TGS - Chapter 140
Chapter 140: The Secret of the Key
The answer, naturally, was no.
The ravens surrounding Emute were the symbolic animals of the Death God, guides for the spirits of the dead, and messengers who circled the netherworld.
They delivered rewards to the souls of the good and meted out punishment to the souls of the wicked.
But in a reality unknown beyond myths and legends, these dark, not-so-charming birds were also responsible for providing background music for the Death God, helping the taciturn Emute convey his emotions, and even showing him the way...
One raven, many uses. They were quite handy, one might say.
Ordinary ravens possessed none of these functions. Of course, this didn't mean they were transformed human souls—if a good person had to become a raven after death, diligently flying by the Death God's side all day to play music for him, would that be a reward or a punishment?
One could only imagine, then, how indescribable Lotus felt when her silver mermaid incarnation, lingering in the battlefield space, heard the Death God Emute say that the two ravens before her were Alyuin's parents.
“Before, I received… these two human souls,” Emute said. “They hoped… to see you.”
Such requests were actually commonplace for the Death God. After all, faith in the gods was widespread in Solancia, and there were plenty of devout believers who wished to see the deity they worshipped one last time.
If every one of these requests were granted, the Solancian pantheon would get nothing else done; simply sitting in their temples every day waiting for an audience with the souls of their followers would be enough to keep them overwhelmingly busy.
Moreover, souls that entered the Death God's domain usually had only two choices: immediate reincarnation or waiting a while before reincarnating. In theory, they were not permitted to leave the netherworld in their spiritual state, unless—unless they were attached to a raven.
But this was also troublesome. Even if the deceased had once been the king of mortals, Emute was not particularly willing to spend his time on such trivial matters.
The man had been dead for over a decade. His spirit could not influence the mortal world, so what fundamental difference was there between him and any other soul?
However, Alyuin's father, the former king of Solancia, was clearly astute. Before the Death God could refuse, he subtly mentioned his daughter's connection to the River Goddess—that is, their teacher-student relationship.
Though as he said this, his expression was somewhat odd.
Upon hearing this, the Death God suddenly remembered. Oh, right, Lotus was raising a human.
“But, Lotus is slumbering,” the Death God stated matter-of-factly.
The former king of Solancia replied, “We are willing to wait here until the day the Goddess of the Yilu River awakens.”
Just as their conversation ended, Emute sensed the signal that the divine war had begun and had to depart for the stone platform in the Kingdom of the Gods immediately.
Seeing this, the two souls, who had not yet been settled, expressed their wish to accompany Emute.
It was no inconvenience to bring a couple of ravens along—the Death God was perennially surrounded by a large flock of them—so he agreed without much thought.
Who would have known that Lotus would awaken from her slumber ahead of schedule? Emute had been looking for a chance to explain the matter to her, but he just hadn't found an opportunity.
From the stone platform in the Kingdom of the Gods to the side of the barrier, and then to the sparring in the battlefield space...
The Death God, poor with words and with less presence than his own raven orchestra, hesitated time and again, his mouth opening and closing. He finally seized the moment after their sparring session ended and successfully called out to Lotus.
Unfortunately, his expressive abilities were so poor that Emute failed to even explain the situation clearly.
The full story was ultimately explained by the former king, Fasir, and the former queen, Selina.
Lotus learned from Fasir that the person they truly wanted to see was not her, but Alyuin.
Their deaths had been sudden. There were things they hadn't had time to tell their daughter, and they hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye. During those years trapped within their skeletal remains, this had become an indelible regret.
The two deceased did not dare hope to truly see Alyuin. They only knew that Lotus had once visited their old tomb in the mortal world with their daughter, and the two had seemed close.
Though they were anxious and full of uncertainty, they still hoped Lotus could help pass on a few words.
After hearing their story, Lotus thought no more of it and nodded. “Alyuin is on her way here. If you wish, you can meet with her directly.”
And so, this led to the current situation of Alyuin and the two ravens staring at each other in silence.
After understanding the truth, the Princess stood stunned for a long moment before whispering, “Mother, Father.”
The two ravens had distinctly different reactions. The smaller one hopped forward twice and covered the back of Alyuin's hand with its wing.
The other stood its ground, chest puffed out, likely intending to speak to its daughter with the same dignified yet gentle authority it possessed in life. However, when it opened its beak, all that came out was: “Caw!”
The former king Fasir, attached to the raven: “...”
Alyuin, waiting to hear her parents speak: “...”
Lotus, who had just explained the ravens' identities: “...”
The ravens themselves could not speak; it was the souls attached to them that had spoken with Lotus earlier.
But as a human, the Princess could not perceive spirits, and human souls, unlike Lotus, could not make their voices heard by mortals.
Lotus fell into thought. Perhaps I can act as a conduit?
But another idea quickly surfaced. Lotus decided to try it. She extended her divine power, letting it form into lens-like objects—two were placed before Alyuin's eyes, and two were pressed against her ears.
Immediately, the Princess's breath hitched.
The scene before her abruptly changed. She saw miniature versions of her parents floating above the ravens.
