"A reward?"
What kind of reward would be specifically for Izzy?
"Alright, stop guessing. Lancelot, wheel April over here."
As she spoke, Lancelot stepped out from behind Luo Li, his massive frame moving toward April.
April looked at the robust man appearing before her, and her face instantly flushed red.
"I... I..."
She was a bit dazed, having no idea what was about to happen. Was Her Highness going to give this man to her as a reward?
Bah!
What on earth was going on in her little head?
Before she could figure it out, the valiant knight was already pushing her toward the Saintess.
"Your Highness, I..."
April was still a bit uncomfortable. In fact, she had been somewhat dazed ever since arriving in Moonrise City.
At times, she even felt as though she were in a dream.
"Don't speak. Just feel carefully."
Luo Li stood up and placed her hand on April's head.
The girl had the same short, flame-red hair as Izzy, and her cheeks still bore a trace of youthfulness and sickly pallor.
However... looking down from her position, Luo Li noticed that the girl was indeed a bit small.
A?
The letter popped into Luo Li’s mind for some reason.
Cough!
Ignore it, ignore it.
An immortal strokes your head and grants you eternal life.
Luo Li knew she wasn't quite at the level to perform such a feat.
She couldn't raise the dead or regrow flesh on bone, nor could she grant immortality.
However, she could easily heal certain physical ailments.
"Heal."
Holy light poured from the girl's head, sliding down her spine.
This treatment had a clear purpose: to restore her control over her lower body. Naturally, the target was the spine.
As the holy light reached the site of the injury, Luo Li’s brow furrowed.
She could clearly feel the feedback from the holy light and see the damage.
The physical wounds had already been fully healed by other priests.
However, her spinal cord was severed at one point, and there were even bone fragments embedded within it.
Clearly, this was not an injury that a regular priest could fully repair.
Treating it right here wouldn't work. Even if she healed the nerves, the bone fragments would continue to press against them, causing even more suffering.
"Someone, come here."
Upon hearing the Saintess’s summons, a nearby young nun quickly set down her work and ran over.
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
"Prepare a clean room in the back. Get a small knife and tweezers that have been boiled in water. They must be sterile."
Turning to Lancelot, she added, "Lancelot, carry her to the back."
"Yes, Your Highness."
A flash of confusion crossed Lancelot’s eyes, but he did not hesitate to obey Luo Li’s command.
He picked up April and turned to leave.
Izzy froze for a moment before asking nervously, "Your Highness? What about April?"
Luo Li smiled slightly.
"Don't worry. When she comes back, I’ll return a sister who’s healthy and full of life."
Aiya also quickly spoke up to comfort him.
"Izzy, don't worry anymore. April will be fine. Her Highness wouldn't lie to you."
Izzy nodded. Although he knew the Saintess wouldn't harm April, as a brother who had protected her for so many years, he felt like an old father, filled with concern.
Leaving April to be prepared in the back, Luo Li looked down at Aiya.
"Aiya, I just had someone search for other survivors of the Russell family. Unfortunately, there are no others left."
Aiya paused, a bitter smile touching her lips.
"To think Your Highness was still worrying about such a thing. If you had asked me directly, you wouldn't have had to waste your energy."
"So, you’ve investigated it?"
Aiya nodded.
"Ever since I survived, I’ve been looking. But aside from me, the other members of the Russell family have either fled to distant lands or are already dead."
I see.
Luo Li fell silent for a moment, then turned to Izzy.
"Izzy, are you willing to marry her?"
"Eh?!"
"What!?"
Izzy and Aiya were both stunned by the Saintess's sudden question.
"I mean it literally. Are you willing to marry her?"
Watching their nearly identical reactions, Luo Li truly felt the two were a perfect match.
Izzy instinctively turned to look at Aiya, only to see that the usually bold and elegant woman was now shyly lowering her head, seemingly sensing his gaze.
