Chapter 37

The night before Naya and her companions returned to Dawn City—

Deep within a shadowy bunker somewhere in Dawn City—

Benjamin, the clerk from Roaring Mountain Town, sat hunched under a gray monk’s cloak. His entire aura was utterly different from his days in the town—deeply unsettling, radiating an indescribable darkness.

The only light came from a torch on the wall. He nearly blended into the shadows.

Seated across from him was Ivan Reyes—eldest son of Dawn City’s king, and half-brother to Prince Turing Reyes.

Around twenty-five, 181cm tall and lean, with jet-black hair and violet eyes. He wore an obsidian-black royal robe embroidered with silver lions.

A man radiating imperial command despite his youth. Benjamin dared not meet his gaze—too blinding.

*"Sincerely grateful for this audience, Your Majesty Ivan Reyes—King of all Adventurers."* Benjamin silently wondered: *Was this truly the man who founded the Adventurer Guild after the Calamity?*

"Benjamin," Ivan’s voice cut through the gloom, sharp and penetrating. "You were a clerk at Roaring Mountain Town’s Adventurer Guild branch. How did you suddenly become a devotee of the Seven Gods?"

His gaze was just as piercing.

"Your Majesty, truth exists in this world! But all remain blindfolded. Someone must reveal it!"

Crown Prince Ivan Reyes stared coldly. "Do you presume to be the Chosen of gods?"

"No, Your Majesty. *You* are."

A dry chuckle escaped him. "When did I ever associate with the Seven Gods? For claiming Mercurial Deity is merely one aspect of them, I could hang you as a remnant of the Angelic Faith."

"If I were truly a fraud, Your Majesty, I’d deny Mercurial Deity. I’d even denounce it as demonic. But truth cannot be erased."

A flicker of a smile touched Ivan’s lips. "My brother imprisoned you because your words threatened him and Aio. I freed you to hear what you’d say."

"The faith in the Seven Gods has roots, Your Majesty. Millennia ago, in the Age of Ancients, people worshipped a sevenfold deity. But five centuries ago, when Sorcerers crossed the sea, they shattered this faith. Today, believers of different religions blindly worship single aspects—ignorant that the true god is one being of seven forms."

Benjamin fell silent, awaiting Ivan’s response.

"I’ve never met such a serious liar," Ivan drawled, slouching sideways with a hand propping his chin—a mocking glint in his eyes. "Tell me—is Aio also one of these seven forms?"

Benjamin had long guessed Ivan’s purpose.

Though brothers, Ivan and Turing were rivals for the throne.

The Aeon Sect’s hidden master was Prince Turing.

It began subtly: forty-eight Priestesses infiltrating the Adventurer Guild under Ivan’s control by joining adventuring parties. Ivan tolerated it.

But when a Holy Knight named Aile appeared, performing miracles in Aio’s name, the situation spiraled beyond control.

The Aeon Sect’s followers multiplied tenfold overnight. How could Ivan not fear this?

If divine authority ever eclipsed royal power—his claim to the throne would vanish. His clever brother would rule Dawn City another way.

*The enemy of my enemy is my ally.* Perhaps Ivan saw Benjamin as a tool to dismantle the Sect.

"Aio performs miracles. Its Priestesses heal wounds. What miracles do your Seven Gods offer?" Ivan challenged.

"Aio’s miracles are merely the power of one aspect within its domain. Similarly, the Hunter’s God grants trackers their skill. Both are fragments of the Seven."

"To me, you’re just stitching gods together. Show me a miracle—or you’re not worth believing."

Slowly, Benjamin rose. This time, his gaze met Ivan’s—strangely confident. *Could there truly be a miracle?*

"Your Majesty, I shall now reveal the miracle of one aspect of the Seven Gods—the Mute Reaper." From beneath his cloak, he pulled a crumpled book.

"Just a book," Ivan muttered, disappointment clear.

Benjamin flipped its pages open. Names filled every line—scrawled in jagged, hate-filled strokes that looked like dried blood.

"*Star-Chaser, Light-Song*... Sorcerer surnames?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Every Sorcerer’s name is written here. I found this book in a treasure-hoarding goblin’s sack! The Mute Reaper inscribed their names—and claimed their lives, triggering the Calamity."

Ivan’s冷笑 cut the air. "You expect me to believe this? You could’ve written those names yourself! What kind of miracle is this?"

"Your Majesty," Benjamin remained unmoved. His voice dropped to a whisper: "Those whose full names are written here... die. I’ve tested it."

A silence so thick it choked the air followed.

"Prove it," Ivan commanded, ice in his tone. "Lie, and I’ll hang you."

"Understood." Benjamin drew a pen—a habit from his Guild days.

"I can only write one name at a time. After inscribing both name and surname, the ink vanishes. Only when the person dies do crimson letters appear—as you see here. Then, the next name may be written." Benjamin adjusted his spectacles. "Whose name shall I write, Your Majesty?"

"Jeno Reyes."

"Your Majesty! That’s your father’s name!"

"I once found adventure... amusing." Torchlight flickered in Ivan’s violet eyes like flames in a bottomless well. "Now, I’m tired of it."

The curtain rose on the prologue—

To be continued.