The knight-princess knelt on one knee, her face alight with joy.
"Very well. You may transfer your confidants as well. From this day forward, you are my personal bodyguard. Your subordinates will follow you directly into the Praetorian Knights. You are officially appointed as the Chief Executive of the Praetorian Knights, and your unit will remain unchanged, consisting of your original inner circle."
You can trust someone, but never completely.
You must not trust fully, yet you cannot afford to show suspicion.
I could not avoid giving her the Praetorian Knights, but I could not give her total control.
I still need another personal bodyguard to command the other portion of the Praetorian Knights.
Which of the eight Guardian Knights would be most suitable?
Nar Alvin is the youngest and most promising of the current eight Guardian Knights in the Kingdom of the Moon.
But he will not do, because the Alvin family is one of the four major noble families.
The one I choose must be an outsider.
Even if they are not a commoner, they must at least be a fallen noble.
Looking at the people currently around me...
There is only one person who was initially suspected but then proved his loyalty through his own actions... Robos Cain.
Not only did he fight the demons on the battlefield until he was on the brink of death, but he is also a fallen noble.
It is clear from his records that he is not close to the nobility, even intentionally or unintentionally distancing himself from those circles.
"Hilda, go and prepare to hand over your city defense duties. Do not forget Cain. Oh, right... if it is inconvenient for Cain, have that person by his side come instead..."
I recalled the brave knight who had split open Cain's armor while I was treating him.
He seemed to have a good relationship with Cain, but I had not asked for his name in the heat of the moment.
"Just have the person beside him come over."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Hilda's eyes shone with a burning intensity, her reaction to the words 'personal bodyguard'.
Clearly, this had been a long-held ambition or goal of hers.
Watching Hilda's departing back, I knew she was trustworthy enough for now.
I only feared that in the future... she might not be able to withstand the pressure from within her family and would lean toward the nobility.
If the seven nations were not directly subordinate to the Holy Church, with the strongest human Sacred Knight and the Pope at the top, I likely would have been turned into a mere figurehead long ago.
Yet because of this, the Holy Church has also become a massive weight pressing down on the Kingdom of the Moon.
Everything has two sides.
The fact that a Saintess can hold military power and command the Sacred Knights proves how immense the pressure brought by the Holy Church truly is.
On the other hand, if I were to force reforms, it would inevitably provoke the Holy Church. If any reform touched their bottom line, I would have to face more than just the Sacred Knight and the Pope.
As long as I do not cross the line with the nobles, they will not dare to lay a hand on me.
If a major event like the 'assassination of the Saintess' were to occur, it would be a catastrophe that would shock the Eight Nations of the Holy Church. The entire Kingdom of the Moon would surely face the overwhelming wrath of the Holy Church and the furious strikes of the other six nations!
One Pope, one Sacred Knight, seven Saintesses, and nine Heavenly Punishment Knights.
This is the combat power the Holy Church displays, at least on the surface, which is enough to surpass all human nations on the continent!
Even so, I must remain cautious. If I push them too hard, it would be easy for them to burn their bridges and desperately drag me to hell with them.
Thinking carefully, the seven Saintesses each have their own special class skills and special class Authorities.
The Pope, who stands above the Saintesses, surely has his own class skills and Authorities as well.
Based on this alone, no ordinary nation could stand against them.
Thinking this way gave me a bit of confidence.
At the very least, unless absolutely necessary, the nobles would not dare to move against me!
Even if they did, they would have to consult with the Pope and obtain his consent first.
Wait a moment!
If the Pope wanted to control other nations, his first point of contact would surely be the nobility of those countries!
I fear the Pope's influence has already infiltrated the noble ranks.
This means I am not just facing the nobility, but also the Pope behind them.
However, one thing is certain.
Even the Pope would not dare to blatantly snatch power from my hands!
If such a thing happened, the Saintesses of the other six nations would never agree to it!
The entire Eight Nations of the Holy Church is like a massive web. If a line is broken anywhere, it could affect the cohesion of the entire network!
The Pope does not want to see the six nations declare independence simultaneously, so even he will surely act with extreme caution!
I am not yet clear on the environments of the other nations, but at least for the Kingdom of the Moon where I am... judging by the map, this country is no smaller than the Nine Provinces of my homeland!
There is still so much information I need to understand. I can only blame the original owner of this body for knowing so little about world affairs; she did not even know how many major cities the current Kingdom of the Moon possesses.
"Nara? Ella?"
I wanted to check the map, but when I sat up, I realized no one was around.
Oh, right. I just sent Nara and Ella to fetch the records on the nuns and the officials.
I shook my heavy head.
I had been thinking so much that my brain felt a bit dizzy.
Just then, the voices of two girls came from outside the Temple.
"Nara and Ella greet Your Highness."
"Come in."
They were certainly fast. At the same time, Lola returned, followed by Anton the dwarf and Victor, the president of the Brilliant City Mage Guild.
"Your Highness, the specific matters have been negotiated. This is the contract."
Lola stepped forward and placed a thick stack of papers before Luo Li.
A quick glance showed at least a dozen pages, each one handwritten.
The base of Lola's palm was red, and her eyes were bloodshot, with her undereye area appearing slightly swollen and dark.
She was clearly suffering from extreme exhaustion.
"I understand. I will look it over later. Go and rest first."
I then looked toward Anton and Victor.
"You both worked hard today. I will have someone escort you back."
"Your Highness, there is no need for me. My blacksmith shop is not far from here. I'll just walk back and see if there is anything worth buying along the way."
Anton the dwarf waved his hand dismissively. While he appeared boisterous, his mind was quite sharp. From our conversation earlier, I knew he was a clever man beneath his rugged exterior.
"Your Highness," Victor said. "I have a presumptuous request."
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