Claire was oddly silent as she gripped the reins of the carriage and directed the horses to move in a northeastern direction.
The sun crept down towards the horizon and the forest was illuminated by a warm orange glow.
Elisa was currently sleeping inside the carriage since she was still tired from spending most of the day looking after Claire while she was unconscious.
Claire did not want to disturb her rest and besides…
She did not know how to face the forr saintess.
The fact that Elisa was secretly a dark elf was already a shocking matter but there was another dark secret that Claire had discovered.
The holy knight turned her attention to the rcenaries escorting the convoy of caravans and her golden eyes glowed even brighter.
This mysterious ability allowed her to observe hidden things that she could not normally see.
"n! Don't forget to check the surroundings for any concealed threats!" Captain Brian ordered in a firm tone.
He received imdiate replies from the nearby warriors who quickly raised their vigilance.
"Yes sir!"
"Yes captain!"
"Right away!"
Several rcenaries closely guarded the caravan where the forr dark elf slaves were housed with the determination to give up their lives for those in the caravan.
At first glance nothing seed wrong but as Claire narrowed her eyes and focused on the body of the nearest warrior…
She could see a tiny ball of shadowy flas inside her mind that flickered and oozed with an oily texture.
Dark tendrils erupted from the center of the shadowy ball that slowly spread throughout the rest of her body.
The female warrior who Claire was observing did not outwardly suffer any negative effects or display any peculiarities.
Claire noticed that the female warrior was not an exception, and every other rcenary also had a ball of shadowy flas in their mind.
Captain Brian especially had a ball of shadowy flas that was larger than the ones implanted in the minds of his n.
A few clues slowly began to piece together in Claire's mind as she suddenly recalled so details that made no sense in retrospect.
Why would a random group of rcenaries be so obedient to her commands?
Although she was a holy paladin from the church, rcenaries by nature were very resistant to authority and so should have had complaints or intentionally made trouble.
And more importantly… rcenaries were individuals who sold their services for money.
There was nothing wrong with such a profession, but these were not the kind of n who would give up their lives for a client.
No… not a client…
During the battle with the bear-like monster, the rcenaries rather than focusing on the protection of Claire or even Elisa…
They solely protected the shivering dark elves.
Claire's fingers tightened on the reins as the kind-hearted impression she initially had of Elisa was gradually beginning to crack.
A seed of suspicion had been planted in her heart that was buried so deep that even the holy knight herself did not realise that it was there.
And that seed would one day bear a bitter fruit…
Claire reached into her pocket and pulled out the hand mirror that she had gotten from Elisa a few hours earlier.
She checked her reflection carefully and activated her new ability. Her golden eyes shone brightly with purity and righteousness.
Claire could now see tiny flecks of golden light and holy runes surroundings her body. The power inside those strange runes was oddly comforting.
It was hard to describe but it was almost like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a chilly afternoon.
Claire felt safe and protected as she allowed the unknown power to flow through her body from a place beyond the void.
The holy knight did not forget her true purpose and stared at her forehead searching for any trace of black magic.
There was nothing.
Claire slowly put down the mirror and stared at the endless trees in the forest with a complicated expression on her face.
Why was there no trace of black magic?
If Elisa could control the minds of the rcenaries, then why wouldn't she do the sa to the holy knight tasked with defending her?
Claire knew that her promise to the original owner of this body ant that she would never break her vow to protect Elisa but the forr saintess could not have known that.
There was no better way to ensure your safety than to fully control the mind of the person tasked with protecting you.
Loud roars and the sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance, but Claire was too distracted to pay any attention.
She lazily gestured to Captain Brian to move in the opposite direction of the noise and then returned to her contemplation.
Was it even possible to get answers?
There was a not so small part of Claire that desperately wanted to go inside the carriage right now and confront Elisa about her secrets.
"Damn it!" Claire groaned as she absentmindedly touched the hilt of her sword.
This mission was already going to be difficult and now she had this troubleso matter to deal with!
Claire had been able to make a vow with Lord Varion to protect Elisa which ant that her actions must have gotten the approval of the Lord of Light.
Or… the disguised dark elf sohow managed to trick the God who blessed humanity…
Why couldn't that so-called 'system' give her so help or clues to know what to do next.
Claire felt like a blind man desperately working her way through the darkness without a guiding light.
While she did have the original Claire's mories…
They were completely useless since the original Claire spent the rest of her life in so godforsaken village in the middle of nowhere.
Did she know who made the portals connected to the demon world? No.
Did she know who the villainess was? No.
Did she know that dark elf spies infiltrated the Varion Church? No.
Claire rubbed her temples in frustration as she felt a pounding headache begin to set in. Her eyes started to itch, and the golden glow surrounding them gradually dimd.
The holy knight's vision returned to normal, and she could no longer see the shadowy balls of fla or the mysterious runes.
"Five hundred ters away from our destination!" one of the rcenaries called out. Claire raised her head and saw a scout pointing in a certain direction.
Beyond the forest was an enormous city surrounded by massive concrete walls that towered towards the heavens.
Known as the 'Last Bastion', this city was the largest human settlent in the outer regions and was controlled by several powerful cri families.
Those thick walls were a necessity against the frequent wave of monster attacks and the hostile foreign races.
It was said that this city was the only thing keeping the rest of the continent from the wrath of the foreign races.
Although that rumor was rely an old wives' tale.
The official na of the city was the City of Galrannor, and it was nad after a famous paladin who allegedly slayed the last mber of the dragon clan.
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