Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 221

[Vol. 5] Chapter 221: The Afflicted

“?Light Worshipper Church??”

Upon hearing the name, Sasha subtly furrowed her brow and glanced at Xavier beside her for confirmation. Seeing him shake his head slightly, she lowered her longbow, easing out of her attack stance.

Her eyes, sharp like an eagle’s, continued to scrutinize the young man dressed in light gold clerical robes from head to toe.

“I’ve heard of you. Recently, ?Light Worshipper? have been preaching all over the Human United Kingdom. But why are you here? What happened to the town’s original inhabitants?”

The man, who introduced himself as Elrand, seemed to have no intention of attacking or using force. In fact, to avoid any misunderstandings, he chose to stand where he was, maintaining a safe distance while conversing with them.

“Heh, the answer should be quite obvious by now. This town was built by us. The supplies your caravan is transporting are for the ?Light Worshipper Church?. However, due to the complicated situation around the Angel City, which I’m sure you’ve noticed, we had to take certain precautions. It wasn’t meant to target you specifically. We hope you can understand.”

“Huh? What kind of joke is that? This shipment clearly belongs to—”

“Sasha.”

Xavier’s sudden interruption cut off the objection that was almost out of the guard captain’s mouth. Realizing what was happening, she immediately stopped, exchanging a few more questioning glances with Xavier.

It became evident that Xavier, the president of the merchant guild, had known about some of these details in advance. Otherwise, his strange behavior earlier couldn’t be explained.

Understanding this, Sasha instinctively fell silent, while Xavier stepped forward and patted her shoulder, indicating that he would handle the negotiations.

The president then took a step forward, addressing the young man, whose hood obscured his face and made it impossible to discern his race, with a firm voice.

“Mr. Elrand, I am Xavier, the president of the Xavier Merchant Guild. It seems you are the person in charge of this transaction?”

The young man gently placed his fingers and palm over the golden star-shaped emblem on his chest, as if performing some special gesture of courtesy, then smiled lightly.

“So, you are Mr. Xavier. Yes, I am responsible for handling and overseeing this shipment. Do you need to verify my identity?”

“…No need, please lead the way.”

“Hehe, as expected, the president is decisive. Then, please follow me.”

Elrand turned the corner and led the way forward.

There wasn’t much to guide them through, as the main road capable of accommodating horses and carriages was the only path in the town. Elrand’s presence seemed more like a signal, subtly indicating to the hidden eyes within the village that this caravan posed no threat.

Although Xavier, as an ordinary person, couldn’t see anything unusual, Sasha, who had been frowning ever since entering the town, visibly relaxed in Elrand’s presence.

Soon, the group made their way through the not-so-long main road of the nameless town and arrived at a central area resembling a gathering square.

“This is the place. Please arrange the goods neatly in the open space. We’ll handle the rest from here.”

“No problem.”

Xavier gestured to his staff, and soon, workers responsible for such tasks turned and began unloading the cargo.

During this time, Elrand, the young missionary, finally approached the president and the guard captain more closely. After glancing at them briefly, he smiled and gestured toward a small wooden house near the square.

“Would the two of you care to step inside for a chat?”

This behavior was not particularly surprising. Since Elrand was responsible for receiving the goods, it made sense that he would need to verify the cargo with President Xavier. Inviting Sasha, the captain of the guard, along as well was likely a gesture to show he meant no harm.

Thinking along these lines, Xavier agreed, and the three of them entered the small house, sitting down at a wooden table in the main room.

However, before Xavier could say anything, Elrand pulled down his hood, revealing his shoulder-length, radiant hair that gleamed like light, and his sapphire-like eyes, which had been deliberately concealed.

He spoke words that shocked them.

“The two of you are in a rather dangerous situation.”

“?”

Seeing the two of them exchange bewildered looks, clearly confused, Elrand sighed softly.

“Haven’t you noticed yet? Both of you, along with many members of your merchant guild, have already been infected by the ?Defilement? plague. It’s just in the incubation stage.”

“What?!”

Like a frightened rabbit, Sasha jumped up, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Sitting beside her, Xavier, who had just taken out the inventory list, trembled slightly, then furrowed his brow tightly.

