Hubert

Izzy looked at the girl as she sheathed her Holy Cross Sword, his expression conflicted.

"Your... Your Highness, are you really going to contact Brilliant City?"

Luo Li glanced back at him.

"Do you still want to save your Aiya?"

"Of course I do. But if we just open a communication line like this, we'll definitely be detected. Have you thought about how we'll get away?"

"I haven't, and there's no time to think. If we can't confirm whether help is coming from Brilliant City, all our lives are at risk. You heard the conversation between Aubrey and Casma earlier."

In critical moments, Luo Li never hesitated or dithered.

Every time she faced a situation where she had to bet everything, she acted without doubt.

Every minute wasted brought death one step closer.

The most important thing right now was to establish contact with Brilliant City immediately.

They could figure out an escape plan afterward.

"Let's go."

The girl stepped out of the laundry room, and Izzy hurriedly followed.

Under the cover of the deep night, the two of them crept along the base of the walls until they reached the main hall.

The Borgia family father and son were not resting in the main hall.

However, the main hall was the face of the family. No matter how few troops were left, there would still be soldiers standing guard.

Luo Li frowned slightly as she scanned the surroundings, then turned to whisper instructions to Izzy.

"Izzy, go over there and make some noise. Draw their attention. I'll go in alone."

"Are you sure?"

"There's no time to explain. Just do it!"

Luo Li didn't give Izzy any time to think and made the decision on the spot.

She then quietly hid herself among the flower bushes near the entrance of the main hall.

Izzy glanced at Luo Li, knit his brow, and turned to slip along the wall toward a nearby side wing.

He searched the ground for a moment, found a pebble, and threw it hard against a window.

With a sharp crash, the glass shattered. The two soldiers standing at the main hall entrance instinctively turned toward the sound.

"What was that?"

"How should I know?"

"Go check it out."

"By myself? I don't dare. The courtyard feels so empty and eerie tonight with so many people gone. Why don't you come with me?"

"You really are a coward. Fine, I'll go with you."

As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the side wing with the broken window.

Luo Li seized the opportunity and slipped into the main hall.

The third room on the right, which would be the third from the left when entering from the main gate.

She walked straight into the room without looking back and pushed the door open.

She turned to close the door behind her and then looked ahead.

As expected, it was the communication room.

However, while the communication room appeared dark, there seemed to be another room inside.

She could see light from a magic lamp spilling through a crack in the inner door.

Was someone still here?

The girl's brow furrowed as the Holy Cross Sword manifested out of thin air.

Luo Li gripped the hilt, held the sword ready, and tiptoed silently toward the door.

She gently pushed it open a crack.

Squinting, she peered inside.

The person within appeared to be a mage, wearing a very distinctive mage robe.

Luo Li lowered her head in thought.

Indeed, this was a communication room, and the technology used here could only be adjusted by mages.

This meant that every communication room normally required a mage to be stationed there.

Whether dialing or connecting, a mage was needed to adjust the fluctuations of the magic elements.

Taking a deep breath and holding it, she gently pushed the door open.

Luo Li crept up to the mage and picked up a towel draped nearby.

She forced the mage's jaw open just as he was waking up from his sleep, catching him while he was still dazed and confused.

She stuffed the towel hard into his mouth!

Immediately after, she drew her sword and pressed it against his neck!

"Don't move. Don't scream. Don't try any tricks. If I sense any abnormal fluctuations in magic elements, I'll send you to see God immediately."

"Mmph... mmph!"

The mage's eyes were still a bit vacant, clearly not having fully recovered from his slumber.

However, he understood exactly what was happening.

After all, the cold edge of a sword was pressed against his neck. If he didn't understand that, he really would be seeking death.

"I want to speak with the Alchemists' Association in Brilliant City. Can you do it?"

"Mmph mmph!"

The mage nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at grain, terrified that the sharp blade would slice his throat.

"Don't try anything funny, or else... you know the consequences."

The mage nodded again and stood up, cautiously watching the sword held against his neck.

The blade emitted a faint holy radiance.

