Speaking from the Heart

"Did you ever have designs on the Kingdom of the Sun’s territory?"

Luo Li let out a long sigh, staring at the familiar ceiling.

Momoka held her breath, and even Lina’s breathing suddenly quickened.

Both of them focused their attention on Luo Li.

It seemed they were both waiting for her answer.

In the silence, Luo Li licked her slightly dry lips.

"That’s a good question. I didn’t expect you to be so direct, Momoka."

But sometimes, being direct was a good thing, wasn't it?

She raised her hand to gently gather her silver white hair, letting it fall over her right shoulder and across her chest.

Fingering the smooth strands, Luo Li regained her usual composure.

"To be honest, if I said I never had any such designs, I doubt I’d even believe myself, let alone you and Lina."

"..."

Neither Lina nor Momoka spoke. Their breathing hitched for a moment before returning to a steady rhythm.

Clearly, they both already knew the answer.

Though Lina was usually carefree, she was still a Saintess and a general.

She might not have the deep foresight of a king, but as a commander, she bore heavy responsibilities. Thus, she had a certain understanding of the overall state of affairs.

Lina’s boisterous nature was just her way of staying relaxed.

It didn’t mean she was foolish; she simply didn't want to overthink things.

As for Momoka, though she had never been involved in politics as a Saintess before, things were different now.

With the former Emperor dead, and as his eldest daughter and a Saintess, she possessed a broad perspective.

History had no true heroes.

Heroes... were simply forced into existence by the era.

If you didn't act, you would die, so you had no choice but to act.

Consequently, those who succeeded became heroes, and those who failed became losers.

Momoka had been pushed to that very point.

Even if she didn't want to think about it, she would subconsciously suspect this possibility.

Contemplating this, Luo Li toyed with her hair.

"To tell the truth... it’s not that I don’t have designs on that territory. I even have designs on the four islands, including you yourself."

Her words caused the breathing in the room to stop instantly!

This answer was likely something even Lina hadn't expected. After all... wanting territory was normal, but wanting a Saintess... that made the situation feel a bit... Yuri.

The current era was quite open minded about sex.

Male concubines were common among the nobility.

Mostly, it was the useless nobles who used their status to indulge in such things.

Of course, relationships between women weren't unheard of either.

However, a Saintess and a Saintess... that was something Lina had never heard of.

This piqued her curiosity, and she suddenly couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

If Luo Li said those words to her, how would she feel?

At the thought, Lina’s heart actually began to race for some reason.

Even her breathing grew a bit more hurried.

On the other hand, Momoka didn't seem to think that far ahead.

Her thoughts were still stuck on the level of national affairs.

"I understand what Lady Luo Li means."

The sudden change in her form of address was a clear sign that she had begun to put up her guard against Luo Li.

She had to be cautious.

After all, if she still wanted to maintain the independence of the Kingdom of the Sun, she really needed to be careful.

"Momoka, I haven't finished yet."

That obvious defensiveness was easy to pick up on.

Luo Li wasn't stupid. On the contrary, she considered herself quite quick witted.

Under the circumstances, Momoka’s sudden shift in attitude left Luo Li feeling a bit helpless.

You asked the question, and then you changed your attitude the moment you got an answer.

That feeling... was truly just like a woman!

Momoka’s brow furrowed slightly. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.

She really didn't know what kind of words would come out of this Saintess of the Moon’s mouth next.

But at this point, she had no choice but to listen.

"Momoka, like I said, it’s not that I don’t have designs on the Kingdom of the Sun’s territory. I even have designs on the refugees, and on you as a Saintess."

"But you need to hear me out first. Afterward, you can use your own judgment to decide if I’m telling the truth, if I’m being reasonable, and if I’m worth... guarding against."

Luo Li glanced at Momoka, whose expression was somewhat grim.

Even if she couldn't perfectly put herself in Momoka's shoes, she understood the anxiety and tension the other girl felt.

The current Kingdom of the Sun was like a lion so badly injured it could barely survive on its own.

They had just left the Holy Church only to come to the Kingdom of the Moon and hear such a statement.

