Chapter 71 —……
Chapter 71
71.1
"Your Majesty, please bring back her soul."
Lorenz said this and knelt on one knee before Queen Lucinda.
He had lost an arm, and the cape on his left shoulder was empty. The knight's handsome face had become wooden and haggard, and his once bright eyes had lost their vitality.
King Lucinda sat at the round table in the council chamber of Castle Kaderin, silent.
The tall windows and long doors of the meeting room were tightly closed, and the silence in the room was somewhat oppressive.
"I was wrong," Lorenz said. "I shouldn't have been so arrogant as to think I could protect her."
The knight said this and slowly lowered his head.
"I should have asked her to fight with me instead of letting her stand behind me... It's all my fault."
With a "thump", a tear fell on the stone bricks of the conference room.
"This is all my fault," he said. "I beg you, Your Majesty, to use the Opal Stone to bring back her soul. You can even exchange mine, even if it means my soul is condemned to eternal damnation."
Queen Lucinda looked at Lorenz Abrad with neither emotion nor mockery in her eyes.
She just said calmly: "Just your touching love, it can't move me, Lorenz."
Lorenz's body trembled slightly, and the Queen spoke slowly, "I have had close friends, partners, and lovers. They died, but I did not use the Opal Stone to bring back their souls. I have never used the Opal Stone for any personal relationship. Never before, and never again."
King Lucinda said as she slowly stood up and approached Lorenz.
“So,” she said, “if you want to ask me, Lorenz Ebrard, you’ll need to come up with a more convincing argument.”
The meeting room fell silent again.
There was still a lingering smell of blood in the air from the war, making one's throat and heart feel dry.
Just as Lorenz fell into a long silence, so long that Queen Lucinda thought he would not speak again, he said softly, "I have more convincing reasons for you, Your Majesty."
The king remained silent, and Lorenz suddenly looked up.
The haggard knight's face was covered with traces of tears; however, as he looked at the emperor of the empire, a light rekindled in his eyes.
"For the greater good of the Ethereal Continent," he said, "so that no nobles can oppress the common people."
King Lucinda stared at him, and Lorenz said seriously and solemnly, "Eulidisi and I have always been on the same path. And between me and Euridice, Euridice has always been the smarter, more determined, and more capable one."
As he spoke, his expression darkened. "To achieve our goal, Your Majesty, we paid such a tragic price... Countless knights and citizens died in the war to extinguish the ambitions of the Karagaran family. However, for every Karagaran family member who dies, new nobles will emerge. I cannot eliminate them all."
Hearing Lorenz say this, Queen Lucinda also lowered her eyes and fell silent.
"But," Lorenz said, "if it was Euridice, if she were given a chance..."
Lorenz shed tears again. "She will definitely do better, Your Majesty. She is not only a great alchemist, but also a wise counselor. She knows the secrets of rural cultivation and the key to the training of the Knights. She understands the calculation of taxes and the implementation of the Hydebot Code. She understands the difficulties faced by the craftsmen who repair bridges and roads and the establishment of academy education... I don't know how she will do it, but I know that she will definitely, definitely do better than me—better than many people. She will definitely know how to completely dismantle the nobles of the Ethereal Continent."
King Lucinda suddenly smiled.
"Okay," she said, "I can fight for a chance for her in front of Opal Stone. But whether Opal Stone will choose her or not is not something I can decide."
The emperor said, standing up, "Let us see if she is the soul chosen by the White Opal Stone."
…
"So that's how it is." Olidisi murmured.
King Lucinda smiled. "Even though the Karagaran family was destroyed at that time, the Ebrard and Felix families were still eyeing us covetously. There were also the Blier family and the Ralph family... nobles of all sizes, it would be impossible to kill them all by just fighting."
The king said this and sighed softly.
"When I was young, I was determined to end war with war, but now I no longer feel that way," King Lucinda said. "I am confident that I can win this war. I can kill those nobles one by one, like ears of wheat in a field. However, they are also like ears of wheat in a field, which grow again after being cut."
King Lucinda said as she slowly stood up from Euridice's bed.
"A hundred years ago, the Visakos family was destroyed, the Ebrard family was stripped of power, and then the Karagalan and Felix families rose again. Now, I will kill the Karagalan and Felix families. A hundred years from now, perhaps a new, unknown noble family will rise. There are always many people who want their children to be noble and superior to others from birth."
The king put his hands behind his back and closed his eyes slightly.
"I am confident that I can win the war. I can kill them all. However, the price of victory is the blood and bones of my Knights and the citizens of the Ethereal Continent.
“I’m increasingly reluctant to do that, Oulidsi.
