Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 144

[Vol. 5] Chapter 144: The Mystery of the Demon Child’s Birth

“Hmm, very clear and well thought out. It seems you’ve carefully considered the positions of both the enemy and ourselves. Well said, Sir Clatius.”

“Your Highness flatters me.”

With a humble yet confident response, the holy knight who had offered his suggestion stepped back slightly. Soon, other clergy members began to speak up, either offering additional insights or suggestions.

“Captain Clatius makes a valid point. I believe that…”

While the others continued to fiercely debate their strategies, the young priestess, never particularly interested in military tactics, had already drifted into her own thoughts.

For example, she found herself reflecting on the man before her. Someone she had crossed paths with a few times, who was supposedly a direct descendant of the Summerfield family, yet for some reason had kept this fact hidden.

It was clear that Clatius had a more radical and aggressive stance when it came to dealing with demons, adhering to a “kill, kill, kill! The enemy must be exterminated immediately!” approach.

This inevitably reminded Violet of an earlier encounter with him, where they came across a girl who had suddenly demonized in the streets.

At that time, to save her, this man had not hesitated to deliver a killing blow—even slaying another holy knight who was with them. From the information derived from the ?Gaze of Eloun? item, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that Clatius had likely protected other children with latent demonic bloodlines, similar to Eudora.

Isn’t that rather strange?

Why would a person who so despises demons go to great lengths to protect them? Could it be that Clatius is merely putting on an act? Or perhaps, he doesn’t consider these children to be “demons”?

Speaking of this matter, it leads to certain questions surrounding Eudora.

Firstly, the Goddess of Life had guaranteed that under normal circumstances, such a special hybrid between demons and humans should never occur. Simply put, there is a reproductive barrier between humans and demons.

Moreover, based on the fact that most of the hybrids Violet had encountered were still children, and all around the same age, it could be deduced that they were likely all born within the same period.

This would be over a decade ago.

In other words, the appearance of Eudora and this group of children was not random or coincidental but the result of deliberate actions taken more than ten years ago by certain individuals.

These individuals used some special method to “create” this group of children with latent demon blood, and whether by mistake or design, they scattered them across the Holy Empire, at least across the vast western lands.

Recently, they’ve begun to locate these children one after another, or perhaps they never actively sought them out but had already planned for the demon blood to gradually awaken at the age of 11 or 12, like a fuse, triggering a series of consequential events.

Previously, Violet had specifically questioned Eudora in detail and learned that during the time before and after she “fell ill,” she hadn’t come into contact with any strangers.

Theresa also mentioned that whenever the neighbors discussed the matter, they became vague and evasive, unwilling to take Eudora to the temple for treatment, yet also not wanting to let her and her companions take the child for treatment. To get to the bottom of it, Miss White Fox personally visited those people to inquire about their reasons.

After a round of friendly and harmonious conversation, Violet learned that in the early stages of Eudora’s illness, some unidentified individuals had left a warning letter at her home without the girl’s knowledge.

The intent of the letter was likely to warn Eudora’s guardian not to take the girl to the temple for treatment and not to spread word of her illness, or else they would face the consequences.

However, because Eudora’s guardian had completely neglected her, it was the concerned neighbors who later saw the letter while caring for the little girl. The neighbors, naturally, were not as tight-lipped as the actual guardian, and the warning quickly spread throughout the area.

With such a mysterious letter appearing, Eudora’s strange illness became shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty. Those neighbors, who weren’t particularly close to the girl, dared not go against the letter’s warning and take her to the temple.

Yet, they couldn’t bear to watch her suffer and die, so they tried treating her with traditional medicine.

But obviously, that didn’t work. So, when Theresa and Xiao Guang suddenly appeared and offered to take Eudora away, the people assumed the two were behind the warning letter.

That was the full story.

So, apart from the mysterious warning letter, there was no real lead to investigate. The letter itself had long been discarded out of fear by those involved.

All that’s known now is that behind Eudora and the other children lies some long-concealed plan, and this matter is likely connected to the strange phenomena currently unfolding in the Holy Empire.

Otherwise, how could it be that at this very critical moment, they all coincidentally started to exhibit mutations known as “demonization”?

That said, Violet still couldn’t fully understand why Clatius adopted and protected those children. But given the current unclear situation and his unclear position, she wasn’t planning to confront him directly anytime soon.

If only… they could find the people responsible for “creating” Eudora and the other children.

As her train of thought ended, it seemed that Yuna and the others had reached a preliminary consensus on the course of action moving forward.

“Lastly, Miss Dawn, as a guest who doesn’t belong to the temple, do you have any unique suggestions or opinions on this plan?”

With the Saintess’s words, everyone’s curious or expectant gazes turned toward the mysterious White Fox, who had barely spoken since the beginning, remaining silent as though she was quietly listening, though she had actually been lost in thought out of sheer boredom.

This led to a startled and flustered exclamation.

“Huh? What?!”

…………………………

“Eh?! So, we’re not going to that Flower City anymore?”

Inside the luxurious caravan powered by crystal beasts, after Miss White Fox explained the next course of action, Miss Rene, with her four white wings flapping as if to express her dissatisfaction and disappointment, immediately sighed and complained.

“How could this be… that’s so unfair! I heard that place is warm and spring-like all year round, with flowers everywhere. It’s a super famous tourist city! The artistic atmosphere is rich, with many talented painters and musicians, and there are so many delicious foods! I’ve been looking forward to it for so long!”

Violet shook her head with a smile, easily seeing through Rene’s little scheme, and then tried to comfort her.

“Alright, after all, we are traveling with the army this time, not a merchant caravan. You’ve seen what happened before. This isn’t some trivial matter but a life-and-death war between two nations and even two races, both betting their beliefs.”

“How about this: if you really want to tour that place, after the war in the East is over, I’ll take you on a detour to visit it. Anyway, we’ll likely be staying in the Holy Empire for quite some time.”

“Ugh… I guess that’s the only option then…”

Ignoring her sulking sister, Leila, who was sitting next to her, took the initiative to join the conversation.

“Miss Dawn, are we heading straight to the Holy Empire’s Capital, the Angel City, next?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that the Redemption Saintess’s Group will be departing simultaneously after coordinating with us, and they should arrive at the Angel City around the same time. After combining the forces of all three groups, we’ll head directly to the main battlefield.”

“Although the exact situation and timing will depend on actual conditions, in any case, the Holy Empire is definitely putting in their full effort this time.”

After making a casual comment, the White Fox shifted the topic.

“By the way, how have things been for you? After that incident, have you encountered any strange people causing trouble?”

The girls exchanged glances, and in the end, Leila shook her head on behalf of the group.

“Not really, maybe because the Bright Light Saintess gave some instructions, and we’ve barely left the carriage these past few days. Things have been relatively peaceful. If I had to mention something, there’s only this one person…”

Before she could finish, a clear and somewhat familiar voice suddenly called out from outside the carriage.

“May I ask if Miss Dawn is here? I am ?Dead Soul? from the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, and I humbly request a meeting.”

“……?”