Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"Yes, and got back to Fort Ambliss about four o'clock."

"St. Aidanfu again? Always choosing the same hotel, Yanilo should be worried about whether it might be eavesdropped."

"Um, eavesdropping? Who would...?"

"We have to consider such risks, after all, it is during this period. Novia, come with me in the evening, and remember to change into formal clothes."

“It’s my honor, Senior Evelyn.”

"Any more?"

"There are still a batch of documents related to the Spring Festival, as well as documents from the Sacred Relics Bureau that need to be approved, but..."

"If you have any ideas, just say them directly. You don't have to care so much in front of me."

Evelyn also thought that Novia de Liario's introverted personality was particularly lovable, but she still hoped that she could be more outgoing. This change was not something that could be achieved overnight, and it might take a lot longer than a change in title. However, as a long-lived person, Evelyn always felt that she had plenty of time.

"Okay. Um... I hope... Senior Evelyn can let me share more of the work. As for the clerical work, I can also handle it..."

"why?"

Neither refusing nor agreeing, Evelyn showed an expression that matched the third option, which was confusion.

“Um…Senior Evelin, you haven’t rested for three days, right?”

"Are you worried about my health?"

"Yes, it is……"

"Don't underestimate the physical strength of the elves. Although the workload has been heavy recently... Well, I think this is a good idea. I'll leave the Spring Festival to you, Novia. Is that ok?"

"Um... yes! No problem, Senior Evelyn."

The feeling of being trusted seemed to make her sincerely happy, and a joyful smile appeared on Novia's face. At such times, Evelyn would think about whether the adjutant in front of her was happy that her ability was recognized, or happy that she could help her superior. By the way, she would also have some other thoughts, such as whether she was pampering her too much, and even further worried about whether Novia could survive independently in Zerhal's society if she left her current position.

This is probably just overthinking.

Rubbing her forehead once again, Evelyn stood up from the semi-reclining chair, and then walked to Evelyn with steady steps that did not match the fatigue on her face, and patted the latter on the shoulder.

"I'm going to touch up my makeup first. There's still some time before dinner, can you walk with me?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'd love to!"

Evelyn Tigridel, this surname is very incompatible with the elves. Even for the Shining Elves or the Grey Elves, using "Dust-covered" as a family surname is an extraordinary behavior. Evelyn's grandfather was such a rebellious and unruly person. He was not valued by the family, so he left his hometown to seek a way out and finally became a famous Chamber of Commerce leader in the Elf Empire. Even so, this surname has not changed. Until now, people are no longer surprised by it.

Like other shining elves, Evelynn also has a pair of pointed ears, fair skin, slender body, and a face as beautiful as a treasure.

The slightly curly long hair draped behind her was like flowing mercury and quartz. Even without much care, it was soft and shiny, attracting the attention of human believers in the ritual hall. The end of the hair that was left out was tied with a black bow. Only a few people knew that it was a birthday gift from Novia de Liario to her.

Other parts of her body were deeply affected by the heavy workload that troubled Evelin. For example, her deep green eyes, like those in the summer woods, now couldn't help showing the color of fatigue and exhaustion, as if she had walked from midsummer to early autumn. For another example, her face, which was as heroic as a Valkyrie when she restrained her expression, now looked rough due to lack of sleep and working day and night, and dark circles appeared faintly, forcing her to increase the amount of concealer and foundation she used.

Fortunately, there was an independent restroom in her office, which gave her ample opportunity to conceal her fatigue and embarrassment - at least in front of people other than Novia - so as not to expose them completely to her subordinates and affect the morale within the Ritual Bureau.

"Sorry for the wait, Novia."

When Evelin opened the door again and walked out of the bathroom, whether it was the gray shadows in her sight, the dim arcs under her eyelids, or the sleepiness that could not be concealed in her expression, she threw them into the trash can in the corner.

Now, she is Evelyn, the "Sky-Shining Sword", the most majestic Valkyrie in all of Zerhal.

……

Now she is the one that is familiar to people around her.

