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Only a foolish ruler would leave such a convenient tool lying around without exploiting it.

Roel suspected that the Mother Goddess had coerced the original Kingmaker to join Her faction, which was why he was concerned about encountering the same situation. Yet, the situation was unfurling in a different direction from what he had expected.

He could hardly believe his ears when the Mother Goddess told him to stay in the Moonsoul Tower. While this decision was to his benefit, it also meant that the Mother Goddess was forfeiting a powerful tool in Her grasp. He couldn’t understand why She would make such a decision, to the point that he unconsciously questioned Her.

“Why?”

“Hm?”

“Why are You allowing me to stay here?”

“…”

The Mother Goddess was taken aback by Roel’s question. She was silent for a long while before She finally answered.

“The battlefield is too dangerous. Stay here, since you have already decided to maintain your neutral stance.”

“…”

Roel stared at the woman before him. He suddenly felt like he had never understood Her. The Mother Goddess had threatened his life from the first time She appeared, which was why he viewed Her to be a hostile existence and was guarded toward Her.

Given the authority he wielded as the Kingmaker, it was only normal for the Mother Goddess and the Savior to do everything they could to win him over, which led to his taking Her goodwill for granted. He thought that Her generosity was a calculated tool aimed at exploiting his value.

That was why the Mother Goddess’ current decision was shocking to him. She had chosen not to coerce nor coax him into joining the battlefield, but instead to keep him off it entirely.

He realized that his impression of the Mother Goddess might have been wrong all this while. Now that he was re-evaluating the meaning behind the Mother Goddess’ actions, a new answer naturally surfaced in his mind.

A mother.

She chose to turn a blind eye to the strategic value he embodied so as to keep him safe in the backlines. At the night banquet, She insisted on protecting him even though it would chill the heart of Her most trusted aide. All these only made sense if Her actions were prompted from Her maternal instincts.

The realization of that shook Roel’s heart.

If the Mother Goddess truly saw the Kingmaker as Her child instead of a tool, it was hard to imagine how much the actions of the original Kingmaker had wounded Her heart. She chose to protect him despite harboring suspicions that he had colluded with the enemy, even going to the extent of turning a blind eye to Micher’s reports.

Roel’s guilt swelled uncontrollably. He pressed his lips tightly together before asking hoarsely, “How confident are you of victory?”

“…I want to give you a definite answer, but the truth is that I don’t know either.”

The Mother Goddess was so surprised by Roel’s words of concern that it delayed Her response. A brief moment later, She sighed.

“Too many races bought His lies and pledged their loyalty to Him. It’ll be disadvantageous for us to engage Him in a large-scale war. I am stronger than Him, but He knows that too and will do everything to avoid a direct confrontation with Me.”

“…I see.”

Not knowing how to respond to those words, Roel simply nodded before falling silent.

He had intended to request the Mother Goddess to release the seal on him so that he could protect himself, but he was unable to voice those words aloud after learning about Her intention.

On the other hand, the Mother Goddess’ heart filled with worry as She thought about everything that had happened recently. It hadn’t been easy for Her to decide to keep Roel here, considering the risks involved. She could bravely stand against even the powerful and cunning Savior, but She found Herself helpless against Roel’s unpredictable mind.

If this was all an act on his part, it would mean that She had just exposed Her back to an extremely dangerous enemy.

The Mother Goddess stared at Roel with many thoughts flashing across Her mind. She struggled to suppress Her doubts and convince Herself that this was the right decision to make. Moments later, She looked at Roel with a sorrowful expression.

“…We shouldn’t be doubting each other. This isn’t how our relationship is supposed to be.”

“Ah?”

Taken aback by the words that had come out of nowhere, Roel raised his head in confusion. However, the Mother Goddess was reluctant to elaborate. After another prolonged silence, She looked at him with eyes that looked stern yet desperate.

“…Don’t betray me.”

“!”

Roel’s golden eyes narrowed as he found himself at a loss as to how he should respond to those words. Cold moonlight shone on the two of them as silence loomed yet again.

Should I give Her a definite answer? But it doesn’t look like She’s expecting an answer.

After some hesitation, Roel decided to say something, but the Mother Goddess beat him to it.

“Let’s call it a day… It’s getting late. Many things have happened today. Have a good rest.” The Mother Goddess averted Her eyes as if She was afraid of his response.

“…Yes, Mother Goddess,” Roel hesitantly replied with a nod.

There was a knock on the door, and a servant entered the audience room and escorted him out. Meanwhile, the Mother Goddess turned Her gaze out the window once more.

Right before stepping out of the audience room, Roel halted his footsteps to glance at the Mother Goddess’ silhouette with a heavy heart, but the latter didn’t meet his gaze or bid him farewell. Her cold attitude left him feeling melancholic, but he turned back and walked out.

Silence returned to the audience room.

A long time later, the black-haired woman bathing under the moonlight wiped the edges of Her reddened eyes and issued an order.

“Lower the proportion of high elves guarding him and replace them with your people.”

“Mother Goddess, are you worried…”

“Micher is unlikely to make a reckless move, but the same can’t be said about the other high elves influenced by his thinking.”

“I understand,” the Blood Clanswoman answered with a respectful curtsey. However, she was unable to shrug off her concerns about the situation. She took a moment to muster her courage before asking, “Mother Goddess, there’s one more matter I’d like to inquire about.”

“Go ahead.”

“…What should we do if Lord Micher is right?”

“…”

The atmosphere immediately turned heavy. Cold sweat trickled down the Blood Clanswoman’s back as she knew that she had struck a sore spot. It took a while before the Mother Goddess finally sighed and answered hoarsely.

“…You are strictly forbidden from harming him while I am away. I’ll deal with it when I return.”

“Understood.”

With a concise reply, the Blood Clanswoman melded into the shadows and vanished.

The Mother Goddess continued quietly staring out of the window. Under the cold moonlight, Her profile looked sorrowful and forlorn.

…