Awoo

In this era, traitors were sent to the burning stake, which was an incomparably painful way to die for anyone.

Originally, I had intended to throw Baker onto the burning stake, but since Lola had pleaded for him, I couldn't ignore her, and her request was reasonable.

At the very least, it did not exceed the limits of what she should do.

"I will use my discretion. Stand up."

With a helpless sigh, I walked over and helped Lola up. When I touched her wrist, I could feel how weak she was at that moment.

Even standing seemed to be a great struggle for her.

After all, she had been subjected to a curse, and her bodily functions had declined significantly.

Although her internal organs had been repaired, her physical condition could not quickly return to normal.

She would need a period of quiet rest.

I felt a bit sorry for her, but more than that, I felt anger toward Baker.

Though this man was clever, he had ultimately failed to transcend the era he lived in.

In the end, he had even dragged Lola into this situation, forcing her to kneel and plead for him.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the Temple.

Since he had come to the door himself, he must have known that he had already lost.

I suppose this could be considered turning himself in.

As soon as I entered the main hall, I scanned the room and saw Baker standing there, surrounded by several knights.

He still wore a smile on his face, seemingly indifferent to the sharp blades pointed at him.

When he saw me, he even had the presence of mind to nod in greeting.

I glanced at him and ignored him, walking up to the divine platform and sitting back on the divine couch before turning my gaze downward.

Baker did not seem surprised by my attitude and simply maintained his smile.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Saintess. I pray for your well-being."

"Impressive. You still remember that I am the Saintess?"

My gaze swept coldly over Baker. He smiled, his face showing no fear at all.

"Does Your Highness intend to kill me?"

"What do you think?"

"Heh... There is no need to trouble Your Highness's hands. Before coming here, I already swallowed poison. My life is short. Please rest assured, Your Highness. When I walk out of here, you can have someone prepare a coffin."

"You still want a coffin?"

Baker was slightly taken aback, then gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Indeed... What reason does a rebel have to enter a coffin with dignity?"

"You have quite the self-awareness. However, as the Saintess, I naturally have the capacity for tolerance. I will have someone prepare your coffin. Besides, even if I didn't want you to be buried, Lola wouldn't agree to it."

"Lola..."

Hearing that name, Baker's eyes flickered with a momentary daze.

"I have failed her."

"So you actually know?"

Baker shook his head with a bitter smile.

"At a time like this, why must Your Highness mock me further?"

"If it weren't for Lola's plea, I would have brought you back to life just to send you to the burning stake even if you died."

"I didn't expect Your Highness to have such a cold side..."

Baker looked up at me as if reflecting on the thought, but I was actually amused.

"Heh~ Baker, do not forget that while I am the Saintess, I am also a Sovereign!"

"A commoner's wrath spills blood for five paces, but a sovereign's wrath leaves a million corpses. Why did you think I wouldn't be so cold-blooded?"

"I see... If you didn't have such a temperament, how could you have made Lola serve you so willingly?"

Baker shook his head helplessly.

He raised his hand and reached into his sleeve, causing the surrounding knights to instantly roar.

"Drop your hand!!"

"What are you trying to do!?"

Sharp blades were instantly pressed against his neck, and Baker's movements came to a halt.

"Stand down."

"But Your Highness, why not strike down such a treacherous rebel immediately? Leaving him alive is a threat!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Stand down!"

I repeated the command. The knights looked at each other, and though their faces still showed anger, they obeyed and retreated several steps, leaving Baker some space to move.

However, the knights never cleared the direct path between Baker and me.

If Baker made any suspicious move, these knights would absolutely show no mercy!

Baker said nothing, simply pulling three letters from his sleeve.

"This letter was given to me by Your Highness. I am sorry, I failed to fulfill it."

Baker slowly placed the letter on the ground. Suddenly, he let out a muffled groan, his body trembling slightly as a trace of black blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"Ugh~ and also, this..."

He shook the second letter and placed it on the ground as well.

"Written here... are the names of all the families and knights who participated in the rebellion."

The knights looked at each other. One of them stepped forward, reached out to take the envelope, opened it, and looked it over. After confirming there was no issue, he handed it to the nun behind him.

