Chapter 513: Annan Extra (Part 1)

Following the departure of the Roland family's Sacred Realm leader, Annan's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed. She slumped into the soft chair, feeling her entire body go limp.

On the desk sat a cube-shaped crystal. Within it slept an ivory-white golden pony with a pair of wings. It was a spirit passed down exclusively through the Roland line, the Pegasus. Once activated, it would transform directly into a Two-Winged Pegasus, serving as a mount, a combat support unit, or an independent fighter.

This was an extremely rare Tamer Class spirit. A sorcerer's ability to summon spirits was built upon knowledge as its foundation and inspiration as its fuel, constructing something from nothing. Mainstream sorcery classes like Fist and Claw, Earth, Water, and Firearm originated from skills common people could learn in their daily lives.

Things ordinary people could not learn, touch, or understand, like Prophecy, Fate, and Truth, belonged to advanced sorcery classes beyond the reach of average sorcerers.

The Tamer Class shared these same traits. Unlike conventional animal training, summoning a Tamer Class spirit demanded true, innate empathy with a beast's nature, a level of understanding humans could rarely achieve. Riding a horse only meant mastering horsemanship, training dogs only meant mastering control, and adopting stray cats only meant mastering kidnapping[1]. In short, no skill allowed a human to fully comprehend another creature.

Imitating animals proved equally useless. A dog could digest feces, but a human could not. A cat could lick its own fur, but a human could not reach. A horse could sleep standing up, but a human could not.

Even a successful imitation yielded at best a Beast Transformation spirit, which remained worlds apart from a true Beast-Tamer. The difference was like dressing like a woman versus actually finding a girlfriend.

Sorcerers obtained Tamer Class spirits primarily as loot drops for defeating sorcerer projections, or by taming Virtual World creatures that then transformed into spirits. The catch was that Virtual World creatures feared neither death nor suffering, making voluntary submission almost impossible. A sorcerer could at best enslave them by force; making one genuinely yield its heart was out of the question.

Goblin sorcerers were the sole exception, as Virtual World creatures rarely harbored hostility toward them. The odds remained slim, but a Goblin sorcerer might tame two to three Virtual World creatures in a lifetime, making them the primary source of Tamer Class spirits.

Clearly, the Rolands were not a family of goblins. Their Pegasus spirits had a reliable source unrelated to taming Virtual World creatures. Popular theory held that the Rolands possessed a Virtual World creature that had escaped into reality. Serviced by a rotation of over a dozen mares, it occasionally produced offspring recognized by the Virtual World, which allegedly birthed the Roland Pegasus legacy.

Because Tamer-type spirits were difficult to summon, advancing them was equally hard, requiring Virtual World materials for evolution. An ordinary One-Winged Pegasus easily covered a sorcerer's transportation needs in the Virtual World. Even more ridiculous was the Two-Winged variety, which possessed the absurd capability of short-duration flight. The Roland family had been remarkably generous, as fewer than ten Two-Winged Pegasus spirits existed in their entire family.

Annan felt little interest. She already possessed her own movement-type Miracle, eliminating the need for a Pegasus. Besides, she loved motorcycles. A mount lacking a steel body and black blood running through its veins simply lacked style.

Might as well let Pankey play with it, thought Annan, storing the spirit inside a sealing crystal.

Compared to the Pegasus itself, the Roland leader's respectful attitude excited her far more. Ranking first on the Sacred Realm Combat Power Rankings, he stood unquestionably at the top of the Gospel Kingdom's active powerhouses in an era when Nabistin's Legends never ventured beyond the palace walls.

He could have single-handedly dealt with Quinna, the Sacred Realm sorcerer representing Houses Mercury and Kessriel, along with her close friend Cliose. Sitting across from him, Annan felt her spirits tremble, experiencing a level of pressure Quinna and the others had never inflicted.

If Annan's spirits resembled well-trained veterans and Quinna's were like battle-hardened officers, then Roland's were fierce generals forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Annan had no doubt his spirits bore the scars of a hundred battles.

As the leader of a great family and a Sacred Realm veteran, he should, by all rights, have been completely out of her reach. Yet here he was: personally visiting her, offering his family's legacy spirit as a gift, and treating her with deep respect, as if attempting to curry favor.

The Roland leader was not alone. Financial conglomerates controlling major Gospel Kingdom cities, such as Mercury, Kessriel, and Vastino, had all extended immense goodwill toward Annan, a mere Two-Winged sorcerer.

Gifts filled several of her drawers, and she had gained ownership of numerous properties in first-class cities. She secretly enjoyed every bit of it.

Having always possessed a malicious streak that took pleasure in trampling authority, she had frequently clashed with these financial conglomerates while running her agency. Now, watching them compete to outdo each other in humility, Annan felt as though she had inhaled Vanmura's white mist, thoroughly invigorated from head to toe.

