"Knight Yuna, I am concerned about your mental state."
"Mental... state?"
Yuna, with her short pink hair, looked like a cheerful girl from next door. She had a lively energy about her and was slightly shorter than Luo Li, standing at barely over five feet tall.
Even with her high heels, she could only look Luo Li directly in the eyes.
She tilted her head, her gaze filled with confusion.
It made sense, as this world did not seem to have a concrete explanation for psychological states, since no one had ever studied them in detail.
"I mean your current mood."
Explaining it in detail would be a hassle, so Luo Li expressed it plainly so that Yuna could understand better.
To her surprise, Knight Yuna did not seem depressed at all.
Instead, there was a faint excitement in her, and her eyes shone with a brilliant light.
"Your Highness worries too much, I am in a great mood! To be able to slay the demons so thoroughly is a first for me in all my years as one of the Temple knights. If there were still demons left on the battlefield, I would..."
Her voice grew louder and her emotions surged, but then she suddenly paused as if realizing something.
"Your Highness... I have been disrespectful."
"It is fine. I am happy to see you in such a mindset. If only every knight hated the demons as much as you do, it would be wonderful."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness! We Temple knights all harbor a deep hatred for the demons! With a few exceptions, of course."
Yuna's expression turned slightly awkward, clearly thinking of Cyrus, who was still in prison.
He was a Brave Knight, ranked just below the Guardian Knights, and held a middle-to-upper-class status in the Kingdom of the Moon, possessing his own noble title.
Yet, such a man had still defected to the demons, even willing to turn into a fiend to seek revenge on the world.
"Very well, I understand what you mean, Knight Yuna. I am grateful for your contribution to the Temple. You should go and rest early. Tomorrow is the day to reward the troops, so you must maintain your composure to live up to the title of a Temple knight."
Luo Li reached out to straighten Yuna's collar and gently brushed the dust off her shoulder.
Showing closeness to subordinates was far better than remaining aloof.
Having lived as an office worker in the lower-middle class, Luo Li understood the mindset of a subordinate perfectly.
Be close when it is time to be close, and be strict when it is time to be strict.
One needed to master the balance between the two.
Those who could master it were the ones with the potential to reach the pinnacle.
Nine parts warmth and one part strictness, bonding and integrating with them. In this way, she could understand these people better.
Most importantly, she had to prevent another situation like Cyrus occurring among the Guardian Knights.
"Speaking of which, is your family also noble, Yuna?"
"Yes, Your Highness. My family name is Von Yuna. We are an independent noble house that branched off from the Cromwell family."
"No wonder you and Hilda are so close. It turns out your families are related."
Luo Li's heart skipped a beat.
This was a bit problematic.
The Cromwell family was truly terrifying!
First, there was the Heavenly Punishment Knight Kevin Cromwell.
Then, there was the Guardian Knight Hilda Cromwell.
And now Yuna, though her surname was Von, she was still a branch of the Cromwell family.
Even though the connection was distant, the bond of blood remained.
Luo Li could not let Yuna notice her concern.
She maintained her smile, showing a hint of surprise.
"Although our family branched off from the Cromwell family, that was four hundred years ago. Now, the Von family and the Cromwell family have almost no contact. My close relationship with Hilda is only because we are both women..."
Speaking of this, Yuna showed a trace of helplessness.
"Your Highness, you might not know this, but the status of women in the Kingdom of the Moon is not high. Only by helping each other have Hilda and I been able to make things go more smoothly."
Luo Li suddenly felt that there was something she wanted in those words.
She had seen the lists of officials, knights, and Temple members.
She had to admit that the status of women in this world was indeed not high.
Even though she held the power of a queen as the Saintess, she was the only exception.
In terms of overall proportions, the ratio of men to women among the knights was about nine to one. This meant that while there were about fifty thousand knights in the entire Kingdom of the Moon, with less than ten thousand in Brilliant City and the rest scattered across major cities and the borders.
Among those ten thousand, less than a thousand were women.
The standard number of knights in Brilliant City was around ten thousand.
Guardian Knights Robert, Kariel, Locke, and Tristan had taken twelve hundred men each to patrol the southern cities.
Heavenly Punishment Knight Kevin Cromwell had taken another twelve hundred for his diplomatic mission to the Snow Country.
This left less than four thousand knights in Brilliant City.
Among the officials, the proportion of women was even smaller, with most of them being assistants, making up only about one in twenty.
As for the Temple itself, the ratio of nuns to priests was roughly equal.
This was because the Temple required more nuns to serve the Saintess, so the female proportion was higher there.
From Yuna's words, it was clear that the status of women in this world was indeed low.
"I am somewhat aware of that. However... surely a woman like you, who has risen to the rank of Guardian Knight, must have attained personal freedom?"
This question was a probe to see if Yuna truly had autonomy over her own life.
"If Your Highness puts it that way... it is true. However, despite that, there are still things that are difficult for us to control."
Yuna's expression darkened. It seemed the probe had worked!
Luo Li was genuinely curious. Yuna had reached the rank of Guardian Knight, making her a high-ranking figure in the Kingdom of the Moon. Under such circumstances, who would dare to make things difficult for her?
"Yuna... do you have something difficult to talk about? If you do not mind, you can tell me. Although I might not be able to help, I can at least be a good listener."
"This..."
Yuna was clearly hesitating.
Seeing this, Luo Li pushed a bit further.
"Yuna, just treat me as your friend. Friends share their worries with each other, don't they?"
As she spoke, Luo Li reached out and took Yuna's hand. Her palm was soft, not at all like someone who practiced the sword year-round. Yet, even with a light touch, Luo Li could feel the strength in her muscles.
If Yuna wanted to, she could easily crush Luo Li's hand and turn her bones to powder in an instant.
This was the power of a level fifty Guardian Knight, and it was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Or does Knight Yuna feel that I am not worthy of being your friend?"
Luo Li put on a pitiful and delicate expression, though she truly did feel a bit of grievance in her heart.
"Your Highness, please do not say such things. It is my luck that you would consider me a friend."
Rate on N.U.
