Lethe Reveals the Truth

What a truly wondrous voice.

That sentiment suddenly spread through Kyle and Sylvia’s minds.

How should I express it?

It was as if a single dewdrop on a blade of grass on a quiet, dark dawn were to make a sound.

A melancholic and moist voice echoed, giving off that kind of feeling.

“Are you the Goddess Lethe?”

– Yes. I am Lethe, the Goddess of Dawn. It’s nice to meet you, Kyle Lionheart.

Kyle’s eyes widened at Lethe knowing his name already.

Of course, there’s the saying that gods watch over everything, so it might not be strange for her to know his name.

But somehow, her reaction felt more like meeting someone after a long time, rather than meeting a complete stranger whose name she just happened to know.

‘Am I imagining things?’

Judging from her saying, ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ it must be their first meeting.

Thinking he might just be mistaken, Kyle shook off the strange feeling and faced Lethe’s statue.

Then, her voice turned to Sylvia.

– And you must be Sylvia Eleanor? I never thought the child with those eyes would come to find me herself.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lethe-nim.”

– There’s no need for such formalities. I’m just a has-been goddess holed up in a room, a fading bubble about to disappear from even the myths.

Lethe said to Sylvia, who was bowing deeply, her voice tinged with bitterness.

It was just a passing remark, but it contained quite a significant meaning, so Kyle cautiously asked a question.

“Disappear? What does that mean?”

– It’s exactly what it sounds like. Right now, I’m like a candle in the wind, unable to even let my voice be heard by believers. I can barely speak now, only by borrowing the power of your lover’s eyes.

“You mean the Evil Eye contains such power? No, what exactly is the Evil Eye?”

– The Evil Eye… Yes, that’s what humans call it, I suppose.

Lethe muttered in a voice full of dismay at Kyle’s urgent question.

– Child over there, come here for a moment and put your hand on the statue.

“Me…? Are you talking about me?”

– Yes.

Sylvia looked at Kyle with a dumbfounded expression at Lethe’s sudden instruction, pointing at her.

It was as if she was asking what she should do.

Kyle didn’t fully trust Lethe yet, so he suspected that she might be after the Evil Eye, like the Dawn’s Eye, and trying to pull some trick.

But the truth was, he had no other choice but to trust her now.

If he hadn’t intended to trust her in the first place, he wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way to Ruben.

“Don’t worry, Sylvia. I’m here.”

“Okay…”

– Honestly, what audacious children. Daring to show such distrust even with a goddess in front of you.

Lethe grumbled, realizing that they were doubting her, but she didn’t get any more upset.

Rather, she was just annoyed by the lovey-dovey couple flirting in front of her, even in a sacred temple.

How dare they in a holy temple.

Ssheuk.

Soon, Sylvia approached the statue and placed her hand on the object in front of it, which looked like a tombstone.

At that moment, the Evil Eye emitted even more radiance and began to shine so brightly that it swallowed the surrounding torches.

Sylvia felt something gradually leaving her body for a moment and tried to pull her hand away in a hurry, but she trusted Kyle and endured as much as she could.

How many seconds had passed?

Finally, Lethe’s soft voice was heard.

“You can take your hand off now.”

“Okay… Huh?”

Sylvia replied and tried to take her hand off, but she blinked her eyes, feeling a strange sensation.

It was because Lethe’s voice, which had been echoing in her head until just now, felt as if it was being transmitted directly through her ears.

She could also clearly distinguish the direction of the sound.

So, when Sylvia turned her head towards the source of the voice, there stood a mysterious woman.

“Sylvia, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes… I’m okay. I just lost a little bit of strength.”

Meanwhile, Kyle didn’t even glance at the woman and approached Sylvia, supporting her as she staggered.

Sylvia felt a strange sense of superiority at that fact.

The woman who had appeared before her was so beautiful that even Sylvia, as a woman, couldn’t help but be captivated.

