Was it a bit too risky?
As the saying goes, a wise person does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Wouldn't walking out so boldly be like handing herself over on a silver platter?
But then again, she was already here, so why overthink it?
Since she was at the final threshold, there was no need for further hesitation.
However, now was not yet the right time.
There was still half an hour until the execution.
This was undoubtedly time that Casma had left intentionally.
Killing Aiya was not the goal; luring out Izzy and herself was what Casma truly intended to do.
By now, the entire city seemed to have awakened.
The night's chaos had left everyone on edge.
No one could sleep peacefully anymore.
She could vaguely see curtains twitching in the buildings across and diagonally from them.
Clearly, people were peeking from inside.
This was Moon Square. Almost every one of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church had such a massive square.
They served many purposes.
One was for worship during festivals.
For example, the Saintess's birthday or the birth of God.
There were other similar holidays as well.
During these festivals, Moon Square would become the liveliest place in the city.
And the other purpose was executions.
It was ironic yet common.
The most joyful location for a festival was also the place where traitors of the Holy Church were executed.
Consequently, there were many hotels and taverns near Moon Square, most of which were multi-story buildings.
Three or four stories were quite common.
These establishments had windows facing Moon Square specifically so people could experience these festivals and executions.
In those distant buildings, figures moved faintly behind the curtains.
No one could sleep, yet no one dared to light a lamp.
Most people didn't know exactly what was happening, but they all understood that something major was unfolding.
Many were watching from the sidelines, fearing they might be dragged into whatever was going on.
Scanning Moon Square, she estimated there were at least a thousand soldiers.
Most of their armor was engraved with family crests.
These were the private armies of various noble families.
She let the curtain fall. Given the current situation, rushing in was essentially no different from seeking death.
But since the choice had been made, there was no room for regret.
Regret could wait until she was on the verge of death!
"Your Highness, the situation doesn't look good. Those soldiers... they all look like elites. I'm not sure how effective my hypnosis will be."
Hubert's expression was grim. Though his heart had been full of grand ambition moments ago, his courage began to falter now that he was on the scene and saw such terrifying numbers.
Luo Li looked up at Hubert.
"If you are afraid, I won't blame you."
Her underlying meaning was, 'If you want to leave, I won't stop you.'
But having come this far, turning back now would make Hubert a coward, wouldn't it?
"Your Highness is joking. I've come this far, how could I turn back? I can't return to the Borgia family anyway, so I might as well do something crazy with Your Highness."
Hubert was honest and spoke his mind.
"To be honest, I am a little scared, but I won't leave."
Luo Li nodded and didn't ask further.
They had met by chance, yet he was willing to accompany her to this extent.
Hubert's patriotism was certainly not to be underestimated.
As for Izzy, he had known nothing at the start.
Things ending up this way was purely a stroke of bad luck for him.
Who told him to run into her?
Sigh.
Was she, Luo Li, truly a jinx, a star of calamity?
Why did trouble follow wherever she went?
"Let's wait. We'll stall for as long as we can. The longer we wait, the more it favors us."
Luo Li slowly closed her eyes. There was still more than half an hour until the execution.
During this time, she had to conserve her energy.
After all... a great battle was inevitable.
Izzy was pressed against the window, staring at Aiya, who was bound to the cross.
His fists, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched tight.
Time passed, minute by minute.
With twenty minutes left before the execution, a squad of soldiers suddenly ran over from the distance.
The man leading them on horseback had a face full of joy, radiating the arrogance of a vile man's success.
It was Kent, who had rushed back from Luocheng.
"Master! I have captured this woman for you."
As he spoke, several soldiers ran over from the distance, carrying a girl whose legs were limp.
Those soldiers clearly felt some pity, as they held her body high to keep her feet from dragging on the ground.
But Kent, who jumped down from his horse, felt no pity at all.
He reached out, grabbed the girl's hair, and yanked it upward.
She was forced to lift her face.
Her large almond eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, bearing a seventy percent resemblance to Izzy.
