The stars, but they become the gray wind

"I can't see, Angel Sister, do you need to find a place to hide? There are many places in my room..."

"While I appreciate your kindness, we don't need methods like hiding in a closet. I have something much simpler and more effective."

As he spoke, Aze turned on the optical stealth system on his body. As the optical stealth system was activated, Mary stared intently at the body of the gentle angel sister in her mind, which slowly became transparent, and eventually became so severe that she could no longer see the other party with her naked eyes.

"I'm sorry, my dear Mary. From now on, I will make myself invisible to everyone, including you. But I will still be by your side at all times. If you encounter danger, just call my name." Aze said as he gently hugged the little Loli in front of him.

"Well, thank you Angel Sister!" Mary replied with a relaxed mood as she felt Aze, who had disappeared in front of her, approaching her and giving her a gentle hug.

Late that night, in the palace, in the queen's bedroom, the white-haired queen felt pain coming from all parts of her body. Adding to the pain of the recent death of her relatives, the queen, whose emotional and physical condition were very bad, could not get a good night's sleep.

Although the royal family has the world's top doctors and medical teams, even the top doctors have no good solutions for the various illnesses caused by simple old age like the Queen's. They can only provide the Queen with some painkillers to relieve the Queen's physical pain.

Just as the old and frail queen, tormented by illness, was lying in bed and was about to force herself to sleep again, the door that had been tightly closed by the servants and guards suddenly made a click and slowly opened inwards.

The insomniac Queen also keenly heard the sound of the door lock opening. Thinking of the recent series of assassinations on her grandsons Edward and Richard, the Queen immediately looked at the door that was slowly opened with some vigilance.

To the queen's surprise, there was no one behind the open door. A beam of light from the corridor outside slowly poured in through the open door, and a gust of wind blew from the corridor outside along the open door into the room.

"Huh? Was it just blown open by the wind?" The queen lying on the hospital bed looked at the empty door and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she reached out and pressed the doorbell on the bedside table. After a while, a maid with very decent manners came to the queen's room.

"Your Majesty, is there anything you need?" The maid bowed to the queen lying on the hospital bed and asked.

"No, it's nothing. The door was not closed tightly and was blown open by the wind. My legs and feet are not very convenient to get out of bed. Could you please help me close the door?"

"Yes." After hearing the queen's request, the maid closed the door tightly when leaving the room.

"Sigh..." After the maid closed the door and left, the queen sighed as she felt the pain coming from all over her body. She reached out and turned off the light switch in the room by the window. After the room fell into darkness, the queen slowly lay down again.

At this moment, a bright light suddenly appeared beside the queen's bed, making the queen's heart, which had just relaxed on the hospital bed, rise to her throat again.

But when she looked towards the source of the light, what she saw was so shocking that she gasped.

An angel with wings of light growing from its back and a halo on its head, emitting a holy light, stood beside her bed.

And the angel standing beside the bed was looking at the queen with a smile.

Chapter 71 Late-night Conversation with the Queen

The queen lying on the hospital bed looked at the angel who appeared in her room in surprise. She turned off the lights, and the originally dark room was illuminated by the soft light emitted by the angel.

Although the queen is a nominal Christian, she has received the most elite education in the entire Kingdom of Albia since childhood. She does not believe in the existence of God from the bottom of her heart. As for the angels described as messengers of God in religious murals and works of art, the queen has always regarded them as myths and legends and people's fantasies.

However, the angel who appeared in her room without any warning shook the queen's values ​​based on the supremacy of practical material interests that she had formed since childhood.

The queen looked at the angel beside the bed, who was emitting a holy light and had been silently gazing at her since the beginning. She tried hard to prop up her upper body from the bed, but the pain from the disease in various parts of her body made the queen realize that perhaps her end was really coming, and the angel in front of her might be the guide sent by God to help her on the last journey of her life.

"Hey...Excuse me...Are you here to take me through the last journey of my life?" The queen asked the angel in front of her very calmly, and then she noticed that the angel in front of her showed a somewhat surprised expression.

"Don't be surprised. I've long known that my old bones are nearing their end. Alas, what a pity! Am I finally going to leave this world with regrets?"

The queen sighed deeply. Although the pain all over her body was still tormenting her, she was convinced that she was about to die and no longer cared about it.

"It's just a pity that I can't see my children for the last time before I leave." The queen slowly closed her eyes and began to recall her entire life.

