Roy leaned back in his chair, his fingers caressing the ancient ring in his hand, lost in thought.
“Knock, knock, knock————”
The rhythmic tapping came from the door behind him. Roy didn’t turn around, simply saying, “……Come in, Erika!”
Even without looking, Roy knew it was Erika. His bedroom was off-limits to everyone else on the yacht; no one dared to disturb his rest.
With the soft creak of the door, a fragrant scent filled the luxurious and expansive bedroom. Roy’s nose was sharp; it was Erika’s perfume, the scent of the bath gel she usually used.
Only then did Roy turn to look, seeing Erika standing at the door, her body tall and proud despite her young age.
Her dress was torn, and she had for once abandoned her red gown for more casual attire. Her long golden hair was still damp from a recent wash, still steaming with moisture, and her delicate skin flushed pink from the bath.
“Your Majesty, you may wish to freshen up. Or, if you desire my service…”
The dazed girl had completely recovered her composure. Her voice was clear and lively, with a hint of seductive lightness. Her beautiful eyes held a hypnotic charm that didn't seem to belong to someone her age.
“No, no hurry. The smell of the ocean is unpleasant, but not to the point where I can’t stand it.”
Roy's gaze boldly followed the curve of her legs beneath her long dress. Erika had finally removed her white stockings, revealing her ivory skin. He could even see faint veins on the back of her foot, where her red heels pressed against her skin.
With the shift in his position, the self-doubt within the girl had given way to confidence. Even more so, Roy had never doubted himself.
Then Erika noticed the ring in Roy’s hand. She sensed it slightly, her eyebrows raising in surprise. “……Your Majesty, the object in your hand has a very subtle magical aura. From the looks of it, is it a divine artifact?”
“Yes, I found it in the ruins of Solomon’s Temple, if that’s truly where it was.”
Roy nodded in response.
“Solomon's Temple? Is that the first temple relic discovered by archaeologists in the heart of ancient Jerusalem, as the news reported recently? It caused quite a stir. King Solomon was known as the symbol of ‘Wisdom,’ but there is very little evidence to prove his existence. This renowned third king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel accomplished so much, yet the artifacts unearthed have led to doubts about his actual existence.”
As a master of the magical arts, Erika was fascinated by ancient legends, history, and relics. She spoke with animated gestures.
“I was at the site of the archaeological dig. I found it interesting and used my powers to vandalize the site, which is how I found this ring.”
Listening to Roy’s nonchalant tone, Erika could only wryly smile. It was typical of a God-Slayer to be so careless about destroying the remnants of Solomon’s legend.
“Your first recorded sighting also occurred in ancient Jerusalem. There was a magician from the ‘Council of Wise Men’ following the archaeology team at the time, and they discovered your whereabouts, Your Majesty. Your past is shrouded in mystery. Many magical societies have investigated you, but they have found no useful information.”
Erika spoke candidly, not afraid to tell Roy about this. Since he had placed his trust in her, she had to return that trust. Besides, spending this time with Roy had convinced her that he was intelligent enough to know that these magical societies had been investigating him all along.
“Did the ‘Scarlet Copper Black Cross’ also investigate me?”
“Yes, they did, too. But the most rigorous investigation was conducted by the ‘Council of Wise Men.’ The sages have conducted the most thorough investigations of every living demon king.”
Erika answered truthfully.
“Let them investigate then. Even if they summon female shamans and witches to perform ‘spiritual sight,’ they won’t find any information related to me.”
Seeing Roy’s confidence, Erika was curious about his past, but she knew that some matters were best left unasked, even if she was curious, she wouldn’t try to pry.
Roy came from another world, and of course, no matter how they investigated, they would never be able to uncover his past.
“‘Spiritual sight’ is a wondrous ability possessed by female shamans and witches. They can receive ‘revelations,’ seeing visions of the past and the future. Do you know where this ‘revelation’ comes from?”
Roy questioned her as if he were a teacher testing a student.
Erika shook her head. “……My ancestors were demon kings like you. Although I also have ‘witch’ blood in my lineage, the lineage is very thin, and I don’t know the secrets of witches.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. Just listen. The world can roughly be divided into three levels. The material world we’re in now, followed by the ‘realm of life and death,’ which magicians call the ‘shadow world.’ After crossing that realm, there’s the final world, the ‘realm of immortality,’ where the gods reside.”
Roy had learned much from Ava’s teachings and from books, and he had seen through the true nature of the world of God-Slayers. This world was like a derivative of the ‘Kabbalah Four Worlds Theory,’ full of flaws but still logically consistent.
The so-called ‘realm of immortality’ where the gods lived was, in Roy’s view, the ‘seat’ of this world. It recorded information about the gods from mythology, and this information changed according to how it was passed down by humans in the material world.
If someone truly broke through the ‘shadow world’ and reached the realm of immortality, they wouldn’t see any living gods. They would only encounter a mass of incomprehensible information, which was similar to the concept of Heroic Spirits.
“……And the ‘shadow world’ has a magical function. It’s like the ‘Akashic Record,’ recording all the information that has ever occurred in the material world. The ‘spiritual sight’ abilities of witches and shamans allow them to see the information recorded in the shadow world, enabling them to replay the past. As for the future, it’s information that witches and shamans have compiled and analyzed from known information, predicting the most likely events that could occur in the future.”
“……In fact, it’s simply a matter of ‘Laplace’s Demon.’ By obtaining and deducing all information from the past, you can predict the future. This is what is called ‘clairvoyance.’”
Roy wiggled a finger, speaking leisurely. Sometimes, the more you learn, the more ignorant you feel. But sometimes, when you know enough, you discover that things are actually quite simple.
“So that’s the principle behind the witches’ secret techniques. Your knowledge is truly vast and astonishing, Your Majesty!”
Erika exclaimed, her voice laced with admiration and delight.
For magicians, the pursuit of power is not their goal. Knowledge is what they seek.
“The Vatican has nothing else, but they do have an abundance of rare ancient texts accumulated over two thousand years. Their library is a treasure trove.”
Roy smiled, then suddenly asked, “……Tell me, Erika! Where are the best witches and shamans in the world?”
Erika was taken aback for a moment. Without hesitation, she replied, “……If we’re talking about the most powerful witches in Europe, the first name that comes to mind is the former head of the ‘Greenwich Council of Wise Men,’ Alice Louise Ove Nafal, the princess known as the ‘White Princess,’ the daughter of Duke Gottingen!”