Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 268

[Vol. 5] Chapter 268: The Girl in Search of the Truth

There’s only one possible answer. They must have received a new source of life or assistance from an external power.

Faith-based magic.

…It all connects perfectly.

In other words, in actual history, it seems that faith-based magic first appeared and spread during the latter part of the Demon War, around three hundred years ago.

Moreover, the sudden emergence of this power and the transformation of the Goddess Church are likely intricately tied to the mysterious founder of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, who shares a similar background.

“So that’s how it is…”

Under Frederica’s puzzled gaze, the White Fox girl murmured softly, as if feeling a sense of relief.

Now, the final core piece needed to complete the almost-visible picture of the Holy Empire’s true history has come into focus.

The actual workings of faith-based magic.

…………………

“Let’s stop here. I’ll proceed on my own from here. You can head back.”

Outside the lush forest, a girl with striking blue, sapphire-like eyes, partially concealed under a hood, stepped down from the carriage. She also bore dark circles that seemed to linger heavily around her eyes. She waved dismissively to the coachman behind her.

The coachman, a simple local villager, hesitated, seeing the unarmed girl preparing to enter the forest alone, and couldn’t help but offer a warning.

“Young lady, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This here is the fabled [Holy Spirit Trail], and strange things have been happening lately. I’ve heard that even people from outside the forest have mysteriously disappeared or come back with memory loss… It’s a strange place, truly.”

“Since you paid so much for the ride, let me give you one last piece of advice,” the coachman said. “You can still turn back now. But if you go in there, it’s a life-or-death situation…”

The girl glanced back at the coachman, stayed silent for a moment, and then shook her head slightly.

“Thank you for your concern, but there’s something I have to investigate. Also, if possible, please don’t tell anyone I was here, especially… no, never mind. This is goodbye.”

Abruptly cutting off her words, she turned and waved casually, dismissing the coachman, who looked on in confusion as she walked away.

As she stepped into the dense forest, her final words to the coachman lingered in the air.

“You should head back now. This place truly isn’t safe.”

……………………

Ayla Light walked silently along the lush, forested path.

This was the [Holy Spirit Trail], west of the St. Bergen Mountains and just over a hundred kilometers from New Aster City, a known yet mysterious place, filled with hidden dangers that locals dared not approach.

It’s said that this forest is home to the Holy Spirits, once servants of the Goddess of Light, Aurora. Though they rarely leave the forest, they are said to mercilessly punish anyone who enters their territory with irreverence or disrespect toward the goddess.

Locals even formulated three “rules” about the forest, turning it into a place of eerie legends.

As a scholar, Ayla didn’t believe in superstitions or mysteries. To her, anything that seems strange or incomprehensible in this world follows its own set of rules and logic.

So-called ghost stories are merely the fabrications of fools who have given up on thinking, or those who lack the ability to uncover the truth and make up self-deceptive tales to cover up their ignorance.

In her two hundred years of life, Ayla had visited more than one place that was considered “mysterious” or an “unsolved riddle.” These places had brought her close to death on several occasions, but in the end, she always uncovered the truth behind them.

The [Holy Spirit Trail] was no different.

Of course, she hadn’t come here for adventure… at least not for the sake of pleasure. Her purpose was a much more serious investigation.

From the confidential documents provided by the Cecilia family, she learned that recently, certain areas around the [Holy Spirit Trail] had experienced unusual phenomena, such as [Blood Calamity] and “Faith-based magic failures.”

Although the local church immediately sealed the information, and the Angel City sent “professionals” to deal with it, the “strange occurrences” the coachman mentioned were likely connected to these events.

But it was precisely because the Goddess Church was so concerned that she felt there was something more to this situation.

After making thorough preparations, she crossed the [Wall of Heaven] that cuts through the heart of the Holy Empire, traveling hundreds of miles to the area near the incident. She had inquired around the nearby villages and towns before finding a local to guide her here.

The information was being tightly controlled. Even the coachman, along with other residents living in New Aster City and the surrounding areas that only a few dozen kilometers away from the [Holy Spirit Trail] were unaware of the panic-inducing events that had occurred here.

“Memory erasure, even disappearance… The Goddess Church really stops at nothing,” she muttered softly, the girl in her long robe and hood turning her gaze around.

As a dangerously secretive area, the [Holy Spirit Trail] naturally didn’t have idle people strolling through it. In fact, it had been an entire hour since Ayla parted ways with the coachman and entered the forest alone. Aside from some low-intelligence small animals, she hadn’t seen a single other figure.

Not to mention the so-called Holy Spirits or certain things related to them.

Of course, this might also be because she was simply walking along the road, not doing anything out of the ordinary, and didn’t violate any so-called “taboos.”

Ayla remembered that Miss Dawn had previously shared intelligence, mentioning that beneath the [Holy Spirit Trail], there were many strange machines and bizarre magical arrays that didn’t align with the culture of the Holy Empire, and whose purpose was still unclear.

Although Miss Dawn only suspected that these things might be related to the Goddess of Light and faith-based magic, their battle, as well as the enemy’s self-detonation, had almost completely destroyed the mechanical structures deep underground, it was said that the traces left behind were still very noticeable deep in the jungle. With enough time to search, one definitely wouldn’t miss them.

“…It should be around here.”

The girl from the Lightborn Tribe crouched down, raised her hand, and gently traced some barely noticeable marks, as if finely sliced by thin threads, left on the stumps of nearby trees. She muttered to herself as she pondered.

Miss Dawn had given a detailed description of the situation they encountered here, including the behavior and attack patterns of the “mechanical spheres.”

Although the targets of the attack at the time were clearly not limited to the merchant caravan Miss Dawn was with, similar marks were probably scattered throughout the forest. Since she had found scratches here that matched the description, it meant those things had definitely appeared nearby.

And… this scratch was new.

Very close.

The girl stood up, pulled her hood tight again, and took out a bottle of light gray potion from her newly purchased storage device. She opened the bottle and poured the contents directly over her head, soaking herself from top to bottom.

The slightly viscous liquid, as if imbued with life, quickly enveloping Ayla’s entire body. Her figure slowly faded in the shade of the trees, and eventually, she vanished without a trace.