Yuna's Encounter

The crowd watched in a daze as Knight Yuna threw down her sword without the slightest resistance.

After all, Yuna was a rare female Guardian Knight, possessing undeniable beauty and formidable strength. If such a woman could be conquered, it would provide an immense sense of psychological achievement for these unaffiliated experts.

However, such thoughts were merely delusions.

Guardian Knights were entities officially registered with the Holy See.

If Kevin intended to rebel, the first thing he would avoid was insulting a knight.

Setting aside whether the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon would tolerate it, the Holy See certainly would not.

If such a thing happened, the Holy See and the other six nations would undoubtedly dispatch their armies to exterminate them immediately.

Kevin's rebellion was, in the end, merely a coup; it did not yet reach the level of apostasy.

But once a Guardian Knight was insulted, the act would be firmly categorized under the label of apostasy.

The original document tablet for every knight was held by the Holy See.

Using the original document tablet as a foundation, the Holy See produced numerous replica document tablets.

These replica document tablets were inscribed with the names and titles of the knights.

While the Saintesses of various regions held the power to dismiss knights and possessed military authority to a certain extent, such dismissals were only temporary.

A formal application to the Holy See was required afterward.

This was especially true for the rank of Guardian Knight.

They represented the pinnacle of combat power; any dismissal or execution of such an entity required prior approval from the Holy See.

The Eight Nations of the Holy Church, if united, possessed enough power to destroy the Holy See.

Yet, why had such a strange system been preserved for a thousand years?

Was it not because all the document tablets were kept within the Holy Church?

If the Holy Church were destroyed, whether it was a knight, a bishop, a Saintess, or even the Pope, they would all utterly collapse due to the destruction of the document tablets.

Once the titles collapsed, the Holy Church would be finished.

Yuna's title of Guardian Knight was bestowed by the Holy Church. Although there was a document tablet locally, it was only a replica.

The original was still with the Holy See, and if anything happened to Knight Yuna, the original there would react immediately.

At that moment, the Holy See would know that someone had killed a Guardian Knight.

In such a situation, the Holy See would certainly take action.

Both Kevin and the other nobles were well aware of this.

This included Yuna herself.

Even if she stood naked before these people, they would not have the courage to insult her.

After all, the rank of a Guardian Knight was a matter of face that the Holy See had to protect!

No one could trample on such a matter of prestige; otherwise, it would result in a fight to the death.

Granted, among these unaffiliated experts, there were surely one or two with impure thoughts.

However, the others who wanted to live would not easily allow a single rat to ruin everything.

"Since Knight Yuna has said so, please come with us."

These people had no intention of killing Yuna from the very beginning.

The situation with a loyalist like Hilda was different; insult and death were two distinct matters.

To the Holy See, the former was a much greater slap in the face.

If a Guardian Knight died, Kevin could still offer an explanation to the Holy See.

But if a Guardian Knight was insulted... the consequences were self-evident.

Yuna did not resist, riding her horse to follow the people in front.

Among them, one person's gaze was somewhat suspicious, but in an instant, the leader of these unaffiliated experts sent the fellow flying with a strike.

"I am warning you all. No one is allowed to harbor any improper thoughts, or do not blame my hammer for being merciless!!"

This leader wielded a hammer-type weapon. The man who had just been struck away was only around level forty; his chest was visibly caved in, and it was clear he wouldn't live much longer.

The others with twisted intentions immediately withdrew their gazes upon seeing this.

Lust was one thing, but in this world, there were plenty of ways to vent such desires.

There was no need to lose one's life over a single woman.

This was not something people who lived by the blade would do.

The more a powerful expert lived on the edge, the more they understood how to judge the situation and what truly constituted danger.

They cared for nothing else except whether they could survive to continue enjoying themselves.

As for anything else, it was unimportant.

She was just a woman.

Yuna remained silent throughout the entire process, only casting a calm glance at the corpse that had stopped breathing.

She continued following the group until they arrived at a noble's private villa.

Just as she stepped through the door, a young man appeared before her.

"I have long heard of the great Guardian Knight's name. I never expected to have the honor of meeting you today; this is truly my good fortune."

