The Pope's Ambition

"Princess Luo Li, demonic energy is a very troublesome thing."

Diocletian's deep voice vibrated through the air from the magic stone, carrying a sense of vast emptiness.

Conversations like this were incredibly expensive, consuming one magic stone every minute.

Such high-priced communication was only ever activated during wartime.

"At this moment, the Kingdom of the Sun has been tainted by demonic energy. The fallen demons have also polluted that land, making the vast majority of its regions no longer suitable for habitation."

"Purifying this area would take at least a century. Meanwhile, the remaining seventy million citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun are living in a state of constant panic."

"Based on this, I wonder if the Kingdom of the Moon could temporarily accommodate these people. Could you open up a portion of your territory for them to reside in for a short period?"

This message left Luo Li stunned for a long time.

"Your Holiness... you mean you want them to come to the Kingdom of the Moon?"

"Yes. The land of the Kingdom of the Sun is contaminated, and many places cannot be restored in the short term. Furthermore, the military of the Kingdom of the Sun has suffered devastating losses; they cannot control their four islands for the time being."

"You must understand that we are not the only ones on the sea. There are many pirates. In the past, the Kingdom of the Sun kept them at bay, and they could not influence anything. But now, the Kingdom of the Sun truly cannot hold the seas."

Luo Li lowered her head in deep thought.

Strictly speaking, this was also a great benefit for the Kingdom of the Moon—seventy million people.

In this non-automated era, the benefits brought by a population dividend would greatly enhance the national strength of the Kingdom of the Moon.

Once these people settled down, many would likely never return to the lands of the Kingdom of the Sun.

The wealth they created would naturally fall into the hands of the Kingdom of the Moon.

The current state of the Kingdom of the Sun was indeed as Diocletian described.

Its army was nearly wiped out. Aside from the fewer than thirty thousand knights and one hundred thousand infantry remaining to reinforce the Kingdom of the Moon, they could no longer form a decent army.

Even the Kingdom of the Moon, which had declined, been eroded by nobles, and constantly harrassed by foreign enemies, could still scrape together over fifty thousand knights by mobilizing the entire nation.

Yet the Kingdom of the Sun, with a territory no smaller than the Kingdom of the Moon, could only manage fewer than thirty thousand.

Most importantly... the Heavenly Punishment Knight of the Kingdom of the Sun had died while being besieged while covering the evacuation of the people.

Without their highest combat power, the only remaining Guardian Knight was that 'clever' Yanagi Musashi.

Such weak combat power simply could not form a functional military force.

Because of the demonic corruption, most plants and animals were no longer edible.

Although special materials and crystals would appear on them, their flesh was truly nothing but waste.

There was no better solution than incineration.

And the blood of the demon race... carried corrosive properties.

Once the earth was tainted, any plants grown upon it would be completely ruined and inedible.

To remove this influence, one could either leave it for a long time, allowing the demonic energy to naturally dissipate over the years, or have clergy members use holy energy to cleanse it.

However, therein lay a massive problem.

Though the people of the Kingdom of the Sun had evacuated, the vast archipelago of the Kingdom of the Sun still stood there.

If the demonic energy could be cleared quickly, it would be a very precious territory.

"Your Holiness, if the Kingdom of the Moon accepts these subjects and the Saintess of the Sun, what do you plan to do with that land?"

With only the remaining population of the Kingdom of the Sun, they couldn't possibly manage such a vast territory, nor could they clear the demonic energy in the short term.

Therefore, the only way was to use manpower from other nations to help the Kingdom of the Sun.

But was this 'help' truly just for the sake of helping?

The Eight Nations of the Holy Church were currently in a very rigid state, checking and balancing each other with mutual vigilance.

With such a massive gap suddenly appearing, it seemed... His Holiness the Pope was indeed tempted.

Luo Li, having understood all of this, could not allow this land to fall directly into the Pope's hands.

This Pope had previously been eyeing her Kingdom of the Moon!

"Princess Luo Li need not worry about that. I will have clergy members permanently stationed in the Kingdom of the Sun to conduct a twenty-year demonic energy cleansing operation."

It seemed the Pope truly had his eyes on that land.

Because of the Kingdom of the Moon's unique situation, he might have temporarily shelved his ambitions toward it.

But the Kingdom of the Sun was completely different.

