"What a nefarious plot!"
Luo Li looked at Izzy and took a deep breath.
It was better to be honest than to keep him in the dark.
At this moment, it was Izzy who had to make the choice, not her.
Izzy seemed to sense something from the girl's eyes.
"What... what are they shouting outside?"
"Aiya is about to be executed."
Luo Li did not intend to avoid the question. From start to finish, she could not avoid any question.
Hiding it now or simply killing Izzy were options, but her internal morality wouldn't allow it.
In her Saintess state, her psychological state was influenced by the holy light element.
It leaned her toward the side of 'good'.
Ultimately, Izzy and Aiya were both dragged into this because of her.
With a trace of guilt already in her heart, Luo Li feared she wouldn't be able to maintain her sanity if she continued to hide the truth.
Therefore, honesty was better than concealment.
"What... did you say?"
Izzy stared at the girl in a daze.
"Aiya is about to be executed. Casma's soldiers are shouting it outside. Their goal is simple: to lure you out and have you hand me over."
The girl stood up, her gaze heavy.
"This is an open trap and a nefarious plot."
Izzy narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, "You're not going to kill me?"
"I won't. If I killed you, I wouldn't be able to maintain my own integrity."
Luo Li looked at him, her face devoid of expression.
"Now, the choice is yours. If you want to leave, I won't stop you. If you want to turn me in, I won't stop that either."
Izzy opened his mouth but found no words.
He lowered his head, his heart gripped by an immense conflict.
This girl was the Saintess of the Kingdom of the Moon, the monarch of a nation.
Betraying her would be equivalent to selling everyone out to the nobles.
He knew better than anyone how filthy those nobles were.
Such a choice was almost like pushing the Kingdom of the Moon into the abyss.
But if he didn't go out, Aiya would die.
Not only Aiya, but at this moment, Izzy also thought of his sister.
Since the nobles had decided to execute Aiya, they wouldn't spare April either.
On one side was his family, and on the other was the greater good.
Izzy was caught in a dilemma.
Anyone in this situation would find it difficult to make a choice.
One side meant abandoning family, the other meant abandoning the country.
"Take your time to consider. Hubert, come outside with me for a moment."
Looking at the conflicted Izzy, Luo Li stood up and walked toward the door.
Hubert glanced at Izzy, said nothing, and turned to follow Luo Li.
He only had his parents, so he understood how difficult a choice like this was.
At this moment, he suddenly understood why the Saintess was the 'Chosen One'.
She didn't kill Izzy for her own selfish interests.
She didn't do something against her conscience for the sake of the so-called 'greater good'.
Strictly speaking, every generation of Saintess was a Chosen One.
When the previous Saintess realized her life was coming to an end, she would begin searching for someone with the right qualifications.
This person would go through layers of screening and, finally, with the 'God's' approval, the decision would be made.
Of course, this so-called approval wasn't a direct divine decree; rather, the candidate would trigger a phenomenon from the Statue of the Angel.
As for what that phenomenon was... the selection process of each Saintess was never revealed to outsiders.
Ordinary people had no chance of knowing.
Hubert had only learned of this by chance.
Looking up at the Saintess before him, Hubert felt a sense of heartfelt admiration.
"Your Highness, Izzy is..."
"Hubert, I need you to do something for me."
Before Hubert could ask, Luo Li spoke first.
"Please give your orders, Your Highness."
"Go out immediately. I want the exact location and time of the execution. Help me secure a path leading to the execution ground."
"Is Your Highness... planning to let Izzy leave?"
"No."
Luo Li shook her head and turned her gaze back to Hubert.
"I'm going with him."
"Huh?"
Hubert was stunned. What did the Saintess just say?
Right now, the city was under martial law, and most of the nobles were searching for news of the Saintess just to kill her.
And yet, what did she say?
She wanted to go to the execution ground herself?
Wasn't that just walking to her death?
"Hubert, there's one more thing I want to ask you."
"Please speak, Your Highness."
"What are the activation conditions for your ability?"
"To answer Your Highness, it's sound and sight."
"Which one carries more weight?"
