Luo Li had not wiped out these nobles before because she lacked absolute certainty, choosing to endure them for the sake of the Kingdom of the Moon's stability and development.
Now, she had immense combat power at her side.
Even if the three major noble families combined their strength, they could not oppose her.
Unless the entire noble circle had the capacity to elect a new king to replace her.
And they would need the recognition of the Pope.
Furthermore, this person would need a certain level of status and ability.
Her crimson gaze fell upon the knight's upright figure.
He had a goatee on his chin and a clean, sharp, square face.
Kevin Cromwell.
There were nine Heavenly Punishment Knights in the Eight Nations of the Holy Church.
This included two from the Holy See and one from each of the other seven nations.
In the Holy Church, the position of a Heavenly Punishment Knight was only half a rank below that of a Saintess.
If one were to ask who in the Kingdom of the Moon was currently the most qualified and capable of becoming a second king...
He was the only one who could do it.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, my son was merely confused for a moment. Please, for the sake of the Gohr family, forgive him!"
Burton forced his elderly body forward, taking two steps with a face full of anxiety and pain.
His slightly clouded eyes reflected the cold gaze of the holy maiden.
The girl in his sight spoke to him in a chilling voice.
"Count Burton, if nobles can escape the law, then for whom did I establish my laws?"
Luo Li turned back to look at Hilda.
"Take them away. Anyone involved in this grain price-gouging incident shall be dealt with according to the law."
"By your command!"
Hilda responded, and with a wave of her hand, the knights swarmed forward.
Accompanying the tearing sound of the first long sword slashing across a throat...
The metallic scent of blood was carried by the wind down the entire street.
Hilda watched the mercenaries whose heads had been severed.
She issued an order to the knights:
"Hang the heads of all who resisted in the Central Square for ten days as a warning to others. The rest are to be taken to the dungeon to await trial!!"
The smell of blood left the people on the street stunned where they stood.
No one expected the dignified Saintess to issue such a ruthless order.
However, from within the crowd, a cheer suddenly erupted.
"Well killed!"
Immediately after, like a row of falling dominoes, the first cheer sparked a boiling roar of voices.
Countless people shouted.
"Long live the Saintess!"
"These bastards making money off our misery should have been dealt with long ago!"
"This is so satisfying! Truly satisfying!"
Count Burton watched this scene, clutching his chest as he stumbled back two steps.
It didn't matter if those thugs died, but his most beloved son had been taken to the dungeon!
Everyone knew what the consequences would be once someone was sent there.
Even if he didn't die, he would be left a cripple.
"Sir Kevin!!"
At this thought, Burton snapped his head toward Kevin.
"I beg of you, save my son!"
Kevin's brow tightened, and his gaze instinctively drifted toward the girl.
The moment their eyes met, Kevin lowered his head in guilt.
At this moment, his fists were already tightly clenched!
He had been set up!
This scheme had left him with no way to retreat.
The head of the Gohr family beside him was personally begging for help; should he help or not?
If he didn't help, what credibility would the Cromwell family have left among the nobility in the future?
The Gohr family was a vassal to the Cromwell family!
Who would trust a main house that couldn't even protect its own vassals?
But if he did help...
He would completely fall out with the Saintess.
Under such circumstances, how could he continue to hold the position of Heavenly Punishment Knight?
"Sir Kevin, Sir Kevin!! I beg of you, I beg of you! For the sake of everything my Gohr family has done for the Cromwell family, for the sake of my own face, I beg of you! Think of a way to save my son, save my son!"
Burton repeated these words incessantly, and every sentence made Kevin's eye twitch.
By this point, Kevin was completely numb, unsure of what he should do.
"What... what can I do?"
Kevin looked up, glancing at the girl before him and then at Count Burton, who continued to plead beside him, before slowly closing his eyes.
He made his decision and answered under the watchful gaze of countless people:
"Your Highness, according to the law, the rank of Count possesses... exemption rights."
He practically spat out those last two words through gritted teeth.
To blatantly contradict the Saintess in this setting...
This had essentially solidified his stance.
Yet, he had no choice but to do it.
Otherwise, the Cromwell family would completely decline in the near future.
This was the unspoken rule of the noble circles.