Fortunately, Xavier, being someone who had weathered many storms, did not lose his composure like Sasha. He quickly regained his focus and responded in a low voice.

“Are you serious, Mr. Elrand? We’ve certainly heard of the deadly reputation of the ?Defilement?, but to be cautious, the caravan has barely had any contact with demons throughout the journey. We haven’t consumed any contaminated food or water. How could we have contracted the plague?”

The young man shook his head silently and pointed to his radiant, luminous short hair.

“You should be able to tell from my appearance that I belong to the Lightborn race, correct? Our race is highly sensitive to energy and elemental forces. Even in its incubation stage, the ?Defilement?, a force completely foreign to this world, cannot escape my notice. As for when you were infected…”

“I suspect that during your journey, you had close contact with refugees fleeing from the area around the Angel City, perhaps even giving them food out of pity while gathering information. Am I right?”

Xavier was startled by the remark.

“You mean to say…!”

Elrand nodded.

“According to the information from within the ?Light Worshipper Church?, at least one-third of the refugees currently roaming the eastern region of the Fulan Province have already been infected with the ?Defilement? plague, which spread after the fall of the Angel City.”

“Several days ago, Yuna Summerfield, the Bright Light Saintess and the Commander of the Holy War in the Holy Empire, ordered a complete lockdown of all cities in the Fulan Province, forbidding any entry or exit. It seems the demons are intentionally driving these people westward. As for their respective motives, I’m sure you can both imagine why, correct?”

“……”

Seeing the disbelief on their faces, Elrand sighed softly, as if prepared for this, and pulled out an item from his robe.

“This is a precious relic passed down by my people. It can detect traces of foreign energy invading a living being’s body. Whether it’s demonic corruption, enchantment, possession by evil spirits, or the ?Defilement?’s corruption, nothing can escape it. Would the two of you like to try?”

Xavier and Sasha exchanged glances before nodding in agreement after looking at the golden, prism-shaped gemstone radiating pure, luminous energy in Elrand’s hand.

“I’ll go first. How does it work?” Xavier asked.

“Simply place one finger on the surface of the relic,” Elrand instructed.

Taking a deep breath, the merchant guild leader did as told, rising from his seat and gently placing his fingertip on the gemstone in Elrand’s palm.

“Hum~”

It was as if a faint glow began to spread from the connection. Xavier’s expression stiffened as a soft golden light rippled across his entire body, forming a delicate golden filter that made otherwise invisible things now visible.

There, faint specks of sickly green light, barely perceptible, clung to every corner of his body like filth. Not only could Elrand and Sasha see it, but even Xavier himself could see it clearly through the golden filter granted by the relic.

“That’s…!” Sasha gasped, followed by Elrand’s sigh.

“This is the ?Defilement?’s plague. The spread isn’t severe yet—it’s still in its incubation phase. Even so, do you still doubt my words?”

“……”

As they fell silent and sat back down, watching Sasha get up to conduct the same test, which yielded the same result…

The two exchanged glances once more. Even Sasha, with her cheerful disposition, found it difficult to say anything to lighten the mood. She could only slump down in despair, her face filled with confusion.

“What do we do now? How long is this incubation period? Or where can this plague be treated? If it can’t be cured, will we die… wait, my teacher is knowledgeable. She might be able to help…!”

However, Elrand’s next words drained the color from Sasha’s face, leaving her speechless.

“I’m afraid that, to date, there has never been a successful case of curing the ?Defilement? plague. Once infected, it almost equates to a death sentence. If you go to see that teacher, the only outcome will be adding another victim to the plague.”

Trembling with fear of death, Sasha fell silent. Yet, at this moment, it was Xavier, whom she often mocked as “timid and overly cautious,” who stepped forward once again.

“…Alright, Elrand. If the situation is truly as you say. You should have no reason to tell us all this and should instead hasten our departure.”

“Since you know we are carrying the plague yet still chose to have a close conversation in a confined space, seemingly unconcerned about becoming infected… it suggests that you are not afraid of the ?Defilement? and might even have a way to deal with it, am I right?”