Chapter 90: 91

Every time his mother talked about the gods, she would stare blankly out the window.

“No one cares anymore about the outcome of a battle that took place thousands of years ago… Just remember these words. On the day the best god is revealed, the real moon will rise.”

She placed her hand on the cover of the black book as if she was dealing with the Bible.

“And the end of the fake world will come.”

Benimus tilted his head slowly.

“The end.”

The word, which he did not know the meaning of, felt as familiar as his name.

His mother looked at Benimus and said as if determined.

“You’ll find out someday. Who is the best god.”

That meant that Benimus would one day witness the end.

“When that day comes… take revenge on the man who killed your father.”

Revenge?

It was a word unfamiliar to even the smart Benimus.

But now other words were on his mind.

“Father.”

It was the first time his mother had ever told him a story about his father.

She smiled softly at Benimus.

“Your father was a very special person. He bravely fought against tyranny.”

His mother looked happiest when she recalled the past. Even more than when she was with her son.

“Mom too?”

“Yes, very much.”

His mother buried her face in his shoulder and whispered.

“You are a special child too.”

The end of the mother’s voice crumbled like dried leaves.

She held her son in that position until the sun went down, then spit it out.

“If you give him revenge… maybe I can accept you too.”

Benimus nodded, saying he understood.

The boy liked that his mother asked him to do something.

It was a strange thing to say, but from a very young age, he longed for a reason to live. Like a machine built for a specific purpose.

When someone set a purpose for his life, his empty heart became more peaceful.

Benimus lived to be accepted by his mother.

Although the purpose disappeared shortly after.

Happiness was always just a moment.

Exactly three days after the mother made a wish to her son, a man came into the house and stabbed her to death.

As his mother died, she cried out like this.

“I’ve already killed the Count’s illegitimate child with my own hands, you bastards.”

The unidentified man wiped the blood-stained knife, he did not notice Benimus hiding on the floor.

Thanks to this, Benimus was able to overhear their conversation clearly.

“No matter how you look at it, this is not a house to raise children.”

“I agree. The neighbors say they’ve never heard of a baby crying.”

“Then is it true that this woman killed her child with her own hands…?”

“He’s an illegitimate child. I heard that even while the Count was alive, he could not stand the shame.” 

“She’s such a crazy person, tsk…”

The unidentified man went out with his mother’s body and never came back.

It was later found out that the emblem on his belt was that of the Duke of Bauner.

Benimus crawled up from the floor two days later.

The boy wandered around for a long time, looking for his mother’s body. Not knowing neither day nor night, and was neither hungry nor cold.

However, her body was nowhere to be seen.

After hearing the situation, the head of the neighborhood, who first discovered Benimus, forced him into a passing cart.

He told Benimus to keep the story a secret and go far away.

The boy, who had become alone, blankly pondered the words his mother had given him.

“Revenge.”

Now he seemed to know what it was.

After losing his mother, Benimus changed his purpose in life.

***

I had been scouring the Duke’s Castle throughout those four years.

Now I was able to memorize the structure line by line even with my eyes closed.

But there was only one place I hadn’t been to yet.

It was the ‘Crystal Palace’, a large greenhouse that was completed just a few months ago.

During the debutante, two banquets were held in turn.

The first was a celebration ball, followed by an awakening ceremony to awaken the power of the gods.

The Crystal Palace was built solely for the awakening ceremony.

‘It’s huge…’

As soon as I entered the huge greenhouse, I was amazed.

Starlight twinkled as if sugar had been scattered over the transparent glass ceiling. A faint light shone from the beams coated with magic stone.

It was a stylish new building, but it looked cozy rather than chilly as the perimeter of the building was filled with thickly colored green trees.

‘I can’t believe he built a building like this for today.’

For me, who had not yet forgotten the senses of the commoners, I had no choice but to be at a loss for words.

At the end of the marble road in front of me was a huge circular square.

In the round seats, the guests who had attended the debutante were seated reverently.

Dozens of pairs of eyes filled with anticipation headed toward me.

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When I was reflexively nervous, Alan gently held my hand.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded my head at his question. Inside, I wanted to scream.

