[Vol. 7] Chapter 281: The Singing Demon
As for the problems Jerry had mentioned, Bernard had thought about them. Iron Hammer Canyon had indeed always been one of the most common places for ambushes throughout history. The terrain was shaped like a huge hammer lying flat, wide in front and narrow in the back.
Right now, their troops were located in the wide "head" part of the hammer. If they kept moving forward, they would enter the long and narrow part of the canyon. If enemies were lying in wait and managed to block both the entrance and exit, the army would be in a very dangerous position.
But the key issue was, there was no way anyone could be hiding there to ambush them.
This military operation was completely secret. Other than the soldiers involved, only a very small number of top-level officials and the Emperor himself even knew about it. This mobile magic-powered unit was one of the Empire’s hidden trump cards. Not only were its members chosen through layers of strict screening, but even their usual training base was fully sealed off, with no contact allowed with the outside world.
On top of that, during the march, they were equipped with the Empire’s latest magical jamming devices. No communication stones could work in the area. Plus, they had deliberately avoided cities and villages along the way, only taking remote and deserted paths. All of this made any kind of information leak almost impossible. In short, the plan seemed totally foolproof.
And most importantly, they were still inside the Austre Empire’s own territory. It was normal for Imperial troops to move within their own borders. Even if some enemy country somehow got wind of the plan and wanted to interfere, how would they even sneak in a large force and set up an ambush without being noticed?
The Emperor had been waiting for a good excuse to start a war. No foreign leader with even a little bit of sense would do something that risky and foolish.
So, under Bernard’s confident command, the army quickly and steadily passed through the wide "hammerhead" area and officially entered the narrow, inner part of Iron Hammer Canyon. Once they made it through this final obstacle, the wide-open plains of Sainz City would be right in front of them.
Just as the commander had predicted, they marched through the canyon for a long time without seeing any sign of enemies. In fact, they didn’t even spot a single person.
This area was on the edge of the Dragon Mountains, far from the only nearby settlement, the Dragon Temple, and still a good distance from the academy city. It was stuck in between two major economic zones, lacking any valuable resources. Naturally, hardly anyone would ever bother coming to this dangerous canyon.
Sitting inside the fast-moving war vehicle, listening to the occasional soft bird calls from above the canyon, Bernard, who had been a little cautious because of Jerry's warning, gradually relaxed.
I told you, there's no way...
"Bang!"
Just as he was thinking this, the war vehicle suddenly came to a sharp stop. The strong inertia from the sudden halt caused Bernard, who wasn’t expecting it, to slam his head hard against the front partition, making a dull sound.
Although the magic-powered war vehicle was designed to handle such emergency situations, Bernard, confident as he was, hadn’t bothered to fasten his seatbelt. The impact left him dizzy, and a large bump immediately appeared on his forehead.
“What’s going on? How are you driving this thing!?” Bernard shouted.
“L-Lord, we had to stop ahead…” The operator, looking helpless, didn’t get a chance to respond before Jerry, the vice-commander, hurriedly split the formation and rushed over to Bernard’s side. Despite the funny and messy state Bernard was in, Jerry didn’t care about that. Instead, he looked surprised, almost like he had just seen something unbelievable, and quickly reported.
“Commander! Something has appeared on the only path through the canyon and blocked our way! According to the detection results, it... it seems to be a demon!”
“Bastard! So what if it's a demon? Why are you all making such a big deal out of it...” Bernard started to complain, but then his face froze as he heard the word. "Demon?!"
The shock of that name made Bernard’s previously angry expression turn into a flurry of confusion. As one of the core leaders of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, he had heard of these creatures, enemies of the Holy Empire for over a thousand years. He knew just how terrifying they were, even more than the average soldier.
This is impossible, it doesn’t make sense. How could they appear inside the Austre Empire and come here to attack us?
Demons, as invaders from another world, were enemies to all life on this continent. Though they were often tied to religious powers and the Holy Empire, that didn’t mean they could get along with other nations.
Moreover, these creatures never acted alone. Wherever signs of demonic activity appeared, there were always high-ranking demons with noble blood leading them. They brought terror, corruption, and destruction. Each faction wielded terrifying power that made even the bravest tremble. Only priests had the ability to counter them.
And of course, there wouldn’t be any holy mages in their unit.
At this thought, Bernard’s heart trembled slightly. He didn’t even care about the bump that had formed on his head and immediately jumped off the war vehicle. He grabbed the vice-commander’s arm, which was wrapped in mechanical power armor, and loudly demanded answers.
“How many of them are there? What do they look like? What’s the situation now?!”
“Uhm... So far, we’ve only found one. It’s a little girl with pink hair, looking almost human, but she has white wings and a thin tail. She also has horns on her head, which are platinum in color, and she gives off a somewhat holy vibe… In short, it’s very strange.”
“One? Wait, what’s with this description…?”
At this point, Jerry’s expression also became a bit strange.
“To be honest, at first, I thought she was an angel sent by the Holy Empire. But the instruments confirmed that she’s a demon. And the little girl hasn’t attacked our troops. She just blocked the path, and then she started… standing still…”
“Damn it! Standing still? What do you mean, hurry up and tell me!”
Under Bernard’s repeated urgent questioning, the vice-commander finally opened his mouth and revealed the absurd truth that he couldn’t quite believe himself.
“She's… singing.”
“?!”
This absurd answer left Bernard stunned for a moment. Clearly, even with Bernard’s experience as the deputy director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, he couldn’t make sense of this strange description to determine the true nature and intent of the creature.
However, considering the importance of this operation, he gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing his fear of demons, and drew his decorative sword from his waist.
“Listen, for the sake of the Empire’s plan, no matter what that thing wants to do, we can’t let her leave Iron Hammer Canyon alive. At the very least, we need to capture her! Here’s the plan, bring me to the front so we can check the situation, and have the troops be on guard for any other threats…”
Just then, a soft, melodious voice floated from a distance.
The song was clear and flowing, with an indescribable sense of grandeur and holiness. Even though neither Bernard nor Jerry could understand the words, it seemed to be a language not of this world. Yet, they could still sense its meaning.
It was most likely a hymn, or perhaps a sacred song.