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Chapter 552.2: Prison (2)

“This is a library?” Roel murmured under his breath.

Beyond the door was a dark space full of towering bookshelves, reminiscent of a library at night. A light flickered in the distance as if it was beckoning him over. He took a step into the room, and the door closed itself behind him.

He began making his way toward the light source.

The bookshelves that rose to tremendous heights made this supposedly vast space seem a little narrow. As someone who often read, Roel paid some attention to the books on the shelves, but he wasn’t able to discover anything, as it was simply too dark.

As Roel walked down the path demarcated by the long stretch of bookshelves, his surroundings slowly began brightening. Knowing that he was close to his destination, he took a deep breath and hurried ahead.

Soon, a simple round table with a lamp atop it appeared before his eyes.

A petite figure sat on a chair behind the table, but their profile was covered by a huge book. The petite figure was rather short, to the point that they was barely resting their elbows on the table. The only things Roel could see behind the huge book were their orange braided hair, a formal top hat similar to those worn by old English professors, and the small hands holding the book.

Is it… a child? Roel wondered.

Sensing Roel’s approach, the petite figure hidden behind the huge book spoke up.

“You’re here? My apologies; I got too engrossed in my book. How discourteous of me.” The childlike voice carried a hint of self-reproach.

The huge book was slowly placed down on the table, revealing the petite figure hidden behind. Roel widened his eyes.

The person seated at the other end of the table looked to be a girl no more than ten years old. Her tiny profile and slim arms reflected her age. Her big eyes looked exceptionally clear, filled with an innocent twinkle. Her milky and slightly chubby cheeks looked as if they were inviting someone to squeeze them, and her little cherry lips were adorable.

Roel was astonished, for this was at odds with the typical image he had of ancient gods. However, his face quickly turned grim once more.

Things that look too out of place are likely to indeed be out of place.

As innocent as the child looked, one would have to be foolish to truly regard her as a child. Furthermore, Roel vaguely sensed that the ancient god before him had a different nature from Grandar and the others. Something was concealed beneath her innocence.

“I am Roel Ascart, the inheritor of the Kingmaker Bloodline of the present era. May I know your name?”

“Hoh! You are polite. I am Edavia. You may spare the formalities,” the girl with braided hair replied with a delighted smile, casually waving her little hand.

The unusual combination of the childlike voice and the elderly mannerisms had Roel narrowing his eyes. He paid close attention to the girl’s smiling face.

Does she prefer speaking as equals? Given her appearance, I should address her younger.

“Miss Edavia, pardon my insolence, but you must be the ancient god I am going to contract with. I know that it is presumptuous of me to request a favor on our first meeting, but could you offer me your help right away? I have already fallen into a difficult situation…” Roel lowered his back as he spoke.

While he had managed to appease the Mother Goddess for the time being, his predicament had hardly improved at all. His powers had been sealed, and he had next to no allies on his side. This meant that he had zero flexibility to maneuver if the situation necessitated him to, and this didn’t bode well.

Much to his surprise, the girl with braided hair readily accepted his presumptuous request.

“Sure, I can lend you a helping hand.”

“Do you… mean it?”

“Of course. You are in a difficult position, right?”

“…”

What is going on? Are ancient gods supposed to be that easy to speak to?

Roel blinked in astonishment. As earnest as his attitude was when making the request, he hadn’t thought that the girl with braided hair would accept his request at all. Even Grandar and Peytra, whom he got along with well now, had posed different requests and questions to him during their first meeting.

The ancient gods were too proud to offer their help to someone whom they deemed unworthy. There were only two possibilities for why the girl with braided hair would readily accept his request for help. Either she had a highly favorable first impression of him, which compelled her to help him even without having tested him, or she was up to something.

Roel narrowed his eyes sharply as he heightened his vigilance.

Having guessed his thoughts, Edavia smiled.

“My answer must have surprised you. Mm, it’s good to always stay vigilant, but I do not have anything to ask of you. You won’t be able to accomplish it even if I do. After all… She’s outside,” Edavia said with a tinge of helplessness.

“!”

Roel narrowed his eyes. He immediately understood who she was referring to.

The Mother Goddess.

She was the adversary the Kingmaker Clan had never been able to overcome. Even the powerful ancient gods were helpless against an existence like Her. Naturally, it would be hard to carry out a test under such conditions.

“She has sealed off your powers, right? It wouldn’t be wise to let Her know that you have a trump card like me, and I don’t want to catch Her attention either. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”

“I see. Thank you for your advice, Miss Edavia.”

“Just ‘Edavia’ will do. Spare the thanks; it’s not much of an advice. I have been bored out of my mind staying here by myself anyway… To be honest, I’m curious how you got here in the first place. It’s not often that someone gets to visit a prisoner of Sia like myself.”

“!”

Roel gasped at the shocking revelation, and a tight frown formed on his forehead. Seeing that, Edavia’s lips curled into a teasing smile.

“Are you surprised? Of course you are. I am, strictly speaking, what you call ‘an evil god’. Do I intimidate you?”

“…No.” Roel calmly shook his head after a moment of silence. “The evil gods were once Sia’s people too. The fact that it’s possible for us to establish a contract means that my ancestors have acknowledged you. Since that’s the case, there’s nothing for me to fear.”

Edavia blinked before bursting into hearty laughter.

“Hahahaha! What a bold child you are! I am surprised that you can accept an evil god like me so easily! Well… I am satisfied with your reply, so I shall introduce myself a little.”

With a delighted smile persisting on her lips, Edavia pushed away the chair and levitated into the air.

“I am Edavia the Spiriteer Sovereign. Sia was terrified of my power to destroy souls, so She had me imprisoned here as an evil god. Descendant of the Kingmaker, you should have felt something familiar about me. Take a look around you.”

“Around me?”

“Don’t you find this place familiar?”

“!”

Perplexed, Roel assessed his surroundings.

The library looked the same as it was when he first entered. The room was as dark as ever, with the lamp on the table being the only source of light. It looked as if there were mysteries waiting to be uncovered in the darkness.

Moments later, Roel’s face started to twitch. He subconsciously leaned backward as his eyes widened in absolute shock.

“This place… Inner Sanctum!” Roel exclaimed.

Seeing that he had arrived at the answer, Edavia smiled.

“You have finally realized it. Yes, this is the Inner Sanctum, the innermost core of your soul. Do you finally understand the relationship between us?”

“You’re saying that…”

“Our meeting isn’t a coincidence.” Edavia looked at Roel with a joyful smile before revealing a truth that no one knew about. “Your Kingmaker Clan is my prison.”