"I'm sorry, Her Majesty the Queen of the Kingdom of Albion, I'm not here to take you to heaven." At this time, the silent angel beside the Queen's bed suddenly spoke. In the Queen's feeling, it was a rather young and soft girl's voice.

"Haha, isn't it heaven? That's right, how could an incompetent ruler like me possibly be qualified to go to heaven? Albion was divided under my rule, and civil war broke out. A foolish ruler like me truly deserves to go to hell."

"..."

Aze felt a headache as he looked at the old lady in front of him who had some misunderstandings about the purpose of his visit. At this time, Aze was complaining about himself and the queen in his heart.

[Hiss… I originally just wanted to use my identity as an angel to have a little chat with him, but how did it end up being hospice care for him?]

"Uh... old lady, I'm not here to see you off to the grave. You look so indifferent, like you're about to die, and it's really hard to deal with you. And Calisi, Yuuki, what the hell are you guys trying to do? I came here to talk to the Queen privately, and now people are misinterpreting me as offering her hospice care! What should I do?!"

Although Aze's heart was like a tsunami, complaining about himself, the Queen and his two companions, he still pretended to be calm on the outside, and even maintained a mysterious smile to the Queen without saying a word.

"Your Majesty, I think you may have some misunderstanding. I am not here to see you off to your final resting place. Although I cannot give you an exact time for the rest of your life, I can guarantee that at least tonight is not the day you leave this world." Aze maintained his signature smile on his face and announced to the queen in front of him in a calm tone.

"???" After hearing the angel's words, the queen gave the angel beside the bed a questioning look.

"Aren't you here to take me away from this world?"

"Unfortunately, it's not." Aze answered in an affirmative tone.

"But...if you're not here to take me away from this world, then...why are you here?"

"It's simple. I'm here because of you."

"Me?" the Queen asked, raising her index finger and pointing at her face.

"Yes."

"But angel, I am just a useless old woman who is incompetent, sick and sick. I really can't understand why the gods would pay attention to a useless old bone like me."

"It's simple, because you are still the nominal ruler of the Kingdom of Albion." Aze replied.

"I see. Are you here on behalf of the gods to punish me, the tyrant who has plunged the country into division and civil war?" the queen asked in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Unfortunately, punishing incompetent monarchs is not part of my job."

"What's more, in my personal opinion, you may not be an incompetent tyrant. You are just an individual who has no choice under the torrent of history." Aze pulled a chair beside the bed, sat on it casually, and said to the queen.

"Well... since you are not here to punish me, I really can't think of anything about me, an old man with no real power, that is worthy of the personal attention of a messenger of God?" The queen asked Aze in confusion.

"Well... this is a long topic. You look very bad both physically and mentally. Would you like a glass of hot milk?" Aze controlled the silver sand-like nanomachine to separate from his body. The separated nanomatter changed its shape and eventually turned into a glass containing a cup of hot milk.

"Our conversation will probably take quite a while. Drink some hot milk, Your Majesty. It's good for your health."

Aze took the glass that was floating in the air supported by the nanomaterial and handed the steaming glass to the queen.

"Well... thank you..." The queen looked at the silver sand-like substances floating in the air in surprise, and took the glass full of milk that seemed to be created out of thin air by the silver sand-like substances. The queen touched the glass in the observer's hand. No matter from the touch or from the visual point of view, the cup in her hand was just an ordinary glass, not something made of a pile of silver sand-like substances that the queen could not understand.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. This cup is just an ordinary glass, and the milk inside is just ordinary hot milk. It's just that the method of making it is a little difficult for you to understand."

"Is this... some kind of magic?" the Queen asked in an incredulous tone.

"It's just a little trick that's not worth mentioning. By the way, it's better to drink the milk while it's hot." Aze reminded the old man in front of him with a smile.

The queen raised the glass and took a sip of hot milk. Feeling the warm milk flowing through her throat and into her esophagus, it seemed that all her ailments were relieved a lot.

"How is it? Doesn't it taste good, Your Majesty?"

"Thank you, Angel..."

"Okay, drink it slowly first, and we'll talk while we drink. Let me tell you the reason why I came to see you." Aze held his chin and smiled as he watched the old man in front of him sip the seemingly normal milk in the cup, bringing the conversation back to the main topic.

In fact, Aze actually lied about this glass of milk. That glass of milk was indeed just ordinary milk converted from nanomaterials, but Aze did not convert all the isolated nanomaterials into harmless pure milk drinks. Instead, he deliberately left a part of the nanomachines that remained active in the milk.

