Long Time No See

Pfft...

I could barely hold it together!

Looking at that massive face of his, I started estimating how much of a mark my palm would leave on him.

This guy was at least two and a half meters tall and weighed about a ton and a half.

A slap from my tiny hand wouldn't even register as an itch to him.

"Your Majesty Ricardo, please stop joking around."

"I never joke. We beastmen aren't as prudish as you humans when it comes to matters of the heart. If I like you, I like you."

"Heh, Your Majesty Ricardo certainly has a way with words. I know you are just trying to flatter me, so please, there is no need."

Brother, I'm giving you a way out here, just take it!

Take it!!!

"Flattery? No, no, no. I truly have taken a liking to you. A female who is capable and has such sharp methods is very popular among our beastmen. And given your status as the human Saintess, it is not as if I, the Emperor of the Beastmen Empire, would be lowering my standards."

As he spoke, the massive lion's head leaned forward, nearly pressing against the screen as his two large eyes looked me up and down.

"Hmm... Though thin, you have what is necessary. Your hips are wide enough to bear children. These two are not very plump, but they can at least nurse, so that will not be a problem."

No, this guy was impossible to communicate with normally. While such behavior might be standard for the beastmen...

In my eyes, he was just a total idiot with a screw loose!

And what do you mean a C-cup isn't 'plump' in your eyes... Damn it, what kind of bizarre aesthetic standards do beastmen have anyway!?

Do you need two basketballs hanging off a chest to be satisfied?

"I request that Your Majesty Ricardo immediately mobilize the naval forces near the Great Wall and have them sail downstream to meet at the coastline of the first Great Wall."

I couldn't continue a normal conversation with him. This lion was anything but normal.

"I will personally lead my troops to meet you at the first Great Wall and then lead the charge into demon territory. By besieging the demons' home base, we will draw their frontline forces back to defend it."

"At the same time, I will have my knights intercept them at the points they must pass through on their return. We will strive to slaughter the demons with maximum efficiency and secure a century of peace for the continent."

As for actually slaughtering all the demons, that was wishful thinking. A thousand years ago, all the races combined couldn't wipe them out.

With only the power currently in my hands, it was impossible to take them down in one go. Even if I gave it my all, it would only buy a temporary peace.

"Hey, hey, hey, were you even listening to me? I said I want to..."

"At! That! Time! I ask that the Emperor of the beastmen cooperate fully. I will also seek out allies from other races to crush the demon army together!"

"Listen to me..."

"I! Hope! That Your Majesty Ricardo will prioritize the big picture!"

"I want to..."

"Good! Bye!"

Gritting my teeth, I ignored that stupid cat Ricardo and took a deep breath to calm my mind.

"Connect to the signal for the Dragon King."

Ligeia had already set up a signal bridge here before, so connecting was not an issue.

The moment the image appeared, a massive golden dragon head filled the screen.

"Hahaha~ My dear ally, Luo Li Saint Sariel. For you to contact me personally, have you finally come to your senses regarding the trial marriage?"

"Your! Majesty! The! Dragon! King! You certainly love your jokes~"

Why do I always run into people like this?

"No, no, no. I never lie."

Suppressing the urge to punch someone, I felt my eye twitch and took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty the Dragon King, according to the latest information I have obtained."

"Hey, hey, why are you ignoring me? Have you decided to try..."

"The! Demons! Have! Already! Mastered! Long-distance! Seafaring! Capabilities!!"

On the screen in the communication room, the Dragon King's expression froze. He blinked his massive eyes and then burst into laughter.

"Haha~ Lady Luo Li, your jokes aren't very funny~"

"I am not joking. Currently, Seaview City in the southeast of my Kingdom of the Moon has likely been occupied by the demons. The situation in the Kingdom of the Sun is also not optimistic. I believe the demons have mastered seafaring and are creating a diversion. They want me to focus my energy on Seaview City while they use their full national strength to take the Kingdom of the Sun in one blow. They intend to use the population and the main island of the Kingdom of the Sun as a springboard to invade the continent."

The Dragon King froze again, then opened his massive maw and roared with laughter.

