Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 231

[Vol. 5] Chapter 231: The Unknown Ordinary Man

Gerald is a thief.

He was born in the Saint Sarnos City, in the Sannos province of the Holy Empire, and is now forty-six years old.

As a human, he’s at an age where retirement from the thieving profession is near.

In fact, Gerald had long considered it.

Though being a thief might sound like a petty, lowly job, it is, in reality, a precise and meticulous occupation. An experienced thief not only requires excellent physical fitness and agility, but also a wealth of experience and strong teamwork skills.

While there are lone thieves, they are hardly the norm.

Thus, young thieves typically learn from a seasoned mentor, who eventually introduces them to their team, allowing them to gradually integrate into coordinated operations.

After a period, perhaps years, or sometimes shorter or longer, the older thief retires and leaves the team, while the well-trained next generation steps up, continuing the cycle.

This cyclical process is how thieves operate. Gerald’s current team, likewise, wasn’t originally his creation but was handed down by his predecessors.

There’s no formal inheritance within a group of thieves. When the current leader retires or dies, the most skilled and experienced thief naturally takes their place.

When Gerald joined over twenty years ago, the composition of this team was almost entirely different from what it is now.

But as time passed, those former leaders either retired due to age or lost their lives on the job. Now, he has become the most senior and experienced leader of the group.

Of course, he wouldn’t tell any of this to the rookies under him.

Since he was planning to retire, Gerald had already chosen an apprentice from the list of new recruits recommended by the ?Thieves’ Alliance?.

He found a young lad who seemed promising and intended to train him for a few years before stepping down, fulfilling his responsibilities as his own mentors had done.

The apprentice was a clever young man. Though he was of a different race than Gerald, the thieving profession, especially in the Holy Empire, had never concerned itself with such divisions. Gerald had no racial prejudices and passed down all his knowledge to him.

Three years went by, and as his once-young apprentice gradually matured and was nearly ready to stand on his own, Gerald prepared to retire in peace…

Then the demons invaded this world once again.

These demons, recorded countless times in history as the mortal enemies of the Holy Empire, represented “evil” itself.

Even though Gerald was not a follower of the Goddess, as a member of the Holy Empire, he and his team chose to join the resistance when the demons struck, defending their homeland in their own way.

In the course of those battles, Gerald’s only apprentice was killed.

Not only him but many others from the team… clergy, innocent civilians, and countless people from all walks of life in the Holy Empire who joined the fight and resistance.

Gerald witnessed too many lives fall under the iron hooves and blades of the demon cavalry and saw countless steadfast warriors lose themselves, becoming puppets and slaves to these dark forces.

Through his painful, bloody experiences, Gerald came to understand that these beings known as “demons” were invaders destined to bring catastrophe upon this world.

Thus, even after Saint Sarnos City fell and the province were turned into playgrounds for demons, he and his companions continued to operate in the shadows, doing all they could to connect with like-minded individuals, resist the demons’ oppression, and prepare for a future counterattack.

In this environment, he heard of a new commission from the ?Thieves’ Alliance? hidden within the shadows of Saint Sarnos City.

The legendary Holy Artifact of Light, the three holy relics of the Holy Empire, included the iconic weapon of the ?Judgment Saintess?, the ?Judgment Holy Sword?. And now, it was said to be lost somewhere within Saint Sarnos City.

If recovered, the client was willing to offer a reward of one billion Sacred Light Coins.

It was undeniably shocking news.

Gerald had witnessed the great battle that took place in Saint Sarnos City. Though not directly involved in the fighting, he had supported the effort with logistics and intelligence.

When the Judgment Saintess arrived with her Holy Knight order, the outer defenses of Saint Sarnos City had already crumbled under a covert demonic invasion.

Demons poured into the city through internal teleportation gates, flooding toward the central temple, aiming to dismantle the protective barrier surrounding the city.

The Saintess led her Holy Knights in a fierce battle around the temple against the invading demons, a struggle that lasted for days. Though the demon army was overwhelming, the Knight Templars stood strong under the Saintess’ banner, holding their ground.

Back then, the Sanos Province had not fallen entirely, and many of the surrounding cities sent reinforcements, powerful warriors and clergy flocked to the city’s aid. The Saintess destroyed each of the demons’ teleportation gates with her divine power, and as long as they held on, victory would surely belong to the Holy Empire.

But at this critical moment, the daughter of the High Priest of the Sarnos Temple—High Priestess Sybil Roland, who was responsible for supporting the Saintess in battle—suddenly betrayed her, coordinating with a powerful demon ally to launch a surprise attack.

With the Saintess, the core and strongest fighter, severely wounded, the defenses around the temple immediately fell into disarray, followed by a rapid retreat and complete defeat.

This key battle’s loss caused the entire Sarnos Province to spiral downward, with the demons relentlessly advancing, occupying more territory until the current situation.

Gerald later discovered that Sybil Roland had secretly fallen under the spell of the wicked succubus, who was now the ruler of Saint Sarnos City. She had been corrupted to join the enemy and had aligned herself with the enemy forces. She was now reduced to a mere puppet, entirely devoid of the pure beliefs and noble dignity of a cleric.

Though Gerald, like many others, was furious at her betrayal, he knew that pursuing revenge against her now would be futile, if not outright suicidal.

The top priority now is to find the missing Judgment Saintess after her disappearance in the chaotic battle and to locate her holy artifact, the ?Judgment Holy Sword?.

So, upon hearing the news, Gerald immediately rallied his team to search the city.

While officially the team’s mission is driven by the staggering reward offered by the ?Thieves’ Alliance?, everyone still willing to work with Gerald knew that money wasn’t his only motivation.

After a long period of relentless searching, Gerald finally found a lead.

In the underground black market, he happened to purchase a magical device, crafted from a unique material, that could precisely locate sources of strong light-element energy. Using it, he managed to narrow down a few areas within the city.

In recent days, Gerald led his team in covertly searching each of these areas where the ?Judgment Holy Sword? might be hidden, but to no avail. Most of what they found were the remains of clerics who had fallen in the battle and their light-attribute magical items, all damaged.

After eliminating all other possibilities, only one final location remained that might still conceal the Holy Artifact.