Alone in her carriage, Luo Li no longer had to worry about the gaze of others.
The fear in her heart finally erupted.
Even now... she could still feel that chilling sensation on her neck.
It had truly been a life or death situation!
If she didn't have her demonized form as a trump card, and if she hadn't practiced using it every night before bed...
If she hadn't mastered the conversion technique...
She would likely be dead right now.
Even if she hadn't died, the consequences of being brought to the Demon King's Castle were self evident.
That would have been a fate worse than death!
In an instant, she was reminded of the fear of being dominated by the demon race!
Life lately had been a bit too smooth, so smooth that she had even forgotten what it felt like to be afraid.
The dragon race, the pope, the elves, the beastmen—almost every race on the continent had become involved in this war.
And the one guiding this war was her!
She had successfully resisted the demon race, successfully purged Brilliant City, and successfully expelled the foreign enemies.
By now, she had almost successfully trapped the demon race within the Demon King's Castle.
She had become so successful that she had started to drift.
It wasn't until the moment she was kidnapped that she suddenly realized... she had really let it go to her head!
She had been careless!
If that Shadow hadn't been so arrogant and underestimated her, giving her an opening...
If she hadn't had the demonized form as a hidden card to briefly terrify him...
If it weren't for those things...
But there were no 'ifs'.
Regardless, surviving was a good thing.
Luo Li collapsed onto the soft bed, letting out a long sigh.
"That scared the absolute daylights out of me. I thought I was a goner for sure QAQ."
Once she had fallen into the hands of the demon race, if Shadow hadn't been so arrogant and had been a bit more cautious...
If he had just knocked her out and tied her up...
Once they entered the Demon King's Castle, she could have cried out to the heavens and they would not have answered, and called to the earth and it would not have responded.
The only thing she would have been crying out... would have been in the bedroom sense.
She thought she could just steamroll everything.
She didn't expect to almost deliver herself on a silver platter.
"I have to be more careful from now on, more cautious. Especially with the demon race... no, I must be cautious with every enemy!"
She rolled over and sat up, picking up the mirror by the bed.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Luo Li still felt a bit out of place.
Over the past two months, she had been constantly busy with political and military affairs, fending off foreign enemies while purging the country.
Would she be the first transmigrator in history to die of overwork?
She tossed the mirror aside and fell back onto the bed with her arms wide.
"For now... I can only look in the mirror and admire my own beauty."
Despite saying that, her mind instinctively began to drift back to political matters.
The pope's previous suggestion was a win-win situation.
He took the land, and the Kingdom of the Moon took the people.
The pope got what he wanted—a place to expand.
And the Kingdom of the Moon, because of the massive influx of people, could repopulate and reorganize the Seaview City region.
Even without seeing it with her own eyes, she could imagine the tragic state of a region invaded by the demon race.
To say it was a land of corpses would be an understatement.
It might be like a cursed temple where the smell of roasting meat in the streets was actually human flesh.
And those once prosperous streets, though they might still appear busy, likely didn't have a single man left.
Whatever prosperity remained would be full of sights too hideous to look upon.
To the demon race, the human body's physical constitution was poor, making them suboptimal breeding beds.
The creatures humans bred were inferior in every way to the demon descendants left behind by elves, beastmen, or dragons.
However, because the human population was so large, it was easier for them to expand.
If the demon race succeeded this time, there would never be peace.
In fact, it was very likely that the extinction event from a thousand years ago would repeat itself.
That was something she did not want to see under any circumstances.
"Diocletian..."
Thinking of that pope gave Luo Li a headache.
That troublesome fellow not only outranked her in title, but his national strength also completely crushed the Kingdom of the Moon.
If it weren't for other nations keeping a strict watch, the Holy See would have likely made a move on the Kingdom of the Moon long ago.
This was exactly why she didn't dare to agree to the pope's terms.
If she agreed, it would be almost equivalent to surrendering to the Holy See.
Once that happened, it would be difficult for her to receive help from other nations again.
At that point, although the Kingdom of the Moon would get a moment of respite, it would lose its true path to survival.
