"The personally appointed nun of the Pope turned out to be a traitor, the count at the eastern border has lost contact, and the demon army unexpectedly appeared beneath the walls of Brilliant City without any warning. Meanwhile, the military forces and sacred knights of the Holy See have already massed at the border of the Kingdom of the Moon... Therefore, I suspect all of this was intentionally orchestrated by the Pope."
Lola's expression was incredibly grim.
"...Lola, tell me which directions Will, the Heavenly Punishment Knight, and the other four Guardian Knights were sent."
Luo Li's heart skipped a beat as she listened to the analysis.
If her guess was correct, then the Guardian Knights and Will, the Heavenly Punishment Knight, must have left in directions that precisely avoided the east and west of the Kingdom of the Moon.
In other words, the eastern and western flanks of the Kingdom of the Moon were currently the most vulnerable points of defense!
"Heavenly Punishment Knight Will set out for the Snow Country in the north. He is traveling as a diplomat for a routine exchange."
Will went to the north, and the north was separated from here by the Holy Mountains!
This meant that if Will wanted to return to provide support, he would have to cross the Holy Mountains, a journey that would take at least half a year.
"Knights Robert and Kariel went to inspect the southwest, while Locke and Tristan went to inspect the southeast."
This was the first time I had heard these four names, but even if Lola had not used the term Guardian Knight, I would have known they were the ones sent away.
Heavenly Punishment Knight Kevin Cromwell went north, while the other four went south.
That meant there was absolutely no high-end combat power on either the east or west sides of the Kingdom of the Moon!
I instinctively climbed out of bed, stepping onto the thick carpet and pacing forward one step at a time.
My mind began to race frantically.
The betrayal of the personal nun Martha, the dispatching of the Heavenly Punishment Knight and Guardian Knights, the loss of contact with the eastern border count, the massing of the Holy See's troops, and the demon army at the gates.
When all this information was gathered, the most critical point was me.
And once this plan succeeded...
As the Saintess, I would surely be taken away. At that point, the Kingdom of the Moon would be without a Saintess, and both divine power and imperial power would fail simultaneously!
With the arrival of the demon army, the nobles would be left leaderless!
At that exact moment... if the Holy See's army descended like divine soldiers from heaven, with the sacred knights leading the way to support and crush the demon army in one fell swoop...
The Kingdom of the Moon would fall completely under the control of the Holy See.
And the most suspicious part of all this was that Martha was a nun personally appointed by the Pope.
Combined with the Holy See massing troops and even sending sacred knights to the border of the Kingdom of the Moon...
Such a perfect string of coincidences had to be intentional!
The Pope might not have betrayed the Holy Church itself. After all, the ridiculous notion of a 'monarch rebelling against his own throne' was impossible for a Pope.
But he might have discovered Martha's true identity and realized the greed the demon race felt toward Luo Li Saint Sariel.
Then, he simply went with the flow.
He placed Martha by Luo Li's side.
After that, he only had to wait for the right moment for everything to fall into place!
He could seize the entire Kingdom of the Moon without lifting a finger!
What a brilliant calculation!
What a terrifying scheme!
This plan of feigning ignorance, going with the flow, moving in secret, and watching the tigers fight from the mountain until finally swallowing the world...
Just thinking about it made my spine go cold with a sense of lingering fear!
"Lola, do not speak of this to anyone. Also... you are to immediately have someone investigate Ella's background. Be thorough. I want to know everything. I want to know about her parents, her social circle within the Temple, who her neighbors are, their names, whether they are male or female, tall or short, fat or thin. I want to know what kind of dog she keeps at her door and what she likes to eat. I must know everything. Until then, do not make a sound. Do not tell anyone, including Nara. Only God, you, and I know of this."
Meeting Lola's gaze, Luo Li's voice became stern.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Good... but before that, you will go and rest. That is an order. I do not wish to lose my right hand before we have even begun."
Lola froze for a moment, then lowered her head, her fingers trembling slightly as she pushed up her glasses.
"I understand."
"You may go."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Watching the exhausted yet slightly excited Lola leave the Temple with heavy steps, Luo Li exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
She looked up. The sunlight streaming in from outside the Temple fell upon the marble floor, making every speck of dust in the air visible.
Her mind went blank. She had thought too much, and her brain was going on strike.
It took a long time before she snapped back to her senses.
"Whew... I cannot rest yet. It seems the Pope indeed intends to take advantage of the situation to invade. However, as long as I am here and Brilliant City stands, the Pope will not dare act openly."
If nothing else, if the Pope were to lead his troops directly in an invasion, a civil war among the Eight Nations of the Holy Church would likely break out.
The emperors of other nations, the council elders, or the other Saintesses would never agree to it.
"Among the Eight Nations of the Holy Church... the Holy Kingdom is indeed the most powerful, but it is also the most constrained."
She walked to the map, looking it over from top to bottom.
Almost everything east of the Central Lands, north to the Frozen Mountains and south to the Great Southern River, was occupied by the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, the most fertile and stable region of the continent.
And the Holy Kingdom happened to be surrounded by the other seven nations.
In other words, the other seven nations all had potential for expansion, while only the Holy Kingdom was forced to remain in place, unable to expand outward.
The Pope likely wanted to expand his territory for this very reason.
Still, the Holy Kingdom was undeniably the strongest. With two Heavenly Punishment Knights, one sacred knight, and the Pope himself, they were guaranteed a total victory against any one of the other seven nations in a one-on-one conflict.
But would the other six nations allow the Pope to march east and take the Kingdom of the Moon?
Absolutely not!
While the logic of mutual dependence might not be phrased the same way in this world, no one was a fool.
The Pope did not dare start a blatant war; otherwise, he would face a coalition of the seven nations. He could only act if he had a legitimate reason.
'The Brilliant City of the Kingdom of the Moon has fallen, and the Saintess has been captured by the demon race!'
There was no better reason than that, and no better timing!
From this, it was clear that the Pope likely knew Martha's identity and had been watching the situation develop from the sidelines until the demon army invaded.
He would then march his army east, driving the demon race away while they were exhausted from the battle at Brilliant City and short on supplies. Then, he would step into the vacuum and take the Kingdom of the Moon in one go!
The next generation of Saintesses could only be designated by the predecessor. The Pope had no right to interfere in the selection of a nation's Saintess, so he could not manipulate the position itself.
Therefore, this was the only way he could seize the Kingdom of the Moon.
Luo Li looked at the map.
The location of the Kingdom of the Moon was indeed excellent.
Rate on N.U.