The time she spent working in the temple was longer than the total length of many people's lives. Some people grew from youth to old age under her watch, some people became devout believers under her watch, and some people died under her watch. In the eyes of others, no matter how everything around her changed, she was still as beautiful as she was fifty years ago, a hundred years ago, a hundred and fifty years ago, or two hundred years ago.

Beautiful and heroic, bringing courage, hope, fighting spirit, faith, and the Word of God to others.

Unconsciously, in addition to the only name "Tianyao Sword", some people would quietly call her "the Valkyrie of the Divine Court" in places she didn't know.

"Good evening, Lord Consul of Ceremonies."

"good evening."

Not long after I left the house, I was greeted by someone passing by. Who was she? I remember she was a newcomer who had just been assigned to the Ceremonial Bureau during the first batch of spring assignments. She graduated from St. Seloville University. I see. No wonder it didn't have much impact on her appearance. Was it because she was a newcomer who had just joined the Ceremonial Bureau a month ago?

Although I greeted him proactively according to etiquette, I couldn't hide the feeling of shyness.

"Novia, the girl just now is your schoolmate, right?"

"Ah... well, since we all graduated from St. Celluville..."

“And they are all economics majors.”

“Um… has Senior Evelin seen her resume…?”

"I saw it once, but I didn't think of it just now."

At this point, Evelin couldn’t help but stop and gently rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

"Hmm... Oops, I remember the general content, but I forgot the name."

Generally speaking, name is the most important part of personal information, right?

If one majors in international economics and trade, he should have a good future in either the Sacred Relics Bureau or the External Affairs Bureau. It is another story that Novia was recruited by Evelyn during her internship at the Sacred Relics Bureau, but what was unexpected was that there were other economics graduates who chose to work in the Ritual Bureau. Evelyn could not help but wonder whether she should re-evaluate the popularity of the Ritual Bureau among graduates.

After all, although the future is bright, the work is hard, the work is complicated, and the salary is reasonable, but the main thing is to rely on department benefits. These are the labels attached to the Bureau of Ceremonies. In addition, recently, some of the work of the Foreign Affairs Bureau has been placed on the Bureau of Ceremonies, which makes the cadres in the Bureau of Ceremonies feel a little overwhelmed.

For Evelyn herself, the Consul Priest of the Ceremonial Bureau, the added pressure due to the absence of the High Priest Sieli was even more unbearable. These small complaints were no more persistent than the morning dew, and would only exist between a drink and the evening ceremony, and then disappear as if they had never appeared.

But then again, the title of "Mr. Consul of Rites" is a bit too formal, and why should he be called Mr. Consul?

"You've worked hard, ma'am."

"nothing."

I hadn't walked a few steps when I met someone who greeted me again. This time it was a believer from another department. Even if I saw the other person's face, I wouldn't feel familiar, let alone know him. The only thing that impressed me was his young face. Maybe he was a graduate of a church school who had just started working in the past two years.

After watching the other party walk away with the documents in his arms, Evelin said:

"Novia."

"Hmm? What can I do for you, Senior Evelin...?"

"No, it's just, why do you say 'thank you for your hard work'?"

And why was she addressed as "Ms."? She was only considered young among the elves, and although compared to humans, she was actually about the same age as the high priest Sieli, who looked quite old—and was actually quite old—Evelyn never felt that she was beyond the scope of being addressed as "Miss."

“Because…Senior Evelin is really working hard…?”

“It’s not very hard.”

“It should be considered… very hard, right…?”

"Okay." Evelyn gave in on this question, "But this doesn't seem to be a suitable way to greet someone, although it's not inappropriate."

"Hmm... um... I think this should be... a new way to say hello...?"

"Will Novia be like this too?"

"For example... good morning, good afternoon, good evening... you can all use 'thank you for your hard work' to replace them... something like that. As for Novia, sometimes... she would..."

The voice became quieter and quieter.

"Good afternoon" and "good evening" are understandable, but wouldn't it be inappropriate to use "thank you for your hard work" instead of "good morning"?