Yuna's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the youth.

"And you are?"

"I am Baron Harry, the eldest son of this city's lord."

The smile on the youth's face was refined and elegant. If one didn't know better, they would think he had genuinely invited a Guardian Knight to his home as a guest.

"Yuna Von."

Yuna glanced at the youth, her mind focused on other things.

She knew that the most important thing for her right now was to preserve her life and then study the situation.

That shrewd fellow Augus definitely had a contingency plan.

Her grandfather, that old fox Audis Von, surely had his ways as well.

Yuna was not particularly skilled in these matters, so rather than resisting and seeking death, it was better to wait for their plans to be set in motion.

"I have long heard of Knight Yuna's fame. I have already prepared a banquet. Knight Yuna, allow me to lead your horse for you."

Baron's face was full of smiles, and he was quite a handsome young man. In terms of appearance, he was truly quite good.

Compared to those bloated nobles who only knew how to indulge themselves, the Baron before her was undoubtedly an elite among the current nobility.

After all, nobles possessed enough power to continuously absorb better genes and pass them down.

These genes were constantly optimized through years of selection.

A thousand years was enough to make the appearance of nobles and commoners easily distinguishable.

It was rare for a peerless beauty to appear among commoners; they only popped up occasionally.

Everything else had been incorporated into the noble bloodlines during these thousand years of selection.

Yuna herself was one of them.

In contrast to Hilda's heroic and spirited look, Yuna's face naturally had a bit of baby fat. Rather than being called beautiful, it was more accurate to describe her as cute.

At the same time, she was baby-faced and exceptionally well-endowed.

In the eyes of certain lecherous men, she was a top-tier prize!

"There is no need. My horse is very temperamental; ordinary people cannot get close to it."

Yuna pulled the reins, avoiding Baron's hand.

On one hand, she did not believe these people could succeed in their rebellion, so she did not want to show any goodwill.

Even while standing in the enemy camp, she had to let these people know that her heart remained with her true lord.

On the other hand, her horse was truly temperamental.

Among the eight Guardian Knights, the horse she rode was considered the most stubborn.

Yuna's personality was naturally cheerful and competitive, which was the reason she had chosen this horse in the first place.

Baron's hand caught only air, but his expression remained unchanged as he naturally withdrew his hand.

"In that case, Knight Yuna, please follow me. As for the horse... I have professional grooms here who will surely take good care of it for you."

To control a knight, their mount was a key factor.

A knight without a horse would have their combat effectiveness weakened to a certain extent.

Just like Hilda, if she were mounted during battle, her combat power would surely rise to another level.

But to some degree, a horse also limited a knight's performance.

After all, not every terrain was suitable for a horse to gallop wildly.

Yuna's brow furrowed as she lowered her head in thought.

"Fine, then let the groom do it."

As she spoke, she flipped herself off the horse, though she did not hand over the reins immediately.

She knew her own partner and exactly how temperamental her horse was. If it kicked this young man to death, she might face retaliation.

At this stage, she had to ensure her own life first before planning anything else.

Soon, a groom arrived, holding the horse's favorite carrots.

He tested the waters first, and only after confirming he could make contact did he lead the horse away.

Throughout the process, the experts behind her remained wary of Yuna.

After all, if this Guardian Knight suddenly erupted and captured the young master, would they let her go or not?

"Knight Yuna, please follow me."

Seeing the horse led away, the smile on Baron's face became even more enthusiastic.

Although Yuna was from the Von family which had already sided with the Saintess, she was not someone who couldn't be won over.

After this forced surrender of authority succeeded, Knight Yuna would not be easily removed from her position for the time being.

After all, the selection of a Guardian Knight was not as simple as one might imagine.

Yuna followed Baron all the way to the main hall of the villa, where various delicacies were already laid out.

Meanwhile, many women dressed in black and white maid outfits were still placing dishes on the table.

"Knight Yuna, let us eat first. We can talk while we eat."

Baron was all smiles. As the family that had persuaded Knight Kevin to lead this rebellion...

His father, Bill, could be said to have earned the merit of aiding a new monarch's ascent.

