Bright Light City is a very magical city.

It is said that long, long ago, this was the true capital of the Holy Empire. At that time, the structure of the Goddess Church was not as complex as it is now. There was no position of Pope within the Holy Council, only the three Saintesses, led by the Bright Light Saintess, carried out the will of the Light and presided over the order.

But gradually, things began to change.

As everyone knows, the Bright Light Saintess holds the holy artifact 【Crownless Crown】, the most demanding of the three sacred artifacts of the Holy Empire. It almost exclusively belongs to the divine lineage of the Summerfield family. However, even with generational inheritance, there can occasionally be unexpected occurrences.

About three hundred years ago, the then Bright Light Saintess perished while defending the people during a large-scale demon attack. Her designated successor was still a child, far too young to take on her predecessor’s role and inherit the 【Crownless Crown】 and the position of the Bright Light Saintess.

To quickly stabilize the situation and continue the fight against the demons invading the land, a coalition of a dozen long-standing religious families, led by the Lambert family, one of the three divine lineages, formed the provisional council 【Holy Council】 and elected a chairman—the Pope as the spokesperson of God—to temporarily manage the chaotic state of the Holy Empire caused by the loss of the Bright Light Saintess.

This move played a crucial role at the time, preventing the core of the Goddess Church from being devoured by demons. Over the next decade, after several large-scale battles, the power of the demons that had infiltrated this world was finally driven out again.

This decade-long war, along with two previous large-scale invasions, is referred to by the historians of the Holy Empire as the 【Third Demon War】.

However, after that, the Holy Council did not dissolve as the next Bright Light Saintess gradually grew up. Their victory against the demons had earned them immense popularity among the people, gradually overshadowing the relatively low-profile Bright Light Saintess during that period.

The Holy Empire, being a theocratic state, had no royal family or absolute ruler. Leadership positions were always held by those most capable.

Thus, the structure of the Pope and the Holy Council gradually became the primary controllers of the Holy Empire, replacing the three Saintesses. The Lambert family’s stronghold, the Angel City, became the cornerstone, creating the phenomenon of the Eastern and Western Capitals.

Today, although the positions of the three Saintesses still exist and the power of the three sacred artifacts remains undiminished, the authority they represent, especially that of the Judgment Saintess and the Redemption Saintess—both without stable inheritances—has been significantly weakened. They are more like “mascots” or symbolic figures.

Even the succession of the Saintess’ position has now, to some extent, been constrained by the Holy Council led by the Pope, making it much more complicated.

“I see… So, the Holy Council was able to vote and forcibly designate you as the next Judgment Saintess, abandoning the previous one, Frederica, is that right?”

In the quiet, secluded chamber, the priestess, having removed her 【Dominion of the Fox Mask】, was responding thoughtfully to the flickering image of the girl before her.

“Yes, Miss Violet. You should understand the structure of the Holy Empire. What those people did was simply out of fear that with my awakened bloodline and closer affinity to the Light, I might outshine others and lead the Cecilia family within the Holy Council, taking the leadership from the Lambert family. Those guys are completely ignoring the bigger picture!”

Edwina’s projection spoke with a hint of anger. Even though she was thousands of miles away, Violet could clearly sense and understand the source of her fury through the image.

After all, the elder sister of Miss Holy Knight, the current Judgment Saintess, is still missing on the Western Front, her fate unknown.

The church hierarchy, instead of thinking about providing support from the rear, is using the excuse of her failure to plan a ceremony to strip her of her title and sacred artifact, aiming to suppress the Cecilia family.

Such an indisputable act of betrayal would naturally be loathed even by Violet, who had only met Frederica Cecilia once and wasn’t very familiar with her. How much more so for her younger sister, Edwina?

However, simply being angry isn’t very productive. The key is to solve the problem.

“Don’t be in a rush. Tell me the specifics of the situation.”

As one of the Holy Empire’s two most important cities, Bright Light City naturally has a branch of the Cecilia family’s merchant guild. In terms of scale, it’s not much smaller than the headquarters in the Eastern Capital, the Angel City.

According to the planned arrangements, after arriving in Bright Light City, Violet quickly used the token left by Miss Holy Knight before her departure to find the Cecilia Guild here. She gained their trust and was allowed to use the communication chamber designated for contacting the family.

Edwina, in the Angel City, had already prepared and promptly connected with Violet, informing her of the current situation.

It seemed that the time since receiving the news had allowed for some emotional buffering, or perhaps Miss Holy Knight had indeed matured considerably during her trials. After a brief moment of anger, Edwina quickly calmed down and began to explain the situation.

“Originally, the succession ceremony for the three Saintesses is a very solemn event, requiring at least a year for various preparations and evaluations. However, due to the ongoing unrest caused by the demons in the east, which is rapidly expanding, the frontlines are under significant pressure and in urgent need of support. Therefore, the Holy Council has decided to simplify everything. On the 【Day of Divine Arrival】, the first day of next year, I will inherit the position of Judgment Saintess and the 【Judgment Holy Sword】.”

“Then, I will probably lead the 【Scales of Judgment】, one of the four Holy Knight orders of the Angel City, along with the Redemption Saintess and her medical clergy unit, to the front lines to support the 【Hand of Judgment】 and swiftly suppress and drive out the demons causing trouble in the east.”

“Hmm… So, the Holy Council’s justification for you inheriting the position of Saintess is likely due to the severity of the situation and the urgent need for the power of the Judgment Saintess, correct?”

Edwina’s projection nodded in agreement.

“As expected of Miss Violet, easily seeing through the tricks those guys are using. Indeed, that’s the case. But because what they’re saying is true and my sister’s disappearance on the battlefield is somewhat her own problem, even though our Cecilia family holds some seats in the Holy Council, it’s difficult to oppose their decision effectively, at least not against the majority.”

“The date… the date is the 【Day of Divine Arrival】…”

The calendar in this world varies among different races, but they are largely similar, primarily divided by the changes of the three months. The 【Day of Divine Arrival】, mentioned by Edwina, is essentially January 1st each year.

According to the teachings of the Goddess, in the distant past, the first ray of light in the world was brought by the Goddess of Light, Aurora, marking the beginning of the era of life. Therefore, the day of Her arrival is called the 【Day of Divine Arrival】.

It is currently late winter, around mid-December, which means there is only about half a month left until Edwina inherits the position of Judgment Saintess and leads the holy warriors to the battlefield. This tight schedule suggests that the church hierarchy might be planning something or that the situation on the front lines is indeed dire.

Not deciding on her own, the priestess chose to first consult the concerned party.

“With only half a month left, we might not be able to reach the Angel City according to our original plan. So, Edwina, what do you think we should do?”