episode_0026

**

While the enemies hesitate to enter, the priestess easily goes over the ceiling.

As I was looking around while gathering the rope, my eyes met with those of a man dressed in luxurious attire standing in the window of a fancy building.

“It’s you?”

“Huh?!”

Although the demon cowered and covered his neck as soon as their eyes met.

Meanwhile, the priestess, who had checked the scroll in the demon’s hand, looked around, taking in what kind of building it was.

Should we deal with the noisy bell ringing first? No, since there’s already been a commotion, it would be better to escape while targeting the demons who can see us.

The priestess, who had decided on a plan, held back from cutting off the enemy leader’s head right away and devised an escape route.

Is this really one of the Canturco cities?

It is common for a city to have a village outside the walls and important buildings inside.

However, it is difficult to describe the Canturko tribe as being skilled with their hands. They make everything they make so well that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a work of art.

The existence of a large land area large enough to support a large population and a strong wall surrounding the large land to defend it were basic to them.

I don’t know how many Kanturkos have joined hands with the Demon King’s Army.

Thus, the priestess looked around with her world-class eyesight and determined that, as the demon she had interrogated had said, there was indeed a garrison of the Demon King’s army in the territory of the Kanturko tribe.

It’s complicated.

The path to the outer wall is short, but you will have to face a large number of Demon King’s troops. If you go to the city, it will be difficult for the Demon King’s troops to openly chase you, but it will only cause harm to civilians, and if the entire Kanturko tribe joins hands with the Demon King’s troops, it will be difficult.

Or maybe it should be moved to diplomatic issues.

If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter what I chose, but right now, I had to take care of my own kind first, so my actions were restricted.

…I need to ask for help.

I felt small for thinking this way, considering how long it had been since I left the party.

No, it’s okay for now.

The priestess’s current goal is the safe evacuation of her people. Rather than entering the city in uncertainty to ask for help or hide, it would be better to escape the outer wall and return to the Land of the Elements, even if it was a little risky.

“Follow me.”

“””Yes!”””

This priestess’s judgment was quick, and the elements followed behind the priestess who lightly took the lead.

Move safely while keeping up with the speed of those behind you and being aware of your surroundings.

“There’s an element over there!”

‘Piyung-‘

“Ouch!”

Get out quickly.

It’s clean. It hasn’t been that long since you joined hands with the Demon King’s Army.

It looks similar to the barracks of the Demon King’s army seen in Maluk, but it looks much more modern. The barracks are usually three stories high, considering they are used as an outpost.

It was already Canturko’s territory. The form of the building resembled Canturko’s touch, so it seemed difficult to make the excuse that he had not colluded with the Demon King’s army.

“Over there!”

“Where over there?! Tell me the exact location!”

“Sa, this is the third battalion headquarters!!”

“Headquarters? This battalion is blocking the route to the logistics department!”

“Yes!”

“All those who go to the rooftop, bring a net!”

Although it was noisy, the priestess shouted out the places she had passed by and made a fuss so that the troops would not make useless steps. Judging from the fact that the places she had passed by were well-placed, the soldiers and commanders seemed to be of a decent standard.

So much so that it felt difficult to escape with the hostages.

‘Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding’

When the priestess appears, the nearby bells ring loudly.

“The element is nearby! Find it! ”

The Demon King’s army strengthens its borders using that as a signal.

“There it is! Shoot!”

Pat pat pat!

An archer’s movement that demonstrates how much tension is required just by pulling the bowstring.

‘Pa-ang!!’

A dull thud was heard, but the priestess and the elements easily evaded it because the trajectories were monotonous.

‘Kwa-ang!’

Instead, the building’s roof suffered gruesome damage.

“When you shoot that, look carefully and shoot!!”

Moreover, if you make a mistake, there is a risk of friendly fire.

“Damn! This thing is too big and heavy to fit the elements!”

He pulled back the longbow, which was as big as the element’s body, with great force, but even though it had outstanding destructive power, if he missed the target, it would only destroy his base.

” Change of strategy! If you don’t have confidence in hitting the arrow, just aim! Just by pointing the bow at a fast opponent, you can make them conscious and nervous! ”

“Yes!”

