Betting on a Saintess of the Moon, who had not left Brilliant City in centuries, personally leading an Imperial Expedition was almost like a joke; the probability was outrageously low.
Therefore, if the demons had any intelligence at all, they wouldn't even consider this possibility. For one, intercepting her midway would require significant military strength, and logistics would be a major issue.
On the other hand, if they truly intended to do that, there was no need to use a million civilians as cover; a few hundred thousand would have sufficed.
Among these million civilians, there were at least tens of thousands of demon elites.
They were likely elites of level ten or higher, and it was even highly probable... that Demon Marshal Zuka was among them.
"It is settled then. Cain, Hilda, the two of you will accompany me tomorrow morning with two thousand cavalry to the border. Knights Yuna and Nar will remain to guard Brilliant City with three thousand cavalry and twenty thousand soldiers."
"Lola, you will be in charge of everything here after I leave. Major matters can wait until I return."
"Camilla, I need a medicinal powder. Can you mix Holy Water into it?"
"...I can try, Your Highness. Please give me one night."
"Go then. It would be best if it works, but if not, it doesn't matter. Do not feel pressured."
Camilla nodded, her brow furrowed into a tight knot as she turned to leave.
"Hilda, Cain, go and prepare."
"Yes."
Hilda and Cain looked solemn, but they did not refuse and turned to depart.
"Yuna, I have a task for you. Five days after I leave, take enough food, medicine, and tents to rendezvous with the refugees."
Yuna's eyes held a hint of worry.
"Your Highness, are you really..."
"Yes, the matter is decided. There is no need for further discussion."
"Yes, Yuna obeys."
I turned to look at Lola.
"Lola, I'm leaving this to you. Within five days, gather all the idle food, medicine, and tents in Brilliant City. How much you can obtain depends on your ability. Use them to assist the refugees."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will do my best."
"Knight Nar, you need to hold Brilliant City. No matter who comes, unless I personally return to the city, no one is allowed to open the gates, even if they lead a great army here."
Regardless of the situation, the Saintess traveling was a huge risk, so I had to settle my affairs properly.
"If the first person to return is not me, then you must hold out until Knight Kevin returns. If you receive news of my death, remember to immediately notify Knight Kevin to rush back and take charge of the situation."
"Your Highness..."
Although Nar was currently the strongest person in Brilliant City, he was far too young. Faced with such a sudden turn of events, he was somewhat at a loss.
"Nar, you don't need to feel too much psychological pressure. In the current Kingdom of the Moon, you have the greatest potential. I hope you can become more composed."
"...Yes."
Nar bit his lip and lowered his head, saying nothing more.
"Go."
Watching Nar's thin, adolescent back fade into the distance, I knew that although this little fellow was young, he truly was the person with the most potential in the Kingdom of the Moon right now.
Being able to reach the rank of Guardian Knight at fifteen was not necessarily unprecedented, but he was certainly among the best.
If his mind could become more mature, he would surely achieve great things in the future.
"Lola, you should go and get busy as well. I still have something to discuss with Ligeia."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola's expression was grim as she turned to leave.
"Wait a moment."
I quickly picked up a brush and wrote a few lines, sealed the envelope, and handed it to Lola.
"Lola, give this to Baker. You are not allowed to read it."
"..."
Lola was stunned, staring at me blankly as if she hadn't expected me to have secrets from her at a time like this.
"Lola, this is an order."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
Lola looked a bit aggrieved, but I really couldn't tell her the details of the letter.
How could I say it?
Tell her that I told Baker to immediately send Lola away to a place where no one knows her to start a new life if I die?
I had used Lola's background to strike at the Garnet family.
If I died, this strike would be left half-finished. Without me, the Saintess, the Garnet family would surely take massive revenge!
The foundation of one of the four major noble families of the Kingdom of the Moon was enough to make a novice like Lola wish for death!
What else could I do?
Every step was a gamble!
I had to find a way out for the subordinates who were loyal to me.
"Go. You will know the contents of the letter in the future."
Lola was stunned again. She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before taking the envelope and turning to leave without another word.
In the hall, only Ligeia and I remained.
"I didn't expect Your Highness to still be in contact with that intelligence chief? Truly surprising."
Ligeia teased me with a smile. At this point, I no longer cared about her teasing.
"Ligeia, I want to meet with the Dragon King. Immediately."
"No problem. Is Your Highness prepared to pay the price?"
She seemed to have already anticipated this, understanding why I had kept her behind.
"Of course. Let's go to the communication room."
"Alright~"
Ligeia's subtle smile carried a hint of anticipation, as if she were looking forward to what crazy thing I would do next.
Does this woman have some kind of problem with her head?
Walking down the hall, I didn't look back, only asking a casual question.