The pope, busy developing the territory of the Kingdom of the Sun, wouldn't bother the Kingdom of the Moon for a short time.
But at that moment, the Kingdom of the Moon would become a dead nation.
Even if the Kingdom of the Moon were later attacked by the Holy See, other nations would likely just stand by and watch, ignoring her cries for help.
After all... she would have been the one who sold out the Kingdom of the Sun first.
So, no matter how generous the pope's conditions were, she didn't dare to accept.
She could only wait until after this war to discuss it with the other saintesses.
However, Momoka's severe injury was clearly an unexpected situation.
According to the pope's account, Momoka's condition was very bad.
Despite losing an arm and a leg, she was still a saintess, but her strength would not recover in the short term.
Unless... Momoka was sent to her.
Although this world had injury repair, it did not have limb regeneration.
This was why, although priests in this world were few and precious, they weren't particularly famous.
They could only repair wounds, but they could not regrow severed limbs.
Luo Li raised her hand, looking at her slightly translucent palm which revealed a soft pink color.
"The pope probably already knows about my ability for limb regeneration, right?"
This kind of ability, which was almost on the level of resurrection, was already considered a taboo within the Holy Church.
If it were anyone else, the pope would have likely ordered them to be hunted down long ago!
It was only because Luo Li was currently the Saintess of the Moon and held a special status that the pope found it difficult to act, even if she possessed an ability that violated the Holy Church's principles.
If they followed the Sacred Canon, anyone who possessed an ability that violated the natural laws of life would be sent to the burning stake and executed as a heretic the moment they appeared.
But the pope couldn't use that excuse because she was a saintess, and her position was at the very top of the Holy See.
No matter how much the pope believed in the religion, he couldn't destroy his own reputation.
"Sigh... why does there have to be so much scheming? Wouldn't it be better if everyone just developed harmoniously?"
She could only leave that to be solved in the future.
For now, she had to deal with the urgent matters at hand.
After all that turmoil, Luo Li no longer felt sleepy.
Since she couldn't sleep, she might as well get up and find something to do.
"Hmm... I should go offer some condolences."
The knights had just lost their comrades, and a somber atmosphere hung over the army.
In this situation, if she, the saintess, personally went to offer her greetings and show concern for the knights, it might boost morale.
Even if it didn't, it would at least leave a deeper impression on them.
Acting on the thought, rather than staying in the carriage and scaring herself with lingering fear, it was better to go out and do something.
Luo Li forced herself to cheer up, sat up, and grabbed the mirror.
She carefully checked her reflection to ensure there was nothing rude or messy about her appearance before turning to head out.
As the saying goes, a fresh face hides a world of bad luck.
Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, Luo Li still placed great importance on her appearance.
Even if she was truly down on her luck, she couldn't show any weakness in spirit.
She smoothed the wrinkles on her sleeves and shook her robes.
Actually, she quite liked these wide sleeves.
Of course, if the person wearing this Saintess's robe was my wife... that would be even better!
With that thought in mind, she didn't stop her pace.
As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Dominica, who had been sitting on the frame, reacted instantly.
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"
"It is nothing major, but I will need you to walk with me for a bit."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Dominica was a bit confused but didn't ask further.
Facing her lady, she now had only one thought besides guilt.
No matter what, she could not let anything else happen to her lady!
This time, her lady had almost fallen into the hands of the demon race.
If it happened again, she wouldn't be able to make amends even if she took her own life on the spot!
So she had made up her mind.
Even if it meant death!
She would never let her lady face any more danger!
Just as Luo Li stepped down from the carriage, two figures suddenly appeared beside her.
"May I ask where you are going, Lady Saintess?"
Luo Li was startled as the two identical sisters suddenly appeared before her.
The one who spoke first was Aigie, with her crisp voice and rigid personality.
Her crimson vertical pupils were fixed on Luo Li, as if she were afraid she might run away.
"Er... have you two not rested?"
Luo Li was quite surprised. Did these two not sleep?
They appeared the moment she stepped out the door.
It really was twenty four hour protection.
"Lady Saintess need not worry. We dragons can go for years without sleep or rest without any major issues. A few days is nothing at all."
