Chapter 217: Each Their Own Journey

It seems the plan is progressing smoothly.

While galloping on horseback, Edwina Cecelia thought to herself.

Although the Goddess… Miss Vilyric claimed she wouldn’t interfere in the war between the Holy Nation and the Demons, the truth is she clearly leans towards our side.

Whether it was during the incidents of the “Blood Calamity” or the “Masked Demon Uprising,” or just recently when Leila and Miss Renée, who apparently had ascended to angelic status, intervened in the battle, it all strongly proved this point.

This time, while nominally helping Edwina as a friend, it was probably just a means for Her Highness to protect her people. Her aim should be to allow the faithful to achieve victory through their own efforts without fully relying on divine grace.

In fact, although the Goddess didn’t directly intervene in the war, had it not been for the two angelic Misses who bravely charged into the enemy ranks three days ago, destroying those dozens of “Nightmare Executioners” and intimidating the enemy with their overwhelming strength, the destruction of the city walls and casualties within would surely have been far worse than they are now.

It was the same this time; Leila and Miss Renée, possessing flight capabilities as angels, not only drew away some of the strongest demons from the main army but also intentionally attacked the troops, causing chaos and creating a perfect opportunity for the Holy Nation cavalry to strike the enemy formation.

While the main force of the war remained with the people of the Holy Nation, this level of assistance was already quite invaluable.

Indeed, even the Goddess of Light, who embodies universal love and has a tolerance for invaders like demons, responds to the prayers of her faithful, granting them redemption and punishing their enemies.

This shows that the Church and all things in this world still have a place in Her sight, and just that had filled Edwina, a descendant of the divine and leader of the faithful, with honor and warmth.

The Goddess is truly watching over us.

Moreover, if her assumptions are correct, Miss Vilyric’s purpose this time probably also includes…

“Second Miss! We have tails on us!”

A unicorn suddenly sped up, coming alongside the Holy Knight Princess leading the charge, skillfully maintaining pace while loudly warning her.

Ah, I was daydreaming; that’s quite a taboo during tense wartime.

Shaking her head vigorously to clear her mind, Edwina controlled her impressively tall unicorn and turned to ask,

“How many are there?”

“At least over five thousand! All demon cavalry, and they’re less than a kilometer behind our tail!”

“Five thousand demon cavalry, huh… That’s quite a force.”

Receiving that answer, Edwina frowned slightly.

Demon cavalry are one of the most mobile main battle units under the Lord of Killing, composed of demon warhorses and demon knights.

Though called warhorses, the former are formidable demons in their own right, their combat prowess far exceeding that of the expendable magical beasts. When combined, they possess battle strength at least equivalent to Courage Knights, generally known as being superior to the Gold class.

The Gold class, of course, isn’t quite a strong enemy for Edwina now, but a full five thousand is enough to make her very cautious.

Moreover, the classification of demon cavalry is very strict; for every fifty knights, there must be at least one higher-ranking knight commander, and with five hundred, it goes up another level. With five thousand cavalry, it signifies that there must be at least one level five or above, the so-called legendary strongman leading them.

Though Edwina had advanced beyond, she never arrogantly thought that she could freely enter and exit amidst demons. With such a massive invasion, it was certain that the demon world had dispatched similarly powerful enemies, perhaps more than one.

It seems the demons had been caught off guard and were now furious, wanting to wipe out this cavalry of the Holy Nation that had charged out of the city!

…Engaging them would not be wise.

Contemplating, the Holy Knight Princess quickly reached a conclusion.

Let alone that the Temple Knights under her command numbered only three thousand elite members; a direct confrontation might not guarantee victory over five thousand cavalry led by a level five demon. Even if they could pull it off, it would certainly take time to resolve the battle.

Once they’re caught up and latched onto, more demon troops would surely come in droves afterward, completely surrounding and devouring all of them.

“How’s the situation on the Redeeming Saintess’s side?”

“Judging by the signals, they should have already broken into the city! These demons must have recognized our aim and are desperately attempting to catch up in retaliation, haha! What a bunch of fools!”

Though they were in imminent danger of being wiped out, the knight responsible for communicating didn’t seem fearful or anxious. Riding high on the excitement, he began to laugh heartily, prompting many knights around him to join in, their laughter echoing with triumph and pride after having struck at the enemy.

This truly reflects the confrontational spirit ingrained in the people of the Holy Nation.

Edwina didn’t laugh; she just continued to ponder the message the Goddess seemed to be conveying through these actions and their course of action moving forward.

Soon, the Holy Knight Princess nodded again.

“Good, then we’ll proceed according to the predetermined plan, continue heading south, shake off the enemy tails, and cross the Star River. As for those demon cavalry… let them chase after us; the more fire they draw, the less pressure there will be on the main battlefield! Relay the order, boost the speed for the whole army! Everyone, run!!”

“Understood!!!”

……

“We’re running now… Edwina.”

“This truly is a difficult trial; perhaps it’ll be more extreme than all the crises you’ve faced before, considering this time, it’ll mostly depend on you all.”

Floating in the sky above the fluffy clouds, the Priestess gazed down at the two retreating cavalry units below and expressed such a faint sentiment, her white robe billowing in the wind.

“Master, if you want to help, wouldn’t it be unnecessary to use such roundabout methods? Let me go and wipe out all those so-called demons!”

Beside her, the blonde girl with dragon wings hovering in the air couldn’t hold back and proposed such a suggestion, whether it was because she was eager to fight after continuous battles or genuinely concerned for those ordinary beings caught in war, whom she saw as tiny ants.

Seemingly touched by the Little Dragon Daughter’s words, the black-haired, white-robed Priestess lightly chuckled without looking back.

“Xiao Guang, there’s a question… I wonder if you’ve thought about why demons, who can be summoned through rituals, can appear in any corner of this world, yet they focus solely on gnawing at the Holy Empire and refuse to invade other countries?”

“Hmm?”

The Little Dragon Daughter frowned, appearing to seriously ponder the reason but soon shook her head in defeat.

“I don’t know, could it be they’re angry they can’t break through, so they have to prove themselves? Didn’t that guy Lucas also say that demons invade many other worlds at the same time?”

Vilyric couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Now that’s a rather childish thought… First, you need to understand that so-called war inherently involves significant conflicts of interest, whether material or spiritual; this is the root of contradiction and war.”

“The demons’ relentless pursuit of the Holy Empire signifies that there is a much higher value here than anywhere else.”

“And according to the historical texts of various nations and a comprehensive assessment based on wild reports, small-scale demon invasions used to occur across various regions of this world; however, starting from a certain period, they gradually concentrated on the central region—the Holy Empire.”

“For instance, over in the United Kingdom, Liliya mentioned that there have been no reports of demon invasions for nearly a hundred years. What do you think is the reason for that?”

“……?”

As soon as those words were spoken, the Little Dragon Daughter’s face grew even more puzzled, followed by an abrupt realization.

“Because… the interests here have grown larger, far exceeding those of other regions?”

“Hehe, not bad! Xiao Guang can already keep up with my train of thought!”

Receiving the compliment, the Little Dragon Daughter’s cheeks turned slightly rosy with joy, her cute tail wagging happily behind her. She thought she’d get a more detailed explanation, but after a long wait, all she saw was her master waving her hand with a smile.

“A second question: why have the demon lords, who generally fight their own battles, suddenly joined forces to wage war this time? If the root of conflict lies in competing interests, then what usually prompts an alliance?”