So many years had passed that her childhood memories were no longer as vivid. Although Alyuin's innate memory allowed her to clearly recall her parents' faces, it wasn't until this moment that the past, woven from memory and emotion, was finally colored anew.
Vivid and clear, as if they had never been parted.
Selina. Lotus was no stranger to the name. In fact, to this day, a rumor still circulated among the Royal Guard that the lady-in-waiting Lorja was someone the former queen had left behind for Alyuin.
Even though Lotus hadn't appeared before them for several years, they still inexplicably believed this assertion to be true.
—Perhaps one had to see Selina in person to understand why the Stubborn Faction had been so wary of her, and why the former king's old retainers had disapproved of their marriage.
Selina was not a traditional beauty. A captivating glamour flowed from the corners of her eyes and the arch of her brows, and her skin was fairer than most Solancians.
Her rare beauty and difficult past made her seem like one of those once-in-a-generation favored queens or royal mistresses from folktales, the kind who would use their favor to bring ruin to the kingdom.
Just as Motis had lamented long ago, anyone could see the kinship between the former queen and Alyuin at a glance. It was just that Selina's features leaned toward a soft, delicate beauty, lacking Alyuin's bright, heroic spirit.
As for the former king Fasir, he too was a handsome man, with a commanding presence in his brow. Like the many portraits hanging in the royal palace, he possessed the characteristic depth of the direct Solancian royal line, along with a touch of pride that wasn't entirely righteous.
His eyes were the color of amber; if they were a little lighter, a little purer and more translucent, they would be the color of Alyuin's.
Without a doubt, Alyuin had inherited all of her parents' best features. When they appeared in the same frame, no one would question that they were a family.
Lotus had seen them together in the young princess's dreams. Perhaps because of their royal upbringing, the family of three did not interact with overt affection, but there was a gentle warmth between them, just like in an ordinary family.
It truly... made one recall the modern concept of a “home.”
This was a warmth Lotus had never felt in her interactions with her own parents.
Lotus lowered her gaze slightly.
Since Alyuin could now communicate with her parents' souls, she was no longer needed here.
It would probably be better to leave for a while, like the other major gods had. It would also allow the former king and queen, who were unaccustomed to being in the same room as a deity, to relax and not be so reserved.
With this in mind, Lotus pressed her lips together, rose onto the balls of her feet, and was about to turn toward the door.
But the moment she moved, a hand caught her wrist.
Lotus instinctively turned her head, and the loose strands of silver hair by her cheek swayed gently with the movement, like seafoam on the waves.
Alyuin was still speaking with her parents, her expression serene, as if the hand that had grabbed her wasn't her own.
The grip was very light. She wouldn't even have to struggle; Lotus could free her wrist and continue on her way just by changing its angle.
Lotus: “...”
Lotus didn't quite dare to look at the former king and queen's expressions. After a brief hesitation, she remained where she was.
Alyuin had just finished a sentence. She glanced sideways at Lotus, a smile blooming in the depths of her eyes.
Lotus's face remained cool and impassive. Without looking at the Princess, she lowered her eyes to the table before her, as if a bouquet of flowers or something else of interest were there.
At the same time, she felt the former queen's gaze fall on the spot where their fingers and wrists met, only to be moved away without a trace.
Lotus could only choose to empty her mind.
It wasn't until the family of three had finished their emotional exchange that the former king Fasir, opposite them, spoke again, bringing up the message he had insisted on conveying to his daughter.
If it were merely to express how much he missed her, Fasir would not have been so desperate as to pull strings with a god just to see Alyuin.
He was, of course, a father who loved his daughter, but he was also the rational and dignified monarch of Solancia.
“What I need to tell you is a secret of the royal family, passed down only by word of mouth from one monarch to the next,” Fasir said gravely. “It has been passed down to this day. I entrust it to you, and I hope you will pass it on to the next king of Solancia… or perhaps, you will be the one to put this secret to use.”
At this, the former king paused, a complex expression appearing on his translucent, spiritual face.
“Of course, it's possible you already know of it. After all, it is a gift to the royal family from the Goddess of the Yilu River.”
—The River Goddess herself was standing right there among them.
Lotus's silver eyelashes lifted slightly.
The River Goddess couldn't very well say she was completely unaware, so she could only maintain her air of detached inscrutability and wait for the former king to continue.
Meanwhile, Lotus couldn't help but wonder, what could this “gift” be?
Thousands of years ago, she had been human. If it was truly something left behind from that time, could it be some modern object?
Or perhaps it was purely a product of human imagination, a myth. Just like with the other major gods—even though they hadn't been born before their myths took shape, humans still created legends of divine gifts. That wasn't strange.
As she was pondering this, the former king said solemnly, “—The key is hidden within the symbol of royal authority. It is the proof that the Goddess of the Yilu River chose Solancia. In a time of crisis, let it reappear in the world. Perhaps it will bring a turn of fate.”
After speaking, Fasir sighed. “During our time with the God of Life and Death, we have come to understand the situation Solancia now faces. If a crisis that threatens the entire nation truly comes…”
Then perhaps that time is not far in the future.
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