Self-aware as ever, she refrained from letting vanity blind her. Deep down, she understood that the one these people truly feared and respected was not her, but the woman standing behind her, the sole ruler of the Gospel Kingdom for the next fifty years, the only existence capable of interfering with the Gospel system, Empress Dine herself.

As people once said, those standing in the shadow of power often mistook it for their own. Annan had no intention of falling for such a basic delusion.

She patted her cheeks and resumed writing the Report on the Institutional Structure of Gospel Cities, aiming to finish within three days and deliver it to Her Majesty Dine.

After Ashe and the others were teleported away, Annan expected Lys to need several days to recover from her grief.

To her surprise, however, Lys began fulfilling her duties as Dine that very afternoon. She swiftly took control of the Imperial Palace Secret Guard, summoned representatives from the various families, and announced a smooth transition of the throne, proceeding as if nothing had happened.

She made one major change by establishing a new department, the Witch Governance Bureau, and appointing Annan as the first Witch.

Dine's stance was clear. The Gospel Kingdom wouldn't see any sudden shifts in the near term, but moving forward, she intended to step in, alter the Gospel system, and reshape the realm as she saw fit. She had little interest in ruling for its own sake, but whether it was gaining complete control over the Divine Spirit or preparing a gift for Ashe, sitting passively on the throne as a mere vessel for the Gospel simply wouldn't cut it.

This raised an obvious question. If even Legendary Sorcerers struggled to command a Divine Spirit, could Dine really do so as a mortal?

The answer was yes. The glory of the Gospel Divine Spirit reached into every corner of the kingdom, guiding society by its own singular will. In simple terms, it replaced the thoughts of the populace with its own mind. This was the secret behind the kingdom's serene harmony. No barriers divided the people, no internal friction drained production, and the gears of the state machine turned as though they would never rust, all operating under a single, unified consciousness.

This total integration also created an opportunity to take control of the Gospel in reverse. By deeply interfering with societal operations and leveraging the thoughts of the people to influence the divine will, Dine could seize the opportunity to replace the Gospel's heart with her own.

Of course, this concept was still in its infancy. Dine could not yet tamper with the Gospel system, nor did a clear vision exist for an ideal future.

The Witch Governance Bureau was created to address this exact issue. Dine wanted Annan to draw upon the Gospel's predicted future, field investigations, and expert consultations to draft a development plan written by the people themselves. Every path toward the future required the approval of the populace, even if analysis proved the Gospel's version to be optimal.

Annan recalled Dine's solemn expression as she spoke the words, "To take control of the Gospel, I must help all of you reclaim your future," in her pure white Empress dress. The figure on the throne was no longer a little girl slightly shorter than Evelyn, but a mature empress in her twenties.

Dine's determination drove visitors to line up at Annan's door. The decisions of the Witch Governance Bureau would shape countless lives, forcing anyone seeking to become a decision-maker or secure favorable policies to win Annan's approval.

Behind the scenes, factions formed alliances, cooperated, and split apart. Schemes took shape and contracts were signed. Ambitions and wild dreams restrained by the Gospel for over a thousand years would finally experience a massive explosion over the next fifty years.

As humanity reclaimed its future from the Divine Spirit, mortal politics returned.

Why Dine entrusted this power to Annan was simple. Annan genuinely wanted it, and Dine simply had no better alternatives.

Annan thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Her desire to desecrate the Gospel and seize the Divine Lord's wish had always stemmed from a drive to change the Gospel Kingdom. Now that Dine had handed her the brush, she could paint freely upon its canvas. She was effectively sprinting full speed toward her ideal future.

By the time Annan finished writing down her thoughts on Vanmura's urban systems, night had already stretched past ten o'clock.

Remembering something urgent, she left the office in haste and headed toward the sleeping quarters.

So much had happened that day. Naturally, she had to remain overnight at the Imperial Palace. Fortunately, the residence offered an abundance of rooms. Upon reaching her chambers, she found Pankey already asleep in his cradle.

The attendant caring for him offered a quiet nod before stepping out to handle other duties, ready to return immediately under the guidance of the Gospel whenever called.

Annan tiptoed over and crouched beside the small bed.

Looking at Pankey's faintly furrowed brow as he slept, she found the sight endearing. "Even as a baby, you still look as if you carry the weight of the entire world."

She reached out, gently stroking his forehead while whispering soft words. "I might not be able to spend much time with you in the days ahead..."

Pankey clenched his tiny fists, his lips still holding a strand of his blue hair. He remained completely unaware that the daughter he had raised for over two decades was already setting out down a different path.

Yet Annan had no choice.

