Chapter 549: Kingmaker
Roel Ascart had battled for his entire life. He had always fearlessly stood his ground no matter how powerful his foe was, and it was through his strength and wits that he had overcome trial after trial. His battle records would have awed even the proudest combat maniac.
But this time, against the adversary known as the Mother Goddess, he unhesitatingly chose to lie flat.
I mean, what am I supposed to do against an opponent that's way out of my league?
Fighting the Mother Goddess was a one-way ticket to hell. The earth-shattering attack She had inflicted on the Archangel Sanctuary earlier showed that.
By no means were the thousands of angelic silhouettes floating inside the Archangel Sanctuary just ornaments on display. Even the weakest of them was at Origin Level 3, making them a terrifying army of high transcendents. Yet, the Mother Goddess squashed them like bugs.
Even now, Roel could still vividly remember the sounds of those angelic silhouettes popping one after another… and that was probably nothing more than a casual attack from Her. She hadn’t even spared a glance at the sky ever since appearing before him!
Nope. Definitely nope. No way in hell am I going to fight an opponent like that.
That was how Roel came to his decision. Surprisingly, his decision to submit saved him from imprisonment.
“…There’s no need to imprison him. Bring him to My chamber.”
The astonishment of the nearby high elves was almost tangible when the Mother Goddess said those words, and Roel understood where they were coming from. Those words signaled a huge change in Roel’s identity.
Someone who was imprisoned was a prisoner. Even the respected Kingmaker would have to be subjected to cuffs or restraint spells when being held as a prisoner.
It was a different story if he was to be brought to the Mother Goddess’ chamber instead, for that meant that he wasn't a prisoner but a guest, albeit one with his freedom restricted. Still, it entitled him to much better treatment.
Upon hearing the order, the high elves humbly put away their glimmering jewel handcuffs.
The Mother Goddess turned to look at Roel. Her golden eyes glowed with increasing luminosity before the light quietly faded off. Roel felt his body growing heavy as the mana flowing in him lost its vitality and fell stagnant.
“I have sealed your strength. Don’t attempt to resist. It’ll only hurt you.”
Once again, those words were conveyed in a manner that sounded like both a warning and a plea. Roel fell into a dilemma. He couldn’t tell how the Mother Goddess felt about him.
The Mother Goddess proceeded to relay some orders to the high elves before turning Her attention back to Roel. Words seemed to be lingering at the tip of Her tongue, but She held Herself back again and again. In the end, She went with four short sentences.
“Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you. Don’t escape anymore… I’ll be leaving first.”
The full moon hanging in the night sky suddenly shone with greater brilliance, and before Roel knew it, the Mother Goddess had already vanished into thin air. The high elves slightly arched their backs to respectfully see Her off.
Roel exhaled in relief. He belatedly realized that his back was soaked from the short interaction he had with the Mother Goddess. While She had promised to spare him, it was still mentally taxing to be in Her presence. It was like standing before a humongous dragon, only worse.
In any case, this event had changed the trajectory laid out before him.
“Esteemed Kingmaker, it’s a long journey from here. Allow us to ensure your safety.”
The high elves stepped forward after the Mother Goddess left. They addressed Roel respectfully, but the underlying intent behind their words was clear. Knowing his place as a ‘guest’, he nodded before obediently following the high elves.
The nearby army comprising the races that had allied themselves with the Mother Goddess quickly gathered around them while warily eyeing the Savior’s army.
Roel looked at the vigilant troops around him, followed by the devastated battlefield behind him. He then sighed softly under his breath before striding toward the unknown.
…
Roel was treated pretty well after the Mother Goddess left.
To get to the Mother Goddess’ chamber, the first thing they had to do was to get out of this carcass-filled battlefield. A prisoner would have been transported out using a prison vehicle or just an ordinary carriage, but he rode on a majestic war chariot instead.
This war chariot was a magic tool that rumbled with a hint of thunder. It was pulled by the pegasi, the legendary winged beast often spoken alongside the unicorns.
The skies in this era were unlike those in the Third Epoch. Not only was it disrespectful to fly above the powerhouses’ territories, but large portions of the sky were owned by various powers too. For instance, the Wingman Clan dominated huge swathes of aerial spaces. Those who wished to fly across these spaces would have to pay tariffs… and that was already a positive outcome. The more unreasonable aerial powers would have intruders outright murdered.
Riding on the war chariot pulled by the pegasi meant that Roel was the Mother Goddess’ most esteemed guest, thus he could roam freely wherever the moonlight shone. Any acts of aggression directed toward the war chariot would be equivalent to waging war against Her.
While the Mother Goddess had initially gotten extremely agitated at his escape, She no longer showed any inclination to take his life once he expressed his intent to submit. She even made thorough preparations to ensure his safety. He was granted the treatment of a VIP, and the guards showed him ample respect.
Roel still wasn’t sure what kind of position the Kingmaker had in this era, but he could fathom a guess from others’ attitudes. For instance, most people subconsciously arched their backs upon seeing him, and the spontaneity of how they did so suggested that it wasn’t a result of the Mother Goddess’ influence.
Every army was bound to have its fair share of pricks. Even though Roel, in official terms, was the Mother Goddess’ guest, no one was deceived for even the slightest instant that he was not, in fact, a prisoner. Of course, these soldiers wouldn’t foolishly defy the Mother Goddess’ will and hurt him, but they wouldn’t have a high opinion of him either. It was more likely for them to feel aggrieved that a prisoner was receiving such preferential treatment.
