Returning to the gates of the Demon Suppression City once again, the atmosphere here was still tense and solemn, even more so than when Violet and the others first entered the city.
Perhaps it was related to the recent series of events, or maybe simply because they initially entered through the South Gate, which connected to the kingdom’s interior, while this was the North Gate facing directly towards the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
The number of people passing through the North Gate of the Demon Suppression City was even fewer than the South Gate. This city was less than twenty kilometers away from the kingdom’s border, and its proximity to the border of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains meant that most of the routes northward were blocked by monsters, rendering travel meaningless for merchants.
Nowadays, the only ones passing through the North Gate of the Demon Suppression City were some adventurers who had taken on tasks to defend and rescue villages in the northern part of the kingdom, which were frequently harassed and attacked by monsters and demons, as well as innocent civilians from the surrounding areas who had fled to the Demon Suppression City for refuge.
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Miss Violet, who was hiding in the distance, quietly observed for a while before turning her head with some curiosity to Mr. South Blade beside her.
“Speaking of which, since you believe it’s unnecessary to involve innocent civilians in the high-level disputes, why do you keep sending monsters to frequently harass human villages and even kill people?”
This viewpoint was conveyed to her by Walter during their chat on the way here. This member of the Ghost Warrior Tribe and the attitudes of other demons seemed to be that, apart from the few despicable and cruel plunderers who killed many of their kind, although other humans were disliked, they were not worthy of death.
It was also because of this that Esther and the others from the Moon Shadow Clan didn’t actually kill those soldiers back then. They just incapacitated them, and it was said that when the demons fought against the besieging armies in the Demon Suppression City, they mainly acted according to this principle.
This approach seemed to be aimed at avoiding completely angering humans and leading to irreparable consequences.
But in doing so, the behavior of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains sending monsters to harass humans seemed somewhat indefensible. After all, monsters were not very intelligent, maybe they were fine normally, but once they started fighting with all their might, it was hard to control their actions, and causing casualties was quite normal.
Upon hearing this, Walter was first slightly stunned, then exchanged a glance with the Great Demon General Esther of the Moon Shadow Clan before reluctantly smiling.
“Well... sigh, there aren’t actually any complicated reasons. Lady Violet should know that our Ten Thousand Demons Mountains are inhabited by three dominant races: the Moon Shadow, Steel Claw, and Blazing Feather, along with countless large, medium, and small demon species, right?”
“Yes, so what?”
“Our settlement, usually referred to as the Ten Thousand Demon Alliance, consists of a wide variety of demon species, each with different habits and personalities. Therefore, regarding the matter of the little princess being abducted and our approach and attitude towards humans stemming from it, we’ve also split into three factions.”
“Firstly, there are those who believe that we should fight the Human United Kingdom with all our might, scare them, and force the humans to voluntarily return the little princess and those of our kind who were abducted. This faction is led by the Steel Claw tribe among the three pillars.”
“Oh... quite interesting. It seems even within your own ranks, you haven’t reached a consensus. What about the other two factions?”
Miss Priestess nodded with deep interest, her silvery-blue eyes blinking as if urging Walter to continue.
“The second faction, led by the Blazing Feather tribe, consists of a smaller number of individuals with strong individual capabilities but indifferent natures. They believe that human hunting is a form of natural selection, being captured only indicates insufficient strength or the guardianship of the strong in the tribe being too lax. Therefore, launching an all-out war against the human race is a foolish act that will only bring disaster to the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.”
“They believe that the situation of the little princess should be explained to humans and, by paying a certain price, he should be peacefully exchanged.”
Before Violet could urge him further, Mr. South Blade continued in one breath.
“As for the last faction, I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it’s us, represented by the Moon Shadow Clan where the little princess resides. Our view is that we should take the initiative, retrieve the little princess by force while trying not to completely anger humans, and assist our kin who have been sold as much as possible.”
“The three major factions each occupy a part of the alliance, and no one can convince the others. In the end, we can only act according to our own pace. Those monsters attacking human border villages are indeed subordinates of the Steel Claw faction. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh...”
It’s surprising that there are such disagreements and debates among demons. It’s not much different from humans. It’s just the typical hawks, doves, and moderates.
“What about Tiyelu? Isn’t she some kind of Holy Ancestor? Which faction does she belong to? Or, could it be that even with her intervention, she can’t change the views of the other two factions?”
“Lord Tiyelu... Well...”
For some reason, Walter glanced around stealthily as if confirming something before turning his head mysteriously and whispering.
“Lord Tiyelu doesn’t belong to any faction. She has a more serious and solemn mission and rarely interferes in the internal affairs of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains. If it weren’t for this matter involving the little princess, she probably wouldn’t have intervened directly. Although Lord Tiyelu has helped us before, strictly speaking, she is not on our side. It seems she has her own plans.”
“A heavier mission...? What’s that?”
The priestess tilted her head curiously.
“Uh, well... I’m not really sure about that. After all, Lord Tiyelu is such an incomprehensible figure, having directly served the Lord of Demons in the past. She’s like a mythical creature, elusive and mysterious. Even my master, the 【Gatekeeper】, holds her in great respect. How could a youngling like me, who hasn’t even lived for three hundred years, possibly know what that great person does every day?”
Hmm, that’s a lie.
From Walter’s suddenly evasive gaze, Violet immediately discerned this.
Moreover, he just confidently mentioned a heavier mission and then turned around saying he knew nothing about it. The logical contradiction was too obvious, did he really think she, a priestess, was a fool?
However, since South Blade was so deliberately trying to conceal something, it probably was a very serious and important secret. It would be better to build a closer relationship first and then slowly inquire when there’s a better opportunity.
But... the title “Gatekeeper,” Walter had mentioned it more than once. It was clear he held great respect for the person whose name wasn’t even revealed. This piqued Violet’s curiosity.
Being called a master by someone like South Blade, who is almost legendary, could it be that this person is some kind of super expert hidden in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains? It couldn’t possibly be another mythical creature, could it?
I wonder if there will be a chance to meet them in the future.
With that, there wasn’t much need to continue the conversation. The priestess didn’t expose Walter’s clumsy lie, just redirected her gaze to the heavily guarded gates of the Demon Suppression City.
“By the way, how do you plan to sneak into the city? It’s fine for me and Xiao Guang to go in, but for you, aside from those faint traces of demonic features, your faces must have been remembered, right?”
“Ah? Um, well, that’s indeed a problem...”
“?”
As Violet watched the sudden embarrassment on the man’s face and the other demons, she couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her eye, and several black lines gradually appeared on her forehead.
Wait a minute, could these guys... have never considered this issue? Seeing their previously confident demeanor, Miss Priestess actually thought they had some special means. Isn’t this just deceiving people?!
Seeing the increasingly strange expression on the black-haired girl’s face, Walter cleared his throat a few times and hurriedly explained.
“Um! Actually, last time it was Ewan who helped us sneak into the city! She’s a member of the extremely rare Spirit Puppet tribe, with very magical talents. Plus, Ewan is very clever, she’s also the strategist of our team. So... how about we wait outside for a while, stay somewhere for the night, and then enter the city when she arrives?”
Violet finally understood.
These guys left to her, all muscle-headed fools who only know how to fight, right!?
No wonder Ewan had such a strange expression when she left!!
Tiyelu! You cunning butterfly, you’re plotting against me!!