"Lord... Lord Kevin, please don't be impulsive. I'll talk, I'll talk..."
As he spoke, Burton glanced left and right, appearing uncomfortable due to the large number of people nearby.
"Lord Kevin, there are too many people here; it's inconvenient. How about this: come to my manor tonight, and I will let you meet the Great One."
The panic that had previously occupied Count Burton's face had completely vanished.
He even seemed to have tossed aside his concern for his grandson, who was left nearby.
He appeared as though he didn't care at all.
Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing Burton up from head to toe.
This Burton was nearly the same age as him.
Because Kevin had broken through the level sixty threshold, his age and physical condition would remain at their peak until his death.
In contrast, the Burton before him was merely an ordinary man.
However, he didn't quite seem like the Burton Kevin used to know.
They had known each other for many years, so there was at least some friendship between them.
Although the Gohr family was a vassal family, Kevin had never discriminated against Burton and had even treated him as a friend.
"Burton, we haven't seen each other in over a decade. You've changed."
The sentiment rose in his heart, and he spoke it aloud instinctively.
In recent years, Burton had retreated to the second line, leaving the business of the merchant guild to his sons.
Kevin himself had been rushing all over the place due to his duties as a Heavenly Punishment Knight.
During the period before the previous Saintess passed away, he had been busy working to stabilize the Kingdom of the Moon.
He had no time for rest at all.
This had resulted in the two of them not seeing each other for roughly ten years.
Meeting again today made Kevin suddenly feel that the Burton before him was... so strange.
It was as if he were looking at someone he had never known.
"Lord Kevin, everyone changes."
Burton arched an eyebrow and slowly lowered his head, adding in an indifferent voice, "Tonight, I shall await your arrival at my manor."
With that, Burton turned and led his younger son away from East Main Street.
Watching the backs of the Gohr father and son, Kevin stood frozen in place.
After a long while, he raised the long sword in his hand.
The angel-winged crossguard on the hilt seemed so dazzlingly bright that it felt like an eyesore.
It even gave him the illusion that he could not bear to look at it.
This sword possessed no magical power; it was merely an ordinary knight's sword.
However, it was the sword he had received when he was young and swore his loyalty to God.
For many years, he had always kept this sword with him.
Even though its materials were average and it lacked the legendary sharpness of a Sacred Treasure, he still found it hard to part with.
He would never forget the scene of himself kneeling before the previous Saintess in front of the divine statue, swearing his oath of loyalty.
"In the end, I have failed you."
Looking at the long sword in his hand, he let out a heavy, helpless sigh and left the street.
...
"Lola, things haven't been right these past two days. Get me the information I want to see."
On the way back, infantry soldiers were clearing snow on both sides of the road.
The silver haired girl had already placed the golden crown back upon her head.
Since things had escalated to this point, any hope of an incognito visit was gone.
When the soldiers saw the crown—which represented the Saintess with its lily base, angel statues on either side, and a central ring symbolizing the moon—they all knelt to pay their respects.
The girl turned her head with a welcoming face, offering these soldiers a smile that could intoxicate anyone.
But if she were to describe her current mood in one sentence, it would be: smiling on the outside, but cursing like a sailor on the inside.
She hadn't expected this at all.
She thought the nobles had been behaving for a month and might endure for a while longer.
It turned out she was wrong.
Their patience had run out.
Or rather... they were forced to act.
The timing of these two incidents was just before and the day after the arrival of the Saintess of the Sun, Momoka.
Although this had been decided a month ago, she and the Pope hadn't actually set a firm date.
Perhaps those nobles previously thought Momoka wouldn't actually come to the Kingdom of the Moon.
After all, gathering three Saintesses in one nation was too much of a blow to the balance of the Eight Nations.
Regardless of whether the Pope admitted it or not, the Kingdom of the Moon now possessed high-end combat power that could challenge the Holy See.
While they would still be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation, they could at least maintain a standoff.
Among the previous Eight Nations of the Holy Church, the Holy See's power was the most absolute.
