The Holy See.
The center of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, it represented the most magnificent architectural complex in human history.
The city spanned approximately twenty thousand square kilometers.
Towering buildings stood everywhere as far as the eye could see, with swift traffic flowing through the streets.
The entire Holy See was enclosed by towering, majestic walls nearly fifty meters high.
The population reached nearly ten million!
In the heart of this massive city stood a grand structure that no one could ignore.
The soaring arch alone reached a height of nearly eighty meters, and the entire foundation of the temple was raised ten meters high.
The main hall towered nearly one hundred and twenty meters, the entire temple resplendent and ornate with carved beams and painted rafters, featuring angel statues in various poses—some exquisitely beautiful, others brave and heroic.
Before the main hall were ninety-nine steps, each spotless and pure white, carved entirely from a type of jade stone upon closer inspection.
The vast palace complex occupied nearly one million square meters, with heavy crimson carpets covering the floors.
An ancient divine statue stood within the temple, draped in a white robe with gold trim about twenty meters long, its entire body seemingly inlaid with pure gold, emitting a dazzling radiance.
A golden cross atop the dome pointed straight toward the heavens.
Such a rich, elegant, and majestic city was unique in human society and across the entire continent.
This temple could be called the crystallization of human wisdom over thousands of years!
And the ownership of this temple naturally belonged to each successive Pope.
"So, that Saintess of the Moon actually led the army to win the war, rather than using some underhanded means?"
Diocletian, the young eighth Pope, held the investigated data in his hand, a deep, meaningful smile curling on his handsome lips.
"Yes, Your Holiness. This Saintess of the Moon has indeed given us quite a surprise."
The one responding was an archbishop dressed in a red robe, equally young and handsome, with features that shared a thirty percent resemblance to the Pope.
"This Saintess of the Moon led a portion of the army in an ambush outside the city, having predicted the demon army's night raid in advance. First, she drew the demon vanguard into the city for a slaughter, disrupting their pace. Then, the Saintess herself led the army in a flank attack, coordinating with the heavy cavalry regiment inside the city to strike the demon central command. Using her Authorities, she blocked a large scale dark skill from the Demon Marshal Zuka and used the skill Hero Creation to attach the soul of a deceased Sacred Knight, Julius Saint Wallis, to a Guardian Knight beside her. Through this, she drove back and defeated Demon Marshal Zuka, routing the chaotic demon army in one fell swoop."
The archbishop recounted the battle Luo Li had orchestrated from beginning to end as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
"What courage. A girl who has only been a Saintess for a year could lead an army to such a beautiful counterattack. She really has piqued my interest."
Diocletian flipped through the documents, happening upon Luo Li's magic portrait. The image showed Luo Li standing at the front of a carriage, one hand tightly gripping the Moon Banner while the other held the reins, charging forward.
The girl in the portrait no longer had the fragile feeling from before; she was filled with a trembling battle intent. Her eyes were fixed on the distance, her white robe fluttering in the wind, and her silver hair swaying like silk. Knights lined up beside her, horses galloped, and dust kicked up behind them.
Not far from the photo, several slain demon wolf riders were visible.
The person who took this magic portrait was definitely a master photographer, capturing the girl's most heroic and valiant moment so vividly!
It was as if she were right there.
"Hmm, I remember this Saintess of the Moon was just an ordinary girl before, wasn't she? Is such a sudden change normal?"
Diocletian put down the other documents and picked up several photos to observe them closely.
A hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"Your Holiness, there are no such records in the official history, but... I did see a similar account in a secret history."
"Oh? Which secret history?"
Diocletian snapped out of his trance and looked up at the archbishop.
In the entire Holy See, besides the Sacred Knights, the Pope, and the two Heavenly Punishment Knights, there were seven other top tier combatants.
They corresponded to the positions of the Seven Saintesses, and it was the duty of these seven archbishops to liaise with the Saintesses daily.
The man before him shared a resemblance to him because, in truth, this archbishop was his younger brother.
Ferdinand Clapham.
"Your Holiness, it is... a similar account exists in the Secret History of the First Pope."
"Secret History of the First Pope?"
Hearing this, Diocletian's brow twitched slightly, seemingly puzzled by the matter.
"Yes. According to the secret history, the first Pope suffered an accidental fall while climbing a tree at the age of fifteen, hitting the back of his head. When he woke up, he was a completely different person."
Ferdinand paused for a moment before continuing.
"From then on, the first Pope shed his childish personality and became gentle, kind, well educated, and even... knowledgeable without being taught. He founded the Holy Church with his own hands, communicated with God at any time, and eventually achieved the Holy Church we see today."
Diocletian thought for a moment but then let out a dismissive smile.
"Heh. Secret histories are just literary works created by commoners. There is no need to pay them any mind."
However, despite his words, the gravity in his eyes was exceptionally strong.
"Ferdinand, from today on, pass me any news regarding the Saintess of the Moon at any time. I want to know everything, no matter what it is. Have the Necessary Evil infiltrate the Kingdom of the Moon and, if possible, get as close to the Saintess of the Moon as they can. The person I arranged before has likely been exposed; lately, that Saintess has clearly started distancing herself from her."
"Your Holiness, I'm afraid that won't be easy. Since the Saintess of the Moon's personality changed, she has become cautious. Some of the nuns who were originally lurking in Brilliant City have already been expelled."
"...If it were easy, would I even come to you?"
A confident smile played on Diocletian's lips.
"My dear brother, I believe in your abilities, which is why I am entrusting this matter to you. Do not disappoint me."
Ferdinand wanted to say more, but the Pope rose from his divine chair, picked up the documents about the Saintess of the Moon, and waved the two photos in his hand.
"Have your people take more photos for me. I am starting to get interested in her."
