Genshin Impacti: This Priest is Cringe, But She's Also Unbeatable — Chapter 106

Chapter 106: A Knight’s Vengeance

After leaving the Queen’s study, an attendant guided Celeste and the others to a spacious and elegantly appointed guest room.

Eldara herself remained behind, closeted with Her Majesty for a private conversation that stretched for a full half-hour.

When the death knight finally reappeared, the chilling frost on her features had not thawed. But now, deep within her crimson eyes, a dangerous fire had been kindled—a flame that promised vengeance.

“Her Majesty the Queen has officially issued the mission,” Eldara announced, her voice cutting straight to the point, dispensing with all pleasantries.

“The Undead have been launching frequent attacks on human and elven convoys, outposts, and even small towns of late.” A low growl rumbled beneath her words. “Her Majesty wants us to conduct a thorough investigation and uncover the true reason for their unusual aggression.”

A flicker of delight sparked within Celeste.

‘Whoa, now that’s what I call efficiency!’she thought.’Okay, I see you, Your Majesty. Big brain move. Letting Eldara go on her personal revenge quest while also getting us to scout the secret realm’s core? That’s some 200 IQ, two-birds-one-stone gameplay right there. Respect.’

Eldara continued, oblivious to the gamer’s internal commentary. “Intelligence indicates the Undead are most active along the borderlands between human and elven territories. The Silent Forest has borne the brunt of their incursions. That will be our destination.”

A flash of cold, murderous intent glinted in her eyes. “And on a personal note, I have a score to settle with that sewer rat, Mogras. He dared to run rampant on the lands protected by my Silent Watch Knights and even had the audacity to ambush me. It is a debt I fully intend to collect.”

Celeste fought back a chuckle, carefully schooling her features into an expression of humble respect. “In that case, Commander, our experience in dealing with the undead is rather limited. We will be relying entirely on your leadership.”

“Hmph.” Eldara gave a curt nod. “There is no time to waste. We will return to Dawn Harbor via the teleportation array and proceed directly into the Silent Forest.”

The moment she heard “Silent Forest,” Selene’s eyes lit up. She excitedly clenched her fists, and the sound of her knuckles cracking echoed crisply in the quiet room.

“Awesome! This is the perfect chance to test the quality of my ‘Resilience of the Mountain’!” She looked practically vibrating with eagerness. “Last time, those Undead Knights made my arms go numb. This time, I’ll show them what ‘Immovable as a Mountain’ really means!”

Celeste shot a sidelong, amused glance at her battle-maniac of a sister.

‘This dork,’she mused.’She gets one new piece of gear and she’s already got that new-toy itch. She’s basically a kindergartener on the playground, desperate to show off her shiny new Charizard card.’

Su Wan, however, furrowed her lovely brows, her expression clouded with concern. “The border regions… does this mean the nearby elven villages and human towns are in grave danger?”

“Precisely,” Eldara confirmed, her tone heavy. “Which is why we must act as quickly as possible.”

Xia Lian pursed her lips, a hint of professional caution in her gaze. “The territory of the Undead Race…” she asked softly, “won’t it be… extremely dangerous?”

Her tone held no trace of fear, but rather the instinctive risk assessment of a ranger about to step onto an unknown battlefield.

“Danger is a certainty,” Eldara stated, her voice as cold as iron. “But this is our duty.”

Celeste gently patted Xia Lian’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said comfortingly. “With the Commander here, we’ll be fine. Besides, our main objective is reconnaissance.”

“Exactly!” Selene chimed in, puffing out her chest. “We’re not the same weak team we were before! We’ve got new gear and new skills. We’re pretty strong now!”

Selene’s confident declaration caused a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in Eldara’s expression. Her gaze flickered from Celeste to Selene and back again, but ultimately, she said nothing.

“Alright,” Eldara announced, breaking the moment. “Since it is decided, let us prepare. We depart now. We will return to Dawn Harbor through the palace’s teleportation array.”

“Yes!” the four of them responded in unison.

