"My lord, the assassination failed. The meeting point has been compromised, and the adventurer who took the mission is dead."
A raspy, middle-aged voice echoed within the room.
"I see. Inform the subordinates to switch to the second meeting point and change all secret codes to the second set."
"Yes, Master."
"One person from the adventurer team was captured alive, while the rest were killed. Do we need to deal with him?"
"There is no need."
The somber, raspy voice came again from the room.
"They were nothing more than stepping stones picked up from the street. Whether they break or not is of no concern to us."
"Understood."
The elder gave a slight nod, turned, and withdrew.
A moment after the elder left, a low, raspy mutter drifted through the room.
"Heh. I knew those adventurers would be useless. But it does not matter. They were only stepping stones. Your Highness, if you do not show yourself soon, this plague... will become uncontrollable."
"Hehe... Hahaha!"
A slightly crazed and triumphant laugh rang out from the room.
After a while, silence returned.
Meanwhile, inside the Temple.
As Augus's carriage came to a halt, Nara, who had been waiting anxiously at the entrance, felt her eyes light up.
"Lord Augus, you have finally arrived."
"Forgive me for keeping you waiting."
Augus stepped down from the carriage, still feeling the lingering fear from the earlier assassination attempt.
His constitution was already poor, and he had been overworking himself lately. Combined with the shock he received in the autumn rain, he was starting to feel unwell.
But no matter how uncomfortable he felt, he had to push through.
"Where is Bishop Lola?"
"She is inside. Please, come in."
Augus nodded and walked quickly into the Temple. After a few turns, he reached the side hall and saw Lola.
The green-haired girl did not look well. She appeared exhausted and frail.
A sickly flush touched her cheeks as she sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in a simple white robe.
A quilt was draped over her shoulders, and she held a cup of warm tea in her hands.
Her iconic gold-rimmed glasses still rested on the bridge of her nose.
"Bishop Lola, are you feeling any better?"
That was the first thing Augus asked as he stepped inside.
Lola looked up at Augus and scanned him from head to toe before finally sighing in relief.
"As long as you are safe. I am... cough... I am fine."
Seeing that Lola was no longer unconscious, even if she still looked sickly, Augus felt a weight lift from his heart.
"Be that as it may, please prioritize your health. If you and I both fall, how will we explain ourselves when Her Highness returns?"
"I understand."
Lola nodded, her gaze fixed on Augus.
"What is the situation outside the city?"
Augus shook his head with a bitter expression and sat down on a chair near the bed.
He let out a long sigh.
"It is not good. Over a thousand people have already fallen ill. I fear the number of infected is at least two or three thousand."
Lola gasped, which immediately triggered a fit of coughing. Between coughs, she managed to ask:
"Cough... Then, what do you plan to do?"
"Establish a quarantine camp outside the city. Everyone who is ill or has had close contact with the infected will be isolated and cared for by designated personnel."
Lola's brow tightened, her expression turning grim.
"Quarantine? Starting tomorrow?"
"No. Tonight."
Hearing this, Lola's face darkened further.
"Tonight? Does that not mean sending them out this very evening? We are short on military power. The main army is blocked by the storm and cannot return soon. It is impossible to build a military camp in less than a day and a night."
"The temperature is dropping outside, and the rain is constant. Sending them away from Refugee City like this... are you not just sending them to their deaths?"
Augus slowly lowered his head. After a long silence, he looked up again with a solemn and resolute gaze.
"Better ten thousand perish than a hundred thousand. The plague has already spread. If we do not intervene now, the impact will only widen."
Augus suddenly looked at Lola.
"On that note, I wanted to ask you. What is the situation inside the city? How did the epidemic spread here?"
Lola's face was grim as she stared down at the tea in her cup.
"My informants told me that someone is spreading it intentionally. But we cannot find out who. They are still trying to find clues, but I suspect... it is highly likely they will find nothing."
Augus nodded in agreement.
"The enemy knew I would leave Brilliant City for Refugee City today. I fear this has been planned for more than a day or two."
