They are all characters I control.

He slept at home and found that Mother Martha's attitude towards him had changed, and he was covered in dirt.

Now we know that someone was controlling their body to do so many things!

[Eleanor: ...It was you? Those fragmented memories...those battles I don't remember...were you the one who did it?]

Even knowing the truth, the female knight was still shocked.

It's not that I doubt whether such magic exists, or how Claire did it.

It was her faith. As a female knight, she was being controlled by someone. She was skilled in holy magic, which could resist most curses and mental magic.

So, Claire was still able to control her? Holy magic seems to have no effect on Claire?

Claire: It's me.

Seeing such a simple answer, Eleanor was suddenly somewhat taken aback.

It's as if controlling her is such a simple and easy thing?

As a female knight of the church, how could she be so easily controlled and yet so disdainful?

[Eleanor: You killed those civilians! You killed those unarmed people! You...]

Claire: They are heretics. If you don't kill them, they will kill you. You're not a three-year-old anymore, Eleanor. You are a church knight; you should know the rules of the battlefield.

Eleanor: ...Who are you?

Claire: Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that the woman in front of you has lied to you your whole life.

Eleanor's attention finally shifted from his comments to Sister Martha.

[Eleanor: Sister Martha? No, she can't be... She's my mother... She raised me...]

Claire: She raised you for your blood.

Eleanor's comments section fell completely silent.

In the dungeon, Sister Martha looked at Claire, who had remained silent. "Eleanor, what are you thinking? Do you have any other way to escape this situation? You don't need to struggle anymore."

Unbeknownst to them, Eleanor herself was watching this scene, and Sister Martha revealed her true colors.

Claire didn't speak; he waited.

Waiting for Eleanor's reaction.

[Eleanor: ...My blood? What do you mean?]

The heretics who appeared beside Sister Martha were all familiar faces to Eleanor.

Before this, these heretics were neighbors in the same village.

Now they all have completely changed their expressions, holding weapons and staring at her with resentment and fear. It's not a pleasant feeling to suddenly find that everyone you know has become your enemy.

Of course, what Eleanor found even harder to accept was her mother, Sister Martha.

Claire: She raised you so she could use your blood to make a potion that would keep her forever young.

Based on what Mother Martha said, and the information obtained from Ophelia, it can be confirmed.

William did indeed live for over a hundred years, and Mother Martha, who knew William, must have been at least a hundred years old.

But Sister Martha had no magic power; she didn't possess holy magic, nor was she drawn to it. So how could she remain younger than William?

The presence of Mel and the heretics around her undoubtedly proves that Mother Martha was also a member of the 'Church of Life'.

Other heretics of the Church of Life would collect the blood of the church knights to create the 'Philosopher's Stone,' which could turn one into a child or grant immense power.

Mother Martha captured William, who was capable of using primal weapons and had once fought against Claire, the Emperor of the Empire.

Needless to say, William's blood has already had a significant effect on the 'Philosopher's Stone' created by William, which has been directly demonstrated on Sister Martha in front of us.

Despite having no magic powers and being unable to perform magic, how is Sister Martha still able to remain so young?

Needless to say, even though Mel was so young, Mother Martha was still able to maintain such a young age and appearance.

[Eleanor: Sister Martha...she was so good to me...she cooked for me every day, sewed clothes for me, and stayed by my bedside when I was sick...]

However, it's still a bit hard for Eleanor to accept.

To transform all those beautiful memories from childhood into the idea that the other person wants to kill you and needs your blood.

This takes time for a normal person to adapt.

Claire: She was nice to you because your blood wasn't ready yet. Now, you're almost there.

Eleanor's comments section started trembling again.

But this time, it wasn't anger, it was fear.

Seeing that Claire remained silent, Sister Martha's gaze turned cold. "Eleanor, since you have nothing to say, let's end this here."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Meanwhile, the heretics gripped their weapons and charged toward Claire.

Grace, who was standing next to her, was the first to move.

She raised her hoe to meet the two believers who were charging at the front, parried the cleaver that was coming at her with her sword, and kicked the other one over.

Megan didn't move. She squatted in the corner, holding the dead cat, her gray eyes staring at the believers.

Claire wasn't as melancholic as Eleanor; he raised his hand, his fingertips tracing a dark red line.

[Intermediate Explosive Rune - Black Smoke]

Thick black smoke exploded in the dungeon, instantly engulfing the five or six people at the front. Coughs, screams, and the clanging of metal mingled together, echoing in the narrow space.

"I can't see!"

Where is she?!

"Back off! Back off!"

Claire gave them no chance to back down.

He drew the short sword from Grace's waist and charged into the black smoke.

One sword, one. Two swords, two. Three swords, three.

It wasn't murder; it was stabbing wrists, cutting thighs, and patting shoulders to incapacitate the believers, but not fatally. These people were just villagers bewitched by Mother Martha, not heretics.

"Female knight! Are you sure you can handle this?!" Grace shouted from outside. She had already taken down two and was now locked in combat with the third.