“When they come near, just hold them! Once you throw the net, no matter how much they are, they won’t be able to escape!”

“What if we get caught in the net?!”

“You’re such a coward! I’m telling you to hold on to the elements with that kind of determination!”

The priestess listened to the enemy’s orders shouted from a considerable distance and assessed the situation at every moment. She ran to the rooftop where her view was clear, but her limits were quickly reached.

“Oh my, please be quiet and catch me.”

“It’s definitely fast because it’s an element.”

He is armed more heavily than the Minotaur soldiers he first encountered and pressures the priestess. As the number of waiting troops increases, the time it takes for her to be caught in the ankles only gets longer.

If the enemy had relied only on their muscles and were attacking with their bare body, they could have killed them by aiming for a vital point, but the best the priestess could do now was to cut off their unarmed body parts with her greatsword, push them away with all her might, or aim for their head to momentarily stun them.

“Over there! We’ve surrounded the elements from over there! ”

“Where is that, you son of a bitch!”

“Isn’t this a place where paper rings noisily?!”

“I know, dude! I told you to report the location properly, didn’t I?!”

If you can’t get out and continue to stay here, you’ll definitely get caught.

“Madam… .”

The priestess, who was forced to confront the Demon King’s army while trying to adapt to the elements that followed, sensed the presence of people rushing in and decided to take advantage of the current situation.

“Kuhaha, that element is the famous Dark Harvester from the Demon World? He looks so innocent, but I guess you can’t trust appearances.”

Finally, in a situation where it seemed like they were going to catch them, the one who appeared to be the commander appeared without hesitation.

Even though a building fell from the rooftop where the priestess was.

“Don’t let your guard down, everyone! Even though he looks like that, he’s still dangerous! Surround him calmly and capture him!”

The Demon King’s army systematically approached at the enemy commander’s command. Minotaurs armed with armor snorted and pressured the priestesses and elements.

“Oh my, it was quite annoying, but now it’s over?!”

“Pilimar?! This Jasikahak?!”

“Oh my! You’re so fierce for such a small thing!”

“What are you doing?! Everyone, come running!”

“Miss Shaman?!”

“Oh, no…!”

As usual, he kicked away the troops blocking his path, but the number of trap nets had increased, and even the same elements were screaming in worry. Some Minotaurs were even rushing forward, ready to be caught along with the trap nets.

“After.”

The priestess took a deep breath.

“What?”

He dives into the arms of an enemy who has come close to his nose and throws him to the side with the recoil. He doesn’t make any careless movements, and his next gesture is to use a greatsword that he has been holding for some time and slit the throat of the next enemy.

“Kyaaak?!”

Even if it wasn’t completely cut off, it was a fatal wound. The priestess’s way of doing things was to achieve maximum efficiency with minimal attacks.

‘Bam-!’

Qua-dang

Next, hit the enemy wearing a helmet with a stone and he will immediately rush in and fall down.

“Wind!”

A priestess who gives orders to spirits that have been placed on standby in advance.

“Oh my?! I definitely threw it!”

“Hey, let me loose!”

Struggling

He blew the incoming nets in the opposite direction and returned them to the enemies.

“This can’t be happening.”

“Umm, what… .”

Surprisingly, the Minotaurs that were rushing towards the priestess fell or fell down, creating a gap in the siege. Since it happened so suddenly, not only the enemies but even the elements were speechless.

‘Pee-yung-!’

“Huh?!”

“Shield! Raise your shield!”

“Block the vital point! If you block the vital point, you won’t die!”

“Fuck! Fuck!”

The priestess’s martial arts skills turned the tables in an instant, just when she thought she had them all. The troops who had come to their senses began to defend themselves frantically, but the priestess only fired when she was certain, never missing, and as soon as she hit the enemy, they were rendered incapacitated.

“Follow me.”

“””Yes, four!!”””

“Do, he’s running away! Catch him!”

“Most of them got hit!!”

“What the heck! How on earth is that possible?!”

The priestess moved on, leaving behind the commander’s confusion, who unfortunately missed his target.

“Damn it! Contact this battalion! They’re on their way!”

