"Let's go."
I cast one last look back at the West District. I wanted to save so many people right now, but for the sake of saving even more in the future, I had to endure for now.
A lack of patience in small things ruins great plans. Lola was right.
"Your Highness, where else do you plan to go?"
Lola followed beside me, reporting on the matters she had handled since early this morning.
"According to the latest news, the Garnet family, including their subordinate Howard family, as well as the Campbell and Rowan families under the Dressas family, have all made public proclamations to the world."
"What did they say?" I asked without looking back.
The rebellion of these families had been expected for a long time.
A cornered dog will do anything, after all.
"They claim that there are demon spies at Your Highness's side and that you have been led astray by the demon army. They say they are acting to purge the court of these evil influences."
"The territories of these families are all connected, aren't they?"
Lola habitually adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Yes. Their territories happen to border the Kingdom of the Sun and the Holy See. The Rowan family has already sent messengers to the Holy See to seek support, while Barry Garnet has offered his own territory as the price for aid from the Kingdom of the Sun."
"Did you stop them?"
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. Because there was not enough time to react, it was already too late."
It seemed the Pope was very likely to intervene.
If that happened, things would become quite troublesome.
As for the Kingdom of the Sun... for now, at least, they wouldn't be able to exert much influence on the Kingdom of the Moon yet.
I reached up and took a strand of silver hair between my fingers, feeling its silkiness. This gesture was quickly becoming a habit.
"I see. Continue."
Lola nodded, picked up her notebook, and began reporting the current situation point by point.
"According to the latest intelligence, 100,000 land forces and 30,000 knights from the Kingdom of the Sun have reached the border of the Garnet family territory. According to the message sent back by General Yanagi Musashi, they clashed with the Garnet family rebels last night, routing over 20,000 enemy troops and killing 5,000."
"100,000 naval forces from the Kingdom of the Sun have also arrived at the port of Tide City and will proceed to the front lines next."
"30,000 knights from the Snow Country have entered the territory of the Kingdom of the Moon and are less than twenty days away from Brilliant City. Knight Kevin is five days away from Brilliant City."
"10,000 knights from the Kingdom of the Sea and 10,000 knights from the Kingdom of the Flame have joined forces and are moving along the Holy See's route. They are approximately two months away from the border of Brilliant City."
"10,000 knights from the Kingdom of the Highlands are crossing through the Holy See and are expected to arrive within three months."
"10,000 wyvern knights and ten airships from the Kingdom of Sand have arrived at the border of the Kingdom of the Moon. At their fastest, they can reach Brilliant City in just three days."
It seemed it would be difficult for all these armies to gather at once. Feeding troops into the front lines bit by bit like this was not ideal for the overall direction of the war.
However, this could be exploited to create a strategic illusion.
"Keep going."
"Yes, Your Highness." Lola took a long breath and continued.
"The million refugees outside the city have been basicallly settled. The necessary supplies are being transported to Brilliant City from the nearest locations, Wine City and Rock City."
"More than two-thirds of the Garnet family's confiscated assets have been used to purchase grain, clothing, and other daily necessities, with the remainder all allocated to the construction of the dragon fortress."
"In the southeast of Brilliant City, the knight annex city has begun construction. All the confiscated lands of the Garnet family have been added to the national treasury."
"On the eastern front, no news has come from the Great Wall yet. The nearest magic tower is three days away from the Great Wall. Brilliant City has no more troops to spare and cannot begin repairs."
"The reinforcement supplies from the Holy See have been loaded onto the Kingdom of Sand's airships and are about to arrive in Brilliant City. The rest of the supplies are still on the way."
"After over ten days of purchasing, the slimes have become a major problem. Your Highness, there is simply nowhere left to put them."
"The news of Butcher Zuka's arrest has been reported to the Holy See and the other six nations. The Holy See has dispatched a Cardinal to confirm Butcher Zuka's identity."
This report lasted for nearly twenty minutes.
I committed every detail to memory and then began issuing orders.
"Once all the supplies arrive, prioritize the needs of the common people. Meet the demands of the refugees outside the city and stabilize them as quickly as possible. I do not want to see cases of people selling their children."
"I trust you to manage the national treasury funds, but this will be very draining on your mind, and your energy is limited. I recall that Rodney is quite sensitive to financial matters. Entrust the management to him in the future."
"I remember Weber has a deep understanding of the law. How has the growth of those two been lately?"
"To answer Your Highness, they are doing quite well."
"Good. Then let's do that. Hand over the legal issues within the city to Weber for now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I paused for a moment, looking at the weary Lola. I truly didn't have the heart to keep working her so hard, but there was no choice. I simply had too few people at my disposal.
"Regarding the slimes, I was just about to resolve that. However, you can choose a location that is large enough to be used for farming slimes."
"Does Your Highness... intend to farm them long-term?"
Lola's brow furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.
"Yes. Slime adhesive is vital for transportation and is indispensable. Once large-scale harvesting begins, it will surely impact the market and affect people's daily lives. Therefore, the best solution is to establish a state-owned merchant guild."
