"What do you want?"
Baker's expression was solemn. This was no longer just a matter of friendship between two people, but a choice between life and death for over a hundred thousand, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people!
He could not place his bets lightly, for if he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable!
No one could replace Baker. At least for now, he was peerless!
"I want everything you have. Smooth this path of thorns for her highness!"
"...Are you joking with me?"
"No, I am not, Baker... I am serious."
"You have no certainty at all, yet you dare ask me to stake everything on a saintess who has nothing? What kind of method did she use to bewitch you?"
"Her highness's abilities are beyond what you or I can imagine. Could you have imagined that she, who had only been the saintess for a year, could lead an army to defeat an elite demon army?"
"...No."
Baker understood that even if the saintess led tens of thousands of elites, such a feat would be difficult to achieve.
However, he still shook his head.
"A single victory is not enough for me to trust this saintess."
"What if you include me?"
"You? Lola, emotionally speaking, I would be willing to trust you even if it cost me my life, but in my position, I cannot consider emotions alone."
Lola's intelligence was indeed something he had never seen before.
A person like her, if she had not become a nun, would have shone brightly in any corner of society.
However, what confused Baker was that Lola had chosen to be a nun, a profession that seemed to have no future.
"Lola, I've always wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"With your intelligence, you could have thrived in society. Why did you choose to be a nun?"
At this, Baker turned his head and looked directly into Lola's eyes.
"Could it be... you had already thought of this back then?"
"Perhaps, or perhaps not."
Lola smiled slightly, not answering the question directly, which made Baker cover his face and give a wry smile.
"You little girl, you always did like speaking in riddles. Fine, fine, I won't ask."
Baker's expression shifted, looking at Lola seriously.
"However, even though you trust this saintess so much, it is still not enough to persuade me. You'll have to find another way."
"...Then, why don't you go see her tomorrow? I think... when you see her, you will know if it's worth it."
Baker's brow furrowed.
"You trust her that much?"
"Yes, I believe that only she can change the Kingdom of the Moon now."
"Fine! Since you trust her so much, Lola, I am a bit curious to see what kind of magic she has to earn such trust from you."
"I'll meet her tomorrow, then. But let me be clear: if she cannot pass my test, I will absolutely not help her. On the contrary, I will help the nobles, because only then can those people live better lives."
"...Alright."
Lola was silent for a moment, then nodded. She stood up and pulled on her hood, preparing to leave.
"Why leave just after we've finished talking? Won't you have a drink?"
"I have many things to handle back there. Perhaps next time."
Lola pulled her hood lower over her forehead, concealing her face as she prepared to leave.
Baker's voice came from behind her.
"Use the back door. You wouldn't want to be seen."
Lola's footsteps paused slightly. She nodded and then turned to leave.
"Interesting. I wonder what kind of surprises this saintess will bring me?"
A playful smile hung on the corner of Baker's mouth. With that self-muttering, the room fell back into silence.
Led by a subordinate, Lola left the tavern. This was a prosperous street, but the alley behind her was incredibly dim.
It was the darkness hidden beneath the light.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Even darker places existed in the West District and the North District.
Those were the darkest parts of the entire Brilliant City.
Streetlights illuminated the road, and the street was crowded and bustling with people.
It formed a sharp contrast with the silent, dark alley behind her.
One side was bathed in sunlight.
The other was steeped in deathly darkness.
Speaking of sunlight, the brightest place in Brilliant City was the Temple.
Here, not a shred of darkness could creep in.
But that was only during times of peace. Once they truly entered a state of political struggle, this place would become a battlefield!
Lola returned to the Temple. Beneath the statue, the saintess she held such high hopes for was drooling, seemingly dreaming of something delicious.
Two nuns could not help but cover their mouths and giggle.
Her highness the saintess had been exhausted for days and had not had a good night's sleep.
Even yesterday, she had only fallen asleep at midnight.
This made Lola's heart ache for her.
Her highness had finally found such a peaceful sleep, even seeing delicacies in her dreams.
This was definitely a good thing, proving that her highness had completely let go of her burdens.
If her highness's sweet dream was woken by laughter, Lola would definitely not be kind!
The two young nuns had been laughing just a moment ago, but when they saw Lola's terrifying gaze, their smiles were instantly stifled. One of the young nuns even choked on her own breath, unable to catch it, and began to cough violently.
Suddenly, the sound of coughing echoed through the Temple.
At the same time, the girl who was still in her sweet dream slowly woke up.
"Mmm... What was that sound?"
Lola glared fiercely at the nun who couldn't stop coughing.
The nun turned pale with fear.
The previous nuns had been disciplined until they were perfectly submissive, and no one dared to say a single 'no'.
"Your Highness, you're awake."
Lola withdrew her harsh gaze and stepped forward respectfully.
"Mmm... Lola? How long was I asleep?"
Luo Li rubbed her forehead, the grogginess still lingering in her head.
"Your Highness, you have been asleep for an hour and forty-five minutes."
"Is that so? I've been asleep for that long..."
Her lips felt a bit dry.
"Mm!!"
I subconsciously covered my mouth.
I actually drooled!?
But the taste of that crawfish was truly amazing...
No, no, I have to maintain the saintess's decorum. I must be elegant!
Wiping it directly with the saintess's robe probably wouldn't work?
My gaze swept around and landed on the bedsheet.
It should be fine to use this to wipe it, right?
It has to be washed every day anyway.
Just as I reached out, another hand appeared in front of me.
It held a gold-trimmed handkerchief.
"Your Highness, you still need to use this bedsheet to sleep tonight. Why not use this handkerchief instead?"
"Mmm, you're as thoughtful as ever."
Rate on N.U.
