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The Witches used to be known as Sia’s shadow, shouldering the duty to punish and enforce. They wielded immense power and authority that was said to rival the Kingmaker Clan, but they were an enigmatic race that rarely appeared before others.

The Witches were an enigmatic existence even in the ancient era, let alone now, when most information about them had eroded. Witch Queen Artasia was even more so.

Thinking about it, Roel knew next to nothing about Artasia.

He knew Grandar was the final Giant Sovereign who sacrificed himself to bring down the Savior. He knew Peytra was the first Saint Beast Sovereign who fought beside Sia in the early years of the world. He knew Edavia was born during the world’s creation, and Sia sealed her away due to how dangerous her abilities were.

Yet, he knew nothing about Artasia, be it the era she was from, the experiences she had been through, or the eventual cause of her death. Everything about her was a mystery. He couldn’t find any clues about her existence from this rainy city. She had simply too many secrets.

He knew that there was a basis behind the Witches’ unfathomability—it made it harder for others to interfere in their jobs as the world’s enforcers. Still, it was unusual how Artasia had remained mysterious despite their having been together for such a long time.

He was aware that Artasia was hiding something from him. He didn’t know what it was, but his instincts told him it was something huge.

“Artasia, you have already seen my ending, haven’t you?” Roel calmly asked.

Artasia’s madder-red eyes widened in astonishment.

The Witches, as a race that had grasped countless forbidden spells, were definitely capable of predicting the future via divination spells.

The courtyard fell silent, as if the pitter-patter of the rain was the only sound in the world. Artasia’s prolonged silence indirectly answered Roel’s question.

“Did I hit the nail on the head? I expected something along that line, but I must say that I’m still surprised that you possess such means.”

“I didn’t divine it… but the outcome is the same.”

“I see… Why don’t you tell me what you saw so that I can prepare for it?”

There was a brief moment of silence as Artasia lowered her head and scrunched up her face in a dilemma before she replied, “…I can’t say it.”

“Hm?” Roel was taken aback. Her voice sounded a little hoarse for a brief moment there, which prompted him to turn to look at her. “Artasia, you…”

“I can’t say it.”

Artasia repeated her response once more. Her voice had already reverted to normal, but her head remained lowered, as if she didn’t want Roel to see her eyes and her expression.

“…I see.” Seeing that, Roel chose not to probe any deeper.

“But you’re certain that the Savior is about to awaken, right?”

“Yes, I am certain of that.”

“I should have guessed. If Carolyn was able to leave the Abyss, there’s no reason He can’t do the same,” Roel murmured with a nod.

Thinking about the terrifying aura he had felt from the Abyss evoked a sigh from him.

He had already guessed that the Savior was going to awaken soon—not when Carolyn emerged from the Abyss, but even further back, when Astrid started showing signs of awakening.

While Antonio, through many years of research, had found a way to extract Astrid from the Chaos Dream, he had reported that Astrid had displayed brief bouts of consciousness before then.

Roel’s understanding of Astrid was that the latter would willingly remain asleep as long as she could stall the Savior’s awakening. She would have even stopped Antonio from rescuing her. From the moment Astrid chose to go with Antonio’s plan, he knew that the Chaos Dream must have lost its effectiveness on the Savior.

In other words, it wouldn’t be long before the Savior fully awakened.

“Did you subconsciously call me here because of that? My apologies. I showed you some unpleasant things,” Roel remarked.

“…What do you intend to do if things don’t end well?” Artasia suddenly raised her head, revealing a glimmer in her madder-red eyes as she awaited an answer.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What if… I can take you to safety?”

“Take me to safety?”

“Yes, I’ll take you out of this world. Any crisis you’re facing will cease to exist. You’ll be freed from any fate awaiting you, even a fate of certain death.” Artasia’s voice sounded surprisingly agitated, and her eyes quivered ever so slightly.

Roel widened his eyes in shock, not knowing how he should answer.

“What do you mean by ‘taking me out of this world’…”

“It’s exactly how it sounds. There are actually many places you can escape to if you wish to circumvent the conflict, whether it’s the spatial cracks or the Great Chaos. Didn’t you meet one of the residents of that place not too long ago?”

