Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 300

[Vol. 5] Chapter 300: The Awaited One

But the young man in plain clothes seemed oblivious. Though he was merely lying on the ground in a disheveled state, the formless gray power around him erupted into a storm of void that shot into the sky. Its sorrowful and deathly aura was so overwhelming that even the nascent divine kingdom’s heavens and earth struggled to suppress it.

“Void… mastery…”

“Enough already! Just how far do you plan to take this tantrum?!”

The voice that rang out wasn’t from the silent priestess who had also raised her right hand, her palm radiating with countless points of dazzling light. Instead, it came from someone else. A third party who had inexplicably intruded upon this place.

It was a young girl.

She had golden hair as radiant and resplendent as sunlight and star-like eyes that shimmered brilliantly. Though her gaze was crystal-clear, it seemed to carry the weight and wisdom of ages. She was dressed in a short blue skirt, with a sword hanging at her waist. Her long—

“Edwina?”

No, that wasn’t right.

Violet quickly realized this.

Edwina couldn’t possibly be here, and besides, the young girl’s appearance, while somewhat similar to that of the Holy Knight girl, was still noticeably different. If one were to describe it, she bore a resemblance akin to the connection between Edith Melchior and Lilya Melchior.

So, for someone to appear at this moment, in this place, someone who clearly knew Minchen and whose appearance was so similar to Edwina’s, her identity was all but obvious.

Before the priestess could speak further, the girl, who had suddenly jumped in and seemingly held considerable authority in this place, strode quickly to Minchen’s side. With surprising boldness, she grabbed him by the collar with one hand, interrupting his skill, and delivered a resounding slap across the face of the young man in plain clothes!

“Smack!”

The crisp sound echoed, and even Violet, who was merely a bystander, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, silently thinking to herself, ‘Oof, that must have hurt a bit.’

“When are you going to grow up and show a little responsibility? Think about others for once! Fighting to the bitter end for your friends, trading your life in a flashy battle to take down a powerful enemy that you will never be able to defeat! Oh, how heroic, how dramatic, isn’t it?!”

“Smack! Smack! Smack!”

Three more slaps in quick succession landed squarely on the face of the young man in plain clothes, leaving him stunned and speechless.

“Little Nisa…”

“Little Nisa my foot! I’m over 300 years old, you brat!” The girl fumed.

“Oh, you’re so cool, aren’t you? So cool you’re about to get yourself killed! But have you ever stopped to think about me? Or about Awen, that poor child?! She’s your and Yu’s daughter, and she’s been growing up alone in Angel City for more than 300 years! She’s waited so long for you to finally find her, and now, just like that, you’re ready to ditch her again?!”

Hearing that name, Minchen, whose lips already bleeding from the merciless slaps, lowered his head slightly, guilt washing over him.

“I’m sorry… I owe you all so much. But Vast Dream and Mochi… they’re also my closest friends, the most important people in my life. I just want to, at the very least, do something for them in the end…”

The black-haired girl’s voice, calm as ever, spoke from the side.

“That’s nothing but self-deception and wishful thinking, Minchen. Let me say it again: ‘You won’t know unless you try’ is just an excuse to comfort yourself.”

“The existence of [Vast Dream] has already been erased as the price for rewriting something. I don’t know about [Cheese Mochi]’s situation, but if you think you can use the [Blood of the Cross] to resurrect her, that’s completely impossible.”

“That ritual was created by the so-called [God of Subversion and Paradox] as a tool to gather faith and grow stronger. Once it fully matures, it turns into a kind of special divine essence, like a nutrient that can be consumed. But it can never truly become a god.”

“Let’s take the most optimistic scenario: even if the modified [Blood of the Cross] could truly create a new god, the [Spirit of Light] as a concept without consciousness or existence, would transform into an entirely new [Goddess of Light]. This new consciousness would have no connection whatsoever to Cheese Mochi.”

“After experiencing that summoning just now, you should understand this clearly. If it weren’t the case, the one speaking with me earlier would have been Cheese Mochi’s consciousness.”

“I…”

The priestess pursed her lips.

“Or are you saying that even knowing this, you still insist on clinging to that meaningless resolve and fighting me to the death?”

Minchen remained silent.

Though he didn’t give a definite answer, neither affirmative nor negative, he at least stopped attempting to unleash that power, a force so dangerous that even Violet had to admit it would require an at least 9th-tier spell countermeasure to withstand.