Any of the seven nations taken individually could never be a match for the Holy See; they would struggle even to hold out for a moment.
It seemed Momoka's arrival had forced the nobility's hand.
Lola followed closely behind Luo Li, pushing up her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Your Highness, the nobility has indeed been very quiet lately. At least, I haven't received any reports of them gathering."
"No, Lola, your intelligence network isn't strong enough. If they hadn't discussed this beforehand, it would be impossible for so many things to happen in such a short time."
Luo Li continued walking while giving instructions.
"Continue to strengthen the intelligence network. I'm allocating ten million gold coins to you. Record the public accounts through Anton's side and expand the network further."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola nodded, then hesitated for a moment.
"Your Highness, judging by today's situation, Sir Kevin has likely already made his choice."
However, Luo Li shook her head.
"I'm not entirely certain, but I feel he hasn't fully made his decision yet. Giving him a leave of absence was also to let him go home, cool off, and think things over properly."
Momoka and Lina had been listening to their conversation the entire time.
At this point, Momoka suddenly spoke up, "Luo Li, your intuition is correct. I could see the hesitation in that Sir Kevin; he hasn't made up his mind."
With Momoka's confirmation, Luo Li felt even more confident.
But Momoka immediately added, "However, looking at the current situation, there's a high probability he won't stand on your side. Have you thought about what to do? A Saintess has no authority to depose a Heavenly Punishment Knight. If you want to deal with him, you can only go through the Pope."
The Pope?
If that guy found out about this, he'd probably be jumping for joy, wouldn't he?
Although His Holiness was prudent in major affairs, it was undeniable that he still harbored designs on the Kingdom of the Moon.
If he knew, he would probably wish for things to escalate quickly to split the Kingdom of the Moon, so he could sit on the sidelines and reap the benefits.
"Momoka, I'm saying this because we're on the same side... that Pope is not our ally. Unless we are facing an external enemy, never think about borrowing strength from him."
While they spoke, the group arrived at the Central Square.
Dozens of logs had been erected in the square, each at least three meters high.
The corpses of the mercenaries from the resistance group were tied to the logs, and their heads were hung above them.
Many people were watching from the surroundings, and there were some infantry soldiers standing by the bodies.
Their main purpose was to prevent anyone from intentionally desecrating the corpses.
After all, there weren't just men among them; there were also a few women.
The world was a big place, and who knew if some people's strange interests would drive them to steal a corpse.
Seeing this, Luo Li felt a bit of pity.
The nobles would likely use this scene to spread some kind of propaganda.
However, when facing those who dared to oppose the knights, it was perfectly fine to label them as rebels.
To warn the others, she had to kill them!
As a King, there were times when one had to be cold-hearted.
"Hilda."
"I am here."
"Investigate the identities of these people. Send the belongings they left behind to their families exactly as they are. If no one claims them, confiscate or burn them."
"In a few days, send the bodies back as well."
Hearing this, Hilda frowned slightly.
"Your Highness, have you grown soft-hearted?"
Luo Li was momentarily speechless at Hilda's question.
It was true; she had indeed grown a bit soft-hearted.
She hesitated before saying, "Don't send them. Let the families of these people come to claim the bodies. If someone comes, let them take the body; if no one comes, cremate them afterward."
Hilda nodded and said nothing more.
Had she grown soft?
Luo Li lowered her head, reflecting on her behavior.
Was it because of the residual consciousness of the original owner of this body?
Did seeing this scene make her unable to bear it?
No.
This was a true reflection of her own heart.
It wasn't the original owner's residual consciousness, but her own sympathy as a human being for her own kind.
"Your Highness, what about those merchants?"
"Deal with them according to the law, and be strict about it."
Leaving those words behind, she stopped looking at the corpses and strode forward.
As she walked, a voice suddenly reached her ears.
"We meet again, Saintess. Twenty copper coins, care for a bag?"
Luo Li was startled by the familiar voice and looked in its direction.
Well... she had to look down.
There was no helping it; gnomes were very short, basically on the same level as dwarves.
Furthermore, gnomes were quite different from dwarves.
