While internal war broke out in the Austine Empire, everything was still peaceful inside an unknown space in the middle of nowhere.
It was early morning. Roel walked down the palace’s passageway to familiarize himself with the environment, while Alicia continued to sleep in the bedroom.
Alicia actually didn’t exert herself much last night. Even if she did, she would have quickly recovered as someone who possessed the Silverash Child Bloodline. She was only asleep due to her psychological state.
It was just like a youth sipping on a mocktail; even if there was no alcohol involved, they would still feel slightly tipsy under the effects of the atmosphere. Such was the case for Alicia, just that she wasn’t drunk on alcohol but the bliss of a newlywed.
All of this happened because of Roel’s careless remark as he got up.
“You must be exhausted from last night. You should sleep in and rest a little longer,” he said as he kissed her cheek.
She looked at him with a blissful smile before closing her eyes. She was being so obedient not because she was tired or inconvenienced by the intense action they had last night.
She was just excited at having this renowned scene from romance novels—the husband indulging the wife in the morning following the consummation of their marriage—reenacted here. This was something she had dreamed about countless times before, and now her dream was finally coming true. She was overjoyed, so why would she get in the way of it?
Feeling Roel’s lingering warmth in the blanket, she excitedly hugged it and rolled around the bed. She wasn’t planning to get off it anytime soon.
And Roel made use of this opportunity to take a stroll, though it was also an excuse for him to contemplate some matters.
He had an inexplicable hunch that something major was happening somewhere in the world. This was a weird feeling that had come out of nowhere, but instead of shutting it down, he tried to trace possible reasons. Unfortunately, he was unable to figure anything out.
While his search for Alicia might have appeared to be a reckless move fueled by his personal feelings, he did consider the context and implications of his actions. He wanted to bring Alicia home, but there had to be a home for them to return to.
It would be meaningless if everything were destroyed while he was away.
When he left the eastern border, humankind was united as one.
The Battle of Scorched Earth had ended with Deviant Sovereign Banjol’s death, which divided the deviants once more. Roel had received reports that the other deviant Race Sovereigns were engaged in intense infighting over the right to become the next Deviant Sovereign.
It was unlikely that the deviants could muster a significant military force to threaten humankind in the short run, so the frontline was peaceful for the time being.
The other threat, the Eggs of the Beast God, was unlikely to endanger humankind too.
Alicia had been working with the Six Calamities to hunt down those aberrants created by the Savior. She would have sensed something if the Eggs of the Beast God launched an attack on humankind.
With external threats proving unlikely, Roel could only turn his focus toward internal threats, and the first thing that came to his mind was the Austine Empire’s Emperor Lukas.
Did something happen over on Lukas’ side? Roel wondered grimly.
The Genesis Goddess Church already had its eyes set on Lukas right before Roel’s departure. Had it not been for the political implications arising from his influential position, the church would have already made a move by now.
Lukas had ruled the Austine Empire for more than a hundred years now, and he had proven himself to be a rational and bold leader. He was unlikely to put himself in a precarious position for no good reason.
Thinking about the Savior, the Fallens, and the Ackermanns brought a frown to his face. It reminded him of the difficult position he was in, particularly Carolyn Ascart and the final plan.
While he didn’t know the details, the information he had gathered over the years suggested that Carolyn did work together with the Austine Empire in the final years of the Second Epoch. That was also probably when the final plan was first put into action.
It made him suspect that Carolyn’s appearance here was part of the Austine Empire’s scheme, and that there was something larger at play here.
“I don’t have enough intelligence,” Roel murmured with a sigh.
He had no choice but to cast away this train of thought and instead consider the most pressing question at hand—how can I defeat Carolyn?
After spending a night thinking about it, he was forced to conclude that a battle with Carolyn was inevitable. It was not just because he was carrying the Mother Goddess’ aura. There was something wrong with Carolyn, too.
Their previous battle had convinced him that Carolyn had fallen under the influence of the Savior’s depravity. It wasn’t enough to convert her into a Fallen, but it made her more wilful and emotionally unstable. It would be difficult to have a talk with her under such conditions.
But before confronting Carolyn, there was a problem he had to resolve first—his Inner Sanctum.
“Edavia,” Roel called out.
“You’re finally calling me? You’re late.” An orange-haired girl manifested out of thin air and looked down at Roel with a dissatisfied expression, displeased by how relaxed he was.
“I’m sorry, Edavia. I was injured. My treatment took a while,” Roel sheepishly apologized.
“Treatment?” Edavia looked at Roel with raised eyebrows.
Even the thick-skinned Roel crumbled under her intense stare. He coughed twice before replying, “I have to consider Alicia’s feelings too.”
“Is that so? Forget it; I don’t want to interfere with your private affairs. You can justify it however you want. So, what do you need from me?”
“Don’t you already know?”
