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Chapter 572.2: Intuition (2)

It was an unexpected answer to Roel.

The Witches were not foreign to him, since he was contracted with Witch Queen Artasia. The latter had mentioned more than once that the Witches, together with the Kingmaker Clan, were Sia’s close aides.

To be frank, he did harbor some reservations regarding her claim, but it would appear that she hadn’t been lying. Unlike the Kingmaker Clan, the Witches were tasked with the responsibility of punishing those who had stepped out of line. In a sense, it was not wrong to say that they were evil.

‘Eccentric’ and ‘unpredictable’ were two words commonly used to describe the Witches, but that probably only made them better at their job. It would be much more difficult to bribe a person who didn’t conform to common sense, after all.

“Going by what we previously mentioned, the influence on the Witches isn’t absolute either?”

“That’s right. The Witches are also more inclined toward ‘chaos’ than ‘evil’. On the whole, I’d say that My influence on your nature is not decisive.”

“I see.”

“Still… it’s the first time I have seen someone as foolish as you.”

“Mother…”

The Mother Goddess seemed to have thought of something as Her eyes began to glisten with tears. She gently pulled Roel in and tightly embraced him.

.

“Never again—you hear me?” She said with a hoarse voice.

“Mmhm.”

“I got careless in My anxiety to take Him down. This will never happen again,” She said with a frigid voice dripping with animosity.

“Mother, aren’t the tables already turned on Him?” Roel asked.

“He still has the backing of the Angels, the Dragons, and the other powerful races, but He will be crippled for the time being by the severe injuries He has sustained. Most of the neutral races have also joined our side under your influence. The odds are currently in our favor.”

The Mother Goddess lowered Her head and kissed Roel’s forehead. The latter averted his gaze in embarrassment.

“I am only doing what I should. Besides… I don’t think that Mother would have really lost in that battle if not for my intervention.”

“It is impossible for Him to kill Me, but that battle could have become a turning point. That would have spelled a slow death for Me.” The Mother Goddess tousled Roel’s hair as She looked back at the situation in question. “I couldn’t easily break free of the temporal Divine Domain He had constructed on His land of birth. I intended to destroy it with the Black Moon, but I’d have to pay a hefty price for it. That would have put Me in a difficult situation afterward.”

“I see…”

Roel quietly nodded as he further developed that train of thought.

In the original timeline, the Mother Goddess likely paid a heavy price to break free of the prison. At the same time, Her army also suffered severe losses in that battle. That would have put Her at a major disadvantage in the war. It was hard to say what She had resorted to afterward, but Roel knew what the eventual outcome was.

The Mother Goddess fell into deep sleep that was practically no different from death, whereas the God’s Envoys became civilization-destroying calamities. The Savior fell into depravity, and the entire world was gripped by chaos and war.

Ultimately, no one won.

It was a tragic outcome, but Roel was curious to know how the situation could have developed to that point. He spent a moment in thought before probing.

“Mother, what kind of condition is the Savior currently in? Will He go into hibernation?”

“That’s unlikely. Whether it is Me or Him, We would only go into hibernation when We are in a near-death state. You might have dealt Him a crippling blow, but it’s not to that extent yet.” The Mother Goddess touched Roel’s cheeks as She replied with a grim tone. “He will not die as long as the sun exists, but He’ll be lying low for a period of time to recuperate. In fact, His faction has already taken a full-out defensive stance.”

“I see. I wasn’t able to kill Him…” Roel murmured.

The Mother Goddess patted Roel’s head in consolation.

“You have already done more than enough. Leave the rest to Me.”

“I understand… Mother, just hypothetically speaking, if Your goal was not to kill the Savior but to drive Him insane, how would You go about it?”

“Ah?”

The Mother Goddess was understandably taken aback by Roel’s abrupt and bizarre question. Nevertheless, She took some time to ponder his question before offering an answer.

“I don’t have any intention of driving Him insane, but it might be possible for something like that to happen as a result of My attack…”

“Oh?”

“I’m referring to the Black Moon. You should have felt it too, right?”

“The Black Moon? Wait a moment; are you saying that…” Roel suddenly remembered the cold and sinister sensation he had felt in his dream. “Was what I felt back then the Black Moon?”

“Yes, the fundamental nature of the Black Moon is chaos, pandemonium, and evil. It is capable of devouring and corrupting everything that comes within its reach. It is possible that the Savior could be driven insane by its powers. However, the descent of the Black Moon will take a toll on Me as well.”

“The descent of the Black Moon… What will happen to You if that happens?”

“…It would be mutually assured destruction. I wouldn’t resort to that unless desperate.”

“…”

Roel fell silent.

It was likely that the Mother Goddess had resorted to the descent of the Black Moon to drag the Savior down with Her, resulting in the tragedies that happened afterward.

While he didn’t have a good impression of the Savior, he had to concede that the latter wasn’t the kind to suddenly go insane. The Savior could be said to be the embodiment of the perfect feudal ruler. He was a cunning politician who knew how to maneuver around with a balance of kindness and threats to build up His own persona while aligning others’ interests with His own.

It was not without reason that the powerful races were still siding with Him despite their crushing defeat in Dragon’s Gorge.

Roel found it hard to imagine that someone as level-headed as that would suddenly lose His marbles, but it would all make sense if the cause was the Mother Goddess’ attack. This brought his attention toward another issue.

According to what the Mother Goddess had said, his soul contained the powers of the Black Moon. This left him feeling a little conflicted. He wasn’t sure how to go about asking about this.

The Mother Goddess noticed his hesitation and quickly elaborated more on the matter.

“The Black Moon is only dangerous when used as an attack. The portion I have put inside you comes directly from Me. It doesn’t harness the nature of chaos, pandemonium, or evil.”

“It comes directly from You? What is the Black Moon?”

“You can think of the Black Moon as an independent entity that contains a portion of My soul. That’s also the reason I have to pay a hefty price for using its powers.”

“Hm? Mother, are you saying that… the Black Moon is a living being?”

“No, it isn’t exactly a living being but…”

The Mother Goddess looked troubled as She struggled to explain it in words, but Her face soon lit up as She thought of a good analogy.

“You can think of the Black Moon as the initial form of the God’s Envoys. The God’s Envoys are powers I have prepared for you by severing a portion of My soul and powers. Over time, these entities gained sentience and self-will. The Black Moon is similar to that, just that it is an even higher entity.”

“…An even higher entity?”

Roel repeated the Mother Goddess’ words as connections started forming in his head.

‘The descent of the Black Moon’. ‘Independent entity’. ‘Similar to the God’s Envoys’.

These puzzle pieces fitted together to form the image of a familiar face—Alicia.