Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 301

[Vol. 5] Chapter 301: The Secret of an Ancient Legacy

Light converged, and two figures emerged side by side from the slightly shimmering doorway.

“Are you saying that the faith we currently hold… that Her Grace the Goddess is not truly the [Primordial Light], but a substitute crafted and altered by someone with ulterior motives?”

Philomena Lambert, the Redemption Saintess, had just stepped out of the portal. Struggling to speak, her voice came out weak and frail, more akin to a mournful cry.

“And the reason [Slaughter] descended upon our world was to seize this divine power, born from the faith we’ve gathered? Lady Yuna, you’re… you’re not joking, are you? This is blasphemy of the highest order…”

Standing a short distance ahead, Yuna Summerfield, who was controlling and fine-tuning the portal, turned her head. Her normally gentle, smiling expression was now rare in its seriousness and gravity.

“Philomena, after knowing me for so long, have you ever seen me joke or deceive anyone?”

“Gulp.”

The pink-gold-haired young saint swallowed nervously.

“Even so, to suddenly reveal something so shocking to me… And how does Lady Yuna know about this? Could it be that Angel told you as well?”

Yuna could tell that Philomena was still skeptical, despite reluctantly cooperating due to the urgency of the situation and the trust they had built over time.

As expected, Yuna let out a slight sigh.

“I understand how hard this is for you to accept. Any devout believer would feel the same. If the Demon Lord of Slaughter hadn’t come so swiftly and unexpectedly, I wouldn’t have revealed the truth in this way. But we no longer have the luxury of carefully laying the groundwork. Lady Philomena, the survival of the Holy Empire depends on this moment.”

“Even though [Wing] is a mythological creature, she’s not immune to the ‘rewrite’ law. The reason she knows these things…”

Glancing around at their surroundings, empty except for the still-glimmering portal and the two of them, Yuna drew a deep breath.

“Lady Philomena, do you know why only the Bright Light Saintesses of the Summerfield lineage are able to wield the [Crownless Crown] and repeatedly break through the threshold of the Transcendent realm?”

“Wh-why…?”

Exhaling softly, the golden-haired saint hesitated before a name slipped from her lips.

“Athreya Summerfield.”

“?”

Before Philomena could react, Yuna continued without pause.

“Phoenix Summerfield, Grisa Summerfield, Yolandal Summerfield, Ottilina Summerfield.”

Yuna recited four names in quick succession, including Athreya at the beginning, just…

“Uh, aren’t these the names of the Bright Light Saintesses of the Holy Empire across different generations? But wait, there seem to be some missing…”

“Yes. Missing are the first Bright Light Saintess, Roka Summerfield, and the seventh Bright Light Saintess, Betty Summerfield. Lady Philomena, aside from these two, every other Bright Light Saintess has…”

“…What?”

Philomena was utterly stunned, frozen in place.

Yuna paid no mind to her dazed companion and cast a glance toward the blood-red sky now dominating the land, as well as the dozen or so formidable figures, three angels, a Holy Knight, and others, who had just emerged from the distant portal. Quickening her speech, she continued.

“This is a secret that has long been sealed.”

“A thousand years ago, the first Bright Light Saintess, Roka Summerfield, upon obtaining the holy artifact [Crownless Crown], discovered by chance that the relic was incomplete. Its true power was sealed by an unknown force.

“At that time, this land was still embroiled in the fiercest upheaval of the war. Roka and her followers, leading the Church’s army, were locked in an endless stalemate with their foes and desperately needed a force strong enough to tip the scales and end the conflict decisively.”

“So, upon discovering this, she deliberated for a long time before ultimately deciding to try and undo the seal placed upon the [Crownless Crown], unleashing its true power.”

“Time was pressing, so I won’t go into the details of the process. All you need to know is that Roka succeeded. Once the seal on the [Crownless Crown] was broken, its unleashed power far surpassed that of the other two holy artifacts of Light. Its overwhelming force swiftly turned the tide of battle, enabling Roka to annihilate the enemy’s main forces.”

“It was because of this that those who witnessed the artifact’s godlike power revered it as the foremost among the Three Holy Artifacts of Light. Roka, the Bright Light Saintess, went from being one of the equal Three Saintesses to a position akin to a supreme leader.”

“But before Roka could celebrate, she discovered a serious problem.”

“She… could no longer control this immensely powerful artifact.”

“It was only then that Roka truly understood the purpose of the seal. It was both a limiter and a safeguard. While the divine descendants are descendants of god, they are ultimately still mortal. The holy artifacts are weapons of the gods. How could mere mortals presume to wield them without consequence?”

“But the Bright Light Saintess could not abandon the [Crownless Crown]. Whether for the unrest that had yet to fully subside or for other reasons, she had to find a way to address the fallout from her impulsive decision.”

“…And that solution was me.”

Facing the pink-gold-haired young Saintess, who was utterly bewildered by the revelation, the woman revered as the Bright Light Saintess gently explained.

“Lady Philomena, I am… the artifact spirit of the [Crownless Crown].”

“More accurately, I am a fragment of the [Crownless Crown]’s spirit, separated from its original form by Roka Summerfield using a secret technique and then merged with her blood to create a new entity. This is why only Summerfields, only I, can wield the unsealed [Crownless Crown].”

“Though I carry Roka’s bloodline, my essence still originates from the [Crownless Crown]. And as the [Crownless Crown] was born from the Primordial Light, I gained its blessing, granting me immunity to the effects of ‘Rewriting’.”

“It is said outside that the Summerfield lineage is a hybrid of the divine descendant and the Lightborn Tribe… It is a popular belief, isn’t it? But in truth, this is nothing more than a widely perpetuated myth.”

“On the contrary, I, or rather, the [Crownless Crown], is the true origin of the Lightborn Tribe.”

“The power of the [Crownless Crown] is too overwhelming. When I came into existence, the backlash from that terrifying force nearly consumed Roka, the Bright Light Saintess. With no other choice, she severed part of my essence, transforming it into ‘Light Fragments’ that scattered into the world.”

“Thus, the group known as the [Lightborn Tribe] came into being.”

“And the Summerfield family, due to the bloodline I passed down as the Second Bright Light Saintess, developed distinct physical traits that set them apart from the other two divine descendants. This difference led to the misconception that the Summerfields were hybrids formed through union with the Lightborn Tribe.”

“For the past thousand years since my birth, in order to avoid accusations of monopolizing power, I have assumed a new identity roughly every century, serving as the third, fourth, and subsequent Bright Light Saintesses. I have faithfully upheld Roka’s will, protecting the Holy Empire and the faith in the Primordial Light…”

Yuna gave a helpless smile.

“But this stable order was shattered three hundred years ago.”

“[Corruption] suddenly descended upon this world. During the battle against it, I was forced to draw upon a power from the [Crownless Crown] far beyond the limits of what my body could endure. This ultimately led to the death of the Sixth Bright Light Saintess, Ottilina Summerfield.”

“However, as the spirit of the [Crownless Crown], I cannot truly perish as long as the artifact itself remains intact.”

“After my death, my spirit was retrieved by [Wing]. Through centuries of nurturing, I eventually reemerged as Yuna Summerfield, seamlessly reclaiming the long-vacant position of Bright Light Saintess.”

“But… in the three centuries I was absent, the Holy Empire has become something entirely different.”