Chapter 46
At his conclusion, Fay let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was a good thing he had backed down. If he’d continued to stand his ground and was stubborn about the issue…
The image of herself becoming a cold corpse after giving birth flashed through her mind, sending a chill down her spine.
“By the way, you keep talking about a ruler every now and then—what does that actually mean?”
“A ruler is one who rules. Is there any other meaning?”
She’d been shocked that he didn’t even know what a witch was, yet now he was saying she didn’t know what a ruler was supposed to be? Alnazir was incredulous.
“I’m not asking because I don’t know the definition… never mind. Just pull it out already. I want to get out of the tub before my stomach splits open.”
If Fay was nothing more than a human, then who exactly was the true ruler of this world?
The thought crossed his mind—but he quickly discarded it.
“No. You’re not getting out. I may have given up on having a child, but you’re already in my hands.”
For now, soothing Fay and drawing her back into bed was the priority.
* * *
By morning, the once clear bathwater had turned cloudy. Alnazir, still tireless, continued moving inside her, while Fay let out faint moans in her sleep.
It was a peaceful, perfectly satisfying morning for him—until someone intruded upon his contented mind.
Alnazir’s inner mind was a vast sea, the familiar ocean where he had long made his resting place. And yet, a stranger had appeared there.
The unfamiliar man stood atop a distant cliff. In an instant, what should have been the most comfortable of spaces became unbearably unpleasant. This had never happened before.
Alnazir realized at once that the man was the ruler of Fay’s world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to interfere with his consciousness.
“I’ll ask directly instead of beating around the bush, intruder.”
The man spoke from the cliff. Alnazir gazed up at him from the depths of the sea. The blond man, with thinning hair, looked quite old.
“This is not your world. The god of this place is me.”
So rulers were called gods here. Alnazir focused on the man’s aggressive tone. He clearly didn’t welcome Alnazir’s presence and made no attempt to hide his hostility.
“If you don’t want to be punished, you’d better leave before I take action myself.”
“As if you have the power to do that.”
Alnazir scoffed softly as he lay back against the sea.
“I didn’t expect to find anyone impressive here. A weak world tends to have a weak ruler. But…”
Though it was their first meeting, he felt no inclination to show respect. After all, the other party had been rude first.
“You’re exactly what I imagined.”
If that was the ruler, then he almost felt sorry for Fay. Honestly, the world might be better off if Fay herself were the ruler instead.
He didn’t say it aloud—but in this mental realm, his thoughts echoed clearly through the sky.
He could have blocked them if he wanted to, but Alnazir didn’t bother. What could this rude god possibly do to him? He dismissed the nameless god entirely.
“A mere subordinate of a witch dares to mock me?”
As the man barked in fury, dark clouds gathered over the sea, crackling as if lightning were about to strike.
Alnazir crossed his arms and watched calmly. Electricity flickered through the clouds, but no lightning fell.
See? Just as I thought. Alnazir’s scoff dispersed the clouds. Humiliated, the man clenched his fists, trembling.
“I’ll crush that arrogant face of yours—along with the witch.”
With that final threat, the blond man vanished.
“Your Majesty.”
At the voice calling him, the Emperor slowly opened his eyes. His gaze burned with anger, still heated from the unpleasant exchange with the intruder moments ago.
He had sensed something ominous coming from Aldehallow not long ago—but it had quickly disappeared. He’d assumed a witch had tried to summon something to oppose him, failed the contract, and died.
Still, he had planned to strike before the witches could successfully summon a god from another world. He hastily began preparing his forces—only to sense that same sinister presence once more.
This time, he tracked it properly.
The Emperor’s unease had already become reality. Perhaps gathering his army had taken too long; the otherworldly god had already been summoned and was now hiding among humans.
What was its goal? With gods from other worlds, one could never be sure. But the witches’ intentions were obvious. They had dared to reject and defy Eraziel. Some witch had even attempted to destroy the world he had painstakingly created.
It had to be stopped.
The Emperor steadied his breathing and looked around. His ministers and sons sat around the long table, waiting for his command.
“Are the preparations complete?”
At his question, the commander-in-chief nodded. Ten thousand loyal soldiers, along with ample food and water—everything was ready.
“March on Aldehallow. Leave not a single witch alive on that land.”
At the order, everyone rose to their feet at once.
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