“…”
Edavia’s relaxed expression was replaced with severeness, which brought a frown to Roel’s face too. She was the ancient god residing in Roel’s Inner Sanctum, so she knew best what was happening to his soul and his Inner Sanctum. That was why her silence felt stifling to him.
After a brief exchange of gazes, Edavia let out a sigh before revealing the cruel truth. “I’ll start from the conclusion. You don’t stand a chance at all against that monster.”
“…” Roel’s expression stiffened up as his footsteps unconsciously halted. He dazedly stood in the silent passageway for a few seconds before resuming his walk. “Why?”
“To put it concisely, your Inner Sanctum can’t circumvent her suppression.”
“…Not even with your help?”
“Not even with my help. This is an issue of authority, not power.”
“Authority?” Roel stopped once more and turned to Edavia.
Edavia looked at him in resignation as she replied, “Have you forgotten what kind of place the Inner Sanctum is?”
“What kind of place the Inner Sanctum is? Ah!” Roel widened his eyes in realization.
Edavia confirmed his deduction with a nod. “Yes, it’s a prison for me. How can a prisoner be allowed to freely change the conditions of their prison?”
“…”
“That woman has inherited a portion of the master authority. A prisoner doesn’t have the power to oppose their warden.”
“…I see.” Roel nodded in realization.
He made his way toward a tea room, where he was faced with dozens of jars containing unknown leaves. Most of them were fresh, as if their time had been sealed in Shrouding Fog’s dimension. He took a quick look at them before consulting the person who would know better.
“Which one is good?”
“The third from the left is Lore Tea, a popular choice for men due to its health benefits… but I’d recommend you take the sixth from the left.”
“The sixth from the left… This one?”
“Yes, it’s Floating Stalk Tea. Made from the leaves of a rare ancient tree, it’s known for its light, soul-soothing fragrance after it’s soaked in hot water. It’s Her favorite.”
“…”
Is she referring to Sia?
Roel glanced at Edavia and noticed the nostalgic eyes she directed toward the tea leaves. Thus, he took the jar of Floating Stalk Tea and steeped it in accordance with the evil god’s instructions.
As he poured the hot water into the teacup, a unique mana pulsation rippled from the tea leaves, and they released a faint fragrance that invigorated Roel. He took the teacup, settled down on a nearby sofa, and watched the fog billow ceaselessly outside the window.
It was a long time before he suddenly asked out of nowhere, “…Is there no other solution?”
“So far, no.”
“What if I make a breakthrough to Origin Level 1?” Roel asked.
Edavia considered the possibility before replying, “You’d still be at a disadvantage against that woman, but it’d be possible for you to be freed from her suppression.”
She then proceeded to explain the factors that determined one’s power on the Inner Sanctum. “The greatest influence on your authority over the Inner Sanctum lies in your bloodline. Despite being Carolyn’s direct descendant, you are still able to stand on equal ground with her in terms of bloodline as the Kingmaker. What’s pulling you down is your Origin Level.
“Your Origin Level doesn’t increase your authority over the Inner Sanctum, but it’ll affect the resilience of your soul. The more resilient your soul is, the more stable your soul flame in the Inner Sanctum is likely to be.”
“I see.” Roel widened his eyes in realization, as his determination hardened.
There was a huge gap between Origin Level 1 and Origin Level 2. Even if not for the issue concerning his Inner Sanctum, he would still have to make a breakthrough in order to deal with Carolyn’s Divine Domain.
The problem was that it was risky for him to do so.
He had been through many dangerous situations since leaving the Witness State.
He nearly died to the deviants’ encirclement in the desert, then there was his desperate fight against Deviant Sovereign Banjol, followed by his life-and-death battle with the amnesiac Alicia. These intense battles had greatly reinforced his strength, and this buildup of momentum would eventually lead him to a breakthrough to Origin Level 1.
But he didn’t have time to wait for that.
“The burden of Sia-fication is too great. You almost depleted your soul in the battle with that girl. For you to make a breakthrough now is no different from walking on a tightrope between two cliffs. You’ll be in deep trouble if anything goes awry.”
“But I’m already on the edge of a cliff. I’ll fall into the abyss if I don’t try to walk the tightrope.”
“…” Edavia fell silent. She had to concede that there wasn’t much room for choice here. “Then you should at least wait till your body fully recovers. I have to remind you that your chances at success are extremely slim. You have been making good progress, but you’re still a step away from reaching Origin Level 1, so…”
“A step away?” Roel narrowed his eyes.
He knew that Edavia was trying to say that he wasn’t ready for a breakthrough yet. He had to first bridge the gap, or else his effort would fall flat. So, he racked his mind for a solution, but nothing came to mind.
Just then, there was a flicker of light. He turned around and saw a silver-haired girl standing behind him.
“You need help for a breakthrough? Understood,” Alicia said as she hugged Roel from behind. “Leave this to me, Lord Brother.”
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