Without a doubt, he was receiving more respect than what someone in his plight deserved.
The only possibility he could think of was that the Kingmaker commanded a high level of prestige in this era, to the extent that imprisoning him was considered an offense.
This left him wondering just what kind of role the Kingmaker played in this era. He knew that the Kingmaker Clan had played the role of an inspector of some sort and had contracted many ancient gods in this era, but he wasn’t sure about the specific details.
Fortunately, it should be easy enough for him to tease out this information from others.
A female high elf, who was clearly one of the leaders of her clan, had boarded the war chariot together with him. She was a looker, having inherited the superior aesthetics of her race, but it was hardly enough to make Roel bat an eyelid.
Nowhere close to Charlotte, he proudly thought.
Even when blessed with the Primordial High Elf Bloodline, a human was bound to be inferior to a real high elf, but Charlotte was an exception, and not only in terms of her looks. Even her strength would surpass her ancestors in due time.
Roel nodded smugly to himself, but he quickly shook out of his reverie. This was no time to be daydreaming. He should make full use of this chance to gather as much information as possible.
“Are you allowed to speak with me?”
“Yes, milord. However, I may be unable to answer some of your questions.”
“What’s your name?”
“I am Adola, milord.”
Having received a positive answer from his high elf guard, Roel nodded in satisfaction before embarking on a barrage of random questions.
“Is the war chariot moving at its fastest speed?”
“What if a fog settles in?”
“Will you be the one taking care of me throughout the entire journey?”
Adola respectfully answered these mundane questions, not displaying any hint of impatience. Roel narrowed his eyes.
These questions might have appeared meaningless at first glance, but they had been carefully crafted to draw out crucial information. His inquiry about the maximum speed of the war chariot could be considered an insidious attempt to scout military intelligence, but Adola answered him without withholding any information.
Are these kinds of questions permitted too? Does this mean I’m allowed to ask anything I want as long as it doesn’t directly concern the Mother Goddess?
This gave Roel a good idea as to the rough boundaries of the questions he could pose, but he chose to continue chatting with Adola first to further lower her guard. He turned his eyes toward the silver moon in the sky and softly sighed.
“This incident was a misunderstanding. I only came here because I received a tip-off from an old friend, Lamia, to avoid the war.”
“Well… That would be for the best.”
Adola was unsure of how she should react to Roel’s explanation; it took her a while to squeeze out a response. Roel responded with a weak smile.
“Am I really that important at all?”
“Of course! Your stance makes all the difference in the world. Your choice represents Sia’s will. Your words have the power to influence how others view our Mother Goddess!” Adola answered vehemently as if she couldn’t believe that Roel would ask such an obvious question.
“!”
Roel was stunned. Moments later, he sorrowfully lowered his head and sighed.
“The Genesis Goddess has already left us. What weight do my words hold? War is already inevitable. I don’t think that I can reciprocate the Mother Goddess’ expectations.”
“…Even so, you are the Overseer. Your acknowledgment will shake the determination of those fools beguiled by that repugnant sun. It might even change the trajectory of the war. Besides… you are an irreplaceable existence to our Mother Goddess. All of us understand that.”
“…”
Sensing a hint of envy and disappointment in Adola’s words, Roel’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. His silence concluded their conversation.
Adola didn’t dare to say anything. She worried that her words had triggered something in him that made him reconsider the option of siding with the Savior, but the truth was that Roel had no intention of siding with anyone. He was simply processing the information acquired from their conversation.
The situation was clear now.
The Kingmaker served as Sia’s representative, tasked with the responsibility of evaluating the Race Sovereigns and bestowing legitimacy through crowning them. That was probably what Artasia meant when she said that he was the inspector.
It was similar to how ancient China’s imperial censors kept tabs on the officials of the imperial court to ensure that they didn’t overstep their boundaries, just that the power accorded to the Kingmaker was much greater and more concentrated. His ability to govern the Race Sovereigns meant that he was, in a way, second to only Sia Herself.
Back when Sia was still around, the Kingmaker’s position was unshakable due to Her mandate. That was no longer the case, but the Kingmaker remained a special existence by virtue of the contracts he had sealed with many generations of Race Sovereigns. Even the Mother Goddess and Savior would be influenced by him.
Whoever the Kingmaker sided with would be granted Sia’s legitimacy.
That explained why the Mother Goddess had gone as far as to directly intervene in the situation in order to bring him back. His existence was a political bomb. Any side that recruited him would be able to strip the other party of any rightful claims they had over Sia’s succession, thus shaking that faction’s morale.
This realization eroded any intent he had of escaping from the Mother Goddess’ clutches.
It was a miracle that the Mother Goddess was willing to spare him this time around. It was best not to bank on a miracle happening a second time.
Roel fearfully patted his heart. It frightened him to think about how close he had been to dying earlier. On the bright side, this gave him a hint as to what he was supposed to do here. He turned his attention toward the System, only to notice something that made his body stiffen up.
【The crossroads of the future and the past, as the sun and the moon vie for the sky. The key to choose has been returned to your hands. Uncover your own path.】
【Progress of Bloodline Awakening: 17%】 【Evaluation: Average (52)】
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