This whole thing—inside and out—reeked of something unspeakably strange.
Uchiha Sogetsu lowered his head, staring at the black-brown cover of the book in his hands, momentarily unsure of what to make of it.
As the former "Visionary," would Ankewelt really be so kind as to wait in Groselle's Travels just to hand him a golden opportunity to advance?
It wasn't that he was overly suspicious—everything about this situation was simply too hard to grasp.
Too bizarre.
Seeing Uchiha Sogetsu remain silent, Ankewelt seemed to see right through his thoughts and smiled faintly.
"Whether or not to accept this gift—that choice is entirely yours. I won't force you to take it."
Fingers tightening around the cover, Uchiha Sogetsu spoke in a calm tone that belied his internal tension. "Then, what if I refuse?"
"I already said—the choice is yours."
Ankewelt lifted his eyelids slightly. His tone remained flat and indifferent. "Whether you accept it or not, it has nothing to do with me."
That answer genuinely surprised Uchiha Sogetsu a bit. After a short pause, he asked again, "And if I want to leave?"
"That's your freedom, isn't it?"
Ankewelt chuckled lightly, showing not the slightest concern. A chair suddenly appeared behind him, and he sat down gracefully. "The door's right there. You're free to leave anytime."
As he spoke, he raised his hand slightly, gesturing for Uchiha Sogetsu to go if he wished.
Uchiha Sogetsu turned to look.
Just as Ankewelt had said, the bronze door had always been there, never hidden away.
Even now, He could still communicate with Adam outside of "Groselle's Travels."
The connection through the spirit-summoning ritual remained intact, and Ankewelt didn't seem to have any intention of keeping Him here.
But precisely because of that, He felt even more uneasy.
"I don't understand. What's the point of you doing all this?"
Uchiha Sogetsu looked at Ankewelt in confusion and asked, "And are you really Ankewelt?"
If the Ankewelt standing in front of him was the real one, did that mean the true "Adam" was still alive?
But if "Adam" was truly alive, then what did that make Him?
A deliberately cultivated replacement?
Or, just like Ankewelt said, was it that "God Almighty" had never truly died, and because something had gone wrong with the real Adam, He had been created instead?
Then... what exactly was He?
Suddenly, Uchiha Sogetsu found himself lost in confusion, trapped by a whirlwind of doubt.
It felt like an invisible, intangible hand had been pushing Him step by step to this moment.
But why?
To bring the real "Adam" back to life?
His thoughts spiraled out of control, and cracks began to form across the island of His mind.
"No, I can't keep thinking about this!"
Abruptly, He snapped out of that state, forcefully cutting off His distracting thoughts.
If He kept going deeper, He might lose control completely before even uncovering the truth.
"You, as you are now, don't need to overthink things."
Ankewelt smiled calmly as a book appeared in his hand once again.
He said softly, "Just like Klein—he figured out the Celestial Worthy's plan, but so what could he do?"
"You mean… my pursuit of the truth right now is meaningless?"
Uchiha Sogetsu held his forehead. His vertical pupils gleamed faintly with a chilling golden light, like a crack tearing through reality itself.
"When you become like Adam—half an Old One—then you'll be qualified to seek more," Ankewelt said calmly, his eyes never leaving the book in his hands. "Below the Old Ones, every scheme and calculation is ultimately meaningless."
The fire of anxiety burning in Sogetsu's chest quietly faded. What remained was a strange, deep calm.
That's right. He was merely an Angel now—not even a King of Angels. What right did he have to chase after truths that belonged to the realm of the Old Ones?
The Old Ones… the level of Above the Sequences… the Three Pillars… At that height, even so-called True Gods were unqualified to join the game, let alone a mere Angel like him.
There was no need to entangle himself with this weight just yet. Struggling with it now would only lead to madness.
Just like Klein—he had thought he was making choices, but in the end… there had never been a choice to begin with.
"Thank you," Sogetsu said softly.
The knot in his heart slowly loosened.
He exhaled deeply and turned his gaze to Ankewelt. "I have one last question. Can you answer it?"
"I can~" Ankewelt replied lazily, flipping another page.
Sogetsu's expression grew solemn. His pale golden pupils locked onto the figure before him.
"You… are you really the real Ankewelt?"
Ankewelt's fingers froze.
The motion of turning the page halted in midair.
A subtle pressure spread through the library.
It was as if the air itself had grown heavy and unwelcoming.
Ankewelt raised his head, his expression unreadable. Under Sogetsu's watchful eyes, his lips slowly curled into a faint, eerie smile.
Then he spoke, his voice clear and composed.
"You should leave now."
It sounded like an answer. And yet… it answered nothing at all.
Sogetsu stared at that enigmatic smile.
A vague suspicion stirred in his heart—but he didn't voice it.
Instead, he simply asked:
"Will we meet again?"
"No. We won't."
Ankewelt lowered his head again, his tone calm and indifferent. "Soon, I will vanish completely. The Groselle's Travels will be left to you. So will the Divine Kingdom of Liveseyd… and my child. I entrust them all to you. Please treat Them kindly. As an ally, They should at least be passable."
"Your child?"
Uchiha Sogetsu was visibly surprised at first, but then something seemed to click in his mind. "The King of the North, Ulyssan?"
"Of course not."
Ankewelt chuckled faintly and shook his head. "Ulyssan was merely a fictional construct. I'm referring to Ariehogg."
"Ariehogg?"
Hearing that name, Uchiha Sogetsu froze for a moment. But soon, relying on the powerful mental capabilities of the Audience pathway, he dug through his memories and retrieved the relevant information. His gaze sharpened with suspicion as he looked at Ankewelt.
"I remember. He should've been overtaken by your personality, right?"
A deep sense of doubt rose within him. Was Ankewelt planning to use this as an opportunity to break free from the constraints of Groselle's Travels?
After all, in the original storyline, Ariehogg's personality had been replaced by Ankewelt's. It was through this act that he achieved his resurrection. There was no way Sogetsu could let his guard down now.
"Relax. The current Ariehogg has nothing to do with me anymore."
Ankewelt's voice was distant. "Of course, you're free not to believe me. You can keep Him within Groselle's Travels. The decision is yours."
"Anything else?"
Sogetsu frowned slightly. For now, he had no intention of letting Ariehogg leave this world.
That being was a Sequence Two—a 'Discerner'—just like himself. An Angel. And there were far too many unanswered questions. He couldn't afford to be careless.
*******
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