"Yes, yes! I have exemption rights! I have exemption rights!!"
Burton turned sharply to look at the silver haired girl.
"Your Highness, I demand to invoke my exemption rights! I want my son!"
Seeing this, Lola whispered a reminder:
"Your Highness, the rank of Count does indeed possess exemption rights. Although they can only be used three times in a lifetime, as long as the crime does not involve high treason or apostasy, everything else can be exempted."
Luo Li's brow arched.
It seemed Kevin had truly chosen his side.
Perhaps it wasn't voluntary, but his words had already represented everything.
Luo Li looked up at Kevin.
"Sir Kevin, have you truly... decided?"
Everyone nearby understood the weight of that question.
Kevin himself was naturally well aware of the meaning behind those words.
He did not dare to look directly into the girl's clear eyes.
He could only keep his head bowed in a pretense of humility, masking his inner helplessness and rage.
"Your Highness, the rank of Count does indeed possess exemption rights. Although Count Burton's son may be involved in this price-gouging incident..."
Since he had already started, he would see it through to the end.
Your Highness.
It is not that I am unwilling to help you; I simply do not want the Cromwell family to be erased from history like this.
"Furthermore, while price-gouging is a crime, it is not a capital offense. Given his noble status, the maximum penalty would be a fine."
He turned his head to glance at Burton.
"I believe Count Burton would be more than happy to pay this fine. Perhaps as a warning, he could even pay more."
When Burton arrived, his mind had been so clouded by the situation that he hadn't had time to think of such things.
But now that Kevin was helping him, he suddenly found his pillar of support.
His confidence returned instantly, and with it, his reason.
He nodded hurriedly in agreement.
"Yes, yes, yes! I am willing to pay the fine! I... representing the Gohr Merchant Guild, am willing to pay double the fine for this incident."
Seeing the righteous look on Burton's face, Kevin sighed helplessly.
The nobility was rotten to the core.
While thinking this, he continued to speak:
"Count Burton, I'm afraid that isn't enough. If you wish to settle this matter, you must also provide an explanation to the people."
"An explanation? What is there to explain to these muddy-legged peasants?"
A look of confusion appeared on Burton's aged face.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to pay compensation, but that the thought of compensating these people had never even crossed his mind.
In his eyes, and in the eyes of most nobles today...
These poor commoners who relied on physical labor to survive had no value whatsoever.
Their only value was to earn more money for him and provide him with a better life.
Kevin let out a weary sigh.
"For those who purchased inferior grain today, you must exchange all their inferior grain for new grain. I believe if you do this, perhaps Her Highness will recognize your exemption rights."
At this point, Kevin looked up at the girl.
"Your Highness, what do you think?"
What did she think?
She thought it would be better to kill them now.
But was that possible?
Of course not.
The exemption rights of the nobility were the very foundation of their existence.
If she refused to recognize those rights now, it would be equivalent to directly abolishing the entire noble circle.
She couldn't do that; if she did, the entire Kingdom of the Moon would instantly be engulfed in the flames of war!
At this moment, it was clear she had no way to retreat.
Though she could kill Ben Gohr in a fit of impulse...
And a moment of satisfaction would be grand...
Afterward, she would have to become a firefighter, rushing all over the country to put out fires.
If things went poorly, the entire Kingdom of the Moon would be severely weakened.
Now was not the time to completely uproot the nobility.
It wasn't appropriate for her to say such things directly.
"Count Burton, you must pay triple the fine today. At the same time, you must provide a security deposit to guarantee the criminal's conduct. You must also compensate everyone who bought inferior grain today. For the next three days, regardless of how many people bring inferior grain, you must exchange it for high-quality grain at the proper ratio."
"Th-three days!? If the entire city comes to exchange it, I won't have enough grain no matter how much I have!"
Lola calmly pulled a ledger from the red canvas bag she carried.
After flipping through the ledger to find a specific entry, Lola pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.
"This month, the Gohr Merchant Guild imported a total of three hundred wagons of new grain and one hundred wagons of old grain. Calculating five hundred kilograms of new grain per wagon, that's a total of one hundred and fifty thousand kilograms of new grain and fifty thousand kilograms of old grain. While it might not be enough to last three days, it can at least cover the current issue."
