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Chapter 574.1: Return (1)

In the moonlit sky garden, Roel Ascart relished the warmth of a close kin. The flowers around him bloomed vibrantly under the moonlight as if celebrating their long-awaited reunion.

From losing Her appearance, memories, and powers to reuniting with Her child, this felt like a miracle to the Mother Goddess. This was happiness She could have never imagined before. Her intense feelings flowed into the surroundings, infecting Roel with a smile too.

The truth was that the Kingmaker’s birthday held no significance to Roel, but if this could make the Mother Goddess happy, he didn’t mind having an extra birthday.

“Mother, was this the reason You held tonight’s banquet?”

“Mmhm. I thought that it would be better for you to make an appearance today. Also… the future has been determined from the moment you defeated the Savior. It’s about time for Me to make some preparations.”

“Hm?’

Roel blinked in confusion, not knowing what the Mother Goddess was getting at.

He agreed that the conclusion of the war had already been decided. The Savior didn’t stand a chance against the Mother Goddess anymore after the severe injuries He had sustained in the battle at Dragon’s Gorge, especially since the Mother Goddess was stronger than Him in the first place. Furthermore, the Kingmaker’s halo would slowly draw more and more races to side with the Mother Goddess.

Her victory was already almost assured at this point, which was why Roel was confused as to what kind of preparations She would require for the future.

Thus, Roel looked at the Mother Goddess with perplexed eyes, to which the latter responded with a doting smile.

“Silly child. You have defeated the Savior and returned the world under My order, but what’s Mine is yours as well.”

“!”

Looking at the smiling Mother Goddess, Roel widened his eyes as realization struck him.

“Mother, You mean that…”

“I’ll entrust this world to you. I believe that you’ll be able to do it.”

“No, wait; this is too sudden…”

“Sudden? I don’t think so. I never said that I have given up on the Succession. It happens that your soul fused together with the God’s Envoys while trying to defeat Him. I am unsure why you didn’t suffer a severe rejection, but this works to our interest.”

The Mother Goddess caressed the cheeks of Her most doted child.

“You might have gotten off on the wrong foot with Micher, but he’ll support you now if you take the throne. The other race leaders still don’t know you well, which is why I held a banquet at this juncture for you to familiarize yourselves with one another.”

“Mother…”

“I told you that I solicited artifacts from the other races to reconstruct your body. What do you think My intention was?”

“Intention? Isn’t it to… Ah! Could it be that…”

A possibility suddenly surfaced in Roel’s mind. He raised his head to look at the Mother Goddess, and the latter revealed a rare cunning smile.

“Indeed. I don’t deny that those artifacts are beneficial to your recovery, but I could have figured something out even without their help. My true intention was to forge a connection between you and the others.”

“I see…” Roel replied with a dazed smile.

This was probably his first glimpse into the Mother Goddess’ political acuity.

She had intentionally given a chance to the race leaders to invest in Roel. This incentivized the race leaders to forge a close relationship with him and support his rule so as to ensure that their investment paid off.

Even those who might not have a high opinion of Roel would become more accepting of him as they would expect him to bear goodwill toward them for the help they had offered him.

.

“Such ties will motivate them to support you from the bottom of their heart. You also have your accomplishments and prestige as a Kingmaker. Your hurdle to succeed My position isn’t as high as you think.”

“…”

The Mother Goddess’ eyes glimmered expectantly as She said those words, but that only put Roel at a loss. He knew that he would never be able to fulfill Her expectations. Walking down this paved path would have brought a happy ending to the Mother Goddess and the Kingmaker after all the ordeals they had been through… but reality just had to be cruel.

Roel thought about the situation outside the Witness State, and his heart suddenly grew heavy. The Mother Goddess keenly noticed the change in his emotional state and tensed up.

“What’s wrong, Roel? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m all right.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The Mother Goddess heaved a sigh of relief. She was about to ask about the sudden grim look on his face when Roel hurriedly spoke up first as if to avoid Her follow-up question.

“Mother… You must really be looking forward to the future.”

“Hm? Does it look that way?”

“Yes. You look overjoyed.”

“I guess I am. Just the thought that I could continue living like this fills Me with bliss.”

“!”

Those words sharply jabbed Roel’s heart. Oblivious to his thoughts, the Mother Goddess began reminiscing about the past with a sorrowful smile.

“I had to suppress My feelings and distance Myself from you to uphold My belief that all races are equal. That resulted in a divergence between My will and reality. I pushed My most favored child away till he became the one person who doesn’t understand Me at all. It’s My fault that you chose to side with the Savior at the very start.”

“No, Mother. This only happened because I was gullible…”

“You’re a child who can’t find his mother, but I was a mother who refused to acknowledge Her own child.”

“…”

Roel felt the Mother Goddess’ deep pain and fell silent. The latter shook Her head and hugged him tightly once more.

“It was all My fault. It’s a miracle that you could return to My side. I can’t change the past, but I’m willing to make up for it in the future.”

“Make up for it?”

“I am no longer Sia. It’s time for Me to return what I owe you. I won’t pretend to be oblivious about your birthday anymore. I won’t turn a blind eye when you’re exhausted from your work but instead encourage you. We shall often spend time together like what we’re doing now.

“Let’s travel together when the war ends. I’ll bring you to the depths of the ocean, where I stored the very first life of the world. We can visit the Divine Mountain too, which has one of my favorite sceneries…”

The Mother Goddess’ eyes slowly lit up as She spoke. In Her descriptions Roel saw a beautiful dreamlike scenery.

Swimming with the fishes in the deep seas, soaring freely through the vast blue sky, or watching fluffy white clouds from a lush green field—it was a life without betrayal or sorrow. It was such a wonderful depiction that Roel could imagine himself spending his entire life in such a manner.

“If only that could be realized,” Roel murmured as he felt a pricking pain in his chest.

He suddenly felt like he could understand Edavia a little. It was not that she didn’t want to do something for the Mother Goddess, but that she was afraid. She was afraid of this wondrous bubble. She was afraid of forging ties with the Mother Goddess.

For someone destined to leave, every moment spent together was another sharp knife that reminded them of what they had missed out on.

The Witness State could never become a reality. He would have to leave this place and bear the sins committed by his ancestors. The woman who was now embracing him would become his mortal nemesis once he left this place.

Unable to bear that thought, Roel closed his eyes and took deep breaths. It felt so suffocating that it was hard to bear. He believed that he had made the right choice by helping the Mother Goddess, but making the right choice didn’t guarantee a happy ending in the world he lived in.

Roel pushed his sorrow deep down and tried his best to maintain a smile. Nevertheless, the Mother Goddess still noticed his peculiar state and stopped Her narration halfway through to look at him.

Is he not fond of this topic?

Oblivious to Roel’s inner conflict, the Mother Goddess decided to temporarily put this matter aside and focus on the matter before Her.