"However, don't call me by that name here. Call me Li Luo."
In a place where most names were Western, simply inverting her name was enough to ensure that most people wouldn't notice.
"Li Luo..."
Shingen lowered his head and repeated it, then handed the bowl to Luo Li.
"Another bowl."
Luo Li smiled and served him another portion.
Watching him gulp it down, she estimated he had been starving for many days.
He drank three bowls in a row, and seeing him look for a fourth, Luo Li quickly stopped him.
"You shouldn't binge after a long period of fasting, it's bad for your health."
Shingen paused, then nodded and set the bowl down.
He then hugged his knees and turned his head to look outside.
Seeing him like this, Luo Li didn't say much else.
She set her bowl down, looked at the remaining broth in the pot, and poured it out.
After setting a fresh pot of water to boil, she also turned to look outside.
The gale and downpour seemed intent on destroying everything, relentlessly battering the cave entrance.
Curtains of rain hung from the edges of the cave, and the air carried a damp, heavy scent.
The occasional breeze that swept inside made the air within the cave feel a bit fresher.
This was likely as good as it would get for today.
Luo Li had no other options for now.
She would rest well tonight and set off tomorrow morning. As long as she followed the coastline, she would get there eventually.
Thinking of this, Luo Li looked down at Mochizuki Shingen.
The key was what to do with this little guy.
Three months of non-stop travel wouldn't be a problem for her current witch form.
Even with very little sleep, she wouldn't be affected much.
But this boy couldn't do that; he was only a child.
If they traveled like that, he would eventually die of exhaustion.
It seemed she needed to find a way to travel more efficiently.
She just didn't know if there were any trade posts in this demon territory.
Luo Li knew almost nothing about the lives, hierarchy, or society of the demons.
Blindly heading for the Demon King's Castle was definitely a terrible idea.
After a slight hesitation, she turned to look at the boxes.
If she put the boy in one of those boxes and dragged it along, that wouldn't be a problem.
However, it would be difficult to explain if they encountered other demons.
If only she could grow wings like Martha did.
For some reason, she didn't have wings.
Then there was no other way.
At this stage, the best option was to find some means of transportation.
Anything would be better than making the boy walk on the ground.
Sigh... she had been careless earlier. Because she was overthinking, she had forgotten to ask.
If she had asked those three demons where the nearest city was, she wouldn't be in this situation now.
Thinking of this, Luo Li's brow furrowed slightly.
The demons had come here on that giant ox-horse beast to deliver supplies, so they must have left some tracks when they left.
If she pursued them now, she could probably find their base.
However...
She looked down at the little one. After some thought, she decided against it.
With this storm raging, she would be fine, but the boy wouldn't fare well if he went out.
In a place with no people and no medicine, if he caught a fever or a cold, he would have to rely entirely on his own immune system.
And so, the two of them quietly watched the storm outside, feeling the warmth of the fire beside them.
Before she knew it, the little one had fallen asleep.
The sound of light, steady breathing came from his direction.
After transforming into her witch form, Luo Li's senses had sharpened significantly, including her hearing.
With just a listen, she knew the boy was fast asleep.
After a moment's thought, she walked to a pile of hay, hid herself, and reverted to her Saintess form.
She maintained it for a few minutes before switching back to her witch form.
The moment she returned to her Saintess form, the slaughter and desire in her heart vanished instantly.
But when she became a witch again, those desires began to accumulate once more.
'Why does it feel like a threshold bar in some eroge?'
Luo Li mockingly complained to herself, then walked out and saw the little one was still snoring away.
Feeling relieved, she walked to the side and slowly closed her eyes.
Even though her stamina was better in her demonized state than in her Saintess state, she still needed to rest when she could.
Only by doing so could she ensure she was in perfect condition to handle anything that might happen.
However, Luo Li, with her eyes closed, did not see that just as her breathing became steady, the little one suddenly opened his eyes.
His gaze shifted to the pile of hay.
He hesitated, then glanced at the sleeping Luo Li.
After a long period of thought, he closed his eyes again.
Time passed, minute by minute.
When Luo Li opened her eyes again, the storm outside was still raging.
In fact, it had become even more intense. The wind howled at the cave entrance, and she could hear the sharp 'crack' of rain hitting the stones.
At this wind speed, every drop of rain was no different from a heavy slap delivered by a grown man.
Judging by this, the storms in this world were indeed far more powerful than those on Earth.
She wondered just how strong they could get.
At least from the current situation, it seemed they wouldn't be going out today.
Her Saintess's robe had been placed in her storage space the moment she performed the Holy-Demon Conversion.
Her clothes and armor in witch form were made of energy crystallization, appearing and disappearing out of thin air.
But her Saintess's robe was different; it was a genuine physical object.
So, when she was in her witch form, her Saintess's robe was stored in her storage space.
She pulled a pocket watch from the inner pocket of the robe and took a look.
Although the watch didn't show the date, it at least gave her an idea of the time.
It was already six in the morning.
That meant she had been trapped in this cave for two days.
She looked up at Mochizuki Shingen, who seemed to still be sleeping.
The slight rise and fall of his small body proved he was in a deep sleep.
He certainly slept without a care in the world.
He probably didn't even know if he would be alive tomorrow.
But she couldn't wait.
She didn't have much time to begin with. If she kept being delayed like this, when would she ever return to the continent?
At this thought, Luo Li looked up toward the direction of the mainland.
Although she had entrusted things to the Pope and Augus before she left, she was still worried about the Kingdom of the Moon.
Lola and Nara must have received the news by now.
Two days was enough time for the message to arrive.
"What did you say? My apologies, I haven't slept well lately. I must be hallucinating. Could you repeat that?"
Lola looked at Ligeia before her.