On one hand, a portion of the Kingdom of the Moon's land was on the mainland, though it was very small—not even the size of a normal administrative province.

However, the location of this region was perfect.

It was situated in the gap between the Kingdom of the Moon and the Kingdom of Flame, with dozens of small allied nations nearby.

If the Pope occupied this region, or even the Kingdom of the Sun, the Holy See would have enough funds to restore the island nation within just a few decades.

Do not forget that the Holy See received offerings from various countries every year. Except for the Kingdom of the Moon, whose offerings had remained unchanged for a millennium, the annual offerings from other countries were quite substantial.

The current Holy See had money and people... it just lacked land.

"Your Holiness, I think it would be better to let Princess Momoka choose. Additionally... my Kingdom of the Moon can also dispatch a portion of our troops to be permanently stationed in the Kingdom of the Sun. At the very least, we must ensure that the land of the Kingdom of the Sun is not given away to those pirates for free, don't you agree?"

Diocletian's voice fell silent. Faced with Luo Li's words, he sank into deep thought.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh.

"Princess Luo Li, why bother?"

These words were loaded with meaning!

Luo Li's brow furrowed slightly. It seemed the Pope was truly determined.

"Your Holiness, everyone is responsible for fighting the demon race. Even though the Kingdom of the Moon is in hardship, we do not dare to be careless."

"Just as Your Holiness once worried for the Kingdom of the Moon, I am equally worried for the Kingdom of the Sun. I hope Your Holiness will grant this."

The subtext was... remember how you tried to deal with me?

"In that case... very well. We shall wait for Princess Momoka to wake up and let her decide. Then, neither you nor I will have anything more to say, right?"

The Pope's attitude toward Luo Li seemed to have changed slightly.

Although Luo Li vaguely sensed it, she did not dwell on the matter.

"Yes, that would be best. However, until then, if any citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun wish to relocate to the Kingdom of the Moon, my kingdom will naturally not stand idly by."

"...I have some matters to attend to here, so I will stop here."

The Pope seemed to have grown a bit impatient.

However, just as he was about to end the call, he seemed to remember something and added another sentence.

"By the way, according to the time estimates, the demon race has been at sea for over fifty hours. Based on the time and ocean currents, the demon army will arrive at the ambush point in seven days, which is August 3rd. Princess Luo Li, please evacuate from the demon island before that time."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Holiness. I will remember it."

As the magic stone gradually dimmed, it proved that the other side had closed the communication.

Luo Li took a deep breath the moment she heard this news.

It was like a weight had been lifted from her heart. Her previously fluctuating mood suddenly became peaceful.

"August... 3rd?"

She slowly set the stone aside and looked up at the ceiling.

In a daze, she could almost still see the despair she felt when she first arrived in this world.

Counting back the days, the day she arrived... was June 13th, a month and a half ago.

And by August 3rd, it would be exactly the fifty-first day since her arrival.

Recalling her actions since the transmigration, even Luo Li herself hadn't expected it.

Everything had developed at such a dizzying speed.

From the night counterattack in Brilliant City to the annihilation battle outside the Four-Ring Mountains, then the rebellion and palace coup case, she had finally reached this step.

If everything went smoothly from here, she wouldn't have to worry about the threat of the demon race for at least fifty years.

The surplus troops withdrawn from the border would be enough to double the strength of Brilliant City!

She had money, people, time, and land.

She could develop without limits, continuously annex the territories of other nobles, and eventually take full control of the Kingdom of the Moon.

Only then could she truly be at peace.

And now... this was the beginning of it all.

A massive turning point.

"Dominica, report this matter to the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign. Ensure the security of the message. No one else is allowed to hear it except for the two emperors!"

"Yes."

Dominica, standing outside the door, quickly accepted the order.

"Go. I... will rest for a while."

Hearing the Saintess's slightly weak and weary voice from inside the carriage, a flash of pity couldn't help but cross Dominica's heart.

She had personally experienced how hard her mistress worked; she saw it with her eyes and felt it in her heart.

Throughout this journey, her mistress had hardly rested. Every time she did, her mind remained tense.

But this time, her voice sounded much more relaxed.

This news, perhaps, was a good enough piece of information to allow her mistress to let down her guard.

Dominica's brow furrowed slightly as she scanned the surroundings, ensuring no one else had a chance to hear the news.

