"Since Your Highness has said so, I will do as you say."
Harlan seemed taken aback by Maggie's confident expression, and after a long pause, he awkwardly agreed to Maggie's words.
Maggie's gaze fell on Harlan's face, a look of doubt flashing in her eyes. She had felt something was off about Harlan since she woke up, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
However, this shouldn't be anything important.
Maggie concealed her emotions and softly hummed in agreement.
She couldn't be bothered to deal with Ford, and wasn't even willing to come up with a plausible explanation.
In this situation, it's tantamount to breaking ties with Ford, so she's too lazy to keep up the pretense.
According to the plot, the priest will soon return to the temple, at which point Ford's power will be reduced, and she will at least not be as passive as she is now.
"Do many people know that I was seriously injured?"
Maggie thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke up.
"Everyone in Santa Fe knows it."
Upon hearing this, a strange expression first appeared on Harlan's handsome face. Only after receiving Maggie's puzzled look did he turn his head and clear his throat before speaking.
"Oh, that's good."
Maggie looked thoughtful. Although she didn't know why the whole of Santa Fe knew about it, it was a great thing for her.
If Ford wants to maintain his hypocritical persona, he will absolutely not send her on any more missions.
Especially since many people knew she was injured.
She is relatively safe during this period.
If we can guard against Yarlin's underhanded tactics, we might be able to have some peace and quiet for a while.
Having figured these things out, Maggie turned to Harlan and thanked him gently.
"Thanks."
She wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, and she was quite clear-headed. If Ford or Yarlin had wanted to harm her while she was unconscious, it wouldn't have been impossible.
With the matter of the cemetery for the dead over, she and Harlan no longer had any vested interests.
Her death was even a good thing for him.
The person he sees when he wakes up is Harlan, entirely thanks to his conscience.
"As a paladin, protecting Her Highness is simply my duty; there is no need for thanks."
Upon hearing this, Harlan's earlier unease vanished completely, his expression returned to normal, and he transformed back into the gentle and gentlemanly figure that even a dog would be captivated by.
"...hypocritical."
There was no one else in the room. Maggie pouted and made a very direct complaint.
At the same time, there was a knock on the door. Maggie had just turned her gaze when she heard Nesser's energetic voice ring out from outside the door.
"Saintess! I'm back!"
While Maggie was still in a daze, Harlan had already gotten up and opened the door on his own.
There's nothing we can do; she's a patient now and can't get out of bed.
As the two approached, Maggie noticed that they had changed into new clothes, and Perkin followed behind Nesser, remaining as silent as ever.
"Sister, they said you're badly injured. How long will it take for you to recover?"
Nesser looked at Maggie lying on the bed, her face pale, and felt a pang of heartache in his eyes. The little girl was lying on the headboard, reaching out to touch her, but hesitant to do so, looking very cautious.
"I'm fine."
Maggie twitched her lips. She was in pain even with the slightest movement, but she still didn't want Nesser to worry about her.
"..."
As she spoke, Maggie's gaze swept over Perkin, who exuded a chilling aura, and she saw him silently pull out two things from his pocket that made Maggie's eyes widen on the spot.
No, strictly speaking, it should be considered spoils of war.
"Found in the ruins."
Perkin's voice was hoarse and harsh, but to Maggie's ears it sounded like heavenly music.
"I see. You were looking for this while you were away."
Harlan stared at the two spoils of war and nodded knowingly.
"Moonlight-level demonic embers and Sun-level extinguished necromantic flames."
Maggie recognized these two characters immediately after seeing them in the comics, but she didn't expect that they would remain after being hit by the magic of a level 5 magic gem.
A powerful demon core and a rare magical material formed by chance after an undead disappears.
Maggie originally thought this trip would be a complete loss, but with these two things added, she would make a fortune.
but....
Her first reaction wasn't excitement, but rather to look at Harlen.
"How can a paladin casually come into contact with such an evil thing?"
Harlan immediately understood what Maggie was thinking, and a polite smile appeared on his thin lips, as if he had no interest in her at all.
Just as Maggie was about to look away with satisfaction, she suddenly realized something, and her lips twitched uncontrollably.
"The Abyss Soul Stone is in your hands, right?"
Sure enough, I shouldn't have trusted him. He's full of bad intentions; he wouldn't be so honest if he didn't get something out of him.
"Well, Your Highness is as clever as ever."
Harlen wasn't angry when she was exposed; she just sighed, seemingly helpless.
"hehe."
Maggie gave him a cold glance.
"Sister, sister, I helped too! Praise me!"
Nesser blinked, watching Harlan and Maggie confront each other, then pouted in dissatisfaction and tugged at Maggie's sleeve.
"You're amazing, Nesser is the best!"
Maggie never hesitated to praise Nesser.
"Now that these two have returned, I should go and report what happened to His Holiness the Bishop. Your Highness, please rest well."
Harlan stood up and gave Maggie a polite knightly salute.
...
Because of her serious injuries, many days have passed, and Ford has only summoned Harlen once and has never seen her. He even sent someone to tell her, "I hope Her Highness the Saint recovers well," putting on a pretentious act of caring for her.
Maggie was happy to have some peace and quiet and didn't want to see that hypocritical old fox.
During her supposed recuperation period, Maggie didn't sit idle. Instead, she diligently sought out Roy and the Little Ghost to learn magic, and even as a Star-level being, she memorized all the magical language.
With the necropolis of the dead hanging by a thread, Maggie deeply realized the importance of strength.
The so-called disguise isn't a very important thing, and it doesn't matter if she's treated like a monster. Next time Safa needs her help, or wants her to investigate any information about the Temple of Light, she can then make a reasonable request.
She's going to be promoted to a high-level mage next time.
"What's the difference between this light-based teleportation spell and the dark-based shadow flash?"
Maggie looked confused, with two elemental spirits staring at her from above.
"You now have the skill of dual-casting. If these two spells are cast simultaneously, virtually no enemy can predict your landing point."
The little ghost spoke with an air of seriousness, his expression very earnest.
Maggie just felt something was off. These past few days, the magic the little ghost had been teaching her wasn't focused on offense anymore, but rather on defense and escape, like...
Are you afraid of her? Um... or are you afraid she'll cause trouble?
Maggie couldn't quite describe how she felt.
"In short, you can't go wrong if you trust me."
The little ghost seemed to sense Maggie's uncertainty and immediately interrupted her thoughts.
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