They are all characters I control.

He gripped the dagger in his hand, stood still, and stared intently at Claire in a posture of gathering power.

"Although I don't know exactly what happened to you, I think it's definitely not something ordinary. Didn't you learn this in the library?"

Upon hearing the other person mention the library, Claire remained expressionless, simply observing their every move.

"Gale Imprint!" Claire unleashed the rune imprint the instant the attacker's body moved.

But the target wasn't himself, but the attacker.

A sudden whirlwind enveloped the attacker, not as an obstacle, but as a sudden acceleration that propelled him forward!

The attacker was completely unprepared for this move. The sudden acceleration caused him to lose control and pass Claire, crashing into the wall behind her.

Claire, without hesitation, took off running.

As he ran, he used his Flame Mark to ignite the surrounding debris, continuously throwing out Flash Marks behind him, and also kept stacking Gale Marks on himself to increase his speed.

The attackers, who quickly caught up, were overwhelmed by the constant harassment tactics.

Although I wasn't seriously injured, I got emotional.

Several times when he tried to grab Claire, he was forced back by perfectly timed flashes of light or flames. If it weren't for the fact that his face absolutely had to be kept hidden, he would have risked taking several imprint spells to subdue him.

Seeing that he couldn't catch Claire, the attacker raised his hand and threw the dagger in his hand.

With a "thud," the dagger grazed Claire's calf and plunged into the ground.

Despite the pain, Claire didn't stop; he just kept running towards the brightest light.

At this moment, the attacker stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't that he gave up, but rather that he heard other noises.

"Over there!"

"Surround this alley!"

"It's the eldest daughter of the Marquis Rost's family!"

"Hey you, stop right there!"

"..."

Heavy, rhythmic footsteps and the clanging of armor echoed from the alleyway entrance; the knights guarding the capital had arrived.

Seeing the knights rushing towards him, the attacker picked up the dagger stuck in the ground, stood up, and slowly retreated into the shadows.

Before turning to run away, he glanced at 'Lia', who was now surrounded and protected by the knights, before leaving.

"How are you? Miss, are you alright?"

The maid Anna looked at Claire (Lia) in front of her, and put on a concerned expression under the gaze of the surrounding knights.

Claire glanced at the maid who had run away, but instead of settling scores with her, he looked at a burly and aloof knight who was walking towards them.

The opponent's armor was different from the surrounding knights'; it had an additional captain's insignia.

"Miss Lia von Rost, are you alright? Do you know why they attacked you?" Captain Karl asked coldly.

“I don’t know, he just asked me to give him gold coins to write a letter to my father.”

Claire tried her best to imitate Leah's tone, and leaned weakly into the arms of the maid Anna.

“Oh, if that’s the case, then they’re thieves trying to kidnap a noble lady and demand a ransom.” Captain Karl nodded, but his gaze toward Claire held a hint of scrutiny.

"Can I go back now? I want to go back."

Claire, looking shaken, stood up with Anna's help.

"Yes, that's fine. I'll have someone escort you back."

Several knights then escorted Claire and her maid Anna away.

Watching the two figures depart, Captain Karl waved and summoned several more knights.

"Go and report to Bishop Simon that the eldest daughter of the Rost family was attacked today, and the attackers may be remnants of the evil god."

"Yes, Captain Karl."

Chapter 21 Going Home, Beating the Maid

The Knights' escort carriage stopped in front of the Rost family mansion.

Supported by her maid Anna, Claire staggered off the carriage under the watchful eyes of the knights.

At this moment, none of the so-called 'family members' of the Rost family were to be seen; only the maids opened the door for Claire.

This indifference actually saved Claire the trouble of dealing with it, as he was indeed not familiar with these 'family' members.

Back in her room, Claire lay down on the bed to rest.

Anna, the maid, went to prepare hot water to clean Claire's wounds.

Although Claire was wealthy, he had no intention of seeking treatment at church.

Since I'm currently in control of Lia's body, it's best to avoid letting her voluntarily wander around in front of the church.

Besides, the "Basic Rune Imprinting" course that Lia was taught also included healing techniques.

Although Lia's strength, speed, and constitution attributes are weak, her mental strength and mana are outstanding.

Soon, a shimmering healing mark took shape on her fingertip.

As the healing mark slowly activated, a cool sensation spread across the wound as hazy light drifted over it, relieving much of the pain.

Although the healing process is very slow, it is obviously better than drinking medicine and having to swallow a mouthful of herbal flavor.

Soon after Anna finished washing Claire, she came over carrying a clean nightgown.

"Young Miss, here are your clean clothes."

Her gaze swept over Claire's gradually healing wounds, and when she looked up, she met Claire's cold eyes.

Sure enough, the evil 'Lia' has appeared.

If it were the usual timid Lia, she would have been captured by the attacker before the knights arrived.

"What are you standing there for? Want to take a picture?" Claire's impatient voice snapped Anna out of her daze.

