They are all characters I control.

Seeing the holy light emanating from Claire, the church knights immediately realized what was happening and began to unleash their own holy magic. Those church knights who didn't know holy magic were able to follow the light and keep up with the group in the black smoke.

However, some heretics were not afraid of the black smoke.

"Oh dear, how thoughtful of you. Are you worried I won't be able to catch you?" The Scarlet Witch appeared.

She gently stroked the armor on the back of the church knight with her slender hand, and the church knight turned around and swung his sword to attack.

The Scarlet Witch easily dodged to the side, her slender waist twisting into an incredible arc as if it had no bones.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just saying hello."

The knight wanted to give chase, but his steps froze as soon as he took them.

Dark red veins spread rapidly across his face like a spiderweb, from his neck to his cheeks, and from his cheeks to his forehead. The blood vessels beneath his skin bulged out, their color a deep black, as if soaked in ink.

"I...I..." His voice was hoarse, and his lips were purple.

Then he knelt down, panting heavily, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Damn it! What's wrong!" The knight next to him tried to help him up.

"Don't touch him!" Claire warned.

But it was too late.

The knight who went to help the person also had the same dark red blood vessels appearing on his hands.

“This is…” He looked at his hand in horror.

“Poison.” Claire said, having anticipated this. “The poisonous mist on her body wasn’t spread through breathing, but through contact. Her skin, hair, and clothes were all poisoned.”

Previously, the Scarlet Witch's corpse exploded, creating a poisonous mist that afflicted Knight Will.

It goes without saying how much poison is in the Scarlet Witch's body.

The Scarlet Witch laughed, her laughter shaking with mirth, as she gazed at Eleanor, who was among the church knights.

"Intelligent. No wonder Mel chose him."

She raised her hand, her fingertips tracing a dark red line in the air.

"My 'blood kiss' isn't so easy to dodge."

Claire ignored her.

He turned around and continued running eastward.

"Everyone, don't touch her! Don't come near her! Use swords, shields, anything to block her!"

Upon hearing this, the church knights raised their shields and hid behind them.

The knights infected by the poison were supported by their companions and staggered along behind the group.

The Scarlet Witch watched them retreat with a smile, like a cat watching a mouse run into a dead end, while the dark red poisonous mist in front of her spread faster and faster.

Clearly, one cannot outrun the poisonous fog on foot alone; it is all just a desperate struggle.

The heretics stopped attacking at this point; they were clearly unable to resist the Scarlet Witch's poisonous fog and were now making way, watching the church knights waste their energy in vain.

Faced with the current situation, Claire pondered whether or not to use the Philosopher's Stone.

"Look over there! Those people over there!" Mel suddenly patted Claire hard.

"What? Someone's here..."

Claire turned her head and looked in the direction Mel was pointing; she saw a woman.

She stood some distance away, dressed in a drab, coarse cloth outfit, head down, carrying a basket as she backed away in the crowd.

He appears to be just a resident of a small town, far from the battlefield.

But Claire noticed that there were dark red lines on the back of her hand that were glowing.

The patterns were faint, but the magical aura emanating from them was particularly glaring to Claire.

That's the medium.

The Scarlet Witch's next "molting" medium.

Claire's pupils contracted sharply.

He suddenly raised his hand, summoning electric arc tentacles that rushed towards the woman.

"You—!" The woman sensed something was wrong and looked up at him.

His face was filled with terror.

"Ah, ahhhhh what is this...?"

Claire's electric tentacles had already wrapped around her.

The woman's body stiffened abruptly, and the dark red lines on the back of her hand flickered violently before going out.

Her body began to crack and swell, with dark red smoke billowing out from the cracks.

However, because the "molting" did not take place, the smoke merely diffused in vain and did not coalesce into the human form of Scarlet Witch Dorothy; it quickly dissipated into the air.

The woman collapsed.

It turned into a withered, lifeless corpse.

"you--!"

The Scarlet Witch's voice came from behind, tinged with annoyance.

She burst out of the black smoke, her bare feet touching the cold ground, her dark red hair flying in the wind.

Even though she was furious, Scarlet Witch Dorothy stopped in her tracks. She didn't know how this church knight knew about her molting rune.

Chapter 139 The Holy Mother is Prone to an Early Death

Killing one of Dorothy's molted dolls successfully made Dorothy cautiously refrain from pursuing them.

At this moment, Scarlet Witch must have been very confused, wondering why 'Eleanor' was able to find her molted doll.

So how many of her own secrets does this female knight of the church know?

However, the Scarlet Witch's hesitation to act is only temporary, and she won't stop for long.

