Maggie followed Charles to the top of the highest tower in the border city, which was also the location to activate the defensive barrier.
Priestess Shia is inside, responsible for monitoring the monsters' actions every day.
As she climbed the spiral staircase to the very top, Maggie was surprised to find what she expected to be a magical room. Instead, it was visibly ancient, like the dwelling of ascetics.
"Priestess Shia is inside. She doesn't like too many people, so I won't go in."
Charles stopped at the door, not leading Maggie directly inside, but pointed to the door and whispered to Maggie.
He seemed very worried about disturbing the people inside.
"good."
Maggie felt a slight sense of unease as she observed Charles's attitude, but she was not one to meddle and simply nodded in agreement.
Upon entering the room, she was greeted by a huge mirror that perfectly reflected her entire body.
Maggie then realized that her pale golden eyes appeared even colder and more ruthless than when she had just transmigrated, and they even seemed to glow faintly.
Not only does she resemble the original owner, but she herself is no longer quite the same.
It was as if she was shrouded in divinity, gradually detaching herself from the human world, giving people the illusion that she was about to leave the mortal realm.
Maggie tried to smile, wanting to see if she would return to her holy and gentle self in the mirror, but the indifference in her eyes remained unchanged, even somewhat unfamiliar.
She felt uneasy. Had her ability to disguise herself deteriorated so much?
“Your Highness, this mirror has a very special function. Everyone sees themselves differently. The self reflected in the mirror is closer to one’s true heart and nature.”
"You could say that one day in the future, we will become more and more like ourselves in the mirror."
The priest, Shia, emerged from the house at some point. Seeing Maggie standing in front of the mirror, he smiled gently and explained the function of the mirror to her.
Her voice brought Maggie back to her senses, and she turned around to see Priest Shia, dressed in a white robe and wearing a priest's hat.
Although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she had a very approachable appearance, which made even Maggie feel a sense of goodwill towards her and not be wary of her.
This is terrifying, as it means that if she wants to get close to anyone, she can do so easily. Even a suspicious person will lower their guard for her and unconsciously reveal their true feelings and thoughts.
Those who have sinned will feel intense guilt and repent to her after seeing her.
So if Priest Shia wanted to backstab someone, he would definitely succeed every time.
"That's really amazing."
Maggie returned the smile politely, suppressing her instinct to lower her guard and not revealing too much about her.
"What did Her Highness see of herself?"
As Priestess Shia walked to the mirror and gently touched it, she casually asked a question, as if in a casual conversation.
"Just like me now, no different."
Maggie certainly wouldn't reveal what she saw—a near-alternate personality of herself—but what she said wasn't entirely false.
"Really? You seem quite different from every previous Holy Maiden."
A hint of surprise flashed in Priest Shia's eyes as he turned his back to Maggie, seemingly not expecting her to answer that way.
"So what are they like?"
Maggie then asked.
The way to keep the conversation going without revealing your own information is to keep trying to get information out of the other person.
"It's a pity that none of the saintesses can hold the position for too long. I remember the longest she served was only 5 years."
The words spoken casually by Priest Shia almost caused Maggie's pupils to dilate on the spot.
Although I knew from the start that being the Holy Maiden of Light was not a good job, such a short reign was still rather strange.
Why didn't she think about this before, or even bother to investigate or look into it? She's usually so vigilant and values her life so much.
It was as if a thin mist had obscured the idea in her mind that I was investigating in this direction.
"But that's also why I left the temple and came to the frontier."
As Shia spoke, she turned to face Maggie directly and confessed unexpectedly.
So where did they all go?
Maggie tried to remain calm. She had heard Roy say that the saintesses of the Temple of Light were originally brides who later became sacrifices, which might be related to what Shia had said.
"If Her Highness had not passed my test of your mind, I might not have said these words to you."
The strangeness Shia had just given us was explained: she wanted to test how guarded Maggie was and how easily her defenses could be breached.
“Every saintess who enters the temple is unknowingly subjected to a spell.”
"No one cares who the Holy Maiden is; they only care about her identity. So when the Holy Maiden disappears or is replaced, no one will notice, or even if they do, no one will care. She will be deliberately obscured or erased."
With each word she spoke, Maggie felt an even greater chill rising from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.
"But according to your logic, why would you pay attention to the length of time each saintess was in office?"
Maggie noticed the flaws in her statement; the logic was contradictory and inconsistent.
"Because I have received miracles from the gods."
As Shia spoke, his face was filled with devout faith, and his almost fanatical expression nearly made Maggie frown.
God?
The Goddess of Light has been asleep for thousands of years. Who gave her this miracle?
"God told me to save his most devout believers."
Priest Shia continued, his expression even more devout than before, his face flushed with a sickly redness.
"?"
Maggie was stunned. It turned out that she had been so frightened that she was in a daze, but in reality, this person was a mad believer in the God of Light.
"Yes, you're right."
Maggie readily agreed without hesitation; she had always been friendly towards the mentally ill, both in modern times and here.
The idea that mentally ill people are not held accountable for murder is deeply ingrained in people's minds, which genuinely frightened Maggie; you could say she developed PTSD.
"The Pope and the archbishops control the temple, which is a serious violation of the rules set by God. They have reached the point where they cannot meet God after death. Their sins are heinous and unforgivable."
Shia was still talking to himself, and he seemed to be going crazy. His expression gradually turned mad, which made Maggie involuntarily take two steps back.
Only after confirming that her current location would allow her to escape the room safely without being suddenly pinned to the ground did her tense nerves relax slightly.
Actually, some of what Shia said might be true, but her mental state is truly worrying, and we don't know what kind of trauma she suffered in the past.
Maggie decided that she would avoid provoking her as much as possible in the future.
"You're right."
She used honorifics and her expression was extremely sincere.
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