Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 156
[Vol. 5] Chapter 156: Tension
Therefore, this inexplicable commotion caused by Mr. Dead Soul’s sudden decision to become a disciple came to a temporary halt.
Although Miss Dawn only used a skill associated with the ?Dominion of the Fox Mask? to send that guy on a brief trip to the so-called Underworld and then brought him back with a resurrection spell, the process itself was a method of tempering the soul.
According to the game mechanics, the skill associated with the ?Dominion of the Fox Mask? could allow players below level 100 to develop a degraded version of an SP, giving them the chance to use skills like ?Ultimate Art? or ?False Ultimate Art?.
This concept was somewhat similar to the ?Kiss of Light? spell she had once cast on Edwinna. It was a one-time, permanent buff that provided an ongoing benefit.
Of course, the soul-tempering effect of this skill wasn’t guaranteed to succeed. Typically, the lower the player’s level, the higher the chance of failure. If the soul-tempering failed, the player would “die” once and receive an unremovable debuff for a certain period, which was very troublesome.
In the end, players would inevitably gain an SP once they reached level 100, so even though leveling up was difficult, many players didn’t see the value in investing time and effort for a subpar power that they might never use.
Moreover, when it comes to this world, the law of this world imposes a restriction that doesn’t allow mortal beings to exceed level 80. So, it’s a bit useless.
Even in the game ?Illusory World? itself, the skill known as ?Yin-Yang Harmony? wasn’t as popular as the 9th-tier spell ?Kiss of Light?, which had a guaranteed effect without any risks.
Moreover, the ?Dominion of the Fox Mask?, a Semi-Divine artifact, was a special reward from an official limited-time event, exclusively given to the champion of the healing class. In the game ?Illusory World?, only Violet had this item. So, very few players knew about this skill or had experienced it firsthand.
To be honest, Violet wasn’t sure what effect the skill would have when used on a living being in the real world, nor had she ever tried it.
However, considering the abilities attached to the ?Dominion of the Fox Mask?, this skill seemed to be the most suitable for Mr. Dead Soul’s situation at the time. It not only served as a test but also significantly boosted his strength.
Consider it a form of compensation and reward for that kid, who helped test the flying wings for such a long time.
Of course, even if he had failed, Violet wouldn’t have actually let him die. However, in that case, Mr. Dead Soul wouldn’t have received the benefits attached to this skill, and Miss White Fox wouldn’t have given him another chance to keep pestering her.
As for when the next “test” would be, that would depend on Miss Fox’s mood.
With this event to pass the time during their march, by the time Violet came back to her senses, the main forces of the expedition army had finally neared the capital of the Holy Empire, Angel City.
After stepping through the portal connecting to the summit of the St. Bergen Mountain range for the last time, Miss White Fox put away the array plate on the ground. She emerged from the secluded forest she had deliberately chosen and returned to the expedition army’s camp. In the distance, the towering shadow of the city walls could already be faintly seen.
Angel City in the eastern of Holy Empire.
This ancient city also had a long history. During the chaotic times a thousand years ago, the empire that now ruled over half of the Holy Empire’s territory. Specifically, the lands east of the St. Bergen Mountain Range, had used this city as its capital.
At that time, its main rival, the Western Empire, had a different capital from the present-day Bright Light City. It was another once-glorious city.
However, that city had been destroyed by the fires of war during the establishment of the Holy Empire a thousand years ago. Although it had since been rebuilt and revitalized by later generations, it could no longer regain its former splendor and never again became the capital of a nation.
On the other hand, Angel City has a historical heritage comparable to that ancient city. Even though the city itself later became the first base of the Bright Light Church after the rise of the Three Saintesses, and the new western capital, Bright Light City, was designated after the establishment of the Holy Empire, Angel City still retained a greater historical depth.
Known by many names—?The Holy City?, ?The Divine City?, ?Angel City?, and ?The City of Light?—this city has been bestowed with countless praises and titles.
As the true capital of the Holy Empire, its scale, population, and prosperity even surpassed the Bright Light City.
When Violet found Yuna, she was in the central command tent, meeting with the envoys from the Holy Empire’s Capital. They had arrived to welcome her and discuss various matters, such as the subsequent stationing of the army.
There was no doubt that these envoys represented the ?Holy Order?, the institution that effectively governed the Holy Empire.
Or rather, they could be seen as representing the current highest leader of the Holy Empire—the Pope.
Perhaps no one else would have the authority to interrupt such a meeting, but Miss White Fox, with her distinguished achievements and outstanding reputation within the expedition army, was an exception.
After getting the information from the Holy Knights guarding the entrance, Miss White Fox lifted the tent flap and entered without hesitation.
The guards turned a blind eye to her, and no one attempted to stop her.
As she stepped into the tent, even before seeing anyone, the sounds of a heated conversation, or rather, an argument reached Violet’s ears.
“If you don’t let the army march through the city, what would be the point of the expedition coming all this way? If the goal was simply to gather troops, wouldn’t it be faster to march along three separate routes and meet at the battlefield perimeter? Do you know how much time that would save?!”
“Archbishop Vergil, please calm down. This is for the sake of the Angel City’s stability and order. Think about it, if tens of thousands of knights from the expedition army suddenly flooded the city, the chaos would be almost inevitable.”
“To maintain the eastern front, the Angel City has already deployed two whole Holy Knight orders to the battlefield. The city’s military is now stretched thin. Just maintaining stability is a major challenge. If any accident or disturbance occurs, leading to chaos or even casualties, at this critical moment… we simply cannot afford that.”
The voice of Holy Knight Clatius followed after the two arguing individuals.
“Are you implying that the discipline of my Bright Light City’s Knight Templars is lax and their leadership ineffective, so they would cause trouble for your Eastern Capital?”
“Ah, no, no! Absolutely not! We are all knights of the Goddess, how could there be any superiority or inferiority between East and West? It’s just that, after the army’s fierce battle with the demons in the St. Bergen Mountains, what if some of those cunning demons disguised themselves and infiltrated the knights? If they were to launch a surprise attack upon entering the city, the consequences would be…”
*Bang!*
As if fed up with the evasive words, a hot-tempered Knight Templar slammed the table, his nearly uncontrollable rage following close behind!
“What do you mean by that?! We’ve fought demons our whole lives. Do you think we wouldn’t notice if they infiltrated our knights?! If you want to pick a fight, just say it straight! Stop beating around the bush, it’s absolutely disgusting!!!”
When Miss White Fox entered the main hall of the tent, she saw the Bright Light Saintess, who had remained silent the entire time, raise her hand to stop her enraged Knight Templar. Then, she turned her gaze towards the figure clad in a cardinal’s red robe, clearly the envoy sent from Angel City, distinct from the archbishops of the Western Capital.
A soft, gentle, yet remarkably sharp question echoed through the space filled with the tension of a powder keg.
“I don’t recall hearing such conditions at the Holy Order’s deliberations. So, should we understand this as… a unilateral decision made by the Lambert family, the actual rulers of the Angel City? Interfering with the Holy War without the Holy Order’s review…”
“Could it be… you’ve overstepped your bounds?”