They are all characters I control.

“Let’s go together.” After some thought, Will finally made his decision, his voice leaving no room for doubt: “We’ll change our route, escort these villagers to Grayrock Town first, and then return to the Knights.”

"Karl, replan the route and choose a relatively open area that is not easy to ambush."

"Attention all personnel, be on high alert, and report any unusual activity immediately."

"Yes, Captain!" the knights replied in unison, but many of them sighed inwardly.

Taking a detour means a longer journey, more risks, and a later return to the relatively safe fortress.

But the order had been given, and no one questioned it.

Moreover, they were church knights, and they couldn't just ignore people in need.

"Thank you, Sir Knight! Thank you so much!" The old farmer and villagers were moved to tears and thanked him repeatedly.

Several children also timidly raised their heads, looking at these majestic knights with hopeful eyes.

The group was rearranged, with several knights dismounting and giving their spare horses to the wounded and the weakest woman, while the others were arranged to walk in the middle of the group.

"By the way, do you know this child?" Eleanor suddenly brought Mel over and asked the farmers in front of her.

"do not know."

"This isn't from our village."

"..."

Seeing the villagers shaking their heads, Eleanor had no choice but to put Mel back on the horse.

Mel looked up and met the gaze of Knight Commander Will, who smiled slightly at her and then looked away.

Watching Knight Commander Will's retreating figure, Mel's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Aside from another 'Eleanor', the second person she would feel threatened by was Knight Commander Will.

This knight commander was already renowned and could have been promoted to bishop long ago, but he refused the promotion and insisted on serving as a church knight on the front lines.

His name carried immense weight in the icy plains of the North, in the shadowy gatherings of heretics, and even in the secret conversations of some of the kingdom's high-ranking officials.

They relied not on bloodline or background, but on pure fighting ability.

The reason why the Church of Life is now hiding in these small villages is largely due to Knight Commander Will, who has destroyed no fewer than ten heretical groups and killed hundreds of heretics.

It could be said that it was precisely because of Knight Commander Will that these heretics were unable to boldly show themselves.

If he has any weakness, it's that he cares too much about his subordinates.

Chapter 130 The real goal is

As dusk approached, Karl, who was leading the way, reined in his horse and looked toward the small town that appeared in the distance.

"Captain, Gray Rock Town is just ahead."

Will rode forward, squinting as he looked into the distance.

The town of Gray Rock is situated in a relatively flat valley, surrounded by low hills, and enclosed by a wall made of grayish-white rocks.

The city wall wasn't high, about two people high, but in a place like the North, it was considered a pretty good defensive fortification.

At the entrance to the town stands a stone archway with a faded flag hanging above it. The image on the flag is faintly visible: a hammer and a pickaxe crossed, with a piece of ore below.

That's the emblem of Graystone Town, symbolizing the iron ore that's abundant there.

Sentinels could be seen on the city wall, but there were only a few scattered around.

Smoke billowed from the chimney, and the faint aroma of food wafted through the air.

At first glance, it appears to be a peaceful and tranquil town in the North.

The other church knights looked excited and relaxed, after all, everyone was tense because Eleanor and the unknown force had destroyed the heretic stronghold.

On the way, they encountered other villagers fleeing from disaster, adding to their burden and forcing them to take a longer route.

All of these factors combined caused the church knights great distress and confusion.

Although you can rest along the way, the problem is that resting in the wild is meaningless. There are no city walls or warm beds, and you have to worry about attacks by infidels.

This suffering wasn't just a day or two ago; it had been ongoing day and night ever since they started searching for Eleanor and the others a few days ago.

Now that there's a town, the knights of the Church of Nature yearn to have a glass of fine wine, some hot soup, a bath, and a good night's sleep.

Eleanor was in the same boat. Although she had rested for a while in the cabin, she was in no mood to rest after not being able to confirm her safety and after the squad had been attacked.

Looking at the town not far away, Eleanor held Mel in her arms and was very happy.

However, Sir Will's expression was not so relaxed.

As they approached the town, Knight Commander Will indeed noticed a few things that seemed amiss.

First, the city gates were tightly closed.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and logically speaking, a small town like this wouldn't close its gates so early.

Moreover, although the sentries on the city wall were standing, their postures were stiff, as if they were on guard duty or watching them.

Second, there was blood on the city wall.

There weren't many, just a few dark red spots, mostly covered by snow, but still discernible upon closer inspection. They weren't fresh, but they weren't too old either.

Third, it's too quiet.

Although you can see smoke rising from chimneys, you can't hear the sounds that a town should have.

There were no barking dogs, no hawking vendors, no children playing. The whole town seemed to have been silenced, its quietness unsettling.

"Captain, something's not right." Even Karl sensed something was wrong; his hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

Will did not answer, his gaze sweeping over the sentries on the city wall.

The sentries seemed to have noticed them too; one of them shouted into the town before retreating.

"Captain, do you think we should retreat? Or be on guard?" Karl asked nervously upon seeing this.

"No need, the door will open soon."

Knight Commander Will raised his hand and said calmly.

Not long after, the city gate opened a crack from the inside.

