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But this place had changed vastly from before.

The scenery and the tower were the same as ever, but the bustle was no more. The cities that once sprawled on this plain were nowhere to be seen. The sky was not full of beings coming to and fro, either.

The Moonsoul Tower was no longer brightly lit. Only the multitude of rooms whispered just how vibrant the tower used to be. The guards who usually patrolled the corridors were nowhere to be seen.

He had seen these back when he was searching for Alicia, but it still disconcerted him.

He walked through the guest waiting room, which was decorated with many artworks, and entered the silver-themed banquet hall. Looking at the empty room, he could somehow see silhouettes that used to be wandering around.

This was where he had pitted his wits against the leaders of the High Elves and the other races. It was all thanks to the Mother Goddess’ bias that he survived that ordeal, which prompted him to change his plan.

Thinking about it now filled him with many emotions. It all felt like a dream. Only the heavy pressure coming from afar refuted that conjecture, forcing him to confront reality.

He walked up the stairs and arrived at the audience room at the highest level. He made his way through the corridor and reached the inner bedroom. It looked the same as he remembered it. It was only upon reaching the courtyard that he remembered to halt his footsteps.

The familiar aura from behind the door made his face turn grim.

He felt awfully nervous, as he didn’t know what was awaiting him. For one, the Mother Goddess definitely wouldn’t treat him the same as She used to.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

…

It was a familiar sight to Roel.

Under the dark night illuminated by gentle moonlight, in a delicate courtyard filled with thousands of blooming flowers, a silver-haired figure was resting at the far end.

He had seen this many times in the Witness State, but not from this angle. He wouldn’t be staring at her from behind but instead be in her arms.

Whenever he couldn’t sleep at night, the Mother Goddess would bring him here and share stories about the cities beneath with him while patiently waiting for his drowsiness to set in. Then, she would embrace the weakened him to sleep to heal his wounded soul.

For that reason, the most vivid memory he had about the Moonsoul Tower wasn’t the Moonsoul Tower itself but watching the scenery beneath in the Mother Goddess’ arms.

Other than that, it would be the moment of their parting.

It was during a moment their emotions had crescendoed that the Witness State had abruptly come to a halt. Since then, he hadn’t met the Mother Goddess. He hadn’t expected that they would meet here once more, though everything had already changed.

“You’re finally here, descendant of the traitor.”

The silver-haired woman turned around and looked at him, unsurprised by his arrival.

Roel bowed and greeted her, “A pleasant night to you, Mother.”

“Mother?” The Mother Goddess’ crimson eyes flickered in uncertainty.

Roel nodded in response. “There have been many misunderstandings between You and our clan, but I have always viewed you as my mother.”

“You have the gall to call that ‘misunderstandings’? Do you think I’d forget the past?”

“No, I’m just stating the truth.” Roel was unfazed by the Mother Goddess’ mockery. He looked at the silver-haired woman before him and calmly reminisced about the past. “No matter what, the Kingmaker is the Mother Goddess’ child. You were the one who told me that.”

“I did say that, but that’s in the past, in the world of lies you people weaved with your powers.” The Mother Goddess stared sharply at Roel as Her voice grew heavier. “You used the laws of the Witness State to temporarily take away My memories and beguile Me before using the window to the real world to overlay My memories. That’s the plan you and your clan came up with, right? What an incredible spell that was. Even I was caught off guard. And you… You were the perfect executor of the plan.”

Her voice was hoarse. Disappointment and anger flashed across Her crimson eyes.

Those words stabbed Roel’s heart. He hurriedly explained, “No, Mother. It’s not like that…”

“Then what is it? You would have succeeded if not for My powers being independent of the Witness State,” the Mother Goddess scoffed, shaking Her head. “By then, I would have become your clan’s greatest protector from the Savior. What would your next step have been? Would you use My power to absorb the power of the Six Calamities? Or would you wait till We were both weakened before catching Us in a single swoop?”

“…” Roel was speechless. He didn’t think that he would be dragged down by his ancestors.

The Mother Goddess’ impression of the Kingmaker Clan was simply too poor. If there was a rating from 0 to 10, they would have been in the negatives. After all, they had betrayed the Mother Goddess at a critical juncture during Her battle with the Savior.

Through the conversation, Roel saw the crux of the issue.

“Mother, I know that it’s hard for You to believe my words, but I want You to know that I have never approached You with any ulterior motive. Our meeting was a coincidence, and there was no directive whatsoever.”

“Are you telling me that spell was just a coincidence?”

“No, that wasn’t a coincidence. The ring that served as a bridge to that Witness State has been passed down through the Kingmaker Clan for many generations. I don’t deny that my ancestors wished to correct their past mistakes. However, I’m unsure if they had intended to overlay Your memories or not.”

“Unsure? Are you taking Me for a fool?” The Mother Goddess’ expression turned livid, and her immense mana began to seethe.

“It was a magic tool passed down through the generations, your only chance to deceive Me. How could you, as the executor, not know what it was about?”

“That’s because my actions were never planned, and I can prove that.”

“How so?”

“I can’t possibly have approached You on behalf of my people because the Kingmaker Clan has already ceased to exist.”

“…” The Mother Goddess stared at Roel with widened eyes. She struggled to understand what he was getting at.

Roel explained, “Mother, You are unaware because You have been in hibernation. The Kingmaker Clan ceased to exist a thousand years ago. We were defeated by the schemes and encirclement of the Savior’s worshipers. There are survivors, but we have lost our heritage.