She looked like she wanted to speak but held back. After a moment of silence, she whispered with a flushed face, "Don't look at me like that. You already know the answer."
Izzy nodded and suddenly reached out to take her delicate hand, causing Aiya to look up at him in surprise.
"Izzy..."
"Aiya, will you marry me?"
The playful grin was gone from Izzy’s face, replaced by an expression of absolute sincerity and gravity.
For a woman, marriage is happiness. But for a man, it is an equal mix of responsibility and joy.
The two looked at each other with deep affection, their eyes speaking volumes.
Until...
"Cough! You two can stare at each other as long as you want, but can you please stop leaving me hanging here?"
Luo Li rolled her eyes at the soon-to-be newlyweds.
She didn't mind them flaunting their love before, but they were doing it even now?
Did they really think she was just some lonely third wheel?
"It seems you are both willing. Then, I hereby decree your marriage."
"From this day forward, the Russell family is merged into the Capablanca family."
"Izzy, I will allow the Capablanca family to have a double name. You shall be called... Russell Capablanca."
Luo Li rubbed her chin, which was as smooth as a newborn's skin, and stated the matter plainly.
Izzy and Aiya looked at each other and bowed their heads together.
"Thank you for your blessing, Your Highness!"
"Mhm, you may rise."
Luo Li stood up, preparing to go to the back for the surgery. After taking a step, she remembered something and looked back at Izzy.
"Izzy, take your Aiya back for now. I’ll have something for you to do later."
Before Izzy could react, Luo Li turned and walked toward the back room.
The necessary tools had already been prepared.
It wasn't much: a knife, tweezers, and a skilled hand.
With Luo Li directing and Lancelot performing the physical work, the fragments were removed in short order.
Even several deformed vertebrae were broken and removed.
Of course, April had been put into a deep sleep beforehand.
Then, after several healing arts, the spine and spinal cord were restored to their normal state.
A surge of vitality was pumped into the muscles of her feet.
To the naked eye, her withered legs gradually filled out, regaining their life and vigor.
She let the girl continue to sleep for a while.
Luo Li then went directly to the communication room of the Temple.
Now that she was safe and the urgent matters were handled, it was time to let those at home know she was alright.
Although it had been less than four months, she had grown accustomed to the Temple in Brilliant City.
Subconsciously, she had begun to think of it as her home.
To be fair, it really was her home.
But as the old saying goes, one feels hesitant as they near their home.
In the communication room, she saw that she was only one step away from starting the transmission, but she suddenly felt a bit timid.
"Lan... Lancelot."
"I am here."
Lancelot remained expressionless as always, standing behind Luo Li.
Standing at two meters tall, he was like a solid wall looming there.
"Do you think... Lola is sleeping right now? Should I wait a bit before messaging her?"
She thought of the letter she had sent from the demon island. At the time, she had intentionally left out her backup plan so Lola wouldn't worry.
Now that things had reached this point, with Lola’s intelligence, she must have figured everything out.
This made Luo Li a bit afraid to face her.
Lancelot looked up at the bright sun in the sky. This sunlight was likely the calm before the storm.
Though it was quiet here, one could feel the heart-stopping fluctuations of magic elements in the distant sky.
Clearly, this second typhoon was going to be even more intense than the first.
A storm of this magnitude was not something ordinary magic could change.
Even dragons would mostly avoid such a powerful tempest.
After all, chaotic magic elements would affect a dragon's ability to fly.
"At this time, Bishop Lola should be awake. Although she has been very ill these past few days..."
Hearing this, Luo Li was suddenly startled!
She just remembered the news about Lola being seriously ill.
Because there had been too much going on, she had actually forgotten about it!
"Quick, connect to the Temple in Brilliant City."
Among the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, only the temples of the Pope and the Seven Saintesses could be called a Temple. All other structures in various cities were cathedrals.
The connection was established quickly. When the figure that appeared was the familiar Nara, the girl felt her eyes grow hot and moist.
