The cooperation he spoke of was definitely not innocent!
Despite that, given the current situation, if she didn't cooperate, she would likely have to face the consequences.
Those would be the death-sworn soldiers standing behind the old man.
"Aubrey, you should know that if the Saintess dies in Moonrise City, the price you nobles will have to pay is not something you can afford."
"If the true Saintess were to die here, not even I, let alone Lord Byron of the Stuart family, could bear it. But if she is a fake... then that is a different matter entirely."
Aubrey glanced at his son, watching as the expression on his face shifted from panic back to composure.
That change in expression was far too conspicuous.
This was not good.
Life is a play, and it all depends on the acting.
Sometimes, a joke might not be entirely false.
The ability to act is an extremely important skill in any circle.
It is especially vital in social matters.
Fortunately, he was here as the father to clean up his son's mess.
"Dear stranger, if you do not cooperate, then I will be forced to take mandatory measures against you. Men!"
"Sir!"
Aubrey clearly did not intend to waste any more time.
Indeed, as time passed, the situation would only grow worse for the Borgia father and son.
"Aubrey! Think carefully. Once the Dragon Knight Corps arrives, your Borgia family will surely be wiped out."
The old man remained silent for a moment, not answering. Instead, he simply waved his hand!
In the next second, the soldiers in the back rushed forward with a roar, directly surrounding the burning stake.
Luo Li's brow furrowed, and she instinctively gripped her banner pole and the Holy Cross Sword.
At a time like this, a battle seemed unavoidable.
Only fifteen minutes had passed since she first appeared.
There were still fifty minutes left until the Dragon Knight Corps arrived.
How was she supposed to endure those fifty minutes?
Perhaps... of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, escape was the best option!
"Hubert, come here."
She didn't want to use the Hero Creation skill unless it was absolutely necessary.
However, it seemed there was no more room to retreat.
"Aubrey, whether I am the Saintess or not, you shall witness it with your own eyes!"
The older the man, the more cunning he became. As soon as those words left her mouth, Aubrey sensed something was wrong!
"Do it!!"
"O sleeping hero, I command..."
"Wait!!"
"Everyone, stop!!"
The sound of clashing armor echoed from the distance like raindrops.
At the same time, a man wearing a mage's robe appeared in the sky.
With a trace of gloom on his face, his appearance immediately brought an inexplicable pressure to everyone present.
In the distance, a squad of soldiers galloped toward them. The noble riding at the very front, his face drenched in sweat as he urged his horse forward, was none other than Lord Byron Stuart!
Aubrey's eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the man descending from the sky.
"President Vincent? Since when does the Mage Association involve itself in such matters?"
As he spoke, Aubrey turned his head toward the newcomer.
The death-sworn soldiers parted to make a path, and Byron rode all the way into the center of the crowd.
He scanned the people around him before his gaze finally landed on Luo Li.
"Your Highness, I apologize for the fright. This subject has arrived late to your rescue. Are you well, Your Highness?"
The entire scene instantly fell into a dead silence!
"You... how did you get here?"
Luo Li looked at Byron in disbelief, unable to react for a moment.
Byron leaped down from his horse and approached Luo Li's side.
"To answer Your Highness, it was..."
...
Inside the Temple, Lola, who had just lain down, was suddenly pulled up by Nara.
"Nara?"
Lola looked up at Nara in disbelief.
In the past, Nara had always been cheerful and easy to talk to.
She was not the type of person whose attitude would change just because her position had changed.
Because of this, few people remembered that Nara's abilities were actually quite formidable.
The internal affairs of the Temple, the detailed records of income and expenses, the management of personnel, the daily schedule of Her Highness, and the general maintenance of the Temple were almost all handled by Nara alone.
Nara had adapted to this position bit by bit without making any grand displays.
This made it easy for people to still view her as the little nun she had been a few months ago.
"Lola! You explain to me right now exactly what is going on!!"
"I..."
Lola was momentarily stunned by the question, but Nara did not back down an inch, even leaning in close.
Her eyes were fixed directly on Lola's.
"You don't understand? Then let me put it another way—where is Her Highness!? If you don't explain it clearly, don't even think about sleeping!"
Back then, Luo Li had been able to entrust the heavy task of 'killing her' to Nara precisely because she valued Nara's extremely decisive character in certain moments.