It was clear this trump card, far beyond Minchen’s usual level, must come with a significant cost.

“Exactly so.”

The girl, who had stepped in at the critical moment to stop Minchen’s reckless actions, released her grip on the now dejected young man. He stumbled backward and fell to the ground in defeat. Then, she turned around and, in stark contrast to how she had treated him, addressed the priestess with a deep respect, performing a solemn and unique gesture of reverence.

“Praise the Primordial Light. Though I have long anticipated and feared your arrival, the reality has still far exceeded my expectations. I wonder… should I address you as Lady Violet or Lady Dawn?”

The priestess casually waved her hand, unbothered by the girl’s formalities, as she studied her quietly.

“Suit yourself, it makes no difference to me. But tell me, Loknisa, since you can appear in this youthful form, why do you still present yourself to the world as an old crone?”

In contrast to Violet’s casual demeanor, the girl—Loknisa Cecilia—remained solemn and respectful, bowing her head once more.

“It’s like this, Your Excellency,”

“You might have heard from that child, Feredrica, that I suffered a hidden injury during the great battle between the mythic races over the Serpent’s remains. While not fatal, it drastically shortened my lifespan, forcing me to abdicate my position as Saintess prematurely and retreat from the conflicts to preserve my life.”

She glanced at Minchen, standing beside her, with a mix of resentment and exasperation.

“To live as long as possible while waiting for this heartless idiot to come back for me and to uphold my responsibilities, I had no choice but to let my body age naturally to slow the loss of my lifespan. Besides, that older appearance gave me more gravitas in front of the younger generation. After all, looking like I do now…”

Loknisa let out a bitter laugh, her helplessness evident.

Violet, who had been observing her all this time, nodded slightly in agreement.

That made sense. Although she hadn’t seen Loknisa’s older form with her own eyes, it was clear that if Loknisa went around in her current youthful appearance, looking no older than a vibrant young woman in her early 20s, she would struggle to command respect. Coupled with the Cecilia family’s notoriously carefree… ahem, playful demeanor, maintaining an air of authority would indeed be a challenge.

Yet Loknisa was the most senior member of her family and, apart from the unique case of Edwina, the only genuine transcendent among them. Even across all three divine descendant families, it was doubtful there was anyone older than her.

She wasn’t like Edith, who shamelessly flaunted a younger face than her descendants while living a leisurely, carefree life. Acting that way would be inappropriate for someone of Loknisa’s standing.

Hmm… it’s best not to dwell too much on a woman’s age.

As if to steer the conversation elsewhere, the priestess casually shifted her gaze, casting a sidelong glance at the plain-clothed young man.

“So, you specifically left me a letter to call me here just to have this guy test my strength? What if I couldn’t beat him?”

Still maintaining her respectful demeanor, Loknisa didn’t seem worried that her words might provoke the other person. She simply shook her head and replied:

“I never instructed Minchen to oppose you. That was his decision, made of his own free will. But whether you’re Miss Dawn or Miss Violet, if you truly are the Holy Emissary, it’s impossible for you to lose to a mere mortal.”

“If you were to lose, it would mean you’re not the one the Holy Empire has been waiting for, and I would respond to the current situation in another way.”

“I understand this is an enormous affront. As stated in the letter, once everything is resolved, I am willing to accept any punishment you deem fit. But for now, I humbly ask for your permission to offer my insignificant assistance and let you make the final judgment on all of this.”

“I hope you only punish me. I was the one who started this betrayal, and everyone in the generations after me are just victims of my betrayal. They are innocent, they are only victims of my foolishness. Including the war that is going on now, if it weren’t for my foolishness, this wouldn’t have happened. So let me be the only one to face judgment.”

Hmm… why does this feel like the vibe of someone who’s completely resigned to their fate…

That said, whether Loknisa had overstepped or not wasn’t something Violet particularly cared about.

After all, it wasn’t actually her who got betrayed.

This level of probing didn’t bother her in the slightest. If anything, she was quite satisfied to use this opportunity to give that irresponsible Minchen a proper beating.

“How is Ayla doing?” Violet asked.

Loknisa replied respectfully, “She’s fine. Although she’s currently being held in temporary confinement, we’ve not harmed or mistreated her. What happens next will depend entirely on your will, Your Excellency.”

“Holy Emissary and all that… forget it. First, take me to see what [Vast Dream] left behind.”

“As you wish~”