“I’m sorry. I had to borrow a little bit of your power to manifest myself, even for a moment.”

“Then you should have asked me instead.”

When Lethe, who had revealed her face, apologized and explained the situation, Kyle glared at her with slightly cold eyes.

He also possessed a vast amount of magic power, so if she needed magic power, he would have helped her if she had asked.

But Lethe laughed as if she found the idea absurd and shook her head.

“I would have done that if it were possible.”

“You mean it’s only possible because Sylvia is the owner of the Evil Eye?”

“You’re quick on the uptake.”

At those words, Kyle realized that what she needed wasn’t just simple magic power and frowned as he asked. Lethe nodded with a faint smile.

In the first place, magic power is like garlic to a vampire for a god.

Of course, it’s just an analogy, and there are some differences in reality.

In short, the important thing is that no matter how vast the magic power, it’s impossible to manifest a god.

Would a starving lion survive if you gave it grass instead of meat?

“Anyway, let’s continue the story. Fortunately, you seem to be quite intelligent, so you must have realized something about the identity of those eyes through what happened a little while ago.”

“Is that true, Kyle?”

Kyle nodded silently in response to Sylvia’s question, who asked with a surprised expression, as a substitute for affirmation.

It was a fact he learned during the battle with the Archbishop a while ago, but basically, divine power and magic power have completely different properties.

The miracles that can be performed with the two may be similar, but what can be done with magic power cannot be done with divine power in the same way, and there is no guarantee that what can be done with divine power can be done with magic power.

But despite that, the fact that Sylvia’s Evil Eye was able to manifest the goddess Lethe must be as he expected.

“The Evil Eye is related to gods… That’s what it means.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I still find that name unpleasant to hear.”

As if witnessing her own child being insulted to her face, Lethe frowned and corrected his words.

“To be precise, it’s called the ‘Dawn’s Eye.’ Furthermore, it’s the only fragment I left on this land.”

“Dawn’s Eye…”

Kyle’s eyes widened at the familiar name.

Could it be related to the Dawn’s Eye he knew?

No, it would be strange to think otherwise.

Considering that those guys were trying to get Sylvia at all costs, they must have known the truth about these eyes.

“You seem to have something in mind, child.”

“Yes. Doesn’t the goddess know as well?”

“Yes, how could I not know? Even if my mouth was gagged, my eyes and ears weren’t closed.”

She muttered with a sorrowful expression and reached out her hand.

Then, a small mist-like substance gathered hazily in the air, and soon, a scene began to appear within it, as if reflected in a crystal ball.

It was a land that appeared to be a battlefield covered in corpses and blood.

“It’s been about 400 years. Before this country was established, this place was a land of strife.”

400 years. It refers to the history that the Empire has built since its founding.

Before that, many small and large countries fought each other, and as she put it, this place was a land of death and a battlefield where blood and flesh splattered.

“At that time, a man named Heinz manifested Erze on this land and prayed to her, the Goddess of Peace. He asked her to give him the power to quell this strife and unify the land. Erze accepted this and bestowed a miracle upon him.”

“…It’s a story that also appears in the founding history of the Empire, Kyle.”

“I see.”

He had thought it was just a rumor, but it was true.

Kyle nodded at Sylvia’s words and continued to listen to the story.

“But eventually, great power brings destruction. Heinz, who had achieved unification, began to kill those who were displeasing to him through the miracle of peace in his hands. At that time, a woman named Modrine manifested me on this land to stop Heinz.”

“Why didn’t the Goddess Erze take away that power? She wouldn’t have stood by and watched someone commit evil deeds through her miracle.”

He had heard that gods generally despise those who commit wrongful acts under their name and halo.

So, Kyle asked, feeling doubtful, and Lethe forced a nonchalant tone, wearing a bitter smile as if she was about to say just that.

“Because that’s what Erze wanted.”

Kung.

At that moment, the two people’s eyes widened at the sensation of their hearts sinking.