Chapter 789: Returning to Reality

"Brother, where were you last night?" Joanne asked with a mischievous smile on her face. "You and Ramona didn't return. Did the two of you do something fun?"

Ethan wanted to pinch his cute sister's cheek for being snarky so early in the morning.

He had just returned from the tower, and the first thing that his sister, who was still wearing her nightgown, said was this.

"It's time to go back," Ethan said as he lightly patted Joanne's head. "You can already feel it, right? This world has already completed its duty."

Joanne nodded, knowing her brother was right.

She could feel the invisible shackles that bound her to this world gradually grow weaker.

Also, her Other Half, who mysteriously disappeared when she entered the painting, was now talking to her once more.

"Where is Ramona?" Joanne asked. "I'd like to say goodbye to her."

"She… is no longer around," Ethan replied softly. "But I'm sure we will meet her again in the future."

Joanne's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before nodding her head in understanding.

"Un!" Joanne hugged her brother and closed her eyes. "Find her, Brother. She's waited long enough."

Ethan didn't know why her sister said those words. It was as if she knew that Ramona was somewhere out there, waiting for him to find her.

Even so, he only nodded and hugged his sister back.

"I'll do my best," Ethan replied before shifting his gaze to Hecate, who was looking at them with a faint smile on her face.

"Shall we go?" Hecate asked.

Ethan nodded, and soon, the world around them slowly faded away. But before it completely disappeared, Ethan saw the "Ramona" from the world of the Painting standing behind Hecate.

The Princess winked and waved goodbye before she disappeared with the world.

A few seconds later, the three teenagers found themselves at the Forbidden Section of the Library.

As if knowing what each other was thinking, they all looked at the Painting of Enlightenment and observed the scenery that it now depicted.

To their surprise, they saw something that they weren't expecting to see.

They saw Ethan sitting on what seemed to be a throne, and on his lap was a little girl with blue hair, no older than two years old.

The little girl was sleeping peacefully in Ethan's embrace, and he was looking at her fondly.

As if sensing their gazes, the Ethan in the painting raised his head to look at the people observing him.

He then smiled faintly before raising a finger over his lips as if telling them not to make a sound because they might wake up his baby.

A moment later, he reached out to the side of the painting and moved something, similar to a curtain to block their view.

The three stared at the painting, which was now blocked by a curtain, with looks of surprise in their faces.

"B-Brother, congratulations!" Joanne said. "Is Lily pregnant? Am I going to become an Aunt now? Wait, aren't I too young to be an Aunt? But since my niece is cute, it's fine!"

"Congratulations, Sir Ethan," Hecate said with a smile. "Your baby is indeed very cute. But for some reason, doesn't she look like me?"

Ethan, who was a bit shaken after seeing the painting, was still in a daze.

The Painting of Enlightenment connected the past, present, and future.

Even so, a part of him was thinking that the painting was just teasing him for intruding on Joanne's and Hecate's enlightenment using brute force.

"Brother, hello?" Joanne waved her hand in front of Ethan, making the latter shake his head as if trying to break free from the trance he was under. "Are you still there?"

"Be good," Ethan said after he finally regained his composure. "First, let's go back to the Manor. Everyone must be worried about us."

Joanne nodded. "Right. How long have we been inside the painting?"

"A week."

The young lady almost jumped up in fright, for the voice had come from right beside her ear, taking her by surprise.

A chuckle spread inside the Forbidden Section of the Library as Lyle held onto his stomach while floating in the air.

"Y-You!" Joanne, whose cheeks were now burning out of embarassment, pointed at the laughing ghost with a glare. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Nonsense." Lyle chuckled. "You're too young to get a heart attack."

The ghost then glanced at Ethan and gave him a thumbs up.

"It seems that you manage to save these two in time," Lyle said. "Although the Painting of Enlightenment can give someone enlightenment, it doesn't change the fact that they would find themselves in danger inside of it.

"A price must be paid to gain its knowledge. Those who fail would find themselves becoming part of that world, forgetting the old one they left behind. Now, leave this place. Go back to where you brats belong."

After being shooed out of the Forbidden Section of the Library, the three decided to return to the Dud Manor first to inform everyone that they were fine.

"I wonder who is the mother of the baby in the painting?" Joanne asked as he walked hand in hand with Hecate.

"She has a strong resemblance to me," Hecate replied with a smile.

"Eh? She looks more like me, though?" Joanne stated.

"… That's going to cause a lot of problems if that is true, you know?" Hecate commented, which made Joanne chuckle.

"I mean, of course she will look like me. We're family," Joanne replied. "My brother and I inherited our mother's looks. But joking aside, does she really look like you? I've only seen half of her face. But she looks more like Nicole…"

"She's cute like me, so the possibility exists," Hecate said, which made Joanne giggle.

"Hehehe. Well, I don't mind if that's true as well."

"Right?"

Ethan, who was busy talking to Sebastian and his Other Half inside his Sea of Consciousness, wasn't aware of what the two girls were talking about.

He was busy discussing his experiences inside the painting and asking the two for advice on how he could find Ramona.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was out there somewhere.

He could feel it in his heart, so he wanted to look for her as soon as possible.

"There is a way, Ethan," Ethan's Other Half said. "But you might not believe me even if I tell you about it."

"Try me," Ethan replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Ethan's Other Half eyed the young man before nodding his head.

"Ethan, you do remember that you have Ashmedai's blood flowing inside your body, right?" Ethan's Other Half said.

Ethan nodded. "What about it?"

"It's about memories," Ethan's Other Half explained. "Even if you forget, your heart remembers. If your heart remembers, the body remembers it as well. What I'm trying to say is that your body is a bit special because it will remember the women it has embraced."

"…"

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Ethan and Sebastian looked at Ethan's Other Half as if he was crazy, but seeing how serious the latter looked, both of them felt that he was truly telling the truth.

"So you're saying that Ethan's Demon Blood can tell where Princess Ramona is?" Sebastian, who already knew who the Princess was, asked with a smile on his face. "Do you mean that he only has to tap into his inner power and see if he will get a reaction?"

"She did say that she now looks different from her previous appearance, so Ethan might not be able to recognize her even if she were standing right in front of him."

Ethan's Other Half nodded. "Exactly. But, in order to do that, you need to fully awaken your demon bloodline first."

"How?" Ethan, who wished to find the Princess as soon as possible, asked.

"Deal with the Demigod first," Ethan's Other Half replied. "It will be best to settle the matter with him as soon as possible. Though it will be best if you take Hecate with you. She knows a bit about Godfrey, and you also need a witch with you to fight him at your peak condition."

"But why Hecate?" Ethan asked. "Shouldn't I take one of my lovers instead?"

"That works as well, but I still think that you should take Hecate with you," Ethan's Other Half insisted. "Think about it for now. You can decide once you've talked to Professor Rinehart and received permission to travel to Migard to look for Godfrey's whereabouts."

Ethan nodded in understanding. Although he didn't know why his Other Half was insisting that he take Hecate with him to Midgard, he believed that his supporter had a reason why he was saying something like this.