"I long to weaken these families, to reduce their power and prevent their rise without paying such a price.
"However, I am not an omnipotent god, Euridsi. I cannot know everything. I need counselors to stand by me and plan with me to achieve this goal.
"Unfortunately, among my advisors, many who are knowledgeable in planning and strategy have chosen to curry favor with the future crown prince. Some have chosen to wait and see, avoiding any contact with the nobles, but are also unwilling to join me in opposing them. Only a handful of advisors are willing to stand with me.
"Lorenz's words touched me. I originally just wanted to bring your soul back from the burning place, make you my advisor, and work together to deal with the emerging noble families. However, for some reason, the White Opal Stone brought you and me back to ten ethereal years ago—"
King Lucinda said, smiling.
"And you, Euridice Arquitas, you indeed gave a satisfactory answer."
That's "Witch's Grace."
Under the guise of "revenge", Olidesi secretly implemented the "Witch's Grace" in an extremely sophisticated way without the suspicion of the Karagalan family.
This "grace" quietly disintegrated the power of all noble families and prevented the rise of potential new families:
As long as there are many children and heirs in a family, these heirs will not work together. They will restrain each other, split the rule of the great nobles, and fail to form a united force.
Judges and administrators, chosen and appointed based on their abilities, gradually gained power. Commoners like Euridice would no longer be trampled upon by the so-called hereditary nobility, and those nobles who boasted of their noble bloodlines would no longer be able to trample upon others.
Olidesi's revenge is not only directed against the noble family of Karagalan, but also for the greater interests of the Void Continent.
"You have done it, Euridice," King Lucinda said. "You are the chosen soul of the White Opal Stone."
In the subsequent development of the Hollow Continent, the clan-based concept of "aristocrats" gradually declined, starting with the "Witch's Grace." Over the course of countless years, this "grace" gradually eradicated this corrupt and fetid system of bloodline inheritance from the Hollow Continent. From then on, people viewed each other as equals, no longer distinguishing between high and low based on birth.
In the Epic of the Hollow Continent, the historians wrote the "Grace of the Witch" into the legend of the "White Opal Stone"; they eventually called the "Grace of the Witch" the "Grace of Oridesi".
However, that was a long time ago.
When King Lucinda said, "You are the chosen soul of the White Opal Stone."
Olidisi suddenly smiled.
She said, "Lucinda Mayfield."
“…”
"You must know that I am the soul chosen by the White Opal Stone, and I am also the sword hanging above your head."
Oledsi said, gazing at the Emperor of the Empire.
"If you don't keep your promise, if you don't insist on selecting and appointing officials based on their abilities, and if you don't let the royal bloodline perish, then my journey will not be over. My soul will return with the power of the White Opal Stone and cut off your head."
King Lucinda laughed, "If I did that, you're always welcome to chop off my head."
Olidisi also laughed.
"Okay," she said, looking relieved. "It's over. Everything I wanted to do is over here."
King Lucinda asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes," Olidesi nodded with a smile, "I want to leave here and go to Moriota City. I heard that there is an outstanding alchemy master in the Sara Academy there, and I want to study with her."
"That sounds good," King Lucinda said. "Good luck to you, Euridice."
"Goodbye, Your Majesty."
"Goodbye, Oledsi."
When Euridice walked out of Kaderinburg's room, Lorenz was waiting outside the room.
Seeing Oulidesi coming out, he immediately rushed forward: "Tisi!"
“…”
"Are you okay, Tisi? Is everything okay?"
Euridice looked at him and suddenly said, "Matilda."
Lorenz was startled. Euridsi said, "Have you and Matilda broken off your engagement?"
Lorenz was stunned for a moment before answering, "We have never signed a marriage contract or exchanged vows. The marriage ceremony was performed at your request for others to see."
Olidisi said, "Oh," and said, "So, according to your agreement, she has left and completely left the Ethereal Continent."
"Yes," Lorenz said, a little confused, but honestly. "I helped her fake her death during the war. She's probably on an expedition ship in the Great Sapphire Sea now."
"Yes." Oulidesi sighed. "I knew it last time. She once told me that the Void Continent is so big, she doesn't want to be trapped in the castle of Kaderinburg, she wants to go and see it."
Lorenz was completely bewildered. He didn't know what to say.
And Euridice said, "I am leaving too, Lorenz."
Lorenz was startled: "Tisi..."
Oulidesi took half a step forward, then turned back and glared at him: "Why don't you follow me up?"
Lorenz trembled suddenly: "You... allow me to follow you?"
"Well, I allow you to follow me."