The nun took the paper, not daring to look closely, and quickly walked up the divine platform to hand it to me.

"This third letter, ugh... cough, cough, pfft~"

Baker was only halfway through his sentence when he spat a mouthful of black blood onto the ground.

His face had turned deathly pale. He gasped for air for several moments before barely recovering, shaking the third letter in his hand.

"In this letter... in here, are all my, cough... all my contacts and their methods of communication. Your Highness, I beg one thing of you."

Looking at the weakened Baker, my brow furrowed slightly. I didn't speak, just watched him quietly.

"Please give these people to Lola. She is my family. I believe she can treat them well. Similarly, I hope Your Highness can choose not to hold them accountable."

At this point, he coughed several more times, gasping for breath.

"I will take all the blame. I hope... Your Highness... can agree."

He sank to his knees on the ground, his gaze fixed on me, his eyes filled with supplication.

"Are you certain these people won't seek revenge for you?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Before doing this, I... I already communicated with them. No matter the outcome, they will not seek revenge. I only hope Your Highness does not drive them to extinction. They... are just a group of homeless orphans."

"I understand... Guard, let Bishop Lola in."

Lola hadn't followed us in. She probably realized she couldn't accept this reality and chose to avoid it instead.

However, I wouldn't let her run away. The price for anyone to grow up is immense.

If she avoided this matter, then in the future, once she encountered even more difficult things, she would likewise choose to flee rather than face them.

Though she was clever, she was still young after all.

Soon, the pale-faced Lola, dressed in her red robe, walked in from outside. At her first glance into the hall, her eyes landed on Baker, who was kneeling on the ground, so weak he was barely breathing.

A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, and her eyes were filled with a daze. For a moment, she stopped at the doorway, neither advancing nor retreating.

She was hesitating, she was wavering, and she felt overwhelmed facing such a cruel reality.

Seeing her like this, I knew that if no one woke her up now, she would fall into endless confusion.

I took a deep breath and shouted!

"Lola!!"

She looked up in a daze, her eyes staring at me blankly.

I looked directly at her.

"Do you still remember your ideal? Do you still remember... that thing you wanted to do!?"

Lola's gaze faltered for a moment, and her originally lifeless eyes gradually regained a hint of spirit. The dazed expression on her face dissipated.

She pursed her dry lips, took a deep breath, and looked up at Baker, seeing him watching her with a smile.

Her eyes grew moist.

But... her feet stepped forward with determination.

"Of course I haven't forgotten."

Though she was weak, her voice contained a resolve that said she would move forward no matter how many thousands of difficulties lay ahead!

"Lola greets Your Highness."

Seeing her recover so quickly, I felt a sense of relief and was also happy for her.

However, at this moment, I didn't need to say anything to her.

"Lola, I'll leave this place to you. And this..."

I handed Baker's third letter to Lola, then stood up and looked at the other knights.

"Everyone, withdraw."

The knights looked at each other, but in the end, they chose to obey and left.

I turned to look at Lola. Her gaze remained locked on Baker, her eyes brimming with tears.

I said nothing more and gently patted her shoulder.

"Say your goodbyes properly."

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

Lola's voice carried a suppressed sob.

I left the Temple without looking back, leaving them this last bit of time to say goodbye.

When it comes to subordinates, it is sometimes necessary to offer some trust.

At a time like this, it was best to let them speak to each other. Since Lola had already firmed her resolve, she wouldn't change it because of this small matter.

If she truly changed her beliefs and ideals because of Baker's death, then it would only mean... I had trusted the wrong person, and she... was not the person I wanted.

I walked out of the Temple and stood before the main hall. Because the chaos in the city was still ongoing, I couldn't go to sleep yet.

Even if I was exhausted, I couldn't.

However... Astrid, that little round fellow, was sleeping soundly. She was sprawled out on the Saint's Carriage, not even realizing I had stepped off, still snoring away.

"Your Highness."

Ligeia was standing in front of the Temple. At this moment, the square in front of the hall was completely occupied by two thousand skysoar dragons.

There was almost no gap to be seen.

The large creatures, each five or six meters long, looked like tyrannosaurs with shortened bodies and a pair of wings.

Because of this build, they couldn't stand on all fours at all. They could only stand on two thick hind legs, using their short front claws to groom the scales on their bellies.