It was hard for an average person to see, but anyone with special visual abilities would instantly notice something was different.

This sword was definitely no ordinary weapon.

He desperately wanted to ask who this girl was.

But with a sword at his throat and his mouth stuffed, he couldn't ask anything.

Whether he would even survive was an open question.

He decided it was best to just do as the girl asked.

They went into the main communication room, where the mage made some adjustments to tune the frequency to the Alchemists' Association in Brilliant City.

Then he stood up and looked back at the girl, signaling that he was finished.

Luo Li lowered her voice.

"Connect it. You are not allowed to make a sound."

"Mmph."

The mage nodded and pressed the call button.

With the words 'Connecting...' appearing on the screen, the signal was sent out.

On the bottom left of the 3D screen, she could see the destination of the call.

It was labeled 'Brilliant City Alchemists' Association'.

Luo Li nodded inwardly; at least this mage hadn't lied to her.

She waited for about a minute. Just as she began to think the mage might be playing tricks, the connection suddenly went through.

"This is the Brilliant City Alchemists' Association, Vice..."

The person who picked up was an elderly man whose voice carried a hint of suppressed anger.

"Is Nina still alive?"

Luo Li didn't wait for the old man to introduce himself and asked the question directly.

"Who are you!? Was Nina's incident your doing?"

The old man on the other end instantly flew into a rage.

"You just wait! You're in Moonrise City, aren't you!? I'm coming there right now to kill you!!"

"Wait! I am Luo Li Saint Sariel! Do not hang up!"

"I... Your Highness Saintess?!"

The old man was stunned. He instinctively glanced at the origin of the call.

It was indeed from Moonrise City, but... didn't the Papal Decree say the Saintess was gravely injured?

How could she be in Moonrise City?

And how did she know about Nina?

Luo Li's brow was tightly knit. Something had indeed happened to the Alchemists' Association, and she didn't know Nina's current condition.

"Something happened to Nina? Who are you, where is Camilla? I need to see her now."

"To answer Your Highness, Nina was stabbed and is currently resting. I am Edmond, the Vice President of the Alchemists' Association. The President is with the dragon knight army. They seem to be heading southeast... yes, toward Moonrise City."

Hearing this news, Luo Li let out a sigh of relief.

"I see. Thank you."

"Your Highness, why are you in... Moonrise City?"

"It's complicated, and there's no time to explain. I'm in a very dangerous situation, which is why I sent the message to Nina. How is she? Is she in danger?"

"To answer Your Highness, thank you for your concern. That little girl is very lucky; she is out of life-threatening danger for now."

"That's good. I won't say more."

"Take care, Your Highness."

Luo Li raised an eyebrow. This old man... was quite kind-hearted.

She ended the communication and turned to look at the mage beside her.

Should she kill him?

No, he was just a worker attached to the communication room.

Killing him seemed a bit excessive.

She would have to tie him up.

But if she just tied him up and he was found later, he would definitely expose her identity.

Yet if she just killed him, she felt a bit uneasy.

For a moment, Luo Li found herself feeling a bit soft-hearted.

She couldn't help it; when she was in her Saintess state, her mindset seemed to be influenced by it.

She was becoming a bit of a bleeding heart.

Fortunately, she wasn't a total pushover.

Since he had already heard enough, there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"I assume you heard everything just now."

The mage nodded slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of doubt as he studied Luo Li.

He looked as if he wanted to ask, 'Are you really the Saintess?'

"I am the real deal."

Even though the mage hadn't asked aloud, she answered him anyway.

The sword in her hand remained pressed tightly against his neck.

At this moment, the mage's life was entirely in her hands.

A simple flick of the blade would end him.

Luo Li took a deep breath and looked up at the mage.

Regardless of anything else, for Izzy's sake, she couldn't leave a witness alive.

Even if it weighed on her conscience later, she couldn't afford to be soft-hearted now.

"I'm sorry we had to meet this way. And I'm sorry that I have to send you to see God like this."

"Mmph!"