When the Queen drinks these nanomachines along with the milk, they will enter the body of the already dying Queen. These nanomachines that are still active will not completely transform the Queen's body, but will only repair the organs and cells in the Queen's body that are too severely damaged. These repairs will not make the Queen immortal, but will extend her life by about ten years.

"Your Majesty, I came to see you this time because of Mary."

"My granddaughter Mary?"

"That's right. Because of Edward's unfortunate death, Mary, as the first heir, is now under undue pressure. If I hadn't been by her side today to protect her, she might have chosen to jump from the upstairs window because she couldn't bear the immense pressure of life and lost her life."

"What! Mary?!" The Queen was so shocked that she was speechless for a moment.

"Your Majesty, you must know that Mary is not Edward and Richard. Exerting excessive pressure and expectations on such a child will only destroy her."

"Your Majesty, forcing a good child like Mary to do things she doesn't like to do at all, letting an heir who has psychological and mental problems due to parents including the Duke of Normandy and huge life pressures to manage the country, will cause big problems. It is like burying a landmine inside the country that may explode at an unknown time in the future. When it is triggered, it will be too late." Aze reminded the queen in front of him with a warning tone.

After hearing this, the Queen remained silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed and said to Aze, "Alas... Angel, I know these things too. It's just..."

"But there's nothing I can do. Without Edward, only Mary is qualified to inherit the throne."

"Richard has been in the New World for many years and doesn't know much about the situation back home. Besides, I'm not blind to the boy's ambitions. I'm really worried about handing the country over to him."

"As for Charlotte, she is too kind, and judging from the order of succession, she is not suitable to be queen." The white-haired queen counted her grandchildren in front of Aze.

"After all, Mary is the only one qualified to become queen and lead the entire kingdom in the future."

"So you and the Duke of Normandy are irresponsibly throwing this responsibility onto the child Mary?" Aze asked with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"I'm sorry, Angel, but this concerns the future of this country, and I have no choice."

"But I still want to express my most sincere gratitude to you for protecting Mary's life at the critical moment. It is difficult for me to repay such a favor." The Queen thanked Aze very sincerely.

"You're welcome. I'm very optimistic about Mary, but I'm not optimistic about her talent and ability to be a ruler in the future. Rather, as a freer person, she shouldn't be, nor is she suitable, to be a ruler."

"Similarly, Albion doesn't necessarily have to be ruled by the royal family. In my opinion, the royal family has actually lost its value in Albion today."

Without paying attention to the queen's astonished expression after hearing these shocking words, Aze continued to speak nonchalantly.

"The royal family relies on the support of the people to maintain its authority and the legitimacy of its rule, but the people don't necessarily need a royal family to rule them. After the Industrial Revolution, with the more advanced productivity system, the royal family and the feudal aristocracy it represents have become outdated. The old aristocracy is now constantly sucking blood from the people to maintain its own power. Many people in the kingdom oppressed by the aristocracy have long been suffering. This is why the revolution that broke out more than a decade ago led to the establishment of the Republic and the division of Albion."

"The people have awakened and are gradually realizing that they no longer need the royal family or the feudal aristocracy it represents. Even with the Duke of Normandy's powerful suppression, how long can it last?"

"With the people having long been sucked dry by the old aristocracy, it's only a matter of time before a large-scale revolution breaks out within the kingdom. How could the Republic miss such an opportunity to thoroughly reform and unify the entire country?"

"Your Majesty, I will speak the truth. The cruel truth is: the Kingdom of Albion will inevitably perish. Its demise is only a matter of time."

"So... will the final outcome of the royal family be the same as that of King Louis XVI of France? Being pushed to the guillotine by the angry people?" After a brief silence, the queen asked the angel in front of her with a solemn expression.

"If the kingdom and the royal family continue to cling to their own continuation, then within ten years, the royal family will be destroyed by the angry people in a violent revolution, and the royal family members, as representatives of the old feudal aristocracy, will inevitably be sent to the guillotine like Louis XVI."

"My Lord Angel, is there really... no other way?" The queen rubbed her aching temples and asked Aze.

"Well... of course there is, but even if you can accept it, the other members of the royal family and the kingdom's nobles will never accept such a request."

"Then, could you please explain it to me?"

"The answer is actually very simple. If the royal family and all the old aristocrats completely give up their power and return it to the general public, the royal family can continue to exist and avoid being pushed to the guillotine."

"But... like this..." As expected, the Queen showed hesitation after hearing this answer.