As the number of people surrounding you increases, your escape speed naturally decreases. Even though you can move around quickly by going to the rooftop of a tall building, it is easy to catch enemies’ attention and make you easy to detect.

Moreover, because the enemies’ toughness is strong, it is gradually becoming difficult to find a way out while dealing with troops that are not easy to kill.

When you get close, they throw traps, and when you get far enough away, they shoot arrows, so there was a lot to worry about as you tried to run away.

The only fortunate thing was that the arrows fired at dozens of times did not even graze the priestess, let alone the elements following her.

‘Pee-yung!’

“Oh my gosh!!”

On the other hand, the arrows shot by the priestess hit the target without fail.

It was a precise shooting that aimed only at the targets that had to be dealt with with certainty, as there were few arrows and they were difficult to recover.

I guess I should go down to the ground soon.

As soon as you enter the alley, there are many instances where you have to personally shoot down threatening arrows or traps made of nets that seem to have been waiting for you.

‘Pah-kang!’

“T-.”

“Miss Shaman?!”

“It’s okay.”

Even a female shaman had a hard time shooting arrows with a longbow.

“This way.”

“Yes!”

“Here it is.”

“Yes!”

Still, the priestess made the best choice at every moment by fully utilizing her experience, abilities, and intuition.

“Just a moment.”

Wheeing-

‘Ttuk ttuk’

The priestess stopped the elements following her, and made it look like she had asked the spirits to hurry and escape to the path ahead as the siege closed in.

“Captain! There’s a trace of someone passing through there!”

“Then I’ll go to this battalion. Quickly relay the message to the outskirts. It looks like they’re planning to escape out of the castle, just like the brigade commander said!”

“Yes!”

The commander of the third battalion had already said something similar, but the people on the scene had not yet heard it, so they made the same judgment. The Demon King’s troops at the 43rd Garrison also tried to capture the priestess in their own way, but the priestess was more agile.

To get out of here, you have to go in the direction where the guys are waiting.

A priestess alone could probably climb over that high wall, but to escape with the hostages, she would have to head towards the gate or attempt an escape from a place with stairs leading up to the wall.

Of course, the enemies had already prepared to prevent the priestess from escaping.

The priestess continued to look around steadily, wondering if it was okay to continue like this.

Is that the sage’s servant?

In the midst of all this, a priestess catches sight of a small snake with a beard floating in the sky.

As soon as their eyes met, the sage’s servant horse was positioned far from the priestess’s sight, neither too close nor too far away, as if telling her to follow him once they got out of here.

Over there?

I heard from the warrior that the wise man and the saintess had come to the Land of Elements.

The fact that such a wise man came nearby must have been the warrior’s arrangement.

The sage’s servant horse flew in a certain direction, looking at the priestess, and the priestess noticed the sage’s intention and thought that if she wanted to escape this place, she should follow the directions he gave her.

At the same time, look at the place where the servant horse is going.

Over there.

I had taken a quick look at it earlier, but it was an ambiguous building that seemed urgent and long-term. It was about 10m lower than the castle walls, but it was close to the outer wall, so it seemed like it had potential.

“Come here.”

As soon as a new conclusion is reached, the direction changes.

**

“The element is going somewhere other than this battalion!”

As the priestess followed the sage’s servant horse, the Demon King’s army hurriedly reported the unexpected move.

“What?! Where are you going now?”

As the priestess had expected, most of the troops were deployed along the escape route, so she was troubled.

Brigadier Mullet is fully dressed in his Kanturkoze gear.

I checked the map and considered whether I should reduce the number of deployed troops and form a pursuit force.

“If we go into the city, it’s good for us, but what’s your plan? Dark Harvester.”

If we hide too deep into the city, there is a possibility that we will be suspected by Canturko, who is unaware of the fact that we are cooperating with the Demon King’s army, but before that, we had already prepared the route into the city.

It was a thought that occurred to me, but I quickly shook my head. Even when I thought about it myself, fighting a war of attrition with hostages was too dangerous.

Did they decide to abandon the hostage? No. It’s not like the element guys are going to do that. It would make sense to try to hide it until things calm down.

“So, do you know where we’re going?”

“Yes! That’s right, it was heading east from the gate.”

“East?”

