"Your Highness, according to Chapter 7, Section 3 of the Chronicles of the Moon Bible, Archangel Sariel's feet do not touch the ground when he descends. Any angel who touches the ground is a fallen angel, and thus, angels do not wear shoes."
"And then? Whether an angel wears them or not, I have to!"
What does it matter to me if an angel doesn't wear shoes? I want to wear them now!
Always walking barefoot on the ground like this was so cold and uncomfortable.
Lola pushed up her glasses. It was hard to tell if the gold-rimmed frames were too large or if she had simply worn them for so long that the movement had become a habit.
"Your Highness, tradition dictates that the Moon Angel never wears shoes. As the Saintess, you must naturally follow the rules of God."
"But... but this is just too inconvenient!"
It really was too inconvenient. In the entire Temple, aside from a few limited areas covered in thick carpets designated for the 'Saintess's exclusive use,' everywhere else was cold tiled flooring. Even the floor of the central hall before her was made of marble.
Although the marble was polished to a mirror-like shine, it was still stone. Stepping on it felt freezing to the soles of her feet!
"Your Highness, according to the records, the Saintesses of the Moon of past generations could use floating skills, so there was no need for them to wear shoes."
"Floating skills? How do I learn those?"
Floating... although it wasn't quite flying, it was close enough!
Flight was a dream that humanity had always yearned for!
"Your Highness... I am merely a nun, not the Saintess. I do not know how to learn them. However, I believe... praying before the Statue of the Angel might be of some use."
Fine, it seemed Lola truly didn't know.
Martha was also to blame for this. In the past year, she had hardly allowed the original owner of this body to learn any such knowledge.
As a result, she was now completely in the dark, knowing nothing at all.
"Praying, is it... I understand."
She looked up at the massive statue. It was about eight meters tall, and the ceiling was just under ten meters high.
It was a masculine, short-haired angel figure. His feet were bare, and three pairs of massive wings were spread out behind him. In one hand, he held a weapon that resembled a scythe.
He was clad in knight armor, and the armor on his right arm, which gripped the scythe, had feather-like decorations extending from it.
This was Archangel Sariel, the angel who presided over the moon and souls. At the same time, his eyes possessed a petrifying sealing ability known to humans as the 'Evil Eye.'
His duty was to protect souls from defilement. Since the moon also represented purity, his duty carried the meaning of 'fidelity.'
He could not touch the earth, not because an angel truly could not land, but because his duty fixed him upon the moon. His feet could never set foot upon the soil.
All of this was recorded within the Chronicles of the Moon Bible.
"Let us go, Lola. Take me to the Demon-Sealing Prison. I want to meet this traitor."
Luo Li was curious. She wanted to know what kind of temptation could make Temple knights and nuns betray their own faith.
"Your Highness, must we really go to such a place?"
Nara spoke up from the side, her face full of reluctance and disgust. Clearly, she did not want to go to the dungeon.
"If you do not wish to go, then stay in the Temple."
She didn't have time to play house with this young girl. Disgust?
After saying that, she turned and walked straight out of the hall.
"Your Highness!?"
Seeing that Luo Li wasn't waiting for her at all, Nara grew anxious. She stomped her feet in frustration but hurried to catch up anyway.
The Saint's Carriage set off once more.
After a morning of organization, although most of the West Gate was still in ruins, order had at least been restored to the North, South, and East Gates.
A squad of soldiers marched down the street, patrolling the district.
The moment they saw the Saint's Carriage, they all dropped to one knee.
On both sides of the street, smiles adorned the faces of the commoners.
The Saintess had led the army to a great victory over the demons, crushing their main force. Currently, the Temple knights were leading the army to sweep away the remnants of the demon army.
This news had spread through Brilliant City like a spring breeze in an instant.
Many felt the relief of having survived a disaster, but even more were filled with joy.
A Saintess who could lead knights to defeat demons...
This was incredibly good news for all of Brilliant City and even the Kingdom of the Moon.
It was enough to prove that this generation's Saintess was not just a figurehead!
Unlike other nations, the Kingdom of the Moon was adjacent to the demons' territory. For this country, war was something that happened almost every year.
A Saintess who was capable in battle was enough to give them the greatest sense of security!
Therefore, when the Saint's Carriage appeared, the people cast fervent gazes toward it, watching the vehicle like loyal believers.
Sitting inside, Luo Li peeked out through the carriage curtains. Seeing this reaction, a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of her mouth.
To develop, she had to obtain enough chips, and these commoners were the chips in her hand.
Day and night and day again... she hadn't slept for two days and one night. Drowsiness was starting to well up in her heart, becoming difficult to control.
However, she still couldn't relax.
Some things really had to be done while the iron was hot.
The Saint's Carriage traveled all the way to the prison at the North Gate. This massive jail was half above ground and half underground.
The moment Luo Li stepped through the prison gates, the soldiers guarding the cells nearly dropped their jaws.
"The Saintess!? I... I ain't seeing things, am I? This... Your Highness, how could you come to such a filthy place?"
Luo Li looked at the fellow whose jaw had nearly hit the floor.
He had dark yellow-black skin and a face with a heavy underbite, with a small braid tied on the top of his head. Two thick, short tusks protruded from his lower lip, a metal ring was pierced through his nostrils, and two massive bull horns sat atop his head. He wore no shoes, having only a pair of hooves. He stood with hunched shoulders and bent legs, his large, copper-bell-like eyes staring straight at her.
"A beastman?"
Seeing those characteristic bull horns and the hooves, it wasn't hard to see that this was a tauren of the beastmen race.
"Yes, Saintess, I'm a tauren, but you can't look down on me! I'm real strong!"
"Strong? How strong? Can you compare to a Guardian Knight?"
Luo Li smiled and continued walking without much thought. The tauren hurried to keep up, explaining anxiously.
"Well... I might not be able to beat 'em, but they can't beat me either!"
Hearing this, Luo Li paused and instinctively looked back at the old bull.
"You are saying... a Guardian Knight cannot defeat you?"
"That's right! Old Sake here is a warrior of the beastmen!"
Luo Li looked the bull up and down. This tauren stood about two and a half meters tall. Standing before her, he was like a wall covered in fur.
"What is your name? And what... are you responsible for here?"
"My name is Sake. I'm the jailer! Five silver coins a month!"
Luo Li looked back at Lola without speaking. Lola nodded quickly and took out her notebook to record the old bull's name.
"Sake, please take me to see the traitor who was brought in early this morning."
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