Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 146

[Vol. 5] Chapter 146: The Name of the Outsider

“Wait, hold on… let me think this through…”

Ignoring the curious glances constantly being thrown her way by the marching Knight Templars, Miss White Fox pressed her hand to her forehead. She glanced at the grey-clad swordsman, who had just raised his head under the flickering torchlight, his face filled with sincerity.

“First, the most important question: why do you think… that I’m a swordmaster?”

After what seemed like a moment of serious thought, Mr. Dead Soul nodded and asked in return:

“Hmm… during the chaos caused by the ?Faceless One?, Miss Dawn stepped in to help the Merchant Guild and treated me for the masked one’s hidden poison. You should remember that, right?”

Suddenly, a faint unease stirred in her heart, giving rise to a bad premonition. Yet, outwardly, she maintained her composed and indifferent demeanor, calmly replying:

“Ah, right. So what about it?”

Recalling the incident, the grey-clad swordsman couldn’t help but show a trace of emotion, smiling lightly.

“At that time, my consciousness was muddled, though later I heard about it from my master and ?Ferryman?. But as the one involved, I experienced more than they did.”

“Occasionally, in my dreams, I would catch fleeting glimpses of blurry scenes. A glowing figure hovered in the air, and behind her, thousands upon thousands of swords of light flew like birds, soaring through the sky, forming a magnificent sword array that pierced the heavens and earth.”

“I don’t know what kind of formation that was, but it was, without a doubt, the most profound and wondrous sight I’ve ever witnessed. It completely shattered my understanding of the way of the sword.”

“To wield the sword as a weapon, ten form a line, a hundred form an army, and millions form a formation. This… this is precisely the ultimate swordsmanship I’ve dreamed of my entire life!”

“At that moment, I became certain that my life, everything I have been through up to now, has all led to that moment, all so I could witness that scene!”

As his tone suddenly grew passionate and fervent, he awkwardly touched the seven swords hanging at his waist.

“However, human strength has its limits. After over a decade of rigorous training, I can only manage to control seven swords, and that’s my absolute limit. For a long time now, I’ve struggled to make further progress.”

“I’ve been struggling with this for a long time, hoping to find an opportunity in this vast world to break through my limitations. I’ve searched high and low for a skilled swordmaster to teach me, and after traveling through many countries, I discovered the Swift Sword Saint Bevis Bernard. However, he only specializes in a single Wind Blade. I also found powerful warriors residing in Demon Suppression City, but they didn’t have much knowledge of swordsmanship. From start to finish, I’ve never encountered a true mentor with the swordsmanship to guide me, until…”

“Alright… I get it.”

Was it luck?

It seemed that when she entered his mental world back then, clearing out the problem of ?Faceless One?, the disturbance she caused left too deep an impression on his subconscious, leading some crucial scenes to manifest in his dreams.

This spirit’s mental willpower was quite extraordinary, to the point where he could vaguely sense what happened even in his subconscious. No wonder he could resist the ?Faceless One?’s corruption despite being a mere mortal.

Fortunately, his blurred memory wasn’t enough to let him discern the differences between the real and false forms of a certain Miss White Fox. All he could do was vaguely assume that the figure annihilating the masked army with a rain of swords must have been ?Dawn?, who was treating him at the time.

But the problem was…

Even if we don’t talk about whether I’m willing to teach or not, ?Purification Rain? is just an 8th-tier Holy Light spell. What does that have to do with swordsmanship, you fool!?

Glancing at the grey-clad swordsman in the night, who was looking over with a mix of anxiousness and hope, Miss White Fox found herself in a bit of a dilemma.

If the ?Dead Soul? was genuinely seeking guidance to improve his abilities, unwavering in his pursuit of mastery, Violet didn’t dislike that kind of behavior. Helping out wouldn’t be a big deal.

After all, she didn’t follow any sect or have strict rules about mentorship. Besides, many truly powerful techniques couldn’t simply be learned through instruction.

However, if she bluntly told him, “I’m just a priestess. I have no idea how to wield a sword!” he would probably think she was making excuses to avoid teaching him.

Given how persistent he had been in seeking her out multiple times with such seriousness, he wouldn’t easily give up. He would likely do everything in his power to become Dawn’s disciple, which would surely turn into a huge hassle later on.

So, what exactly is this ‘Way of the Swordmaster’ supposed to be? Couldn’t they explain it in less vague terms?

