Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 4] Chapter 12

[Vol. 4] Chapter 12: Silver Powder, A Doorstep Beginning

This was an ordinary-looking tree, a common species found within the Human United Kingdom. Theresa pointing at it clearly indicated that it wasn’t about the plant itself. She raised her hand, revealing to her companions the area she had just wiped.

There was a faint trace on it, barely noticeable in the night.

Edwina squatted down, examining this flaw she hadn’t noticed before.

“Is this… silver powder? Some kind of magic potion?”

“It shouldn’t be. This is quite intriguing, though…”

Not being too explicit, Violet gently rubbed the area with her fingertips, picking up a little silver powder and handing it to the little dragon girl.

Xiao Guang, being a pure-blooded dragon, had a very keen sense of smell. She could easily discern the deeper meanings behind each scent, which was one of her abilities.

With perfect cooperation, the dragon lady didn’t mind this kind of treatment that made her feel like she was being ordered around. Immediately, she lightly sniffed the smooth and fair fingertips of the black-haired girl and then smacked her lips a few times.

“Master, it seems to be powder secreted by some creature, very unfamiliar. It’s likely from a creature I haven’t seen before.”

“Powder secreted by a creature…”

Violet nodded and then cleaned her fingers.

This powder retained some traces similar to rules. Although very faint, there was no mistake. Since it was secreted by a creature, it was highly likely that the other party was a powerful life form with similar abilities—a mythical creature.

She wasn’t sure if this unknown powder was related to Edwina’s encounter, but since both parties appeared in the same area at the same time, the possibility was significant.

“It seems we won’t find any more valuable information. It’s about time. Let’s return to the inn first, and we’ll discuss the rest tomorrow.”

Although this matter felt mysterious, especially with the powder seemingly left behind by a mythical creature, it piqued Violet’s interest. However, since they couldn’t find any more clues, she wouldn’t insist on pursuing this encounter with minimal evidence.

The main issue in the Demon Suppression City now was the escalating conflicts with the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains. Although Violet had come for this matter, she hadn’t decided whether to fully intervene or which side to take yet.

In terms of her relationship with Lilya, she naturally should support the Human United Kingdom. However, unlike the situation with the Beastman Kingdom, although the monster war was on the verge of breaking out, recent intelligence indicated that it was mostly human folly. If they were to get beaten up, it could be said they deserved it.

However, as of now, the information gathered was far from sufficient. To make a real decision, it would be best to wait for further developments and understand the situation from multiple angles, especially from the monsters’ side.

If it turned out to be too troublesome and difficult to decide, simply running away like Lester suggested might not be a bad choice.

Back at the inn they had booked in advance, the girls each went to their rooms to rest. Nothing noteworthy happened overnight.

The night was uneventful.

The next morning, as Violet woke up, she heard a dense cluster of footsteps and clanking armor coming from the street below. She woke up Xiao Guang and was about to go downstairs to see what was happening when she noticed Leila, Rene, Edwina, Theresa, and others standing in the corridor, their gazes fixed straight downward. Many other guests of the inn were also lingering at their room doors, whispering to each other.

In the lobby of the inn, a group of fully armed soldiers from the kingdom stood guard at the door, while the innkeeper was engaged in conversation with a casually dressed middle-aged man.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

Seeing the black-haired girl and the yawning dragon lady appearing, Edwina and the others quickly approached.

Leila, who was particularly alert and reliable, immediately explained, “Lady Violet, from what they’re saying, it seems that yesterday some demons from the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains disguised themselves as humans and infiltrated the city.

They were discovered by demon hunters, and now there’s a city-wide manhunt going on. They’re also searching here, going through each room.”

The priestess was taken aback.

“Demons infiltrated the city? Several demons… is it really necessary to make such a big fuss about it?”

“Demon” was a general term used in the Human United Kingdom and didn’t specifically refer to any particular race. Essentially, any creature could become a demon, so demons could be understood as powerful creatures to a certain extent. Powerful creatures weren’t necessarily demons, but demons were always difficult to deal with. That was the basic concept.

However, even so, conducting a city-wide manhunt for just a few demons seemed a bit excessive.

“Yeah, we find it suspicious too. And we’ve heard that this isn’t the first time. In the past month or so, the scale of the manhunt has increased each time, all targeting demons who infiltrated the city. Lady Violet, do you think… last night…”

The priestess shook her head, cutting Leila off. It wasn’t that she was avoiding something, but rather that they, as outsiders, knew too little about the situation. Speculating randomly wouldn’t serve any purpose.

As they talked, it seemed that the negotiations downstairs had also ended.

Although snooping on guests’ privacy was clearly not allowed, the innkeeper couldn’t dare to obstruct the military from searching. Moreover, it seemed that these people were clearly armed with search warrants. In the kingdom’s law, continuing to resist execution in such circumstances was equivalent to rebellion.

Helplessly, the innkeeper stepped aside, and the soldiers began to enter each guest’s room, searching through everything.

Violet frowned at these rough actions.

If it was just a room search, it wouldn’t matter much. After all, she mostly kept her things in the item inventory, and the items outside were mostly trivial. Edwina and the others also had their own storage items. Leila and Rene were given theirs by the Feathered Emperor before they left, and Theresa, the thoughtful Goddess of Life, had personally made one for her, of decent quality.

But were these actions really something a normal kingdom’s army would do?

They were reckless, behaving rudely, throwing packages on the ground as if they were trash, and the contents were scattered everywhere. They even deliberately knocked over chairs, teacups, and other items, more resembling a violent outburst than a search.

It directly reminded Violet of scenes she had seen when bandits raided villages during her travels.

“……”

Don’t mention border fortresses like Demon Suppression City, even second-tier kingdom cities like Flame Dragon City wouldn’t have soldiers with such low quality. At least the batch of city guards that Violet encountered when entering the city previously weren’t like this.

Although they were strict in their checks, at least they wouldn’t casually lay hands on people, and there were female soldiers specifically assigned to inspection duties.

Watching those travelers being rudely Violetd in privacy but could only stand by silently, Violet glanced back at Edwina and the others who were equally indignant. She smiled helplessly.

Not a single moment is boring… It’s only the second day since arriving.

The girl strode boldly toward her room without any hesitation.

“Stop!”

For inspection purposes, all guests in the inn, including the staff, had been gathered in the corridor. Violet’s movement naturally immediately attracted the soldiers who were eyeing the crowd.

Among them, a seemingly leader figure, who had previously negotiated with the innkeeper but wasn’t dressed in the Demon Suppression City standard military uniform or armor, instead wore civilian clothes. A middle-aged man strode forward and waved to intercept her.

“Where are you going?”

Although this guy seemed expressionless and had a strictly business-like demeanor, Violet could feel that he was actually using his peripheral vision to discreetly assess her body. It wasn’t the gaze of scrutiny or vigilance against enemies, but rather the most authentic, mixed with a hint of ambition.

Heh… here we go again…