episode_0274

‘Father??’

Marianne mentioning Ulysses Schneider caused Eugene Schneider’s eyes to widen.

Primarily, it was because Marianne had never brought up Ulysses’ name in front of him before.

‘Does Mother know Father from his younger days?’

Secondly, Marianne’s point of reference to Ulysses was specifically his younger days.

In any case, he had family gatherings when he was young, so it’s reasonable to assume they were acquainted at that time. However, the connection between a young Ulysses and Marianne is quite unexpected.

‘Even I haven’t really asked about Father’s younger days.’

There were two periods when Ulysses Schneider gained significant public attention and became a major issue: when he began to be called Sword Saint, and when he became a Sword Demon and gained notoriety.

Ulysses became a Sword Master in his late 20s, but he was reclusive during that time, and not very approachable.

‘Roughly thinking about it, I thought he met Mother around that time. I didn’t want to stir up trouble by asking Father about that period.’

Eugene Schneider understood to some extent, even as a child, the reason why Ulysses had to be reclusive in his younger days.

If Ulysses was a Sword Saint after 30, he was a wandering free spirit in his youth.

He lived a life of wandering, never staying in one place, which was reflected in his swordsmanship.

It was because he lived such a life that he could become involved with the demon woman Sabrina Serazad and develop into a romantic relationship.

“I wonder what that look in our son’s eyes means?”

Thus, the look in Eugene Schneider’s eyes, filled with many thoughts for a moment.

Then, Marianne, with a playfully mischievous expression, still propping up her chin, pointed it out.

“Mother, were you acquainted with my father in his younger days?”

At that, Eugene mustered courage and voiced the questions that filled his head.

“Yes, this mother also ran around like a wild child in her younger days. That’s how I formed a connection with the wandering free spirit Ulysses Schneider.”

Smiling…!

Marianne nodded slowly with a warm smile, answering Eugene Schneider’s question.

When Marianne referred to herself as a wild child, it seemed to refer to the period before marrying Antoine, when she was devoted to her life as a nun.

‘Wow… I think this is almost the first time Mother has directly told me about her days as a nun?’

It was a sight of Marianne that Eugene couldn’t help but be surprised and beyond feeling unexpected.

In the early days of Eugene Schneider entering the Grand Duke’s family, he occasionally heard stories of Marianne’s days as a priest from those around him.

Unlike the benevolent and composed Grand Duchess Marianne, Priest Marianne exuded burning justice and a sense of responsibility.

Young Eugene Schneider sincerely followed and liked his adoptive mother Marianne.

The reason was because his adoptive mother Marianne completely filled the longing for his biological mother, whom he had never seen.

So he wanted to receive Marianne’s love and was curious about her.

However, there was a field that he kept silent about without asking, even though he was curious,

That was asking about Marianne’s days as a nun.

‘Is it lingering feelings? Somehow, she always seemed to show a bitter feeling.’

Occasionally, when Marianne met with outsiders, praise for Marianne’s days as a nun was mentioned,

But Marianne’s reaction that was reflected in Eugene at that time was not a positive feeling.

Of course, Marianne smiled outwardly and showed humility, but it was clearly visible to the young Eugene, who sincerely observed her.

Marianne doesn’t particularly like mentioning that time.

‘But now, she’s giving off a nuance that she wants to talk to me about it first.’

In fact, Marianne didn’t really tell Eugene about her days as a nun when he was young either.

But now, Marianne is subtly bringing it up by mentioning Ulysses with a warm smile.

“Are you uncomfortable because I mentioned the Sword Saint, our son?”

At that moment, Marianne asked, testing Eugene slightly.

“Of course not, Mother! Actually, since starting mercenary life with my second sister, I’ve already talked about Father a lot differently than before. So there’s no need to think that way at all. It’s just that I’m surprised and amazed that the two of you had a connection when you were young.”

Eugene Schneider, who was assessing the situation, quickly waved his hand.

As he said, Eugene Schneider has now largely overcome his past traumas.

Now, he is a person who wants to know more about that time, which he had been turning away from, and uncover the truth.

“That’s a relief, Eugene. Actually, there were times when I wanted to tell you stories about your biological father. I also felt sorry for the perception created in the world about him in his final years. I didn’t think he was someone who should be judged that way at all. But I had to be very careful. Then, you grew up like this and handled the Heart of the Sun, which is related to Atlantis, so I took the courage like this.”

Smiling…!

Marianne, who was smiling again, had a look of affection and pride when watching Eugene practice swordsmanship, but now she had a feeling of somehow containing relief.

‘If it’s the current Eugene… even if he learns the truth, he might not fall into great confusion…’

Marianne possesses one of the keys to the Pandora’s Box called Ulysses Schneider, which was created in Antoine des Ailes Obligeant.