A round, chubby figure squeezed out from the crack in the door.

He was a man in his forties, obese, wearing an overly ornate fur coat with gold trim on the collar and cuffs, and a thick gold chain around his neck.

His face was as round as an over-fermented dough, his eyes were squeezed into slits by the fat on his face, and an overly enthusiastic smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

Behind him were two tall, thin attendants, dressed fairly decently, but with pale faces and somewhat frightening eyes.

"Oh my! It's the Church Knight! Welcome, welcome!" The fat man opened his arms wide, like a mother hen ready to hug her, and strode towards Will, who was leading the group.

"I am the mayor of Grayrock Town, everyone calls me Old Bart. Sir Knight, what brings you here..."

His gaze swept over the group behind Will, and when he saw the ragged "survivors," his smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.

“Oh, my God! These poor people…” Old Bart’s voice became exaggerated.

"Has something unfortunate happened? Please rest assured, Knight. Although Grayrock Town is not large, it has the capacity to take in a few refugees! Please come in, please come in!"

Will did not respond immediately, his gaze shifting back and forth between the mayor and the two attendants behind him.

“Mayor, we’re just passing through,” Will said calmly. “These villagers’ village has been attacked, and we need to relocate them to a safe place. Has anything unusual happened near Grayrock Town recently?”

"Something's wrong?" Old Bart blinked his slit eyes. "No, nothing! Grayrock Town has always been peaceful! Although the North has been a bit turbulent lately, we have city walls and militia here, it's perfectly safe! Don't worry, Sir Knight!"

As he spoke, he stepped aside and made a "please" gesture.

"Please come in, everyone! It's getting dark and cold outside. Come in and have some hot soup to warm yourselves up!"

Will glanced at Carl, who blinked, clearly wanting to enter the town.

The same was true for the other church knights.

He glanced at Eleanor again.

Eleanor frowned as she looked at the mayor, but she was also concerned about Mel, who hadn't had a good rest.

"Go in," Knight Commander Will decided.

The church knights breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged smiles, and rode their horses through the city gate one after another.

The street was wider than I had imagined, and the houses on both sides were mostly stone and wood structures that looked very sturdy. But there were hardly any pedestrians on the street, and occasionally a few figures would flash behind a window and then quickly disappear.

The shops were all open, but there were no customers inside. The shelves were filled with goods, covered in a thin layer of dust.

The air was filled with the aroma of food, as if someone was deliberately cooking a lot of food.

"This way, Sir Knight!" Old Bart led the way, his obese body struggling to keep up with the church knights' horses on the street.

He was panting heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and continued to flatter, "I've already had someone prepare hot soup and food. We can rest in town tonight and leave tomorrow!"

Will didn't answer, his gaze sweeping around the town's streets.

Just then—

"boom!"

A window was suddenly pushed open, and a woman's hand reached out from inside, her voice calling out, "Run! They're not—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

It was as if someone had covered his mouth.

Claire's pupils contracted sharply.

Will's hand was already on the hilt of the sword.

Old Bart turned around, his smile unchanged, but his eyes, which were slits in the water, opened.

Those were a pair of cloudy eyes that gleamed with a dark red light.

"Sir Knight, don't be alarmed." Old Bart's voice remained kind and gentle. "She's just a madwoman. There are plenty of madwomen in the North, you know that."

“Really?” Will’s voice was calm. “Then what did she mean when she said ‘they aren’t’? What doesn’t she mean?”

Old Bart's smile froze for a moment.

At that very moment—

"Whoosh!"

An arrow shot from the rooftops beside the street, aimed straight for Will's throat!

Chapter 131 Scarlet Witch

The arrow pierced the air, aiming straight for Will's throat!

Will didn't even draw his sword.

He merely tilted his head slightly, and the arrow grazed past his ear, embedding itself in the doorframe of a wooden hut behind him, its tail feathers trembling violently.

"Enemy attack!"

Karl drew his sword and shouted, his voice booming through the silent street.

Before he finished speaking, a second, third, and fourth arrow shot out simultaneously from the rooftops, windows, and door cracks on both sides of the street!

Arrows rained down.

"Form ranks! Raise shields!" Will's voice was as steady as iron, without the slightest hesitation.

The knights in the front row immediately took the shields hanging from their steeds, forming an iron barrier around the perimeter of the formation.

Arrows clattered against the shields, some piercing through the gaps and wounding the horses, which neighed, but the knights held firm, preventing their formation from crumbling.

However, at that moment, groups of crazed infidels poured out from every corner of the street.

These heretics, armed with rudimentary weapons, charged blindly, but their numbers were overwhelming. Even without much combat ability, their sheer numbers were enough to wear down the church knights.

"Archers in the rear, fire freely!" As Knight Commander Will gave the order, he finally drew his longsword from his waist.

The moment the sword was drawn, a pale golden holy light flowed across the blade.

He charged forward on his horse, becoming the first to break into the enemy hordes pouring out from both sides of the street.

"For the Goddess!" Will swept his longsword horizontally, and holy light exploded on the blade. The three heretics who charged at the front fell to the ground, their wounds emitting blue smoke as if they had been burned.