Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 134 Do you mind if I do *that* to you at your coming-of-age ceremony?

Forty-five days.

Klein leaned back in his chair and said casually:

"Forty-five days have passed since you first went missing."

After a pause, Klein suddenly asked:

"You went back in time?"

"I think so." Yu Jin nodded slightly.

"That's really true."

Klein felt a strange mix of emotions, even though he had suspected it beforehand. But hearing Ember admit to returning to the past firsthand still left Klein deeply moved.

In the Dark Souls universe, time travel is not difficult, as time itself is extremely unstable. This instability stems from the instability of the First Flame. However, if the Ember can also travel through time in this world, then Klein must reconsider his definition of the First Flame.

Klein really wanted to know what had happened to Ember in the past and what he had done, but he didn't want to ask him directly.

"Then, let's continue our previous topic."

Klein tapped the bronze table lightly with his fingers and said slowly, "The Primordial World."

Yu Jin's expression shifted slightly. He sat up straight and placed his hands, folded, on the bronze table.

"During the First Era, the 'Primordial World' was drawn by an unknown force, but it ultimately arrived at the end of the Second Era."

After a pause, Klein continued with a smile:

"Now that you've gone back in time, I think you'll be able to understand the meaning of this more deeply."

Faced with Klein's questioning, Ember's expression remained calm and composed, revealing no trace of emotion.

The timeline he traveled back to should be at the end of the Second Era. At that time, the progenitor of the vampires had already perished due to the betrayal of the Giant King, and only three of the eight ancient gods remained. This perfectly matches the legends recorded in Silver City—

The eight ancient gods divided the authority left by the Lord, becoming the rulers of the sky, earth, and sea; the rulers of reality, the spirit world, and the astral realm; and the gods of all races—the true gods, the ancient gods. Some perished in their struggles with each other, while others were stripped of their authority after the awakening of the "Creator of All Things, the All-Knowing and All-Powerful God."

Having witnessed the embers of history firsthand, it's clear that those recorded as having fallen were undoubtedly Lilith and two other ancient gods. And the so-called "creator of all things" worshipped by the Silver City is most likely the "sun god" he saw.

Ember now understood why he had returned to the past: he had unintentionally fulfilled a condition—time wasn't the key, the key was the condition. One of the conditions was that he was above the gray fog, a region possessing the power to transcend time.

The gray fog itself may not possess the ability to travel through time, but it must have existed since the Second Era or even earlier, and has continued to this day, unchanged since time immemorial. This satisfies the first condition. The second condition is that at a certain point in the past, someone 'coincidentally' summoned it.

The reason Lilith was able to summon him wasn't because of the cross, but because of the ring itself. The embers sensed a familiar power within it, the power of the First Flame—a ring forged from the First Flame!

"Mr. Fool."

Yu Jin collected his thoughts and said slowly, "I hope to return to the real world as soon as possible."

Klein, clearly expecting this, smiled and said in a calm tone:

"Sure, but would you like to go to the area where that member is located?"

Ember hesitated for two seconds, then slowly said:

"If possible, I would like to speak with Miss 'Justice' in person. I have some important matters that I would like to discuss with her in person."

"it is good."

Klein nodded slightly, curious but not inquiring—though he couldn't help but imagine things.

As he pondered this, Klein extended his spiritual touch to the crimson star representing Miss Justice, conveying to her the message that Mr. Lover wished to descend upon her region, and seeking her opinion.

Meanwhile.

Inside the Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens.

A noblewoman dressed in a pale yellow dress adorned with numerous lace decorations sits on the piano, her hands pressing the keys as she plays Croatian Rhapsody, composed by Emperor Roselle and still considered a classic after more than a century.

Meanwhile, her personal maid Anne and her teacher, the famous pianist Mr. Vicanal, were enjoying the girl's playing with their eyes closed.

Suddenly, the girl's hands stopped playing, for a thick gray fog suddenly filled her vision, which was obscured by her eyelids. A tall and majestic figure, seemingly looking down upon all people and things, spoke:

"The Lovers have returned."

Has Ember returned? Audrey's eyes flickered, and the corners of her lips slowly turned up. But then she heard Mr. Fool ask her if she would like to set up the ritual. Audrey certainly wouldn't refuse, but the problem was that there were other people in her room.

The girl lowered her eyes slightly, glancing at the two people beside her out of the corner of her eye, thinking about how to get them to leave without leaving a trace.

The personal maid, Annie, asked very considerately:

"Miss Audrey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vicanal."

Audrey stood up, gave a graceful bow, and said apologetically, "I suddenly remembered that I have some important things to do, so..."

"It's okay."

Mr. Vicanal immediately understood, stood up, and said somewhat helplessly, "I also have some things to take care of, so I'll take my leave now."

As a qualified pianist, he didn't want to leave like this. It would be irresponsible to his students and to his professional ethics, especially since Count Hall had paid him a lot of money.