Closing the ledger, a slight smile appeared at the corners of Lola's mouth.
"Count Burton, do you think it would be better for me to order a direct confiscation, or would you prefer to return it to them yourself?"
Burton's face instantly turned dark, and he turned to Kevin for help.
But this time, Kevin looked away.
The Saintess had already made concessions; what more did he want?
Did he really intend to completely enrage Her Highness?
This was not the same innocent girl from a year ago who could be easily fooled.
Today, she held great power; the northeast region and Seaview City were under her control, and more than half of Moonrise City was as well.
Furthermore, she commanded such a massive army and powerful elite units.
If she were truly pushed to the point of turning her back on everything, the Gohr family could be declared extinct today.
Seeing even Kevin like this, Burton could only nod with a pale face.
Rather than having everything confiscated and leaving nothing behind, it was better to distribute it himself. That way, he might still find a way to keep a portion. Even if he only kept a third, it would still be a smaller loss.
At this thought, Burton turned to look at Lola.
"Bishop Lola, I am willing to distribute it myself."
Lola was very satisfied.
"Very well. In that case, let the work begin. As for these people, they cannot be returned to you, but this one... you may take with you."
She pointed to the others, and then to Ben.
"Do not forget your promise, otherwise... it won't simply be a matter of a fine."
Burton lowered his head in resignation.
The knights nearby received their orders and immediately untied Ben's ropes.
The moment he was freed, the rich second-generation son burst into tears and ran toward Burton.
A look of heartache was written all over Burton's old face.
Meanwhile, Lola immediately turned to the commoners.
"Listen, everyone present!"
"The inferior grain you have purchased can be exchanged for an equal amount of new grain at any grain shop under the Gohr Merchant Guild. At the same time, the difference between what you paid and the normal market price will be refunded in full!"
"Tell everyone you know! The Saintess will not let you go hungry. This winter, there will be no grain shortage. As long as Her Highness remains in the Kingdom of the Moon, she will never let you starve in the streets!"
Hearing these words, Luo Li couldn't help but glance back at Lola.
That last sentence was entirely Lola's own addition to the performance.
Still...
Watching the joy appearing on the people's faces, the addition wasn't bad at all.
However, no matter how good it was, Luo Li's mood could not be lifted.
She swept a glance over at Kevin.
He still did not dare to meet her gaze.
Clearly, he felt guilty.
But this was not the result Luo Li wanted.
What she wanted was Kevin's wholehearted assistance.
Unfortunately, it seemed that beautiful wish would remain a fantasy.
In the end, had he still chosen to stand with his family?
Though she had long suspected this, it still made her feel very uncomfortable deep down.
As a Heavenly Punishment Knight, he chose his family over the Temple.
This situation was very common in this era.
And among the current knights, the vast majority had come from noble backgrounds.
How many of them were like Kevin, choosing their families when forced into a corner?
At least half?
There were fifty thousand knights in the entire Kingdom of the Moon. If half of those fifty thousand stood with Kevin, her strength would be cut in half.
This also meant that the nobility would be able to challenge her.
This was the most helpless situation, aside from a great purge.
Before, the nobles hadn't dared to make any big moves, partly out of endurance and partly because they lacked enough cards in their hand.
But now, with Kevin as their great banner, the nobles would likely begin to take action next.
She just didn't know where their next move would be.
"Sir Kevin, I see your complexion is not very good. Do not come to work for the next few days; go home and rest. Come back when your health has improved."
The girl didn't even wait for Kevin's answer before turning to leave.
The others followed closely behind her.
The crowd thinned as people left, leaving only Kevin and the Gohr father and son.
Kevin stood in place, his head lowered and his face as dark as water, looking like a lion suppressing its rage.
"Tell me... who ordered you to do this?"
A trace of panic appeared on Burton's aged face, which he quickly tried to hide.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about, Sir Kevin. I shall take my leave now."
"Stop!"
With a sharp ring, his long sword cleared its scabbard, and the sharp blade was pressed against Burton's neck.
Kevin's expression at this moment could no longer be described as merely ugly.
His teeth were gritted, his eyes were wide, and they were bloodshot with rage.
In this moment, he was no longer a Heavenly Punishment Knight, but a beast driven to the edge.
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