Looking at the map, it was the location of the supply depot.

“Even if you give weapons to the hostages, they won’t do anything except for the Dark Harvester.”

The number of buildings was too small to run away to, making it unsuitable for hiding.

“Each building has fire preparedness measures in place, and even if they are Dark Harvesters, they won’t be able to do anything to the equipment in a short period of time.”

There will be no time to mess with the weapons while running away.

Mullet stuck his face out the window to see for himself.

I inferred the priestess’ intentions by wondering what other features were different from what was reported.

“Then… huh?”

Then suddenly, the tall building standing there in the middle of nowhere became annoying.

“Adjutant. Why is that building there?”

“Are you talking about that building? I remember it as a fort for long-range artillery fire.”

“Wasn’t there a cannon on the wall too?”

“That’s true, but isn’t the technique of the cantors sometimes difficult to understand?”

Although Mullet agreed with the adjutant’s words, a hopeful thought troubled his mind.

“How close is it to the wall?”

“It’s not that far, not that close.”

“What are the stairs leading up to the wall?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Hmm-.”

A high-rise fort that looked suspiciously at me while stroking my thick chin. It didn’t touch the stupidly strong and high walls, but it was still quite nerve-wracking.

“What the heck!”

An ominous feeling welled up in my chest.

“Send the troops that can move immediately to the supply base!”

Near the fort, a small figure that appeared to be a priestess caught Mullet’s eye.

“Yes?”

“The third battalion will take charge of the supply area! Send the first battalion outside and have them wait outside the walls so they can’t escape! This battalion will remain in defense and the fourth battalion will charge from the walls! Quickly!”

“Oh, I see!”

The operation to capture the priestess was simply an order, but then quickly turned into a specific command. Mullet ignored the adjutant who was running out in a hurry with an anxious heart.

“Not good. The Sasa guy got hit while there was a hostage. In other words, now is the chance to catch the Dark Harvester, but if you miss this, there will be days when you don’t know when your head will be hung.”

Mullet openly ignored Kuhora, but that did not mean he ignored the Dark Harvester’s notoriety. In fact, he still kept the Return Scroll handy, ready to be torn at any moment.

“I should have asked Canturko for help instead.”

It is a secret that the Demon King’s army has secretly joined hands with some of the Kangturko tribe.

If you take the risk of it being revealed and ask for help, you can catch the priestess much more easily. However, Kanturko may develop a diplomatic problem and go to war with another race.

Otherwise, the country may just deal with the Kanturkos who have joined hands with the Demon King’s army on their own.

“No, then the harm outweighs the gains. If we lose the priestess right away, we’ll have to abandon the garrison, but since there’s no evidence that they’ve joined forces with us, we can just hold them off and hide until it’s quiet.”

If he had retreated completely to the Demon World, he could have saved his life even if he had been questioned by Kritrick.

“It’s good to catch a priestess, but is it worth it to ruin the relationship you built with Canturko? It’s hard to judge.”

Mullet frowns as he sees the elements escaping from the fortress wall by connecting ropes in a way he had never imagined possible. After climbing up the last element to the fortress wall, he looks through his telescope to check if his men are doing well.

“You damn Dark Harvester!”

He defeats the men who rush in all by himself. Even though he has a hostage, he is able to protect himself and fight against the men who cling to him, which is impressive even to the enemy.

Honestly, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

“There are three more guys like that in the warrior party?”

The more I look at it, the more amazed I am, and I am so busy chasing it with my binoculars that I am speechless.

I wondered if such an act was possible with that slender body.

“Hehe, so you’re going outside in the end?”

I had the 1st Battalion stand by, but I had a feeling that even that would break through.

“Tsk. What should I report to Critrick?”

There has been no contact yet to see if Kuhora was really hurt, and they themselves have suffered considerable damage. However, they have not been able to take their eyes off the Dark Harvester.

So, as you can see through the telescope, just before the priestess jumps out of the castle wall.

“Huh-huh?!!”

Mullet hid again at the sight of the Dark Harvester’s mouth. Realistically, it wouldn’t be audible from that distance, but Mullet was gripped by fear as if she had heard the Dark Harvester’s voice announcing that he would soon be coming.