"I was ambushed on my way back. The news you received was likely leaked to you on purpose."
Lola nodded slightly.
"Yes, I thought so too. Otherwise, such news would never have gotten out."
"The forces in the shadows wanted to lure you out of the city and assassinate you on your return, calculating that no one would notice then."
"If they had struck when you were leaving, even a slight delay would have caught the attention of Knight Yuna."
"It is more than that."
Those four words made Lola startle. She looked up to see Augus's face filled with gravity.
"The fact that they chose to strike on my way back... I fear they intended to frame someone else."
Lola was puzzled.
"Frame someone? Whom?"
"Who else? I had just returned from Refugee City and issued such an order. Who else would have a motive besides the people of Refugee City?"
Augus gave Lola a meaningful look. Lola was no fool, and she immediately connected the dots.
She looked up in shock and asked in disbelief:
"Are you saying someone is deliberately trying to incite conflict between Refugee City and Brilliant City?"
Augus took a deep breath and nodded.
Lola fell into thought for a moment.
"But isn't this method a bit too crude?"
"Heh. Crude? Is that not perfect? If it were hidden too carefully, it would not look like the result of popular indignation outside the city."
Augus slapped the table and stood up, his face solemn and his eyes cold.
"A clever move. Using the plague as a card, they predicted my actions and then went with the flow to kill me. This would ignite hatred between Brilliant City and Refugee City, using the plague and civil unrest to muddy the waters so they can fish in them."
"By spreading the plague and inciting an uprising, once the death toll exceeds two hundred thousand... no, even if it just exceeds one hundred thousand, those people will have a reason to petition the Pope."
Augus glanced at Lola.
"Currently, only you and I are in charge of Brilliant City. If I die, you are the only one who can be held accountable."
"Once the death toll reaches a certain point, even the Pope cannot ignore public opinion."
"Even if he wants to protect you, he must consider the consequences once this news spreads."
"Then they will collectively petition and move against the Pope, forcing him to revoke the Papal Decree."
"If Her Highness has not returned by then, you will have no choice but to surrender your power and plead guilty."
Augus spoke faster as his anger grew, a flush of indignation appearing on his pale cheeks.
"One trap leads to another. Once I am dead, even if you know the plan, you will be powerless to stop it!"
"Wait. If that is the case, can the plan not proceed even if you are safe?"
"It is different!"
Augus shook his head.
"If I am dead, they can only hold you responsible."
"If I am alive, you can shift the responsibility to me once the incident breaks out."
Lola's brow was tightly furrowed, a small knot forming between her eyes.
"How can we do that?"
"Of course we can!"
Augus smiled calmly.
"Since I chose to assist Her Highness in her quest for dominion, I have considered all consequences. Though this consequence came sooner than I expected."
He let out a cold laugh.
"But... heh! Is this not quite good?"
"Augus..."
Lola stared at him, speechless.
"Enough. Let us end this here. Things have not reached that point yet. There is still room to fix this."
"If that day truly comes, Bishop Lola, you must not hesitate for a second."
Lola did not respond. She was desperately searching her mind for another way.
But unfortunately, if things truly reached that stage...
To protect Her Highness's power, she could think of no other alternative.
"Lola, how is your physical condition now? Can you handle administrative affairs?"
"I can."
"Good. Then I will leave Brilliant City to you for now. Do not make a public announcement. I will continue to act as your full proxy to the outside world."
"What do you plan to do?"
Lola looked at him with confusion, but a cold smile curled on Augus's lips.
"Taking a beating lying down is not my style. Even if that day comes, anyone who wants to kill me... will have to pay a sufficient price!"
"Bishop Lola, please contact Lady Camilla and Lady Ligeia. We have no good solution for the epidemic, but both of them are experts in this field. They should have some ideas."
"As for the Pope, you need to speak with him personally. Obtain as much support as possible, whether it be manpower or supplies. We need physicians and food."
Lola nodded.
"But... will the Pope agree?"
"He will."
