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Roel was startled, but his eyes quickly mellowed as he came to acceptance. He gently embraced her, and that gave her a sense of security.

It didn’t take him long to realize that this was no simple kiss, as he felt a surge of warmth flowing through their mouths.

Is this life force?

It was sweet with a slight hint of blood. Alicia had mixed a bit of her blood into the kiss.

After a long kiss that left Roel gasping for air, he asked, “Alicia, this is…”

“Sia was the only one who had the power to control the Six Calamities through this altar back in the ancient era. The Mother Goddess later inherited this power. My power is lacking compared to Lord Mother, but I should be able to do it if it’s just one of the Six Calamities.”

“I see.”

“It’s also a good way to nourish Lord Brother’s body…” Alicia added as she lowered her head to conceal her burning face.

Knowing the other meaning behind Alicia’s words, Roel coughed twice in embarrassment before he turned his attention back to the altar and said, “Alicia, you said that this is the land of birth for the Six Calamities. Will they disappear for good if these six magic items are destroyed?”

“Theoretically, yes, but it’s practically impossible to pull it off. The Six Calamities are entities embodying not just Sia’s powers but the force of nature as well. They also serve as a regulation mechanism for the world.”

“Regulation mechanism?”

“That’s another long story, but the gist is that the Six Calamities will likely just be reborn from nature even if you destroy these magic items. I wouldn’t recommend destroying them.”

“Why?”

“Without the Six Calamities absorbing the mana in the air, many creatures in the world will mutate into demonic beasts. It could result in the birth of lesser forms of the Six Calamities too,” Alicia said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

Roel frowned upon hearing those words. “By ‘lesser forms’, you’re referring to other sentient entities without physical bodies, similar to the Six Calamities?”

“Yes, there’s a slim chance that something like that might be born when the concentration of mana gets too high. As much as Lord Brother, as a human, might not like it, the Six Calamities are also responsible for regulating lifeforms, thus reducing the burden on the hibernating Lord Mother.”

“…” Roel fell silent.

Countless people, from the ancient era to the present age, had been trying to uncover the mystery behind Sia’s disappearance. Roel had been one of them, till he learned the truth in the Witness State.

Sia, as the Creator, had been shouldering the burden for sustaining the Sia Continent, but the burden was getting too much for Her to bear due to the rapid proliferation of life. Not wanting to destroy Her creations, She was forced to find a successor to share the burden with.

Her plan to make the Kingmaker Her successor failed, and She even lost Her life in the process. However, the world didn’t collapse after Her disappearance. This meant that someone else had taken on the burden in Her place—the Mother Goddess and the Savior.

The subsequent war between the Savior and the Mother Goddess ended in mutual destruction, with the former falling into depravity and the latter entering hibernation. That had reduced their strength, thus reducing the burden they could shoulder too.

This marked the end of the ancient era, as well as the downfall of legendary races like the Angels, the Dragons, and the High Elves. Many powerful races slowly met their downfall over thousands of years.

This newfound knowledge gave Roel a different perspective on the Six Calamities.

“Alicia, did the Six Calamities not devour those civilizations with the intent to hasten the Mother Goddess’ awakening?”

“Hm? Of course not. I can’t deny that it helps, but it doesn’t significantly hasten Lord Mother’s awakening.”

“Then they are doing this to…”

“They are reducing the price required to sustain the world by destroying civilizations, so that the Mother Goddess can survive despite being in hibernation. In a way, they ensure the stability of the world and keep it from collapsing on itself.”

“I see.” Roel nodded in realization.

“If the legendary races are a burning furnace, the price Lord Mother has to pay is the firewood required to sustain the furnace. Their existence requires a huge amount of resources. Without sufficient firewood to support the furnace, there’s no choice but to turn down the heat. The most that could be done was to allow them to pass their bloodlines down.”

“I see… That’s what you meant when you said that the Six Calamities are a regulation mechanism. Honestly, I’m struggling to come to terms with it.”

“Lord Brother…”

“Whether it’s the Ardes, the Twilight Sages Assembly, or me, we have always viewed the Six Calamities as our enemy. Our battle against them has continued for many years, and there have been countless sacrifices. If what you said is true, that would mean that everything we stood for has been in vain,” Roel said with a stiffened expression.

He thought about Isabella Sofya, who had lost her life to Sire Darkness, and Winstor Ascart, who dedicated his life to vengeance, and it was too hard for him to accept the Six Calamities as the good ones here.

“No, Lord Brother. Our ancestors were right.”

“Hm? Didn’t you say that the Six Calamities did it to reduce the burden on the world?”

“That was the case in the ancient era; the extinction of the legendary races was necessary. However, humankind is far weaker in comparison. Lord Mother can easily shoulder the burden of their existence.”

“Why did the Six Calamities attack humankind, then?”

“…You can say that it’s their instinct for survival,” Alicia said as she began leading Roel to the magic tool. “Lord Brother, you also know that the Six Calamities possess sentience. Even when they have accomplished their mission, they won’t willingly seek death.”

“You’re saying that they are attacking humankind for their survival?”

“That’s right. The Six Calamities had already fulfilled their mission from the moment the world reached an equilibrium. Anything they did beyond that point is solely motivated by the survival of the fittest. This is a conflict that would only be resolved by the thorough elimination of one side, so our ancestors weren’t wrong.”

“I see.”

Roel breathed a sigh of relief, gladdened that he hadn’t hindered the Six Calamities from fulfilling their responsibility. Meanwhile, Alicia pointed her finger at the aurora.

“Lord Brother, that’s the source of Light Devourer. You should be able to form a Crown’s Stone by absorbing its energy, but I don’t know what’ll happen during the absorption, since no one has tried it before.”

“It’s fine. This is good enough.”

“Don’t worry, Lord Brother. I’ll be right here to help you if any danger surfaces.”

“Thank you. Let’s get started, then,” Roel replied with a smile.

He took a step forward and entered the bundle of light. The aurora immediately emanated a blinding light that enveloped his entire body.

…