"Hahaha! This joke is too good! Those idiots from the demon race have the brains of a toddler; how could they possibly build ships for long-distance travel? Hahaha~"

"The demons spent two hundred years infiltrating the nobility of my country. They obtained ships capable of long-distance travel from the hands of our nobles. If you do not believe me, there is nothing I can do, as this is merely my deduction."

The Dragon King's laughter stopped abruptly. If I hadn't seen the green signal light still glowing, I would have thought the connection had frozen.

"Is this the truth?"

The Dragon King narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Your Majesty the Dragon King, I have no reason to deceive you about such matters."

"That is true..."

He pondered for a moment, his massive eyes rolling around in their sockets before suddenly fixing on me.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"I am waiting for news. As long as the information is confirmed, I will immediately lead my army to the seas outside the Great Wall and head straight for the demons' home base. I will besiege their stronghold to draw out their reinforcements and intercept them on their way back."

The Dragon King nodded slightly.

"Not bad. The demons' combat effectiveness drops significantly at sea. This is a very effective strategy."

His meaning was simple. Because the demons had not practiced naval warfare for countless years, and naval battles primarily relied on long-range attacks rather than close-quarters combat.

In such a scenario, the advantage of low-level demons vanished completely.

On the surface of the sea, humans could even achieve a one-for-one trade against low-level demons.

With identical ships of the same size and nearly equal troop numbers, regardless of which side fell into the sea, the result was only failure.

"Speak then. Since you contacted me at a time like this, there must be something you want me to do, right?"

"Correct. Your Majesty the Dragon King is wise. This battle is by no means a small-scale skirmish. It is very likely the demons have committed their full strength. Even if we have a massive advantage at sea, the enemy will surely have countless demon generals, Demon Marshals, and... I suspect there is a high possibility of a Demon Emperor appearing."

I slowly looked up at the Dragon King.

"Therefore, I ask the dragon tribe to take action and coordinate with my army to completely annihilate the demons as they attempt to return for reinforcements."

"It is a good idea, but do you really think you alone can force the demons to call for help?"

"I naturally cannot do it alone. That is why I have already contacted the Beastmen Empire, and Your Majesty Ricardo has agreed to deploy troops."

However, the Dragon King still shook his head.

"It is not enough."

"How is it not enough?"

"The strength of the demons is beyond your imagination. My ally, you still underestimate them. If you think you can go to the demons' home base and cause a ruckus with just two thousand skysoar dragons, there will be only one result."

The Dragon King looked at me with a solemn expression.

"Death. Without a doubt, if you lead your army out, death is the only path."

I lowered my head in thought for a moment before nodding.

"Indeed, I may very well die in demon territory. However, now is the best opportunity. If the demons have truly invaded the Kingdom of the Sun as I suspect, missing this chance means the demons will inevitably increase their combat power rapidly. By then, it will be difficult to try and restrain them."

"Are you truly prepared for death? You must know that you are a being capable of communicating with the Gods. Such a person has not appeared for a thousand years. No matter where you go, you could live a life of leisure. No one would force you to do this."

The Dragon King's gaze was fixed on me.

"If you wish, I can protect you in the name of the Dragon King. Whoever makes things difficult for you will be an enemy of my dragon tribe."

Looking into those golden pupils, I knew he was serious, but I still refused.

I would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. If I accepted his protection, the rest of my life would be spent doing nothing but waiting to die.

And the Kingdom of the Moon, without the protection of the Saintess, would surely be slaughtered to the last person.

I shook my head.

"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness, but I choose to try, even if... I really might die."

The Dragon King slowly closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Just when I thought he was going to refuse, I heard him suddenly speak.

"I understand. When do you plan to move?"

"The sooner the better. As soon as the news arrives, we move immediately!"

Opportunity knocks but once. If we miss this tactical window, it will become impossible to completely drive the demons from the main island of the Kingdom of the Sun.

"Fine. I agree. However, I have one requirement."

"Please speak."

"Three days. You must wait at least three days. Regardless of whether you get the news, wait for me for three days."

Three days?

What was he planning to do?

However, I did not press him further and simply nodded.

Since the Dragon King had agreed, our chances of success were much higher.