It was a pity I didn't have a talented person capable of supporting a merchant guild right now, otherwise, I could have fully delegated that power as well.
"Lola, shift some of your focus toward this lately. Research the relationship between money and resources. You will still need to handle this area in the future."
She gave a slight nod and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses.
"I understand."
"As for the Great Wall on the eastern front... that's a thorny issue. Has the Mage Association made any moves lately?"
Lola flipped through her notebook.
Even for someone as intelligent as her, keeping all these matters perfectly clear was difficult. Naturally, a dull pencil is better than a sharp memory.
"Your Highness, many mages from the Mage Association have left Brilliant City recently. There are likely fewer than a hundred personnel remaining in the association."
Only a hundred left?
In a massive place like Brilliant City with a population in the millions, there weren't even a hundred mages left?
"Who is in charge now?"
"Leonard Oz."
I didn't recognize the name. Who was that?
"Have you investigated him?"
Lola nodded.
"I have. The Oz family is one of the ancient minor noble families of the Kingdom of the Moon. They have long favored the study of magic, and there are many mages in their family."
"I see. Make the arrangements. I'll find an opportunity to meet him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After boarding the carriage, the entire journey was spent in constant discussion.
From the eastern theater to the southern theater.
From the noble families' reactions to the Holy See.
From the grain shortages to the transportation infrastructure.
From the refugee arrangements to the construction of the fortress.
After nearly two hours of discussion, the next steps were finally decided.
Then, I suddenly realized something.
There was a reason why emperors rarely lived long lives.
It was exhausting!
Finally, we arrived once more at the northern part of Brilliant City, where the dragon fortress was under construction.
Actually, this fortress had other purposes, though there was no need to mention them yet.
This was also why Ligeia had been so busy lately.
On one hand, she had to settle the minds of the dragon tribe here, and on the other, she had to complete the tasks I had given her as quickly as possible.
When I reached Ligeia, her suggestion was very simple.
"Just raise them."
"Is it that simple?"
Ligeia nodded and explained with a relaxed expression.
"Your Highness is overthinking it. In fact, the lives of slimes are very simple. They eat anything. As long as it is organic matter, they can basically digest it—wild grass, food scraps, even manure. Just give them enough clean water, and you can farm them."
"I see. Discuss the specific details with Lola. I've arranged for her to handle the rest."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will certainly teach Bishop Lola how to do it."
"Good. Lola, you stay and learn from Ligeia how to farm slimes. I'll be heading back first."
Lola had been listening from the side without speaking, recording the conversation between the two in her notebook.
"Understood, Your Highness."
Having settled everything, Luo Li, who had been busy all morning, finally returned to the Temple at two in the afternoon.
In the scorching heat of summer, despite being in the interior of the continent, Brilliant City still experienced distinct seasons.
It was now early July in Brilliant City, the peak of the heat.
During this time, I didn't need to wear many layers, leaving my legs exposed, but I still found the sweltering summer sun hard to bear.
Fortunately, the Temple was controlled by magic circles, keeping the temperature and humidity at a pleasant twenty-three degrees Celsius.
Even though the windows were open, the wind that blew in from outside turned into a cool breeze by the time it reached the interior.
I looked out into the distance. The sun was high in the sky, but the horizon was beginning to be stained with a faint haze.
The oncoming breeze carried a hint of the scent of earth, suggesting that rain was on the way.
It was rare; this was the first time I would see a proper rain in Brilliant City.
Sitting on the divine couch, I finally had a moment of leisure. I couldn't help but count the events that had occurred since I transmigrated.
The day I arrived happened to be the day the demon army attacked. According to this world's calendar...
It was the 13th of June, Year 927 of the Holy Calendar.
And today was already the 9th of July.
It had been almost exactly one month since I transmigrated.
However, this single month gave me the illusion that several years had passed.
There were too many things to deal with—the Kingdom of the Moon, which was rotten to the core, the looming threat of the demon army, the Holy See's eager preparations, and the restless noble families.
Everything had suddenly been thrust onto my shoulders.
Fortunately, although things seemed chaotic right now, a general solution had been organized. As long as I continued in this order...
Everything would eventually be resolved.
And the Kingdom of the Moon would gradually return to the right track.
At that thought, my mood relaxed considerably. And with that relaxation, my appetite suddenly returned.
I looked down and patted my stomach.
"Nara..."
"I am here."
"What time is it?"
"To answer Your Highness, it is 2:37 PM."
"Get me something to eat. I'm a bit hungry."
"Of course, Your Highness..."
Nara nodded, looking at her Lady with heartache, seeing how she never had a moment's rest. She steeled herself to prepare a magnificent meal for the Saintess, who rarely asked for food.
But before she could even step out of the side door of the Temple, a hurried and panicked voice suddenly came from outside.
"Report!!! Urgent report from the eastern Great Wall! The demon army has launched a massive assault! Guardian Knight Tristan has been severely poisoned and is unconscious!"
"Knight Klo urgently requests reinforcements!"
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