Looking at the face before her that felt slightly unfamiliar yet still so recognizable, Lola couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Usually, Nara was impatient and sometimes prone to panic.
But once certain matters were involved, she would suddenly become incredibly determined.
Just like now.
Her heart was filled with concern for Her Highness, so she was being serious.
"Sigh..."
It seemed she had no choice but to speak, otherwise, Nara really would keep her awake.
"If I've guessed correctly, the Dragon Knight Corps should be heading toward Moonrise City right now."
"Why!?" Nara pressed further.
"...Although it's just a deduction, I think Her Highness was likely carried by the undercurrents to the coast of the East Forest."
"The East Forest!?"
"Yes. There are vast stretches of forest there where it's easy to get lost. I estimate she must have been lost in there for the past half-month."
For Her Highness, who had never left home and knew nothing of forests, getting lost in the woods was perfectly understandable.
It was entirely logical.
However, Lola always felt there was something strange about this.
Why wasn't she carried by the waves to Moonrise City or Luocheng, but specifically to the East Forest?
Why was the East Forest the first place that came to her mind?
Lola's brow furrowed. Was this a sixth sense? Or were there some details she had overlooked?
"Keep talking!" Nara watched Lola and demanded again through gritted teeth.
"It's simple. Her Highness was carried by the undercurrents to the beach of the East Forest, then entered the forest and got lost, then went to Luocheng, and finally arrived at Moonrise City..."
Something was very wrong.
Why did something that should have been right and logical feel like a carefully arranged illusion?
Ever since Her Highness fell into the sea, she had considered many possibilities. Returning through the East Forest was one of her deductions.
However, there was one problem that was very difficult to explain.
The distance between the demon island and the bay of the East Forest was at least several hundred kilometers.
How could Her Highness have been carried so far by an undercurrent in an instant?
If she wasn't carried away instantly, how did she cross the ocean?
By swimming?
Her Highness was not a being who had surpassed human limits.
With a level in the teens, no matter how great her abilities were, it was impossible for her to swim several hundred kilometers out of nowhere.
No!
Because it was impossible, it became possible.
No one could go under the sea to study the direction of the undercurrents.
That meant no matter what Her Highness said, no one could prove her wrong.
'This isn't the most likely possibility, but it is the most reasonable excuse.'
That was the first thought that had popped into her head when she first considered this possibility.
At that time, she had almost immediately dismissed it.
Because the probability was too small, almost equivalent to a miracle.
But it was the most reasonable lie.
No one could refute this lie.
Ocean currents and forests were the best places to destroy tracks.
Once a dozen days had passed, even the best hunter would be unable to find evidence of Her Highness's presence in the forest.
Thinking of this, a possibility slowly emerged in Lola's mind.
If Her Highness had intentionally sought out this place, wouldn't it be even more logical?
This thought flashed through her mind before she immediately shook her head.
How could that be?
If that were the case, then Her Highness must have used some means to cross the ocean.
Unless she had obtained a griffin from the demons or stolen a ship from them.
For the former, Her Highness would have had to infiltrate the demon army.
For the latter, she would have needed to know how to read sea charts.
The probability for both was zero.
So that guess was baseless, but... never mind.
Lola shook her head, killing that thought.
Then she looked up at Nara.
"Her Highness was likely carried to the coast of the East Forest by the currents, landed there, and then made her way through Luocheng to Moonrise City. That's probably what happened."
"Then why didn't Her Highness contact us instead of the Dragon Knight Corps heading out?"
Nara's eyes were burning as she stared at Lola, seemingly wanting to get information from her 'exhaustive' companion.
Even though these were all Lola's guesses, Nara was certain of them.
Because Lola's guesses had never been wrong.
"Her Highness must have run into trouble."
As soon as Lola finished speaking, the smile on her face instantly froze, and she stood there dazed.
"Lola, keep talking!" Nara was still urging her, but Lola lowered her head and began to mutter to herself.
"Something's wrong, it's too strange. If Her Highness ran into trouble, why didn't she contact the Temple immediately? Does she not trust me and Augus?"
"No, Her Highness isn't that kind of person. Then why would it be like this? She couldn't contact us? She wasn't allowed to contact us—she couldn't, she didn't dare. Moonrise City, the nobles..."
Lola's eyes suddenly widened, and she grabbed Nara, who was still urging her.