People were curious. Am I a Beast or a Spirit?

Both the Beast Knights and Spirit Wizards wanted to bring me, Alan’s daughter, to their side.

Originally, their joy and happiness would be divided according to the outcome of the awakening ceremony.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m neither. Everyone will be disappointed.’

‘I’m a demon. From their point of view, I’m an evil spirit.’

No one gathered here would have expected that.

Alan grabbed my hand gently and walked to the square.

We walked together on a white path as if carved from the ivory of a divine beast.

Somehow, it felt like walking on the moon.

The hem of the dress slid behind my back with a rustling sound.

As we climbed up to the high altar located in the center of the square, we could see the guests at a glance.

Unlike Alan, who was in a black uniform, or me, who was in a debutante dress, they had changed from glamorous party clothes to pure white robes.

The white robe, as opposed to the mourning robe, was said to signify a new birth.

Alan guided me to a large chair that was like a throne and sat to my right.

To my left, just like any other dining table, there were only empty chairs.

Pedro sat under one of the altars.

There was an empty chair beside him. It was Hugo’s place.

There wasn’t a seat available for Michael’s seat, but it was surprising that Hugo’s seat was vacant.

The ceremony began without even having time to ask where he had gone.

Nike, who was standing under the altar, snapped his fingers.

Instead of ‘ding’, the bell rang with a ‘jingle’.

Dozens of women waiting under the altar lined up in front of my chair.

Not only did they all have a slim body like a willow tree and were all dressed in loose clothes, even their faces were identical to each other. They looked like many pairs of twins.

“This is an envoy sent by the emperor.”

Alan gave a stern explanation, and jutted to them as if to finish their business quickly.

The woman at the front of the twin delegation spoke with her eyes down.

“The Imperial Mother sends these gifts to her daughter.”

A holy white light emanated from the woman’s neatly gathered palms.

The light that was shaking like a soft ball subsided and a jewel box covered with platinum appeared.

The color of the surface was so beautiful that it was like a complete artifact in itself.

When I opened the lid, there were neatly placed emerald earrings and necklaces that matched my eyes well.

On the right side of the altar, a servant holding a scroll shouted loudly.

“Her Majesty has bestowed you with emerald ornaments!”

As soon as the servant finished speaking, he quickly wrote on the scroll.

It was like making a gift list.

‘Well, it’s a gift from the emperor herself, so it’s probably something worth writing down in history.’

The emperor’s gift did not end with those accessories.

As the first delegation retreated, the next person came out and performed the same magic.

A hair decoration like a small spring, a harp framed with magic stones, an exotic musk…

Things that I was unable to put a price on popped up one after another.

Contrary to my bewilderment, Alan nodded his head towards the women as if nothing had happened.

“Pass my thanks.”

Contrary to his words, Alan’s tone was very dry.

As soon as the emperor’s envoys left, the servants of the other nobles rushed up the altar.

“”It’s a pendant engraved with a rose flower.”

“It’s a polka dot-patterned muslin gown. Please touch it. It’s very soft…”

“Princess, this is a multicolored engraving made by an artisan from the East!”

“Hey, I came first!”

The gift procession gradually turned into a competition.

A noticeable man walked out of the clamoring servants.

All at once, the servants who had raised their voices as if they were about to grab each other’s hair turned to look at him.

Even the nobles who watched their servants showed a look of bewilderment.

The man climbed up to the front of my chair and raised the corners of his mouth.

“Hi.”

Crown Prince Garou. His smile still resembled a snake’s.

Without realizing it, I frowned and tried to force a smile.

“Crown Prince, if it is a gift from the imperial family, I have already received it.”

“Those were sent by my mother. I have a different gift for you.”

Garou pulled something out of his inner pocket and swung it towards me.

I reflexively received an object that flew to my chest.

“This is…?”

I tilted my head.

No matter how I looked at it, what he threw was a small box. The silk that covered the lid was soft.

“Open it.”

Garou gestured elegantly.

I opened the box nervously and then closed it immediately in surprise.

Undoubtedly. What was in the box was a small ring.

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