Without waiting for Ferdinand to say anything else, he turned and left the temple.
The temple fell into a dead silence. Ferdinand stood there dazed for a long while before slowly speaking.
"As you command, Your Holiness."
His voice echoed in the magnificent temple, and at the moment he looked up, a shadow flashed through his eyes.
After a moment of thought, the archbishop glanced at the empty temple and left without looking back.
However, he did not know that just as he stepped out of the temple, Diocletian emerged from behind the screen behind the divine chair.
"Keep a close eye on him and see what he's up to."
Diocletian seemed to be muttering to himself in the direction Ferdinand had left.
But when those words were spoken, a response suddenly echoed in the empty hall.
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
Then, the voice abruptly stopped.
Only Diocletian remained, slowly turning back to the divine chair and sitting elegantly on the pure gold bench, a mysterious smile on his lips.
"My foolish brother... I only hope you can understand my pains and stop crossing my bottom line."
...
Meanwhile, whether it was the Dwarven Kingdom in the west, the Elven Kingdom in the south, or the Beastmen Kingdom in the north.
Every region had received news of the demon army's return.
Such news could not be hidden. To any race, the demon army was the most powerful common enemy, and no one would hide such information.
The Elven Queen, the Beastmen Emperor, and the Dwarven King—three different rulers across the continent—all looked at the data in their hands with solemn expressions.
It contained detailed records of almost every detail of the battle.
A single war had made the Kingdom of the Moon's name resonate!
With only five thousand heavy cavalry, they had managed to repel nearly a hundred thousand demon troops. When many people first heard this news, they thought it was just a joke.
But when they learned the details, they couldn't help but marvel.
Even some quick witted wandering poets had already composed a song about the event and begun singing it.
Among the lyrics was this passage.
'The beautiful Saintess of the Moon received the gaze of the heavens, began a wise life, and repelled the demon invasion.'
While such songs were not accepted by everyone, there would always be those who did.
Especially in the Kingdom of the Moon.
After all, everyone knew what the previous Saintess of the Moon was like.
With the fragile Saintess of the Moon of the past, it would have been impossible for her to lead an army at the front lines.
No matter how one looked at it, it wasn't normal.
Now, there seemed to be an answer.
If they applied this to the Saintess's sudden change, many people could accept it.
Among them, naturally, was the Lord of the Von family, one of the thirty-three small noble fiefs of the Kingdom of the Moon.
Audis Von.
"It seems the Saintess's change must be due to this."
He was an old man in his seventies, his white beard proving that his body had become fragile.
But the sharp light in his eyes clearly told Yuna, who was standing before him.
This Audis Von was no simple character.
"I think it might be so as well, but the Saintess is tight lipped, and others don't dare to say much, so I haven't gotten any accurate news yet."
Yuna explained. She had asked Hilda before, but Hilda's answer was somewhat ambiguous. However, out of trust for Hilda, Yuna still believed in the Saintess.
"Heh heh. Yuna, you may still have doubts, but I... I believe it completely."
"Grandfather, why would you believe such a strange rumor?"
Yuna was curious and looked at her grandfather in confusion.
Her father was her grandfather's seventh son and could inherit almost nothing of the family estate. He could only manage a small official position with his mediocre abilities, overseeing only a thousand households.
If not for Yuna's sudden rise, which drew her grandfather's attention and led him to focus on her training, her father would likely have remained a minor official for the rest of his life with no hope of advancement.
"You don't know, but I do... Sometimes, secret history is more credible than official history."
For some reason, Audis didn't seem to have much trust in official history.
This confused Yuna greatly.
"Why do you say that, Grandfather? Is official history not credible? Then what use is it?"
"Yuna, you must remember that history... is always a toy for those in power. Official records are written by people as they please and aren't necessarily true; some parts might be entirely fabricated. However... while we cannot chase the true history, we can find a clue or two from secret histories."
As he spoke, Audis stood up and picked up the walking stick beside him.
"You should go read the Secret History of the First Pope later. Although that book is no longer available to the public, it is still widely circulated within our noble circles. Once you see the first Pope's situation, perhaps you will understand why the Saintess suddenly became so intelligent."
As he spoke, Audis couldn't help but pat his lower back.
"Sigh... I'm getting old. My parts are getting rusty. My back hurts after just sitting for a while, really..."
"Grandfather, let me massage it for you."
"Good. Let's talk in the carriage."
Audis nodded approvingly. Although Yuna was young, her talent was excellent, and she was quick witted and exceptionally smart.
If she hadn't been born to that seventh concubine-born son, perhaps she would be the most suitable person to inherit the Von family.
Unfortunately, in this era of lineal descent, such a situation was unlikely to occur.
Unless the legitimate son committed a major error, the family would eventually fall into the hands of that foolish son.
Moreover, Yuna was a woman. While female family heads were not unheard of in the Kingdom of the Moon—at least one of the four major noble families was led by a woman.
But... it would bring a lot of trouble.
Though Yuna was naturally gifted, she wasn't as powerful as that woman and wouldn't be able to control the old fogies in the family.
So, Audis simply thought about it and let it go.
"Let's go. Let us go see this Saintess and see... what kind of surprise she will bring me."
A smile hung on Audis's face as Yuna nodded and followed his slow steps.
The carriage passed through streets and alleys, through bustling roads, and arrived at the largest architectural complex in the center of Brilliant City—the Moon Temple.
Stepping out of the carriage, Audis was in no hurry to enter. Though his body was weary, old, and his back was aching, the Lord of the Von family still stood at the temple entrance and spoke respectfully to the soldier at the gate.
"Lord of the Von family, Audis Von, requests an audience with the Saintess. Please convey this message, Sir Knight."
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