How was this any different from escaping the tiger’s mouth only to enter the wolf’s den?

"Lina, you can listen to this too."

Images she had once seen flashed through Luo Li’s mind.

Women being abused naked on the streets, bones piled high everywhere.

The reason that game was considered a masterpiece wasn't just because it catered to many tastes.

It was also because of the many hidden dark details.

By making certain choices, one would enter a Dark Mode and see the true, hidden tragedy behind a city.

Back then, she had been too busy 'enjoying' the game to pay much attention to those things.

She had only seen those details and images by accident in a group chat.

For a long time, she hadn't been able to calm her mind enough to think deeply about them.

After a month of peace, she had recalled many details about the game.

Occasionally, she would draw in her room. She wasn't drawing the game interface, of course, but things that might change the current state of the nation.

For example, firearms.

But that wasn't the point. The point was the truth behind the game.

"You’ve probably heard that I’m favored by God. The appearance of that document tablet made you think so, didn't it?"

At Luo Li’s sudden mention of this topic, both of them held their breath.

Lina’s breathing then grew even more hurried.

"Did God really speak to you?"

Lina was clearly very nervous. Although she didn't show it much in her daily life, Luo Li knew that Lina actually respected and admired the Holy Church, and especially God, very much.

To call her a die hard fan would be an understatement.

Momoka also held her breath, clearly filled with immense curiosity.

Luo Li shook her head gently.

"I didn't hear anything. However... I saw some images."

She couldn't say where she actually came from, as that would be hard to explain and might cause them to reject her.

Now that the conversation had reached this point, confessing part of the truth was a good way to bridge the distance between them.

"Images?"

Both of them subconsciously sat up.

At the mention of 'God,' Lina and Momoka were suddenly wide awake.

Hearing the rustle of the blankets and seeing them both sit up, Luo Li had no choice but to sit up as well and turn to face them.

"Yes, images."

"What kind of images? Was it God?"

"Luo Li, did you see God?"

The Holy Church had been maintained for a thousand years, and everyone believed in God.

But in official history, no one seemed to have seen God with their own eyes since the Pope of a thousand years ago.

The Saintesses had faith and never doubted God’s existence.

But who wouldn't want to see their God with their own eyes?

Seeing their burning gazes, Luo Li shook her head and pulled the small tea table over, resting her arm on it.

Because of the weight on her chest, leaning like this made her shoulders feel much better.

"I didn't see God, but I saw some images. These images might sound a bit unseemly, so I won't go into details, but... I saw with my own eyes how I was captured by the demons."

Indeed, she had seen it with her own eyes, though back then she wasn't herself.

But now, she was her, so saying it this way didn't seem like a problem.

Hearing this, the two of them were stunned.

Momoka even opened her eyes and looked toward the top of Luo Li’s head.

She seemed to have the ability to distinguish lies.

In that instant, her expression changed drastically. She stared intently at the space above Luo Li’s head before looking down at Luo Li herself.

Her gaze was filled with gravity.

"What did you see?"

"I... let me put it another way."

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Li decided not to use the first person. She felt that saying it that way might make it come true one day, which made her uncomfortable.

"Five months ago, the Saintess of the Moon was betrayed by the traitor Martha."

"She was lured out of the city by the demon army’s tactic of encircling three sides and leaving one open. After being captured, she was humiliated in every possible way and put on display before the South Gate of Brilliant City."

"That sight caused many knights in Brilliant City to be unable to bear their lord's humiliation. Some gouged out their own eyes, and others took their own lives, leading to the fall of Brilliant City and the people falling into the hands of the demons."

"In the year that followed, the demons invaded other nations. The Kingdom of the Sun, the Snow Country, most of the Holy Church, the Kingdom of the Sea, the Kingdom of the Highlands, and the Kingdom of Sand all fell into the hands of the demons one by one."

"The millions of people on the continent wailed in pain, and the entire world became like a living hell."

"The Saintesses were captured by the demons and subjected to all kinds of abuse. In the end... the Holy Church was completely wiped from the continent. Then came the Beastmen Empire, followed by the elven forest and the Dwarven Kingdom."