Had Dine not transformed back into Lys, or had Lys lacked the drive to reform the kingdom, Annan would have returned to Azura without hesitation. She would have devoted her entire existence to raising Pankey into adulthood, showering him with care and affection.

Instead, Dine had appointed her as the first Witch of the Witch Governance Bureau.

The temptation proved far too strong. Power, ambition, and ideals sat directly within her grasp, leaving her unable to refuse. Consequently, she would inevitably have less time for Pankey. At best, she could manage frequent visits, but she could never care for him with the devotion Pankey had once shown her. In the end, she remained unable to repay what Dolan owed him. "If only Ashe were here..."

Perhaps then she could have given Pankey a younger brother or sister.

Only now did she suddenly recall the companions she had once gathered and brought back, people who had now vanished entirely.

It was a surreal feeling, an unsettling mix of knowing they had once been here and feeling as though they had never existed at all. No one remembered them, cared about them, or spoke their names. Aside from their placements on the Woven Festival rankings, they had left no trace in this realm. And yet, at the same time, the entire Gospel Kingdom had been transformed to its very core thanks to their brief presence.

Perhaps the joy of approaching her long-sought ideals had intoxicated her. Or perhaps she simply had not cared enough. Only at this moment did the reality of Ashe's absence truly settle over her.

In truth, this outcome was only to be expected. They had spent less than a hundred days together. Before meeting him, Annan had lived perfectly fine for over twenty years.

Love had never held a dominant place in her heart when measured against her ideals.

Otherwise, she never would have dragged Ashe along to assassinate the princess.

Despite her deep hatred and resentment toward Quinna, the woman's core belief that family stood above everything had left a profound mark on her. Name what your heart truly craves, for every other piece of you can be bled away. Such was the law of the Six-Emblem. So how much weight did her feelings for Ashe actually hold?

Before the Happiness Rankings appeared, Annan had viewed Ashe with simple favor. Aside from the influence of the Family Reincarnation Dream, her impression stemmed from the subtle ways Ashe resembled Pankey.

Raised under Pankey's watchful eye, her view of romance naturally bore his heavy imprint. Whenever she met a man, she subconsciously measured him against her butler. Consequently, because of that standard, every man fell short.

At first glance, Ashe and Pankey shared almost nothing in common. Pankey was a beauty whose elegance held permanent recognition from the Gospel itself, whereas Ashe, stripped of his placement on the rankings, remained a worthless zero-star nobody.

Yet while spending time beside Ashe, Annan discovered an unexpected sense of security.

Perhaps Ashe himself was different, or perhaps she felt drawn by his willingness to care for Lys without any obligation to do so. Unable to act like a child in front of Pankey anymore, she somehow found herself constantly playing the spoiled brat around Ashe.

Another quality drew her in, namely his laziness. Annan was the type of person who could never stay still, forever searching for the meaning of life.

If she ever retreated from the world to raise children, she would undoubtedly push them to study hard and constantly improve. Ideally, they would reach Silver Rank at ten, Gold Rank at fifteen, and Sacred Realm status at twenty. To put it simply, wasting life was unacceptable.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, a life had to burn bright before its existence could be considered complete.

At the same time, she envied those capable of enjoying a peaceful existence. Not the Montpherans, whose minds were rotted by consumerism, nor the Vanmurans, completely blind to reality and seeking pleasure only in dreams. She envied those capable of finding beauty in ordinary moments and treasuring simple peace.

Indeed, Annan envied Ashe. However, these feelings of longing and safety represented nothing more than a vague affection, a quiet seed waiting to sprout.

The true turning point in her heart arrived when the Happiness Rankings were announced, and the squad finalized their plan to assassinate the princess.

Death, once a distant shadow, suddenly loomed directly in front of her.

Overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, Annan desperately needed someone to share her burden, making Ashe her lifeline. That affection, mixed with heavy dependence, finally transformed into a devotion intended to last until death.

Did she truly love Ashe himself, or did she love the security, dependence, and future she had entrusted to him?

Did she truly wish to build a life alongside Ashe, or did she merely hope he could experience every beautiful thing in life on her behalf, leaving her free to pursue her ideals without distraction?

Annan looked at baby Pankey sleeping in his cradle and whispered, "In fairy tales, the protagonists coming together always marks the happy ending. No story ever details the mundane realities after life together begins. Perhaps this is for the best."

Returning to her room, she found the space packed with luggage.

The palace attendants had visited the underground city to retrieve everything left behind by the Funeral Agency at the inn. The items included her clothes and shoes, Pankey's daily necessities and notebooks, Harvey's surgical knives and harmonica, along with Iger's...

Wait, whose harmonica was that?

Moments later, something else caught Annan's eye. "A gift?"

1. Really now? ☜