These skysoar dragons were mostly in small groups. It was easy to tell that they were basically in clusters of about a dozen.

Because of their short claws, they couldn't reach their own backs at all. Basically, the grooming of the scales on their backs relied on their companions.

They groomed each other's scales.

"What are they doing?"

I was a bit curious. After all, these were true dragons!

Although they were only a dragon sub-species, they were a species recognized by the true dragon species.

As a learned scholar, Ligeia came in handy, explaining with a proud face:

"Every time skysoar dragons undergo a long flight, they groom each other's scales like this because the scales on their bodies are constantly growing and being replaced."

"After a long flight, some old scales will fall off. But during the flight, the scales on their bodies are pressed tightly against the skin because of their tensed muscles. Occasionally, some scales cannot fall off on their own. They are helping their companions groom and pick out the scales that have lost their function."

"These shed scales can be used as material for armor. Once melted, their hardness is even greater than steel."

"Furthermore, there are occasionally small parasites on the dragons. they are also searching for these parasites for each other to avoid being infested."

I nodded. Although I could understand what she was saying, I still found it very impressive.

Watching these bright silver skysoar dragons groom each other's scales, even being so meticulous as to flip over and observe every single one, and only moving to the next after confirming there was no problem.

It had to be said that the dragon race truly deserved to be the most prosperous race on the continent.

Although most were dragon sub-species or of the False Dragon Order, the reason they were so prosperous was all due to their attitude toward their own kind.

The dragon race was very united, and any dragon cherished its companions deeply.

Conflicts rarely occurred between members of the same race, and even direct battles between different dragon sub-species were rare.

Just then, one of them, clearly a size larger than the other skysoar dragons, walked over with slightly clumsy steps.

"Awoo~"

It seemed to be saying something to Ligeia, and Ligeia opened her mouth to speak in a voice that sounded like a roar yet also like a language.

This dialogue between different races felt refreshing to me.

After all, in my previous memories, this kind of direct communication between different species could almost be called a miracle!

The most memorable one was the orangutan named Chantek, who was the only non-human creature that could communicate with humans using sign language.

Soon, the exchange between an elf and a dragon ended, and Ligeia turned to look at me.

I was also quite curious.

"What were you two talking about?"

Ligeia shrugged helplessly.

"It is the lead dragon of this group of skysoar dragons. It says it wants a place where its tribesmen can live peacefully. This place is too noisy and unsuitable."

"Mm, tell it I understand. I will have someone make arrangements tomorrow."

Ligeia nodded, turned to look at this skysoar dragon, exchanged a few words in the dragon language, and then looked at me again.

"Your Highness, it says no problem. It only needs an environment where its tribesmen can live peacefully, because there are already pregnant females in the tribe."

"Its intelligence seems to be quite high?"

Didn't they say that the intelligence of a skysoar dragon was only that of an eight to twelve-year-old?

Why did it seem like this dragon had no major issues communicating with Ligeia?

"Yes, but generally, the intelligence of a lead dragon will be higher. The information I introduced to Your Highness before was just an average level. Often, the intelligence of these lead dragons should be no different from that of a fifteen-year-old youth."

This meant that this leading skysoar dragon already had the intelligence of a normal human.

After a slight hesitation, I took a step forward and reached out my hand.

"Hello, I am Luo Li Saint Sariel. From now on, I will be responsible for all the supplies, food, and housing your tribe needs. I hope you can help me wholeheartedly."

Seeing this, Ligeia hurried forward to translate.

After hearing this, the skysoar dragon paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, and then spoke another sentence to Ligeia.

The translation immediately entered my ears.

"It says its name is Momo, and it is the lead dragon of these skysoar dragons. It is very pleased to meet you and looks forward to our future cooperation."

With this translation, Momo also reached out its short front hand. Although short, it was still far too large compared to my small hand.

It looked clumsily at its claws, then at my hand, hesitated for a moment, and extended a single finger into my palm.

I looked at this dragon finger, which was a circle thicker than my wrist, and gripped it.

Momo opened its mouth, narrowed its eyes, and revealed a human-like smile along with a row of snowy white, sharp teeth.

"Awoo~"