Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 161

[Vol. 5] Chapter 161: A Touch of Mercy

At first, Violet had indeed intended to meet Edwina under the identity of “Dawn.”

After all, while Edwina knew that she and Dawn were the same person, only she was aware of this secret. The others around the Holy Knight, including Cromancia of the “Eternal Throne,” did not know.

Unless absolutely necessary, the priestess had no plans to reveal her “Violet” identity so openly in the Holy Empire, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Because, in the end, she didn’t trust this Cromancia person.

Back in Bright Light City, Violet had twice sent Leila and Rene to track down traces and strongholds of the “Eternal Throne,” a cult-like organization that had been faintly active in the area.

The winged sisters did not disappoint the priestess, ultimately locating these rats hiding underground, and the two of them managed to almost completely wipe them out.

Although, due to interference from the ?Faceless One?, Leila and the others were unable to completely eliminate all the undead in the stronghold, allowing a few remnants to escape, they had captured the leader of the group—the Ninth Throne of the Eternal Throne, known as the ?Thousand-Faced Phantom?, who was none other than this Cromancia.

When Leila brought her before a certain white fox priestess, Cromancia had begged for her life, but Violet immediately saw that this woman was even more opportunistic than Prakaka. Violet had initially thought she could extract some information from her, and if not, she would simply kill her and be done with it.

After all, Violet had no intention of keeping anyone from the Eternal Throne around her. She couldn’t casually throw troublesome people to be managed elsewhere. The Bright Light Saintess is not a naive person like a certain queen who immediately agrees without thinking twice. However she dealt with Cromancia, it was just a nuisance.

But to Violet’s surprise, when a certain rat caught wind of the situation and hurried over, they made a fairly reasonable suggestion—or rather, pleaded on Cromancia’s behalf.

Prakaka’s suggestion was essentially that this ?Thousand-Faced Phantom? was highly skilled in disguise and mimicry, and with her near-legendary strength, it would be a waste to kill her. Instead, it would be better to use her as a double for some important figure, where she might actually prove useful.

The idea of using her as a double indeed gave Violet something to think about.

She recalled during the coup in the Human United Kingdom, Cromancia had disguised herself as Lilya’s personal shadow guard and attempted an assassination. Luckily, the passive ability of the artifact ?Casket of Ascension?, which the priestess had given to the queen, was triggered, saving her life.

While this was one of the main reasons Violet originally didn’t intend to spare Cromancia, on the flip side, if such a brilliant mimicry skill were used correctly, it could indeed produce impressive results.

Separated by vast distances from the Human United Kingdom, Cromancia had previously clashed with Lilya, so it wouldn’t be suitable to send her to serve the queen like Prakaka. But within this Holy Empire, there was a high-ranking figure Violet knew quite well, who was currently in dire need of help…

Indeed, there was such a person—and it was a critical time when assistance was needed.

Thus, this is how Cromancia ended up by Edwina’s side.

Seeing the cold sweat dripping from Cromancia’s forehead as she seemed on the verge of trying to make excuses but couldn’t figure out what to say, the priestess silently understood.

Yet on the surface, Violet maintained her seemingly calm yet dangerous smile, as if slightly annoyed, keeping up the pressure to intimidate her.

As expected, her initial judgment was right—this person wasn’t very trustworthy… If things continued like this, there would likely be problems in the future, even if Violet held her life in her hands.

There was no way Violet could fully trust someone from the Eternal Throne to serve alongside Edwina without precautions.

First, the stench of necromantic magic had to be removed, and shackles placed on her.

Given her connections to the Human United Kingdom, Cromancia also recognized the priestess’s appearance. So Violet pretended to kill Cromancia under the guise of “Dawn” and then, at another opportune moment, “coincidentally” intervened in her original form, performing a resurrection miracle much like she had done with Prakaka, leaving behind strict restraints.

After experiencing true death and realizing that Miss White Fox wasn’t joking, Cromancia became deeply grateful to Violet for saving her life. Naturally, she no longer dared to play the same small tricks as before.

By balancing grace and intimidation, and after successfully instilling fear in this core member of the Eternal Throne, the priestess switched back to her identity as “Dawn.” She then instructed the ratfolk, who was already planning to travel to the Holy Empire for further investigation, to take Cromancia along with him ahead of schedule, under the pretense of “Since Violet has made her stance clear.”

?Violet herself is not in the Holy Empire, only occasionally intervening or communicating through certain means?

—This was the situation that the priestess intended to portray. However, after following Edwina’s provided information and entering this forest, she stumbled upon the scene just described.

Edwina Cecilia was not Lilya, and Cromancia was not Prakaka.

These four figures were very different in personality, methods, and many other aspects. So, it couldn’t be expected that Edwina, a gentle-hearted Holy Knight who believed in equality, could have controlled every disobedient subordinate with the same thunderous authority as a certain queen.

Clearly, Cromancia was lazier and more inclined to take shortcuts than Prakaka. She only submitted under pressure, reluctantly yielding to the circumstances.

At times like this, someone with a stronger stance was needed to further intimidate this cunning, slippery woman.

What the priestess wanted was to use this sudden appearance to give Cromancia the impression that “Violet’s influence is vast and nearly omnipresent,” so that Cromancia would have to be much more cautious and thoughtful about her actions.

There were certain things that only Violet, who had personally revived her, could say with the necessary weight and authenticity.

“L-Lady Violet, I’m innocent! You see, ever since I turned over a new leaf and followed your orders to come here, I’ve been doing my best to cooperate with Lady Edwina and adapt to this role as a double as quickly as possible… But you know my abilities. Mimicking is one thing, but expecting me to fight like a true legendary-level Holy Knight—that’s clearly beyond my limits!”

Noticing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Cromancia’s eyes darted around as she quickly tried to plead her case.

“Besides, I’ve already explained this issue to Lady Edwina multiple times. What I can’t do, I simply can’t do. You can’t expect a horse without wings to fly into the sky…”

“Uh, Miss Violet, this matter is actually something I should have considered more…”

“You don’t need to speak,” Violet interrupted.

With a slight raise of her hand, the black-haired girl casually silenced the Holy Knight, who had tried to mediate and ease the tension, before turning her gaze to the current stand-in, who was putting on an innocent, pitiful expression.

“Let me explain it once more, and this will be the last time.”

“Cromancia, I need to emphasize something: first, our relationship is not as close as you seem to think. Yes, I revived you, but that does not mean I am your protector.”

“Even so, I gave you a chance to regain true life from being a cold corpse. This was not because I value you highly or find you irreplaceable, nor is it because your face is particularly beautiful. It was purely an act of basic mercy, something I would offer to any life or you could consider it a chance for redemption.”

“The precious significance of resurrection magic goes without saying, and you should understand that. I have the power to bestow such a miracle, and just as easily, I can take it away. Your abilities and tricks are not something you can bring to me as bargaining chips to negotiate for ‘benefits’. In my eyes, they are utterly worthless. Do not play smart with me.”

As Cromancia’s expression grew increasingly uneasy, Violet remained calm and unchanging.

“Now, back to the original topic.”