Choice

After the discussion, I ordered the entire army to rest where they were.

The knights had not rested for two days and nights.

To be safe, no one removed their armor, and the saddles stayed on the horses; many even fell into a deep sleep directly on horseback.

For these warriors who spent their lives with horses, sleeping in the saddle was a familiar skill that didn't affect their rest at all.

The white horses they rode were also well-trained and familiar with this routine, closing their eyes and sleeping while carrying their masters.

At times like this, to prevent the horses from being startled by sudden accidents, the knights closed the ear flaps on the horses' helmets and covered their eyes with black cloth to avoid chaos.

These knights of the heavy cavalry regiment were no ordinary men, and the horses' armor was far more sophisticated than that of standard infantry.

In particular, details like the ear and eye covers were built into the armor, usually kept in a pouch on the saddle.

When needed, they were brought out to cover the ears and eyes.

For a time, the Saint's Carriage, surrounded by two hundred knights, became silent.

"Your Highness, isn't this a bit too risky?"

After listening to the plan I described, Hilda calculated the odds in her mind, feeling worried.

While it was a good plan, her Highness seemed to have a bit of a problem with her head, always liking to put herself in dangerous positions.

As the Saintess and the ruler of a nation, such a lack of regard for her own life kept Hilda on edge.

If any accident occurred—if even a single stray arrow hit the Saintess—the consequences would be unthinkable.

"I admit it is a bit of a risk, but fortune favors the bold. This is the best way to resolve all the trouble in Brilliant City in one fell swoop."

If I returned directly with these two thousand skysoar dragons, it would be a blatant declaration of our overwhelming strength.

The opposition wouldn't make a move; if they didn't act, I would lose my justification to act against them.

At most, I could punish a few merchants, but it would have almost no impact on the nobles.

To pull up this entire network by its roots and seize complete control, I had to take some risks.

I turned back to look at Ligeia.

"Ligeia, you go back first. Take the skysoar dragons to your mage tower; I believe you have a way to hide them."

Ligeia nodded, a confident smile playing on her lips.

"That is no problem. Please rest easy, Your Highness."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

I watched Ligeia leave the Saint's Carriage. Beside me, Hilda hesitated for a long time before finally asking a question.

"Your Highness... what are you still waiting for?"

Hearing Hilda's question, I turned my gaze toward the direction of Brilliant City.

"I... am waiting for a message."

"A message?"

"Yes, a message..."

Baker... please, do not let me down.

...

Brilliant City, the noble district of the South Gate.

A cluster of estates led by the Garnet family was located in one of the best areas of the South Gate, just west of the main entrance to the Temple.

At this moment, Sean Garnet, the chief manager of the Garnet family in Brilliant City and its designated future head, was looking at the burly man before him with a grave expression.

"You are saying... that our Saintess is returning with only two hundred knights?"

"Yes."

"Is the source reliable?"

"Please rest assured, Lord Sean. I wouldn't dare claim much else, but regarding the transmission of information, I, Baker, have never made a mistake."

The burly man standing before Sean was the very person I was thinking about.

The owner of the Moonlight Bar and Lola's 'brother,' Baker!

"Very good. Excellent!"

A long-absent smile appeared on Sean's face. Ever since he learned that something had happened to his father, Barry Garnet, he had been unable to eat or sleep well.

Now, everything was beginning to get on the right track, just waiting for the Saintess to return with her exhausted cavalry regiment.

What he never expected was that the Saintess would value that little girl Lola so much that she would rush back with only two hundred knights.

This was almost like walking into the lion's den!

The chaos in the city and the attack on Bishop Lola were almost entirely orchestrated by him.

Of course, this also required the cooperation of several other families.

This included the Cromwell family; although they did not openly support it, they did not block it in the shadows, and they even helped push the matter forward!

As for the Alvin family, they had indeed been opposing his Garnet family and the Dressas family at the beginning.