"Quick! Go and ask immediately who notified the Dragon Knight Corps to set out! Hurry!!"
"Lo... Lola?"
"Nara, there's no time to explain. Go!!"
"Oh! Right! I'm going..."
"Also, prepare the communication room immediately. I need to contact Lord Byron."
"Okay!"
Watching Nara run out of the Temple in a panic, Lola placed her hand on her forehead and let out a long sigh.
"It seems I've really been tired lately. I didn't even think of this layer. If an accident really happened... no, it won't!"
As she spoke, Lola looked around.
"Someone come here."
"Lady Lola."
A little nun walked in from outside.
"Help me change my clothes immediately."
"Yes."
Ten minutes later.
Inside the Temple's communication room, Lola forced herself to look sharp as she gazed at the figure appearing in the 3D projection.
"Bishop Lola, I wonder why you've summoned me so late at night... has something happened?"
Byron's face had a slight flush, clearly showing he had just engaged in some vigorous activity.
Lola's eyes flickered slightly; she knew what he had been doing without needing to be told.
But that wasn't the point.
"Lord Byron, do you know your crime?"
"Hiss! Bishop Lola, this... there's no need to scare me like that! I, I haven't done anything!"
Byron's eyes shifted as he immediately lowered his head, but he was clearly thinking about something.
"Heh, Lord Byron, there's no need to play games with me. I suspect you must have received some news by now."
"Hiss... Bishop Lola, please speak plainly."
"Plainly? Very well. Since you say so, I'll speak plainly. Her Highness the Saintess is currently in Moonrise City, and she might have already been killed by you nobles."
"What!?"
Byron looked up at Lola in 'disbelief.' His expression and movements were perfectly standard.
But seeing this, Lola became even more certain that Lord Byron already knew about it.
"This, this, this is impossible. How could that be? Bishop Lola, you must be joking."
"No, I am not joking."
"Lord Byron."
"Yes?"
"Wait for your clan's extermination."
"Yes... wait? What!!!"
With that single sentence, Byron instantly froze in place, staring blankly at Bishop Lola on the screen.
"I, this, you..."
A cold smile played on Lola's lips as she watched Lord Byron with icy eyes.
"Moonrise City is the territory of your Stuart family, and your family's main estate is located right there."
"The Dragon Knight Corps is fiercely loyal to Her Highness, and the skysoar dragons have even received orders from the Dragon King to serve her."
"Accompanying the Dragon Knight Corps are two elven archmages and one powerhouse who has surpassed human limits."
"If something happens to Her Highness in Moonrise City, and Moonrise City just happens to be the territory of a certain family..."
"Then what will the enraged Dragon Knight Corps do?"
Byron had clearly begun to panic, a trace of fear showing in his eyes.
Two thousand dragons, two archmage-level elven mages, and a limit-breaker.
Even the Stuart family might face complete destruction.
As a great family that had occupied Moonrise City for hundreds of years, the Stuarts were not without their trump cards.
But facing such a powerful military force, their foundation would surely be devastated.
"This... this is impossible, right? Is the Dragon Knight Corps really that loyal?"
He really did know!!
This response was practically an admission that he knew about the situation.
It seemed the Dragon Knight Corps alone wasn't enough to make Lord Byron truly terrified.
But that didn't matter.
"Her Highness is on good terms with the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign. Once this news reaches them, both monarchs will surely demand accountability. Your Stuart family will not escape death."
"Her Highness assembled the races of the continent by her own strength and launched a counterattack against the demon island, a feat unseen in a thousand years. If something happens to her on your land, the Holy Church's inquiry will surely make the Stuart family disappear from the annals of history."
"Even if His Holiness the Pope considers the reaction of the nobles, your Stuart family will certainly be drowned in public scorn."
"The other nobles clearly knew this would happen, yet they still used your Stuart family as cannon fodder. How laughable, truly laughable. To not realize you're on the verge of death... you are utterly foolish."
As she spoke, Lola watched the 3D projection, carefully analyzing Byron's reaction.
As time passed, fine beads of cold sweat began to appear on Lord Byron's forehead.
His face turned pale as he seemed to have finally realized what would happen.
After a long while, he looked up, his gaze filled with a glimmer of hope as he stared at Lola.
"This... Bishop Lola, I... what should I do?"
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