Chapter 127: The Lost Light

Noticing the sudden change and twist in Miss White Fox’s tone, along with her almost undisguised gaze, Yuna seemed not to feel it was impolite. Instead, she appeared somewhat comforted and satisfied, nodding with a smile.

“Just as expected of Miss Xī, you immediately caught on to the crux of the issue with just a little slip of information.”

Deliberately shifting her body so that only Vilyric could see, Yuna lightly brushed her hand over the sacred crown atop her head.

“You weren’t mistaken; this crown is actually not the legendary artifact of the Saint of Bright Light, the Crown of the Uncrowned. It’s simply a piece of visually appealing sacred magical equipment that I’ve altered to purify and amplify the radiance it emits.”

The shimmering crown abruptly dimmed, and Yuna’s mild but impactful voice echoed, sufficient to create a seismic wave within the church.

“In reality, the true Crown of the Uncrowned was taken over three hundred years ago during the Third Demon War, in the battle between the sixth Saint of Bright Light and the demon lord Irohn. With both sides suffering injuries, the Saint died, and it was seized away.”

“That supreme artifact is now within the realm of demons.”

“…Haah.”

Now it all made sense.

Many previously vague feelings and misunderstandings suddenly found answers.

Why did the successor Saint of Bright Light falter after the Third Demon War, unable to rival the increasingly dominant Holy Church, eventually replaced, and become a mere figurehead, only maintaining a degree of influence in the West beyond the Holy Bergon Mountains?

Right, because her performance in that war was poor, completely beneath the abilities expected of a Saint. But why was that? Was it truly because, as the history books state, she was too young to wield the power of the Crown of the Uncrowned? If that were the case, why did the previous Saint designate her as the seventh Saint of Bright Light?

The notion that a Saint would be incapable of using a divine artifact is absurd; only those thoughtless people easily swayed by gossip would believe it.

So why did Yuna collaborate with the Lingyin Merchant Association to use their half of the Enchantment Pearl to attract Irohn’s daughter, the succubus Chloé, hoping to temporarily open a connection to the demon realm through her?

What is the significance of this passage?

And the initial question remains: why would the Saint of Bright Light, possessing power beyond the peak, never wish to utilize the Crown of the Uncrowned? Why does she rarely engage in direct combat?

All these questions were explained in Yuna’s earlier words.

Without the Crown of the Uncrowned, the term “Bright Light” is practically equivalent to an empty name.

Seeing the Saintess once again brush over the counterfeit artifact on her head, causing it to glow anew, Miss White Fox finally spoke up.

“How many people know about this?”

“Not many; before this, it should have been just me, the oracle elder from the Lingyin Merchant Association, an elder from the Cecelia Family, the current head of the Lambert Family, and Pope August Lambert.”

Yuna added with a gentle smile.

“Of course, now the number includes you, Miss Xī, making it five.”

“Well, that’s quite an honor…”

With a somewhat helpless shake of her head, Vilyric understood very well that Yuna’s willingness to share such secrets came with significant risks and unsurprisingly was not without ulterior motives.

After all, the others who knew the secret were either the true decision-makers of the three divine families or partners closely linked with the Summerfield Family, like the oracle. However, Xī was merely a little fox with no power or influence, only a bit capable of combat.

Vilyric chose not to ask trivial questions like, “If the Arbitrary Holy Sword can be summoned through a ritual, why can’t the Crown of the Uncrowned, which is equally a divine artifact?” or “Now that they know such a significant secret, why doesn’t Pope August leverage this to constrain and suppress the faction of the Saint of Bright Light?”

All these were obvious thoughts that anyone of reasonable thought would easily piece together. She noticed that, as a fellow higher-up, Yuna and the Pope would have no reason not to think of these things. Since they hadn’t acted on them, there must be complications or taboos involved.

And ultimately… upon serious reflection, it’s not too hard to guess and comprehend.

“So, what exactly do you need me to do? To be honest, I dislike roundabout troubles; just say it plainly.”

However, even at this point, the Saintess still didn’t put forward any explicit demands for exchange, only shaking her head with a hint of helplessness.

“I can’t deny this is indeed a gesture of goodwill, but why must Miss Xī tie actions to clear benefits? As I said before, I simply wished to find a trustworthy friend to confide in… um… otherwise, you could see this as true compensation for defeating the Faceless One and protecting countless people in the West, how about that?”

“Of course…”

Saying this, the girl, known as the Saint of Bright Light and head of the Summerfield Family, suddenly revealed a slightly mischievous smile that aligned with her appearance.

“If possible, Yuna indeed wishes to go deeper in understanding each other and build a closer connection, just like how I’ve long been curious about the visage beneath Miss Xī’s mask, to be honest, I’ve been very curious for quite a while ~”

“…”

After a long silence, in the end, Miss White Fox didn’t say anything more, only sighing softly and nodding.

“Alright, if there’s a chance, I will let you see, but not now.”

“Oh ~ that really is… hmm?”

The blonde girl was just about to express her satisfaction with achieving her goal when she suddenly noticed something and abruptly shifted her topic, replacing it with a friendly and pure smile that fit a Saintess.

“It seems this rare casual chat must come to an end for now.”

They both caught sight of a young Holy Knight clad in pure white armor, hastily making his way over. His hurried strides immediately gave the impression that something urgent had occurred.

Sure enough, he soon passed through the checks of the Holy Warriors, kneeling before the Saintess.

“Greetings, Saintess! An urgent report from the vanguard indicates abnormal phenomena in the Holy Bergon Mountains!”

This was a knight not stationed at this camp; he must have come from the forward detachments that had already entered the Holy Bergon Mountain area, as discernible from the patterns on his armor.

Typically, to avoid assassination or offense, such news should be relayed by the Saintess’s own attendants. However, in cases of urgency that required immediate decisions, exemptions could be made.

Seemingly aware of this, the Saintess’s expression grew serious as she raised her hand.

“Speak, what’s the urgent report?”

The knight remained kneeling, instantly raising his voice.

“It’s demons, my lady! We’ve found traces of demonic activity in the Holy Bergon! Not only that, but we’ve also encountered many unidentified groups performing evil rituals. Reports of similar instances have already appeared at least ten times and are still increasing!”

“The first batch of vanguard troops sent to scout has already engaged in several battles with the enemy, but the demons began appearing in large numbers. We are outnumbered and had to retreat temporarily. The horrifying rituals are still ongoing; the situation is critical, and we request your immediate decision, my lady!”

   

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