(Outer Regions- Unnamed Forest)
Claire leaned back against a nearby tree and looked up at the sky.
A crescent moon glowed softly amidst the darkness and was accompanied by hundreds of stars that blinked in and out of existence.
The constellations in the night sky were both familiar and strange.
The multiverse was comprised of countless or perhaps infinite worlds each existing in their own separate universe.
It really made Claire feel like a speck of dust in the grand cosmic scheme of eternity.
The crackling of the fire could be heard in the background along with the sounds of the wolfish monsters feasting on the corpse of the beast that Claire had killed.
The holy knight held the letter in her right palm and continued to look at the sky with a confused expression.
To say that the contents of the letter were shocking would be an understatement.
The writer of the letter mentioned a prophecy, demons and made a request for her to kill Elisa.
However, Claire did not fully believe what was written down on the parchment paper and held a healthy dose of skepticism towards its contents.
Firstly, she had no way of knowing whether the author of the letter was the real queen or someone impersonating her.
The dark elf who dropped off the letter did not bring anything to prove his royal connection or show his legitimacy.
And even if the letter was written by the queen herself…
Claire did not know anything about her character.
If Claire's trust in Elisa could be shaken by a letter written by someone whom she had never met, then they would have parted ways months ago.
But still… the mention of demons and portals to hell…
In the original Claire's memories, that was the cause of her death and perhaps it was also the reason behind the destruction of the continent.
A portal opened up in the middle of the small village where the original Claire was staying, and the former paladin died under the siege of lesser demons.
"Fuck… what do I…" Claire softly cursed as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.
Claire let out a heavy sigh and not for the first time she cursed the unknown 'system' that never showed up.
Would it be that difficult to at least give her some hints about what to do and how to accomplish her task?
Was every world going to require her to find out everything on her own?
Claire was briefly struck by a sense of doom and hopelessness as she suddenly realised why the 'system' said that this department was essentially hell-mode.
No cheats. No gold fingers. No store to buy items.
Claire picked up a rock near her foot and threw it aimlessly in a random direction.
It landed on the ground with a dull thump and briefly attracted the attention of the wolfish monster still gorging on the corpse.
Well… feeling sorry for herself would get her nowhere.
Claire stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily as she gave the matter some more thought.
It was important to take things one step at a time.
Claire rubbed her temples and tried to organise the information that she knew so far.
This included the original Claire's memories as well as her own experiences since arriving in this strange world.
The holy knight sat motionless at the base of the tree for around fifteen minutes as she carefully considered what to do next.
Every option was considered from trying to track down the mysterious dark elf who dropped off the letter to directly confronting Elisa about the matter.
In the end, Claire finally decided to go for the latter option.
It was the most direct and straightforward method.
The writer of the letter probably assumed that she would never mention the matter to Elisa due to the sensitive nature of the contents written inside.
Then even if the contents were false, a crack would slowly begin to form in their relationship that would not be easy to repair.
Claire felt an odd sense of peace as she came to her decision.
There was a small part of her that was nervous to hear Elisa's answer but there was nothing she could do except wait and see what happened.
Besides the contents of the letter were most likely untrue since Saintess Marie was obviously the villainess.
One of the wolfish monsters wandered over with slow, purposeful steps. Its teeth gleamed under the light of the fire, and it crouched down and prepared to attack.
Slash!
A beam of holy light erupted from the tip of Claire's blade and neatly bisected the monster in half.
The other members of the pack who were watching the show quickly fled into the darkness as their companion was instantly killed.
Claire's eyes began to itch as the metallic scent of blood drifted into her nostrils.
The holy knight moved her hand away from her longsword and took a few deep breaths.
"Ten… nine… eight…" Claire counted softly as she continued to inhale and exhale. Her excited mood gradually calmed down and she could think clearly once more.
Maybe it was time to get some rest…
It had been a long day and truthfully Claire was now beginning to feel a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once.
She walked over to the campfire and doused the flames using the water that she had collected and stored in a small bag.
The forest instantly darkened, and the only source of light came from the moon that hung in the night sky.
Claire tidied up her belongings and headed for a sturdy tree on the opposite site of her temporary resting place.
She climbed up the tree with familiar movements and stopped on a particularly heavy branch that was midway up the tree.
Claire settled down on the branch and closed her eyes.
The senses of a tier one knight were so sharp that any incoming danger would immediately awaken her, so Claire did not feel too worried about sleeping.
Tomorrow she would begin her journey back to the city of Galrannor and hopefully arrive sometime in the afternoon.