They are all characters I control.

For example, these people who appear to be ordinary villagers are treated as heretics and tied to a high platform in the town square. What awaits them next is undoubtedly execution.

No matter how closely Eleanor observed them, she couldn't discern what kind of heretics these seemingly harmless people were. As someone who had fought against heretics, she was quite familiar with the look in their eyes.

Those things had absolutely nothing to do with the people who were about to be executed.

[Eleanor: I don't believe they are heretics. Knight Commander Fernando is using the death penalty.]

[Eleanor: It's been a frequent topic of discussion among the church knights that Commander Fernando exerted considerable pressure on the towns in order to ensure the complete obedience of his territory.]

[Eleanor: At that time, if anyone disobeyed his will, it would become someone disobeying the goddess's will. Even if the saintess was unaware, if Knight Commander Fernando knew, he would be responsible for punishment.]

[Eleanor: It's fair to say that this knight commander was already infamous, but unfortunately, he was very strong, and there was no way to fight him.]

[Eleanor: Once, one of her church knights tried to argue with Knight Commander Fernando, but Knight Commander Fernando beat him so badly that he could barely speak.]

It's clear how much Eleanor hates this knight commander.

She never spoke to anyone like that normally, let alone expressed her dissatisfaction and disgust so directly.

Claire smiled at this and then shrugged.

Claire: So what do you plan to do? Save them? That would mean fighting the other church knights, but at least that would preserve your beliefs, right?

This perfectly aligns with their previous conversation: is it about fighting evil to save good people? But the people he wants to save are those deemed heretics, while the evil ones are the same church knights?

Eleanor, who had just expressed her dissatisfaction with Knight Commander Fernando with considerable force, did not answer this question at this moment.

If he were to fight against the Church Knights, he might truly become a heretic like the evil Emperor Claire, whose stain could never be washed away.

Leaving aside whether Eleanor can escape this cage now, even if she could, she might not be able to fight the church knights.

Watching the comments disappear, Claire knew that it would take some more time for Eleanor to recover.

So he temporarily ignored Eleanor and instead focused his attention on the church knights not far away.

Carl and Fernando have started talking.

They paid no attention to Claire and the others who were locked in the prison van, nor did they deliberately lower their voices.

So Claire could hear some fragmented words in their conversation: "Knights Headquarters", "Will hasn't woken up yet", "Purge Plan", "You need to go there in person".

It seems that Karl's goal this time was not to capture himself and William incidentally, but rather to capture Knight Commander Fernando.

Karl was persuading the knight commander to leave his jurisdiction and go to the Knights' headquarters.

This may seem like official business, but it's definitely not that simple.

If the Holy Lance Knights are in chaos and have lost their leader, Knight Commander Will, then they must find replacements.

Knight Commander Fernando is clearly the right choice.

As for the apostate knight Karl, he must have his own plans. After all, Knight Commander Fernando is like a lord of a territory.

Once he leaves, the defenses here will be weak. And once the defenses are weak, Karl's men will be able to take over.

The civilians that Knight Commander Fernando has captured and tied to the platform may be fake heretics, but new heretics will come soon, and things will be even worse here than they are now.

Claire leaned against the wooden planks of the carriage and closed her eyes.

Claire: You see. That's what they're doing. The purge of heretics is a pretext; what they really want is control.

[Eleanor: What should I do?]

Claire: There's nothing you can do right now. Just stay alive. Only by staying alive will you have a chance.

Eleanor did not speak again.

By now, she could somewhat understand the meaning behind Claire's words, even though there was nothing she could do about it.

In fact, Eleanor knew that the evil emperor would always make his move at the last moment.

Beside the prison van, Knight Commander Fernando glanced at the prisoners on the platform, then at Karl. "Then I'll go with you after the execution."

Carl nodded. "No rush. I'll wait for you."

On the platform, an executioner dressed in a black robe and holding an iron chain walked up.

He nudged the woman holding the child, signaling her to stand up.

The woman looked up, her face streaked with tears, but her eyes held a deathly calm. Holding her child, she slowly stood up.

The executioner raised the iron chain, wrapped it around her neck, and prepared to drag her toward the charred pillar.

Eleanor gripped the iron railings of the carriage tightly.

Eleanor: Don't let them kill her.

Claire did not answer.

He looked at the woman holding the child, then at Fernando talking to Karl in the distance, and then at the silent townspeople around the platform.

He shook his head.

Claire: Now is not the time.

The chains tightened. The woman's body was pulled towards the pillar. The child's cries echoed across the square.

Claire closed her eyes.

He heard it clearly, but he didn't move.

Chapter 126 Kidnapping the Knight Commander

The woman's body was pulled toward a pillar by iron chains, and the child's cries echoed in the square.

The executioner, expressionless, looped the chain around the iron ring on the pillar and pulled it tight, leaving a deep red welt on the woman's neck.

Her lips were moving, as if she were praying, or as if she were saying her last words to the child in her arms.

The surrounding crowd remained silent; no one stepped forward.

Eleanor's hands gripped the iron bars tightly, her knuckles turning white. Although Claire was now in control of the body, her consciousness had already been clenched on the system screen.

[Eleanor: Didn't you say faith needs to be tested? Now is the time to test it.]

Claire: So you're planning to dump this trouble on me again?

Eleanor: ...You've taken control of my body.

