CH 565.2

The Mother Goddess placed Her hand on his to console him. She belatedly realized that Her lamentations could be misinterpreted as Her blaming him for not having done better. She knew that She shouldn’t linger on this, but She struggled to find another topic to talk about.

On the other hand, Roel’s expression slowly hardened with determination. After a moment of thought, he suddenly dropped a question.

“Mother, that’s not what I am bothered about. I am worried about the recent war. Is the fight going well?”

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“…You could say that.”

“But You have been on Your guard all this while. Your hair is still silver.”

“…”

Faced with that remark, the Mother Goddess lowered Her head and sighed. She was unable to refute Roel’s point. She spent a moment in contemplation before answering the question.

“The fight is going well, but the tides may turn within the next few days.”

It looks like something is really going to happen.

Roel narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Meanwhile, the Mother Goddess shared the recent developments on the war.

While there had been a steady influx of races joining the Mother Goddess’ faction thanks to the Kingmaker’s halo, Her faction was still weaker in terms of military prowess. In view of that, She had expected to struggle on the frontlines.

Yet, contrary to what She had expected, Her faction had been achieving decisive victories one after another.

Such a situation had prompted even more races to rally under the Mother Goddess’ flag. The faction’s morale was at an all-time high. However, the Mother Goddess Herself had an ominous feeling about it.

No one in this world understood the Savior and the races more than the Mother Goddess. It was painfully obvious to Her how unnatural this one-sided situation was.

“He must be scheming something. He knows that He’s no match for Me in terms of individual prowess. There’s no way He could sit still and watch as the neutral races rally under My flag. The battle is as good as over once My military prowess surpasses His.” The Mother Goddess revealed Her conjecture.

“I know that the Savior has to be up to something, but how can you be certain that He’ll make a move within the next few days?” Roel posed a question.

“Our next target, Dragon’s Gorge, is the most important fortress for His faction. It’ll be extremely difficult for them to defend against us once we breach Dragon’s Gorge. My intelligence teams have already noticed some movements on the frontlines.”

“I see.”

Roel nodded before falling into deep thought. Heartened to see Her child worrying about Her, the Mother Goddess rose to Her feet and gently embraced Roel.

“Rest assured. That impersonator might have His schemes, but I have aces up My sleeves too. You don’t need to be too worried.”

“Mother…”

“You don’t have to worry about the war. Just stay here and don’t think too much about it. I’ll clean up those pests.”

“…”

Roel was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

The Mother Goddess revealed a tender smile before pressing Her lips against Roel’s forehead. She proceeded to check Roel’s condition before bidding him farewell to return to the frontlines.

Roel watched as the Mother Goddess’ silhouette disappeared under the moonlight. His face slowly turned impassive as he gazed at the starry sky with an unreadable expression. It was only when the silver moon rose to the highest point in the sky that he finally turned around and returned to his room.

…

Have you noticed the changes in Lord Roel’s habits ever since the Mother Goddess returned from the frontlines?

This was currently the hottest gossip in the Moonsoul Tower. Many people were concerned about it, as his change was simply too huge.

Roel had always slept and woken up early to ensure that his body received ample rest, and his activities had mostly been limited to the highest floor of the Moonsoul Tower.

However, this had completely changed in recent days. For instance, he had expanded his area of movement from the Moonsoul Tower all the way to the distant gorge where the God’s Envoy lay dormant. He consistently traveled between the Moonsoul Tower and the gorge, sometimes even four times in a day.

Such unnatural behavior was bound to draw attention.

Some even theorized that Roel had received a confidential mission from the Mother Goddess, and the basis behind that conjecture lay in his movements in the Moonsoul Tower.

Roel had changed his usual hangout spot in the Moonsoul Tower from the sky garden to the High Elves’ quarter. He was often spotted staring at the scepter with a severe look on his face. Sometimes, he even stepped forward to touch the scepter.

His unusual actions alarmed the High Elves, who were tasked with managing the God’s Envoys. Micher, who was still keeping a close eye on Roel, even once raged over this matter.

The guards who were responsible for ensuring Roel’s safety were also stressed out from his frequent traveling, but in view of the Kingmaker’s special position and his special ties with the Mother Goddess, none of them dared to raise any complaints.

The only one who had the courage to ask Roel about his unusual behavior was Adola, but he didn’t give her a clear answer. Slowly, the focus within the Moonsoul Tower shifted away from Roel to the developments on the frontlines.

Dragon’s Gorge was a strategic chokepoint leading into the Savior’s territory. It served as an important fortress that greatly expanded the strategic maneuverability of the Savior’s faction, whether they were taking an offensive or defensive stance.

Should the Mother Goddess’ faction overrun this fortress, the Savior’s faction would be forced to adopt a passive stance. Needless to say, that didn’t bode well for the Savior’s faction.

It was no exaggeration to say that the entire world’s eyes were on Dragon’s Gorge. Scouts were dispatched from all places to gather the latest updates from the frontlines. This was the crucial battle that would determine the allegiance of the remaining neutral races, after all.

Yet, Roel was an outlier in this tense atmosphere. Instead of anxiously awaiting news from the frontlines like the others, he first took a leisurely trip to the gorge before holing himself up in the High Elves’ quarter.

He chased all of the guards out, including Adola, leaving him alone in the room with the scepter. There was a calm look on his face, but his eyes were brimming with resolution. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Just as the sun was about to set beyond the horizon, a familiar sensation suddenly washed over him. Silence engulfed the world as everything froze in place. The world didn’t turn monochrome as it did during his encounter with the Death God, instead remaining as vibrant as ever.

Rays of sunlight shone down on the surroundings, sprouting warmth from the bottom of one’s heart.

Roel’s body began to glow. A bundle of light separated from him and floated into the air. It transformed into many different shapes before finally morphing into a figure that spurred a feeling of closeness.

A young man who shared the same black hair and golden eyes as Roel walked out of the light with a gentle smile. From the moment he landed on the ground, it felt like another sun had risen within the room. His overflowing life force revitalized those who stood in his vicinity.

Roel wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of this young man. He already knew who the other party was, as well as the significance behind his appearance here.

The moment of choice had unknowingly arrived.