Claire did not answer.

He burst out of the black smoke, covered in blood—not his, but that of the believers. Behind him, five or six people lay on the ground, clutching their wounds and wailing.

"Let's go! Let's get out of here first!" Claire cut William's shackles and was about to rush out when she saw Sister Martha standing at the entrance to the basement.

At this moment, Sister Martha was holding a bottle of potion, under the interested gaze of Mel.

Sister Martha threw the potion at Claire's feet.

In an instant, strange crimson smoke engulfed Claire and everyone else.

Chapter 65 The Power of Primal Weapons

Sister Martha stood at the dungeon entrance, her potion bottle empty.

Crimson smoke billowed from the shattered bottle, spreading like a living thing throughout the dungeon, seeping into everyone's mouths, noses, pores, and wounds.

Claire held her breath immediately, but it was no use; the smoke penetrated not only through breathing but also through her skin.

That cold, rotten, cloying scent seeped into his body, like countless tiny insects burrowing into his veins, gnawing away at his strength.

His hand holding the sword began to weaken, his legs began to feel heavy, and his vision began to blur.

Naturally, the effects of this potion are obvious.

"Cough...cough cough..." Grace knelt on the ground, supporting herself with her hands, panting heavily.

Compared to Claire, who possessed divine magic and thus had resistance to this potion, Grace was in a much worse state.

Her face was deathly pale, veins bulging on her forehead, and the hoe slipped from her hand.

To be honest, Grace only possessed brute strength, and now that her body has been corrupted by this potion, she has instantly lost her fighting ability.

Megan huddled in the corner, clutching the dead cat, her grey eyes fixed straight ahead, motionless. She didn't fall, but she didn't get up either.

But those believers, those who had just had their wrists stabbed, thighs slashed, and shoulders shattered by Claire, stood up one after another.

Their wounds are healing at an abnormal rate.

The blood vessels beneath their skin bulged out, their color a deep black, and their eyes turned pure black, leaving only two blood-red pupils. They were no longer ordinary cultists, but rather as if they had consumed the 'Philosopher's Stone'.

Mother Martha's voice came from the entrance, carrying a commanding indifference, "Arrest them. It's okay if they get a little damaged."

The believers roared inhumanly and charged at Claire.

Claire gritted her teeth, gripped her short sword, and charged forward.

He parried the cleaver with his sword, dodged the sweeping hoe, and kneed a believer in the abdomen. But he didn't have enough strength; the punch that should have made him bend over only made him take two steps back.

Not only was Claire weakened by Sister Martha's potion, but the heretics were also relatively strengthened.

Then more believers surged forward—three, five, seven.

[Eleanor: No! Everyone, don't do this! Why!]

In Claire's mind, Eleanor's comments were also her thoughts at that moment.

These thoughts were now appearing on Claire's system panel.

Regardless of Eleanor's barrage of attacks, Claire continued fighting.

[Eleanor: He...he's Old Tom from the blacksmith's shop...he gave me candy when I fell...]

[Eleanor: That woman… she’s Mary from the bakery… she taught me how to knead dough… she always gave me bread whenever I passed by…]

[Eleanor: And him! He was my childhood playmate! He said he wanted to be the most famous businessman when he grew up...]

[Eleanor: They are innocent... They have been bewitched... Please don't kill them...]

[Eleanor: Stop! Stop killing! Stop killing!]

Claire didn't answer; he wasn't entirely at ease either.

The potion from Mother Martha was still taking effect, significantly weakening Claire's grip on her sword.

In this situation, facing attacks from the increasingly fanatical village heretics was quite difficult.

Despite Eleanor's attempts to dissuade her, Claire plunged her sword through the chest of the villager who was now a heretic.

[Eleanor: Please... don't kill them... I told you! I told you to stop!]

Claire: Shut up!

An impatient Claire couldn't help but send a comment.

Even while he was sending messages to Eleanor, his actions didn't stop at all.

He was constantly being handed axes, hoes, and kitchen knives, keeping him busy, but Eleanor was just too noisy.

[Eleanor: You evil god! You really are an evil god! Why did you kill my friends and villagers! They must have been controlled by that potion! Didn't you see their eyes turned completely black?!]

Claire: Oh? So you mean I need to kill Sister Martha who released the potion? No problem.

Before Eleanor could reply, Claire grabbed a plank from the ground and used it as a shield before rushing toward Sister Martha behind her.

Although the berserk villagers and heretics have become much stronger, they are not very bright.

After a few turns and dodges, Claire was almost at Mother Martha's cotton swab.

[Eleanor: Stop! Don't kill her! Sister Martha, she's my mother!]

[Claire: Oh, so what do you think of the situation now? Your mom wanted to kill you, you saw it, right? You heard it, right?]

Eleanor: ...

Her silence was expected.

Eleanor just witnessed Mother Martha ordering the villagers and heretics to attack her.

The weakening potion was also administered by Sister Martha.

If these villagers and heretics are so brutal because of the magic potion, then does that mean they need to kill Sister Martha?