Chapter 156
An ancient magic circle that had sealed the Wraith of Darkness.
It was a far more serious and dangerous matter than he had anticipated. It wasn’t just Alice’s problem.
In the past, when a wicked group bewitched by the wraith summoned the power of darkness to this world through an ancient magic circle, countless lives on the continent perished.
More than during wartime. They killed indiscriminately—children, the elderly, everyone.
The massacre that swept the continent was so tremendous that the Deity Helios directly manifested in this land.
But it was impossible to annihilate the wraith, which had grown too powerful based on countless sacrifices.
So the Deity sealed the wraith in an ancient magic circle imbued with his power.
And as the ancient texts mentioned, Ricardo led the priests and destroyed all the magic circles.
But contrary to what was recorded in the ancient texts, Ricardo, the Deity’s priest, had betrayed the Deity.
If the ancient magic circle had been in the Empress’s Palace since the first Emperor’s time…
Numerous black magic practitioners must have offered sacrifices to awaken the Wraith of Darkness over the years.
Then naturally, the seal would have weakened considerably.
‘So that’s why the Deity searched even across dimensions to bring a soul compatible with him.’
To eliminate the Wraith of Darkness before its seal was broken.
Otherwise, a tremendous bloodbath would sweep the continent once again.
Kylus’s extraordinary mind moved quickly to grasp the situation.
Meanwhile, he recalled what Alice had said yesterday:
‘But when I actually saw that something, it wasn’t something I could eliminate with my power. After hearing this, the Deity ordered me not to do anything.’
She had said the Deity told her to withdraw because it was beyond her power.
Why?
Hadn’t the Deity brought Alice specifically to eliminate the ancient magic circle?
After deliberately finding a compatible soul and bestowing upon Alice the blessing of powerful holy power, why would he now tell her to withdraw?
Everything fit together perfectly, but there was just one thing he couldn’t understand, causing him to furrow his brow.
Or perhaps… the Deity intended to eliminate the ancient magic circle himself?
But if so, it didn’t make sense that he would go to the trouble of searching across dimensions to bring a soul called Han Soo-yeon.
What could it be?
Could it be… that even the Deity didn’t know?
That what was in the basement floor of the Empress’s Palace was an ancient magic circle.
He knew there was a power of darkness, but didn’t know it was a magic circle that sealed the wraith itself…
Just like himself.
But now that he knew, he told Alice to withdraw because it was beyond her ability.
Perhaps because he had found an answer that was close to certainty, his extraordinary mind quickly solved the momentary blockage.
And after fully understanding the secret between Alice and the Deity, Kylus’s face darkened even more than before he knew.
If all his guesses were correct… even if he had figured everything out, there was nothing he could do.
Although he possessed far greater strength than an ordinary human, he was still human in the end.
The other side was a wraith close to a god.
A human couldn’t possibly challenge it. Moreover, he wasn’t a human specially chosen by the Deity.
To think he truly couldn’t do anything.
Kylus felt a sense of helplessness, as if he’d fallen into a deep quagmire.
Should he consider it fortunate that Alice had withdrawn from a matter where he couldn’t help?
But Kylus soon let out a cold sneer.
This was no situation to rejoice that Alice had withdrawn.
‘And if danger arises… not only me but Kylus too will die together, so really, don’t worry.’
That statement was true after all.
Having promised not to tell even the slightest lie, Alice had indeed told only the truth that day.
If the Wraith of Darkness broke its seal and emerged into the world, as she said, not only she but also he—no, countless people in this world—would all die.
What was the Deity planning to do?
Even if he hadn’t known about the ancient magic circle, now that he knew, shouldn’t he act before such a catastrophe occurs?
Whether by delivering an oracle or manifesting directly.
He needed to eliminate it before the seal broke.
Yet he only told Alice to withdraw, and there had been no movement until now…
It was strange.
But no matter how extraordinary Kylus’s mind was, this was as far as his deductions could go.
A mere human couldn’t read all the intentions of the god who created this world.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
Kylus exhaled heavily and placed the book back in its place. And he thought:
‘What if I asked the Deity directly? Could I get an answer?’
However, the answer to his contemplation came quickly.
Impossible.
It wasn’t impossible because the Deity wouldn’t give him an answer.
Rather, it was impossible to hear the Deity’s voice in the first place.
Not everyone could hear the Deity’s voice. Only those with high holy power, like the High Priest or the Pope, could do so.
And even then, it was a one-way communication where the Deity delivered oracles once every few years.
Why would the Deity speak to Kylus, who was neither a High Priest nor a Pope?
If his faith in the Deity was high, perhaps, but Kylus lacked even that.
Of course, he acknowledged that the God of Light, Helios, created this world, but he didn’t revere the deity.
His very nature was too indifferent in all matters to revere a god.
Even if it was deemed blasphemous.
Moreover, the life he had lived was too harsh. If he had felt anything toward the deity, it would have been resentment rather than reverence.
Why are you so cruel to me? That sort of thing.
Perhaps that’s why, despite donating large sums to the temple every month, Kylus had never once offered a prayer to the Deity.
