Things about the female knight in black stockings

If we search this place carefully, we should be able to find something.

"it is good."

Tia had no objection.

So the two continued their search, meticulously examining the necromancer's testing ground deep within the abandoned mine. They not only left no stone unturned, but also thoroughly searched unseen areas and places where hidden doors and passages might be concealed.

This method of searching was naturally very slow. It took Valensa and Tia almost a whole day to complete the search. They even used teleportation magic to return to Mosantina City for a meal along the way.

But perseverance pays off; it was this extremely meticulous search that led Valensa and Tia to make new discoveries in Savart Langdon's workshop.

It was a hidden compartment behind an experimental table, containing several metal bottles that appeared to be rare and prohibited materials used by the Necromancer Research Society. Tia didn't pay any attention to them at first.

However, Valensa's intuition about food, stemming from her evil god bloodline, led her to believe that one of the bottles contained something delicious, so she opened it to check.

Sure enough, the contents of the bottle were not the magical materials described on the label, but a palm-sized phantom of a soul.

It was the phantom of a young woman's soul. Judging from her clothing, she was probably a combatant from the Sage's Tower, but she was extremely weak and had been in a deep sleep. She could barely maintain her existence and was completely unable to communicate.

Valensa resisted the instinctive urge to pop the phantom soul into her mouth and put it back into the bottle. Together with Tia, they used teleportation to return to Mosantina.

In the Church of the Sun in Mosantina, Valensa first asked the high priest to use a healing spell to treat the phantom soul. Then, she retrieved a bone bowl from the church's storeroom, which had the effect of nurturing souls, and transferred the phantom soul into the bowl.

The healing power of divine magic is always trustworthy. The soul phantom, which was so weak that it wouldn't be surprising if it dissipated at any moment, regained consciousness and was able to communicate after just one night.

"A...a paladin?"

Upon seeing Valensa, the phantom soul was first stunned, then overjoyed:

"Waaaaah... Thank goodness, I think I'm saved now... I was so scared, I almost got killed by that damn bitch Lily... Waaaaah, I was so scared."

"Don't worry, everything is fine now. This place is under the protection of Her Majesty the Goddess. No one here can hurt you anymore."

Valensa comforted her softly.

It's obvious that this female ghostly figure is also Lily and Carlos's teammate, but she's clearly a rookie and her emotions are quite unstable. She must have been terrified, because she burst into tears as soon as she regained consciousness.

Fortunately, this is a world where everyone worships the Sun Goddess, and the gentle comfort of a beautiful female paladin is very effective in most situations. The Church of the Sun can also make people feel at ease.

After overcoming the initial fear and anxiety, the phantom finally regained its composure and briefly introduced itself.

Her name is Marako, and she is indeed a member of Carlos's pursuit team. She is also the youngest member of the team and is considered the team's darling.

Seeing that Marako's emotions had stabilized, Valensa first gave a brief account of how she and Tia had encountered Carlos, and then inquired about Marako's experiences.

As a result, Mara started crying again as she listened:

"Waaaaah~~ So everyone's dead after all, I knew it... Waaaaah, it's all my fault for being so useless. I discovered that bitch Lily's betrayal, but I couldn't do anything. I could only watch her kill people, and in the end, I didn't escape it myself..."

"You discovered Lily's betrayal? You were the last one to be killed?"

Valensa immediately grasped the key information in Marako's words. She was delighted, but on the surface, she still maintained a gentle and caring attitude, comforting Marako while continuing to ask questions.

"……Um."

After regaining her composure, Mara sat in the middle of the bone bowl in an adorable duck-like pose and began to recount her experiences:

"My position in our team is rather special... Uh, not only because I'm young, but also because I mainly play a support role and am not good at direct combat."

Most of the spells I know are spells that strengthen allies and weaken enemies. I also know a spell that allows everyone to communicate telepathically in real time, using myself as a conduit... However, this spell consumes a lot of energy and is generally only used in special circumstances.

That day, deep in the mine, after we cleared out the undead creatures, we split into groups to explore the four caves of the necromancer's stronghold.

Since Lily and I... no, I mean that bitch Lily are both girls, we usually pair up in this situation, and this time was no exception.

We had only just begun searching the cave when Lily made an excuse that she had to go to Lord Carlos's place and told me to search by myself first.

I didn't think much of it at the time and agreed. But Lily, that bitch, hadn't come back for a long time, and I was inevitably a little scared being alone in that environment, so I secretly activated the spell that allowed everyone in the team to communicate telepathically, wanting to ask about the situation.

That spell requires me to leave a magical mark on everyone beforehand, so I can not only contact everyone through the magical mark, but also know everyone's current situation... Although the range is limited, it is sufficient in most cases.

