The Fallen Saintess (35)

(City of Galrannor)

(Central Marketplace)

Amidst the chaos and fighting taking place in different parts of the city there was one area that was left relatively untouched.

It was a large open square in the middle of the city where dozens of stalls had been set up.

Next to most stalls were wooden racks where the corpses of monsters were hung. The heavy scent of blood filled the air, but customers did not appear to be bothered.

The central marketplace was treated as a neutral zone by all parties involved in the territorial disputes.

Of course, the merchant organisations that ran the stalls did not completely trust the word of the underworld leaders so mercenaries could be seen patrolling the venue.

The sounds of vendors calling out to potential customers echoed through the square as their loud voices could be easily heard.

"Twenty pounds of Meireko flesh for sale! Two bronze coins for a sample!"

"Did you know that eating the meat of a bear monster makes your muscles expand?! Three gold coins! Only three gold coins!"

"Ridiculous! Don't listen to that liar! The meat of a Squrn will turn your body as hard as iron! Neither sword nor axe will be able to penetrate your flesh!"

"Old Josh stop trying to steal my customers!"

A carriage appeared at the edge of the marketplace driven by four healthy stallions that neighed loudly.

The reins of the carriage were held by a female knight with a lean muscular physique. She leapt off the driver's seat and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

She was a cold beauty with short cropped blonde hair.

The female knight wore the white armour of the Varion Church, and a longsword was attached to her hip.

But what would attract the most attention was her eyes.

They were completely golden and shone with an eerie light.

One vendor turned around and accidentally saw the female knight. His face immediately paled, and he hurriedly began to pack up his stall.

His panicked reactions caused others to curiously look in the same direction and their reactions were not better.

A strange silence fell upon the marketplace as more people saw the paladin walking slowly towards the western side of the marketplace.

The crowd was composed of men and women who lived in the most dangerous area on the continent and yet nothing, but terror filled their hearts.

The female knight who appeared in the marketplace was singlehandedly responsible for starting the war that was ravaging the city.

As for her strength… it was unfathomable.

Some fled immediately while others shrunk into the shadows and tried to avoid making eye contact.

The armed forces patrolling the marketplace tightly held their weapons but only exchanged glances and did not make any aggressive moves.

The braver ones whispered under their breath as Claire walked by, but none dared to say those words to her face.

"The golden monster…."

"Butcher…"

"Hush! Or she'll hear you…"

There was an announcement board in the western section of the marketplace place where a few handfuls of flyers had been hung up.

Claire wandered through the marketplace while maintaining a cold expression on her face.

The golden threads connected to her body squirmed and wriggled as they sensed the presence of sinners.

Don't lose control… don't lose control…

Claire was constantly fighting a battle with the voice that was whispering inside her mind and the addicting feeling of pleasure that it provided.

Elisa had tried to help her control those dark urges by using black magic but as soon as her spell touched Claire's body it would dissolve away into nothingness.

A brief frown flashed across Claire's face as she resisted the urge to swing her sword in the direction of the crowd.

She gritted her teeth and began to count to ten silently.

Finally, the holy knight arrived at the announcement board and found an empty spot near the bottom lefthand corner.

Claire reached into the brown bag attached to her hip and pulled out a piece of parchment paper which she then stuck on the board.

It was a help wanted notice for housekeeping servants and cooks.

The salary was quite generous because the local temple did not lack money.

Father Simon's private treasury room alone had more than enough golden coins to essentially hire an army for several months.

Although Claire knew that her reputation was terrifying…

In this city where most of the residents did not know when their next meal would arrive, there would always be some desperate enough to take her offer.

As for the possibility of the underworld gangs sending spies to monitor her movements… well a simple black magic spell would solve any troubles.

Maybe a proper holy knight would have condemned the use of black magic, but Claire honestly found it fascinating.

It helped that Elisa's crimson eyes were utterly captivating when she muttered strange dark chants.

Claire fixed the piece of paper slightly to make sure that it remained in place and then returned to the carriage.

She gripped the reins tightly and then urged the horses forward.

The carriage left the marketplace, and it was only when it could no longer be seen in the distance did the noises resume.

However, most of the conversations were now about the appearance of the female knight and if this was a sign that she was about to start another night of slaughter.

Several spies sent by the underworld leaders to monitor the marketplace for information walked up to the announcement board and saw the piece of parchment paper.

They were not the only ones and soon rumors of the Varion Church rebuilding their faction spread across the city.

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(Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

(Merean Swamp)

"No! No! This is impossible!" a loud scream echoed through a relatively empty room.

"I foretold it! I foretold it all! The future is mine to control… mine to manipulate… puppets… guided by fate's will…"

"THE ERA OF MANKIND WILL COME TO AN END!"

A dark elf woman thrashed around on the ground convulsing as blood dripped out of her empty eye sockets.

It was a horrifying sight.

Unlike most dark elves, this strange woman's face was covered in wrinkles and her skin was rough.

The attendant elves in the room tried to help her but the soothsayer pushed them away while muttering incomprehensible words.

"The prophecy! The prophecy… THE PROPHECY!" she screeched as she slammed her palm against the ground with so much force that her skin cracked.

An opened envelope was placed on the desk nearby and this was the reason why the soothsayer was in such a state of madness.

It had arrived a few hours earlier and was allegedly from Princess Keya Liadi who was currently hiding amongst the humans.

One of the attendant dark elves ran out of the room to alert the queen about the prophet's strange state.

The other glanced at the letter that was inside the envelope but turned her attention back to the soothsayer.

She carefully wrapped her arms around the elderly dark elf and used force to suppress her self-harming movements.

Hopefully the queen would be able to understand why this was happening…