Fulong

Was he... Fulong Cavendish?

Cyrus's biological father and the lord of the Cavendish family, which dominated the slave trade?

"Lord Cavendish, there is no need for such formality."

This old man appeared to be in his fifties and was remarkably polite. He did not look like a slave trader at all, but rather resembled an elderly scholar.

It had to be said that nobles were truly nobles; the aura they carried was not something a nouveau riche could ever hope to match.

"Thank you, Your Highness Saintess."

The old man straightened his back without haste, withdrew his right hand from his chest, and looked up to observe the young girl.

Meanwhile, Luo Li was also observing this old fox.

After a moment, Fulong suddenly laughed, looking at her with a kind yet respectful expression.

"It has been half a year since we last met at the knight investiture ceremony, Your Highness. I did not expect you to become even more beautiful. More importantly, I never imagined Your Highness would lead from the front and crush the demon army in one fell swoop. Such brilliant strategy leaves me in sincere awe. Congratulations on your first victory, Your Highness."

In every gesture and word, Fulong showed not a hint of a thug's demeanor. His speech was sophisticated and smooth, immediately placing a crown of praise upon her head.

If she had not known that this Fulong was the lord of a slave-trading family, she might have actually believed the refined elegance he displayed.

"Lord Cavendish, you flatter me. I merely won once by sheer luck. It is nothing significant. Those who truly deserve admiration are the knights and soldiers still fighting on the front lines."

Hearing this, a flicker of something deep passed through Fulong's eyes, but the smile on his lips only grew brighter.

"Your Highness is too modest. Without your command, such a grand victory would have been impossible."

'This old guy is truly cunning!'

From his tone, she could roughly infer that he already knew the details of the battlefield. He might even know the entire process clearly.

Perhaps... he had even mastered her every move, including everything she had done in the Temple!

As expected, these families had been rooted here for centuries. Their complex branches had penetrated every aspect of society, and it seemed their reach had even extended into the Temple.

This country... was plagued by deeply rooted problems.

However, she had anticipated this and was not surprised at all.

In a feudal dynasty that had developed for hundreds of years, many parts were bound to be rotten.

"lord Cavendish, I have invited you here today to discuss the disposal of Cyrus. What do you think... should be done about this matter?"

Hearing this, Fulong suddenly flew into a rage, slamming his metal cane against the marble floor with a sharp clang.

"Kill him! A traitor who betrays the human race must be made an example of! Please, Your Highness, do not show mercy for the sake of my family. Those who deserve the burning stake should be sent to the burning stake; those who deserve trial should be tried. I, Fulong, have no such son!! The Cavendish family has no such scion!!"

The righteous indignation Fulong displayed was almost worthy of praise.

What a display of placing justice above family ties!

However, this caused a faint smile to play on Luo Li's lips.

He really was a craftily old slave trader.

If she hadn't interrogated Cyrus beforehand, she might have actually been fooled by this performance.

"Lord Cavendish, there is no need for anger. However... what you say is reasonable. Since Cyrus betrayed the human race, he should naturally face a public trial followed by burning at the stake. But there is one thing... that concerns me."

"Oh? I wonder what could be troubling Your Highness? If there is anything this old man can do to help, I am at your service!"

'Very good, he excluded his family with a single sentence.'

If she followed his lead, he would likely use excuses like 'The family does not belong to me alone, and I probably cannot change the thoughts of others' to brush her off.

"It is not actually a major matter, but... after thinking it over, I wanted to clarify things with lord Cavendish first."

Since he wanted to use this method to escape, she would block his path!

"Please speak, Your Highness. This old man is all ears."

"Well, it is like this... It was not the wish of either of us for a traitor to appear in the Cavendish family."

Luo Li spoke calmly, and Fulong nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Your Highness is absolutely correct."

"But since it happened, we must extinguish such sparks at the root to prevent another existence like Cyrus from appearing. Therefore, I believe... every noble in the Kingdom of the Moon should be thoroughly investigated."

'Old man, let's see what excuse you use to brush me off this time.'

"Hiss! Your Highness... I fear that might be inappropriate?"

As expected, the old man gasped upon hearing her words.

In the Kingdom of the Moon, the Saintess was equivalent to the monarch of the country.

But in a nation that had developed for centuries, the nobility had inevitably permeated every aspect of the state.

Trying to change everything completely was not something that could be done overnight.

At least, it could not be achieved in one go.

However, targeting a single family was not difficult.

Especially a family involved in the slave trade.

In a large forest, there were bound to be all kinds of birds, and a family in a grey industry was certain to have violated many laws or prohibitions.

Once a thorough investigation began, pulling up the radish would inevitably bring up the mud!

Even if it didn't destroy them entirely, it would be enough to cause the Cavendish family bone-deep damage.

'Old man, let's see how you dodge this now.'

"There is nothing inappropriate about it. The demon race is the enemy of every race on the continent. Faced with such an enemy, even extreme measures are within the realm of what is permissible."

Fortune and misfortune were intertwined. The arrival of the demon army was a disaster for her, but it also gave her the perfect excuse to conduct a major reshuffle of Brilliant City!

And the key lay with the former personal High Nun Martha.

The lords of these great families all held titles and official positions in the Kingdom of the Moon and must have had frequent contact with Martha.

Given that, there was ample reason to conduct a thorough investigation of these people!

With nobles, an investigation was guaranteed to find something.

"This... Your Highness, I believe this is somewhat inappropriate."

At that moment, Fulong's expression darkened, his eyes flickering as if he were constantly calculating a counter-strategy.

"Oh? Then Lord Cavendish, can you give me... another plan to avoid another betrayal like that of Sir Cyrus?"

Fulong trembled. Although he did not look up at her, Hilda, standing beside her, noticed the anomaly.

As a Guardian Knight, any dangerous existence that dared to approach the Saintess, no matter who they were, was her enemy!

"Lord Cavendish! Please show some respect!"