Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 277

[Vol. 5] Chapter 277: Special Medicine

As they talked, the sun sank completely below the horizon, casting the river in twilight. Night and the soft glow of the Moon began to envelop the world near the starry sky.

Breaking out of her deep thoughts, the white fox girl turned her head to glance at Frederica, who was also sitting with her knees hugged, lost in thought. Not wanting to disturb her, she spoke softly.

“So, you’re saying that the teacher you share with Edwina, the current true pillar of the Cecilia family, is Loknisa Cecilia. The former fifteenth Judgement Saintess, correct?”

“…Yes.”

Without hesitation or concealment, the current Saintess, three generations removed, straightened up, gazing at the quiet, serene river under the moonlight, and nodded slightly.

“After discovering that her daughter and her friend had long since disappeared, and after searching endlessly without results, our teacher, with a heart ashen with despair, returned to Angel City, which had just been designated as the new capital. She soon passed on the title of Saintess and the holy artifact to her successor, using her hidden illness as an excuse, and withdrew from the world, never to involve herself in worldly affairs again.”

“Transcendents possess lifespans far beyond those of ordinary beings. Our teacher had already reached a high level within the transcendent realm, thanks to the help of Minchen and his companions during their journeys. Otherwise, even with the [Judgment Holy Sword] in hand, it would have been difficult to take part in that war back then.”

“Due to her hidden injuries and limitations imposed by her race and innate talents, she could no longer push further, let alone reach the next tier of Transcendent-level. But even after three hundred years, her life was not something time could easily take away.”

“And so, she gradually faded from public knowledge, staying hidden behind the Cecilia family, nurturing the next generations in her own way and silently guarding both the family and the Holy Empire.”

“It wasn’t just me and Little Nana. In fact, the Judgement Saintess for generations before us, including those two generations before, were all personally cultivated by our teacher. But like me, they reached the peak of legendary level but couldn’t break through the Transcendent-level, and eventually passed away due to old age.”

“I see…”

After that, the two women silently gazed at the river under the night sky for a long time.

“Is it really okay for you to tell me such a secret? A transcendent guardian… this should be your family’s hidden ace, right?”

Hearing this, Frederica chuckled wryly. “Miss Dawn, you might think my trust is a bit unusual, but you should have realized by now. The reason I chose to meet with you isn’t just because of what I mentioned before…”

“It was our teacher’s suggestion that I do this, to let you know about her existence and to work together with you to handle the current situation. Though, of course, my own judgment is also part of it.”

“As I said before, I sent a trusted aide back to contact the family a long time ago. Although that silly girl Nana may still be unaware, the Cecilia family has been quietly doing far more behind the scenes than it appears on the surface.”

“Indeed. Like secretly supporting the [Light Worshipper Church]… it seems that experience really does make a difference.”

Not dwelling further on that topic, the white fox girl continued, “Returning to the main question, what’s the real story behind this ‘special medicine’ for the [Defilement]?”

In fact, Violet had already formed a suspicion.

If such a medicine were truly that easy to produce and effective, the Cecilia family would have already spread it across the nation rather than secretly using it in a concealed, clandestine manner.

“Is there… some issue with the medicine? Or perhaps certain limitations?”

“Sharp as ever, Miss Dawn, You saw right through it.”

After a moment’s contemplation, the Saintess nodded slightly and explained:

“The special medicine for the [Defilement]’s plague is something scholars have poured their efforts into creating for ages, but it’s extremely difficult to develop, almost impossibly so.”

“From what we know, almost no magic or medicine can stop the spread of the [Defilement]’s plague. It is an absolute transformation, nearly a law of nature. Otherwise, our world wouldn’t have suffered from it for centuries, leading to the extreme conclusion that touching the [Defilement]’s plague means certain death.”

“The group led by Minchen is indeed quite capable. They took an innovative approach, utilizing new theories from another world, with the help of our ancestor Loknisa, to develop a medicine that specifically targets the [Defilement]. In theory, it should suppress the [Defilement]’s spread… but there are still two major challenges.”

“The first challenge is the raw materials. Our ancestors chose inexpensive, readily available materials to make the medicine accessible. However, there is one ingredient that cannot be substituted. The most crucial part: the catalyst.”

“Catalyst…?”

Hearing the white fox girl’s puzzled tone, Frederica nodded in affirmation.

“Yes, the catalyst, or you could call it the core of the medicine. To explain that, I’ll need to first discuss how this special medicine works.”

“Miss Dawn, you may have heard that the [Defilement]’s plague is a type of ‘law’, a special plague that spreads through the soul. Does that sound familiar?”

“Yes, I have heard of that,” Violet replied.

The Saintess then took a small, semi-transparent crystal vial from her storage tool and held it up in front of Violet. Inside were tiny pale-golden spheres, each about a third the size of an adult’s thumbnail. Clearly, this was the special medicine.

Frederica poured out one of the spheres, placing it on her palm and extending it to the white fox girl beside her.

“Can you sense its properties, Miss Dawn?”

“Hmm…”

Violet didn’t respond immediately, merely holding the sphere in her hand and quietly activating [Information Detection]. Frederica didn’t seem to mind the silence and continued explaining.

“To cleanse a corruption that exists as a [law], one must counter it with a power of the same nature. But how could mortals possibly wield a power that can contend with a demon lord’s law?”

“So, we must rely on a gift from the gods.”

“By using fragments of the power that gods once bestowed upon this world and channeling them through devoted faith, we can obtain the power to resist the [Defilement]’s plague. This is the core principle behind this medicine.”

“But traces of the gods are incredibly difficult to find. The era of the gods has long passed, and aside from the Three Holy Artifacts that descended a thousand years ago, our Holy Empire hasn’t truly encountered a divine miracle for a very, very long time. So, although the theory is sound, this medicine was never actually produced.”

“Until recently… when the abyssal disaster erupted in the far south.”

With a reverent look, Frederica gazed up at the clear night sky of the Moon, unaware of the brief tension that flickered in the movements of a certain white fox girl.

The Saintess continued in a soft voice, “Miss Dawn, you’ve likely heard of the [Radiant Source Crystal], right?”

“Ever since the demons began invading this world again, our ancestor Loknisa rediscovered this recipe and started testing various potential catalysts to produce a cure for the [Defilement]’s plague. But every attempt has ended in failure.”

“The most crucial catalyst, the fragments imbued with divine essence was something we couldn’t obtain.”

Frederica continued. “Until we heard rumors of a holy light manifesting in the south. Using the first batch of [Radiant Source Crystals] that our family recently gathered, we ground them into powder and incorporated it… and only then was this medicine finally created.”

“That miracle that descended upon the forest was, without a doubt, a true gift from the gods, the genuine light of origin, granting us followers guidance in our time of confusion.”

“Ah, well… maybe it’s not *that* dramatic… Haha… So now that the medicine has been produced, what’s the second difficulty you mentioned?”

Frederica noticed the white fox girl’s slightly odd tone and gave her a curious glance but didn’t dwell on it. Her expression gradually turned solemn.

“The second challenge is that we need a strong, genuine, and tangible faith.”

“Hm? For a follower of the Goddess, that shouldn’t be an issue… Wait, don’t tell me…?”

The Saintess nodded, her expression grim.

“Just as you suspect, when followers of the Goddess took this pill, it failed to produce the expected results in initial trials, showing only limited effects in curbing the plague of the [Defilement].”

“If the medicine itself isn’t flawed…”

The Judgement Saintess took a deep breath, her expression dignified and heavy.

“…then it means that the object of our faith, the [Goddess of Light, Aurora] does not exist.”