But Earl Hall had also instructed that if Audrey needed more free time, he should do his best to accommodate her—and pay her as usual. Since that was the case, Mr. Vicanal had no reason to insist and quickly left the room, led by his maid Anne.

Audrey blinked and looked at the large golden retriever that was sitting obediently at her feet:

"Susie".

"Woof!"

Without Audrey's instruction, the golden retriever immediately stood up, wagged its tail, walked to the door, and skillfully turned the doorknob.

Audrey looked at Susie's practiced manner and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Click!"

After Susie left the room, Audrey went to the door, closed it, locked it from the inside, and then drew the curtains.

Only then did he take out the auxiliary materials he had prepared earlier from the drawer, ready to pray to Mr. Fool, and to arrange and hold the corresponding ceremony.

This differs from a normal summoning ritual, and the corresponding incantations are more complex:

"The Great Fool";

"You are the ruler above the gray fog;"

"You are the king of yellow and black who holds good fortune."

I pray for your favor;

I beg your attention;

"Pray for the power of secrecy and change."

"I!

"I summon in the name of the great 'Fool':"

"The ashes that are neither born nor die, the retinue of the King of Yellow and Black, the wanderers of endless time and space."

Hermesian phrases echoed in the room, and the flames at the top of the candles suddenly expanded, weaving together to form an illusory door covered with mysterious patterns.

"It's done!"

Above the gray mist, Klein, seated on the bronze throne, raised an eyebrow.

While Miss Justice was performing a ritual and chanting incantations to summon the 'Phantom Gate,' a similar 'Phantom Gate' appeared above the gray mist, formed from ripples of light patterns—a double summoning gate covered in mysterious symbols!

That's right, this is Klein's version of the 'Summoning Gate'!

The essence of this summoning ritual is not complicated. Klein pulled the Ember's "spirit" into the gray mist beforehand, and then opened the "Summoning Gate" for the Ember to pass through, thus completing the whole thing.

Klein initially used this ritual to summon his spirit, thereby achieving some ulterior motives. However, since the Ember disappeared due to the hastily performed "Gift" ritual, Klein has learned his lesson and made a painful decision. He began to think about how to ensure that the Ember could return to the real world normally after its return, instead of disappearing into the annals of history as before.

The simple "granting" ritual had already encountered an unexpected problem once. Although it might not have been the ritual's fault, Klein didn't want to gamble again. So he modified the "summoning ritual," which was originally only used to summon himself, by transforming the target into embers, thus allowing him to return to reality smoothly. —Of course, this was also a conclusion he reached after divination.

Seeing that the 'Summoning Gate' had been established, Klein nodded slightly to Ember, indicating that he could leave.

However, to Klein's surprise, Ember only glanced deeply at the summoning gate and did not act rashly.

"Is there something wrong with this door?"

Klein couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't, and he was caught in a dilemma. Just as he was struggling with this, Ember had already made his move and passed through the 'Summoning Gate'.

Klein subconsciously turned his gaze to the image projected during Miss Justice's prayer. From the "Summoning Gate" in front of her, the figure of Ember slowly emerged.

"call!"

Seeing this, Klein finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Ember had gone missing again, he would have been in deep trouble.

……

"Welcome back, Ember."

As Ember emerged from the summoning gate, he heard a girl's gentle voice beside him. Looking up, he saw a blonde noblewoman smiling at him. Ember's vision blurred for a moment, as if he saw history and time overlapping, and Lilith's smiling face appeared before him.

Ember quickly regained his senses and said with a smile:

Good morning, Miss Audrey.

It's almost noon.

Audrey covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"No difference."

Yu Jin said without changing his expression, "If you get up at noon, then noon is morning, and lunch is breakfast."

When Audrey heard Ember's sophistry, she really wanted to roll her eyes at him without any regard for her image or manners, but she ultimately held back.

Yu Jin glanced at the fine, downy snowflakes falling outside the window, then suddenly frowned and asked:

"What time is it now?"

"Wednesday, December 15th."

Audrey knew he wasn't asking about the current time, so she answered Ember's question seriously, saying each word clearly, "Forty-five days have passed since you disappeared."

Ember shrugged. He had already heard this conclusion from Mr. Fool, and was just confirming it when he casually asked:

"Has anything happened recently? I mean, any particularly important events."

Audrey thought about it carefully for a moment, then gently shook her head:

"Nothing major has happened in Backlund, but something might have happened with Miss Fors, though I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. You might want to ask her yourself."

Ember nodded thoughtfully. Fors's matter was nothing more than the Abraham family. With his record of 'Healing Tears,' resolving the curse shouldn't be a problem, and in theory, nothing unexpected should happen.

However, the possibility that the Abraham family, instead of being grateful, might turn around and repay kindness with enmity cannot be ruled out.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Ember asked:

"Audrey, I remember your coming-of-age ceremony is in two weeks?"

Audrey's lips curved upwards slightly, and she smiled as she said:

"Yes, I remember inviting you to the New Year's banquet at the palace."

"I see."

Ember looked thoughtful, and after a long while, he slowly asked, "Audrey, I have a very important question to ask you."