Hearing this, the mage was startled. He instinctively shook his head and reached up to pull the towel out of his mouth.

"Don't kill me! I'm still useful!"

"Useful how?"

The mage pointed toward the communication terminal nearby.

"A record of the communication is left here. I can delete it. If you don't delete it, the Borgia family will definitely find out."

Luo Li raised an eyebrow.

"You know the Borgia family wants to kill me?"

The mage shook his head honestly.

"I don't. But since you've tied me up, it means you don't want to be discovered. I can help you."

"Why help me?"

The mage thought for a while before looking up at the girl.

"I am a citizen of the Kingdom of the Moon. Is that reason enough?"

"..."

That made a lot of sense.

Luo Li withdrew her Holy Cross Sword, but she hid her left hand behind her back, a trace of demon qi faintly swirling at her fingertips.

"Fine. Go delete it."

If this man showed even the slightest hint of treachery, he would be met with a witch's strike in the next second.

However, to her surprise, the mage truly seemed to want to help her.

He deleted the communication logs and reset the channel to what it had been before.

Then, he tore up the printed paper that recorded the address and threw it into the trash.

He then turned back to Luo Li.

"Your Highness, it's done. They won't find out that anyone used the communication room... If you don't have a place to hide right now, you can come to my room for a bit."

"What do you mean?"

Luo Li looked at the mage. He seemed intent on helping her.

But they were strangers; why would he help?

The man took off his mage hood.

He revealed the face of a middle-aged man.

"Your Highness, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hubert. I am just an ordinary mage. I've heard rumors about you and greatly admire your deeds."

"To be able to find a glimmer of hope in such extreme circumstances is truly admirable."

"To break a thousand years of established tradition and lead an army to counterattack the demon island is truly inspiring."

"I may not have much talent, and I never expected to see you with my own eyes one day, but I still want to contribute my meager strength to help you through this crisis."

Hubert?

She hadn't heard of him.

If he were a powerful mage within the Kingdom of the Moon, she would have at least heard his name.

But clearly, the Hubert before her didn't have that kind of power.

If he did, he wouldn't have been so easily held hostage by her.

His words felt a bit like flattery.

"Think carefully. Most of the nobles in Moonrise City want me dead right now. If you help me, you will die, and your family might die as well."

"Heh, Your Highness needn't worry. I have no family, and my friends are few and far between."

Looking at the girl whose brow was clouded with confusion, Hubert couldn't help but smile.

"Your Highness is probably wondering why I would help you for no reason, right?"

Luo Li nodded slightly.

"Yes."

"It's simple. Because I am a person of this continent, a citizen of the Kingdom of the Moon, and your subject."

"I have a few friends in Brilliant City. I learned of your deeds from them. I know you have the ability and the chance to revitalize the Kingdom of the Moon. So... I want to help you."

"Is it... really that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Looking directly into Hubert's eyes, she saw that his gaze did not waver; there was a flicker of determination in them.

He didn't seem to be lying.

The current situation was indeed grim. If someone was willing to help her, it was definitely a good thing.

"I understand. Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Your Highness. It is only what I should do. Please, come in. My room is a separate space. No one usually goes in there. It's a bit messy, so please don't mind too much."

"It's fine. But I have a companion outside."

"Who? What does he look like? I'll go get him."

"A boy with short red hair. He should be hiding nearby. How do you plan to bring him in?"

"We'll just walk in."

Hubert smiled, turned to leave the room, and shortly after, returned with a bewildered Izzy.

They had walked in quite openly.

"How... how did you do that?"

Luo Li looked at Hubert in astonishment, but he only smiled.

He gave the staff in his hand a light shake.

A faint fluctuation of dark magic appeared on it.

"My attribute is the dark element, and my talent is a bit unique. I can perform a degree of hypnosis on others, making them simply ignore us."

Hm?

So there was a use like that.

It was truly an enviable... ahem, a fearsome ability.

However...

"Hubert, you didn't use that ability on me, did you?"

"How would I dare? You are the Saintess, Your Highness. Your spirit is protected by God."