The Lars Knights have already scattered to scout the way ahead.
According to the reports from the surrendered Doug Army, it is not impossible for the Demon Clan to appear nearby.
Although Flora knew the probability was low, she felt it was worth a shot; what if they discovered the Demon Clan?
Moreover, just as Lord Governor had inferred, the Demon Clan seemed to have their hands in the Northern Border, wanting to spread plague amidst the chaos.
Thus, encountering the Demon Clan at the next village was not out of the question.
Even if they faced bandits allied with the Demon Clan, it was possible to catch a lead on the Demon Clan.
Although this wasn’t Flora’s intention, if they encountered the Demon Clan, Lord Governor would surely understand if they “accidentally” wiped them out.
“Lady Goddess, Lord Governor, I do not seek to kill the Demon Clan with my own hands; I only hope to catch a trace of the Demon Clan in the Northern Border, even if it’s just those bandits connected to them.”
Flora and the other sisters of the Sisterhood were silently praying in their hearts.
At this moment, a Lars Knight who had gone out to scout rode back quickly and shouted: “Lady Saintess, a Demon Clan force has been detected ahead! A Demon Clan force has been detected ahead!”
Flora was momentarily stunned, and then an unexpected elation surged beneath her mask: “Not just traces of the Demon Clan, but an actual Demon Clan force?”
“That’s right, there are quite a few of them, at least several hundred, and they are all elite troops, seemingly here to ambush us.”
The Lars Knight quickly dismounted and reported the situation ahead.
This Demon Clan force seemed to have no intention of hiding, appearing brazenly on the main road, clearly targeting the Sisterhood.
At this point, some ordinary Sisters and Priests within the Sisterhood were so frightened that they stopped, glancing around at each other, momentarily at a loss.
The recently surrendered Doug Army fighters were even more scared, collapsing to the ground. Antoine swallowed hard and asked, “Is it too late for us to take a detour now?”
The staff officer next to Antoine replied, “Boss, given this distance, it’s probably too late.”
At that moment, another Lars Knight returned, and the scattered Lars Knights gradually made their way back to Flora’s side.
After hearing the report, Flora excitedly said, “The Demon Clan force hasn’t fled; they are coming straight for us?”
The bandit general, however, was terrified to the point of peeing himself; an elite force of hundreds was nearly the same size as the total number of his brothers and the Sisterhood put together, all elite troops.
Having just surrendered, how could he be so unfortunate as to encounter the elite of the Demon Clan? Surely that was targeted at him!
Moreover, there were no nearby towns; if this general had taken his brothers to the nearest town to surrender, they would not be traveling alongside the Sisterhood.
Panic began to spread among the Sisterhood, but fortunately, the imposing Lars Knights provided a bit of reassurance to the Sisters and Priests.
“Boss, should we turn back again?”
The staff officer whispered to Antoine; if they were to turn back once more, they could claim their surrender was feigned, and after giving the Demon Clan lord a couple of bows, they might gain some merits.
“Turn… turn back?”
Antoine displayed a hesitant expression. Although his brothers were now unarmed, they didn’t need to do anything; if they could just make the Sisterhood fall into chaos, that would be a success.
In Antoine’s eyes, the Sisterhood might not withstand a single charge from the Demon Clan elite.
But seeing the panicking Sisters and Priests, along with the medical supplies brought by the Sisterhood, Antoine, whose allegiance was questionable as a bandit general, stood up and looked back at his brothers.
He was indeed a scoundrel, but his brothers were unfortunate souls who had been forcibly conscripted. During this short time together, both the general and his brothers had learned that the Sisterhood was genuinely acting for ordinary people.
He heard that the medical supplies had originally filled a horse-drawn carriage, but had been distributed to treat and heal people all along the way, which meant there was space to store the Doug Army’s weapons. Moreover, the Sisters and Priests had mentioned that they were acting in accordance with the will of the Goddess and the Governor, and that all their treatments along the way had been free of charge.
Many brothers had family members who had benefited from the Sisterhood, and quite a few were casting doubtful glances at this bandit general; even in a short span of interaction, they had already formed their judgments.
Antoine thought for a moment and approached Flora, saying, “Lady Saintess, let’s unload our weapons and medical supplies and escape by horse-drawn carriage. If we start running now, we should be able to make it.”
Antoine’s voice quivered. When he tried to say the next phrase, he felt a dryness in his throat, but he pressed on: “I’ll take some brothers to hold them back; it might buy us some time.”
However, Antoine immediately doubted his understanding of the common tongue.
“Escape? Why should we escape?”
Flora’s tone was clearly questioning, as if she genuinely could not comprehend why this so-called captain of the Doug Army would say such a thing.
Then, Flora turned to a Lars Knight and said, “You take the others to the back; just ensure no one runs around. If the Demon Clan breaks through, you can deal with it then.”
“But Lady Saintess, our duty is…”
Before the Lars Knight could finish, Flora interrupted: “I have the authority to make a decision on the spot, understand?”
“Moreover, your duty is to protect those Sisters and Priests, not us.”
Upon hearing Flora’s words, the Lars Knight had no choice but to join the other Lars Knights, starting to maintain order in the rear.
The bandit general looked at his staff officer beside him, puzzled.
“What… what does the general mean? What does Lady Saintess mean?”
The bandit general grasped a Lars Knight, anxiously inquiring; after all, that was the Demon Clan. In the eyes of the bandit general, only the elite of the Doug Army could contend with such a force.
“What does it mean?”
The Lars Knight looked at the bandit general with confusion, and then as if realizing something, he said gently, “Don’t worry, Lady Saintess will protect us.”
“Ah?”
Antoine saw Lady Saintess Flora shouting loudly before the gathered Sisters: “Sisters, prayer really works! I just prayed to the Goddess and Lord Governor, and the Goddess responded! The Demon Clan has really come to our door!”
Antoine was certain that he had developed a peculiar ailment, a bizarre illness of not understanding the common tongue.
The other Sisters were also making frenzied battle sounds: “Thank you, Goddess! Thank you, Lord Governor! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“Sisters, it’s time to offer our loyalty to the Goddess and Lord Governor!”
“Loyalty!”
Then, Antoine saw the Sisters pulling chainsaw swords out of their medical supply bags.
“This… this world has gone mad.”
The bandit general murmured, staring blankly at the Sisters.