"Strictly speaking, it's sight. Sound only accounts for about thirty percent..."
"Can you hypnotize someone with just sound? Or rather, can you influence their thoughts?"
"Hypnosis is difficult, but influencing thoughts... that's not a problem."
Luo Li nodded, having a plan in mind. With this ability, she could at least increase her chances by ten percent.
At this point, Hubert also understood the Saintess's plan.
"Your Highness, are you planning to persuade them to surrender on the spot?"
"Something like that. I don't know if it will work, but it's at least a chance worth gambling on."
"Is that... even possible?"
Hubert's face was full of disbelief. In his memory, those were all the private armies of the nobles.
"I don't know. I had no confidence before, but seeing Izzy, Aiya, and now you, I have some."
"About... how much?"
"Ten percent. With your ability, twenty percent."
These so-called percentages were just probabilities and served as nothing more than psychological comfort.
Facing such a situation would still be a narrow escape from death.
Fortunately, she had someone by her side. In a critical moment, if there were no other way, Hero Creation could still be used.
If it truly came to a hopeless situation, she wouldn't mind erupting into her Witch form.
Her other abilities were average, but that one skill was etched clearly in Luo Li's memory.
【Expel all my enemies with my Moon Banner!】
The ability centered around the Moon Banner to release a demonized domain. Everyone who died within that domain would be converted into puppets controlled by the player.
Once the domain was activated, the people killed would become her soldiers.
Furthermore, the Moon Witch state possessed powerful 1v1 skills that could kill enemies even if they were at a higher level.
Strictly speaking, the Saintess of the Moon and the Moon Witch could be described in simpler terms.
The Saintess of the Moon carried everyone with the power of one person.
The Moon Witch stood against everyone with the power of one person.
Their skill templates were almost completely opposite existences.
The Moon Witch needed no companions; all killed enemies would become her puppets.
The Saintess of the Moon needed companions most; all her companions would become stronger in her presence.
If it really came to such a crisis, she would have no choice but to use this trump card.
The final result would likely be a bloodbath in Moonrise City.
However, this was a last resort.
If she could avoid doing so, she absolutely would.
Once it happened, the consequences would become uncontrollable.
In this plan, Hubert was a crucial figure.
In the beginning, he could use his hypnosis ability to help Luo Li sway the soldiers.
Later, Luo Li would also need to use his body to summon heroic spirits.
"Go now."
Hubert stood there stunned for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
"As expected of the Saintess. Such courage... I certainly don't have it."
When he thought about facing thousands of elite troops and then looked at their side...
A Saintess who was only around level ten.
A commoner like Izzy with no level at all.
And then there was him, a mage who had only reached level twenty at forty years old.
No matter how he looked at it, this lineup had no chance of winning.
However...
A smile curled at the corner of Hubert's mouth.
His shoulders, which had been somewhat slumped, suddenly straightened.
He walked out of the room, muttering to himself.
"I'm middle-aged, yet I never expected to encounter something like this. I've never been this crazy in my life. Perhaps... this is my first and last time being reckless."
Hubert walked out of the room.
Luo Li turned back to look at Izzy.
He was still silent, crouching in the corner without saying a word.
Luo Li didn't speak.
At a time like this, if Izzy suddenly lashed out to kill her, she could understand.
But she would never sit idly by; she might even kill Izzy for real.
But if Izzy chose to leave alone, she would never let someone who had saved her take such a risk.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Hubert was only level twenty. As a middle-aged man, every instance of hypnosis was exhausting.
It took nearly two hours for him to completely secure the route to the execution ground.
When he returned, Hubert looked like he was dehydrated, his cheeks visibly sunken.
"Your Highness, mission accomplished. I've finished... whew~"
He sat on the floor with a thud.
Seeing him so exhausted, the girl stepped forward and softly whispered, "Heal."
Most of his physical strength was instantly restored.
Mana existed within everyone's body and was directly linked to life force.
Luo Li's ability could restore a portion of that life force.
Life force was something that had almost nothing to do with the six mainstream elements.
It was considered one of the non-mainstream elements.
There were many similar elements.
