Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 171
[Vol. 5] Chapter 171: Variable
When they returned to the park, the lantern show had already ended completely. Even the temporary stage that had been set up was dismantled and taken away.
The surroundings were much quieter compared to before, and it finally felt like the night was settling in.
Of course, the scene didn’t quite match the mood of a certain Holy Knight girl, who was nervously pacing back and forth in the park, holding a sealed drink in each hand.
She occasionally stopped passersby to anxiously ask questions, standing out from the peaceful atmosphere.
“Excuse me! Have you seen a girl wearing a white fox mask? She’s about this tall, with beautiful snow-white hair, and she’s wearing a red and white dress…”
Edwina, desperate, had just stopped another passerby to describe her friend. But before she could finish, the middle-aged man, who looked to be in his forties, gave her an odd look, nodded slightly, and pointed behind the blonde girl.
“Yes, she’s right over there.”
“Oh, I see… I guess you haven’t seen her either… Wait, what?!”
………………………
“Seriously! Where did Miss Dawn suddenly disappear to earlier? I was scared to death!”
Seated in a quiet corner of the park, Miss Holy Knight, clearly worried, complained with concern.
It was obvious Edwina was really anxious. Despite her legendary-level strength, her forehead, now exposed without her helmet, was covered in fine beads of sweat. She must have been running around frantically searching for someone after realizing they were missing.
Taking this into account, Miss Priestess had decided to stop chasing and return to the park instead.
“Haha, sorry, sorry, but I’m not a child who would get kidnapped by bad guys. You didn’t need to be that worried…”
Miss White Fox awkwardly scratched her head and accepted the warm drink Edwina handed her, still carrying the warmth of the girl’s palms.
While listening to Edwina ramble on about how “losing you on the first day we arrive in the Angel City is terrifying!” and other similar concerns, Miss White Fox didn’t interrupt. Instead, she silently pierced the sealed cup with her straw and took a few sips. It was only when Edwina, tired from talking, paused to catch her breath, that she helplessly explained.
“The reason I left earlier wasn’t just for fun, actually…”
Taking her time, Violet didn’t hide much. She told Edwina about how she had coincidentally spotted the Spirit Puppet Tribe girl earlier, and how she secretly followed her because something felt off. She then recounted witnessing the girl’s battle with Avrilia, the Vampire who held the rank of Grand Duke.
However, she didn’t mention that she had used her shadow form to follow them and find the mansion on the outskirts of the city, nor did she reveal what she had overheard inside.
After all, Edwina’s position was different from Violet’s, and if she learned the exact location of the vampires, she might take immediate action—something the priestess didn’t want at the moment.
After all, these high-ranking vampires didn’t give Violet the impression that they were the ones behind the ?Blood of the Inverted Cross?. Otherwise, their actions would have been more secretive.
Sure enough, after hearing the explanation, Edwina’s pout slowly shifted to a more serious expression, and she soon rested her chin in thought.
“A vampire, and an unknown Spirit Puppet girl… I’ve seen the title ‘Patroller’ mentioned in some of my family’s intelligence. If they really exist, they must be something created by the Lambert family, since they’re the ones in control of this city.”
“As for my Cecilia family, even though we’re also descendants of the divine, our influence in this Angel City doesn’t compare to the Lamberts. As for the vampires…”
Without immediately drawing any conclusions, Edwina glanced at Miss White Fox with a curious gaze and asked for her opinion.
“Miss Dawn, what do you think they could be doing in the Holy City?”
“Why are you asking me now…?”
Violet shook her head helplessly. Though she muttered a quiet complaint, she did have some idea of what was going on. After a moment’s thought, she decided to try exchanging some information.
“The ?Blood of the Inverted Cross?, have you heard of it, Edwina?”
“Huh? Inverted… what?”
The blonde girl simply repeated the words with a confused look on her face, providing no useful feedback. Seeing her confusion, the priestess quickly understood.
“Even you don’t know? I guess it’s hidden really well…”
Or perhaps it wasn’t a spell known to the general public or officially recognized by the Goddess Church. If it came from the vampires’ magic, then… why did the Saintess Yuna know about it so well, even recognizing its true nature at first glance?
With that in mind, Violet selectively shared some of the information and judgments she had gathered with the Holy Knight girl in front of her.
“I see… So, the ?Blood Calamity? that appeared in the St. Bergen Mountains was actually the forbidden spell ?Blood of the Inverted Cross? that you mentioned earlier. And this forbidden spell was created through a collaboration between the vampires and the demons under the command of the Demon Lord of ?Slaughter?, right?”
“That’s what I meant, but as I said, it’s just my personal guess. Don’t suddenly make that ‘so this is the truth!’ face…”
“Hehe, I trust your judgment, Miss Dawn.”
Saying this, Edwina continued.
“The vampire race hasn’t been active in the outside world for a long, long time. Although they are considered heretics and enemies of the Goddess in our teachings, the temple usually doesn’t bother them as long as they don’t actively cause trouble.”
“I never expected a grand duke-level vampire to be hiding in the Angel City, especially at a time like this… We need to figure out how to find them quickly.”
Seemingly storing all this information away in her mind for the moment, Edwina finished the drink in her hand in one gulp, then patted her armored skirt as she stood up.
“Alright, alright! Let’s not talk about that for now. It’s rare for Miss Dawn to visit the Angel City, and I’ve already decided to take you on a proper tour of the night market! You’ve got to experience our local customs and specialties! Though the lantern show took some time, the night market isn’t over yet! What do you say, Miss Dawn?”
Seeing the blonde girl so excited and eager, Violet found it hard to refuse her.
Besides, the things Edwina mentioned were quite interesting to the priestess.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Hehe! No trouble at all! It’s my honor!”
………………………
Meanwhile, in a hidden location beneath the core of the Holy City, beneath the ?Holy Court?.
A black-haired girl in a tattered bodysuit, with occasional sparks flickering from her body like signs of malfunction, slowly stepped through an automatically opening metal door, entering a world completely different from the surface.
A strange girl, already seated on a throne, her body connected to numerous cables and various instruments in the hall, silently awaited her arrival.
The girl who had returned from the outside world stopped in place and spoke in a cold, mechanical voice.
“Mission report: ?Patroller 0327? has returned to base. Mission failed. The designated invasion target could not be eliminated. Reason: The enemy’s individual combat power index exceeded this unit’s operational limits. Information confirmed: Legendary-level, Vampire Grand Duke, possessing three pieces of weaponry classified as dangerous. Requesting assistance and unit repair.”
The girl on the throne opened her eyes, which seemed empty and inorganic, and briefly examined the combat unit standing before her, who looked almost identical to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if calculating something.
Then, with a similarly mechanical yet lively and clear voice, she responded.
“Request accepted. Repairs approved. After repairs are complete, standby for further orders.”
“Command received.”
With that, the doll-like girl, whose body had been badly damaged in battle, turned and left. The girl remaining on the throne stayed completely still, her vacant eyes seeming to flash with countless data streams.
“The strongest vampire princess, Lucine Constantius… another variable added, ?Father?…”