"Ligeia, based on your understanding of the Dragon King, how much do I need to pay to get him to agree to let me use dragon cavalry?"
"Given the Dragon King's personality and your status, I estimate... five million gold coins should be enough."
"And if I add another five million gold coins to ask the Dragon King to send troops?"
"That... might be difficult. After all, the dragon race is scarce, and the Dragon King treasures his clansmen very much."
"Add another ten million!"
"I think that won't be a problem."
"Hmm... we're here."
I nodded, having a general idea of the bottom line. I stepped into the communication room. This time... I didn't let the mage who usually controlled the communication device stay, but kept Ligeia instead.
Because she knew how to operate the communication room and was one of my own, she was naturally more trustworthy than that mage.
Soon, after Ligeia's adjustments, the signal in the communication room was synchronized with the frequency of the dragon race. Then, following Ligeia's soft call, no 3D image appeared; only a voice echoed in the room.
"This wavelength... is that Ligeia?"
I looked at Ligeia in surprise. This was clearly a video call, so why was there only sound?
"Your Highness, this is a unique dragon language magic. Whether to connect the video signal depends on whether His Majesty the Dragon King is willing."
Ligeia's explanation was also noticed by the voice on the other side of the communication.
"Ligeia, is someone else with you? Who is it?"
She replied with a chuckle.
"It is a human Saintess who can contract the original document tablet."
"Oh?!"
The voice suddenly seemed to take an interest. The previous voice had sounded somewhat lazy and raspy.
Now, that 'Oh' sounded much more energetic.
In the next second, the communication room suddenly lit up, and a golden figure appeared before my eyes.
A lizard-like body, bat-like wings, covered in golden scales, and eyes of pure gold; it was the quintessential appearance of a giant dragon.
"Ligeia... is this the human Saintess you said could contract the original document tablet?"
The giant dragon before me seemed a bit skeptical. Then, its eyes erupted with a burst of golden light, sweeping over me.
"Strange, with such a low level... Ligeia, you wouldn't be deceiving me, would you?"
Ligeia smiled slightly, not at all intimidated by the Dragon King's questioning.
"How would I dare? Your Majesty, this is the Saintess of the Moon of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, Luo Li Saint Sariel."
"Your Majesty the Dragon King, it is a pleasure to meet you... I am the human Saintess, Luo Li. To be brief, I requested this call because I wish to discuss a certain matter with you."
The Dragon King's massive head didn't move, but its giant eyeballs rolled in their sockets to look at me, its voice reaching my ears.
"What do you want?"
"I want dragon cavalry."
"How dare you!!!"
The massive golden dragon body rose from the ground, its furious aura clearly felt even within the communication room.
"My dragon race is the premier race beneath the gods! What did you just say? Say it again!"
"I want dragon cavalry, and I am willing to pay two million gold coins."
Murderous intent erupted in the Dragon King's eyes as its golden pupils stared fixedly at me. Suddenly... it raised its hand and held up three fingers.
"Three million for thirty dragons!"
"No. Two million for two hundred dragons!"
The Dragon King was instantly enraged and let out a world-shaking roar!
'Roar—!'
In an instant, through the screen, one could see the aura erupting from the Dragon King, comparable to a grade ten gale. The surrounding trees were uprooted, the earth shook violently, and a bolt of lightning even flashed through the sky, crashing into the ground!
"Say that again!!"
"Two million for two hundred dragons!"
I didn't yield an inch, meeting the Dragon King's gaze directly.
The Dragon King was fuming, pointing a single finger of its massive dragon claw at me, its eyes burning with raging flames!
"Do you think my dragon race are just bargain bin items!? You think you can buy one for a hundred thousand!? At least two hundred thousand each! And they must have meat for at least half of their daily meals!"
Looking at the furious Dragon King, I calmly pulled out that dragon encyclopedia and flipped through the pages until I found the skysoar dragon.
"I only want this kind of skysoar dragon. A hundred and fifty thousand each, with guaranteed meals and lodging. The first batch will be five hundred. When can they arrive?"
The Dragon King snorted a blast of scorching breath from its nostrils that hit the ground. In an instant, the earth before it seemed to melt, turning into glowing lava!
"Five hundred? Such bold talk!! What do you take the dragon race for!!"
"A hundred and fifty thousand each for five hundred, with guaranteed meals and lodging. I can even take responsibility for raising the young dragons. If you don't agree, then forget it."
I put down the dragon encyclopedia and turned to leave.
Just then, the Dragon King's resonant voice rang out.
"Deal!"
"It is a pleasure doing business with you."
The Dragon King's massive body no longer held its previous furious appearance; instead, its mouth curled into a rather comical angle.
"A pleasure doing business with you~"
Rate on N.U.