"Lady Ligeia... I didn't quite hear you. What did you just say?"
Ligeia looked at Lola, whose eyes had suddenly become hollow.
She knew Lola must have heard her words.
But Lola couldn't accept this reality. She was escaping!
"Lola... I..."
"No, there's no need to say anything more. I still have many things to do. I must finish them before Her Highness returns, or she'll be overworked again."
After speaking, Lola didn't even wait for Ligeia to respond before turning and leaving.
Watching that lonely back, Ligeia opened her mouth, but she couldn't find the words to speak.
She turned around and looked at Augus behind her.
"You... you heard everything?"
"Yes."
Augus nodded calmly. The moment he saw the second letter, he knew this was likely to happen.
Though he didn't know what Her Highness's plans were, as her right-hand man, the only thing he could do was obey the Saintess's orders and maintain order for these three months.
Once the three-month period was up, he would have no choice but to forcibly restrain Lola and turn to the Pope for help.
Augus knew clearly that at this moment, the Kingdom of the Moon had no way out.
This country was like a boat sailing against the current; once it began to drift back, the oncoming waves would instantly swallow their small vessel.
Now that the great ship was gone, there was no one to shield them from the wind and waves or to break the tide.
Fortunately, before the great ship left, she had entrusted them to an even larger ship.
However... that was not their own ship after all.
At this thought, Augus couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Your Highness, oh Your Highness. You knew how difficult things were for the Kingdom of the Moon, so why did you lead an Imperial Expedition so far away?
Now that things had reached this point, he had no other choice.
"I'll take care of things here. I will stabilize Lola and contact the Pope immediately."
"You're going to contact the Pope? Don't forget, the Holy See tried to reclaim the Kingdom of the Moon amidst the chaos!"
Ligeia's brow furrowed at his words.
Although she hadn't been involved in that incident, she knew about it.
The Holy See had stationed heavy troops on the border of the Kingdom of the Moon, clearly intending to reclaim the country after Brilliant City fell.
But now, Augus actually wanted to contact the Pope.
With Luo Li gone, wouldn't contacting the Pope be the same as handing the Kingdom of the Moon over on a silver platter?
"Lady Ligeia, do you remember the two letters Her Highness gave me?"
Ligeia's brow tightened.
"I remember."
"Now, you may read this second letter."
Saying this, Augus took the second letter from his robe and handed it to Ligeia.
Ligeia took the letter with some doubt and opened it.
The envelope, the paper, and the handwriting were undoubtedly those of Her Highness.
However, the facts written within left Ligeia stunned on the spot.
"This... this. Does this mean she already expected an accident might happen when the battle began?"
"No... Her Highness is not a god; she couldn't have predicted the future with a hundred percent accuracy. She simply did what a Saintess of the Moon should do."
Augus's voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with respect.
"Her Highness simply accounted for every possibility. Judging by the way this letter is written, I fear she had made preparations for every scenario, even falling onto the demon island."
"Though I don't know what means Her Highness used to deceive the demons, since she wrote this letter, it proves she is confident she can return to the Kingdom of the Moon within three months."
"And what if... she doesn't come back?"
Ligeia asked quickly, but Augus only gave a light smile and replied with four words before leaving.
"Follow the orders."
Clutching the letter in her hand, Ligeia watched Augus leave.
Luo Li, oh Luo Li, just how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?
But no matter what means you use, as long as you can return home safely, that's all that matters.
Augus had no thoughts about the situation in the hall, nor did he care about the mood of the mage Ligeia.
What he had to do was perfectly execute his master's will.
Upon arriving at the communication room, Augus contacted the Pope immediately.
"Who are you?"
The moment the video signal connected, Pope Diocletian appeared on the screen.
He frowned as he looked at the stranger in the video.
"I am Augus Di Clapham, a Cabinet Minister of the Kingdom of the Moon."
"Oh?"
The Pope nodded slightly.
"Do you have business with me?"
"Your Holiness, I presume Her Highness has already made things clear in the letter she sent you?"
Diocletian's brow furrowed sharply at his words.
"Are you saying... she didn't return?"
"That is correct."
"What exactly happened? Tell me."
"To answer Your Holiness, during the final retreat, Her Highness was struck by the feathered serpent tribe's serpent's breath and fell into the sea. There has been no sign of her since."
Diocletian was stunned for a moment.
After a long while... he let out a long breath and nodded.
"I understand. The documents will be sent to you shortly. For these three months... you will have to manage on your own."
Saying this, he looked at Augus in the video.
"Though there were some minor misunderstandings between us before, you can believe me when I say that at this moment, I too am praying for her safe return."
Augus smiled and bowed slightly.
"Your Holiness has the world in his heart. I understand."
"It seems you don't believe me. No matter, you may go. The documents will arrive soon."
"Yes, I shall take my leave."
Augus's voice remained steady, maintaining a very polite but distant demeanor.
After closing the video, Diocletian took a deep breath and looked at the empty communication room.
He couldn't help but sigh.
"Saintess Luo Li... you truly are a miraculous existence. What exactly is it that makes your subordinates so loyal?"
At this thought, he turned toward the door.
"Someone, send this document to Brilliant City in the Kingdom of the Moon. Notify all other major cities as well."
"Yes!"
The clergymen who entered quickly picked up the document and were shocked when they saw its contents.
But before the Pope, they dared not say a word.
Soon, all ten major cities of the Kingdom of the Moon received the notification.
Papal Decree: The Saintess of the Moon was injured in battle and is currently undergoing a short period of recuperation. All authority in the Kingdom of the Moon is temporarily transferred to Cardinal Lola. Any who resist shall be charged with apostasy.
Holy Calendar, August 28th, Year 927.
On this day, the news spread throughout the entire Kingdom of the Moon.
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