Augus knew the meaning behind Her Highness's final letter. He understood that while the Pope had designs on the Kingdom of the Moon, he was at least an upright and trustworthy man.
Since the Pope was one of the recipients of Her Highness's three letters, he would definitely help.
"I will go to the back and ask Her Highness Lina to come out. At a time like this, Refugee City cannot be allowed to fall into chaos."
"Yuna and a few hundred knights will not be enough to suppress a million people in Refugee City."
Lola nodded, her serious expression making one's heart skip a beat.
She pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.
"I understand. I will contact the Pope immediately. I will also reach out to the Beast Sovereign and the Dragon King. Even though Her Highness is not here, they will still respect her enough to listen."
Lola calculated the amount of food needed and a hint of relief appeared on her face.
"Given the food production of the Beastmen Empire, supporting Brilliant City should not be a problem."
Aside from the Kingdom of the Moon on the Holy Mountains, which was permanently frozen, both sides of the range were fertile lands.
Whether it was the beastmen to the north or the human kingdoms to the south, the land was rich with grain.
However, the humans had been invaded by the demon army this year.
The Kingdom of the Sun had even declined because of it.
Whether it was for the sake of resisting the demon army or because of the bond formed when the Beast Sovereign and the Saintess of the Moon campaigned together, the Beast Sovereign should not be stingy with a bit of grain.
As for the Dragon King, while contacting him might not yield direct help, it would at least serve to intimidate any petty troublemakers.
After discussing a bit more, the two decided on their strategy for the immediate future.
Immediately afterward, Augus left to head for the Temple's inner palace to request the help of the Saintess of War.
Ever since the Saintess of the Moon went missing at sea, this Saintess of War had stayed in the Kingdom of the Moon for the sake of her own sense of justice.
She had even argued with her Grandpa Scott to remain.
And at this moment, this righteous hero was... lying on the bed that originally belonged to Luo Li.
She was so bored that she was rolling around the bed.
"Ah! I am so bored! Astrid? Astrid?"
After rolling around for a while, Lina suddenly remembered there was another being in the room.
She instinctively called out to the white dragon.
Unfortunately, that noble holy white dragon did not seem inclined to pay any attention to the Saintess of War.
"Hey, hey, hey. Are you really asleep?"
Lina bounced up from the bed and looked at the holy white dragon lying in its custom-made dragon nest.
Her expression became even more bored.
Just as she was about to start counting her fingers out of sheer boredom, a nun walked in.
"Her Highness the Saintess of War, Cabinet Minister Augus requests an audience."
"Eh? Augus?"
Lina looked startled. She often failed to remember the names of those who were not strong.
But this man was different.
She had a strong impression of him.
She had almost tried to recruit him to her Kingdom of the Highlands back then.
Of course, that nonsensical request had been ruthlessly rejected by Luo Li.
Although the recruitment failed, it did not mean Lina held any negative feelings toward him.
On the contrary, she quite liked the man.
After all, he was capable.
Lina stood up, smoothed out her slightly messy dress, and straightened her posture.
As a Saintess, she had to mind her attire and etiquette in official settings.
This was something Grandpa Scott had taught her.
"Let him in."
"Yes."
The nun nodded and withdrew. Moments later, Augus walked in with long strides.
He bowed respectfully but firmly before the Saintess of War.
"Augus, Cabinet Minister of the Kingdom of the Moon, greets Her Highness the Saintess of War."
"Rise."
Lina rested one hand on the long sword at her waist as she looked at Augus.
To be honest, if it were not for the fact that Her Highness Luo Li had risked her life for all the races of the continent, earning her deep respect, she would have kidnapped this talent and taken him back by now.
But since he belonged to the Luo Li she admired, she had to let it go.
Even if her hands were itching to act, she had to endure it.
"Cabinet Minister Augus, do you have something for me?"
Lina looked at him with curiosity.
Augus took a deep breath and looked Lina directly in the eye, his face grave.
"Lady Lina, the Kingdom of the Moon... is in trouble."
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