Not letting Violet down, Miss Holy Knight in quickly provided an answer after a moment of thought.

“My family and I have indeed devised several contingency plans. The main issue isn’t whether I become the Saintess or not, but rather that once the artifact recall ceremony is completed, my sister will immediately lose the power of the 【Judgment Holy Sword】, dropping from a transcendent level to the peak of legendary level. This would undoubtedly be fatal on a battlefield fraught with demon crises.

“Although we’ve lost contact with her, our divine family has ways to sense the life and death of direct relatives. My sister… she’s still alive and is surely still fighting somewhere. So, I absolutely cannot take away her artifact like this.”

“……”

Violet didn’t respond immediately, knowing that Edwina must have more to say.

Sure enough, the Holy Knight girl in the image continued, seeing that the priestess had not commented.

“But as a blessed divine family, the Cecilia cannot just stand by and watch the Goddess’ people suffer at the hands of demons. The best solution is to compromise: temporarily delay the Saintess succession ceremony and have the Redemption Saintess and me lead the reinforcements directly to the east while also searching for my sister’s whereabouts.

“If we can find her, our overall strength will be even greater than it is now. Even if we can’t, I don’t think a single 【Judgment Holy Sword】 can entirely determine the outcome of the war. This is a conflict between nations, even between races, not just my personal battlefield.”

At this point, Edwina’s intentions were clear. Her plan, in some sense, was indeed influenced by personal bias, but as she stated, it wouldn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

“So the most crucial issue is the internal strife within the church, with those people stubbornly clinging to their plan and refusing to budge, right?”

The Holy Knight nodded. “Exactly. The Holy Church insists that we must first reclaim the power of the Judgment Saintess and the 【Judgment Holy Sword】 and then proceed with the combined strength of the two Saintesses to ensure absolute safety. I can’t say their reasoning is entirely wrong, but…”

Upon hearing this, the black-haired girl smiled slightly. “But, it’s hard to say whether there’s any personal interest mixed in, right?”

“Precisely.”

Having roughly understood the situation, the priestess nodded, her smile growing even broader.

“It seems you need me to help with a little something.”

As if suddenly struck by a huge blow, the Holy Knight’s serious expression froze for a moment. She quickly shook her head like a rattle drum, almost flailing her arms and legs in her agitation.

“No, no, no! I-I didn’t mean that! It’s just that if Miss Violet wants to steer this matter in the direction we hope for without revealing her identity, some external help is indeed necessary. But, if you think it’s too much trouble, we can also…”

“Alright, alright, why so agitated? It feels like you’ve become much more distant after not seeing you for a while. You’re reacting so strongly to a joke? And how did you know I’ve recently taken on a new identity… Never mind, just tell me what you want me to do. But let me be clear, if it’s too troublesome, I’m not doing it.”

Stopping the Holy Knight’s nervous ramblings somewhat helplessly, the priestess casually pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, her smooth, jade-like legs crossed and swinging under her white robe, seemingly waiting for a response.

After all, Edwina was considered one of her friends in this world. Although she could be rigid at times and often had strange thought processes, Violet didn’t dislike her. Besides, one of the reasons she had come to the Holy Empire, apart from traveling, was to help her out.

Seeing the priestess intentionally adopt a relaxed demeanor, the Holy Knight gradually calmed down, scratching her crystal-clear golden hair a bit sheepishly before tentatively speaking.

“Miss Violet, do you remember the surname Summerfield?”

“Summerfield, huh…”

The black-haired girl nodded slightly. Being in Bright Light City, the name of the host deity family was well-known. Even before coming here, she had learned quite a bit about them through various channels.

“This family is quite interesting.”

“Quite interesting…?”

Hearing the priestess’s evaluation, the image of Edwina suddenly fell into contemplation, seemingly considering something. Soon, she looked up again and continued.

“As you know, although our Holy Empire’s three divine families are not the absolute rulers of the nation, they wield considerable influence. The Cecilia, Summerfield, and Lambert families are engaged in both overt and covert conflicts, while also cooperating with each other, and to this day, none has emerged as the absolute victor.”

“The Holy Council is ostensibly led by Pope August Lambert, but it’s not solely under his control. Both our Cecilia family and the Summerfield family hold a significant portion of the seats, making up more than half of the council. The remaining seats belong to a dozen or so other ancient religious families.”

“Oh~ so, if any two of the divine families were to cooperate, it wouldn’t be impossible to change the decisions of the Holy Council, is that what you mean?”

The Holy Knight nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, frankly, the relationship between the Summerfield family and the Lambert family is not good, it’s quite bad, in fact. Unlike us Cecilia, who primarily base our power on commerce and finance, the overt and covert struggle between the Bright Light Saintess and the Pope has never ceased since the establishment of the Holy Council over three hundred years ago. Nowadays, it has almost divided the Holy Empire into two capitals, east and west.

“In theory, the Summerfield family should be firmly opposed to the Pope’s faction in the Holy Council meetings, but this time, for some reason, they have chosen to remain silent, neither supporting nor opposing. This ultimately allowed the Lambert family to seize power and make the decision to depose the Saintess.”

“Since you happen to be in Bright Light City, the stronghold of the Summerfield family, I’d like to ask you to meet with the current Bright Light Saintess, Yuna Summerfield, if it’s convenient. How you proceed is up to you, Violet. We just need to understand the Summerfield family’s attitude and general intentions so we can respond accordingly.”

Violet raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s it? You don’t need to try to get her support or anything?”

In response, the Holy Knight in the projection just shook her head with a smile.

“Based on what I know of you, Violet, you’ve probably already observed many things along the way and made corresponding arrangements. I don’t want to make things difficult for you because of my own issues. Besides, the Cecilia family, being blessed by the gods, has received immense favors and has a profound foundation. We are not incapable people who can only hide under the goddess’s wings and pray for protection.

“Although the Holy Empire seems peaceful on the surface, there’s already turmoil brewing underneath, no less intense than during the succession wars of the Human United Kingdom. The Lambert family has made the first move, but we are not powerless. I believe that staying put and observing the situation carefully is the most important thing right now.”

“I see… That makes sense. Alright, if I get the chance, I’ll meet with the Bright Light Saintess and gather some information.”

Upon hearing the priestess’s promise, Edwina visibly relaxed and smiled, nodding repeatedly.

“That would be a great help. There’s still over half a month until the 【Day of Divine Arrival】. You don’t need to rush. How about we contact each other again at this time in a week?”

Seeing the once-immature Holy Knight now speaking with such poise and composure, even Violet couldn’t help but marvel at her growth. She also smiled slightly.

“Alright, it’s a deal then~”