The effect of her condolences was surprisingly good.
Everywhere she went, countless knights had tears in their eyes.
Almost every knight already knew about the Saintess of the Moon being kidnapped earlier.
Although they did not know the details, the fact that her highness had been brought back safely put many of them at ease.
Yet, none of them expected that such a noble Saintess of the Moon would worry about them after experiencing such a terrifying upheaval.
Among them, the lowest ranked were merely level twenty Hope Knights.
They had been thrust onto the battlefield suddenly, and for more than half of them, this was their first experience with true war.
Not every nation had the same conditions as the Snow Country or the Kingdom of the Highlands, which provided frequent opportunities for military training.
The knights of the Kingdom of Flame and the Kingdom of the Sea rarely ever stepped onto a real battlefield.
In their daily lives, they mostly guarded the capital or patrolled the streets.
They handled domestic trifles or dealt with petty thieves.
Under these circumstances, who could feel confident in their heart?
However... the Saintess of the Moon had actually considered this.
She personally walked through the entire camp.
After comforting the knights of the Snow Country, she went to the camps of the Kingdom of Flame and the Kingdom of the Sea.
Finally, she paid a visit to the camp of the Kingdom of the Sun.
When the Saintess of the Moon returned to the Saint's Carriage in the morning light, looking exhausted, almost every knight who saw her felt a sudden urge to die for her.
Seeing the passion in the knights' eyes, Luo Li thought to herself that her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Luo Li maintained her smile despite her weariness.
Though she was very tired, this round of condolences had won her the respect and loyalty of the majority of the knights.
That was enough.
After all, these weren't her own knights to begin with.
Back in the Saint's Carriage, although she didn't have to walk on the ground, the fatigue was still there.
Floating skills were not the same as flying skills.
The fundamental difference was that flying provided its own propulsion, whereas floating required one to use their own strength to move forward.
Even if her feet didn't touch the ground, her legs were tired from the movement.
As soon as she entered the carriage, Luo Li collapsed onto the bed, and the exhaustion of the night finally caught up with her.
"Dominica, I am going to sleep for a while. If anything happens... remember to wake me."
She slowly closed her eyes and gave a quiet instruction, to which Dominica immediately responded from outside.
"Please rest easy, Your Highness."
"Mhm..."
Her vision faded into darkness, and with a lingering sense of weightlessness, she lost consciousness completely.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but when Luo Li opened her eyes again, the sunlight outside the window was already approaching dusk.
Did I sleep for a whole day?
With that thought, Luo Li rolled over and sat up, her fatigue having vanished entirely with her rest.
Outside... as if sensing the movement inside the carriage, Dominica asked in a low voice.
"Is Your Highness awake?"
"Yes, Dominica. Is there anything to eat... find me something."
Luo Li rubbed her stomach, realizing she hadn't had time to think about food last night, leaving her stomach empty for a full day.
She was already famished.
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
While speaking, Dominica pulled back the curtain and entered, carrying a plate of steak.
"It happens to be dinner time, so your portion was already prepared."
"Thank you."
She took the steak and first had a sip of milk, immediately feeling her stomach settle a bit.
Only then did she pick up her knife and fork to cut into the thick, juicy steak, speaking without looking up.
"How long was I out? What is the current situation?"
Dominica lowered her head slightly, checked her pocket watch, and replied.
"To answer Your Highness, you slept for eleven and a half hours. You have been asleep since five in the morning until now, which is four-thirty in the afternoon."
"The situation at the front is still under control, according to reports from the dragons, beastmen, and our scouts."
"The gates of the Demon King's Castle are wide open right now. Although there are many soldiers on the walls, they have not come out to engage us."
"The rear of the Demon King's Castle has been completely blocked off by the dragon race, and three thousand beastmen have moved up to the city walls."
"Scouts are still mapping the surrounding area, and there are no other demon cities within three hundred kilometers."
Luo Li stuffed a piece of beef into her mouth, her teeth sinking into the meat as she tasted the burst of flavorful juices.
However, she furrowed her brow.
"You mean... the gates of the Demon King's Castle are wide open, but they haven't come out to fight?"
"Yes, Your Highness. All four gates of the Demon King's Castle are open, but not a single soldier has come out to meet us."
Dominica was clearly well-versed in the reports and responded quickly.
Luo Li's silver fork tapped lightly against the exquisite silver-rimmed porcelain plate, making a crisp clicking sound.
After several moments of silence, Luo Li took a deep breath.
"I see. Send word to the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign. Do not attempt to storm the city lightly. Be cautious and prioritize encirclement over direct assault."
"Understood!"
"Tell the scouts to contract the front lines. There is no need to continue mapping. Concentrate our strength in the central command."
"Have the rear guard retreat thirty miles and spread out in a fan shape. Ensure there is a knight squad every hundred paces. Be alert for any unusual activity from the rear."
Dominica paused for a moment.
"Does Your Highness mean the demon race might attack from behind?"
Luo Li smiled, stabbing a piece of steak and watching the juice drip from it.
"Let's just call it... a precaution. Tell the armies of the Kingdom of the Sea at the rear to stay alert."
"Have the vanguard of the Kingdom of Flame move forward thirty miles and spread out on the left and right flanks, maintaining a distance of five miles from the central command."
"No knight is allowed to remove their armor after dinner. They must be ready for battle at all times."
After giving her orders, she watched Dominica turn to leave and deliver the commands.
A faint sense of unease rose in Luo Li's heart.
From her previous encounter with the Demon Emperor on the battlefield, she knew he possessed a high level of intelligence.
He was at least equal to the elites among humans.
Is he... trying to use the empty fort tactic on me?
That was the first thought that entered Luo Li's mind when she heard Dominica's report.
But then she felt something was wrong.
At this moment, almost the entire demon army was outside.
The most elite forces were currently withdrawing from the sea.
Yet there were no other cities around the Demon King's Castle, which was very strange.
Although the Demon King's Castle looked large, it was practically impossible for it to sustain a demon army of hundreds of thousands.
That city could not accommodate that many soldiers and common demons.
If someone told her the Demon King's Castle was just an isolated city, she wouldn't believe it for a second.
But that was the strange part.
It clearly looked like an isolated city, yet there were no other cities nearby.
So... where did the demon race usually live?
Where did those hundreds of thousands of troops come from?
And instead of defending this isolated city to the death, the Demon Emperor had actually opened the gates.
It was as if he were issuing a face-to-face invitation.
The various oddities made Luo Li instinctively wary.
She thought of a possibility.
There was something strange about that Demon King's Castle.
The Demon Emperor seemed to want them to go inside, which was why he opened the gates.
It was as if he were telling everyone...
I've got something good here...
Come inside and play~
Rate on N.U.
