It needs to be destroyed. Simply assassinating Kiriye was not enough.
“Zero, you know.”
「Huh?」
“What you thought you missed… could it possibly be…”
My head repeated deductions heatedly.
What could the power of the god that Kiriye, who was from the Kaladia Empire, could get his hands on be?
This continent is divided into several countries, and the gods they worship vary. So, for Kiriye, a citizen of the empire, there was only one god he could access.
The deity, Ardel.
The first emperor who founded the Kaladia Empire, the savior of Kaladia, a close friend, and the only deity of the empire who deeply cherished her, even blessing the bloodline of future generations.
“The point might be that he stole the power left by Ardel, who vacated his position.”
「What?!」
At my words, Zero trembled as if he were in a cold wind, sparks flying from his staff in surprise.
Others also paid attention to my words. It was an intriguing topic.
“Go on, Duke.”
Astan encouraged me. Perhaps it was like telling a story that would have no repercussions even if the Pope were alive and arrested as a heretic. No one here would criticize me.
Who would mock me as a witch when there might be a life-threatening situation?
“In fact, I couldn’t say it, but the deity who managed this world was Ardel, worshipped as the sole deity in the empire. However… according to Zero, at some point, Ardel suddenly disappeared, and the world experienced a slight rift.”
I never revealed that I was the one who came through that rift.
Zero was in trouble.
「T-That, you shouldn’t just casually reveal it to humans. It’s like leaking divine secrets. What if they punish you for abusing this in the divine realm?!」
I don’t know, dude.
Humans have the right to know too. The god should have refrained from casting aside his duties and avoiding responsibility.
“So?”
Astan and others, with glittering eyes, waited for me to continue. It was a bit burdensome, but I had to speak now.
“I don’t exactly know what happened. However, the late Crown Prince told me. ‘Kiriye stole some power. The power left by a god for the human he favored.'”
“Favored human…”
Astan blinked, then slowly broke into a distorted smile. Neither crying nor laughing, it was a smile.
“That seems to point to the imperial bloodline.”
“!”
“If what the Duke says is correct in referring to the term ‘deity’ as Ardel, who was a given deity. Like the myths say.”
Jacqueline chimed in, clapping her hands as if she realized something.
“Myth. If you compare it to the myth of the empire’s founding, all these stories make sense!”
The founding myth of the empire.
“Many people only remember the story that the first emperor, Kaladia, received Ardel’s blessing, saved the people from calamity, and was admired, and then became the emperor himself. But if you dig a little deeper, the reality is different.”
“What is it?”
“It’s not a ‘myth.’ This was a story that existed. There was a god, not without a god, but I know the ancient scriptures that recorded all the beginnings.”
Jacqueline recounted the founding myth as follows.
A long time ago, in the country that still exists today called Tricala, there lived a woman.
Her name was Kaladia.
She was born as the daughter of an unknown noble family.
Kaladia, who was lively and versatile, demonstrated her talents in the fields of politics, mathematics, and scholarship as she grew older.
She didn’t attend any academies, and merely borrowed books and secretly attended her brother’s classes.
However, in the mindset of that time, women were expected to be modest, quiet, and only dedicated to their households.
Therefore, Kaladia’s parents considered her strange and subjected her to harsh education.
They pressured her, saying that women should only know sewing and arithmetic, and having a good life meant being obedient to her husband.
In an era of witch hunts, where being caught by the inquisitor could lead not only to Kaladia’s downfall but also to the entire family’s ruin.
Kaladia had to endure severe abuse but never gave up exploring knowledge.
Is there really a god in this world?
Kaladia was always curious about that. The girl found it perplexing that monks who claimed one could only go to heaven by believing in the existence and doctrines of God had never seen God themselves.
Kaladia’s questions continued to grow as she aged, persistent and unabated.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