She lacked Izzy's handsome sharpness, possessing instead a more fragile quality.
Her skin had a sickly pale hue, and her body trembled slightly as she gazed blankly at the people before her.
She didn't even know what had happened or why she had been brought here.
"Master, look! This is Izzy's sister, April!"
At this moment, Casma was sitting in front of the burning stake, where a set of table and chairs had been placed.
Casma was leisurely drinking tea. He looked up at Kent and gave a slight nod.
"You have done well."
"Thank you, Master!!"
Receiving his master's approval, a look of ecstatic joy broke out on Kent's face.
"What are you waiting for? Put her up there."
"Yes!"
Kent's borrowed authority reached its peak at this moment.
He waved a hand at the soldiers.
"What are you waiting for! Hurry up and put her on the burning stake!!"
"What are you doing? Where is my brother?"
The girl struggled to ask, but the soldiers could only lower their heads helplessly.
To them, bullying a disabled girl like this felt wrong.
Even someone with ill intentions would involuntarily feel a sense of guilt.
Except for those with specific antisocial personalities, any normal person would feel ashamed seeing this.
Furthermore, these soldiers were the ones who had carried her all this way.
"Sorry, we are just following orders."
Though April was disabled, she was very clever.
"Did my brother do something wrong?"
"We aren't sure. Don't worry, we'll be careful so you don't feel too much pain."
The soldiers looked at each other, then took the iron chains and fastened them around April's wrists.
However, they didn't bind her upright like Aiya.
Because she was disabled, she couldn't stand on her own.
If they bound her like Aiya, her hands would have to bear the entire weight of her body.
For a girl about to face death by fire, that was simply too cruel.
These soldiers, who still had a conscience, didn't want to do that, so they let her sit on the ground.
They helped her lean against the cross.
After securing the chains, the soldiers glanced at April. Although their hearts were heavy, they could only withdraw helplessly. But then, an angry shout came from below.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
This shout caused not only the surrounding soldiers to turn and look, but also Casma, who was drinking tea below, to look toward the burning stake.
To him, it didn't matter much if the woman was standing or sitting.
After all, she was going to die anyway.
He looked back at his slave, Kent.
This fellow was playing the part of a successful villain perfectly, relishing his borrowed power.
"Why isn't she standing? Have you ever seen anyone go to the burning stake while sitting down? Huh?!"
Noticing Casma watching him, Kent put on an even more furious expression.
"But, sir... she, she's disabled? She can't stand up?"
One of the soldiers plucked up the courage to ask.
In response, Kent swung his arm and delivered a sharp slap.
A loud crack echoed across Moon Square.
Every soldier present witnessed this scene.
Many of them furrowed their brows, looking at Kent with unfriendly eyes.
But Kent was currently in favor and backed by Casma. Who among these common soldiers would dare to do anything?
The soldier who was hit covered his face in disbelief, looking up at Kent.
"Sir, why?"
"Get out of the way!"
Pushing the soldiers aside, Kent walked directly to the cross.
Aiya, who was tied to her own cross, looked at April sitting on the ground.
Though they hadn't seen each other for a while, she could still recognize her from her features.
"April?"
April heard the familiar voice.
She instinctively turned her head and looked at the girl bound to the nearby cross.
Her voice was full of disbelief yet carried a hint of certainty.
"Aiya... Sister? Ah!!"
Just as she spoke, a cry of pain escaped her lips.
Both April and Aiya instinctively looked behind them.
Behind the cross April was leaning against, Kent was holding a chain.
He braced his feet against the back of the cross and pulled back with all his might.
The chains locked around April's wrists, which were hooked over the arms of the cross, suddenly snapped taut.
One of April's hands was forcibly jerked upward.
The pain made April burst into tears instantly.
"April!!"
"You bastard, you'll die a horrible death!!"
Seeing April treated this way, Aiya screamed in rage.
But how could a vile person feel pity for others?
He repeated the process with the other chain, forcibly hoisting her up.
