They are all characters I control.

Moreover, the effects of the Philosopher's Stone are fading, just as Claire said.

But William continued to fight, and the fighting intensified.

Three church knights had fallen, and more knights surrounded them. William's roar grew louder, but his movements began to slow.

Like Claire, William had already been greatly weakened by the power of the Philosopher's Stone.

The backlash from the Philosopher's Stone was eroding his body; his dark red skin began to crack, and bone spurs trembled.

[Claire: And even if you save him, then what? You're a wanted criminal now. Where can you take him?]

Eleanor: ...

Claire: If you rush in now, those knights will only capture you too. If you're captured, who will rescue him?

Eleanor's comments paused for a moment.

Claire: If we don't escalate things too much now, William is not in immediate danger, but I'm afraid...

Before he could finish speaking, Claire saw a familiar figure emerge from among the church knights.

It was the apostate knight Karl; the church knight who had been following Sir Will appeared behind the knightly procession.

He smiled when he saw Claire.

Clearly, he knew that Sister Martha and the others had been there before, and Karl himself was a mole within the Church of Goddess's Knights.

William was also being suppressed by the church knights, and Claire was just about to speak to attract Karl's attention.

"Damn it! It's stuck..."

"Destroy the heretics!" Karl drew his sword and plunged it into William's chest.

Chapter 118 Captured Again

Carl pulled his sword from William's chest, and dark red blood gushed out, splashing into a dazzling flower on the snow.

William's body stiffened abruptly, and the emptiness and madness in his pure black eyes froze simultaneously before slowly dissipating.

He knelt in the snow, like a ruin where the load-bearing wall had been removed.

【Father--!!!】

Eleanor's thoughts popped into Claire's mind, filled with anxiety and pain.

But Claire didn't move.

He stared at Karl, watching him sheath his sword, watching Karl's face remain expressionless, as if he had completed an utterly ordinary task.

The surrounding church knights had begun clearing the battlefield, putting Dorothy and Megan into prison wagons and dragging the fallen heretics' corpses to one side.

At this moment, no one gave William a second glance.

[Eleanor: Is he...is he dead?]

Eleanor's comments carried a tremor that Claire had never seen before.

Even when facing her real family, Eleanor was unable to control her emotions.

It should be understood that at this moment, she was more of William's daughter than of her identity as a church knight.

Seeing her father so badly injured by the church knights, even Eleanor couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and hostility towards the church knights.

[Claire: He's not dead yet. William is still in the 'Philosopher's Stone' state.]

[Eleanor: How did you know?]

Claire: The sword missed by half an inch. It pierced the lung, not the heart. Karl wanted him to live, but living was more painful than dying.

Eleanor's comments paused for a moment.

[Eleanor: ...Why?]

[Claire: It must be Sister Martha's idea. William is still useful. Even if his blood can't be used, William's strength is undeniable, and besides, she hasn't completely controlled you yet.]

[Eleanor: So you mean these church knights are actually Sister Martha's men?]

Claire: Not entirely, but at least Karl the Apostate was definitely one.

Eleanor: ...

Eleanor didn't reply, but Claire could sense that her emotions were churning, like a pot of water about to boil.

This is understandable, if Eleanor still trusted the Church of Goddess when she was in prison.

Now, watch as the knights of the Church of Goddess are drawn over by Sister Martha's signal.

Moreover, the apostate knight Karl was among these church knights and had severely injured William, which shook Eleanor's previously unconditional trust in the church knights.

Regardless of Eleanor's feelings, the knights surrounded her and bound Claire's wrists with chains.

Claire didn't struggle; she simply glanced at William lying on the snow, confirming his presence. The old man lay there, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Yes, he is still alive.

That's not the worst outcome, as Claire didn't have the strength to resist these church knights at that moment.

With Karl, the apostate knight, around, and Sister Martha secretly watching, it's no use hiding anywhere now.

Rather than being captured by Sister Martha, it's better to go to the Knights of the Church.

At least within the Knights of the Church, Claire knew there were still people on her side. That way, she could also look after William and check on his condition.

If all else fails, Claire still has the path of Ophelia, the Virtuous Saint who embodies the precepts.

No matter how you look at it, doing nothing is more appropriate right now.

The prison cart rumbled through the snow with a dull thud.

Claire leaned against the wooden plank of the carriage, looking out the window at the snow-capped mountains gradually receding into the distance through the iron bars.

Dorothy sat opposite him, her hands bound and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes held no fear, only an excitement that seemed to thrive on chaos.

Anyway, this guy is a stand-in; the Scarlet Witch Dorothy's body is still elsewhere.

Megan huddled in the corner, clutching the dead cat in her arms, her grey eyes half-open and half-closed.

“Hey, knight,” Dorothy spoke, her voice hoarse, “how much longer does your old father have to live?”

Claire glanced at her. "You care about him?"

“I don’t care,” Dorothy laughed. “But I’m curious. That stab was very deliberate; not fatal, but enough to hurt him. Were these church knights with Sister Martha? Otherwise, why would they deliberately leave William alive?”

At that very moment, the prison van carrying William was not far away.

