Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 276

[Vol. 5] Chapter 276: Fate, Woven with Sighs

“During this time, while my ancestor Loknisa’s strength improved, the progress of Minchen and his group was even more remarkable, so much so that my ancestor described it as ‘terrifying’.”

“I’m not entirely sure what kind of terrifying progress that entailed, but since Miss Dawn knows them, you probably understand already, so I’ll leave it at that. “

“After more than a decade, Minchen and his companions had grown so powerful that even as a transcendent-level being, my ancestors could not engage in normal combat without using the [Judgment Holy Sword]. It was during this time that they secretly became involved in a high-level war between mythical races due to certain unforeseen events.”

“Loknisa joined them in the battle to support her beloved and perhaps out of a sense of justice. It was during this fight that she sustained a hidden injury.”

“That battle was reportedly fierce, leaving not only my ancestor severely wounded but also many injuries among Minchen’s group. As a result, they were forced to halt their travels and go into seclusion for a time.”

“Thus, Loknisa spent several peaceful years alongside Minchen. They formalized their relationship, raised their daughter together, and lived a life that, while simple, was peaceful and fulfilling.”

“But… good times never last.”

“My ancestor said that Minchen and his group were summoned to this world on the [Day of Divine Arrival] of New Calender 1000 by a powerful will, which triggered the space disturbance back then.”

“They were travelers from another world, outsiders, seemingly tasked with a specific and significant mission. Once their injuries healed and they were ready, they resumed their journey.”

“However, due to the severe injuries she sustained during the war between the mythical races, my ancestor Loknisa didn’t accompany Minchen this time. Instead, she stayed behind to care for their young daughter and waited with her for his return.”

“Before Minchen departed, he told her that, at the shortest, it would take three months, and at the longest, six months, for them to return.”

“But after that, my ancestor waited over a year in their secluded place, yet there was no word from them, as if they had vanished without a trace.”

“Loknisa wanted to go search for him, but at that moment… the Third Demon War suddenly erupted.”

“The Bright Light Saintess fought alone in a desperate battle against the incarnation of the Demon Lord of [Corruption], ultimately driving it back at the cost of her own life. Upon hearing this news, my ancestor Loknisa was overwhelmed with regret and guilt, realizing that, besides being Minchen’s wife, she was also one of the Three Saintesses of the Holy Empire, a pillar for her country and its people.”

“She couldn’t help but think that if she had been in the Holy Empire at the time, fighting alongside the Bright Light Saintess, perhaps the latter wouldn’t have perished.”

“Realizing she had abandoned too many of her responsibilities for the sake of her personal attachments, she knew she had to return to her homeland and join the battle.”

“But then she thought of her and Minchen’s daughter, who was barely over ten years old.”

“She couldn’t take that child back to the Holy Empire, as Minchen was from another world and bore half-demon blood, belonging to a race known as the ‘half-demons’.”

“Though my ancestor Loknisa didn’t mind this herself, with the Holy Empire on high alert due to the demon war, returning with a daughter who inherited her father’s half-demon blood and her mother’s divine bloodline would not only put the child at risk but could also implicate the entire family.”

“Helpless, my ancestor had no choice but to painfully entrust her daughter to a close friend of hers and Minchen, who lived in their secluded place, asking him to temporarily care for the child. She planned to wait until the war was over and the situation was no longer so urgent before quietly bringing her daughter back.”

“But what she didn’t anticipate was that the Third Demon War dragged on for years, with both sides locked in a stalemate, fighting for over a decade before it slowly subsided. Then came the rise of the Holy Order and the unprecedented crisis weakening the Three Saintesses. By the time my ancestor Loknisa finally had the chance to go to her daughter, she discovered…”

“She discovered that the place was empty, and neither her friend nor her daughter was anywhere to be found, right?”

Hearing the White Fox girl anticipate the outcome before she could speak, Frederica raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s right. But how did you know, Miss Dawn?”

“How could I not know…”

A faint, bitter smile appeared beneath Violet’s mask.

By this point, it was already very clear.

The person Frederica mentioned was undoubtedly one of the romantic interests Minchen made while traveling the world. And most likely, she was the principal one.

Though the cliché of them unexpectedly falling in love was almost too much for Violet to hold back a loud outburst of “Are you kidding me!?”, the truth was that Minchen, with his looks, character, strength, and overall charm, was indeed someone who could easily attract women, especially young girls who admired powerful figures. He fit the classic protagonist role in a hero’s tale.

And this protagonist, clearly, was not like most characters in stories who, despite being smart, somehow come across as wooden or clueless.

If Violet didn’t have memories from her past life, and if she didn’t know Minchen inside and out, combined with the nature of the gods that made her somewhat indifferent to emotional matters, she might have even developed some kind of affection for him.

At least for now, she couldn’t say she disliked Minchen. In fact, she might even consider him a half-friend due to their shared sense of belonging.

Violet remembered very clearly that, previously in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, the “Summoner” Silvina had repeatedly mentioned that “her mother’s mother”, meaning Minchen’s wife at the time, was a powerful individual from the Holy Empire. Later, due to certain unavoidable circumstances, she had left her daughter behind and returned alone to her homeland.

Loknisa Cecilia was, evidently, this powerful individual from the Holy Empire.

Silvina’s mother, the unfortunate woman who, after losing both parents at an early age, was forced to flee her hometown to escape enemies. She later built a family in another part of the Human United Kingdom, gave birth to children, and ultimately died in a plague.

In other words, Loknisa was Silvina’s maternal grandmother. If we consider their bloodline, Silvina’s full name might actually have been Silvina Cecilia.

The Third Demon War of the Holy Empire lasted for over a decade, and with the subsequent serious political reforms affecting the entire country, Loknisa, as the current Judgment Saintess, was at the eye of the storm, caught in a dilemma, truly unable to handle everything at once.

When she went searching for her daughter years later, it was likely that her daughter had already perished somewhere else in the Human United Kingdom. Silvina, driven by the hatred of being abandoned and her mother’s dying wish, had embarked on a long journey to find that irresponsible half-demon.

Sigh…

A lamentable and helpless conclusion.

In the end, who should be blamed?

Minchen, as a “Conquerors” summoned by the [Will of the World], had been entrusted with maintaining the world’s order while combating the enemies of the world, all while enjoying the abundant resources provided to him.

His departure was to protect the “World Tree Roots” under the “Illusionary Realm.” The reason he didn’t return as promised was because he suffered an unprecedented defeat in the battle within the Illusionary Realm, and his comrades were gravely injured or killed…

To prevent the backlash from the Illusionary Realm from causing a disaster that would affect millions of lives, he chose to stay behind as the “Gatekeeper,” assisting Tiyelu in guarding the gateway.

Moreover, Minchen, isolated in his solitary place, did not know that the Third Demon War had erupted in the Holy Empire. Perhaps from his perspective, even without returning, Loknisa, as the Judgment Saintess, could have taken care of their daughter. He never anticipated that a series of complications would ultimately lead to the birth of a tragedy.

In the same way, Loknisa also had her own hardships and helplessness. Although Silvina chose the wrong path, from her point of view, seeking revenge against Minchen was not entirely unjustifiable.

And in between them, the daughter of Minchen, whom Violet still didn’t even know the name of, was nothing more than an innocent victim.

… Fate plays its tricks, and the path of life is full of misfortune.