April's cries echoed across the deathly silent square.
Because of her paralysis, her muscles had long since atrophied, and even her arms were nowhere near as strong as a normal person's.
How could a body like April's support its own weight?
Many soldiers turned away, unable to watch, while others glared at Kent with gritted teeth.
But no one dared to move.
That was a noble! A slave of the Borgia family who had now become a retainer.
Who would dare to stand up? Were they not afraid of being thrown onto the burning stake themselves?
"A horrible death? You're the ones who are going to die today!"
Kent gritted his teeth as he secured the chains. Leaving behind those words, he ran down from the platform to grovel before Casma and claim his reward.
"Bastard!!"
Hiding behind the curtain, Izzy felt like his teeth were about to shatter. His fists were clenched, his face was flushed with rage, and his entire body was trembling.
He wanted nothing more than to rush down and tear Kent apart with his bare hands!!
But he understood that rushing down now would be useless.
He would achieve nothing except his own death.
The only person he could rely on was the girl who sat with her eyes closed, seemingly unmoved by the cries from the square.
Why wasn't she moving yet? How could she remain so calm!?
"Your Highness!"
"Wait a little longer."
Luo Li kept her eyes closed, sitting silently in the chair.
She could hear everything happening outside clearly.
By now, her confidence had risen to thirty percent.
Human hearts were always unpredictable.
But sometimes, when faced with such tragic events, even wicked people would feel pity.
Aside from those with specific antisocial personalities, normal people possessed empathy.
Though Kent was cruel, he had indirectly helped her.
With this little interlude, the soldiers' attitude toward the nobility would inevitably shift.
Even a tiny, subtle shift could become the deciding factor at the critical moment of victory.
Luo Li opened her eyes and glanced at Hubert.
"Hubert, do you know any water magic?"
"To answer Your Highness, I know some. It's not very powerful, but... putting out a fire shouldn't be a problem."
When asked about water magic, Hubert already understood what the girl intended to do.
Beside them, Izzy was slightly stunned.
"Is Your Highness planning to save them after the fire starts? Then Aiya and April will..."
"Rest assured, as long as I am here, they will be fine."
Logically, the best opportunity would be to wait until they were burned half to death.
The moment everyone's sympathy was at its peak would be the easiest time to win over their hearts.
But Luo Li could not stand by and watch in cold blood.
Perhaps this was a side effect of being the Saintess.
Izzy gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart as he continued to watch out the window.
The square grew quiet again, with only the occasional sound of a woman's voice.
It was coming from the stake.
Aiya was comforting April.
Time passed, minute by minute.
In the silent square, a shout suddenly rang out.
"Light the fire!"
The voice was sharp and raspy, so unpleasant it made one instinctively want to cover their ears.
Izzy bolted upright and pressed himself against the window, veins bulging on his forehead as he watched the two girls on the stake.
Hubert also stood up, looking at the girl who had opened her eyes.
"Your Highness, it is time."
Luo Li nodded and took out her pocket watch.
The time was 6:50 AM.
There was still an hour and ten minutes until 8:00.
This was far too long.
It was very likely they wouldn't be able to wait for reinforcements.
But there was no other way.
She couldn't just watch two girls be burned to ashes.
"Let's go."
She stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked out the door.
She didn't use any surprising entrance.
The girl simply walked calmly from the second floor of the hotel to the first.
She stepped out the door and into the street.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, she drew the Moon Banner and the Holy Cross Sword.
Without a trace of fear on her face, she raised the banner high under the watchful eyes of countless people.
Izzy reacted the fastest, shouting at the dumbfounded soldiers:
"Listen up, everyone! Her Highness the Saintess of the Moon is here! Kneel at once!"
With that thunderous shout, the previously silent square instantly erupted into chaos.
Countless people looked at the raised banner in disbelief.
They stared at the girl dressed in her magnificent Saintess's robe.
A single question echoed in everyone's mind.
How could the Saintess be here?
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