Chapter 55: Summerfield of Mingguang City

Without disappointing Vilyric, the Holy Knight girl in the image thought for a moment before quickly providing her answer.

“I, along with my family, have indeed drafted several contingency plans. The main issue right now isn’t whether I can accept being a Saintess, but that once the artifact summoning ceremony is completed, my sister will immediately lose the power of the Judging Sword, dropping from beyond rank to the peak of legend. This is undeniably very deadly on a battlefield fraught with demons.”

“Although we’ve temporarily lost contact, within our divine lineage, we possess a means to sense the life and death of direct relatives. My sister… is still alive and surely still fighting somewhere, so I absolutely cannot steal her artifact just like that.”

“…”

Vilyric didn’t immediately chime in; she knew that Edwina must have more to say.

Sure enough, as the Holy Knight girl saw the Priestess remain silent, she quickly continued to explain.

“However, as a Cecelia blessed by the divine, we can’t just stand by and watch the goddess’s people be slaughtered and corrupted by demons. So, the best option is to compromise a little. We can temporarily delay the ceremony for the succession of the Saintess position, while I lead the reinforcements eastward directly with the Redeeming Saintess, and simultaneously search for my sister.”

“If we can find her, our overall combat strength would be significantly boosted compared to the current strategy. Even if we can’t find her, I don’t believe that just the Judging Sword can completely sway the war’s outcome. This is a conflict between two nations, even races, rather than my personal battlefield.”

With this, it became clear what Edwina wanted to express. Her thoughts, in some sense, indeed contained selfishness and bias, but as she said—it’s not too far off.

“So, the key issue still lies within the church’s infighting. Those guys are clinging tightly to their plan and won’t budge, right?”

The Holy Knight girl nodded.

“Indeed, the Holy Church insists that we must first retrieve the power of the Judging Saintess and the Judging Sword. Only by uniting the powers of the two major Saintesses can we set off without any worries. I can’t say their thinking is entirely wrong, but…”

At her words, the black-haired girl smiled slightly.

“But also, whether there’s selfishness mixed in there is hard to say, right?”

“…Exactly.”

The Priestess, having generally grasped the situation, nodded, her smile growing even more pronounced.

“It looks like you need me to help a little.”

As if struck by something big all of a sudden, the Holy Knight girl’s serious expression froze for a moment, and she hurriedly shook her head like a rattling drum, almost getting flustered.

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant! It’s just… if Ms. Vilyric doesn’t want to reveal her identity, and we want to guide this matter in our desired direction, we definitely need some external help. If you find it too troublesome, we can…”

“Alright, alright, why are you so worked up? After not seeing you for a while, you’ve become quite unfamiliar. Is it such a big deal to make a joke? How did you even know I’ve taken on a new identity recently… Never mind, just tell me what you want me to do. But let’s get clear first; if it’s too troublesome, I won’t do it.”

Having somewhat helplessly cut off the Holy Knight girl’s nervous responses, the Priestess casually pulled a chair next to her and sat down, her smooth as jade legs crossed and swinging in the air as if waiting for the other to respond.

After all, Edwina could be counted as one of her friends in this world. Although the girl was occasionally a bit rigid and often had strange thought processes, Vilyric didn’t actually dislike her. This trip to the Holy Empire was not only for travel but also with the idea of helping her out.

Noticing the Priestess’s deliberately laid-back demeanor, the Holy Knight girl gradually calmed down, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she fiddled with her crystal-clear golden hair and cautiously said,

“Ms. Vilyric, you should still remember the surname Summerfield, right?”

“Summerfield, huh…?”

The black-haired girl slightly nodded. Being in Mingguang City, the name of the local divine lineage family was naturally well-known; even before, she had already learned quite a bit through various channels.

“This family is quite interesting.”

“Quite interesting…?”

Hearing the Priestess’s evaluation, Edwina in the image suddenly fell into thought, not knowing what she was pondering. But soon, she looked up again and said,

“As you know, our Holy Empire’s three divine lineages may not hold absolute control, but they do possess considerable influence. The Cecelia, Summerfield, and Lambert families engage in open and covert battles while cooperating with each other, and to this day, no clear superiority has emerged.”

“In the Holy Church, while Pope August Lambert directs the course of events, it is certainly not a one-man show. The Cecelia family and the Summerfield family both hold a significant portion of seats, totaling well over half. The remaining smaller part consists of several long-established religious families.”

“Oh, so if any two divine families among you could unite, it wouldn’t be impossible to change the decision of the Holy Church, is that what you mean?”

The Holy Knight girl pondered before nodding.

“Yes, frankly speaking, the relationship between the Summerfield family and the Lambert family isn’t good; in fact, it’s quite poor. Unlike us Cecelias, who primarily stand on business and finance, the struggle for power between the Bright Saintess and the Pope has persisted since the establishment of the Holy Church over three hundred years ago, leading to a situation that nearly divides the Holy Nation into two capitals, east and west.”

“Logically, the Summerfield family would steadfastly oppose the Pope’s faction during the Holy Church meetings. Yet, for some unknown reason this time, they have chosen to remain unusually silent, neither supporting nor opposing, which ultimately allowed the Lambert family to monopolize power and make the decision to depose the Saintess.”

“Since Ms. Vilyric happens to be in the Summerfield family stronghold of Mingguang City, if convenient, I would like to ask you to meet the current Bright Saintess of the Summerfield family—Yuna Summerfield. How you approach this can be decided by you, Ms. Vilyric; as long as we clarify the Summerfield family’s attitude and general intentions, we can take corresponding measures.”

Vilyric raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Just like that? Don’t you need to persuade her to support you or something?”

To this, the Holy Knight girl merely smiled and shook her head.

“Based on my understanding of Ms. Vilyric, you’ve likely already observed many things and made corresponding arrangements along the way, right? I don’t want to make things difficult for you because of my issues.”

“Moreover, as the Cecelia family endowed with blessings from the divine, we have already received great favors. Our family’s foundation is quite substantial; we are not mere incompetents hiding beneath the goddess’s wings, praying for protection.”

“Now, while the Holy Nation appears calm on the surface, a storm is brewing beneath, not unlike the time when the United Kingdom fought for its crown. The Lambert family took the initiative, but we are not without means to resist. I believe it’s currently most important to hold back and carefully observe the situation.”

“I see… That makes sense. Alright, if I get the chance, I’ll visit that Bright Saintess soon and gather some intel.”

Hearing the Priestess’s assurance seemed to instantly let Edwina breathe a sigh of relief, and she once again broke into a smile, nodding repeatedly.

“That would be a huge help. There’s still over half a month until the Holy Day, so Ms. Vilyric doesn’t need to rush. How about we reconnect at this time in a week?”

Watching the once naïve Holy Knight girl speak with poise and calm demeanor, even Vilyric couldn’t help but secretly marvel at how much she has grown, showing a hint of a smile as well.

“Alright, it’s settled then ~”

   

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