Chapter 28: Conversation

Julius slightly bowed his head reverently under the silver-haired girl’s stunned gaze.

“Then, Saintess, I look forward to our next meeting. I believe… we will meet again.”

Before Luo Li could say anything, Hilda in front of her suddenly closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the golden glow in her blue eyes had vanished, and the golden radiance surrounding her body faded into the wind.

“Your Highness… I’m back.”

Hilda was still a little dazed, but even so, she didn’t forget to greet Luo Li—to confirm that she was indeed herself again.

“It’s good that you’re back, Hilda. How do you feel? Can you return to the battlefield immediately?”

Looking at the battlefield before her, it was clear the tide had turned overwhelmingly in their favor.

Countless demonized orcs trampled over each other in the darkness, fleeing frantically toward the northwest.

The heavy cavalry unit led by Luo Li continued to sweep through them. The demonized orc army was torn apart repeatedly, suffering blow after blow.

“Your Highness, you should return now!”

Luo Li knew about Julius’s order, but she deliberately pretended not to hear Yuna behind her, instead fixing her eyes on Hilda in front.

But just then, Hilda also looked up. The loyal guardian knight stared back with sky-blue eyes full of seriousness and determination.

“Your Highness, according to the rules of the Holy Church, on the battlefield, the command of a Holy Knight takes precedence. You… should go back and rest.”

Luo Li blinked. Seeing both her guardian knights—Hilda and Yuna—speaking like this, she realized she had no other choice.

She pouted slightly and reluctantly turned around, nodding a little. But just as she did, her small hand quietly reached out toward the reins of the carriage.

At the very moment her hand touched the reins, another hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Startled, Luo Li turned around quickly… behind her was Yuna, with a stern expression on her face.

“Your Highness, please don’t act willfully anymore. This is a battlefield. Even for us, we can’t guarantee that there won’t be unexpected dangers. Since Holy Julius has given an order—whether he’s a soul or not—at that moment… that was his will.”

Seeing the serious look on Yuna’s face, Luo Li realized that her little trick had been exposed.

“…Fine.”

With both guardian knights insisting and the battle almost over, there was nothing more she could do.

What remained was simply the cavalry chasing down and eliminating the retreating demonized orcs.

Tasks like that didn’t require the Saintess herself to oversee.

The races of the continent generally harbored hatred toward demons, and humans were no exception.

What’s more, it was the knights of the Holy Church—sworn enemies of the demons—leading the pursuit.

They would show no mercy.

Originally, Luo Li hadn’t intended to chase too far either. She just wanted to ride freely in the wind, to finally relax the tension that had gripped her ever since she first arrived in this world.

Seeing that the Saintess finally nodded, Hilda exchanged a knowing glance with Yuna.

Both of them could see a trace of relief in each other’s eyes.

The appearance of the Saintess on the battlefield had been a powerful morale boost for the Holy Knights.

Tonight, countless Holy Knights had fought with strength far beyond normal. Even when facing an enemy force many times their size, they didn’t falter—on the contrary, they overwhelmed them completely.

It wasn’t just because of buffs or blessings.

The real reason was that all the Holy Knights’ hearts were united with the Saintess.

But that came with great risk.

The Saintess’s level was too low, and she had no real combat ability. That was why Hilda and Yuna had never left the carriage once their forces regrouped.

On the battlefield, things could change in an instant. No one could predict what might happen next.

Maybe a lucky demon would break through and reach the Saintess.

Or maybe a giant blade would suddenly fly toward her.

As Holy Knights, they couldn’t just stand by and let the Saintess remain in such danger.

As for why they had agreed to Luo Li’s plan earlier… the reason was simple.

After Luo Li had issued her command, Yuna and Hilda had already discussed it thoroughly.

Watching the carriage roll away, Yuna finally let go of the tension that had gripped her heart all day.

She turned to Hilda, who was galloping beside her on horseback.

“Whew… I didn’t expect the Saintess to actually calculate it all so accurately. And thankfully, you didn’t retreat with her. Otherwise, today—Glorious City might’ve become history.”

Hilda nodded. The spiral-shaped lance she had earlier had been thrown by Julius like a javelin. Now she only had the silver cross greatsword left. She raised it high.

“Holy Knights, hear my order: form groups of ten and pursue the demon army! The pursuit boundary is Moonlight River!”

“Yes!!”

The hundreds of heavy cavalry quickly broke into squads of ten, which would reduce the chances of anything unexpected.

Given the generally low intelligence of demons, they couldn’t possibly organize any effective resistance in such chaotic conditions.

The cavalry squads, made up of familiar or unfamiliar companions, formed groups—most with ten or more people, and a few with nine.

The once sword-like formation now fanned out like a flood, ruthlessly slaughtering every demon soldier in their path.

Seeing this, Hilda let out a breath of relief. She looked back at Yuna and couldn’t help but show a joyful smile of survival.

“Actually, when I first saw the demon army, I did think about taking the Saintess and fleeing Glorious City.”

Her voice was calm as she turned her horse around, eyes looking toward the east—now faintly glowing with the early morning light.

Far in the distance, she could just barely make out the Saintess’s carriage slowly entering the western gate of the city.

On both sides of the gate, Holy Knights and countless soldiers stood in solemn welcome.

The sound of their cheers could be heard clearly even from several miles away.

“Long live the Saintess! Long live the Saintess!!”

The shouting shook the very ground.

It was the people of Glorious City, grateful that they had such a wise and courageous ruler.

Yuna pulled on her reins and rode alongside Hilda, both looking in the direction of Glorious City.

“Then why didn’t you go? We’d agreed—if things couldn’t be changed, you’d escort the Saintess to the Holy Church Nation for help. Kain, Nal, and I would hold off the demon army at all costs, to ensure the Saintess could escape safely.”

“Haha… what if I told you, I had a moment of weakness and just wanted to see what the Saintess was truly capable of… would you believe me?”

Hilda looked back. Her calm gaze made Yuna certain—she wasn’t lying.

“Hilda… did you ever consider, if something had gone wrong tonight, you would’ve become a sinner beyond forgiveness?”