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Chapter 620: The Executor

If there is an executor, who will it be?

Roel sat alone before a candle in his room, his figure half-concealed in the shadows. He quietly stared at the documents stacked in front of him with flickering golden eyes.

He had been pondering this since his conversation with Principal Antonio at the banquet. The latter had repeatedly assured him that the Third Epoch’s Twilight Sages Assembly hadn’t come up with anything similar to the final plan, but he was still unable to remain calm about it.

The Second Epoch’s Twilight Sages Assembly founded by the Ardes was extremely powerful. Astrid Arde and Wendy Arde, despite being from the branch families, were able to grow to the height of Origin Level 1. Most likely, the most powerful transcendents in the current era were only at their level.

And there was still the main lineage of the Arde House.

It was almost a miracle how a single house had become this powerful. It was not without reason that the Ackermanns had seen the Ardes as a threat.

With how powerful the Kingmaker Clan had been in that era, they possessed the means to develop contingency measures to ensure that the final plan was executed in the worst-case scenario. They would have likely done so, too, given how seriously they took the threat of the Mother Goddess and the Savior.

But even if the Ardes had developed contingency measures, they would surely require an executor to carry out such an elaborate plan.

The current Ascarts didn’t have the means to execute the final plan, not to mention that Roel, the sole successor to the Ascart House, had never seen the final plan and had no intention to execute it either.

Alternatively, the final plan might have been entrusted to the descendants of the Ardes’ branch families, and it was possible that they had exceedingly talented individuals of Astrid’s caliber in their ranks too. However, it was still unlikely that they could execute the final plan on their own, since they would require ample power to stand against the Mother Goddess and the Savior.

“…And it’s likely for the branch families to have already died out.” Roel let out a sorrowful sigh.

In the final years of the Second Epoch, the key mission entrusted to the branch families was to protect the main lineage and cover their escape. If someone from the branch families had made it out alive, they should have sought the Ascart House’s protection in the past thousand years.

Roel rubbed his temples as he slowly struck off suspects from his list.

In the end, he was only left with a single name—the Ackermanns.

A thousand years had passed since the conceptualization of the Twin Eagles Plan. While the Ardes were no longer around, the Ackermanns were still alive and kicking, not to mention that there was something amiss with the Ackermanns in recent days.

Roel stared at the two documents placed on the table with sharp eyes. They contained information about his two likeliest suspects for the executor of the final plan.

One was the most important person in the Ackermann Imperial Family, Lukas Ackermann.

Roel knew that Emperor Lukas viewed him in hostility, but he could never figure out the reason. Supposing that Emperor Lukas was the executor of the final plan, and he was aware of the relationship between Alicia and the Mother Goddess, that would explain why he didn’t have a good impression of Roel.

Alternatively, Emperor Lukas might have also felt frustrated by how the Ascarts, who were supposed to work together with the Ackermanns, had forgotten all about the final plan.

These could shed light on Emperor Lukas’ inexplicable hostility, but they were only conjectures. Truth be told, Roel didn’t think that these conjectures were likely.

For one, Emperor Lukas should have been vehemently opposed to the Savior’s worshipers if he was the executor of the final plan, but that wasn’t the case at all. If anything, his movements had been so suspicious that the Genesis Goddess Church suspected him of colluding with them.

Also, Roel didn’t think that Emperor Lukas would selflessly work toward humankind’s welfare. Nevertheless, he was wary of Emperor Lukas because the latter had the power to execute the final plan, considering the authority he possessed and the fact that he was at Origin Level 1.

The second suspect was someone whom Roel didn’t want to suspect—Paul Ackermann.

Paul was suspicious on the grounds of the mysterious circumstances behind his birth and the phenomenal growth of his transcendent abilities. It was also unusual how Emperor Lukas was paying the most attention to him despite his status as an illegitimate child.

All of these made sense if Paul was the executor of the final plan.

Paul Ackermann might be the ace left behind by the Ardes and the Ackermanns, which would explain Juliana’s remark about his blood tasting ancient. However, this beckoned the question as to who he was.

“Is he a mixed-blood with a long lifespan like the Blood Clan? No, that shouldn’t be the case. Paul should be an ordinary human, but…” Roel shook his head.

He had had enough interactions with Paul Ackermann to be considered an authority on the subject. He was certain that the young man he had spent time with in Saint Freya Academy was an ordinary human, whether it was in terms of appearance, traits, personality, or physical growth.

Roel revised the documents again and again with an increasingly grim expression.

If Emperor Lukas was the executor, he could utilize his influence to push forward the final plan. It would be difficult for Roel to stop him. In the worst-case scenario, Roel might even be branded a traitor and sidelined by the rest of humankind.

Roel’s position as a living saint and his accomplishment of slaying the Deviant Sovereign was enough to ensure his safety, but his reputation would plummet from that of a hero to a traitor. While that wouldn’t deter him from protecting Alicia, he was worried about the implications on the Ascart House.

