Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 225

[Vol. 5] Chapter 225: The Demon City

Though Violet’s thoughts briefly wandered in an odd direction, she had long prepared for the possibility of moving freely in demon-occupied territory.

Her true form, of course, could hardly appear openly before demons. However, the identity of “Dawn,” which she was currently using, was different.

While “Dawn” was indeed a hero in the Holy Empire, known for thwarting demon plots twice in a row, this was only how the people of the Holy Empire saw her. The real question was: did the demons share that same perspective?

The answer was naturally no.

For example, the so-called ?Masked Demon Disaster? wasn’t even related to the demons. It was actually a scheme the Bright Light Saintess deliberately pinned on them.

Also, the ?God of False Faces and Ecstasy? and their faceless followers were a completely separate force, entirely unrelated to the demons. Given Violet’s victory over Musk, what implications does this have for the demonic forces?

And as for the demon infiltration at St. Bergen Mountain, while she did confront a demon incursion on the ?Wall of Heaven? of St. Bergen Mountain, Violet intentionally engaged with them in her true form. However, she didn’t personally battle the demons. Instead, she dispatched Xiao Guang in her dragon form and Lucas to handle the situation.

What seemed like casual decisions had been carefully calculated.

Ultimately, the identity of “Dawn” had never come into direct conflict with the demons. Perhaps spies under ?Corruption? had gathered vague information within the Holy Empire, but with such incomplete data, it was impossible for the truth to spread among the lower-ranking demons.

This was why Violet was confident she could pass through the city’s gate checkpoint.

As a result, just as she had expected, the group of eight passed through the checkpoint without incident and regrouped beneath the inner city walls.

Although they looked a bit shocked that the demons were foolish enough not to recognize such a significant enemy as “Dawn,” the members of the ?Reaper’s Scythe? were not the type to panic or make a fuss over such things. Since they had successfully passed the inspection, they chose not to dwell on it further.

“So, next, I plan to wander around this city. What about you? Do you have any specific plans?”

She asked this because their arrival in Saint Sarnos City was prompted by a suggestion from Mr. Dead Soul, who believed there might be ?Bewitching Orb? or traces left by the Judgment Saintess, making it necessary to investigate further.

After all, according to the information, the last battle before Frederica went missing had erupted in the provincial capital of the Sarnos Province.

After a moment of thought, Mr. Dead Soul responded in a low voice.

“There is a branch of my Spirit Veil Merchant Guild in this city. Although my mentor foresaw the fall of Saint Sarnos City and managed to relocate most of our assets and personnel in advance, some important items should still remain.”

“We four plan to explore a bit first, so we won’t be accompanying you, Miss Dawn. Let’s split up and meet up later at a designated location… How does that sound?”

“Is that so?”

With a casual nod, Violet pointed to the distant central temple, which towered above the other buildings.

“Then let’s meet at the battlefield ruins outside the temple after nightfall. Be careful not to get caught by the demons~”

“Okay, and you all stay safe too.”

After that, though she didn’t explicitly say it, it was clear that Mr. Dead Soul had certain tasks to attend to as she hurriedly left with her three companions.

Watching as the four members of the ?Reaper’s Scythe? gradually disappeared down the street, Violet stretched leisurely.

“All right~ Let’s go explore a bit. Hey… it’s my first time visiting a city ruled by demons.”

…………………………

Although it’s said to be an area ruled by demons, walking through it feels not too different from an ordinary city in the Holy Empire.

Of course, when it comes to things like population flow, it cannot compare to other major cities in the Holy Empire, as most people in the Holy Empire fear demons like a tiger. Many local residents, during the fall of the city, had tried to escape just like those in the Holy Capital.

Those who remain are either unable to run away, corrupted by the demons and turned into heretical traitors, or bold merchants from outside who do not fear demons as much as the believers of the Goddess do.

The city is not prosperous. In fact, it has a somewhat desolate appearance.

Walking down the street, Violet noticed that more than half of the shops were closed, and those that were open mostly sold essential goods like food and daily necessities.

From Violet’s observations, many of these stores were likely no longer owned by their original proprietors. Instead, they were set up by the ruling demons to maintain the basic operational needs of the city and prevent its structure from completely collapsing.

Occasionally, patrols of demon guards wielding large blades would pass by on the streets. Besides them, Violet also saw many bizarre demons, suspected to be mid- to high-tier beings with advanced intelligence, wandering the city like the local inhabitants, even buying goods, creating a different kind of scenery.

“It looks pretty much like a normal city, doesn’t it? Do those demons really intend to colonize this world?”

“Eh? Miss Dawn, what does ‘colonize’ mean?”

Hearing the curious question from Theresa beside her, Violet, who was already used to her asking one question after another, replied without hesitation.

“It refers to countries where the population has expanded too rapidly and resources can no longer support their needs. Such countries might choose to invade other nations and regions, occupying their lands, enslaving the local inhabitants, plundering resources, and relocating some of their own citizens in order to relieve internal conflicts.”

The girl with green hair instinctively lowered her head and glanced at the pink-haired loli walking curiously among them, listening to the explanation.

“So, does that mean the demons’ homeland has become so overpopulated that they have to invade other worlds?”

Overpopulated to the point of being unable to accommodate everyone…

Thinking to herself, Violet shook her head.

“… It’s hard to say at the moment, but your guess is indeed quite plausible. You all saw those seemingly endless demon beasts on the battlefield, didn’t you? They were attacking the Holy Empire’s defenses in a reckless manner, almost like they were seeking death.”

“That kind of strategy reminds me of the annual wars between the Beastman Kingdom and the Human United Kingdom. The latter launches these wars to consume excess population, save resources, and plunder food.”

“In terms of population pressure, it ultimately comes down to insufficient resources and the difficulties in supply and distribution. If the demons are facing similar issues as the beastmen…”

No, let’s consider it from a different angle. Insufficient resources might not necessarily stem from overpopulation… Could it be that the energy resources themselves are beginning to dwindle?

With that thought, Violet suddenly recalled what she had seen in the Aibus world beneath the Azure Sky Kingdom.

That world was clearly different from this one.

Unlike the thriving and stable environment here, when she arrived there, it had already lost its cyclical stability, almost resembling a dying entity in its final stages of decay.

There was no light, no energy. The land was filled with despair and deathly silence, with only a few survivors clinging to life in underground shelters.

If it weren’t for the priestess creating ?Snow Wing? and providing them with a new source of light through divine power, the complete decline and destruction of Aibus would likely just be a matter of time.

So, they went all in, choosing to believe in the rhetoric of those so-called divine envoys, launching apocalyptic cannons in an attempt to place their hopes in the Goddess of Earth Seth, who had once helped them.

But what about the demon realm?

The habits and characteristics of the demons were evidently different from those of the Aibus people, yet in certain aspects of launching a war of invasion, they seemed remarkably similar.

Previously, Violet had asked her dragon, what usually prompts the emergence of alliances?

Although she had vaguely brushed it off with “how would I know,” the truth was that the priestess had her suspicions.

Alliances typically form in response to powerful external threats or when their homeland faces unprecedented crises.

The three great demon lords, for the first time in history, had set aside their grievances and joined forces to launch attacks on other worlds, plundering energy and even colonizing. The implications of this were truly thought-provoking.

Though war is war, and Violet had come to regard this world as her current home, making it difficult to sympathize with external enemies, she remained curious.

Could it be that the demon realm… is also facing some kind of life-and-death crisis?