Even though I might still die at the demons' home base, as long as I didn't... at least the external threat could be temporarily resolved.

I ended the communication and took a deep breath.

"Connect to the Pope."

"Your Highness?"

Nara looked at me in surprise. Everyone around me knew that the Pope was eyeing the Kingdom of the Moon like a predator.

And now, just as the Saintess of the Moon was about to lead an Imperial Expedition, contacting the Pope was essentially telling him, 'I am not in the Kingdom of the Moon right now, the country is a piece of choice meat.'

"Connect it. I think His Holiness the Pope, no matter how foolish he may be, should understand the gravity of this matter."

Nara nodded and signaled to the mages there.

The mages quickly connected the communication to the Holy See. However, the person who answered was not Diocletian, but a young man who looked about seventy percent similar to him.

He was dressed in red robes, clearly a Cardinal.

A name instantly surfaced in my memory.

Ferdinand.

Pope Diocletian's biological younger brother.

"Lady Saintess of the Moon, I wonder what urgent matter requires opening a channel at this hour?"

Ferdinand did not seem surprised to see me. He merely gave me a faint glance. The arrogance in his eyes gave me a clear first impression of him.

This was a very prideful, condescending man.

"I wish to speak with His Holiness the Pope personally. Please pass the word, Cardinal."

Ferdinand's brow furrowed slightly as he spoke in a cold voice.

"I am the Cardinal specifically assigned to the Kingdom of the Moon. Whatever the Saintess of the Moon wishes to say, you may say it to me. I can relay it to His Holiness tomorrow."

This guy really wasn't giving me any face at all, and he even looked down on me?

Since that was the case, I didn't need to show him any respect either. I slowly raised my head and looked him in the eye.

"Cardinal Ferdinand, as the Saintess of the Moon, I am now requesting to see His Holiness the Pope. If you refuse, I cannot be certain you will be able to retain your position as a Cardinal."

Ferdinand's lip twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't continue. Instead, he glared at me intensely.

"As the Cardinal in charge of communications with the Kingdom of the Moon, you should at least let me know what this is about!"

"Oh? Even if I told you, you would be powerless to make a decision. Please bring His Holiness out. I will only give you ten minutes. If I do not see the Pope within ten minutes, I will coordinate with the other Saintesses to strip you of your status as a Cardinal."

Although Cardinals were directly appointed and dismissed by the Pope, the Saintesses also held the power of appointment and dismissal.

However, for a Saintess to exercise that power, she needed to join forces with at least three other Saintesses.

In other words, I would need to win over at least three other Saintesses to my side.

At the moment, I didn't have much certainty, but Ferdinand's face instantly turned dark upon hearing those words.

"Fine... Fine."

Leaving those two words spat through gritted teeth, he cut the communication.

Judging by his expression, he probably wished he could do this and that to me right now.

But unfortunately for him, as the Saintess of the Moon, I was not someone a Cardinal could touch.

Therefore, I believed he would definitely notify the Pope, though I would certainly have to wait those ten minutes.

Nara brought a chair, and I sat down to wait.

My mind was still pondering the future possibilities.

If the situation with the demons was truly as I suspected, then I would have to lead my army deep into enemy territory.

This was an incredibly risky move that might even result in me staying in the demon camp forever.

However... I had another idea.

Because I had my own trump card, even if I accidentally got lost in demon territory, I had a way to protect myself for a short time.

As long as I wasn't killed or captured on the spot, I could use Holy-Demon Conversion to temporarily blend in among the demons.

No one would expect a Saintess to be able to transform into a demon. In this way, I would be hidden in plain sight.

The demons might search their territory for my presence, but they would never look for a Saintess among their own kin.

At the very least... this counted as a way to save myself.

Of course, I would never use this method unless absolutely necessary, as it could easily lead to misunderstandings.

Even if I returned to the human race afterward, I would likely be subjected to a joint investigation.

As I sat there with my thoughts wandering, time ticked away second by second.

The communication signal light in front of me suddenly lit up, followed by a report from the mage outside.

"Your Highness, the connection is established. It is from the Holy See."

At the same time, the screen in front of me suddenly brightened.

"Long time no see, Lady Luo Li."