Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 267

[Vol. 5] Chapter 267: The Turning Point

“Hah…”

Now, let’s piece everything together from a broader perspective, using all the intelligence gathered so far.

From Yuna’s account, and the ancient legends passed down through the Summerfield family, it is known that the very beginning traces back to a thousand years ago, at the end of the “age of mythology”. During that time, the land fell into chaos, with mid- and lower-ranking races, led by humans, suffering under the ruthless exploitation of the higher races—a time of great turmoil and suffering.

In this environment, the [Church of the Light Seekers], the predecessor of today’s Goddess Church, emerged. This organization spread among the oppressed common folk and gradually took root, much like today’s [Light Worshipper Church].

However, at that time, they did not possess the power to overthrow the rule of the higher races. In other words, faith-based magic likely hadn’t yet appeared or was not as widespread as it is now.

Then, about a thousand years ago, in what is now known as Bright Light City, three young women of the [Church of the Light Seekers] had an indescribable encounter where a mysterious [Tree] granted them three items along with miraculous powers to match.

These became what future generations would call the [Three Holy Artifacts of Light], the sacred treasures of the empire, and the origin of the three divine-descendant families.

With this blessing, they united various oppressed races, and after a long struggle, founded the Holy Empire with the Three Saintesses and the Three Holy Artifacts as its absolute core.

Violet could tell that while Yuna was withholding certain details, she hadn’t lied. The Bright Light Saintess was a truly pure and devout believer, she wouldn’t deceive. At most, she would simply leave things unsaid.

Therefore, the authenticity of the previous information could be trusted.

Up to this point, there should be no issues.

So, a question naturally arises.

When did the [Church of the Light Seekers] transform into the [Goddess Church]?

…That’s it.

This shift was likely the catalyst for everything that has followed.

Violet had once carefully examined the official history of the Holy Empire, as well as most of the folklore she could access. Although the term [Church of the Light Seekers] was not taboo, she found no detailed accounts of the process or reasons behind the transition between these two names.

Most sources simply glossed over it, and the few that did provide some explanation never specified a time. This wasn’t due to any deliberate avoidance, but rather suggested that the writers themselves lacked detailed knowledge on this topic.

The prevailing view seems to assume that after the Holy Empire was founded, the [Church of the Light Seekers] naturally evolved into the more orthodox [Goddess Church].

This brings us to the three historical “Demon Wars”.

According to historical records, these wars took place respectively at the beginning of the Holy Empire, five hundred years after its founding, and the most recent one three hundred years ago.

Each of these wars had different causes, but the first one occurred when the age of mythology abruptly ended, bringing numerous enemies from other realms into this world, now without the gods’ protection.

Among them, the Eastern Empire, which occupied what is now the eastern region of the Holy Empire, was essentially a colony established by invading demons.

The resistance movement ignited by the [Church of the Light Seekers] erupted into a violent conflict with the demonic empire that exploited and oppressed the local creatures. This war, which led to the founding of the Holy Empire, is therefore known as the First Demon War.

The result of the war was that the [Church of the Light Seekers], under the leadership of the Three Saintesses, ultimately triumphed. They drove the demons, who had plagued this world for nearly a century, back to their original realm and established a new nation on the old battlegrounds.

Afterward, about five hundred years passed. Perhaps unwilling to completely relinquish this fertile land, or due to a twist of fate or hidden motives, a secretive cult known as the “Demon Cult” caused trouble within the Holy Empire, reopening the portal to the demon realm.

The demons seized this opportunity to invade, leading to another intense conflict with the Holy Empire.

However, this war was significantly smaller in scale than the first Demon War, more akin to a localized conflict, as the demon realm deployed a rather limited force.

In fact, different demon lords’ forces clashed amongst themselves, creating little pressure on the Holy Empire.

According to later scholars’ research, this was likely because, early in the war, the Holy Empire quickly located the largest demonic portal. The Three Saintesses then joined forces to destroy it, which disrupted the demons’ supply lines and coordination, forcing them to fight separately and ultimately leading to their swift defeat.

This conflict became the shortest and least impactful of the three Demon Wars.

But the Third Demon War was entirely different.

It not only marked a historical turning point for the Holy Empire but also remains the most mysterious large-scale conflict on record.

To begin with, the cause of this war has never been confirmed.

The “Demon Lord of Corruption” appeared suddenly. It didn’t seem to be targeting the Holy Empire itself but was searching for something else. Yet, as a being with power comparable to a god, even without intentional destruction, its actions caused massive devastation and terror in the region, turning countless beings into mindless puppets.

As a result, the current Bright Light Saintess had no time to gather the other two Saintesses, who were far away, and had to face the Demon Lord alone.

This led to the Bright Light Saintess perishing alongside the Demon Lord, plunging the Holy Empire into disarray with the sudden loss of its supreme leader. The demons seized this chance to launch another invasion, pushing the Empire back until the formation of the Holy Order, which managed to reorganize the nation’s forces and stabilize the situation.

Strangely… there are too many unresolved issues, and it seems the core problem lies here.

Leaving aside the reason for the Demon Lord’s arrival, from Yuna’s internal sources, it’s known that after the previous Bright Light Saintess perished in that battle, her strongest holy artifact, the [Crownless Crown], was also lost in the demon realm.

This loss made it difficult for the next Bright Light Saintess to take up the mantle and effectively lead the nation’s resistance against the invasion.

However, if it were just a matter of leadership, wouldn’t it have been possible to appoint a successor as the Bright Light Saintess and, like Yuna now, use a fake [Crownless Crown] as a symbol?

With the Bright Light Saintess position’s centuries-old influence, even a moderately competent successor should have been able to lead the people better than a hastily formed Holy Order, right?

Just like a thousand years ago, when the [Church of the Light Seekers] established the Holy Empire, the nation’s true challenge wasn’t the lack of leadership. The reason for its early defeats in the Third Demon War lay in the loss of its strongest holy artifact and the fall of its strongest Saintess, which severely weakened its overall power and made it difficult to fully counter the demon threat.

In simple terms, it was a case of “not strong enough.”

So… why, with the Holy Order’s formation, did “not strong enough” suddenly turn into “strong enough”?