"Your Highness... you, you seem to have changed a little."
"Is that so?"
Of course I had, my attributes were far more powerful than before.
I was far beyond the strength a level 10 character should possess.
【Name: Luo Li Saint Sariel】
【Class: Saintess of the Moon, Saintess of Brilliance (Divine Arts Saintess)】
【Level: 11 (Apprentice Divine Arts Caster)】
Attributes:
Strength: 14
Agility: 16
Endurance: 16
Recovery: 46
Mana: 70
Free Attribute Points: 45
Free Skill Points: 37
Skills: Invigoration Level 1, Healing Level 10, Swordplay Level 5, Light Sword Level 1, Chain Healing Level 10.
Special Class Skills:
Protect the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner Level 1.
Light up the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner Level 1.
Special Class Authorities: Hero Creation, Moon's Protection, and Eyes of Judgment.
Sacred Treasures:
Moon Banner — Brilliant Form.
Sword of Fidelity — Holy Cross Sword.
Summary: Congratulations, player! You have finally stepped out of the ranks of combat scum and entered a new world. From today onward... begin your nursing journey!
...
Nursing... Nursing my ass!!
What the hell is a nursing journey?!
You did this on purpose, didn't you?!
I have never seen such a shameless attribute panel.
Who the hell designed this?
Get out here and face me!
I had opened the attribute interface with a heart full of joy, and I had managed to endure the earlier insults, but that last sentence nearly broke me!
My expression stiffened, and Hilda immediately noticed something was wrong, looking at me with worry.
"Your Highness, are you alright? You look a bit pale..."
"It's nothing. I just... suddenly felt like having some milk."
Hilda blinked, her large eyes filled with confusion.
"Having... milk? If you would like some, Your Highness, I can have someone fetch some from a nearby village?"
"No need. Let everyone relax today, no one..."
Before I could finish my sentence, a sudden rush of hoofbeats came from outside the carriage, accompanied by a voice that had already gone hoarse from shouting.
"Urgent report! Urgent report from Brilliant City! Where is the Saintess?"
My heart skipped a beat at the sound. I quickly stood up and stepped out of the carriage, spotting a white horse galloping toward us from a distance.
"I am here!"
"Your Highness!!"
The rider spotted me and immediately turned his horse to charge toward us.
However, the other knights were not about to let someone break through their lines and approach me so easily. Before he could reach me, several knights had already pulled him from his horse and pinned him to the ground.
"Your Highness! An urgent report! An urgent report from Brilliant City!"
"Let him go."
I jumped down from the carriage and rushed straight to the man, ignoring everything else.
Judging by his attire, he was a knight, at least of the rank of Fidelity Knight or higher.
His face was covered in dust, making it almost impossible to see his original features, with sweat and sand caked together in thick streaks.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his silver armor was filthy and tarnished.
He looked gaunt and was breathing heavily.
It was clear he had been traveling for a very long time.
"What happened?"
I looked at the knight with a heavy gaze. Although the surrounding knights had released him, they remained on high alert, as his identity had not yet been confirmed.
"Your Highness, four days after your departure, Bishop Lola was attacked. She is currently unconscious and suffering from a curse. A clash has broken out between the Rowan family and the Cavendish family, with casualties exceeding a thousand. The lord of the Rowan family has already arrived in Brilliant City to protest, backed by other families. Brilliant City is in complete chaos!"
Casualties exceeding a thousand?
That was no mere clash; that was a small-scale war.
A clash with fewer than three thousand participants would never result in a thousand deaths.
It would take at least five or six thousand people to reach such numbers.
This was a war!
The Rowan family had finally lost their patience and made their move!
The third son of the Rowan family was being held by the Alvin family, and they were also being pressured by the Cavendish family.
At the same time, my actions against the Garnet family had likely pushed those two families to unite, giving the Rowan family the confidence to strike at the Cavendish family.
My brow furrowed as I began to pace, my mind racing as I analyzed the situation.
I continued to fire off questions.
"What is Bishop Lola's condition?"
"Bishop Lola is unconscious and cursed. Lady Camilla from the Alchemists' Association is doing everything she can to treat her, but she has not yet woken up."
"Which other families are rioting alongside the Rowan family?"
"The Campbell family, the Howard family, and the Follis family."
Including the Rowan family, four of the thirty-three minor noble families of the Kingdom of the Moon had acted. It might not seem like many, but the power behind them could not be underestimated.
If the Howard and Campbell families were involved, then the Garnet and Dressas families definitely had a hand in it.
And those two major families had several other minor families under their banners.
It seemed they were planning to make a massive scene this time.