Regarding the Dwarven Kingdom, she didn't mention much else. Since it was an adult game, the dwarven women were actually very beautiful, not at all like the gnome like creatures from Western legends.

After all, it was that kind of game, so it had to cater to most people’s tastes.

Dwarven women looked no different from human ten year olds even after reaching adulthood.

Well... how should she put it? Legal lolis?

The entire nation was full of them.

It was a paradise for people with that specific preference!

Though she herself had no interest in that.

The two of them listened to Luo Li’s description with their mouths agape, unable to stop the scenes from forming in their minds.

For a moment, they both shuddered.

Their hearts turned cold.

If things had really developed as Luo Li described, that scenario was bone chilling!

Momoka was stunned, and Lina was no better.

At the thought of that possibility, goosebumps broke out all over her body!

Luo Li took a deep breath. Regardless of anything else, at least the current tragedy had been stopped by her!

"You know what happened next. I led the army and defeated the demons."

"It’s not that I wanted to go to the battlefield myself, but I had no other choice."

"In that situation, if I had retreated, the continent would have been controlled by the demons."

"The Kingdom of the Moon is the only barrier between the continent and the demons."

"It’s been a thousand years, and most of us on the continent have lost our wariness of the demons."

"Fortunately, the long lived races still remember some things, which is why it was so easy to contact the dragon race."

"The dragons contacted the elves, and the elves were on good enough terms with the dwarves. Through that chain, we were able to see a scene of all the races on the continent uniting."

As for the Beastmen Empire, that guy was a complete accident, so she wouldn't mention him for now.

Having said this, Luo Li turned her head to look at Momoka.

"This is why I had designs on the Kingdom of the Sun’s territory and people, including you."

As she spoke, Luo Li also glanced at Lina.

"That includes you, too."

Lina was stunned. She opened her mouth, but for a long time, not a single word came out.

Luo Li took the small tea table, turned it around, placed it on her left side, and rested her elbow on it again.

"What I want to do is actually very simple. I want to strengthen the Kingdom of the Moon. The stronger, the better. Strong enough to make the demons fear us and not dare to invade. If possible... I even want to completely crush the demons in my lifetime."

Lina and Momoka stared at each other with wide eyes.

Neither of them could believe that this was the truth of the matter.

However, Momoka knew very well that her eyes could distinguish lies.

To some extent, she could see the 'emotions' drifting on a person’s body.

If Luo Li knew, she would immediately recognize it as something like 'electromagnetic signals from the skin.'

That would make Momoka a literal human polygraph.

Luo Li took a deep breath. She had struggled internally before saying all this.

But no one was a fool. Most of the time, only sincerity could earn sincerity in return.

While not absolute, it was worth taking a risk when facing these two Saintesses.

She hid part of the truth and revealed part of it.

Seventy percent truth and thirty percent fiction, though those fictions didn't contain any intent to deceive.

Overall, it wasn't too much.

"So, the topic comes back around. I have designs on the Kingdom of the Sun because I want to make the Kingdom of the Moon stronger."

"That includes both of you. The more combat power we have, the more advantages we have in war."

"One Saintess can't stop the demons, but what if two of them work together? Or three? Wouldn't that be enough to stop them?"

"If all the Saintesses unite, and all the races and experts on the continent unite, wouldn't we be able to crush the demon island?"

"With the people of the Kingdom of the Sun, we have the capital for development. With the territory of the Kingdom of the Sun, we have the space."

"So, my designs on the Kingdom of the Sun are entirely based on this."

Having said that, Luo Li looked up at Momoka.

"However, this is all just following the natural flow of things. Currently, the refugees of the Kingdom of the Sun have nowhere else to go but my Kingdom of the Moon, and the same goes for you, Momoka."

"You can doubt me, but please believe one thing: I will not force you to do anything, nor will I force your people."

After saying so much, she felt a bit thirsty. She reached out to the tea table, looking for a cup.

Only then did she realize it was already bedtime, and there was no tea around.

The young girl met Momoka’s gaze.

"Do you understand what I’m saying now?"