Chapter 337: Priscilla

"Well, even though what I am about to say is very important, you might not believe me," William warned with a very serious tone.

The blond hero took a slow step forward on the thick carpet. He stared fixedly into the demon king’s eyes, making sure he had his full attention before continuing.

"It might even seem crazy to you. But, even if you don’t believe it, you must understand something. According to this information, this is how the deity actually operates," William added.

Upon hearing that long and mysterious preamble, Helen clicked her tongue in evident annoyance.

The swordswoman rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. She was very impatient and had no tolerance for the outsiders’ beating around the bush.

’Always beating around the bush to say something simple,’ Ryan thought. He straightened up in his seat and looked at his guest with utter coldness, making his authority clear.

"Get to the point, William," Ryan ordered harshly.

"Alright," William nodded immediately.

The human obeyed the Kowarre king’s direct order so as not to cause more problems with the lethal escort surrounding him.

William took a deep breath to organize his thoughts. He knew very well that what he was about to reveal would change the historical perspective of everyone present.

"I know you are aware that the Church, and most of the human nations of the world, are under the leadership of Keeper, who is the current general of the holy knights and also a powerful SSS-rank hero," the blond hero began to recount.

Chloe frowned upon hearing that name echo off the stone walls.

As a former holy knight, she knew very well the high political influence and power that man had over the nations.

William took a short pause. He knew everyone present in the room took it for granted that Keeper was actually the deity incarnated in a physical body.

Or that was what everyone thought until now. Although that was not erroneous information regarding Keeper’s identity. Or at least, it was only a small part of a much darker and more complex truth.

William explained the whole matter very seriously in front of the dais, without hesitating for a single second.

He reaffirmed with his firm gaze that, regardless of whether they believed it or not, this defined the power hierarchy and behavior of the deity.

Then, while standing before the throne, he began to tell a hidden story with many details.

"There is an entity, far superior to all of us. That entity is named Etymon. And he was the creator of five minor gods," William revealed.

Karol tilted her head upon hearing such a strange name. No history book or magical text she knew mentioned anyone named that.

"And each of those minor gods created a different race in this world," William continued, pointing to the different members in the hall to exemplify.

"Loha, was the creator of human beings," William informed.

Helen and Mirian exchanged looks full of confusion. The two heroines had never heard the name Loha in their entire lives.

"Marea, the creator of the elves," the blond said.

Irina suddenly perked up her long ears.

The elf from Geizan took a step forward out of pure instinct, doubting all the sacred stories her own elders had told her since she was a child.

"Flox, the creator of dwarves and giants," William added calmly.

"Gail, creator of demi-humans and all the beasts of the world," he said, turning his gaze to where Alicia was.

The beastwoman stood firm in her position near the entrance. But her tail twitched nervously upon hearing the name of the supposed creator of her race.

"And finally." William paused to look at Nadira and the surprised Iris.

"Silva, the creator of the spirits. And of the deities who try to rule this world today," William concluded his explanation about the origin of the races.

A heavy and cold silence fell over Ryan’s group.

The girls tried to process the true scale of the magical world they lived in, remembering that not even they, the humans, had any idea of their own origins.

Ryan thought about that, remembering something Beatrice had once told him. That in fact, neither demons, nor humans, or any being in this world knew how humans came to this world.

’So Keeper is just another of Silva’s creations,’ Ryan thought.

’He is not a god above all, he is just a servant of a minor god.’

And before Ryan or any of the girls could ask anything about this complicated topic, William added a macabre detail to his story.

"That primary entity, Etymon, disappeared without a trace. Marea and Flox withdrew from their world to go look for him on their own. And they never appeared again," the human assured, making it clear that the original creators of the elves and dwarves had also disappeared.

Lise let out a light yawn from the main door of the hall. The dragoness cared very little about the family history of the minor gods.

"Over time, power and ambition corrupted those who stayed behind. Silva took it upon himself to murder Loha and Gail," William said in a tone laden with sadness.

Alicia closed her eyes for a second. The beastwoman felt a slight chill upon learning that the creator of her species was murdered by the creator of the current church.

Chloe brought a hand to her chest, clutching the fabric of her clothes.

The revelation that the deity she had prayed to so much in her past was a god-killer left her breathless and with a knot in her stomach.

"And for some strange reason that even the deities themselves don’t know, demons and dragons appeared. Neither of those two races was created by the minor gods created by Etymon."

William raised his right hand and pointed to Beatrice, who was standing very close to Ryan. And then the human pointed to Lise at the entrance.

William took a long pause, letting everyone in the room assimilate his words.

Beatrice returned a very cold and indifferent look.

The infernal girl didn’t care about knowing the origins of her creation; she only lived to serve and protect her king in Kowarre.

Lise, on the other hand, showed an arrogant smile. She always thought that her race, dragons, was superior to the rest.

’That explains why the church hates demons and strong monsters so much,’ Ryan thought, resting his chin on his hand.

’It doesn’t seem strange to me that it’s like that for demons, but is that also the case for dragons like Lise?’ the human reasoned from his leadership position.

’Dear master, I don’t care what that human says, but I only know of one very ancient being who could confirm it,’ Lise said through their mental link.

’Who are you referring to, Lise?’ Ryan asked curiously.

’I am referring to Irnova; he is the oldest dragon, in fact, the only ancient dragon left today.’

’Irnova, I hadn’t heard of that dragon,’ Ryan said.

’I’m sorry master, that’s because now he only calls himself Nova. And he is also a demon king. Although reaching him will not be easy, if you order it, I will go,’ Lise replied.

’No, that won’t be necessary; for now, we will only give importance to what we have in front of us.’

’As you order, dear master,’ Lise replied, concluding her telepathic chat with Ryan.

"Alright, then what is your point in telling me all this, William?" Ryan asked.

"I wanted you to take into account who the deities really are, because what Keeper intends to do is something very dangerous," William resumed the main topic of the meeting.

The blond hero lowered his hand, and his face became much more tense and serious.

"He wants to bring more of his friends into this world. More of those deities created by Silva. But it’s not something so easy for him to achieve. However, he plans to bring someone in particular. Keeper will use a highly unconventional method to bring someone you know very well, Ryan."

The hero explained, looking Ryan in the eyes so that everyone would understand the gravity of the current situation.

’Someone I know?’ Ryan thought, frowning.

"And to do it effectively, he wants to use a specific vessel. He wants to use Priscilla’s body. My sister," William added, his voice slightly cracking from frustration.

The blond hero clenched his fists at his sides. He showed true suppressed rage in his eyes for the first time since he arrived at the castle.