The Fallen Saintess (25)

The city was far more complicated to navigate than Claire initially anticipated.

The streets were long and winding with numerous side alleyways and dead ends. It more resembled a labyrinth than a proper road network.

Sewage and filth were scattered around the place and the dirty residents stared at the carriage with hungry expressions on their faces.

Fortunately, Claire's cold aura and the trace of killing intent that was leaking out of her body kept the scavengers away.

Elisa by some miracle was still sleeping in the carriage and Claire did not want to wake up the former saintess.

Eventually they arrived at a large open square where dozens of stalls had been set up.

The vendors in this marketplace only sold one kind of product but there were many customers eager to buy.

Next to most stalls was a rack where the corpses of monsters were hung.

Blood still dripped off some of the bodies and a stench of death hovered over the entire marketplace.

Vendors puffed their chests and loudly called out to the customers milling around the square hoping to attract their attention.

"Flesh of a Meiruka bird! Only three silver coins!"

"The fresh corpse of a Lrien beast! It managed to kill three mercenaries before it was finally slain!"

"Three bronze coins for a slice of meat! The first batch is free!"

Monster meat was high in proteins and fat.

There were even rumors that eating this meat would cause one to gain the strength of the beasts themselves.

Most dismissed these rumors as falsehoods but there were records in the Varion Church's library of some rare exceptions.

However, it was unlikely that any meat in this marketplace belonged to a disaster class monster.

Claire furrowed her brows as she saw one customer buy a piece of meat only to be immediately stabbed in the back.

The vendor who just sold him the meat continued to smile and began talking to another customer as if nothing had happened.

It appeared as though one needed both financial strength and the ability to take their product away from the square.

Once again Claire was reminded of just how brutal this city was.

The lack of law and order created an atmosphere of violence and savagery.

"Excuse me boss… can I interest you in visiting my stall?" a nasally voice called out.

An elderly man with a greedy smile on his face approached the carriage while rubbing his two hands together.

Compared to most of the residents, this man was obviously well fed as his belly was clearly visible through his clothes.

He wore a plain white shirt and a pair of black pants that loosely hung below his belt.

Claire reached into the bag placed on the floor of the driver's seat and rummaged around for three silver coins.

She picked up the coins and with one smooth motion threw them over to the elderly man.

He quickly snatched the coins out of midair and placed them in his pocket with a swiftness not usually seen in a man his age.

"Tell me how to get to the church," Claire coldly spoke.

The elderly man froze for a moment and Claire could see a hint of disgust surface in his eyes.

He seemed conflicted on whether or not to answer Claire's question but eventually he looked at the coins in his palm and sighed.

"Go down that road for around seven hundred meters and then turn left twice at the intersections," the merchant explained in a low tone.

"Knock on the door three times and the password for the newest batch of products is 'Sunset'."

Products? Newest batch of products?

Was the Varion Church selling something to raise funds?

It was not unheard of especially in areas where the donations were lacking.

But there was something about the merchant's attitude that instantly raised Claire's suspicions.

Why would a password be needed?

Claire wanted to question the merchant about this, but he had long disappeared into the crowd milling around the open square.

This city was getting more mysterious by the moment and Claire was suddenly struck by the urge to just pack up and leave.

Maybe it was her instinct, but she could somehow tell that what was waiting for them at the local temple would not be pleasant.

Still… a knight could not abandon their duties so with a heavy heart Claire gripped the reins of the carriage and set off in the direction of the church.

The merchant pointed to the direction of the inner region of the city and as Claire drove the carriage further inside…

The gap between the rich and the poor was clearly visible.

Houses and buildings were no longer made from shoddy materials but had evidentially been properly constructed by architects.

The streets were noticeably cleaner, and the scent of sewage could not longer be detected.

Armoured soldiers patrolled the streets and maintained order.

Any dirty resident who attempted to enter the inner region was chased away.

This region belonged to the major crime families that controlled the city's dark underground. The fact that the local church was built here was not good news.

"Okay so two left turns…" Claire whispered to herself as she nodded at the soldier staring at the carriage.

"Where are we?" Elisa asked sleepily.

The former saintess poked her head out of the carriage window and stared at Claire.

Claire tugged on the reins and the horses stopped moving. Elisa opened the carriage door and went outside.

She approached the driver's seat and Claire held out her hand subconsciously to help her up.

Elisa smiled warmly and placed her palm inside Claire's firm grip.

She sat down next to Claire and quietly looked at the soldiers wearing different uniforms who were walking around the street.

"Stay next to me at all times. This city is quite the dangerous place," Claire warned as she pulled on the reins to get the horses to resume moving.

Elisa hummed softly in acknowledgment and then rested her head on Claire's shoulders. There was a comfortable silence between the pair as they travelled through the city.

It took around ten minutes before a two-story building came into view. This building was located near the end of a street and had no other houses nearby.

Its walls and roof were painted completely white, and a large statue of a golden sun had been placed in front of the building.

There was a small plot of land behind the church and Claire could see vegetable fields and a livestock pen.

As the carriage neared the church, the sounds of screams and cries could be heard coming from inside the building.

Claire urged the horses to move faster and hurriedly rushed towards the entrance. Elisa could also tell that something was wrong as her eyes briefly flashed crimson.

"Remember to stay close to me," Claire ordered firmly as she unsheathed her longsword and leapt off the driver's seat.

The words of the merchant echoed through her mind and Claire knew that what lay inside the church probably had something to do with the products that he mentioned.

Elisa nodded and followed closely behind as the paladin walked towards the door and heavily knocked thrice.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Sunset," Claire loudly called out to whoever was behind the door.

She tightened the grip on her sword as a warm glow of holy light enveloped her blade.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the other side of the door as someone approached.

The door swung open and a beautiful woman in her late twenties with long blonde hair and cold green eyes appeared.

She wore the usual attire of a nun, but her clothes were made from imported silk.

Heavy gold chains hung around her neck and the diamond earrings in her ears gleamed under the afternoon light.

"My apologies but we have an important client currently inspecting the children," the nun lazily spoke.

"Please come tomorrow and I can reserve some nice young boys… or girls for you to have fun with..."

The nun's words trailed off as Claire's sword was at her throat before she even had the time to react.