Lorenz was stunned for a moment before he shouted in disbelief, "Tisi!"
Euridsi looked at him with a smile, seeing the ecstasy welling up in Lorenz's eyes.
He couldn't help himself and pulled Oulidsi into his arms, burying his head deeply in her hair, his eyes moistened.
But Oulidsi did not break free.
Embraced by Lorenz, she looked towards the sky beyond Kaderinburg.
Up to now, her old life has completely ended, and her new life is just about to begin.
"Let's go," said Euridsi. "The sky and the earth are so vast, and a new journey is waiting for us."
_
The End
End of the article
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Author's Note: Postscript to "A Lady's Revenge"
Yang Zhida on 2025-10-18
"Lady's Revenge" has concluded its series! Thank you for your continued support!
This book was inspired by "rebirth" novels. My personal preference is a bit niche, and when I read many "rebirth" novels, there's always one thing I don't like: the heroine, after her rebirth, is often forced to stay within a rigid aristocratic power hierarchy and either marry a man who is even more powerful than in her previous life, or become even more powerful herself.
Honestly, this might be a matter of personal preference, but I personally don't particularly enjoy climbing the so-called aristocratic hierarchy. Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers truly special? Do commoners have to be oppressed by the so-called aristocracy? After rebirth, do I have to become a more "noble" aristocrat to be happy? These are the questions I've been navigating while reading rebirth stories.
With this desire to express myself, the image of "Oulidesi" slowly took shape in my mind:
She was a commoner, and after her rebirth, she remained a commoner.
She didn't want to become more "noble," but rather to overthrow the decadent aristocratic hierarchy: no one was born with a nobler bloodline than anyone else. She wanted to implement a reform that would completely eradicate the concept of "hereditary nobility." This belief permeated the entire article.
This might be difficult to achieve in real feudal history, but it is not impossible in the fantasy world of "Ethereal Continent". This is because the anchor character of "Ethereal Continent", Lucinda Mayfield, the emperor of the Ethereal Continent, is itself a fantasy concept that is detached from real history:
In creating Lucinda, I wanted to write about an emperor who reigned from the height of feudalism to its final days, was overthrown by the citizens, and personally destroyed the monarchy, ushering in the establishment of a republic. This character's lifespan is set to 800-1000 years in the fantasy world of the Hollow Continent. The idea that "becoming a monarch is to ensure one's own peaceful overthrow one day" was the inspiration for Lucinda's character (for more details on Lucinda's story, see the same series, "The Queen's Epic").
In this particular fantasy, Lucinda's "royal family" isn't strictly a hereditary monarchy. The queen's lack of an heir meant the preservation and consolidation of "royal power" wasn't about upholding the hereditary monarchy, but rather about upholding the republic that would be established 800-1000 years later. Therefore, Euridice and King Lucinda's alliance, combined by monarch and minister, made it possible to eliminate the existence of "hereditary aristocracy" under the guise of "upholding royal power."
Overall, I had a blast writing "A Lady's Revenge." While I struggled to wrap my head around the revenge plot, I had a great time expressing the overall idea and concept. It's a story I really enjoy, and I appreciate you liking it too.
The fantasy trilogy "Ethereal Continent" is drawing to a close. If nothing unexpected happens, the next book will be a plot-driven suspense novel, "How She Did It." Similar to this novel, the heroine's life pursuits are both quite satisfying, but the new heroine's life pursuits differ somewhat from those of Oulidesi, and the plot is more imaginative. Anyway, if we're destined to meet again, we'll see you in the next heroine's exciting life! Love you!
Yang Zhida
2025-10-18
Post a copy of "How She Did It":
"Fang Zhonghui, she is a witch from the East." The eyewitness said this with a look of fear on his face.
The detective frowned. "Why do you say that?"
"Because," the witness said, "all those who treated her badly... all got their comeuppance."
In middle school, a student who bullied Fang Zhonghui had his face mysteriously covered with tattoos of the word "Bully"; after work, a client of Fang Zhonghui was harassed and severely injured for unknown reasons; even the detective who relentlessly pursued Fang Zhonghui and attempted to arrest her suffered a major blow in his life.
Fang Zhonghui seemed to be involved in every unsolved case; however, every time a case occurred, she had a completely unshakable and perfect alibi. She was thousands of miles away and there was absolutely no way she could have been involved.
The detective stared at Fang Zhonghui's photo and murmured, "How on earth did you do that?"
*
How She Did It, a Brain-Opening Suspense Article
The emotional line accounts for less, and more of Fang Zhonghui's wonderful and interesting life
I hope to bring you an interesting reading experience^^
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