Chapter 1076: The Realization

Gawain lifted his teacup but hesitated before bringing it to his lips. As he pondered, the tangled history of the Silver Empire after the fall of the God of Nature gradually came into focus in his mind—a long, obscure stretch of time few truly understood. The elves’ lifespans were so vast that their secrets spanned far deeper and further back than humans could imagine. Over three thousand years—an expanse that even the mighty Gondor Empire at its peak could barely document accurately.

Such an immense history was enough, for certain druidic cults, to fabricate several so-called “gods.”

Of course, from Belsethia’s description, those druidic cults hadn’t truly created gods. They were nothing like the “false god-forms” consciously crafted by the End of All Things cult, nor the “Overnarrators” that unexpectedly emerged in Sandbox One. At best, these were psychological projections born from collective ideologies—still far from manifesting in the real world.

Thinking of this, Gawain couldn’t help but feel a twinge of irony—when it came to courting disaster, humans still outdid everyone else. The combined efforts of those elven druids over three millennia didn’t come close to the chaos wrought by those two heretical cults…

But that was hardly something to boast about.

“You’ve drifted into thought again,” the Silver Queen observed quietly, her voice pulling Gawain back from his reverie. “Though it’s understandable—what I just told you would make anyone fall into deep contemplation.”

“I was just wondering how much you’ve actually learned from those cults’ attempts over the years,” Gawain said, setting down his cup as he spoke thoughtfully. “You mentioned earlier that although you couldn’t confirm exactly what those cults ‘summoned,’ you had some theories… I imagine those ‘theories’ aren’t so simple, are they?”

The Silver Queen was silent for a few seconds before sighing softly. “To be honest, ever since the White Star fell, we’ve been trying to uncover the truth behind it. That event reshaped the empire’s fate—it rippled across the entire world. No one could resist the urge to know what really happened.

“As you know, the Silver Empire is a union of crown and divine authority. The elven royal family also leads the druidic faith, so the most brilliant druid scholars serve the elven court. After the White Star’s fall, the court launched a massive, decades-long investigation—one that lasted until my father donned the Golden Oak Crown.

“But even with the best minds and all that time, we never uncovered the truth behind the White Star’s demise. Nor could we restore our connection to the God of Nature. So we reached a grim conclusion: the God of Nature had fallen, and for whatever reason, had left this world forever.

“It was in this void that those cults emerged, seemingly forging links with some mysterious entities. These entities displayed traits reminiscent of the gods described in ancient lore… For the royal family, still desperately seeking answers about the White Star, this was a staggering shock. We are not a dull people—we could grasp the possible truth behind it, a truth that nearly shattered our worldview.

“My grandmother… she was the first elf to order the destruction of those cults. Few know that on the night before she died, she donned the priestess’s robes, praying and confessing through the night, passing away in fear and pain. Yet even then, she never rescinded her command.

“My father carried out her orders. In nearly two thousand years of rule, he destroyed every cult he found and, by extension, every ‘god’ they had ‘summoned.’ He meticulously studied every scrap of their writings—on stone tablets, leaf-shaped papers, even the smallest fragments. In fact, he was the true ‘cult expert.’ If he wished, he could have replicated any ritual those cults performed. But he never did. He took all his knowledge to the grave.

“As for my generation… most of my court and I have fully adapted to a ‘druid orthodoxy’ without gods. To be frank, we believe this is better. Yet we still govern the forests and lands in the name of the druid faith. We use the elven script simplified from the ‘Language of Nature’ from three thousand years ago as our official writing. Many of our special terms trace back to those ancient beliefs… The gods may have left us, but their cultural imprint is inseparable from our traditions.

“So, to return to your question—what have we ‘guessed’? We’ve guessed everything, but we’ve never admitted it. We could never admit it… Admit what? That the rightful leaders of all druids, the earthly representatives of the God of Nature, the rulers of the Silver Empire, spent three generations killing seven newborn ‘gods of nature’?”

Her story ended there. She took a gentle sip of her tea, then smiled faintly at Gawain. “I seem to have gone off on a tangent?”

“No, not at all,” Gawain said quietly, steadying his emotions. He looked into Belsethia’s eyes, searching for any trace of genuine feeling in this mature ruler, but found none. Her gaze was deep and impenetrable, as if centuries of rule had locked all emotion away. He shook his head. “So you’re not ignorant of the gods—in fact, you know far more than humans do. But all your secrets lie buried deep within the royal archives, and your research has only scratched the surface.”

The Silver Queen nodded. “That’s a fair assessment.”

“What about what I told you in my last letter?” Gawain asked. “About the ‘countdown’ behind the gods that humans discovered, and our attempts to find a way to save ourselves.”

“That’s a realm we’ve never touched,” the golden-haired woman said seriously. “We sensed the gods’ emergence but never realized that terrifying ‘countdown’ existed. After receiving your letter, I felt immense relief—relief that our three generations of elves made the right choices, preventing things from spiraling out of control. As for your salvation plan… you didn’t elaborate in your letter, but if you’re serious, I’m very interested.”

“I am serious,” Gawain said plainly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so committed to changing the entire continent of Loren. The gods’ mad ‘countdown’ is a sword hanging over all mortals’ heads. Whether we admit it or not, no single nation can stand against it. Since the gods’ rules depend on the ‘thought currents’ of all living beings, the key to breaking the cycle must lie with the ‘multitude.’ I don’t know where that tipping point is, but it’s definitely beyond any one country or race. That’s why I need to bring as many nations and peoples as possible into this plan.”

