(Five Years Later…)
(Eastern Province- Unnamed Forest)
Night had fallen and the forest seemed to be alive with the sounds of buzzing and hissing coming from the insects that scurried across the ground.
A team of thirty private mercenary soldiers were currently escorting a carriage to an unknown location.
The carriage was heavily armored with reinforced steel plates placed around its exterior and the only entrance had been bolted across.
The leader of the group was a man named Lucian Kano.
He was a forty-year-old former adventurer who had been entrusted with an important mission.
Inside the carriage were the remaining dark elf slaves in Duchess Fraser's possession.
The duchess wanted her foreign race slaves transferred to her country estate located in the outskirts of the capitol city.
As for the reason behind this sudden transfer…
Swish!
An arrow penetrated the head of one of the men at the back of the group. His lifeless body slid off the saddle of his horse and crashed to the ground motionless.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
More arrows were fired out from the darkness, and each accurately targeted the vital points of the mercenary troops.
"Men we're under attack!" Captain Kano shouted loudly as he hurriedly gestured for his men to take out their weapons.
He growled in rage as he saw more of his men die around him.
The captain saw dozens of crimson eyes staring at him from behind the nearby trees.
Captain Kano slammed his knees against the sides of his horse and signalled to his steed to increase its pace.
"You dark elf bastards… I'll kill you…I'LL KILL YOU…ARGGH!" the captain's words trailed off as a beam of golden light slammed into his throat.
The attack had been too quick for anyone to react and even the surviving members of his troop did not know how their leader suddenly died.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
More arrows flew out from the darkness and one by one the mercenaries fell off their horses and died in agony.
A masked figure jumped down from the treetops and stared at the last two members of the mercenary group.
The mysterious figure had golden eyes that shone with purity and righteousness.
Two translucent golden wings sprouted from her back and in her hand was a longsword that was surrounded by floating holy runes.
"The angel… the angel of death!" one of the men screamed in fear.
The masked figure vanished from the spot and reappeared behind to the surviving men.
She killed both of them with a casual swing of her blade before heading for the locked carriage.
Claire approached the bolted door and used one hand to easily tear apart the reinforced steel as if it were butter.
She ripped the door from its hinges and the interior of the carriage came into view.
Seven trembling dark elves stared at her in terror before the one in the back vaguely recognised her appearance.
"Saviour?" the dark elf tentatively asked in a quiet voice.
He was an older dark elf who was missing an arm and an eye. He was also afraid, but one could hear the hope in his voice.
Claire turned around and did not answer his question. She gestured towards the dark elves hidden in the forest and they slowly approached.
"Take care of the wounded," Claire coldly ordered.
Despite being given a command by a human, there was nothing but respect in the eyes of the dark elf warriors as they bowed politely.
Claire left the scene as the dark elves entered the carriage and began to take care of their previously enslaved brethren.
The female knight adjusted her mask and stared upwards at the bright moon whose light dimly shone down on the forest.
Five years…
It was a period of time that was neither long nor short.
Much had changed over those five years and Claire was now a slightly different person.
The influence of the original Claire's memories had faded somewhat but she was still determined to become a paladin worthy of serving the Lord of Light.
At least in her own way.
Perhaps the Lord of Light sensed her sincerity since Claire's strength had only gotten stronger as she fought and killed more sinners.
Those who engaged in the slave trade were not kind people and it was rare for Claire to stumble across someone who was not connected to thousands of golden threads surrounding her body.
Claire took out a well-worn rag out of her pocket and wiped the blood and fleshy chunks of meat that were still sticking to her blade.
She stroked the edge of her longsword, and the sharpened steel did not even penetrate an inch of her exposed skin.
Claire walked slowly and admired the calm and peaceful atmosphere inside the forest.
She eventually reached a campsite where a slender figure was waiting patiently in front of a large tent.
"I'm back," Claire gently whispered as she removed her mask.
A dark elf girl looked at her with a sweet smile before rushing forward and jumping into her arms.
"Did you get injured?" Elisa softly spoke as she touched Claire's forehead with a loving expression.
A beam of holy light erupted from her fingertips and entered Claire's body.
The female knight felt a rush of warmth and could not resist leaning forward and mercilessly pressing her lips against her lover's.
Mwah!
Claire broke the kiss and smiled when she saw the tips of Elisa's pointed ears that were now turning red.
Elisa grabbed Claire's hand and guided the female knight over to a log in front of the fire that was crackling loudly in the middle of the campsite.
The pair sat down on the log and Elisa stared off into the distance with a nostalgia look on her face.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe that we accomplished so much," Elisa confessed as she played with Claire's fingers.
"Most of the slave trade organisations have been destroyed or forced to hide away like the rats they are."
"And the nobles who own my people… only the ones in the capitol have yet to be punished."
"They will be. I promised you five years ago to help you free your people and I intend to fulfil my oath," Claire swore lovingly as she kissed Elisa's cheek.
"The headquarters of the Varion church is in the capital city… I… I just think that it might be too risky," Elisa stuttered as she spoke.
The dark elf princess knew that there were still some of her people trapped within the city, but she selfishly didn't want to expose her lover to danger.
"Don't worry. My vow to Lord Varion was to protect you for the rest of your life… I have no intention of rushing towards death," Claire reassured her in a gentle tone.
"Do you remember my suspicion a few months ago that there was a group helping us in our mission?"
"Well… it turns out that the leader of the group wants us to meet them soon."
"Is it a trap? Can we trust them?" Elisa suspiciously asked.
Claire wrapped her arms around the former saintess and pulled her into a warm embrace.
Feeling the soft body of her girlfriend press against her caused the golden threads surrounding Claire's body to temporarily calm down.
A cold ruthless voice entered her mind just as Claire was about to open her mouth to answer her girlfriend's questions.
[Did the dark elf princess agree for us to meet?]
[This plan can only succeed if we both gather our forces and launch an all-out assault on the upper nobility.]
[I have kept my end of the bargain and got the inquisitor faction to turn a blind eye to your actions.]
Claire ignored the familiar sounding voice and turned to Elisa to explain,
"The leader of the group…"
"Is an unpleasant snake."