreviation, was used only by her family and a few close friends when she was still a Danish princess.

Since becoming the esteemed Empress of Russia, almost no one in the Normanov dynasty called her that anymore.

But when she became the mother of the Tsar and the Empress Dowager of the dynasty, this title completely disappeared.

The last time someone called her that to her face was twenty years ago, and that person was her long-deceased husband—Alexander III Alexandrovich, the previous monarch of the Russian Empire.

What makes her heart race even more is that her husband is the very person her daughter-in-law frequently summons.

Could it really be him?

Queen Mother Maria could barely contain her trembling, a tremor that ran through her very soul from the suspicions in her heart.

"Quack!! Maria! Maria!"

The raven above the black-robed priest's head began to flutter again, repeatedly calling out the same word.

"What...what do you want to tell me?" The Empress Dowager, who was over sixty years old, swallowed hard and spoke these words to the crow with difficulty.

The black crow's eyes darted around, and it hopped on the black-robed priest's head again. Qin Hao, who knew it well, knew that this was how it acted when it wanted to show off.

"Enemy! Enemy! There's an enemy!" Odin shouted the word it knew best, which usually meant there would be food.

Queen Mother Maria was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

enemy?

Is it a warning of an enemy threat? Or is it telling us about the enemy's weaknesses? Or is it saying there are enemies nearby?
Queen Mother Maria was at a loss, while Queen Alexandra entered a state of near-frenzy. She had been practicing psychic communication for over a decade, and this time the results were the best ever!

There is no doubt that her decision to invite Father Putin was the right one.

Just like ten years ago, she took a desperate gamble and finally had her own little sun, Alexei, and she'll definitely succeed this time too!
With this in mind, the Queen made a decision.

huh~~~
With the sound of her robes fluttering, and amidst the astonished and uncertain gazes of the crowd, Queen Alexandra suddenly knelt down.

Leading the way, the servants and several so-called spirit mediums behind him all knelt on one knee before the person dressed in black feathers.

“Great ancestors, my father, please guide us and give us enlightenment.”

At this point, the situation was showing signs of spiraling out of control, and Qin Hao, unsure of what to do next, simply chose to remain silent.

Odin looked at the crowd kneeling before him, tilted his head, and a look of confusion appeared in his small eyes.

In its mind, it had performed well this time and should have been eating jerky long ago, so why hadn't it been shipped out yet?
Perhaps the performance wasn't good enough?

The next second, Odin simply ignored everything and rattled off all the words he had ever learned.

"Machine gun! Machine gun! Enemy!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"Maria! Maria!"

"Protect me! Run! Run!"

After all that fuss, Odin finally realized that the other party had no intention of giving him any jerky, so he flapped his wings, cried out loudly, and flew away.

The other crows then spread their wings and cackled as they chased after it!

Suddenly, the sky was filled with the cawing of crows and the falling of feathers.

Queen Mother Maria was still in shock and it took her a while to stand up with the help of her servants. She looked at the spot where the crows had flown away and saw a world map hanging on the wall with dirty footprints from their trampling.

A footprint was left in Crimea.

The other one was printed in her hometown, Denmark.

A feather drifted down from the sky, swirling endlessly before finally landing in her palm. The soft touch surprisingly brought a sense of peace. Queen Mother Maria watched the departing flock of birds, then glanced at the smudged map, turned and walked away without a word, seemingly trying to make herself appear indifferent.

However, the hurried footsteps echoing in the corridor revealed the old man's true condition.

As soon as she left, Queen Alexandra stood up and almost jogged toward the priest in black robes.

“Father Pugin, what was that just now? Was it a warning?! Or an enlightenment?!” The woman clenched her fists nervously, and she grabbed the black-robed priest’s sleeve in a panic, almost falling into a state of hysteria.

But the next second, she was disappointed.

The priest in black robes shook his head slightly, and said in a gentle but very firm tone, "Your Highness, as I said, I have no divine power. What just happened may have been a coincidence."

"My God! Why is this happening? Even now, you still refuse to show me any mercy. If your concern is about having been monitored before, I can give the order immediately..."

"Your Majesty, you are tired!" The head maid hurriedly stepped forward to support her mistress, interrupting her to prevent her best friend from saying anything inappropriate.

Looking at the woman in front of him who was almost hysterical, Qin Hao shook his head.

The next moment, the priest in black robes stepped forward and, together with the head maid, helped the woman up, his dark eyes looking over.

"Your Majesty, please relax, things will always be resolved."

To everyone's amazement, something amazing happened again.

With just that one sentence, Alexandra's tense shoulders relaxed, and she began to calm down.

"You are very tired now and need to rest. What you need is not the answer to a question, but a soft bed and a good night's sleep."

As the black-robed priest murmured deeply, the Queen's eyes gradually lost focus, her limbs began to relax, and finally her body slumped into the head maid's arms.

huh~~
Qin Hao stood up and patted his robe, while everyone around him except the head maid instinctively stepped back.

"Miss Anna, things have come to this point, it seems that tonight is no longer suitable. How about we call it a day?"

The head maid nodded slightly. "I agree. Please allow me to express my gratitude on behalf of His Majesty."

"Furthermore, today's events seem unsuitable for widespread dissemination; please inform the internal staff as well."

She then waved her hand, and a strong maid came over, carried the Queen on her back, and left through a side gate.

"That's all for today, everyone please go back now! If His Majesty wakes up and summons you again, he will notify you separately," Anna said to the others around her, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

When the empress cannot issue commands, her words are the commands.

At this moment, none of the "masters" dared to disobey the woman in front of them.

These people were far more self-aware than they appeared; they might be able to gain some advantage over the Queen, but they had no confidence that they could fool the shrewd head maid.
-
As if immersing her whole body in warm water, the Empress felt light and airy.

When was the last time I felt this relaxed?

Oh, it seems like it's been a long time since I held Alexei, my little sun, before he was born.

By the way, where's Alexei? Shouldn't my little suns and pumpkins be up by now?

The responsibility of motherhood brought her consciousness back to her. The Empress sat up and found herself lying on the soft bed in her palace.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, and judging from the angle, the sun must have been quite high in the sky.

Barefoot, the Queen stepped out of bed and pulled the bell beside the bed. After the clear sound, the head maid and her maids entered the bedroom.

"Your Majesty, how are you feeling?" Anna stepped forward and drew back the curtains, letting in the bright sunlight, which made the Empress squint her eyes unconsciously.

"How long have I slept? Where are the children? Has breakfast begun?" The Queen pressed her head, seemingly trying to recall what had happened yesterday.

“Breakfast is over. I didn’t let anyone disturb you, my dear. You know what? You slept for a full twelve hours.” Anna lowered her head and spoke in the Queen’s ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Twelve hours?! My God!" The Queen covered her mouth in surprise. Only then did she realize that she was in exceptionally good spirits, and the migraine that had been bothering her had disappeared without a trace.

She has been suffering from neurasthenia for nearly ten years. Normally, she would be happy if she could sleep for more than four hours straight, but today she slept for 12 hours straight.

The Empress tried hard to recall what had happened yesterday, and at the end of her memory were those deep, watery eyes and that figure in black robes and black hair.

“Anna, quick! Go find Father Putin and tell him I want to see him!” Alexandra said excitedly, grabbing her close friend’s shoulder.

"I want to transfer him to the Winter Palace!"

(End of this chapter)