Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 257

[Vol. 5] Chapter 257: The First Meeting with the Light Worshippers

Sasha’s entrance immediately drew the attention of both parties.

They turned in unison, directing their gazes toward the two women who had just stepped into the room.

As a familiar face, Sasha was merely glanced at before being set aside, and soon, the two began to observe the white fox girl with polite but unreserved looks.

As the other party scrutinized her, Violet reciprocated by examining this individual who was said to be the leader of the [Light Worshipper Church] in this area.

She recognized Xavier, so it was impossible for him to have immediately risen to a high position within the Church. Therefore, her target was clear.

When she took in the other’s appearance, Violet felt a slight surprise.

After all, the extraordinary hair that resembled light and the sapphire-colored eyes were enough to confirm the race he represented.

It was said that the Lightborn Tribe never joined the Goddess Church, yet a member chose to become a [Light Worshipper] and even made it to the upper ranks?

Hmm… If this isn’t an isolated case, it means they aren’t actually avoiding the religion itself but simply have an aversion to the Goddess Church?

However, the Lightborn Tribe and the [Light Worshipper Church] seem to fit together quite well on the surface, don’t they?

After a brief silence, it was the other party who broke the quiet first.

Xavier and the young man of the Lightborn Tribe, dressed in church robes, both stood up and nodded amicably toward the white fox girl.

“Hello, I am [Light Worshipper Church] missionary Elrand, Elrand Light. This is Mr. Xavier, a member of our church. It is truly an honor to meet the legendary White Fox Saintess, Miss Dawn, who has made outstanding contributions in the fight against demons.”

“Hey, isn’t that title spreading a bit too far…?”

“Ah?”

Seeing the young man of the Lightborn Tribe display a look of surprise, the white fox saint, understanding that he didn’t mean it as a tease, had no choice but to abandon her intention to retort and formally nodded in response.

“Alright, alright… I’m Dawn, sorry for the intrusion.”

“No need to mention intrusion, hehe. Miss Dawn, please have a seat.”

Without needing Elrand’s reminder, the merchant standing opposite him immediately reacted, retrieving two new teacups from under the counter. After filling them with hot tea, he walked directly to the nearby sofa beside the former and made room for the guest.

Violet was not polite either. After nodding and taking a seat, Sasha sat down with her. It was still that young man of the Lightborn Tribe, who called himself Elrand, who spoke first.

“My colleagues have already informed me of the general situation. Forgive me for being abrupt, but shouldn’t Miss Dawn be leading the main forces of the Holy Empire alongside the Saintess against the demon army invading from the west in the Fulan Province? Why have you suddenly come to the heart of the Sarnos Province with only a few companions?”

Oh? Straight to the point.

Elrand seemed to be a straightforward person, which made communication easier, as such people typically don’t play games or act mysterious.

Feeling a bit of goodwill toward him, the white fox girl also didn’t beat around the bush with meaningless chatter and responded directly.

“First, let me clarify that there is no formal or absolute close relationship between myself and the Holy Empire or the Goddess Church. I do not belong to the Goddess Church, nor do I have any obligation to assist them in combating demons.”

“Mr. Elrand, I am just an outsider, a rootless traveler. So please don’t assume what I should be doing at this moment or if I have any special purposes or tasks.”

“Oh…?”

Exchanging glances with Xavier, the young man of the Lightborn Tribe couldn’t help but show a smile of delight that the white fox girl felt was somewhat familiar.

“Interesting, truly interesting. Miss Dawn’s way of doing things is quite similar to that of my Lightborn Tribe. I believe we will get along well…”

He nodded slightly, not questioning the white fox girl’s one-sided statement, and continued.

“Alright, then let’s get back on track and discuss the main matters at hand.”

“I understand the situation in the southern forest. I didn’t expect that such a horrifying ritual was lurking in the depths underground so close to us. If it weren’t for Miss Dawn and your companions acting in time, the tragedy of the [Blood Calamity] would likely have repeated itself here before long. I am truly grateful.”

Elrand lowered his head, placing his palm over the light gold star on his robe’s chest. Xavier and Sasha, sitting next to him, quickly offered the same gesture of respect to the white fox girl.

Although they didn’t seem like it, they were indeed part of this settlement and members of the [Light Worshipper Church].

Accepting this gratitude with composure, Violet lifted the warm tea in front of her, which was still giving off steam, and took a small sip behind her mask.

“There’s no need for that. To be honest, I didn’t come here with the intention of helping you. I dealt with those guys simply because what they were doing caught my interest.”

What this meant was essentially telling the others, [I, Dawn, am not the kind of heroic saint who rushes in to help just because someone else is in trouble. If you think of us as free laborers, I suggest you keep that to yourself.]

Of course, some things had to be said more subtly. She believed that besides Sasha, the other two would understand her implied meaning.

In fact, Violet wanted to remind them that such rituals surely existed in more places than just this one in the Sarnos Province. Just like the towering blood columns during the incident in the St. Bergen Mountains, the [Blood of the Inverted Cross] ritual required more than just a single magic circle.

But this was a region ruled by demons, and the [Light Worshipper Church] could only do its best to maintain a stable life for the people. Trying to have them destroy the underground demon rituals was akin to sending them to their deaths.

There was no point in saying it, so it was better to avoid wasting breath.

As expected, Elrand soon nodded thoughtfully, and Xavier smiled as he said, “Miss Dawn’s way of doing things reminds me of a noble I met in my early years… I heard that you have several companions staying in the settlement as well. May I ask how they are related to you, Miss Dawn?”

“One part is on the way, and the other part are kids that my friends asked me to help take care of. Of course, from a certain perspective, they can also be considered my friends.”

“I see, your friends asked for help…”

After nodding thoughtfully, Xavier didn’t continue speaking, handing over the lead of the conversation to Elrand, who was truly a high-ranking member of the [Light Worshipper Church].

The young man of the Lightborn Tribe naturally took over the topic.

“Well then, let’s proceed with our conversation with the goal of cooperation and mutual benefit. Miss Dawn, regarding the encounter in the forest, we owe you a favor. Therefore, when you later indicated that we should not take action against that blood tree, we respected your wishes and retreated for the time being.”

“To be honest, it’s difficult for us, as residents living nearby, to ignore such a strange and aggressive plant in the long term, especially since we have already lost many innocents because of it.”

“Indeed, that tree may have temporarily lost its threat due to your presence and no longer attacks us, but you and your companions will eventually leave here. We cannot continually respond passively while risking the other side losing control. I hope you can understand this.”

“Hmm…”

This was an expected statement.

The [Light Worshipper Church] might hold off on dealing with the blood tree for the time being, thanks to Dawn’s presence and strength, but they certainly couldn’t do so forever. After all, that thing looked very suspicious and posed no possibility of resistance for ordinary people and most individuals below legendary status.

In fact, if it weren’t for Sethlin’s request, Violet wouldn’t have bothered to get involved in such a thankless task.

But since she had decided to intervene, she had to word things more cleverly.

“I understand, but one point you mentioned isn’t accurate. Those who went missing in the forest, including the search team members who had their blood drained, were harmed by the vampire colluding with the demons, not by that tree.”

“That tree itself actually has no intention of attacking outsiders. It simply wants to protect itself when provoked.”