“Residents?”

It took a moment before Roel realized that the Witch Queen was referring to the fiend titan he had defeated during his battle with Carolyn.

The Fiend Titans were a projection of the ancient era’s Titans, who existed in the Great Chaos. That was a place Sia had sealed off, where all kinds of peculiar existences were exiled.

Neither the Mother Goddess nor the Savior would be interested in that place. They couldn’t possibly open Pandora’s box just to eliminate him, which meant that he could circumvent future dangers if he could find a way there.

“But that’s a space Sia sealed away. How can we enter a place like that?”

“Sia was the one who placed the seal there, and the seal is indeed sturdy. However, nothing in this world can escape the senescence of time. You are now an Origin Level 1 transcendent, and you are capable of temporary Sia-fication as well. It might be possible to pull it off if we use your powers together with my Cogs of Time.”

“…”

“The Great Chaos might be dangerous, but you won’t find anyone as powerful as the Savior there. It’s a place free from worldly laws and fate. As long as I’m around, as long as we have this kingdom, you won’t have any trouble living there. So…”

Artasia took a step forward in the drizzle and grabbed Roel’s sleeve. The small puddle on the ground that reflected the two of them rippled under her feet. Time seemed to have momentarily halted in this empty city.

Amidst this silence, Roel lowered his head to face Artasia. A long time later, he let out a sigh and replied, “I’m sorry, Artasia.”

“…”

It was a simple answer devoid of any explanation, but it was enough to relay Roel’s decision to the Witch Queen. After seconds of silence, she released her grip and murmured, “Why? Someone of your wits should know what might arise from your decision!”

“I know. A tough battle awaits me,” Roel replied with a strained smile.

Artasia clenched her fists as she sneered mockingly, “Tough? My hero, you can’t be so naive as to think that you can subdue the Savior just because you defeated that woman. You’re severely underestimating him. Even the final plan from a thousand years ago couldn’t end him for good. What Carolyn had suppressed was only the Savior in hibernation. Believe me when I say that His powers will be immeasurably greater once He awakens from His slumber.”

She sounded infuriated.

“…I know,” Roel calmly replied with a nod. “I understand what you are saying. I’m aware that I’m lacking compared to the Savior even after advancing to Origin Level 1, and there’s still the Mother Goddess even if I succeed.”

“If you know, why do you still…”

“Aren’t there many reasons I should fight too?” Roel interjected as he wistfully looked at the drizzling city.

“As an awakener of the Kingmaker Clan, I seek to fulfill my ancestors’ will to save humankind from the doomsday prophecy.

“As a member of the Ascart House, it is my dearest wish to ensure the safety of my little sister and my father.

“As a noble of the Saint Mesit Theocracy, I have sworn to protect my liege and my people.

“As someone bound in a hundred-year-old engagement, I want to take care of my fiancée.

“As a father-to-be, I am duty-bound to become a shelter for my child and their mother.

“As the beneficiary of a vow, I hope that the knight who pledged her life to protect me can enjoy the happiness of a mundane life.

“Other than that, there are my friends who staked their lives to save me from the desert, the elders who believed in me, the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Scorched Earth, and the rest of humankind… There are far too many things I can’t give up on. Last but not least…”

Roel paused at this point to look at the Witch Queen. There was a faint smile on his lips, and his golden eyes were glowing with spirit. “As your contractor, I don’t want to embarrass you.”

“You…”

“There’s no way the great Witch Queen would contract with a spineless coward, right?” Roel said with a smile.

“…” Artasia stared at Roel with quivering eyes. In the end, she hoarsely replied, “Do whatever you want.”

Throwing those words out, the Witch Queen turned around to hide her expression. The falling raindrops conveniently masked any other sounds.

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Artasia asked.

“Ah? You were the one who called me here, so…” Roel was taken aback by the question.

“Then you should leave.”

Seemingly dissatisfied with Roel’s answer, the Witch Queen waved her hand. Roel was immediately assaulted by a wave of irrepressible fatigue.

“Wait, Artasia…”

Roel tried to say something, but his senses were fading far too fast. Before he could finish his words, his heavy eyelids closed, and his consciousness was devoured by darkness.

…