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“T-this…” Roel stuttered, feeling conscience-ridden at being caught in the act.

He turned to Edavia in hopes that the evil god would speak up for him, only to see the latter looking back at him with a mischievous smile. A second later, she blinked at him as if catching his drift.

“Dangerous? I disagree with that,” she said.

“Indeed, Alicia.” Roel quickly nodded in agreement upon receiving Edavia’s support. “Don’t you know me well? I would never do something I don’t think would work…”

“Strictly speaking, I’d say that it’s impossible for him to successfully make a breakthrough now. It’s not just a dangerous act but a suicidal one.”

“???” Roel blinked in bewilderment. He quickly turned to look at Edavia, only to see the latter’s smile widening. “Edavia?”

“Pfft! HAHAHAHA! What a rare expression. Are you so surprised to hear the truth?”

“You!! Alicia, hear me out…”

“Don’t bother. Lord Brother, you must have forgotten that I am an Origin Level 1 transcendent too. I can gauge your condition for myself,” Alicia said with a dissatisfied tone.

“…” Roel’s expression stiffened.

He had always been stronger than Alicia, and he was also in a more authoritative position as the proxy fief lord. Thanks to that, he had always been able to shield Alicia behind him, and she had obediently listened to him too. But now…

With the sigh of a retired old man, Roel lowered his head in resignation, took a sip of tea, and said, “Ey, I’m getting old now.”

“How are you old? Last night, you…”—Cough!— “Y-you’re only two years older than me!” Alicia blurted out, only for her face to redden upon realizing what she had just said, and she hurriedly covered it up with a cough.

“Pu!”—Cough! Cough cough cough!— “Y-yes, you’re right! Now that I think about it, I’m the strongest one in my age group aside from Wilhelmina. Ha! Haha!” Roel spurted his tea before anxiously playing along.

Roel’s eyes drifted toward Edavia, but the latter surprisingly didn’t react at all. She blinked in confusion, looking just like an innocent child.

“…Right, you don’t have a physical body.”

“What?”

“N-nothing at all!” Roel replied with a big smile.

Alicia quickly changed the subject and said, “You must be Lord Edavia, Lord Brother’s newly contracted ancient god. It’s our first time… No, we have met a couple of times before.”

“Yes, though we were enemies then.”

“Indeed. I should thank you, Lord Edavia, for helping me regain my memories,” Alicia said as she lifted her skirt and curtsied.

Edavia was taken aback by that gesture, and her eyes looked a little conflicted.

“Edavia?” Roel called out.

“!” Edavia snapped out of her daze.

“Lord Edavia? My apologies. Was I too abrupt?”

“Not at all. I suddenly remembered the past, that’s all… I saved you under this fellow’s orders, so you need not thank me,” Edavia replied, shaking her head.

The one person whom Edavia could never forget was Sia, who insisted she continue living on even though her existence posed a threat to Her. Alicia, as the inheritor of the Mother Goddess’ powers, could be said to be Sia’s granddaughter, ranking even higher in the lineage than Roel.

Roel had guessed that Edavia would be shaken up when faced with Alicia, though this didn’t seem to be a bad thing. His expression mellowed as he watched the orange-haired girl actively striking up a conversation with Alicia.

In fact, it took him a while before he finally found an opportunity to pull the topic back on track.

“Alicia, you told me to leave my breakthrough to you earlier. What do you mean by that?”

Alicia turned to Roel and asked, “Lord Brother, you mentioned earlier that you’re a step away from Origin Level 1, and you require something to bridge the gap.”

“That’s right.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“What would that be?” Roel asked with widened eyes.

Alicia giggled before giving out the answer. “Lord Brother, there’s one last power you haven’t acquired yet that’s guaranteed to further your strength—Light Devourer.”

“!” Roel was taken aback. He stared at Alicia in disbelief for a few seconds before anxiously asking, “Isn’t Light Devourer your direct subordinate? If I absorb it as a Crown’s Stone…”

His words stalled to a halt here as his expression turned grim.

Light Devourer might have been an unusual existence, but it possessed sentience, intelligence, and even feelings.

Roel was well aware of this, having fought alongside the Six Calamities in the Witness State. Naturally, Alicia, who commanded the Six Calamities, had to know that as well. He couldn’t believe that Alicia would suggest sacrificing Light Devourer despite knowing that.

Did something happen during the recovery of her memories, causing her to become cold and heartless? Roel wondered nervously.

Alicia shook her head and dispelled Roel’s worry, saying, “Lord Brother, have you forgotten that I have the power to control the Six Calamities, including their rebirth?”

“You’re saying…”

“Yes, Lord Brother. You don’t have to worry that Light Devourer would dissipate. I’ll be using a special method for you to absorb a portion of its powers. My only worry is that your soul won’t be able to withstand taking on the power of another Crown’s Stone in its current state.”

“His soul will be fine.” The floating Edavia addressed her worry with a smile. “As powerful as the Crown’s Stones are, their foundation lies with the Crown Origin Attribute and not the soul. This won’t pose a problem to his soul. However, this means that you won’t have Light Devourer’s aid in the upcoming battle.”

The evil god glanced at Roel, and the latter acknowledged those words with a nod.

Light Devourer was an extremely powerful entity, and it had surpassed even Shrouding Fog after the last few battles. Its absence would be a blow to their fighting prowess.

However, this was a risk they had to take. Making a breakthrough to Origin Level 1 was a huge risk in itself. If they hesitated over every single detail, there was no way they would succeed. Thus, Roel made up his mind and nodded at the two people before him.

“I understand the risks, but we won’t stand a chance against Carolyn Ascart if we don’t do it.”

“Fufufu. That woman is a terrifying one, even to me. I wouldn’t have imagined there to be such a monster after the ancient era,” Edavia remarked.

“How does she compare to the ancient gods?” Roel asked.

“…Stronger,” Edavia said with a hint of fear in her eyes.

Roel fell silent.

He had always known that Carolyn Ascart was an exceptionally powerful individual, but he didn’t think an existence of Edavia’s level would be fearful of her. That further stoked his wariness, but it also strengthened his determination.

He put down his teacup and directed a nod at Alicia.

The latter rose to her feet and said, “Please come with me, Lord Brother.”

“Where are we going? Tark Prairie?”

“No, not there,” Alicia replied with a smile. She pointed at the thick, billowing fog outside the window. “We’re heading out.”

…