"This would be no different from a republic, right?" Aze continued what the Queen was unable to say.

"Your Majesty, I believe you are well aware that no dynasty or nation can last forever. Excessive pursuit of self-continuation and the old system will only hinder the progress of society as a whole. At least for now, the Republic symbolizes a more advanced productivity system."

"Just as the feudal system, as the more advanced productive system, defeated the backward slave system in history, the more backward productive system, instead of thinking about reform, is obsessed with maintaining the immutable laws of its ancestors, and will ultimately be crushed by the wheels of history."

"Your Majesty, if the royal family is willing to relinquish power and return it to the people, the royal family itself will be able to survive for a long time, the divided Albion will be able to be reunited, and Princess Mary will be able to live a freer life without being forced to shoulder responsibilities that do not belong to her. Because that position no longer matters. When the person sitting in that position no longer has actual power, naturally no one will use any means to sit in that position."

"Returning power to the people is a win-win situation for Albin, you, and your family."

"Alas... Angel, you must understand that I am already an old woman whose time is running out. I could certainly not care about this position, but as for my young children, I, even with my old bones, have no power to persuade them to voluntarily give up their power."

"And the nobles within the kingdom have long enjoyed privileges. It would be extremely difficult to get them to give up their power and status."

"Even if the royal family and I were willing to give up our rights and status, the nobles in the kingdom would not follow suit."

"Your Majesty, you are a smart person who can let go of things, but not everyone is so smart. Some guys won't spit out what they have eaten unless a gun is pointed at their heads."

"Your Majesty, I like Mary very much, so I will protect your "granddaughter", but if some power-hungry guy intends to hurt her or is obsessed with the power in his hands, then I will make him feel what the true meaning of world-destroying divine punishment is. (Note 1)" Aze said to the queen in front of him in a very cold tone.

Note 1: Refers to a precision-guided weapon or a rapid, small-scale military intervention.

(By the way, please give me some blades and monthly tickets!!!)

Chapter 72: A hidden mission that Cabot is unwilling to reveal?

In the bedroom, the queen felt a pressure from the "angel" in front of her, and considering the warning words she had just said, the queen couldn't help but feel worried.

"Lord Angel, you just said you would punish the kingdom's nobles? Is this the so-called divine punishment I understand?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, why don't you first tell me what you understand as the so-called divine punishment?" Aze touched his chin and looked at the old man in front of him with a smile.

"Hmm...what if in the knowledge I have learned, there is a divine punishment like the cities of Gomorrah and Sodom being burned by the gods with fire from heaven?" The queen said with a somewhat uncertain tone. Although the queen was a Christian in name only, she was not a professional theologian, and knew almost nothing about the existence of the angels and gods in front of her.

"Haha, Your Majesty, don't worry. The punishment I'm about to carry out isn't divine punishment as defined by religion or theology. I prefer to call it [Precise Surgical Deworming]."

"?"

Seeing the puzzled look on the old queen's face, Aze continued to explain: "Your Majesty, you should have heard of tumors, right?"

"To deal with certain stubborn conservatives, we must remove them precisely like we would a tumor." Aze raised his index finger and explained to the Queen.

"But...according to what you said, isn't this method equivalent to assassination?" Hearing this, the queen lying on the hospital bed thought of the series of assassinations that her two grandsons had recently encountered.

"No, no, no. The punishment I'm talking about isn't something as simple as assassination. It's a comprehensive information warfare effort to eliminate their existence, wealth, power, social influence, and any associated supporting forces."

"However, in my opinion, there are very few people in the kingdom who are valuable enough for me to use this method."

"For example, the Duke of Normandy and your grandson Richard are both on my list of potential targets for elimination."

Aze inadvertently leaked a rather shocking piece of information to the Queen.

“???” Upon hearing the names of her two family members, the queen on the hospital bed widened her eyes in shock.

"My Lord Angel! Please let Will and Richard go. I can guarantee that they will not..." The queen was a little excited and wanted to continue speaking, but the angel sitting beside the bed raised his hand to signal the queen to calm down.

"Don't be anxious, Your Majesty. As long as they don't interfere with our plan, they will definitely not be harmed. But... if they block our way, don't blame us for being ruthless." Aze said calmly to the queen in front of him.

"Huh... I understand, Lord Angel... But, you just said "we"? Aren't you the only one like this?" The queen breathed a sigh of relief, but then noticed the meaning behind the word expressed in Aze's words just now.