Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level?-Chapter 128[Vol. 5] - The Demon Reveals Its Tracks

[Vol. 5] Chapter 128: The Demon Reveals Its Tracks

Some time later, at the camp at the foot of the mountain, where the vanguard of the expedition was stationed.

Inside a tent, dozens of severely wounded knights from the temple, who had just retreated from the frontlines, lay on makeshift beds. Priests and nuns hurriedly moved back and forth, providing emergency treatment for their injuries.

The leader of the expedition, the Bright Light Saintess, Yuna Summerfield, had also arrived at the camp, accompanied by a certain Miss White Fox, who was eager to join the commotion.

After issuing several orders, Yuna went to the tent to examine a heavily injured Holy Knight and personally administered treatment.

A faint golden light radiated from the Saintess’ fingertips, seeping into the Holy Knight’s chest beneath his caved-in armor. His injuries were among the most severe in the tent.

Violet observed everything clearly from the side. The man’s entire chest had been crushed inward along with his protective armor, a fatal wound for most people.

If it weren’t for the exceptional healing capabilities of faith-based magic, which had barely kept him alive since he was brought in, he would have long perished.

After some time, as the golden light from the blonde girl’s palm gradually faded, a man who had been standing on the other side, dressed in leather armor, with a short bow and sword on his back, likely a high-ranking ?Arbiter? from the special forces—nervously spoke up.

“Your Highness, he…?”

“His life has been saved for now, but with injuries this severe, time is short, and he can’t be fully healed right away. Take good care of him for now. Once we reach the Flower City, ask the Redemption Saintess to treat him personally, and he should recover.”

After offering a few words of simple comfort, Yuna slowly scanned the temporary treatment area, filled with the stench of blood and the sound of groans. Her gaze eventually rested once again on the ?Arbiter? in front of her, whose attire was clearly different from the injured knights.

“You… Are you the captain of this Holy Knight’s unit? Praise the goddess. Tell me what happened on St. Bergen Mountain.”

Since the Saintess had personally spoken, the Arbiter did not dare say more than necessary. He immediately bowed and nodded in response.

“Yes, praise the goddess. Your Highness, please follow me.”

This was obviously not the ideal place for a conversation, so the Arbiter led them outside while quickly explaining the situation.

“My name is Felix. I am a human hybrid with half harpy blood. Although I did not inherit the ability to fly, my bloodline gives me good eyesight and a keen sense of danger, which is why I’m in charge of leading a vanguard scouting unit of one hundred men.”

“About two hours ago, the forward units of our vanguard army reached the base of the St. Bergen Mountain range. As per the orders from above, five units, including ours, were deployed as the first wave to enter the mountains, tasked with scouting and clearing any obstacles that might impede the main force’s advance.”

As Felix spoke, Yuna, a few holy knight guards, and the ever-present fox lady who had tagged along walked with him. Soon, they reached a large boulder within the camp.

The scout captain pulled out a leather map from his pack and spread it flat on the surface of the rock.

“Please take a look, Your Highness.”

This was a hand-drawn map depicting the internal terrain of a mountain area and the distribution of various creatures’ habitats. Many parts were labeled with small annotations, and the map was incredibly detailed.

If someone wasn’t highly familiar with the region and hadn’t spent years traveling through it, it would be impossible to produce such a complete map.

“Several members of my unit grew up at the foot of these mountains, on the plains of St. Bergen. They rely on the mountains for their livelihood. The one you just saved… was one of them. I had them draw this map in advance for our scouting mission. Unfortunately, the others…”

A fleeting look of sorrow crossed Felix’s face, but he quickly continued without pause.

“As we all know, the rock of the St. Bergen Mountains is exceptionally hard, far stronger than ordinary stone, making it nearly impossible to carve tunnels. So, if one wishes to cross the mountains known as the ?Wall of Heaven?, without using special methods like flight or spatial magic, they would have to either climb the dangerous peaks, which rise thousands of meters high, or pass through one of the few natural valleys…”

“Just get to the point, ?Arbiter? Felix.”

With a quick gesture, the Saintess cut him off, preventing any further explanation of well-known facts. The situation on St. Bergen Mountain was still unclear. Although new personnel had been sent to investigate further, it was still only a probing mission.

After roughly understanding the intelligence, she still needed to make targeted arrangements and deployments quickly, as there wasn’t much time to waste.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

“Uh… yes, Your Highness. The canyon through which our expeditionary army is about to pass is relatively the widest and flattest option, but the terrain of the St. Bergen Mountains is steep. If anyone launches an attack from above while the army is passing through, or if they block the entrances and exits on both sides, it would cause massive casualties.”

“To prevent that, our unit’s main task is to investigate the mountain areas on both sides of the planned route through the canyon.”

The Arbiter, who appeared to be around thirty, with short, dark green hair, showed an unguarded expression of seriousness. He pointed to several nearby areas on the map, which had been circled in red.

“Look here, here, and here. We found extremely large footprints.”

“Large footprints… How big?” the Saintess inquired.

Felix looked around, then pointed to the massive semi-circular boulder in front of them, where the map was spread out, measuring about two or three meters in width.

“The cross-section of the footprints wouldn’t be smaller than this stone. After discovering them, we compared them with the tracks of similarly-sized creatures and quickly determined that they were likely left by a ?Giant Hammer Demon?.”

“A Giant Hammer Demon…?”

With a slightly grave expression, the Saintess furrowed her brow, and upon hearing the name, Miss White Fox immediately recalled reading about this type of demon in a book.

The ?Giant Hammer Demon? is one of the primary battle demons under the command of the Demon Lord of ?Slaughter?, one of the four rulers of the demon world.

Adult Giant Hammer Demons are usually at least ten meters tall, and those of commander rank or higher are even larger. Even creatures like the ?Crystal Bright Beast? appear small in comparison to them.

The name of this demon comes from the massive hammer-shaped weapon they always wield when they appear.

This weapon has a long handle, with one end shaped like a sharp spike and the other flat. Its weight is measured in tons, and the handle itself is as thick as a house beam.

Only a demon as large and monstrously strong as the ?Giant Hammer Demon? could wield it effortlessly, as if it were an extension of their body.

Though they don’t possess particularly strange or unique abilities, their immense size, strength, and the nearly indestructible weapon they carry, combined with their heavy armor, are more than enough to make Giant Hammer Demons the bane of most armies on the battlefield. They can even withstand direct assaults on small fortresses or city walls using their bodies alone.

The power of demons cannot always be classified by the common ranking system used here, due to their unique racial characteristics.

However, if one were to give a specific evaluation, an adult Giant Hammer Demon could single-handedly fight against even top-tier Earth-level or Sky-level creatures. In large-scale battles, its impact could be comparable to that of a legendary warrior.

The term “battlefield meat grinder” is the most fitting description for these demons. On previous battlefields, even the appearance of a single Giant Hammer Demon would immediately prompt the Holy Empire to respond with full defensive efforts.