Gnomes looked wilder; while dwarves were short, they had human features. Gnomes, however, had large ears and long noses, looking as ugly as could be.
"Isn't this... Mr. Egbert? It's been a long time."
Luo Li was surprised to see the familiar face and quickly reacted.
The last time they met was before the expedition to the demon island; in the blink of an eye, over two months had passed.
"Oh, I didn't expect the Saintess to remember the name of a small person like me. That's truly rare."
He took out a bag of raisins and looked up at the girl.
"Twenty copper coins, you won't regret buying them. How about it?"
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Egbert, but I don't have much of an appetite today, so I'll pass."
Luo Li smiled and shook her head. She couldn't buy them every time they met, and seeing those corpses had soured her mood and appetite.
However, Egbert Bot the gnome didn't seem to notice her mood at all and continued his sales pitch.
"Twenty copper coins, I guarantee you won't regret it. Besides, don't raisins help with your appetite?"
As he spoke, Egbert actually took a step forward and handed over the paper bag.
It seemed he was planning to force a sale?
Luo Li hesitated and instinctively glanced at Egbert's eyes.
Gnome eyes were mostly brown, very similar to human eyes.
At that moment, she seemed to read the emotion in Egbert's gaze.
'Buy it, hurry!'
Seeing this, she instinctively reached out and took the raisins.
Once she took them, a familiar sly grin appeared on the gnome's face.
"Hehe, thank you for your patronage. Twenty copper coins."
Luo Li frowned slightly, looking at the raisins in her hand and then at Egbert.
He just stood there smiling, looking quite proud of himself.
"Lola, pay him."
"Yes."
Lola didn't waste words and directly took out a silver coin.
At her rank, she rarely carried copper coins anymore.
"A silver coin? I can't make change for that. How about this: twenty per bag, I'll give you four more bags."
This guy was a true business rogue; he pocketed the silver coin without a word, dropped four more bags, and turned to run.
He didn't give anyone a chance to refuse.
Lola looked at the four bags of raisins and pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, appearing somewhat at a loss.
"Your Highness, it seems we've been swindled?"
Luo Li blinked and let out a helpless sigh.
"Forget it. The money's been paid and the goods are here. Let's eat them; we can't just throw them away, can we?"
As she spoke, Luo Li recalled the expression on Egbert's face.
She looked down at the paper bag in her hand.
She untied the string and peeled back a corner of the paper bag, only to see a piece of paper placed right on top.
There seemed to be writing on the paper.
Luo Li's brow tightened. She didn't touch the paper but instead grabbed a small handful of raisins.
She closed the bag again and tucked it into her sleeve.
Something so hidden was bound to be a problem.
She had seen this Egbert three times since she arrived in this world.
Although they hadn't met often, he had left a deep impression on her.
After all, someone who could be so smooth-talking and show no fear even after knowing her identity was quite interesting.
Back at the Temple, Luo Li immediately dismissed everyone who wasn't part of her inner circle.
Only her own people remained in the hall.
She took out the bag of raisins and pulled out the slip of paper.
【On September 13th, the Holy See traded with the Gnome Kingdom and purchased thirty armed airships.】
There was only this one sentence on the note.
"What does everyone think about this?"
Lola thought for a moment.
"September 13th was two months ago, during the time Your Highness was missing. The Holy See suddenly purchasing thirty armed airships was clearly to strengthen their aerial power."
"And at that time, the only nations with aerial power were the Kingdom of Sand and the Kingdom of the Moon."
She looked up at the girl.
"Your Highness, the Holy See investing in military armaments on such a scale is likely to deal with the Kingdom of the Moon."
"I remember now. Armed airships were apparently made by the Gnome Kingdom specifically to deal with magic beasts that like to raid towns from the air. I heard the power of one airship is no less than that of a dragon."
At this point, she suddenly let out a laugh and shook her head with a strange expression.
"But rumors are just rumors. No matter how strong those airships are, they can't possibly be stronger than a dragon. At most, they could probably fight magic beasts with dragon bloodlines?"
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