The maid Anna didn't dare to dawdle and obediently helped Claire change her clothes.

After she changed out of 'Lia's' blood-stained dress and threw it aside, the atmosphere in the room became suffocatingly silent.

Of course, Anna was mainly nervous, and she chose to run away when the attackers were chasing her.

If it were the kind-hearted Lia, she wouldn't be angry at all, but the one in front of her is the evil 'Lia'.

"Come here." Claire leaned against the bed and beckoned to Anna with her finger.

What was bound to happen had finally happened. Anna lowered her head and walked over.

When she walked up to Claire.

A slap landed hard on Anna's face, leaving a finger mark on the maid's cheek instantly.

The burning sensation on her cheeks actually made Anna feel comfortable.

If Claire hadn't slapped her, Anna would have been uneasy; once she got a slap, she wouldn't have to worry anymore.

But Anna covered her face and defended herself, saying, "I went to call the knight; there's nothing I can do to help if I stay."

"Heh." Claire scoffed, her eyes icy.

"So you left the master to cover the retreat while you ran away?"

Claire was half-lying down, while Anna was standing.

But the oppressive aura emanating from Claire made Anna feel as if she were facing a giant.

She quickly bowed her head and apologized, "I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't mean it..."

"Kneel down."

Claire frowned and interrupted her.

“Yes…” Anna slowly knelt on the ground.

Looking down at the maid in front of her, Claire had probably educated countless people like this who thought they were so smart when she was still a puppet emperor.

He knew exactly what this spineless guy was up to.

When the other party makes a mistake, they must be severely punished; the slap just now was merely a warm-up.

Lying on the bed, Claire looked down at the maid and said coldly, "If Marquis Marla can punish you, so can I, and my punishment will be even more terrible."

Before she could finish speaking, Claire began to sing rapidly.

After a dark red magical energy enveloped Anna's body.

He kicked over the basin of water that had just been cleaned and threw it towards Anna in front of him.

"Ugh—!" Anna, soaked to the bone, collapsed to the ground instantly.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her body convulsed uncontrollably, as if she were enduring terrible pain.

Under the spell of [Whispers of Pain] that Claire had just used, the hot water splashed on Anna made her feel as if she were being immersed in lava.

Even more so, Anna's hysterical screams caused excruciating pain in her throat and head. Her face gradually turned ashen, and her fingers and toes twitched and clenched into claws from the pain.

"It hurts so much... I... I was wrong... Please forgive me... I will never... I will never abandon my Lord again..."

Claire remained unmoved as she looked at Anna, the maid in front of her.

He just sat there watching as Anna started rolling her eyes and drooling.

He only removed the pain spell when she was about to faint from the pain.

“Anna, you’d better figure out who you’re on and who your master is.”

"To Marquise Mara, your value is merely that of a dog that watches over me, and dogs are worthless and can be replaced at any time."

"But with me, at least you can be considered a human being. Whether you betray your master and become someone else's dog, or remain loyal to your master and be a proper maid, is the choice you make."

The maid Anna collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as she listened to Claire's words from above.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with fear and despair, and her voice, which had already become hoarse, was gone. She could only desperately kowtow to Claire, expressing her desire to be a human being again.

At that moment, a gentle magical power enveloped her.

Anna looked up and saw 'Lia' lying on the bed, using a healing mark on her.

"Miss?" Anna was a little worried, afraid that they wanted to repeat the same procedure after treating her.

This evil 'Lia' has never been this kind to her before.

Anna was a little taken aback by the sudden gentle treatment.

“When the attackers first appeared, you helped Leah, so you deserve a reward.” Claire was always fair in her rewards and punishments.

When they first encountered the attackers, the maid pulled Lia along and ran away with her.

Afterwards, Anna ran away alone, even though Leah took the initiative to cover Anna's retreat and let Anna escape first.

Regardless, Claire didn't want to lose the role of Leah before obtaining the "Guardian's Gaze".

"Thank you, Miss." The maid Anna was somewhat flattered. It turned out that they didn't intend to torture her a second time after treating her.

But to her even greater surprise, a bag of gold coins fell into her arms.

"Take this gold coin and buy some potions to enhance your attributes, and also buy a knight skill book to learn." Claire glanced at the maid, who looked blank and seemed not to have heard her.

He kicked her, and Anna finally came to her senses.

"I don't need a useless maid. If you learn some knight skills, you can help me block a few blows."

"Besides, only if I, the master, am alive can you, the maid, live a good life."

"Yes, Miss." Anna's response this time was very crisp and clear.

She sat on the ground, continuing to feel the effects of the 'Healing Mark', and the fatigue and pain in her body were gradually disappearing.

The wounds on his hands, face, and ears that Claire had previously stabbed, which had not healed for a long time, were now gradually healing.

This was something even the Marquise Mara had never done for Anna; she hadn't even given her any herbs or potions, let alone used magic to heal her.

"Don't call me Miss, call me Master."