Outside the door, Hilda stood in a daze, her shadow blocking the fading glow of the sunset peeking through the crack.
Luo Li glanced toward the doorway, certain that someone was there.
There was still a demon spy within the city, and if they intended to launch a sneak attack, she was currently no match for them.
Her level was simply too low!
After waiting for a long time without the person entering, Luo Li breathed a sigh of relief.
If the other party truly intended to assassinate her or take her by force, they certainly wouldn't be standing idly at the door. Generally, men were forbidden from entering the inner Temple, which was reserved for nuns and the Saintess.
However, knights did patrol the Temple courtyard.
The Saintess wielded the power and faith of an entire nation; one could say the entire Kingdom of the Moon revolved around her.
She was essentially a monarch, and by extension, this Temple served as her royal palace.
"Who is out there? Come in and speak."
Luo Li tested the person outside. The heavy doors were slowly pushed open, revealing Knight Hilda with a rather peculiar expression. She looked agitated, as if she were desperately trying to suppress some intense emotion.
Luo Li was utterly bewildered.
What had Hilda been up to?
Doing the "deed"?
Surely not.
Did Hilda have a lover?
Even so, there was no need to be in such a state.
The threat of the demon army outside hadn't even been resolved yet.
"Knight Hilda, are you... alright?"
Seeing that she even walked with a slight awkwardness, Luo Li felt more certain of her suspicion.
The evidence was right there: her legs were trembling, clearly a sign of complete exhaustion.
Still, the other person must be quite impressive.
To leave even a Guardian Knight worn out, they were truly a paragon of the craft.
It was a pity she had lost her own "treasure," otherwise she... probably wouldn't have lost!
Hilda walked up to her, knelt on one knee, and held the documents above her head with both hands.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I did not know you were communicating with the heavens. Please punish me for interrupting your audience with the divine!"
"..."
What was she talking about?
What divine audience?
Luo Li stared at her in total confusion.
Though she didn't understand the misunderstanding, it seemed she had misjudged Hilda's activities.
"Rise. It is no matter."
Seeing Hilda like this, Luo Li decided not to say much. The more she spoke, the more likely she was to make a mistake. It was better to be cautious.
"Set the documents aside, Knight Hilda."
"At your service!"
Hilda rose and placed the files on the small desk beside the bed, then backed down the steps.
If men were forbidden from entering the Temple, then the area before the holy statue was off-limits even to ordinary nuns.
Aside from the Saintess, only strictly selected nuns were permitted to step onto the divine platform.
As the Saintess, she was required to pray to God, so she often slept here.
"Hilda."
"Yes."
Hilda took a respectful step back and bowed slightly.
"Has the demon army truly retreated?"
"Yes. I have just received word from Guardian Knight Nar at the East Gate. The demon army there has indeed withdrawn."
The demons lived to the northeast of the continent. They had once been driven to overseas islands by humanity, only to rise again after many years.
The terrifying part was their ability to reproduce using other races.
Most mysteriously, any offspring born from a union with a demon would always be a demon.
Strictly speaking, their reproductive capacity was not poor; as long as they could conquer other races, they had an infinite supply of breeding grounds.
Through this, the demonized humans had occupied the Winter Forest in the northeast, including parts of the coastline.
The Holy Kingdom sat at the center of the continent, with the other seven holy nations surrounding it.
The Kingdom of the Moon was located in the eastern coastal region, with the Holy Kingdom at its back and the Fiend Nation to its front.
Luo Li nodded slightly, a holy and elegant smile gracing her lips.
"Knight Hilda, please notify Knights Nar, Yuna, and Cain to come to the Temple immediately to discuss a matter of great importance."
Hilda hesitated, her expression wavering.
"Your Highness, the demon army has only just retreated. The three knights have been fighting for days and are physically and mentally exhausted. They are currently resting. Should we perhaps wait until tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Luo Li shook her head.
"Do we even have a tomorrow?"
The knight’s face paled instantly, and she snapped her head up to look at the Saintess.
"Your Highness... was the divine decree you received just now... that Brilliant City is doomed to fall?"
Luo Li nodded.
"Let me borrow your silver coins for a moment."
"What does Your Highness need them for?"
Hilda confusedly produced a small pouch of silver coins, about twenty in total.
Luo Li didn't know the purchasing power of currency in this world, but Hilda was a level fifty Guardian Knight!
Did she only carry this much pocket change?
Either silver coins were extremely valuable, or Brilliant City was desperately poor.
Luo Li took five silver coins and crouched down. Her long white robe trailed across the floor, yet the snow-white fabric didn't pick up a single speck of dust.
It seemed the Temple was protected by some kind of magic circle that kept it pristine.
She placed four silver coins to represent the four directions, then pointed to the one in the center.
"Knight Hilda, I want you to answer truthfully. If this center point is the Temple, and you had enough troops to surround Brilliant City with the primary goal of capturing me, which direction would you choose for a surprise assault?"
Hilda knit her brows, her expression turning somber. After a moment of thought, she pointed to the west.
"Here."
"Oh? Why?"
"To answer Your Highness, Brilliant City faces the sea to the east, mountains to the north, and a plain to the south. Because the Fiend Nation is to our east, our heavy forces are always concentrated on the eastern and northern walls. The defenses to the southwest are weaker. The west is hilly terrain, not very high but covered in dense forests, making it easy to hide an army. The south is a vast, open plain where any attempt at a surprise attack would be easily spotted. Therefore, the best route is the West Gate, which is also closest to the Temple."
So that was it.
Outside the West Gate lay undulating hills and thick forests. Once someone was taken there, all hope of escape would be severed.
The sudden retreat of the demon army was likely because they had received news of Martha’s failure to abduct the Saintess.
Luo Li didn't believe the demons would give up so easily, especially after spending a year setting this trap.
"Knight Hilda, for the sake of Brilliant City and the Holy Church, I need you to gather the other three knights immediately. This must be done in absolute secrecy."
"By your command."
The knight then walked out of the Temple.
She rested a hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist and looked up at the blue sky and white clouds where the sun hung high.
"O God, I sincerely beseech you. No matter the outcome, please protect the Saintess from harm."
"May the brilliance... never be extinguished!"
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