But I really didn't expect it! That bitch Lily said she had something to discuss with Lord Carlos, and she actually used such a shameless method to seduce him! And she always acts so cold and aloof in front of her two brothers; it turns out she's that kind of person!!

Marako seemed very angry about this, her chest heaving with anger as she spoke, and her little fists waving constantly.

But soon, she lowered her hand, pressing her palm against the bottom of the bowl, her hand trembling slightly.

"But what I didn't expect was that Lily, that bitch, not only seduced Lord Carlos, but also murdered him! How could she do such a thing! Why is there such a wicked woman like her!"

"You witnessed Lily killing Carlos?"

Valensa was overjoyed again and quickly asked:

"Did you see exactly what Lily did? Did she have sex with Carlos before she killed him?"

"This... I... I don't know either."

Marako's face flushed red instantly:

"When I saw them taking off their clothes, I was so embarrassed that I didn't dare to watch the process closely anymore. I even thought about whether to turn off my ability... After all, it's very impolite to peek."

But just as I came to my senses and was about to turn off my ability, I discovered that Lord Carlos was already dead... He lay in a pool of blood, with Lily's anti-magic dagger still stuck in his heart, I..."

When Marako got to this point, she started to cry again, and she became very remorseful:

"I was extremely surprised and scared at the time. I was completely stunned and forgot to quickly notify my other two brothers."

Before I knew it, another brother had fallen victim to Lily's clutches... Lily, that bitch, is beautiful, has a great figure, and is a cold beauty... Although I'm the darling of the group, Lily is actually the object of those three men's fantasies.

If everyone didn't know that Lily had a loving boyfriend and was about to get married, her two brothers would probably be pursuing her passionately.

In this state, it would be too easy for Lily to kill her two brothers... The first brother who was killed was completely unprepared when Lily stood behind him and stabbed him in the neck from the side. Blood splattered everywhere, and he died a gruesome death with disbelief in his eyes.

After I came to my senses, I immediately warned the other brother to be careful of Lily, but that brother actually thought I was playing a prank... until Lily suddenly appeared and stabbed him.

Fortunately, the older brother was somewhat prepared and wasn't killed by Lily as quickly as Lord Carlos and the first older brother. Instead, he fought with Lily.

But he was clearly no match for Lily... Lily was the strongest in our team besides Lord Carlos, which is why she often acted with me and was responsible for protecting me.

Seeing that my second brother would eventually be killed by Lily, I hesitated for a moment and didn't rush over to help... because I felt that even if I joined in, we still couldn't beat Lily.

Rather than letting her be killed outright, it would be better to find a way to leave clues and spread the news that Lily is a traitor.

So while my second brother was fighting with Lily, I carefully searched the cave I was in charge of investigating and found a hidden compartment behind the experimental table. Inside, there were many bottles of rare and prohibited materials.

I poured out one of the bottles of powdery materials, burned it with flames, and then used a secret technique to create the mental clone that you see now, sister. I transferred most of the core of my soul to it and hid it in the bottle, waiting for rescue.

After setting up this backup plan, I hid inside the bottle and used magic to control my body, just like I would with puppetry, to support my brother who was still struggling against Lily.

As expected, even if my brother and I teamed up, we were no match for Lily... In the end, we were both killed by Lily.

I begged her to spare my life... She readily agreed and, just like before, held me and comforted me softly, but while comforting me, she suddenly stabbed me to death..."

When Marako spoke of being brutally murdered by Lily, she burst into tears again, prompting Valensa to offer several gentle words of comfort.

Only after Marako stopped crying again did Valensa ask the question that had been bothering her:

"You said Lily initially used the excuse of needing to meet with Carlos to separate from you... then why didn't she just kill you? You were alone with her then, so killing you first would have been the easiest thing for her, right?"

"Hmph, that bitch wouldn't dare."

Upon hearing Valensa's question, Marako snorted, her tear-streaked face suddenly brightening with a touch of smugness, and she puffed out her chest as she sat in the center of the bone bowl:

"Although I am the weakest in the team, I would definitely die instantly if Lily ambushed me. However, I have set up a trigger spell on my body that can immediately send a distress message to my other companions and show the attacker's appearance when I am attacked! This spell will not be affected even if I die, so Lily can only kill me in the end."

"That's it..."

Valensa nodded slightly and asked again:

"Since you were prepared before you died, why were you almost completely gone when I found you? Did something happen after Lily killed you?"

"Yes, Lily is in cahoots with Savat Langdon! I saw him!"

Marako's tone suddenly became excited again.

"You saw Savat Langdon? He was hiding in that spot? Even a battle sage like Mr. Carlos didn't spot him?"

Valensa frowned.

If Savat Langdon truly possesses the ability to infiltrate right under the nose of the Battle Sage, then finding him in the short term will indeed be very difficult.