But when the Alvin family learned that they intended to nominate the head of the Cromwell family, Kevin Cromwell, as the new king, the Alvin family's council of elders completely lost any desire to resist.

Compared to the Garnet and Dressas families, the Alvin family was much closer to the Cromwell family.

If Kevin became the new king, the Alvin family would naturally receive corresponding benefits.

In the face of greater interests, the four largest families circling the Kingdom of the Moon did not lift a finger against the current chaos.

Led by the Garnet family, assisted by the Dressas family, with the Alvin family watching from the sidelines and the Cromwell family going with the flow, this palace coup was thus staged.

The influence of the four major families could not be overstated.

Even within the knights, many had already secretly sided with him.

Of course, that minor Guardian Knight Nar Alvin knew nothing of this.

He was a very rigid young knight; because he was so young, hot-blooded, and had a strong sense of justice, he certainly would not have agreed if he had known.

Similarly, Kevin Cromwell, who was currently rushing back from the Snow Country, could not possibly know about this.

If any single family had acted, the merchants would not be gathered in front of the Temple to cause trouble right now.

All previous considerations had completely given way to such immense interests.

With a Saintess as ruler, the sovereignty ultimately lay with the Holy Church, which was not a good thing for the nobles.

Once this power was transferred into the noble circles, the Holy Church would become insignificant.

Rather than leaving this power to the Holy Church, it was better to take it back into the hands of the nobles.

It should return to being a power that only nobles could contend for.

In fact, this was the system used by the other six nations of the Holy Church.

Only the Kingdom of the Moon was different; because there was no royal family from the start, royal power had always been in the hands of the Saintess.

"However, Lord Sean, are you sure... Sir Kevin will agree to this? If we force him to be king, will he refuse?"

Baker seemed slightly hesitant; after all, everyone in Brilliant City knew how upright that knight Kevin was.

"This concerns the survival of the four major families, hundreds of thousands of lives, and the stability of the Kingdom of the Moon. He has no choice but to accept."

Sean smiled and turned to look out the window. Upon learning that the Saintess was returning with only two hundred knights, the tension in his heart had finally eased.

"When the time comes, even if he wants to refuse, he will have to consider whether his Cromwell family can survive if he does."

Saying that, Sean turned back to look at Baker.

This was a smart man.

When Sean had found him, Baker had only thought about it for a moment before immediately agreeing.

Because this man understood very well how much power the four major families had when they united!

"Don't worry. When the time comes, we will lift Bishop Lola's curse. Perhaps we can even let her hold some official position in the new government. I quite admire that woman's intelligence."

Sean smiled; since he had found Baker, he naturally knew about Baker's relationship with Lola.

Assassinating Lola naturally had to be discussed with Baker first, otherwise, offending him for no reason could easily backfire.

"That won't be necessary. I think after this matter is over, I will send her to Seaview City so she can live a normal life. Though she isn't my biological sister, she is no different from one. I hope she can spend the rest of her life in peace. I hope you can agree to this."

"Of course, that's no problem."

Sean waved his hand, agreeing without hesitation.

With royal power about to fall into their noble circle—such a gratifying event—this one insignificant woman didn't matter at all.

Her life or death didn't matter, let alone a peaceful future.

With the strength of their four major families, letting a woman live a carefree life for the rest of her days was effortless.

Moreover, the power behind this Baker was something Sean wanted to get his hands on.

An information network capable of penetrating corners that nobles found difficult to reach, covering the entire Kingdom of the Moon, was an incredibly powerful asset in anyone's eyes!

Therefore, even if Baker's request were more outrageous, Sean would not have hesitated in the slightest.

Thinking of this, Sean couldn't help but turn to look out the window.

Beyond the luxurious floor-to-ceiling window were the bustling city streets, one of the most prosperous areas in Brilliant City.

"Lord Sean, what about the Saintess later...?"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to actually worry about the Saintess."

"I was just asking."

Baker's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Sean.