She was finally seeing her family again.
"Your Highness! Is it really you? Your Highness?!"
Nara looked at the 3D image before her in disbelief—the smile, the eyes, the lips.
Everything was exactly as she remembered.
A mere month had felt like an eternity to Nara.
Every day felt like a year; those words perfectly described her feelings during this time.
And when she saw Her Highness again, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
"Your Highness, it’s really you, I..."
"Mhm, alright, alright, stop crying."
Luo Li’s own eyes were already stinging, and if Nara kept crying, she would end up crying along with her.
She had to admit, girls' tear ducts were quite active.
Unlike before, when she watched sad dramas, her eyes wouldn't even well up.
"I’m back, don't cry. How have things been lately? How is Lola?"
"I... I’m fine, I just missed you... Waaah! Lola is sick, I’ll go call her over right now."
"Stop crying and go."
"Mhm... waaah..."
Watching Nara turn and leave the communication room while sobbing, Luo Li quickly turned and wiped the corner of her eye.
She had almost been moved to tears by that girl. What would happen to her dignity as the Saintess if she started wailing like a little girl?
She glanced back at Lancelot.
Her gaze was icy.
"What did you see?"
Lancelot remained expressionless.
"I saw Her Highness’s back. I saw nothing else."
Hm. It seemed that even though Lancelot had a poker face, his survival instincts were quite sharp.
Sensible, obedient, a good subordinate.
Don't worry, I will use all my power to keep you working for me until the day you die.
That is the best reward I can give you!
She composed herself to avoid crying when she saw Lola. She didn't know what Lola would say.
She turned back to the 3D image. After waiting for a few minutes, a figure walked in from outside.
Looking at that familiar face, the green hair, and the classic gold-rimmed glasses, she didn't feel like crying anymore. She felt happy.
"Sick?"
"Mhm."
Lola’s voice was slightly weak, but she seemed okay, not as seriously ill as the rumors suggested.
That was a relief.
"You’ve worked hard while I was away."
Looking at Lola’s pale face, Luo Li felt a pang of sympathy.
This was her right hand, her true confidante. She had been through so much.
"Your Highness, it was my duty. As long as you return safely, nothing else matters."
Lola’s eyes were also slightly moist.
However, Lola was more rational than Nara and less emotional.
She could control her feelings.
"How is the situation in Brilliant City? Is everyone else alright?"
Luo Li pressed further, and Lola paused to think.
"Your Highness, the situation in Brilliant City is not very optimistic. The epidemic has spread, and the North Gate is completely sealed off. Large-scale infections have also appeared in the Refugee City outside the walls."
"Augus is still busy stabilizing the situation outside, but we need you to return and take charge as soon as possible."
Luo Li’s brow knit as she nodded slightly.
"I understand. Get some rest. I’ll return once I’ve finished handling things here."
Lola remained very calm.
"Your Highness, there is also Seaview City. It has become a completely dead city and needs to be dealt with soon."
"Alright, I know. I’ll handle everything when I get back."
"Yes..."
Having said that, Lola did not immediately close the communication. She hesitated for a moment.
She seemed to have something to say, and Luo Li just watched her.
After a long while, Lola looked up, her eyes filled with tenderness and her voice lacking its usual coldness.
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Welcome home."
A smile appeared on the girl’s face.
"Mhm. Rest well. Everything will be fine."
The communication ended. Luo Li fell silent for a moment with a cold expression, then looked back at Lancelot.
"Lancelot."
"I am here."
"Finish handling Moonrise City as quickly as possible. We are returning to Brilliant City immediately."
"As you command!"
April came to the back room joyfully.
She had now recovered her mobility and was standing on the floor.
Seeing Luo Li walk in, she quickly knelt down.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"No need to thank me. Go show your brother first. Also, inform him: Tonight, at the Moon Square, a public trial!"
Rate on N.U.
