Roel found himself standing in the middle of a wide street, faced with an imposing castle. Everything was the same as he remembered, including the warm breeze tickling his face. He didn’t bother scanning his surroundings as he usually did this time around, choosing to navigate his way ahead right away.

  It wasn’t his first time in Artasia’s realm anyway, so there was no chance of him losing his way.

  The Witch Queen had the ability to move things around with a snap of her fingers, but for some reason, she insisted on having him journey to the palace as if some kind of pilgrimage. Roel couldn’t understand what was running through her mind, but Artasia refused to back down on this ritual.

  “I do value efficiency, but there are some formalities that can’t be dispensed with. Even a loving couple would require a fitting occasion to confess to each other. That’s why it’s better to take things step by step.”


  From her high throne, Artasia answered Roel’s question with her usual merry smile. Roel lifted his eyebrows in response.

  “I get what you’re trying to say, but your example seems off.”


  “You get the idea~ Don’t you think that we have gotten much closer? The inviolability of the contract has made our relationship much more certain and intimate.”


  “…”


  Artasia’s thoughts were all over the place, but Roel could roughly grasp what she was conveying. The formality between him and the ancient gods, existing in the form of their contracts, had bound their fates tightly together, intertwining their glory and shame.

  In a way, it was even possible to say that they were a family.

  “So, did you call me to your kingdom to celebrate?”


  “Indeed. It wasn’t easy for my hero to turn the tides around and survive the ordeal. This must have been the greatest danger you have faced thus far. You have met my expectations, so it’s only right for me to offer you my compliments and rewards now that it’s all over.”


  Artasia revealed a rare radiant smile, and her madder red eyes curled in delight.

  “Most importantly of all, you were able to decimate that swine who dares to humiliate me. No one has crushed the Angel King so thoroughly before, not even in the ancient era,” she said gleefully.

  “That’s Nora’s credit. It has nothing to do with me. The shackles weren’t even needed in the end.”


  “My hero, are you that naive to believe that she’s able to achieve all this on her own? You’re the one who changed her fate. It has been quite an entertaining show for me.”


  “Is that a compliment?”


  “It is. You have never let me down, my hero,” replied Artasia cheerily.

  Toward that remark, Roel responded with a helpless shrug. He quietly looked at the excited Witch Queen for a moment before getting to the main topic.

  “But you didn’t call me here just for this, right?”


  “… Indeed. There has been an unpleasant smell on you ever since you returned.”


  Artasia paused for a brief moment before her smile began to fade. On the other hand, Roel nodded knowingly, having expected this situation.

  His windows of connection with Artasia and Peytra recovered after Nora removed the golden aura from his body. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Peytra summoned him into her realm to celebrate the matter, but something felt off when it was the Witch Queen doing so.

  Peytra harbored maternal love for Roel, so it was understandable for her to show concern for him after the battle ended. On the other hand, Artasia’s relationship with Roel was much more complicated. They weren’t exactly close enough to hold such celebrations.

  There could only be one reason why Artasia was in such a hurry to meet him—she needed to remind him of something. Roel had a good idea what that ‘something’ was.

  “The stench of the Fallen on you is overpowering. What exactly did you come into contact with?” asked Artasia as she eyed Roel sharply.

  Roel took a moment recalling the events that transpired in his previous battle before summarizing it into a concise answer.

  “An enemy, one that was capable of entering my Inner Sanctum to seal off my bloodline and Origin Attribute.”


  “What?”


  Artasia shot to her feet upon hearing Roel’s words, revealing a shocked look. Noticing her huge response, Roel narrowed his eyes.

  This was the first time Artasia had revealed a shocked look to him ever since their first encounter. Even in a life-and-death situation, the Witch Queen had never shown any hints of nervousness. Yet, Roel’s words seemed to have rattled her mind.

  “It looks like you know what the Inner Sanctum is,” said Roel with certainty.

  Artasia slowly sat back down on her throne, but her expression remained grave.