Perhaps Lord Barry Garnet had realized I was targeting him and this was his revenge? Or perhaps his way of protesting?
Hilda's expression was grim.
"Your Highness, it seems we have no time to rest. we must return to Brilliant City immediately before the chaos worsens."
Fury began to burn in my heart.
"It seems these old nobles really don't take me, the Saintess, seriously at all."
Cain, who had hurried over, had overheard part of the news. Although he didn't have the full picture, he understood that the situation was spiraling out of control.
Looking at the Saintess who wore a smile that hid a simmering rage, Cain frowned and stepped forward to kneel on one knee.
"Your Highness, please give us your orders."
I took a deep breath, calming my mind as I looked at the bigger picture.
"Hilda, take two hundred men and return with me to Brilliant City at maximum speed."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Hilda saluted with her hand over her chest and immediately began to assemble the knights.
I turned back to Cain.
"Cain, immediately gather eight hundred knights who are uninjured or only lightly wounded and still fit for combat. Follow my group back to Brilliant City after a short delay."
"As you command."
Then, I looked at a knight who had truly impressed me during the recent battle.
"Your name?"
"Replying to Your Highness, he is Gerard, my longest-serving deputy," Cain answered.
I looked Gerard up and down.
While Cain was leading the charges, I had been constantly monitoring the battlefield, and this man had been one of the standout performers.
Though he seemed unremarkable, every strike he made took a fiend's life, and he managed to stay uninjured throughout.
Maintaining such composure on a battlefield was the mark of a rare military talent worth cultivating.
Who said there could only be eight Guardian Knights?
"Knight Gerard."
"I am here."
Gerard stepped forward, saluted, and lowered his head.
"You will lead the remaining lightly injured to care for the severely wounded. Carry the bodies of the fallen knights and return at a steady pace. There is no need for haste."
"Yes, Your Highness."
This was the first step in testing him, to see if he could execute orders perfectly. If those remaining five hundred men could return to Brilliant City with their morale intact, I would focus on training him.
This battle had cost us over five hundred men. Every single one of them was my most important sword and shield.
Though they were gone, their deaths would not be in vain.
I would give them a grand burial to let everyone in the world know that I cherish my subordinates!
At the same time, upon this return, I would make those arrogant nobles understand something.
I, the Saintess, am not someone to be trifled with.
Anyone who dares to touch my people will pay the price!
"Ligeia!!"
"I am here, my Saintess."
I didn't even have to look for her. With all this commotion, she would naturally come over on her own.
As expected, she appeared the moment I called.
"Take two thousand skysoar dragons and follow me back to Brilliant City immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Although I wanted to use the dragon cavalry regiment now, it would actually take time to form properly.
Previously, these knights and their white horses shared a deep bond.
Switching mounts so suddenly would naturally impact their combat effectiveness.
Furthermore, the combat style of a dragon knight was vastly different from that of a normal knight.
The biggest difference was the variety of attack methods.
Previously, horses could only be used for charging.
Now, with creatures the size of skysoar dragons, they possessed the capacity for air raids.
This meant that javelins could finally make their debut.
Throwing weapons and bows would become the primary attack methods for dragon knights.
Next were the lances. Because current knights were suited for horses, their lances were relatively short and thick, only about three meters long and conical in shape.
Once the dragon cavalry was fully formed, that would have to change.
A skysoar dragon was about five meters long with a wingspan of over ten meters.
To use a dragon knight effectively, one needed a weapon long enough. Five meters was the minimum, but seven meters was the ideal length.
Since they would be attacking from above, conical lances were no longer practical. A spear-like form would be better for downward thrusts.
As for tactics, the changes would be even greater. Furthermore, the current knights didn't understand the dragon language and couldn't even give basic directional commands to the skysoar dragons.
For this dragon cavalry regiment to truly take shape, there had to be a transition period.
So for now, the skysoar dragons could only act as an independent aerial strike force.
Fortunately, the skysoar dragons themselves were powerful combatants, and their dragon breath was enough to strike fear into anyone.
Moreover, the fact that I, the Saintess, was suddenly bringing back two thousand dragons would make even the most foolish nobles hesitate.
And that was enough!
The knights quickly gathered and formed three columns.
The first two hundred men had almost no injuries beyond a few scratches, and their white horses were completely unharmed.
The second column consisted of over eight hundred knights. Though they were bandaged, their combat capability was unaffected.
Finally, there were the two hundred lightly injured and three hundred severely wounded knights, mostly those missing limbs.
I would have to treat them slowly later.
I stepped onto the carriage and looked ahead.
"Whole army, move out!"
Rate on N.U.