For example, space, time, gravity, repulsion, magnetism, electricity, and so on.
But the mainstream recognized by the vast majority today was only earth, wind, water, fire, light, and dark.
Among these six elements, those with the greatest influence on life force were the light and dark elements.
The light element could enhance and repair life force, while the dark element could absorb and diminish it.
Mana was directly related to the physical body.
Therefore, repairing life force could indirectly restore mana.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Hubert nodded gratefully.
Izzy, who had been struggling and had become quite dejected, also looked over in surprise.
"Your Highness, the path to the execution ground has been confirmed. The map is all here. The execution time is in an hour and a half, between 6:30 and 7:00. And..."
Luo Li didn't react much to this, but Izzy's eyes widened, and he stared at the girl's back in disbelief.
At this moment, a warmth inexplicably rose in his heart.
Was the Saintess doing this because she didn't want things to be too difficult for him?
She was actually going to take such a risk?
What had he, Izzy, done to deserve this?
If the Saintess was doing this and he still hesitated, how could he be worthy of this monarch's kindness?
Luo Li didn't know what Izzy was thinking, but she was quite concerned about what Hubert said.
"And what?"
"And..."
Hubert pursed his lips, appearing a bit thirsty, though now was clearly not the time for water.
He could only glance at Izzy.
"April Capablanca is also on the execution list. Both of them are to be put on the burning stake together, executed for demon collusion."
Luo Li's brow furrowed even tighter upon hearing this.
The rest wasn't important; the key was when did the nobility gain the right to exercise divine power?
Punishments like this needed to be reported directly to the Temple and adjudicated by the Temple itself.
But now, Casma dared to use this name?
That meant he had become hysterical and was even prepared to seize divine power.
"Is there still an hour and a half? Is there still time?"
"There's time. The path I secured leads to a hotel right next to the square. The destination is a room on the second floor of that hotel."
Hubert was, after all, an old resident who had spent many years in Moonrise City.
There were many situations where Luo Li didn't need to speak directly for him to immediately figure out what to do.
Luo Li nodded and looked back at Izzy.
"Izzy, let's go. To the execution ground."
Izzy's brow was tightly furrowed, but he didn't move, which startled Luo Li.
"Why aren't you moving?"
As soon as she spoke, Izzy stood up and knelt on one knee.
"Your Highness, please don't go. I'll go alone."
The girl's gaze wavered slightly as she stared at Izzy kneeling before her.
"Are you planning to go to your death?"
"...Yes."
Izzy nodded.
"You know that if you go and don't turn me in, you, Aiya, and your sister will all be burned alive."
"I know."
"And you're still going?"
"Your Highness, I have no other choice. I won't betray you; otherwise, I would live the rest of my life condemned by my conscience. I also can't ignore Aiya and my sister, but I can't save them."
He looked up, staring intently at the girl.
"All I can do is be by their side when they are most afraid. Even if we meet God, I won't let them leave this world alone."
Good lad, he truly was the talent she had seen in him.
These words were enough.
Luo Li nodded.
"I understand. Then, let's go."
"Your Highness, I've already made myself clear. What are you doing?"
Izzy was greatly surprised to see the girl looking full of battle intent.
"Going together, of course. As the Saintess, if I can't even protect the people under my rule, then this position... isn't worth holding."
She walked out of the room, leaving Izzy kneeling on the floor in a daze.
"Hurry up and follow, or we won't wait for you."
With that, Hubert followed the girl out.
"Your Highness, wait!"
Izzy scrambled up from the floor and followed their footsteps.
The three of them successfully walked out of the Borgia gates. It seemed as though no one noticed the girl dressed in her magnificent Saintess's robe.
The guards at the gate, the soldiers on the street, and the people passing by all looked straight ahead.
It was so smooth that Luo Li almost couldn't believe it.
Perhaps Casma had arranged this on purpose.
Regardless, the three of them reached a room on the second floor of the hotel overlooking the square.
Peering out through a gap in the curtains...
Right there in the central square.
A girl was standing on a burning stake, her wrists bound by iron chains.
It was Aiya!
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