Looking at the bustling streets and the passing crowds, a smile curled on Sean's lips.

"Currently, this Saintess is far too restless. If she weren't so restless, the four major families might not have been so united. Once Kevin becomes king and smoothly takes over the power of the Kingdom of the Moon, we naturally won't make things too difficult for her. After all... the Eight Nations of the Holy Church consist of more than just the Kingdom of the Moon."

Even if Sean wanted to be difficult, he had to consider the reactions of the other seven nations.

Mistreating a Saintess was almost equivalent to a signal for war with the other seven nations.

Setting aside the other six, the Holy See at least would not sit idly by.

Provoking the most powerful Holy See for no reason was an unwise move.

"Of course, we can't just let the Saintess go like that. Hmm... I actually quite like this Saintess, and it just so happens that I am not engaged."

At this, Sean's smile turned slightly wretched.

That 'men understand' expression immediately let Baker know what this young master of the Garnet family meant.

"It seems you intend to marry the Saintess to weaken her influence in the Kingdom of the Moon."

"Exactly. You are very smart."

Sean nodded, stood up, and walked over to Baker.

"Currently, among our four major families, the only one who can naturally become king is Kevin Cromwell. When he becomes king, power will naturally be handed to him."

"But on the other hand, the power of a new king will certainly have a period of instability. During this time, we must not give that Saintess any chance to reclaim her power."

As he spoke, Sean picked up a wine glass from the table, poured a glass of red wine, and handed it to Baker.

"To keep this Saintess away from royal power, marrying her off to a noble is naturally the best way. Other nobles likely lack the status to take in a Saintess. Among the direct heirs of the four major families, only my age and status are the most suitable, and I am not yet engaged."

Baker took the glass, looking down at the red wine swirling inside.

"It seems the four major families have already discussed this."

Sean smiled slightly, but a hint of cruelty crept into his expression.

"I am truly looking forward to seeing what kind of expression will be on her face when the Saintess is forced to address my father as 'father'."

Hearing this, Baker couldn't help but be stunned, remembering the Saintess's past actions.

The first of the four major families she had targeted was the Garnet family, specifically aiming at Barry Garnet, the current head.

Now, if the plan succeeded, she would have to respectfully call the man she wanted to take down 'father'.

Psychologically, this was indeed a massive blow; it would have a huge impact on one's confidence and self-esteem.

Thinking of this, Baker couldn't help but look up at the man before him, who was focused on swirling the red wine in his goblet.

As expected, the people of the Garnet family all had some psychological issues.

However, it was undeniable that this was indeed a very effective method. On one hand, it struck at the Saintess's confidence and self-esteem.

On the other hand, it dropped the Saintess's position directly below royal power.

Kevin Cromwell was the head of a family and the king.

Yet the Saintess would be married to the son of another family head; no matter what, it was a blatant drop in status.

It kept her away from royal power and limited her future.

Suddenly, a goblet was brought before the dazed Baker, lightly clinking against his own.

A crisp 'ding' echoed.

"A toast to our success."

Hearing this, Baker couldn't help but look up. Seeing the confident smile on Sean Garnet's face, he also began to smile, though it carried a trace of bitterness.

It was unclear whether he felt sorrow for the Saintess's future life or was thinking of Lola's eventual reaction.

But immediately after, he hid his bitterness, leaving only a smile as he raised his glass to drink with Sean.

"To success!"

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

In the refugee camp, about three hundred kilometers from Brilliant City.

The two hundred knights had recovered to their peak state after a night of rest. Though there was still a bit of dust on their faces, their exhaustion had vanished without a trace as the moon set and the sun rose.

At this moment, inside the carriage, the Saintess whom the four major families were plotting against had her brow furrowed, a faint killing intent flickering in her eyes.

Kneeling before her was the knight Hilda.

So... no message has arrived?

I looked up toward the direction of Brilliant City.

Baker, you've truly let me down.