Looking at Ember's serious expression, Audrey subconsciously considered a possibility, and her voice became somewhat flustered:

"W-what?"

"Would you mind if I attended your coming-of-age ceremony...?"

Audrey's heart jumped involuntarily, her hands clasped together nervously.

Should she accept his offer or reject him? She wasn't prepared for this. She had only been hiding their identities and putting on an act in front of her parents, but what should she do now?

Should they agree? But their relationship doesn't seem to have reached that point yet.

Should she refuse? But she didn't seem to dislike this development... After all, even if she was an extraordinary being, she was still a noblewoman. Audrey had long been mentally prepared; as Earl Hall's daughter, her marriage would inevitably be intertwined with politics. Rather than unwillingly marrying dukes or marquises' heirs whom she had barely met, Ember was a much better choice. After all, they had known each other for a long time, and among all the men she knew, Ember was the most outstanding.

On the other hand, given Earl Hall's family background, unless there are special circumstances such as a financial crisis, reaching a marriage agreement would require a long process. It would require strict consideration and comparison before they could make a decision, because it is not just a matter between two young people, but also involves the alliance and mutual assistance of families.

On the other hand, although Audrey could start considering marriage after turning 18 and declaring herself an adult, statistics show that aristocratic young women typically started families around the age of 26. In other words, she actually had plenty of time and didn't need to rush.

and so……

With immense nervousness, Audrey gazed at Ember's solemn expression, waiting with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation for him to utter those words completely.

"Assassination of George III".

"I...you..."

"Huh?"

Audrey mustered her courage, about to give an answer, but then suddenly froze, blinking in confusion. It didn't seem like what she had heard.

"I mean..."

Ember, thinking she hadn't heard him clearly, repeated, "Would you mind if I assassinated George III at your coming-of-age ceremony?"

"..."

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason felt a strange sense of regret. She muttered softly, "So it was an assassination attempt on George III. I thought..."

"What did you think?"

Yu Jin was somewhat puzzled.

"I thought..."

Audrey's eyes flickered, trying to avoid the topic. Her mind subconsciously began to recall what Ember had just said, and she finally realized something was amiss. Her lips formed an "O" shape.

"Assassinate His Majesty the King?!"

"Yes."

Yu Jin nodded slightly and said calmly, "I feel this should be a good opportunity to strike."

Audrey's eyes widened. Ember's tone was so calm that it made him seem like he was about to kill a fish, but in reality, he was going to assassinate George III, the most powerful person in the entire country, the king of the Kingdom of Loen!

"you……"

Audrey opened her mouth, hesitating to speak, then stopping herself. She felt she should try to persuade Ember, but she realized she didn't seem to have the power to dissuade him, nor did she know what her stance was in wanting to stop him. Upon reflection, she realized she was simply instinctively convinced that assassinating the king was treasonous, and therefore wanted to stop him.

But if we were to stop Ember simply because of this, would that be fair to him? Ultimately, she didn't even know why Ember wanted to assassinate George III, even though they had never even met…

A complex expression flickered in the girl's eyes as she asked in a low voice:

"But why? Why assassinate His Majesty the King?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"Don't you need it?"

When asked by Ember, Audrey tilted her head up, her bright eyes fixed on him, trying to get an answer from him.

Ember hesitated for two seconds, then slowly said:

Do you remember the Black Emperor?

"Remember."

Audrey nodded slightly; of course she wouldn't forget. At first, she only knew that the Embers were searching for the Black Emperor, and that the Black Emperor was connected to royalty. Then, she learned from Mr. Fool that Emperor Roselle's bookmark was the "Black Emperor Card." But there was more information…

A hint of confusion flashed in the girl's eyes; she didn't seem to know much.

Looking at the girl's bewildered expression, Yu Jin slowly spoke:

"Mr. Fool has a blasphemous card."

Audrey was in a state of confusion and couldn't help but blurt out:

"I know, that's the Black Emperor card, containing a complete sequence of an 'extraordinary path'."

Why do you call it the extraordinary path?

Ember asked a question that made Audrey hesitate for a moment, wondering if she had said something wrong. But what Ember said next completely stunned her.

"You should call it the Path of God, because the apex of this path is God."

Audrey's mind became a jumbled mess, as if a supernova had exploded within her. All her thoughts were jumbled and then rearranged, like a tangled mess of threads, impossible to unravel. And as the girl recalled the information Mr. Fool had once revealed, only one thought remained in her mind:

"The Black Emperor is Sequence 0? Sequence 0 is the level where true gods reside, then the Goddess of Night..."

"Yes."

Ember nodded slightly. "The Goddess of the Night is also a Sequence 0, which means that the so-called true god is just a slightly more powerful extraordinary being."

Why did you have to say it?!

Audrey opened her mouth, looking at Ember with a complex emotion she herself didn't understand. Although she had already guessed the truth, knowing and saying it were two completely different things!

Because this statement itself is the greatest blasphemy against the gods!

(End of this chapter)