He looked seriously at the golden-haired woman opposite him. “Honestly, I was most worried about the Silver Empire’s stance on this. Among all the nations of Loren, only the Silver Empire’s royal family also leads the church. Though the druids’ gods have long since left, that dual role still influences your actions. But now… it seems that worry was unfounded.”

The Silver Queen’s gaze lingered on Gawain for a moment before she smiled. “It’s clear you’re serious. I’m happy to be one of your supporters.”

Gawain’s expression remained calm, but inside he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He could no longer connect this mature, imposing woman with the “little princess” from his memories. She had changed so much that his recollections of Gawain Cecil were almost useless now. All he could do was adapt on the fly.

After a moment’s thought, he prepared to ask his next question, but before he could speak, the Silver Queen interrupted: “You’ve asked a lot already. Isn’t it time for the lady to ask a question?”

Gawain blinked, then nodded. “Of course. Go ahead.”

She smiled, meeting his gaze steadily. “You’re not really Uncle Gawain, are you?”

Gawain was silent for a heartbeat. His heart skipped a beat, but his strong will kept his outward composure intact—his breathing steady, no sign of surprise. Instead, he looked at her with mild astonishment and pointed to himself. “Why do you say that? Am I supposed to be a fake?”

The Silver Queen met his eyes calmly. After a long pause, she spoke softly, “I’m not trying to deceive you. I know you’re not him. At least, not entirely. I can see it.”

The garden fell into a heavy silence. The air felt thick, almost solid with tension. Gawain and the Silver Queen faced each other quietly. He studied her eyes, already preparing countless explanations and ways to prove himself, but in the end, he just shook his head with a smile. “How is it that one or two people always figure it out in the end…?”

“One or two?” The Queen’s expression didn’t change much, but she caught the key word in his sentence. Her tone grew curious. “Who else has figured it out?”

Gawain shook his head. “Beltira Augustus and Selina Gelph—you should remember them. You used to cause trouble around them, even secretly hid Selina’s lantern, not knowing it was a magic lamp that recorded the entire process.”

“Beltira and Selina… it’s been so long since I heard those names,” the Silver Queen said, a flicker of nostalgia crossing her face. “They’re still alive?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Gawain replied. “A lot has happened—it would take a whole day to explain. If there’s a chance, I can introduce you to them—if they’re willing to reminisce with you.”

He shook his head. “But that’s beside the point. How did you conclude I’m not ‘Uncle Gawain’? I mean, I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I believe I’ve shown no oddities—my speech, my habitual gestures, all exactly as they were seven hundred years ago.”

“Exactly. Exactly the same… How could that be?” The Silver Queen’s gaze was steady and calm. “If you were truly Uncle Gawain, how could you be exactly the same as seven hundred years ago?”

Gawain frowned, puzzled. “‘Gawain Cecil slept for seven hundred years.’ Since I was asleep all that time, the ‘me’ now is only a few years removed from when I ‘died.’ Just a few years—that should mean…”

“If you truly are Uncle Gawain, then you must have faced life and death, haven’t you?” The Silver Queen interrupted him, her words deliberate and measured. “You’ve experienced life and death, witnessed the swift turning of eras, seen everything and everyone change beyond recognition. You woke up in a completely unfamiliar age, yet you accomplished so many earth-shattering feats in this strange new world. And most importantly—you’re standing before me now, and I’m almost a stranger to you. You didn’t live through those seven hundred years, but what you did experience was an even greater upheaval than seven centuries of life. So how could you remain utterly unchanged, exactly as I remember you?”

She paused, locking eyes with Gawain. After a long moment, she spoke softly, “You’re too much like the Gawain I remember—almost exactly the same. That simply can’t be real.”

“…I was careless,” Gawain said after a few seconds of silence, suddenly slapping his forehead with a sigh. “But is that all there is?”

“If it were only that, I might just have my doubts,” the Silver Queen replied. “But there’s something else I know—I’ve heard the rumors about the ‘Wanderers from Beyond’… And with that in mind, I don’t just doubt anymore.”

Gawain fought back a smile. “Elven footprints are everywhere across the continent, and everyone says the Silver Queen is the most well-informed ruler in this world… Now I understand why.”

He sighed and continued, “But if you’ve realized I’m not the real one, then why tell me so much? Why even support my plans? Don’t you think I’m a dangerous ‘Soul Thief’ or some mysterious ‘Descendant’ with unknown motives?”

The golden-haired woman laughed softly. “You just said it yourself—the Silver Queen is the most well-informed ruler in this world.”

“You mean…”

“Communication between the northern continent and the Silver Empire is poor—but only relatively speaking. In truth, my desk is piled high with intelligence about you. From your establishment of the frontier in the Dark Mountains, to the revival of the Cecil family, from the founding of your empire to that godslaying war… I know everything you’ve brought to this world. I even know what font was used in the headline of the third article in the second issue of this month’s Cecil Weekly,” the Silver Queen smiled. “After knowing all that, do I really need to know more?

“As for why I told you so much… the reason is actually very simple.

“You have defeated gods. More than one.”

(End of chapter)