Even on the battlefield, many knights would hold the sun-shaped pendant, the symbol of the Deity, and pray for good fortune before going to war, but Kylus did not.
The life he had lived wasn’t one where wishes came true just by asking.
But even so, he now had a fraction more feeling toward the deity than in the past.
After all, although Alice had used it, the source of the power that saved him was ultimately the Deity’s power.
Also, because the deity was deeply intertwined with the woman he loved.
Nevertheless, the fact that he couldn’t hear the Deity’s voice remained unchanged.
Yet he couldn’t just sit idly by… should he meet with High Priest Prion?
In truth, going through Alice would be the quickest path, but Alice wasn’t an option for Kylus.
Especially if what was in the Empress’s Palace was the Wraith of Darkness.
Since the Deity had told her to withdraw, keeping her permanently retreated in her current state would be safest.
But in the end, it was just a temporary measure; for Alice to truly be safe, the Wraith of Darkness needed to be eliminated.
“The temple…”
As Kylus was murmuring darkly, the librarian who managed the library approached and said:
“Your Grace. I apologize, but it’s almost time to close the library.”
Kylus’s contemplation halted.
“Is it already that time?”
Checking his pocket watch, he saw that it was indeed already evening, as the librarian had said.
Lost in deep thought, he hadn’t noticed the passing of time.
Despite his long contemplation, he hadn’t found a satisfying answer.
There was nothing more to discover here.
“Thank you for your work.”
Kylus left a brief greeting to the librarian and departed from the library.
The Imperial Palace of the Pentium Empire.
On the path toward the Sun Palace, Ruyd, following behind Alice, said:
“My lady, are your legs alright? Let’s take the carriage now.”
It wasn’t the first time he had said this. Ruyd was saying the same thing for the third time.
To which Alice gave the same reply for the third time:
“I’m fine. It’s nice to sightsee around the Imperial Palace.”
“Even so… the distance from the Astel Palace to the Sun Palace is quite far to walk in those shoes. I’m worried you might get blisters.”
Unlike the previous two times, Ruyd didn’t retreat easily this time. In response, Alice, unlike before, stopped walking and turned to look at Ruyd.
She saw Ruyd’s face with furrowed brows, as if genuinely concerned.
In truth, his concern was justified.
As Ruyd had said, Alice was currently walking from the Astel Palace to the Sun Palace without using any means of transportation.
No matter how close the Astel Palace was said to be to the Sun Palace, this was the vast Imperial Palace.
That “closeness” was definitely not walking distance. It was considered close when using transportation.
But contrary to Ruyd’s concerns, Alice wasn’t particularly tired.
And she genuinely wanted to sightsee, as the Imperial Palace bathed in the sunset was beautiful.
She might never see such a beautiful Imperial Palace again.
No, she probably truly wouldn’t be able to.
If the seal of the Wraith of Darkness broke, the world would end and she wouldn’t see it; and if the Deity found a way to descend to this world and annihilate the Wraith of Darkness, half of the Imperial Palace would be blown away.
Neither scenario would leave the Imperial Palace unscathed.
Moreover, once the First Prince was revived and the Third Prince ascended to the Crown Prince position, the Imperial Palace would become quite tumultuous.
The Empress wouldn’t just sit and watch, would she?
But right now, the Empress had closed the doors to her palace herself. So there was no need to worry about accidentally encountering her.
Hence, Alice didn’t want to miss this moment of leisure and was sightseeing the beautiful sunset-bathed Imperial Palace on her way to meet Kylus.
Still, Ruyd’s concern was understandable.
Alice said to Ruyd:
“Sir Ostein, don’t worry. I’m from the countryside. Would someone like me, who roamed through mountain villages, get blisters from just this much walking?”
“You… roamed through mountain villages?”
Ruyd had a dumbfounded expression.
Even if she was from the countryside, she was a lady from a noble family, so it was hard to believe she had roamed through mountain villages.
Well, the real Alice Fordley had never roamed through mountain villages.
The countryside-born person who had roamed through mountain villages wasn’t Alice Fordley but Han Soo-yeon.
But now I am Alice.
It doesn’t matter.
Alice curled up the corners of her mouth at Ruyd, who had a slightly blank face.
“Yes, I did. So I’m really fine. Well, if I do get tired along the way, I’ll let you know.”
“…Understood. Then please be sure to tell me immediately if your legs start to hurt.”
Ruyd, composing his surprised expression, quietly stepped back two paces.
Thus, Alice continued walking toward the Sun Palace.
By the time the once-red sunset had darkened to purple, Alice arrived at the Sun Palace.
Alice’s real destination was the Galeo, the building housing the military leadership within the Sun Palace.
‘He’ll be quite surprised to see me.’
Kylus didn’t know that Alice was coming to him right now.
He knew she was visiting the palace to meet the Third Prince, but she had said she would go straight back to the Duchy after meeting the Third Prince today.
So this meeting was a kind of surprise event.
As Alice was happily smiling, imagining Kylus’s surprised face, she encountered someone in the arched corridor.
A familiar face, but one that gave her chills and discomfort every time she saw him.
Hasis Winston.