If he, as the son, could also marry a Guardian Knight, then their Harry family would undoubtedly reach the pinnacle of the Kingdom of the Moon and become a powerful new noble house.

And he, the eldest son of this branch family, might even become the head of the main house or even separate to form an entirely new family.

This kind of ambition was something every member of a noble branch family should have.

In the past, there was no such opportunity, so he naturally had to give up on it.

But now, the opportunity was right before his eyes. If he couldn't seize it, that would be his own problem.

At the banquet, Baron did everything in his power, using every word of praise for women he had ever known in his life on Yuna.

Unfortunately, the Knight Yuna before him didn't seem to care at all throughout the process.

She watched him with an indifferent expression the entire time.

This caused a spark of irritation to rise in Baron's heart.

"Knight Yuna, you don't seem to be in high spirits. Is the food not to your taste?"

After talking for so long without seeing the slightest hint of interest from Yuna, Baron began to grow impatient.

Yuna glanced at the dishes before her. If one were to call them exquisite, they truly were exquisite.

This was the great mining city, and the branch of the Harry family that controlled this city was naturally dripping with wealth.

Many of these dishes were likely things her own Highness had never even tasted, right?

Like the tail of the desert lizard from the Kingdom of Sand—a supreme delicacy that her Highness never touched.

Although Yuna rarely stood guard at the Temple, she was best friends with Hilda and they shared many things with each other.

This included some of her Highness's habits.

In Yuna's view, her Highness truly did not act like a ruler.

She had no greed and never wasted anything, working hard at all times for the sake of the Kingdom of the Moon.

Compared to her Highness, these nobles were simply like rats in a garbage sewer.

Filthy and disgusting.

"No, these dishes are excellent."

Yuna gave a slight smile. This sudden change in attitude caused Baron to be momentarily stunned.

"Then... why hasn't Knight Yuna eaten? Do you have no appetite?"

Baron asked subconsciously.

The knightess brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze shifting from Baron to the delicacies before her.

"I was wondering if I could pack some of this up."

"Pack it up? Does Knight Yuna want a late-night snack? That is no problem; I will immediately order someone to prepare it."

"No."

Yuna shook her head, turning to look at Baron with a smile.

"I was thinking that my Highness has probably never tasted such incomparable delicacies."

As soon as those words left her mouth, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.

The maids present, though of lower status, had worked for this family for more than a year.

They were aware of many things, especially on a special day like today. The news that the Harry family was going to rebel had already spread.

Everyone knew that Knight Kevin was about to become the King of the Moon.

And that Saintess, she would likely only be a Saintess in name from now on.

However, the moment Yuna's words were spoken, everyone's heart trembled.

This included Baron, who wanted to pursue Yuna.

"This..."

Baron's brow tightened. He looked up, scanned the hall, and waved his hand.

"Everyone else, leave."

"Yes."

The maids felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty, quickly bowing their heads and retreating.

Soon, only five people remained in the hall.

Aside from the three unaffiliated female experts guarding Baron, there was only Yuna sitting alone at the lower seat.

Yuna first scanned these three women.

The aura radiating from them made it clear that they were three experts around level fifty.

And the Baron before her was, relatively speaking, the best person for such experts to align themselves with.

He was young, handsome, wealthy, polite, and the direct heir to this branch of the Harry family.

With such favorable conditions, even many powerful women would find it hard not to be moved.

Yuna was currently level fifty-six. If she were to strike instantly and kill this Baron, even these three women probably wouldn't be able to stop her.

However, accordingly, after killing Baron, she likely wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

Suppressing this thought, Yuna waited for the other party to speak.

The hall remained silent for a long while until Baron's voice suddenly broke the dead stillness.

"Knight Yuna, I wonder what your thoughts are regarding what happened today?"

Baron was clearly an elite among those who received elite training. Although he was already somewhat anxious in his heart...

His face remained full of smiles, making it impossible to see his underlying emotions.

Yuna had a smile on her face, her eyes filled with surprise.

"Mr. Baron, what are you saying? I don't know anything about what happened tonight."

"Hmm, then let me rephrase. It seems... you think very highly of that Highness?"