I am a witch, I must suppress all enemies

Having decided to take the shortcut, Claire didn't waste any words.

It was too obvious to fly from the sky, and no one knew how many Holy Church troops were chasing and intercepting it from below.

It looks like I have to use disguise magic again to hide my identity.

Claire and Sheila took advantage of the night and secretly landed on the edge of a town. They placed Arya in a hotel and asked her to wait.

Wait until dawn the next day.

Sure enough, the local church had received the news through the transmission of the magic circle.

What surprised the locals the most was that the national swordsman was seriously injured and Argon's former sword was also stolen.

In the tavern of the local adventurer's guild, some people were discussing hearsay.

"Did you hear that?"

"A great battle broke out in the city of Yarde. It's said that magicians and knights fought to a pitched pitch, leaving corpses strewn across the ground."

"What's the reason?" asked a burly man holding a wine glass with a big sword slung across his back.

"It seems the Last Sword has been stolen. Rumor has it it's a conspiracy by the neighboring Principality of Harlan."

"It's all Harun's fault! Oh, Harun!" The strong man took a sip of wine and said in a muffled voice.

"However, what's intriguing is that on the wanted list in the capital regarding this incident, the second-highest wanted person is Serian, who stole the Last Sword, while the first-highest wanted person is a young girl..."

Everyone was talking about it and was puzzled.

Some also suggested that this was because the girl injured the Imperial Sword Master.

"Nonsense! What kind of person is the Sword Saint of the Nation? How could he be defeated by a girl?" Someone sneered.

The girl who defeated the Sword Saint of the Nation was sitting next to Xila at this time, listening to the adventurers' discussions and couldn't help but smile.

Sheila, a girl who resolutely followed Claire to flee to a neighboring country.

Her red ponytail swayed gently as she moved, and she looked nervously at the knight passing by the door.

"You really don't regret going to Harlan with me? After all, that's your homeland." Claire didn't care about the discussion next door at all.

Silla lifted her chin and stared at Claire across from her with her clear eyes wide open.

"An adventurer's life is all about seeking excitement. I smell the scent of adventure in you."

Claire quickly sniffed her cuffs and asked, "What's that smell? I can't smell it."

"It's not that smell. It's just my feeling. Maybe it's fate."

The girl continued, "In the past, most of my adventures were just to support my family and earn gold. But now that I've saved enough money, it's time to live the life I want."

"Live your life the way you want? That's not bad at all." Claire exclaimed.

There are countless people in this world who are willing to give up their choices for bread.

"Have you ever heard a truth? One about freedom." Claire tapped her fingers lightly on the table, as if humming along with some melody that only she could hear.

Or maybe it's a recollection of past lives.

“On the long journey of the spirit, the spirit finally discovers its true self, which is absolute freedom.”

Sheila shook her head.

Claire continued to explain, "In the past, we perceived the world through our five senses and defined things using categories, such as red."

"And this category doesn't remain in its current form, but changes depending on people's circumstances, like red turning into crimson. Ultimately, it's just a human stipulation."

"But as knowledge develops and progresses, people will become increasingly aware of the essence of things. However, some people may think that even so, the real things are only confined by the boundaries of their own sensory organs, and they will never be able to understand the real things."

"It sounds like this is always regrettable." Sheila sighed.

"No. The real moral of the story is that even though it may seem like our cognition is limited...it's precisely because we are free."

"Look at it from a different perspective. When we change ourselves, we create new understandings. The infinity of objects is precisely because human freedom has infinite possibilities."

"The world is vast. Only creatures like us have unlimited freedom and possibilities. We cannot set limits for ourselves and live within our own dictates."

Although Xila didn't quite understand what was said, she keenly caught the last part of the sentence, "But if you don't restrict yourself and are too free, won't you become a lawless madman?"

"But how can you be sure that this assumption is good?"

"If it's good, how can it hinder us?"

“If people didn’t have freedom in the first place, they wouldn’t want to break through it. But people’s desire to be free and to break through limitations precisely demonstrates the freedom of their spirit…”

"So Claire, are you planning on...real freedom?"

Claire smiled and said, "There's no absolute. Like you, I also want to live a life that I believe is worth living, based on my own preferences. My current goal is to reach the point where I can decide my own destiny."

"In this kind of world, it's very difficult."

Yes, in this magical world that seems like a joke, or even vaguely reveals a fantasy color, "cannibalism" and "survival of the fittest" are almost put on the surface as a prominent school of thought.

There is no need to emphasize the logic of this power; people here naturally understand this kind of thick-skinned philosophy.

This is a world of power structures.

The strong has the power to override the subjectivity of others. He can bully the weak at will, and the only restriction on him is the dispensable morality.

The weak can only hope that the strong will have a change of heart.

Claire never wanted to give up the right to choose her own destiny, just like when she learned that the Kingdom of Carlisle was persecuting magicians, she resolutely decided to defect to the Principality of Harlan.

At this time, Claire finally faced this problem. Going to Harun was not the best way to solve the problem, because her identity was most likely exposed.

Once the witch's identity is revealed, she will be hunted endlessly.

The people in the Magicians' Association are not necessarily noble. A sword that can ignore the laws is enough to drive countless strong people crazy.

The obvious answer is, "Sheila, please accompany me to the forbidden area. I'm going there on my own initiative."

Claire's smile was a little scary, yet so attractive. No, to be more precise, it was crazy.

"I want to become stronger. So, although it's presumptuous, could you teach me the mysterious breathing method you obtained earlier?"

When Sheila heard Claire's words, her cheeks flushed slightly. She bit her lower lip lightly, then raised her head again, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Okay. I'll go with you. I want to become stronger with you."