Marching

Sake’s bovine features twisted into a mess.

"Your Highness... do you want to count them first? How many hairs are we talking about?"

Ugh... he actually dared to get cheeky with me?

"Get out!"

I raised my foot and kicked his armor.

He naturally played along, putting on a fawning smile and feigning a stumble backward.

"Hehe~ then I will head back to my post now~"

"Wait a moment."

I called the old bull back.

"Nara, go fetch a hundred gold coins."

Nara quickly returned with a hundred gold coins.

Each coin weighed over twenty grams, filling a small velvet bag to the brim.

"Take these hundred gold coins. Consider it my reward for you."

Sake froze for a moment before nodding and solemnly accepting the bag.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. I will never forget your instructions!"

"Go then. I am counting on you."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The old bull answered and turned to walk out of the Temple. From behind, I could see the veins bulging on his hand as he gripped the money bag tightly.

Clearly, he truly intended to pledge his loyalty to me.

That was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

However, none of that mattered as much as the problem on the front line.

When experts clash, victory or defeat is often decided in an instant.

This held true even on the battlefield here.

Unlike the ancient battlefields of Earth, wars here tended to be short but resulted in massive casualties.

This was because many participants were powerful individuals with strength far exceeding that of mortals.

The speed at which they could kill was much faster than the rate of death in a normal clash between two armies.

When ordinary people faced off, a decisive battle might take an entire day. Just the process of both sides charging and slaughtering each other would take at least half a day.

But in this world, it did not take nearly that long because both sides were experts.

Life and death were decided in a heartbeat.

Often, a single charge was enough to determine the outcome.

Therefore, timing on the battlefield became a crucial turning point.

I looked back at Ligeia.

"Ligeia, I cannot hold out for very long. Once the battle begins, you must act as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we will truly lose."

"I understand. Please rest easy, Your Highness."

"Mmm. Prepare yourself. We are heading out."

"Yes!"

I took a quick bath and changed into a clean Saintess's robe. A normal Saintess did not wear armor.

Therefore, I had no need for such things. I remained dressed in my white Saintess's robe with gold trim. I walked to the door and stepped into the Saint's Carriage that had been waiting for a long time.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of horse bells, the Saint's Carriage rolled out of Brilliant City.

This was my second time leaving Brilliant City.

Compared to the first time, I felt somewhat more relaxed.

Yet, both departures were because of war.

Ligeia did not take a separate carriage; she followed me directly into the Saint's Carriage.

Inside the carriage, it was just the two of us.

The person driving the carriage outside was a Brave Knight. I did not know his name, but it did not matter. As long as he was a knight, there generally were no issues.

Once we reached the outskirts of the city, Hilda and Cain were already there leading the army, having waited for a long time.

Seeing that the Saint's Carriage had no intention of stopping, Hilda glanced back at Cain and nodded slightly. She then turned her horse around and raised her knight's lance high.

"Move out!"

'Rumble—'

The sound of a thousand white horses' hooves echoed outside the city like sudden thunder, spreading into the distance.

Immediately after, Cain also raised his lance and led his thousand knights to follow behind the Saint's Carriage.

"Is Your Highness not going to give a mobilization speech?"

Ligeia sat inside the carriage, looking at me with curiosity. Clearly, she was confused by my behavior of starting the journey without saying a word.

"It is not necessary. It is still unclear how many of these knights can be trusted. I will wait until we have covered half the distance."

"Your Highness is truly calculating. Sometimes I find it hard to believe you are only sixteen. You know, human girls of that age are usually still innocent and carefree."

In response, I could only shake my head helplessly.

I wanted to be innocent and carefree too, but reality would not allow it~

Who told me to become a Saintess the moment I arrived instead of a girl from an ordinary family?

There was no choice; people are forced to adapt by their circumstances.

Sitting in this position, I had to view this strange world from this perspective.

Otherwise, what awaited me... would be the kind of 'play' that perverts love most.

Thinking about it felt a bit stimulating, but mostly... it was the fear of being the Saintess!

I would rather die than have that happen!

Watching it is one thing, but experiencing it is a completely different matter!

Is this what they call being a hypocrite?

Emm... it is complicated.

Forget it, I will not think about it!

After being busy all night, I was quite exhausted, so I took the opportunity to lie down on the bed.

This Saint's Carriage truly lived up to its name as a vehicle exclusive to the Saintess. Even while traveling on a dirt road full of potholes, there was not the slightest bump.

It was as smooth as traveling on level ground without any vibration.