They followed Eldara back through the pristine halls to the teleportation chamber within the royal palace. This time, the atmosphere among them was completely different. They had arrived filled with trepidation and a touch of awe; they were leaving with a clear objective, their veins thrumming with a mixture of nervous excitement and grim determination.

The array hummed to life, bathing them in a soft white light. A powerful sensation of spatial tearing gripped them, and the world around them instantly shattered into billions of glowing fragments.

When their vision solidified once more, they were standing in the teleportation circle of Dawn Harbor.

The harbor streets were still bustling with people, but the atmosphere was visibly more tense than it had been before. The elves moved with a hurried, anxious energy, and the easy smiles they had seen previously were few and far between.

‘It seems the threat of the Undead has already cast its shadow over this place,’ Celeste assessed silently.

Eldara didn’t linger. She led them straight through the tense streets and out the city gates.

Waiting for them just outside the walls was a troop of soldiers that radiated an aura warning all others to keep their distance. They stood in silent, disciplined formation.

At the forefront were over a hundred elven knights, clad from head to toe in obsidian-colored heavy armor. complex, ice-blue runes pulsed with a faint light on their plate. Beneath the visors of their helms, their eyes burned not with life, but with ghostly blue soulfire, and a visible chill seemed to swirl around their imposing figures. Though they were clearly living elves, they exuded the dead silence and frigid cold of the grave.

Behind this vanguard stood dozens of sharp-eyed rangers and focused mages, their formation orderly, their killing intent leashed but evident.

“Commander!” The lead Death Knight snapped to a salute the moment he saw Eldara. “We are ready and can depart at any time.”

“Very good.” Eldara nodded. “Follow me. We will proceed deep into the Silent Forest to reinforce patrols and defenses along the border.”

“Yes, Commander!” the knightly order roared as one, their voices a thunderous echo that rolled across the open fields.

Eldara turned back to Celeste and her party. “Stay with me for now. I will take you to the heart of the Undead’s active zones.”

“No problem!” Celeste replied with a crisp nod.

And so, the four of them once again followed Eldara and her elite troops into the depths of the Silent Forest.

The woods were still possessed of a haunting beauty, but this time, Celeste could feel a heavy sense of oppression. A faint, cloying smell of decay hung in the air. Here and there, they saw plants that had been corroded by undead energy—withered, blackened, and dead.

Eldara’s troop moved with terrifying speed. The rhythmic clatter of over a hundred skeletal warhorses’ hooves echoed through the trees, a sound that sent birds scattering and beasts fleeing in terror. Celeste and the others followed closely, not daring to fall behind for a single moment.

Along the way, they encountered several small scouting parties of undead attackers, but all were effortlessly annihilated by Eldara and her knights before they could even pose a threat.

Celeste was more than happy to take it easy. She took the opportunity to brandish the `Moon Language Sacred Canon`, putting on a grand show of casting a few token shields for her teammates and solidifying her image as a harmless, dedicated “professional priest.”

“Commander, these undead minions seem even weaker than the ones we fought in Cinder Canyon,” Selene commented, effortlessly shattering a Skeleton Soldier’s ribcage with a casual swing of her greatsword.

“Of course,” Eldara replied coldly. “The true elites have all been gathered by Mogras and his ilk.”

A thought sparked in Celeste’s mind.

‘So Mogras is a high-ranking officer with elite mobs… basically a named boss. I wonder what his drop table looks like? Hope it’s not just vendor trash.’

As they ventured deeper into the Silent Forest, the smell of decay grew stronger, and the sunlight filtering through the canopy became sparser, choked out by the oppressive gloom. The surrounding trees grew twisted and gnarled, their branches like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. The ground was covered in a thick layer of black ash that crunched unnervingly underfoot.

“We are approaching the primary area of undead activity,” Eldara suddenly announced, her voice low and taut as she brought her warhorse to a halt. “Stay alert.”

The air crackled with tension. In an instant, every member of the party was on guard. Celeste tightened her grip on her staff, Selene raised her shield, a delicate frost began to condense on Su Wan’s fingertips, and Xia Lian smoothly nocked an arrow to her bowstring.

The real challenge was about to begin.