Generally speaking, the stronger a cultivator is, the harder it is for them to hide themselves from those of the same level. Top-tier Moon-level powerhouses like Saintess Velenkasa and the Great Chieftain of the Wild Beasts can even faintly sense each other's presence from thousands of kilometers away.

The abandoned mine that Valensa and Tia had previously searched was located deep within the Savat Landon stronghold, whose maximum diameter would not exceed 300 meters.

If Savat Langdon can still deceive a Star-level expert at such close range, then his level of danger and true strength need to be reassessed.

Fortunately, Mara shook her head again:

“No, Savat Langdon arrived later… Lily summoned him using some kind of teleportation device after killing us all.”

Before Valensa could ask further, Marako continued:

"After Savat Langdon arrived, he first used necromancy to control the corpses of me and the two brothers in the group... It was at that time that Savat Langdon discovered the part of my soul that I had left in the corpses to spy on them, and then he launched a soul attack on me without hesitation."

To ensure my true soul core, hidden inside the bottle, remained undiscovered, I dared not make any unnecessary movements. I took the full force of the attack, which severely damaged my soul, nearly causing me to be completely annihilated.

As Marako, a spirit the size of a palm, spoke, she kept patting her chest with her tiny hand, her face full of lingering fear.

"Your bodies have all been taken over by Savat Langdon... Hmm, he probably wants to make it seem like you haven't been killed yet, and even use your identities to find out the progress of the manhunt, so that he can hide himself more easily."

Valensa nodded thoughtfully, then asked:

Did you see any other valuable intelligence?

"Yes, got it."

Marako once again supported the bottom of the bowl with her palms, sat upright like a duck, and held her little face high:

"Before I was discovered by Savart Langdon, I saw Lily use a very strange spell on Savart Langdon, turning him completely into Mr. Carlos's appearance... Anyway, as his companion who had been working with Mr. Carlos for more than two months, I couldn't see any flaws at all."

I was so surprised by this scene that I couldn't help but let my soul fluctuate, which is how Savat Langdon discovered it.

"Hmm... So, to outsiders, your team appears perfectly normal, but in reality, the team leader is Savat Langdon, the target we're searching for; the vice-captain is Lily, the traitor; and the remaining three members are all corpses controlled by necromancy? Tsk..."

Valensa clicked her tongue in amazement, then asked:

"Any other discoveries? For example, why did Lily betray you? Was she controlled by Savat Langdon with some kind of magic? Or was she simply an imposter?"

"I...I don't know, I didn't notice."

Mara thought for a while with a pained expression, but still shook her head.

However, after shaking her head, she hesitated for a moment and then added:

"However, I think the relationship between Lily and Savart Langdon is a bit strange."

"Is their relationship a little strange?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow:

"Could it be that the two of them are having an affair? The reason Lily betrayed you is because she fell in love with that necromancer?"

This is not something Valensa made up on the spot.

After Savat Langdon's identity was confirmed through Asakura Mai's divination, Savat Langdon's physical appearance was quickly found.

Although this guy is a ruthless and dangerous individual, he is quite handsome, the kind of charming, weathered older man. In addition, he may have gone astray because of his deceased wife. This kind of bad, handsome, and tragic character is indeed very attractive to some women.

In comparison, it seems plausible that Moud's boyfriend, who only spends all his time in the lab doing research and development, couldn't satisfy Lily, leading to her cheating.

Valensa almost instantly conjured up a classic Minotaur storyline, but before she could even develop the details, her idea was shattered by Marako.

"No, that's not what I meant."

Mara shook her head gently and said:

"I said their relationship was strange because Lily didn't seem to be controlled by Savart Langdon... Although I only heard them exchange less than five sentences, the attitude... well, Lily should at least be Savart Langdon's collaborator, or even have a higher status than Savart Langdon."

"Is Lily's status higher than Savart Langdon's?"

Valensa's brow furrowed immediately:

"This is indeed very strange... According to the information, Lily is far inferior to Savat Langdon in terms of age, status, strength, and other aspects. Why does she have a higher status in the cooperation?"

After asking Mara a few more questions to confirm she hadn't misread it, Valensa paced back and forth in the room a few times before letting out a long sigh:

"It seems there's only one possibility... My previous guess was correct, there is indeed someone behind Savat Langdon, and that person is an old rival of our Church of the Sun..."

Chapters 130-132: How can a 3-on-1 fight be lost?

As early as when Savat Langdon's personal information was discovered, Valensa suspected that he might also be a victim of the Sin Angel... His life experience for the first thirty years was too similar to that of Suzuran.

Savat Langdon was clearly not as lucky as Suzuran; he didn't encounter a rash novice paladin who could stop him at a crucial moment and prevent him from going astray.