Confused as she was, Evelyn met a few young men who greeted her on the road. She was lucky. If she had met other consular priests or sword-wielding priests from the Archdiocese of Zerhar, they would have exchanged a few words about work, and the rare time for a walk might have been wasted.

Evelyn Tigridell didn't hate work. If she didn't have a passion for work, it would be hard to handle the things at hand like she did. But she was in a bad mood today. If she didn't take a walk to relax, she didn't know how long she could last. Because of this, it was better not to let work bother her during her free time.

The vitality of the young believers made her feel relaxed, and it seemed that even the tense atmosphere in the temple was diluted a little. This was good, but there was one thing that puzzled her. No matter which department the believers she met along the way belonged to, whether they were lay people visiting the Central Cathedral or students still practicing in the church school, they all had some respect, admiration, or worship for her. It seemed that even if she didn't introduce herself, they could recognize her identity accurately.

Is it because of the pointed ears, silver hair, and deep green eyes? Elves are rare in Ambrisburg, and even rarer in Ferska. Even though Zelhar is geographically close to Terriati, the conservative attitude of the Elven Empire itself, as well as the continental war twenty years ago, have made elves a rare existence in Zelhar.

Was it because of the armor? Evelyn was not wearing a monastic robe or other formal attire. Even when she was working in the rear, she always wore the gorgeous light armor with a cape. There were not many senior priests who wore armor on a daily basis and were stationed in the Central Cathedral, including the highest deacon, consular priest, and sword-bearing priest. If Evelyn's identity could be judged from this aspect, it was very likely.

Neither possibility could be ruled out, and even if it was just a minor insignificant issue, it still lingered in Evelyn's mind for a while.

Before closing the office door, the afternoon sky was still filled with an intoxicating glow.

When I opened the office door again, the sky had become hateful. The dusk was not joyful. Unlike the southwest of the continent covered by a fake sky, the dusk here was only a brief moment, sprinkling some light and hard-to-detect orange-red through the perennial gray cloud wall.

The nights in spring are not much darker than those in winter, and the mornings do not come earlier than those in winter. Even the lingering chill in the air and the white frost hanging on the grass make winter more like a lingering ghost than a season. The three-level lighting used for emergency and energy saving during the daytime has temporarily ended its mission as night falls. The bright first-level lighting and the backup second-level lighting have taken their place. Only the fourth and fifth-level lighting are waiting for the opportunity to light up at any time.

When the night tends to be more horrible and less quiet and mysterious, Levina's teachings become pale. People still pray to the Lady of Night, even more frequently, to shorten the length of the night. This can be regarded as a kind of humor in the wasteland.

"We're here. This is it."

When Evelyn spoke again, a gust of west wind blew by, carrying her willow leaf flute-like voice, brushing Novia's cheeks, lifting her black hair, and drilling into her ears, making her wonder whether she should feel happy because of the words, or shrink her body because of the slight coolness.

“Evelyn-senpai… after all, you still like to end your walk here…”

In the end, it was that "not unexpected" feeling that made her laugh. The shy and introverted smile, but it was there, softened Evelin's expression, and then she once again cast her eyes into the distance.

Bell Gallery.

Although it has such a name, compared with the promenade, it looks like a rooftop no matter how you look at it. However, as a rooftop, its scale is a bit too large.

The many large golden bells that were originally used to tell time lost their original purpose as personal clocks became popularized, and became simple ritual instruments, only rung during important ceremonies.

As the highest point of the Central Cathedral, it has been the most suitable place to overlook the scenery of Ambrisburg since the day it was built.

Muirand needed to support a population of over one million with not very vast land, so it chose to build tall buildings with steel, dragon crystals and bricks. Only the nobles who could enter the Senate could own independent and luxurious houses in the mountaintop area. Zelhar was different. From the day of its founding, it was not famous for its rich population resources. The believers of the Three Seats of Glory were all over the world, but only a few chose to move to the Holy See. To this day, the Central Cathedral is still the tallest building in Ambrisburg.

