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“That doesn’t make sense. We know that madness and depravity did spread across the Ancient Austine Empire,” Astrid remarked. “Charles, you should know the details better than anyone else. Who else could have caused it if not the Savior?”

“Yes, but the rumors are not accurate. Despite being known as the Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital, there are at least sixteen outbreak locations where the madness started spreading from that night. The capital was merely one of the many places to be struck,” Paul replied.

“There are sixteen outbreak locations?!”

“Indeed, and that report was compiled in a rush. The number is likely to be an underestimation, and we’ll likely find even more outbreak locations if we include the remote mountains where few humans reside,” Paul replied.

This conversation reminded him about that nightmarish night a thousand years ago, and he heaved a sigh before continuing, “The capital wasn’t the source of the crisis. Someone had sowed the seeds of crisis across the Ancient Austine Empire, and my enemies exploited this opportunity to manipulate public opinion and discredit me. That’s how it became known as the Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital.”

“Who are the culprits? Richard?”

“He played a part, but there are many other nobles too. Many of them have ties with the Savior’s worshipers.”

“Tsk! I knew I should have killed him…” Carolyn murmured, as she felt indignant for what Charles went through a thousand years ago.

Roel was familiar with the name ‘Richard Ackermann’. He was crowned as the first emperor of the present-day Austine Empire during the mass migration westward. “He’s your younger brother, right?”

“We have the same father but different mothers. However, I—or should I say ‘we’—defeated him,” Paul said as he looked at Carolyn with a smile.

The latter shyly averted her eyes, as a peculiar atmosphere floated between the two of them. Antonio secretly glanced at Astrid too.

“…”

What in the world are they doing?

Roel’s figure looked forlorn when contrasted with the two couples. He instinctively glanced at the unconscious Alicia before coughing twice to pull the conversation back on track, asking, “Do you think that the Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital is a man-made disaster, then?”

“Unlikely. While the Savior’s worshipers were arrogant in the final years of the Second Epoch, they aren’t that powerful, or else the Ancient Austine Empire would have been destroyed a long time ago. Moreover, the sixteen outbreak locations were underground,” Paul replied confidently.

His clear line of thought showed that he had been investigating the truth for a long time in his previous life too.

Astrid and the others fell silent as they tried to make sense of the situation.

It was baffling how Carolyn, who was at the heart of the danger, was unscathed, while the surface had been completely devastated. This didn’t make sense at all.

However, Roel sensed something incongruous upon hearing Paul’s words, and he asked, “Paul… Can you repeat what you said again?”

“What I said? While the Savior’s worshipers were arrogant in the final years of the Second Epoch, they aren’t that powerful…”

“No, after that.”

“After that? Hmm. The sixteen outbreak locations were underground?” Paul repeated his earlier words in confusion.

“!” Roel widened his eyes in astonishment. A thought surfaced in his mind, as he finally understood where the incongruity was coming from. “I believe I know the truth behind the Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital a thousand years ago.”

“What?”

“Big brother Roel, do you mean it?”

“The Ancient Austine Empire was consumed by madness and depravity, yet Carolyn, despite being closest to the Savior, was unfazed. There’s one possibility.” Roel pointed to the ground as he spoke with a calm but confident voice.

“The culprits behind the outbreaks were the Eggs of the Beast God.”

…

Humankind had first encountered the Egg of the Beast God during the Battle of Scorched Earth. It was the only entity known to be capable of releasing huge amounts of the Savior’s mana.

They had been placed under Deviant Sovereign Banjol’s care, but the Eggs of the Beast God were actually monsters created by the Savior as a countermeasure against the Six Calamities. According to Alicia, there were many of them buried all over the Sia Continent, with the exact number being unknown to anyone except for maybe the Savior Himself.

Those living in the final years of the Second Epoch were oblivious to the existence of the Eggs of the Beast God, so they didn’t understand why the Savior’s madness would suddenly spread, but it all made sense when looked at in hindsight.

If the Savior had really awakened, it would have been the end of humankind. Just a single outbreak location would have been enough; there was no need for sixteen of them.

It made more sense if the Eggs of the Beast God were the culprits instead. It would explain how the madness seemed to follow Charles’ footsteps—the Eggs of the Beast God could have been set off one by one to follow wherever Charles went.

“Eggs of the Beast God… It’s a clump of the Savior’s power? I see. That would explain everything.”

“I didn’t expect the Savior to set off so many of his hidden pieces to stop the final plan.”

“…Wait a moment. Could the Eggs of the Beast God be the cause of the gradual increase in the Savior’s worshipers during the Second Epoch?” Roel asked.

Everyone widened their eyes.

Antonio nodded in agreement as he said, “I see. That explains why there were fewer Savior worshipers after the mass migration westward. The land we are currently residing on doesn’t have any Eggs of the Beast God.”

“It makes sense. The Eggs of the Beast God might also be related to the Savior’s awakening,” Carolyn said with widened eyes. “Even after I entered a state of faux death, I could sense the Savior gradually becoming weaker even though I made no attempt to suppress Him afterward.”

A moment later, she added with a sigh, “What we did back then must have threatened Him, or else He wouldn’t have been forced to make such a damaging move… But we paid a heavy price for it.”

Carolyn looked a little choked up, thinking about what she and Charles had been through. Roel and the others felt heavy-hearted too.

The Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital had ended with Charles’ death, and he was condemned for a thousand years afterward. Carolyn had her heart broken, and she was forced to go into a state of faux death. The most prosperous empire ever known to humankind was wiped from the face of the world, and countless humans died during the mass migration.

So much had been lost in that battle.

“At least we are still here.” Roel broke the heavy silence.

“…Indeed,” Carolyn murmured as she looked at Paul and Astrid. Their presence swept away a bit of the gloom in her heart.

“And the final plan wasn’t meaningless. The Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital was indeed a terrible crisis for humankind, but, looking back, it might have been for the best.”

“For the best?”

“At least those landmines were exploded a thousand years ago, or else humankind would have lost this war.”

“…”

Carolyn fell silent. Astrid and the others nodded in agreement.

There was no question that the Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital and the mass migration had caused much pain to humankind… but what plight would have been awaiting humankind if they had continued residing on the land where the Ancient Austine Empire stood?

The Savior’s worshipers would have thrived under the influence of the Eggs of the Beast God, becoming a persistent scourge to humankind.

Furthermore, no matter how advanced human civilization became, the moment the Savior awakened and activated the Eggs of the Beast Gods underground, it would inflict a devastating blow to humankind.

Humankind wouldn’t have had the luxury of a thousand years to recuperate. They would have been obliterated in a single move without any chance of making a comeback.

In other words, humankind would have been doomed if Charles and Carolyn had never initiated the final plan. Even though the final plan failed, it brought about a ray of hope for humankind’s survival.

“Things might not have gone the way you expected, but there’s no doubt that you have saved humankind once,” Roel said.

“…Thank you.”

“No, we should be the ones thanking you instead. Putting that aside, this incident shows that there’s someone in command of the Savior’s faction, and as for that person’s identity…”

“I might have a lead on that, but there’s something more important at hand,” Paul suddenly said, much to Roel’s confusion. “My imperial sister has waged war on Lukas, and Lukas’ target is the Abyss!”