Claire and the church knight continued their charge toward the location Mel had mentioned without the slightest slackening.

Sure enough, in this direction far from the city gate entrance, they saw a dark-looking mine.

"A mine shaft! It's a mine shaft!"

"There really is a mine! We're saved!"

"Don't let your guard down! This town has been completely taken over by infidels, so stay alert!"

"Release holy magic, but don't all of you do it. Just one person should do it to avoid being chased again."

"Maintain formation! Watch out behind and above!"

"..."

The church knights had mostly learned their lesson, and at this moment they all cautiously entered the mine.

Claire remained among the church knights, who by this time regarded him as their leader.

Knight Commander Will, who was injured and poisoned to the point that he could barely hold his sword, had no objection to this.

They wouldn't have been able to get here without 'Eleanor,' even though this 'Eleanor' seems to know some magic that even the church knights don't have.

At this point, they also chose to turn a blind eye.

Regardless, the most pressing concern for the church knights right now is getting out alive, at least to get Commander Will out.

The group continued onward, the somewhat disheveled church knights cautiously exploring the mine tunnels in the gloomy mine.

Mel lay on Claire's back, her head pressed against the cold 'Eleanor's' neck, looking at the darkness around her and whispering.

"What's your plan? What are you thinking? You must have something else in mind, right?"

Her voice was very certain; Mel absolutely did not believe that this cold-hearted 'Eleanor' would do nothing.

You have to understand that since Scarlet Witch Dorothy was able to use this town as her base...

Then she shouldn't have been unaware of the mine. She would have made prior arrangements or laid an ambush outside the mine. Based on Mel's understanding of Dorothy, she would definitely have done that.

That's why Mel didn't dare let this cunning woman know that she was in this completely unguarded state.

Mel couldn't believe that this cold-blooded 'Eleanor' wouldn't have thought of something that even she herself had considered.

The Scarlet Witch should be recovering from the shock of the molting doll's death by now, yet there's still no sign of her coming after them, which is clearly suspicious.

With so many obvious signs, the cold-blooded 'Eleanor' shouldn't have ignored them; she must have some kind of plan.

Moreover, knowing full well that Knight Commander Will was Scarlet Witch Dorothy's target, she still went out of her way to rescue him and take him with her.

There's something fishy going on here. There's definitely something fishy going on here.

Mel would never believe that the cold-hearted 'Eleanor' in front of her could actually be so kind.

"What's the rush? You'll find out soon enough." Claire didn't bother explaining to Mel.

Although the two are partners, they are not teammates.

Even if Mel has been quite useful, that doesn't mean she can be trusted.

In fact, selling her would be the best option.

“…Hmph.” Mel wasn’t annoyed by his words.

She already knew what kind of person this cold-hearted 'Eleanor' was, but she still hugged the cold-hearted 'Eleanor's' neck even tighter.

Claire and the church knights continued their journey through the mine, an eerie calm prevailing along the way.

After walking about half a mile, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.

"Someone's there!" the knight in front shouted.

Claire pushed her way to the front and raised the [orb of light].

Ahead of the mine tunnel, a spacious branch tunnel appeared.

At the entrance to the side tunnel, there was a locked iron fence, and behind the fence, inside the mine shaft, were a dozen or so people.

The other party appeared to be a heretic, but upon closer inspection with holy magic, it was discovered that they were not.

They were the townspeople who had been captured.

They were dressed in tattered clothes, their hands and feet were chained, their faces were emaciated, and their eyes were empty. Shackles hung on the walls, and moldy hay and empty bowls were scattered on the ground.

Upon seeing Claire and her group, the prisoners were initially taken aback, and then—

Then, their empty eyes changed.

It wasn't a surprise, nor was it a plea for help.

It is fear.

It's the kind of fear that comes from being locked in the dark for too long, to the point where you can no longer distinguish between friend and foe.

"No...don't come any closer..." A woman huddled in a corner, her voice hoarse.

"Please...don't..."

"Give us some food! Please give us some food!"

"I'm starving! I haven't eaten in ages!"

"Kill us if you want! Don't keep us locked up here any longer!"

"Where is that wicked woman?! Where is she?!"

The people in front of them did not appear to be heretics, but rather residents of the town, who were being held captive in this mine.

No one knows how long they have been detained here.

When they saw the church knights, perhaps it was because their armor was stained with blood, or perhaps they were startled by the sudden illumination from the holy magic light after being in darkness for so long.

In any case, none of the residents recognized the identity of the church knights.

Faced with the town's residents' fear, the church knights stepped forward to comfort them.

"Don't be afraid, we are church knights, we are knights of the Goddess Church, and we have come to save you."