Shalin stepped forward beside her, explaining with a soft expression, and added:
"May I ask where the Lady Saintess intends to go so late at night? Since my sister and I have received the Dragon King's imperial decree, we must naturally stay by your side."
"It is nothing much, I just want to go see the knights."
Aigie took a step forward.
"Lady Saintess, in light of what happened tonight, I do not recommend you leave this carriage. Although caring for one's people is a necessary trait for a ruler, a ruler should not take risks. This is also a necessary condition for the continuation of a race."
Seeing Aigie say this, Shalin quickly stepped forward and pulled her sister back.
She gave Luo Li an apologetic look.
"I apologize, Lady Saintess. My elder sister... she is very direct. Please do not take offense."
"It is fine. Lady Aigie is only thinking of my well being."
Luo Li turned to look at Aigie.
"Lady Aigie, I know you mean well, but as the saintess of the humans, there are some things I must do. I treat my subjects equally. The knights are grieving for those who were lost, and so am I."
"So, putting myself in their shoes, I want to go see the knights."
Aigie's brow furrowed slightly as she gave a small nod. Shalin offered a small smile:
"In that case, please allow us to accompany you, Lady Saintess. Otherwise, we will not be able to answer to His Majesty."
"Then... I shall trouble you two."
Having two dragons following her was exactly what she wanted.
Who wouldn't want that!
Of course, while she thought that, she had to be polite.
After all, these were two dragons, not two worms.
If any one of them were placed in another nation, they would be treated as the most honored of guests.
"Lady Saintess need not be so polite. This is the Dragon King's order, so it is naturally our duty."
Shalin smiled, while her sister Aigie glanced at Luo Li with an expressionless face.
There seemed to be... a faint trace of hostility in her eyes?
Luo Li blinked, feeling a bit confused.
She didn't think... she had offended her, had she?
The two of them had never even met before, so why was she being targeted?
"Then... let us go."
Luo Li didn't waste any more time. Since she was going to see the knights, she walked at a slower pace.
The knights who were still on watch were beyond surprised when they saw the Saintess of the Moon approaching with three girls.
Some even thought they were hallucinating and rubbed their eyes.
Once they confirmed it was truly the Saintess of the Moon, they instinctively moved to kneel on one knee in salute.
However, Luo Li waved her hand and dismissed the formality.
"Everyone, do not be tense. I have simply come to see you."
Looking at the knights gathered around the campfire, there were about twenty or thirty of them, likely a small squad.
Luo Li hadn't had the chance to look into how the knights' units were divided in this era yet.
She had too much on her plate, and military matters like that were best left to specialists.
She didn't need to know every detail.
Once the internal reorganization was mostly finished, she would naturally move on to the army.
Trying to purge the army before solving the internal administration was practically a suicidal act.
After all, controlling the administration meant controlling the army's lifeline.
An army without military supplies was just a paper tiger.
But if neither the administration nor the military were under control, any attempt to purge the army would usually end very badly.
Of course, newly formed units didn't count.
This included the dragon cavalry regiment, which had just been established.
That was her direct force, so it wasn't included in the other military systems.
Hearing Luo Li's words, even though these knights were from the Snow Country, they couldn't help but feel their eyes grow moist.
Many knights who were still mourning their comrades found tears welling up in their eyes.
Who wouldn't want such a leader?
A leader who cared for their subordinates at all times.
As the saying goes, when a ruler treats their subjects as their own limbs, the subjects treat the ruler as their own heart.
Even a single word or a single gesture was enough for them to know... that the Saintess of the Moon was still thinking of them.
For them, that was enough.
The Saintess of the Moon before them—she was their heart!
"Everyone, you do not need to be like this. I know you are hurting, so I came to see you."
"They have died on the battlefield, but please rest assured. I will provide aid to their families. Even if you are in the Snow Country, as long as I am here, I will not let a knight die in vain."
It was just a single sentence, even if she hadn't acted on it yet.
The knights were already moved to tears.
Choking with emotion, they knelt on the ground, their voices filled with gratitude:
"With those words from Your Highness, we... are fearless in the face of death!"
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