“In the past thousand years, there have only been three awakeners in our clan. I am the only awakener in my generation, and the previous one was four hundred years ago. We are no more than mortals without our bloodline powers. The Ascarts aren’t even rulers; we’re just nobles of a country.”

“How is this…” The Mother Goddess trembled. She found it hard to believe that Her children had fallen so far. She looked at Roel, but Her throat was so tight that She found it hard to speak.

“That’s why I didn’t know the use of the ring even though I had inherited it, Mother. Our meeting was a coincidence, and I have never sought to deceive You.”

“…” The Mother Goddess knew that this was likely to be true even though She hadn’t tried to verify Roel’s words.

The powers of the Kingmaker Clan couldn’t be concealed, and the annals of history couldn’t be changed. There was no reason for Roel to make such a blatant lie. More than that, She could also sense Roel’s emotions when he said those words.

After a long silence, She finally spoke up with much difficulty, Her tone much softer this time around. “I know the situation with the Kingmaker Clan now, but… this doesn’t change the past. Warriors from different races have died because of them, and I fell into hibernation too.”

“I know. My ancestor’s mistakes were fatal, and there’s no way to undo the damage done. But… Mother, will You resent and kill me because of that?”

“I…”

“If You’re after the Kingmaker Clan, I’d be your last target… No, there’s also my unborn child. Are You going to kill her too?” Roel asked hoarsely.

“!” The Mother Goddess trembled. Her crimson eyes widened. She had no idea what to say at this moment.

With the death of the Kingmaker Clan, Roel was the only target left for the Mother Goddess to exact Her vengeance. But to kill Her beloved child to satiate Her thirst for vengeance sounded ridiculous even to the wrathful Mother Goddess.

She shook Her head, conceding that She couldn’t bring Herself to do something like that.

Silence lingered between them before Roel asked another critical question: “Mother, let’s put the Kingmaker Clan aside for the time being. How do You view humans?”

“Humans?”

“The ancient war has concluded with the Savior’s death. Humankind has become the dominant race of the world. Will You be their protector or their enemy?”

“…” The atmosphere turned heavy. A moment later, the Mother Goddess softly asked, “…What if I’m their enemy?”

“I’d have no choice but to stop You, Mother.”

“Are you going to fight Me? You might have absorbed the Savior’s powers, but that’s only a portion of it. You should know the outcome of challenging Me, right?”

“I’m aware of it. With the return of the Black Moon, it’s nigh impossible to defeat You. But I never thought of doing that.”

“Hm?” The Mother Goddess was perplexed.

“If it ever comes down to that, I’ll use all my power to transform into a seal and hibernate together with You,” Roel calmly replied.

“…”

“I’m sorry, but I have no choice but to do that in order to protect my family members, friends, and all of humankind. However, I think this is a better solution than to come to blows with You. I’ll accompany You on a long hibernation, until the hatred You feel slowly fades…”

“Enough.” The Mother Goddess stared at Roel with conflicted eyes before finally sighing. Her domineering air slowly receded.

“Mother?”

“I understand your thoughts. I… don’t want to hibernate anymore.” The Mother Goddess shook Her head helplessly. “Much time has passed. The Kingmaker Clan is no more. It’s time to let go of My hatred.”

“You mean…”

“I won’t become your or humankind’s enemy. You can rest at ease.”

The Mother Goddess suddenly looked exhausted. With the Savior’s death and the disappearance of Her vengeance target, She suddenly found Herself without a purpose in this world. It plunged Her into confusion. She looked at Roel as if bidding him eternal farewell.

However, Roel was much more ambitious than this.

“I understand, Mother. That means You’re willing to let go of the grudge between us, right? If so, won’t You listen to a personal request of mine?”

“Go ahead.”

“Don’t go… No matter what happens, I hope that you’ll stay in this world. This is my plea as a child to my mother.”

“!” The Mother Goddess stared at Roel with shocked eyes. She hadn’t expected him to see through Her thoughts. Looking at his pleading eyes, Her expression slowly mellowed down.

A long time later, She looked at him with reddened eyes and shook Her head. “Roel, you are a smart child. You should know that it’s impossible to maintain a balance between two forces of comparable power. There can only be one of us here, or else it’s only a matter of time before humankind diverges. This is a law of history.”

“I know that, but this can all be resolved. Rather, my existence is the solution to this problem.” Roel walked up to the Mother Goddess and offered Her a glowing hand.

The Mother Goddess was stunned, for She understood what that light meant.

It was a unique spell of the Kingmaker Clan. Roel was offering Her a contract. His action enlightened Her to his intention.

As long as they were contracted, they would become inseparable as if one entity. That would make it impossible for them to turn against each other. It was not a difficult solution to think of, but there had never been a Kingmaker who could contract the Mother Goddess, for the disparity in powers was simply too great.

However, there was a chance Roel could pull it off after absorbing the Savior’s powers.

The Mother Goddess’ crimson eyes slowly lit up, while Roel insistently held his hand up.

“My ancestors have made many mistakes, but it doesn’t change the fact that I, the Kingmaker, am Your child, and this world is Your home. Mother, please stay here.”

“…What a wilful child you are.” The Mother Goddess gently gazed upon Roel before eventually revealing a smile of resignation. “I can’t turn a blind eye to My child’s plea… I’ll accompany you just a bit longer.”

The Mother Goddess took Roel’s hand, and a brilliant light illuminated the world. The conflict finally came to a conclusion.