His heart felt heavy when he thought about his father, who was recuperating at home. Carter would likely support his decision, given how much he cherished his family, but he would have to bear condemnation from the rest of the world as well.

Roel didn’t know if he could do this to Carter. He felt vexed just thinking about it.

Alternatively, things would be slightly better if Paul Ackermann was the executor, since he paled in comparison to Emperor Lukas. The only problem was that Paul was his close friend and a member of Rose of Dawn.

To be honest, Roel was hesitant to fight against Paul, and it was unlikely that the other members of Rose of Dawn would assist him if he did.

Ultimately, the executor of the final plan had the moral high ground. They were fighting for humankind’s survival, whereas Roel was acting on his own feelings. It was clear as day who the populace would support.

But so what?

From Roel’s point of view, the executor of the final plan sought to kill a person whom he dearly loved in order to weaken a person whom he deemed his mother. How could anyone in his place tolerate that?

.

Just thinking about it made him shudder with fury. He had to look out the window for a while and take a couple of deep breaths before he finally calmed down.

He turned his attention back to the table. He first looked at the spirit guide he had received from Antonio, then at the two documents. He already had a rough idea of what he had to do.

“Cynthia.”

“Yes, milord,” a voice echoed from behind the door.

A tall woman entered the room and respectfully bowed to Roel. The latter passed her the two documents on the table.

“Inform Rose of Dawn’s and the Ascart House’s intelligence departments to confirm Emperor Lukas’ and Paul Ackermann’s whereabouts in the shortest time possible, no matter what it takes. Report to me right away if you find any anomaly.”

“Understood.” Cynthia took the documents and backed out of the room.

Roel walked to his table and quietly stared at the caged spirit guide.

The situation will swiftly deteriorate as soon as the final plan is put into action. The only way to resolve this matter is to bring Alicia back as soon as possible.

He had no idea when the spirit guide would move, but he had no choice but to stake his hopes on this. He gently touched the cage with narrowed eyes before settling down back on his chair.

…

While Roel was thinking about the implications brought about by the final plan, in the distant Noyce Fortress, Lilian Ackermann walked through a tightly-guarded corridor with a grim face.

Just a day ago, during the celebration held in the new Tark Stronghold, she suddenly received a report from the Austine Empire that Emperor Lukas had apprehended his illegitimate son, Paul Ackermann, while ordering his armies to be on standby.

Lilian, despite her usual impassiveness, widened her eyes in shock when she heard the news. Emperor Lukas’ movements resembled a specific scenario—the confirmation of the successor.

Only during the confirmation of the successor would all of the Austine Empire’s armies be put on standby, ready to quell any chaos that might arise. It was also common for the emperor, when selecting a weaker prince as his successor, to put the latter under his protection and conceal his whereabouts.

As long as the successor survived the initial storm, they could quickly gather supporters thanks to the legitimacy conferred by the emperor and reinforce their position.

Lilian would have made a move right away if the ones being hidden were her other two brothers, knowing that she would be at a disadvantage if she had to face Emperor Lukas and her brothers at the same time. Yet, for some reason, the one who was hidden was Paul.

This was extremely unusual because Paul Ackermann didn’t have the right to succession.

The Austine Empire was a highly authoritarian nation, where power was concentrated in the hands of the imperial family, but it still wouldn’t be easy for Emperor Lukas to pass down the crown to an illegitimate son.

The Austine Empire’s nobles would not embrace an illegitimate son as their liege.

Such a move would only push the nobles to Lilian’s side, as she was the only imperial offspring with sufficient power to oppose the emperor.

What was weird about this situation was how Emperor Lukas had not made any official announcements since making this move. This suggested that his goal might not be to pass down the crown to Paul, which was why Lilian was holding herself back for the time being.

However, this beckoned another question.

What is Emperor Lukas plotting?

Paul Ackermann, as an illegitimate child, had never been taken seriously in the Austine Empire. He wasn’t treated well, and Emperor Lukas had been turning a blind eye to him too. It was hard to comprehend why Emperor Lukas would suddenly apprehend him.

There are no father-son ties between them, and Paul doesn’t have the qualifications to compete for the crown. What other value does Emperor Lukas see in Paul? Lilian wondered with a frown, as she instinctively thought about Paul’s unknown background.

Her maid, Audrey, came to the same conclusion after analyzing the information.

“I think His Majesty is trying to stop others from getting close to His Highness Paul instead.”

“It does appear that way,” Lilian replied with a nod.

“Your Highness, what should we do?” Audrey asked.

“We will…”

“…Mother.”

“!”

Lilian was just about to issue her orders when she suddenly heard a familiar girl’s voice and froze up.

“You mustn’t let Paul die, or else Father…”

“Hm?”

Father? Does this matter concern Roel?

Lilian narrowed her eyes, but the girl’s words were abruptly canceled out by static.