Chapter 8 : At your service

The demons had targeted Glorious City from the very beginning, but not simply to attack the city itself.

If you consider that Luo Li had been chosen as the Saintess just a year ago, and that Martha appeared around the same time to serve her…

It could only mean one thing.

From the very beginning, the demons’ true target was her.

Martha’s goal was to take her away. As for why—Luo Li still didn’t know for sure.

But from a few clues, she could start to guess.

First, her abilities.

Her class didn’t even need to be discussed. She was the earthly representative of Moon Angel Sariel, the Saintess of the Moon, and also the Saintess of Glorious City.

Let’s set aside her skills like Inspiration, Swordsmanship, and Light Blade for now. The most important one was her Healing Magic.

In the original Saintess’s memories, this healing didn’t seem unusual. But that was probably because Martha had been subtly leading her to believe it was normal.

In reality, that likely wasn’t the case.

Being able to heal a shattered heart—such a thing was unheard of.

Even without focusing too much on the details, Luo Li knew healing magic wasn’t absolute healing but relative healing.

The more magic power you used, the more you could heal—but certain fatal or instant-death injuries simply couldn’t be healed.

Because that would involve the taboo of resurrection.

In the Holy Church, resurrection magic was strictly forbidden. Even if someone was born with the talent for it, they weren’t allowed to learn or use it.

But Luo Li’s healing had clearly already reached the level of a Divine Miracle, not ordinary healing.

That alone proved just how unbelievably gifted Luo Li Saint Sariel truly was.

Every Saintess chosen by the divine had her own authority, and hers came directly from the blessing of Moon Angel Sariel—and not just one, but three types of divine authority.

She didn’t know if other Saintesses had this many powers, but Luo Li’s were almost all support-based:

• Hero’s Embodiment – Summons a legendary hero from history to possess someone temporarily.

• Moon’s Protection – Grants one person a temporary state of “cannot be harmed.”

• Eye of Judgment – Briefly stuns an enemy.

She was a Saintess who could heal, support, buff, and protect—a complete support powerhouse. If the demon army got hold of her, the human side would suffer a disastrous defeat—that much was obvious.

A thought began to form in Luo Li’s heart.

The demons wanted her divine authority.

If that was true…

They definitely weren’t going to give up easily.

Luo Li took a deep breath to calm herself. Keeping her usual calm smile, she looked at Hilda.

“Hilda… right now, the only one I can trust is you. Can I… really trust you?”

There was a traitor among the knights. Luo Li couldn’t remember exactly who, but she was sure it was a man—so Hilda could be ruled out.

What mattered most was this: Luo Li clearly remembered that after Hilda had escorted Saintess Luo Li Sariel out of the city, they were both captured. Hilda ended up in a horrific, unspeakable state. Her death had been tragic.

But even in her last moments, Hilda had never once forgotten her duty to rescue the Saintess.

“Your Highness the Saintess,” Hilda said, kneeling on one knee and placing her right hand over her heart, face solemn

and sincere. “Since the day I became a Guardian Knight, everything I’ve done has been for you, for the Holy Church, and

for this Glorious City. Please, believe in me.”

Luo Li nodded and looked at the nuns nearby, giving them an order:

“You may all leave for now. I need to discuss something privately with Guardian Knight Hilda.”

Now that Martha was no longer in control, the nuns had no choice but to obey Luo Li.

What’s more, word had already spread throughout the city—in just a short time—that Martha had become a demon.

Everyone was scrambling to disassociate from her. These nuns, most of whom had been under Martha’s manipulation,

now dared not do anything except swear loyalty to the Saintess.

If anyone was caught having ties to Martha now, they’d be burned at the stake immediately!

Luo Li ignored the nuns and turned her attention back to the female knight in front of her.

She still wasn’t sure how loyal Hilda really was—but at least she could be sure that Hilda wasn’t a demonic spy.

“Guardian Knight Hilda, I believe in you—and I ask that you believe in me, too. Glorious City is in serious danger, and I need your help.”

Hilda knelt again.

“Guardian Knight Hilda, at your service!”

“Good. Hilda, I need you to immediately report the city’s current defense deployment to me. Also, I want to review the records of all knights ranked Chastity Knight or higher.”

Even though she couldn’t remember who the spy was, seeing the files might jog her memory.

To become a demon spy, the person would have to be high-ranking. Low-level knights wouldn’t have the clearance or qualifications.

Chastity Knight was level 30—a major threshold. Only those at that level were considered true knights and allowed to lead troops into battle.

But that meant the records would be massive. Just in the less-guarded West City, there were over a dozen Chastity Knights.

Add in the other three city sectors, and the knights assigned directly to the Holy Church here… The number of Chastity Knights alone was probably over two or three hundred.

And even if there were fewer Valiant Knights, there would still be dozens.

Then there were the Guardian Knights, too.

To pinpoint a single spy among so many wouldn’t be easy.

“As you command. But, Your Highness, may I ask… why do you need these records? The battlefield is the knights’ duty. Are you… planning to lead the army yourself?”

Luo Li gently shook her head. The gold crown on her head felt heavy, so she took it off and placed it beside her.

“Knight Hilda, the demons’ target this time is me. I don’t have time to explain everything, but I’m certain there are still other spies in the city.”

The female knight in front of her frowned deeply, clearly lost in thought.

Luo Li wasn’t in a rush. If a single spy could have opened the gates already, Glorious City wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Clearly, this spy was a backup plan, prepared in case Martha’s betrayal was exposed.

Hilda thought for a long while. Luo Li didn’t interrupt, just quietly waited.

“Your Highness… have you seen this person before?”

“I vaguely remember something, but I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll remember if I see them face to face. But even looking at the records might help.”

“I see. Understood. Then, Your Highness, I will now go and—”

“Wait. First, tell me the current defense layout inside the city. I need to know that information.”

Luo Li quickly stopped Hilda as she turned to leave. The rest could wait. Right now, knowing the city’s defense setup was the most important thing.

Only with that information could she begin to figure out where the spy might act.

“In that case, I will report to Your Highness right away.”

Hilda took five silver coins from her waist pouch and laid them on the ground.

She arranged them in the shape of a cross, then pointed to the one facing east:

“Lord Will is not in the city. Martha, before she turned into a demon, had the knights reassigned away from Glorious City.

The Guardian Knights remaining in the city, including myself, number four in total.”