Gradually, sleepiness washed over me.

"Ligeia... remember to wake me if anything happens. I am going to sleep for a bit..."

"Sleep, sleep. I will keep watch for you."

Ligeia smiled as she watched the Saintess fall into a deep sleep before she could even finish her sentence, and she could not help but shake her head helplessly.

"Humans... they are always so fragile. They get this exhausted after only one busy night."

Saying this, she continued to observe the Saintess.

"But that makes it more interesting, does it not? Such a weak human, struggling constantly for survival."

An interested smile curled the corners of Ligeia’s lips.

"I am looking forward more and more to what kind of freshness you can bring me. It seems the days ahead will not be boring~"

A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She then lowered her mage hat and sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state to accumulate mana.

After all... there would be a great battle in five or six days. Even though she had said she would not interfere before...

If something really happened to this Saintess, could she really just stand by and watch?

At the very least... Ligeia felt she might not be able to do it.

Because she still wanted to see what other unique experiences this miraculous girl could bring her.

This gave her heart, which had been silent for a long time, a trace of expectation for the future.

Even in meditation, a smile remained on her lips.

Time passed in a flash.

Almost nothing happened on the road; it was just constant travel.

We marched by day and rested by night.

A few days later.

The surrounding scenery changed from the original plains to hilly terrain. In the distance, the Holy Mountains split into two.

One branch headed east, completely isolating the northeast region of the Kingdom of the Moon. This left the northeast region in a semi-isolated state, separated from the main body of the Kingdom of the Moon by a mountain range.

The other branch turned directly north, separating the Snow Country from the Kingdom of the Moon.

The fork in this mountain range was the Four-Ring Mountains.

Looking from afar, one could faintly see the towering peaks standing between heaven and earth.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, birds chirped and insects buzzed, presenting a scene of thriving life.

No one knew that this place was about to host a battle that would decide the fate of the Kingdom of the Moon.

"How much further to the Four-Ring Mountains?"

After traveling for several days and always staying in such a cramped environment, a slight sense of restlessness gradually surfaced in my heart.

However, there was no way around it. As the Saintess, it was impossible for me to easily go outside and ride a horse randomly.

"Your Highness, we will be able to reach the Four-Ring Mountains before dark today."

The knight outside the carriage responded.

"Mmm... notify Hilda and Cain to stop for a moment. I have something to announce."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Soon, this message reached Hilda leading in the front and Cain leading in the back.

The troop of over two thousand knights slowly halted their advance.

I stepped out of the Saint's Carriage. After several days of travel, the two thousand knights appeared somewhat travel-worn. A layer of dust had settled on the silver armor of many knights.

However, knights were knights after all. Their minimum strength was near level twenty. Even several days of continuous marching had not affected their mental state.

Everyone was still full of energy.

However, there was a trace of confusion in everyone's eyes.

This was because everyone was curious why the Saintess had left Brilliant City without a word and traveled all the way toward the northeast border.

From beginning to end, these knights had followed blindly.

Until this moment, when they saw the Saintess step out of the Saint's Carriage and sweep her gaze over everyone.

They had an idea in their hearts.

Her Highness... was likely going to tell them why they were here.

"My knights... you have worked hard."

I spoke slowly. A slight magical fluctuation rose beside me, and my voice was carried to the ears of the two thousand knights along with this magic.

No one spoke. The knights, lined up in neat rows, maintained their elegance at all times. They just quietly watched the young girl standing on the Saint's Carriage.

"You may be very confused as to why I suddenly left Brilliant City, and I am here now to answer your doubts."

"Some of you may already know that a million refugees are currently evacuating from the northeast border toward the interior. All of this is very likely orchestrated by the demon army!"

When these words were spoken, the eyes of all the knights changed.

Some were whispering, while others had their brows locked tight.

"Silence!!"

Hilda held her lance and shouted with a sharp voice.

Instantly, the entire knight unit fell silent, but the atmosphere grew considerably heavier.

"Knights... this time, I am taking you to the border to face that nearly invincible demon army head-on. Are you afraid?"

"We are not!!"

In the crowd, someone suddenly raised their lance high and roared!

Immediately after, the other knights also raised their conical lances, their voices gradually merging into a world-shaking roar!

"We are not—we are not—we are not!!"

"This time, you may never return. You may fall on the field of honor. Are you afraid?"

"We are knights—we are fearless!!"

"Are you willing... to follow me and crush the enemy!! Regardless of life or death!"

"Follow Her Highness! Fearless in death! Crush the enemy!!"