[Claire: So I'll give your body back to you now? You mean you're implying that all the blame can be placed on the Evil Emperor?]

[Eleanor: Yes, I still can't fight the church knights. Now I only need you. I won't scold you anymore...]

Claire remained silent; Eleanor's apology was entirely unnecessary.

He stared at the woman whose neck was bound by an iron chain, at the crying child, at Karl and Fernando talking in the distance, and at the silent townspeople around the square.

It's clear that Knight Commander Fernando has done a pretty good job governing this place.

He was waiting, waiting for an opening.

It wasn't a loophole where Fernando let his guard down, but rather the impending rift between Karl and Fernando.

He glanced at the broken sword, then touched the last thing he kept hidden in his bosom: a Philosopher's Stone.

He'd kept the thing Mel had left at his feet, never using it. But now, he might need it.

Claire: Are you ready?

[Eleanor: What are you preparing?]

Claire: Prepare to be a true apostate.

Eleanor's comments paused for a moment.

Claire put the Philosopher's Stone into her mouth. A cold sensation surged through her again—not burning, not excruciating pain, but a cold, serpentine energy coursing through her body.

As before, the power was suppressed by the holy mark on his chest before it could erode his consciousness. But his power was restored.

It's not at full capacity, but it's sufficient.

Claire flicked her wrist, and the chains rattled.

The executioner had already straightened the woman's body, and another assistant stepped forward with a red-hot branding iron, preparing to mark her face.

This was Fernando's rule: infidels had to be branded before they could be displayed outside the city after death.

The woman's lips were trembling, but she didn't scream; she just held the child tightly.

"Ah."

A dull thud came from inside the prison van.

The church knights were shaken to their core.

With a click, the latch fell off. Claire pushed open the iron gate, jumped off the prison van, and landed on the snow.

"The heretics are running away!" a guard shouted.

Claire walked straight towards the center of the square. Fernando, the Knight Commander, turned to look at them, his brows furrowing slightly. Karl also turned around, his expression changing—he recognized those eyes; they weren't Eleanor's from the cell who had watched him, but the "Eleanor" who had almost snapped his neck.

"Stop her!" Carl shouted.

Two guards rushed forward. Claire dodged a spear thrusting at her, grabbed the shaft with her other hand, and pulled hard, dragging the guard to the ground.

Another guard swung his sword, but Claire kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. He crashed into the iron railing with a dull thud. He didn't stop, continuing towards the platform.

Knight Commander Fernando looked at him, the scar on his face flickering in the firelight. "You're that apostate knight? Eleanor Redgrave?"

Claire did not answer, and the executioner stopped.

The other end of the chain held the woman, who stood beside a pillar, holding her child, looking at Claire with suspicion and uncertainty in her eyes. Claire walked to the platform, stopped, and looked up at Fernando.

"Let her go," he said.

Fernando laughed. "You're a wanted criminal, and you expect me to release him? On what grounds?"

“I know you’re not an enemy of the heretics,” Claire said calmly. “You just want to get rid of those who don’t obey.”

Fernando's smile vanished. "Say that again?"

“I’m saying, you just want to get rid of the disobedient people.”

Fernando was silent for a moment, then slowly drew his two-handed greatsword from his waist. The blade was wide, with fine nicks and dried bloodstains on the edge. "Do you know, the last person to speak like you is still hanging on a stake outside the city."

Claire didn't back down. He raised the broken sword in his hand—rusty, with jagged edges, it looked like a piece of scrap metal in the firelight. "Then you can try."

Fernando did not hesitate.

He raised his sword and slashed down with incredible speed; the massive blade tore through the air with a muffled whistling sound.

Claire didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder and striking the snow, sending up a spray of ice shards.

Fernando was very strong, but his movements were somewhat clumsy—he was used to dealing with civilians who wouldn't fight back, and too much comfort had made him forget how to fight a real opponent.

Claire seized the moment he sheathed his sword and slashed at his wrist with the broken blade. The rusty blade left a white mark on Fernando's bracers, not penetrating the armor, but the impact made Fernando's wrist go numb, and the greatsword almost slipped from his hand.

“You—” Fernando took a step back, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Claire gave him no chance to catch his breath, taking a step forward and thrusting her broken sword straight at his face.

Fernando hurriedly parried, holding his greatsword in front of him to block the broken sword, but was still forced back two steps by the impact.

The guards had already surrounded Claire, their longswords drawn. But no one dared to step forward; they could see that this "Eleanor" wasn't using brute force, but skill.

Every sword strike was essential, and every step was designed to suppress Fernando's rhythm.

"Step back!" Fernando roared, shoving aside the guards and raising his greatsword once more. "I'll take over."

He took a deep breath and charged forward again.

This time his movements were fiercer and faster; he slashed horizontally with his greatsword, aiming straight for Claire's waist.

Claire did not retreat. He crouched down, and with his broken sword, he precisely pierced the gap in the hilt of Fernando's greatsword from bottom to top, wedging the blade in place.

Fernando's movements suddenly froze.

Claire twisted hard, and the greatsword slipped from Fernando's hand, crashing onto the snow with a dull thud.

Fernando was stunned. He looked at his empty hands, then at the red-haired female knight in front of him.

She held a rusty, broken sword in her hand, the tip pressed against his throat.

The guards around were also stunned.

“I am a church knight,” Claire said calmly. “Knight Commander Fernando, please guide me.”