Forget it, maybe it’s best to give him a glimmer of hope and try a little. If things really don’t work out, she could always ditch the mask and make a run for it.

Although the ?Reaper’s Scythe? had seen her and her companions in Demon Suppression City before, and could easily guess that there was some connection between Dawn and Violet, thanks to the effect of the ?Dominion of the Fox Mask?, they would never suspect that they were actually the same person.

Moreover, in a situation like this, it’s clearly Mr. Dead Soul’s fault for entangling himself in this mess, not hers. If she ran away, she couldn’t be blamed. You can’t force someone to teach you and get your own future ruined, right?

Wait… thinking about it that way, why does this feel a bit… scummy?

Pfft! Whatever, who cares!

Having made up her mind, the girl gave a light, deliberate cough.

“Alright then, for the sake of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild and… this basket of pastries, I’ll give you a chance. But let’s be clear, I’m not promising any results, and I won’t be your teacher, just a simple guide. Before that, I’ll need to test both your determination and your aptitude. Can you accept that?”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Dead Soul didn’t seem discouraged. Instead, he was overjoyed, nodding eagerly in agreement.

“Of course! That’s completely reasonable! With Miss Dawn’s status and strength, just being given the opportunity to be tested is already the greatest honor for me! So, may I ask when…?”

Miss White Fox raised her hand, stopping his increasingly excited words.

“Don’t rush. Haste makes waste… Let’s do it this way. Come by again tomorrow morning, and I’ll give you your first challenge then.”

“Yes! I humbly follow maste… uh, Miss Dawn’s orders!”

Mr. Dead Soul had almost instinctively said “master’s orders,” but then quickly remembered that Miss Fox had emphasized earlier she wouldn’t be his teacher. Flustered, he corrected himself.

“Alright then, if there’s nothing else, you can head back for now… Oh, by the way, let me ask, did you make these pastries yourself? Where did you learn how to make them?”

“Uh…”

The grey-clad swordsman hesitated slightly, then scratched his head awkwardly, replying honestly.

“To be honest, I asked ?Dark Lotus? and ?Dark Spirit? to make them. It’s a skill they brought with them from their homeland. I hope Miss Dawn won’t laugh at me for it.”

“Their homeland, huh…”

……………………………

After sending off Mr. Dead Soul, who who was almost floating with happiness, Violet didn’t linger outside any longer. She caught up with the procession, which had already moved some distance ahead, and returned to the carriage.

The youngest, Eudora, who was probably still in her growth phase, had already started snoring softly in the bed Theresa had made for her. The other girls had also tidied up, and it seemed they were just waiting for Miss White Fox to return before settling down for the night.

After all, it was almost 11 PM.

Not wasting much time and keeping in mind Yuna’s warning of a potential attack, Violet briefly explained what had happened outside, and then they extinguished the lights, each settling in to sleep.

But truthfully, the priestess who was lying beside her dragon girl couldn’t fall asleep.

It wasn’t the large tail pressing on her stomach that kept her awake, but her own thoughts.

In her mind, she kept thinking about the box of pastries Mr. Dead Soul had brought, which she had temporarily stored in her backpack, and more importantly… how she was going to handle tomorrow’s so-called test.

She had more or less begun to sense that the four members of the ?Reaper’s Scythe?, or rather, a significant portion of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild members…

Didn’t seem like natives of this world.

From the first time Violet encountered this legendary adventurer team in Demon Suppression City, she felt there was something oddly familiar yet strange about their behavior. But at that time, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Later, when she met Mo Shang and Gao Daqiang from the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, and even Mr. Diviner, their abilities, habits, and commonly used terms all struck her as peculiar.

Especially after learning that the ?Reaper’s Scythe? were also members of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, that odd feeling of familiarity only grew stronger.

It wasn’t until tonight’s unexpected encounter that the priestess finally dared to form a solid conclusion.

If she had to find a reference point with a similar style and feel, only one person—or rather, something likely “not” human—came to mind.

That would be the examiner for the second test in the “Demon God’s successor test”, the white-robed man who called himself “Wenqu”, whom the priestess had met by chance in the ?Valley of Magic? of the ?Illusionary Realm?.

Since ?Diviner?, ?Dead Soul?, and ?Ferryman? were all code names, could it be possible…

That the name ?Wenqu?… was actually a code name too?