Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 224

[Vol. 5] Chapter 224: Saint Sarnos City

“Miss Dawn, we’ve arrived. According to the map, the city just ahead should be the major western city of Sarnos Province, the Saint Sarnos City… right?”

As she walked, Theresa compared the map in her hand to their surroundings. She pointed toward the fortress walls looming nearby, but mumbled uncertainly, giving the impression that she wasn’t entirely reliable.

The grey-clad swordsman walking behind them quickly confirmed, “Yes, this is Saint Sarnos City, the provincial capital of Sarnos Province. Back when we traveled the region in our early days, starting from the Holy Empire, we visited this place. Though it’s been nearly ten years, and after the recent war, the city’s outline doesn’t seem to have changed much from back then.”

“?”

Upon hearing a phrase like “nearly ten years,” the white fox girl couldn’t help but glance sideways at the four members of the ?Reaper’s Scythe?, who all appeared to be in their early twenties, except Mr. Ferryman, who looked a bit older. She was silently surprised.

These people… along with that old Mr. Diviner, are they really all human?

Of course, to maintain her “powerful and mysterious” persona, Violet would never actually voice such musings. She simply nodded discreetly and took the lead.

“Let’s go. Let’s get closer and take a look.”

From the outside, Saint Sarnos City didn’t appear too different from other cities of the Holy Empire. It had the same towering gates and guards stationed outside.

The only real difference was that the city guards here were no longer the Holy Knights clad in pure white armor. Instead, they were demon sentinels, encased in black battle armor, wielding enormous blades.

It was said that the demons deliberately drove the citizens infected by the ?Defilement? plague from the Holy City War towards the western side of the Holy Empire, intending to undermine the Goddess Church’s resistance through the spread of the plague rather than merely engaging in aimless slaughter.

Flying over from above, there didn’t seem to be any large-scale outbreaks of the plague within the Sarnos Province, which bordered the eastern part of the Fulan Province.

In fact, compared to the chaotic battlefield in Fulan Province, this area appeared relatively peaceful and calm.

Saint Sarnos City was much the same. While the crowd at the city gates wasn’t particularly dense, there were still various people from different races coming and going. They entered or left the city after being inspected by the demon sentinels, a scene that was quite different from the disorderly chaos Violet had imagined.

While it couldn’t be called peaceful, the orderliness was surprising. However, she was still unsure what the situation inside the city would be like.

“Miss Dawn, are we… really going to enter the city so openly?”

The white fox girl turned and glanced at Mr. Dead Soul, who had nervously raised this question, then casually swept her gaze over the seven people present. She responded with a question of her own.

“Are any of you followers of the Goddess?”

“Uh…”

Everyone exchanged glances, but the answer was already obvious.

Miss White Fox shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, there you go. For now, most demons will only show hostility toward the Goddess’s followers or those who refuse to follow their rules. Since none of us are believers and we’re not here to cause trouble, we should be able to enter the city without any issues.”

“That may be true, but Miss Dawn, you’ve thwarted several major demon schemes. Especially after that great battle in the St. Bergen Mountains, surely they already…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I said it won’t be a problem, so it won’t be.”

Waving her hand dismissively for the final time, the white fox girl stopped explaining further and moved ahead to the end of the line, calmly waiting to enter the city.

The dragon girl followed in silence, and Theresa quickly took Eudora’s hand and hurried along. Seeing her insist on proceeding, Mr. Dead Soul had no choice but to nod slightly to his three companions, signaling them to join the line as well.

There weren’t many people waiting to enter the city, and the process moved quickly. Before long, it was Violet’s turn to be inspected.

A demon sentinel, fully clad in black armor, extended its massive battle blade. The cold gleam of the blade blocked the girl’s path without a word. From within the helmet, glowing green eyes scrutinized the white fox shrine maiden from head to toe.

While this was the kind of menacing gaze that would send most ordinary citizens into shivering terror, Violet remained unfazed. She stood her ground, staring back at the sentinel, taking the opportunity to observe these demon sentinels, whom she had previously only seen from a distance or read about in books.

Demon sentinels, like demon beasts, are common types of demons not clearly aligned with any specific ruler. However, they are stronger than demon beasts, having surpassed the threshold of mere cannon fodder.

Although their intelligence is relatively low, their endurance and defensive capabilities are exceptional, which makes them ideal for guarding rituals, fortresses, or as bodyguards for high-ranking demons.

Demon sentinels are considered a backbone race in the demon realm. While not inherently tied to any demon lord, these demons can continue to evolve. At their peak, they become ?Blade Demons?, high-level demons renowned for their combat prowess and serving as the attendant of the Demon Lord of ?Slaughter?.

Conversely, ?Blade Demons? are one of the few high-level demons that evolve through experience rather than being born with their power.

In terms of appearance, ?Blade Demons? are essentially a more refined version of demon sentinels. While the evolved ?Blade Demons? stand at around 2 meters, similar to humans, the lower-ranked demon sentinels tower are over 3 meters tall.

The pitch-black armor covering the demon sentinel wasn’t as ornate and refined as that of a ?Blade Demon? or a ?Celestial Guardian?. Instead, it was riddled with battle scars and various forms of damage. Although the battle blade appeared sharp, it looked worn and ragged, which only added to its menacing appearance.

The mutual inspection ended quickly. Whatever the demon sentinel saw in the shrine maiden, after a brief moment of thought, it retracted its somewhat damaged blade and silently stepped aside, clearing the path into the city.

Clearly, this meant the inspection was complete.

Since they were granted passage, Violet didn’t hesitate. She confidently strode forward, stopping just inside the city gates to observe the others being inspected.

It all went smoother than expected. Not only for her, but also for the dragon girl, Theresa, Eudora, and even the four members of the ?Reaper’s Scythe?. None of them were subjected to any rough treatment or attack.

The demon sentinels spent no more than five or six seconds scanning each person before letting them pass.

If Violet had guessed correctly, the sentinels were sensing the auras each person emitted.

It seemed the sole purpose of these demon checkpoints was to identify members of the goddess’s church attempting to sneak into the city. Beyond that, they didn’t care about other beings.

Of course, individuals closely aligned with the church or those already on the black list might face rejection or even attacks. However, ?Reaper’s Scythe?, as members of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, had long since kept their distance from direct combat with the demons, despite their deep cooperation with Yuna.

This made Violet wonder.

Had the Bright Light Saintess foreseen this situation all along?

Was that why she had maintained a deliberate distance from the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, allowing them to infiltrate the demon-occupied territory unnoticed?

Strange… something still felt off.

Ah, speaking of which…

It’s been a while since I had a custard tart.