  She did know what the Inner Sanctum was.

  Ancient gods like her inevitably accrued great knowledge over the course of their lifetime, and Artasia herself had done thorough research on the Kingmaker Bloodline. It was only normal for her to have heard of the Inner Sanctum.

  Her eyes glimmered contemplatively for a short moment before she finally began speaking.

  “The Inner Sanctum is a sacred ground of the legendary Kingmaker Clan, accessible only to those who are deemed qualified.”


  “Deemed qualified?”


  “That’s right. I don’t know what the exact standards are; it could be the knowledge of a certain spell or the purity of bloodline. What I’m trying to say is that it’s not a place where others can enter as and when they like,” replied Artasia in an uncharacteristically grim tone.

  “…”


  Roel was able to swiftly grasp the implications of what Artasia had just mentioned.

  Bryan had told him in his dying breath that the Collector had been keeping tabs on the Ascart House for many years now. Was it during the course of his observation that the Collector found a loophole to enter the Inner Sanctum… or did he have free access to the Inner Sanctum from the very start?

  Such thoughts sparked an ominous premonition in Roel’s mind.

  Other than that, there was also one seemingly minor detail that Roel had noticed—Artasia was acting very differently from usual. The Witch Queen had never shown care for anything, but she seemed particularly concerned about the appearance of the Fallens, even going to the extent of enquiring about a departed enemy.

  The wariness and hostility she had displayed were unusual.

  “Artasia, you seem particularly concerned about the Fallens.”


  “Concerned? I guess those emotions are ingrained into my very existence. The Fallens are the mortal nemesis of our clans, after all.”


  “Mortal nemesis?

  “My hero, have you never wondered about it? Your clan had been lurking in the shadows for most parts of its history, so isn’t it baffling how there’s such a deep-seated grudge between your clan and those disgusting Fallens?” asked Artasia.

  Roel took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering the question.

  “That’s because our clan has chosen to stand against the Savior and interfere with His revival.”


  “That’s one of the contributing reasons, but it isn’t the cause of this ill-fated relationship. Both your Kingmaker Clan and us witches are of special standing in the ancient era; some consider us Sia’s close aides. Our existence naturally draws the vigilance of others. Due to that, the Savior instincitvely sought to erase our existence after His descent into lunacy.”


  Artasia rested her hands on her knees as she began recounting the past with a chillingly stoic expression, her words seething with killing intent.

  Roel’s expression tightened up at the sudden revelation of the past. It reminded him of his advancement to Origin Level 3, where he induced a phenomenon that manifested Sia’s visage.

  It’s likely that the Kingmaker Clan used to have deep ties with Sia back in the ancient era, but over the long years, Sia ceased to exist, and the heritage of the Kingmaker Clan got severed at some point in time. If not Artasia, I might have never learned about this at all.

  “Tread carefully, my hero. They are definitely aiming for you, especially that man who entered your Inner Sanctum.”


  “Mm, I understand.”


  Toward Artasia’s rare show of concern, Roel acknowledged her advice with a nod. He already had some thoughts in mind as to what he was going to do next. Seeing that, a smile reappeared on Artasia’s face as she reverted to her usual self.

  “It’s not my wish to see harm fall upon you, but how boring it is to lead a mundane daily life? What a dilemma, don’t you think?”


  “What a quick change of mood. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a witch.”


  “That’s why the only option here is to massacre every last one of those revolting vermins. Heh, I’m starting to look forward to it.’


  Artasia placed her hand on her cheek as she revealed a radiant smile. Her narrowed madder red eyes glimmered with murderous intent. Her excitement lasted for a few seconds before she finally rose to her feet and curtsied toward Roel.

  “You must be exhausted after fighting a tough battle. Let’s wrap things up here so that you can have a good rest, my hero.”


  “Sounds ironic coming from the one who disrupted my rest,” replied Roel with a helpless sigh.

  As he bade his farewell, his surroundings began to distort. Soon, everything plunged into darkness.