The once prosperous magic kingdom, Nasaran - its borders cover almost the entire vast land southeast of the Anda-Brun Mountains, including many principalities that are still in existence or have been destroyed by natural disasters. The territory of the Kingdom of Nasaran is more than enough to support the countless magicians and non-magician slaves living on the land. However, the magicians who think highly of themselves have chosen a more thorough way. Whether it is the camp that accommodates non-taxpaying non-magicians or the floating city high in the sky, they are all the products of the class segregation policy. It seems that only by doing so can they demonstrate the dignity of being magic-friendly.

In the City of Grace, there is another scene. The Bell Gallery is open to anyone in the country. The High Priest will give a speech here. After the high ceremony, he will stand on the edge of the gallery and wave to the believers celebrating below. Ordinary believers without any authority can also go up here, lean on the edge of the guardrail, and look out over this land blessed by God. This city belongs to everyone on this land. Even non-believers can listen to the teachings of the Three Seats of Glory.

However, as time passes by for thousands of years, the world is still changing little by little, even if it is slow.

Compared with thousands of years ago, the Central Cathedral seems to have not changed at all, only the faces coming and going have changed. What has changed is not the stone castle, but the people themselves. Even devout believers no longer regard overlooking Ambrisburg as an interesting or meaningful act: if you want to promote your faith, the altar, scripture library or confessional in the Central Cathedral are better to take out; if you want to seek novel pleasures, the novelties that appear in the streets or markets of Ambrisburg are more attractive than the bell gallery.

Everything on the city streets has replaced this hanging garden built on the high platform and has become a part of the believers' lives. Only when they are flying on brooms and flying carpets will they look back and cast their eyes on the big clock shining brightly in the dusk.

This country, this city, this magnificent temple, are also catching up with the footprints of time bit by bit in their own way.

"It's nice here, isn't it?"

The sun has already set and darkness is covering the clouds. Looking out from this high platform, one can see countless shining lights below, making the streets as bright as day.

In the curtain that was as bright as stars, the silver knight stroked his hair blown by the wind and turned around.

A smile appeared on her face, which was rare and relaxed and warm, and it echoed with the sea of ​​lights and stars.

——How dazzling.

Such thoughts floated in Novia's mind.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed by the north wind, and her sight seemed to sway with the shining face, becoming increasingly blurred.

Chapter 7: Whispers in the Ceremonial Bureau

The night descended from the clouds, covering every living being under the sky, just like Levina's wings.

There is no other place in the city that offers a better view than this one. The more you lean forward on the stone railings that have been there for who knows how long, like Evelin did, the more you can see the brightly lit street scene. This is the elegant and gorgeous back garden that only those who know the Central Cathedral well and frequently visit will know.

"It's nice here, isn't it?"

For Novia, this was not the first time she came here with Evelin.

However, no matter what time, this famous elven knight was so happy, just like taking a new friend to visit a secret base, a small world opened up in a tree branch, an abandoned house or a cave. It was really curious. While Novia was in a relaxed mood, she always had this thought - every inch of land here should be very familiar to Evelyn who often stopped here, but she could still maintain such a fresh feeling.

“That…Senior Evelin…”

"What's wrong? It's after work now, so it's okay if you don't use honorifics."

"Um...um...please allow me to add the honorifics, please?"

"That's not a problem..."

“Senior Evelin, I like this place very much.”

"Oh, yes."

Work is her biggest "hobby", and her work is so special that it gives Evelyn an equally special feeling, as if she is doing something that benefits all intelligent species. But no matter how much you love your work, you must rest in your spare time. Even a powerful, beautiful, and long-lived elf cannot devote all his time to work, and relaxation is always necessary.

Reading is my first choice, but I have been so busy lately that I can’t find the time to finish a philosophy book.

The second choice would probably be to wander around and stroll in these places that she likes.

Unlike taking a walk on the streets after dinner to digest food, this selective stepping is more like wandering, which is purposeful, has a clear goal, and is more suitable for planning.

"Do you care about the reason?"

"Eh? Well, um... there is a little bit..."

"Don't be so flustered, it's no big deal. I really haven't mentioned it to Novia, sorry."