Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 235

[Vol. 5] Chapter 235: The Mystery of the Holy Sword

In a dilapidated side hall of the Saint Sarnos City,

Violet casually threw the broken sword onto the ground, the clanging sound startling the thieves, whose nerves were already stretched to their limits.

They flinched, not sure if it was from the fear of the power to break such a Holy Artifact with bare hands or simply from the shock of the words spoken by the white fox girl.

“Tch… I knew it wouldn’t be that simple…”

Violet silently grumbled to herself in a volume only she could hear.

From the very beginning, she found something strange.

No matter how you looked at it, as long as the demons ruling this city weren’t completely foolish, there was no reason for them to leave the battlefield’s ruins unattended after the great battle. What was buried here could only be something they deemed to have little recovery value.

If the Saintess’ ?Judgment Holy Sword? had truly been lost in this city, there was almost a ninety-nine percent chance it would have been found by the demons who later occupied this place, who would either attempt to destroy it or keep it for themselves. There was no way it could simply be buried in the ruins.

In fact, this weapon, which closely resembled the ?Judgment Holy Sword? in both appearance and aura, was merely a hollow façade. Beneath its shiny exterior and formidable presence lay nothing but an empty shell, not even qualifying as a purple-grade magical weapon.

That was why the white fox girl hadn’t sensed any aura worth noting at the time.

It might have fooled the untrained, but an expert like Violet could immediately distinguish the truth as soon as she got close or touched it.

Given this, there were only two possibilities.

Either the demons intentionally buried a fake near their power base in the temple and spread rumors, serving a purpose akin to fishing.

Or it was the work of some third-party force, distinct from both the demons and the Holy Empire, but the specific purpose behind it remained questionable.

“……?”

Seeing the white fox girl fall silent shortly after breaking the sword, Gerald could guess that she was deep in thought, even though her expression was hidden behind a mask.

To be honest, he was a bit confused about how things had escalated to this point.

In terms of feelings and logic, the thief simply did not want to believe that one of the three holy artifacts passed down by the Holy Empire for a thousand years could be inexplicably destroyed by a girl under mysterious circumstances.

Even to avoid facing reality, he would rather acknowledge that her earlier ramblings contained some truth.

But…

If this ?Judgment Holy Sword? was indeed a fake, then where was the real one?

Moreover, how credible was the information that the ?Judgment Holy Sword? existed in Saint Sarnos City?

While he still felt particularly bewildered by the current situation, there was a moment when Gerald’s hair stood on end as he suddenly realized he might be caught in a massive conspiracy, and that he and his group were merely pawns advancing a carefully crafted plan, insignificant pieces on a chessboard.

Who was pulling the strings behind all of this?

Gerald wanted to suspect the two strange individuals who had suddenly appeared, but he quickly recognized that if they were responsible, they would never personally confront someone like him, nor would they just now discover that the ?Judgment Holy Sword? was a fake.

He wanted to say something, but the earlier request from the succubus to “stay quiet” still firmly bound him, leaving him with no choice but to stare wide-eyed at the white fox girl, who was lost in her own thoughts.

Finally, she lifted her head again.

“You’re the leader of this group of thieves, right? Tell me everything about this incident. The events that led to it, your background and situation, all the details. Be as thorough as possible, but don’t waste my time, understand?”

As soon as the words fell, the young succubus standing slightly behind the white fox girl immediately echoed her command in a soft, sweet voice. Although Gerald felt a twinge of bitterness, he had no choice but to obediently follow the impulsive directive.

“Alright, first of all, we are…!”

After spending about ten minutes, Gerald detailed all he knew regarding the search for the ?Judgment Holy Sword?, starting from the organization and identities of himself and his companions.

Under the influence of the charm, his speech was extremely concise, to the point where he was secretly amazed that he could talk so earnestly to someone.

“That’s it. Not long after entering this abandoned villa, we encountered you.”

“Hmm… the ?Thieves’ Alliance?, huh?”

The girl nodded thoughtfully, preparing to speak again when she suddenly seemed to sense something and turned her gaze directly toward the courtyard outside.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Immediately, a loud, rough sound erupted from outside the front door, akin to a heavy object being struck or slammed against something!

“They found us so quickly…”

Glancing down at the broken ?Judgment Holy Sword?, which had lost its brilliance, Violet understood the situation.

Even though she had discovered some unsavory things attached to it during her investigation and had decisively chosen to destroy it, it now seemed she had acted a bit too late.

Or perhaps… this direct and crude severing of the fishing line had provoked some individuals?

Whatever the case, she had no intention of following the opponent’s arrangements, acting like a puppet on strings.

Ignoring the increasingly intense sounds of banging and crashing from outside, the white fox girl fixed her gaze on the thief before her, whose pupils reflected a subtle pink glow due to the enchantment.

“Gerald, right? You seem like a smart man. I’ll ask you just once. Do you and your companions want to live or die?”

After a moment of silence, a small succubus behind her quickly chimed in as if belatedly realizing something.

?Ah, Uncle Gerald, you can speak freely now.?

The impulse that had been constricting his throat suddenly dissipated. The old thief instinctively raised a hand to touch his neck, his expression complex as he exchanged glances with the strange duo before him, especially the white fox girl, who he initially thought was merely the pet of the little succubus but now appeared to be the one in control.

His twenty-plus years of experience as a seasoned thief, along with instincts honed by multiple brushes with death, continuously warned him not to say anything unnecessary. This was likely the last chance for survival for him and his companions, like ants about to be crushed by the tide of an approaching era.

Thus, he provided the answer the girl sought and would be satisfied with.

“Alive.”

After that, the night grew deeper.

“So this is the ?Thieves’ Alliance? base in Saint Sarnos City?”

Standing in front of an unremarkable wooden door in a remote neighborhood, the white fox girl lightly tapped her fingertips on the weathered, worn handle and turned her head back with a hint of confusion.

“Yes, at least as far as I know, it is here.”

With the help of the white fox girl’s mysterious abilities, they managed to evade the pursuing demons. Gerald had temporarily left his group in a safe location and led the strange duo to this place as per their agreement.

Although he was reluctant as a thief to do so, at that moment, he had no choice but to place his hopes on these two mysterious beings, one of whom was obviously a succubus but seemed not entirely aligned with the demons.

Even if he didn’t comply, Gerald knew full well that with the young succubus’s seductive powers, she could easily extract any secrets from them, even through forceful commands.

In other words, it was actually the other party giving him a chance.