Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 266

[Vol. 5] Chapter 266: The Erased Existence

Frederica rubbed her smooth chin, responding thoughtfully to the question.

“Miss Dawn, how much do you know about the Lightborn Tribe?”

“…A little?”

“?”

Although she cast a few glances at Miss White Fox with a look that seemed to say, “Is it really just a little? Are you fooling me?” Frederica couldn’t see her expression, so she could only sigh and share her theory.

“Actually, there’s a rumor that’s been circulating among the people of the Holy Empire. They say that the Lightborn Tribe was born from the ‘Primordial Light’—a race more pure than we, the divine descendants… the true remnants of the Light.”

“If that’s true, the Lightborn Tribe should be the most devout followers of the Goddess of Light, rather than standing apart from the Goddess Church as they do now.”

“In fact, the Lightborn Tribe did hold high-ranking positions in the Church in history. Although these records have somehow become blurred, I can confirm that, long ago, the Lightborn Tribe was indeed a part of the Church, one of the key forces that contributed significantly to the founding of the Holy Empire.”

A peculiar light filled the Saintess’s pale golden eyes.

“But at some point, this tribe suddenly withdrew from the structure of the Church. Neither the older nor the new generation of the Lightborn Tribe wished to join or be involved with the Church anymore…”

“Miss Dawn, don’t you find that strange? Light magic and the Lightborn Tribe, both changed at some unknown time. Though historical records haven’t been disrupted, many pieces simply don’t fit together.”

“It’s as if… traces of certain parts of history were erased in secret and forcibly pieced together into what we see today.”

“Erased in secret.”

Now that’s an interesting choice of words.

When it came to discussing the Lightborn Tribe, Violet naturally thought of Ayla Light from the Angel City.

She was well aware of the notion that the Lightborn Tribe would not join the Goddess Church.

Though the reasons weren’t clear, both Amy, the captain of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild’s guard, and Ayla from the Holy Academy’s [Hall of Theology] did not directly belong to the Goddess Church nor were they followers of the Goddess of Light.

Ayla, in particular, was still persistently researching the structure and principles of the Goddess Church’s core power, the faith-based magic, trying to overturn the mainstream understanding of its source, essentially opposing the Church.

As she pondered, Frederica’s voice continued from across the room.

“Elrand said that the current Goddess Church is on a distorted path, one that will inevitably lead to chaos in the future…”

“But when I asked him for details, that guy couldn’t explain clearly. He just insisted that the Goddess Church of the past was definitely not like this, but he couldn’t remember what it was supposed to be like or why it turned out this way.”

“He… couldn’t remember?”

A faint sense of strangeness seemed to spread with the conversation, and the two women, each absorbed in their own thoughts, remained silent for a long while.

Finally, it was Miss White Fox, more knowledgeable and well-informed, who spoke up.

“Just out of curiosity, how old is Elrand this year?”

“I’ve heard he’s 527… The Lightborn Tribe’s average lifespan reaches at least a thousand years. They are a naturally long-lived race with transcendent longevity.”

“But this tribe loves adventure and is especially drawn to strange or high-risk, high-reward pursuits. Most of them end up passing away due to various mishaps before reaching the end of their lifespan. Elrand is considered particularly long-lived among them.”

Oof… such a sharp remark!

But considering that fierce Miss Amy and Miss Ayla, who doesn’t like fighting yet does things ten times more dangerous, Violet couldn’t find any words to argue back. In fact, she felt Frederica’s point made a lot of sense.

Ahem, let’s not get caught up in the minor details.

Since Elrand is over five hundred years old, it means that if there was some major historical event that made him feel certain shifts and changes, it must have happened within the last five hundred years.

Within five hundred years…

Wait, this feels oddly familiar. Since the beginning, there’s been this subtle déjà vu in Frederica’s description, as if Violet had encountered something similar before.

…Where was it?

Lost in thought, Miss White Fox leaned against the sofa’s armrest, resting her chin on her hand, her pale fingers tapping lightly on the [Dominion of the Fox Mask] as she tried to grasp the elusive feeling lingering in her mind.

Hmm? Wait… the [Dominion of the Fox Mask], the [Divine Fox]… Spirit Veil…

“Oh!”

The triangular white ears on top of her head perked up sharply.

That’s it! The Spirit Veil Tribe!

To be more precise, the founder of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, the one who reportedly crossed the Eastern Sea in search of the Spirit Veil Tribe. For some unknown reason, they aren’t recorded in any documents or history, not even leaving a name.

This person, who was able to cross the Eastern Sea and establish the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild single-handedly, must have been a remarkably talented and powerful figure of that era. Yet almost all of their deeds and much of their life remain strangely absent from history.

Even the secret archives of the Human United Kingdom’s royal family contain no trace of them.

Isn’t this precisely an example of being “erased in secret”?!

With this thought, Violet felt a sudden clarity, as if various seemingly unrelated pieces were now connecting in her mind.

The answer points to three hundred years ago.

Though the details are unknown, the time when that mysterious first-generation leader crossed the Eastern Sea, discovered the Spirit Veil Tribe, and founded the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild was three hundred years ago.

This coincides perfectly with the outbreak of the Third Demon War, the loss of the [Crownless Crown] in the battle, and the subsequent decline of the Three Saintess system, headed by the Bright Light Saintess, within the Holy Empire. Then, the rise of the Holy Church and the Pope as the mainstream.

Moreover, this period falls right in the middle of Elrand’s five-hundred-year lifespan, likely during his most active years.

Given the striking similarities between that mysterious first-generation leader and the use of faith-based magic, if there was indeed an unseen upheaval in the history of the Holy Empire. One that distorted the very form and core of the Goddess Church, then…

These two events must be connected!

“Miss Dawn, did you think of something?”

Noticing the sudden slap on the sofa, followed by an abrupt silence and Violet’s fox ears twitching excitedly, Frederica quickly realized that Violet had made some discovery.

But Violet didn’t immediately respond to her hopeful question. At that moment, her mind was racing, piecing together countless sudden connections, and she felt the thrill of finally unearthing the truth hidden within her heart’s fog, leaving her little room to speak.

She simply raised her hand, gesturing to the Saintess not to rush her and to give her a moment to think.