“Really? Was the rumor that the Sword Saint Ulysses Schneider was from the lost empire of Atlantis true???”

Thud!

And somewhere in the entangled dimension, Elizabeth opened one of Pandora’s boxes.

Elizabeth, who heard about Ulysses Schneider’s veiled origins from Anastasia,

With eyes that couldn’t believe what she was hearing, placed both hands on the table and raised her upper body.

“It seems that innate traits can’t be helped. When I learned that the Sword Saint had shown behavior that would cause such rumors to circulate, I clearly felt it. That’s right. Ulysses Schneider is from Atlantis. Not just a descendant, but a person who was born and raised in the land of the lost empire.”

On the other hand, Anastasia leisurely continued her speech while drinking tea.

Being an Atlantean could mean being a descendant of Atlantean survivors,

But Anastasia made it clear that Ulysses was from Atlantis itself, not that concept.

“That can’t be! It doesn’t make sense. Atlantis sank into the sea more than 200 years ago! The physical time doesn’t match!”

Elizabeth brought up the reason why Eugene and Jeanne had no choice but to consider the Ulysses rumors as absurd.

“Is there any reason why it shouldn’t be, young and bright magician? Look at me in front of you. A person who has gone back more than a thousand years. Isn’t there such clear evidence?”

Chuck…!

Anastasia spread her hands leisurely, gesturing to look at herself.

“Although not as much as the demons or elves, the Atlanteans, who are called gods, also have a history that is incomparably deeper than that of the human race. The Sun God Avinus was a primordial god who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Demon God and the ancient spirit king of the World Tree.”

Afterwards, stories that had only been suspicions and conjectures poured out of Anastasia’s mouth. Priscilla had only heard it from her mother and other elves around her, but Anastasia, who had lived since ancient times, knew even the breathing of the Atlantean civilization that worshiped the Sun God.

In the meantime, she did not forget to express her self-esteem by putting the demons to which she belonged at the forefront.

“There must have been priests or magicians in Atlantis who could embrace the entangled dimensions. Perhaps Ulysses was the child of that priest or magician. I think he took such measures to save his child Ulysses at least, seeing the future of the empire.”

The civilization that was praised as a divine nation, but as expected, that civilization, and the members of that civilization, were not perfect either.

Someone saw the declining future of the empire, and others denied it.

Ulysses’ parents were the former, and they tried their best to save their homeland, but as a last resort, they sent Ulysses to the entangled dimensions to survive.

“Hmm… that’s a reasonable analysis… but I don’t know how that connects to Ulysses Schneider’s strength. Is there a separate unique point to Atlanteans?”

Elizabeth, who was directly experiencing the existence living in the entangled dimension, nodded slowly. But her question continued to the next stage.

“It would cause an uproar in the Empire’s Light Goddess Order, but the roots of the goddess are clearly the Sun God Avinus. In other words, it is the root of the divine race and closer to the origin. Therefore, talents with wider possibilities appear within the divine race.”

The diversity that the origin has, the divine race had a much wider spectrum than the human race, and Ulysses’ parents were those who were chosen from that wide spectrum, and Ulysses inherited their abilities.

‘Hmm… then something is strange.’

Elizabeth, who heard about Ulysses Schneider’s specs at an unimaginable level, tilted her head.

‘As of now, it seems right to see Ulysses Schneider, who entered the Eclipse of the Demon God, as having awakened the Demon God’s Eye, but if he is an Atlantean and has the corresponding abilities, he would have definitely caused a rejection reaction due to the antagonistic phenomenon in that action.’

Drake said that the one who awakened the Demon God’s Eye was darkness.

And in reality, the one who can awaken the Demon God’s Eye must be someone with enough demonic nature [魔性].

Before falling, that is, Ulysses Schneider, who is an Atlantean, doesn’t seem to meet that requirement.

“The reason for mentioning the Eclipse of the Demon God is that you want to know about the one who awakened the Demon God’s Eye after all, right?”

Anastasia, who was looking at the situation as a whole at the time of the composition, pointed out as if she recognized what additional questions Elizabeth had come to feel.

“Is there another person besides the Sword Saint Ulysses Schneider who stepped into the Eclipse of the Demon God?”

Elizabeth, who noticed Anastasia’s intention, reacted with eyes that had a premonition standing on end.

“There was. Someone with a snake-like heart. Someone with ambitions that were enough to fill the black desires that the Demon God’s Eye wanted, left footprints in that realm of fate.”

In Enklamah’s Eclipse of the Demon God, there was someone else who awakened the Demon God’s Eye inside it.