She walked over to a nearby Praetorian Knight and gave instructions that no one was to disturb her mistress's rest for the time being.

Only then did Dominica feel at ease enough to leave the Saint's Carriage and mount her white horse.

When she first arrived in the Kingdom of the Moon, she had been quite apprehensive.

She hadn't known if she had truly come to the right place.

This country had no king, only a Saintess, and the nation's military and political affairs were a mess.

Nobles everywhere were practically declaring themselves kings, and the people were living in misery.

Could she really see a different landscape by coming here?

She had been very confused about that mysterious uncle of hers.

But now, she was suddenly glad that her first stop... was the Kingdom of the Moon.

Otherwise, she would have missed this king who was like a saint!

"Hyah..."

She pulled the reins and squeezed the horse's flanks. But before the horse could move its front hooves, a figure suddenly darted out from the side.

He grabbed the white horse's reins with one hand, forcibly halting Dominica's command to move forward.

Dominica's hand almost instinctively went to the longsword at her waist. Her gaze followed the hand upward.

Within this army, as the messenger and deputy of the commander, the Saintess of the Moon, no one dared to stop her.

However, when she saw clearly who it was, her pupils suddenly constricted!

One was on horseback, the other on the ground.

After staring at each other for a long while, Dominica took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and said calmly:

"Let go. I have urgent business at the beastmen and dragon camps."

"Please, my lady... find some time, no matter what. I wish to speak with you about something."

"We've only just met. What is there to say? Let go! If the delivery of military orders is delayed, can you bear the responsibility?"

Dominica pulled the reins sharply. But as a mere rank 40 knight, how could she outpull a rank 50 Guardian Knight?

Kiran did not let go. Even though Dominica squeezed the horse's flanks, the white horse did not move an inch.

"My lady!! What I want to talk about... are things from the past!!"

Kiran stared intently at Dominica. The determination in his gaze made Dominica's scalp tingle.

"If you are unwilling to find a time, then I do not mind speaking right here..."

"Shut up!!"

A flash of alarm and anger crossed Dominica's eyes, but she did not explode. Instead, she endured it.

A look of hesitation flickered in her eyes as she parted her thin lips and whispered a few words:

"Midnight, at the foot of the eastern slope."

"Thank you, my lady."

Hearing this, Kiran let out a sigh of relief, and the expression on his face softened.

He took a step back and placed his right hand over his chest in a show of respect.

However... as a Guardian Knight, he technically shouldn't have been so respectful to a rank 40 Brave Knight.

But his actions also seemed natural.

After all, this time, Dominica was serving as the Saintess's deputy and messenger.

As the saying goes, even the gatekeeper of a high official holds authority. Kiran's behavior was not unjustifiable.

No one suspected anything. Some perhaps thought Kiran wanted to see the Saintess, while others might have thought a knight from the Kingdom of Flame was trying to bribe the Saintess's deputy.

Even if other knights saw it, they didn't find it strange.

In the Kingdom of the Moon, such bribery of superiors was practically an open secret.

Naturally, they had no reason to suspect anything.

This small interlude didn't delay much time. Dominica galloped away on her white horse and delivered the news to the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign.

Both replied with a simple "Very well" and sent Dominica on her way.

After all, a mere messenger was not enough for the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign to lower themselves to host her.

After returning to the Saint's Carriage, Dominica first stepped onto it cautiously.

After confirming that her mistress was still sound asleep, Dominica fell into a state of extreme conflict.

Regarding tonight's matter, although she had agreed, she didn't actually want to go... but Kiran had pushed it to that point.

What choice did she have?

At the thought of this, Dominica couldn't help but grumble through gritted teeth.

"That damn Kiran!"

"Kiran? Isn't he a knight from the Kingdom of Flame? How did he offend you?"

Lost in thought, Dominica hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Hearing the voice suddenly ring in her ear, she jumped in fright, nearly falling off the carriage.

After finally steadying herself, she turned around to see... the person who had arrived was the attending mage, Ligeia.

"Phew... Lady Ligeia, could you please not scare me like that?"

Clutching her nearly flat chest, Dominica's voice carried a hint of aggrieved complaint.

"Hehe~ Alright, I'll be careful next time. Where is the Saintess?"

"Her Highness is still sound asleep. Is there something you need? I can pass it on when she wakes up later."

"No need... Ligeia, come in."