The effects of the Philosopher's Stone on William haven't worn off yet, or rather, for William, this is the side effect of the Philosopher's Stone.

This prevented him from regaining his normal body, which was also the result of Sister Martha secretly feeding William the Philosopher's Stone to prolong his life.

The side effects of aging did not appear on William; instead, his enhanced monstrous form was a side effect of activating the Philosopher's Stone.

“I know,” Claire replied.

Dorothy looked at the unhurried Claire with interest: "So what do you plan to do?"

Claire closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden board.

Dorothy is also a member of the Church of the Goddesses. Although Sister Martha is her enemy, Dorothy is almost the same.

Naturally, Claire wouldn't tell Dorothy about this.

[Eleanor: She's right. We're captured now, and William's condition is bad. How can we rescue William?]

Claire: You've finally learned to use your brain.

[Eleanor: ...I'm not kidding.]

Claire: I know, but don't worry too much—Karl won't let William die too quickly. He still wants to use him to lure you in.

Eleanor remained silent for a moment.

[Eleanor: What about the others? Dorothy and Megan... what will happen to them?]

Claire glanced at Dorothy across from her and Megan in the corner.

“They will be locked up and interrogated. Dorothy is the Scarlet Witch's double, and Megan is a nun from the Inquisition. Carl won't touch them easily, at least not immediately.”

[Eleanor: How did you know?]

[Claire: Because Carl wouldn't do anything meaningless. More importantly, you need to understand that Sister Martha's goal is always to control you. Carl and his group are just Sister Martha's spies, so naturally they listen to her.]

Eleanor: ...I see.

Claire: Of course! Besides, Karl is here with these church knights. It must have been Sister Martha's doing; she must have signaled to Karl when she found us.

[Claire: Karl and his group are clearly infiltrating the 'Holy Lance Knights,' and their subsequent achievements will be crucial for these apostate knights.]

Claire: I think Sister Martha can also use this to control us. It's much easier for the Church of Life to have the traitors within the Church of Life capture us than for them to hide from the Church Knights.

Hearing Claire's words, Eleanor still felt somewhat resentful.

She was once the vice-captain of the Church Knights and always upheld the faith of the Church Knights.

But now, the church knights are colluding with the heretics.

They, who were wanted by the Knights of the Church, were actually fighting against the heretics.

Furthermore, with William severely wounded by Karl, the apostate knight, Eleanor's faith in the Order of the Church began to waver.

Chapter 119 Holy Lance Knights Maru

These church knights appeared to be on their way to a mission.

Therefore, hitting Claire and the others was an accident.

After capturing Claire and her companions, the church knights immediately headed towards the nearest town.

However, even the nearest town was quite far from their current location, and the prison van had just stopped at a temporary camp.

This was clearly a place for the church knights to rest, and it was already getting dark.

Continuing the journey through the night would obviously be risky, especially since the church knights had previously fought William, who had transformed into a monster.

Not knowing whether there were any other heretics, the church knights paused to rest.

Claire, Megan, and Dorothy, who were captured, were able to move around, while William, who still retained his monstrous appearance, was left in a cage.

The knights dragged the three men off the carriage and pushed them into a simple wooden hut.

The door was locked from the outside, and the footsteps gradually faded away.

Dorothy sat down against the wall, crossing her legs. "What do we do now? Just wait to die? We've come full circle, and we're back in the hands of the church knights."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to escape as easily as last time. Who knows how many of these church knights are from Sister Martha and Mel's side?"

"Besides, Martha and Mel probably haven't gone far, and they're definitely keeping an eye on us."

"Oh, what bad luck! Now we're being targeted by both heretics and the church."

Claire ignored her; the guy looked like he was really sad and upset.

In fact, she herself is also a member of the 'Church of Life', and one of them with a rather high status.

It's just that Dorothy doesn't get along with Mother Martha and Mel. As for the extent of the relationship between the 'Holy Lance Knights' of the Northern Kingdom and the heretics...

Claire wasn't entirely sure how many apostate knights like Karl had infiltrated the Church Knights, or whether Dorothy had any infiltrated the Order's ranks.

But one thing is for sure: Dorothy is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

She had previously ambushed Knight Commander Will, causing significant casualties among the church knights. Moreover, she was the one who injured Knight Commander Will, which directly rendered him unable to fight.

If Lord Knight Will hadn't been injured, Eleanor wouldn't have been labeled a heretic.

Ultimately, although the exact events remain unclear, Knight Commander Will fell into a coma, and the other church knights were all wiped out. This allowed a traitorous knight like Karl to infiltrate the order and frame Eleanor for everything.

The Church of Life has a very clear goal, and its members are difficult to fathom.

Claire ignored Dorothy and walked to the window, peering at the camp outside through the cracks in the wooden planks.

The church knights' makeshift camp consisted of about twenty tents, several dozen knights, and a few prison wagons. The guards were few but well-equipped. It wasn't a place he could easily breach.

“Megan,” Claire said without turning around, “when will your Inquisition members arrive?”

Although asking Ophelia would be faster, Claire doesn't want to do that for the time being.