Three questions? You, a Demoness, also abide by the principle of Equivalent Exchange? Uh, could it be that I taught this?
Ebner mocked inwardly, but on the surface, after a brief moment of thought, he repeated his initial question:
"Are you really Aglea Constantine?"
This question was very important—it directly affected the strategy Ebner would adopt toward her, so he needed a direct answer.
And it was extremely difficult to deceive Ebner, who possessed multiple lie-detection abilities, when answering directly.
The evil spirit atop the coffin was clearly a bit surprised by this question. She paused slightly before nodding and saying, "When I was alive, I was the 'Apocalypse Demoness' Aglea Constantine. Now, I am an evil spirit named 'Aglea Constantine.'"
No problem… it seems she really is the daughter of the "God of Luck" and the "Queen of Calamity"… Ebner nodded, his attitude softening slightly, then asked again:
"You were brought here by Roselle?"
As long as this question received a definite answer, his previous speculation would have solid support. The rest wouldn't need to be asked—he could "discern" it himself.
"Yes…" Aglea first gave an affirmative reply, then organized her thoughts before continuing, "After I was ambushed and killed by Cheek and another angel who never revealed themselves, one who possessed the authority of 'Order,' my soul fell into the hands of the 'Night Emperor' and was imprisoned in a 'cage' constructed from 'rules.'
"That place was interesting enough, but for an 'Apocalypse Demoness' who had lost her body, it was absolutely not friendly…
"By the time Bethel took me away from the 'Night Emperor,' my condition had already deteriorated to the brink of complete madness.
"In the end, it was only through sleeping within the 'God's Painting' that I recovered a little.
"Later, Roselle found some people to believe in me, helping me stabilize my humanity… but that was only a delay… the essence of my problem is that, after losing the support of my characteristics, my authority and symbolism are gradually being stripped away from my spirit body!
"Once I lose my symbolism, even though my soul has undergone a qualitative change, I will slowly degenerate into a mindless monster.
"Therefore, I need a place filled with an atmosphere of 'calamity' and 'apocalypse' to consolidate my symbolism.
"And this ritual room, contaminated by multiple Sefirot, is quite a good location… hehe, this might also be the final gift my father left me.
"Of course, I must also thank Roselle for bringing me here…"
Perhaps because she hadn't spoken with anyone for a long time, even though it only required a "yes" answer, Aglea spoke at length for quite a while, and finally added with lingering interest, "Although my current condition is still not very good, the signs of my symbolism detaching have recently been gradually weakening…
"Perhaps it's because the apocalypse is approaching?"
Madam, you don't need to go into such detail about those trivial matters. With just a few clues as anchors, I can "see" the rest myself, like Arrodes.
As his thoughts turned, Ebner observed Aglea's spirit body and said with some confusion:
"I've seen the evil spirit of the 'Red Angel.' He didn't seem to have the same problem of losing symbolism as you…"
Aglea glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Does that count as your third question?"
"Of course not… this is just an academic discussion. You can choose not to answer." Ebner shook his head.
Aglea sat atop the massive coffin, swinging her legs that dangled in the air, and said with a smile, "It's fine, I can tell you for free… because the answer is very simple. The reason the 'Red Angel' evil spirit is fine is that the Hunter pathway has no true god!
"Once someone ascends to 'Red Priest,' Medici's 'God of War' symbolism will naturally fade over time, and the uniqueness of His spirit body will inevitably become ordinary with the passage of time."
So that's how it is… then the reason your symbolism has recently stopped fading might not be because the apocalypse is approaching, but because Cheek has been put into 'confinement' by Vera…
A look of realization appeared on Ebner's face. After pondering for a moment, he finally asked his third question:
"Can you explain in detail the cause and effect of the ritual that took place here eleven years ago?
"Mm, limited to what you know."
Hearing this, Aglea gave him a meaningful glance. The curve of her lips grew slightly wider as she shook her head gently and said, "I thought you were honest, but it turns out you're as cunning as Roselle!
"That question covers quite a lot of information!"
Although he heard the sarcasm in her tone, Ebner still shamelessly said, "I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer."
Asking questions—what's wrong with playing a little word game? Besides, I've already been quite restrained. I didn't ask you to recount everything you know. That already counts as me taking care of my 'daughter'…
"You are a favored of the Lord of Mysteries and a descendant of Bethel… so I won't argue with you… but that is a very long story, and I don't have much time to narrate it…" As Aglea spoke, she raised one hand and patted the coffin beneath her. Immediately, the altar began to tremble.
"I'll ask one last time—do you really want to know all the causes and consequences of that matter?" Aglea asked solemnly.
Ebner roughly guessed what she intended to do. After making a simple "prophecy" and finding no great danger, he nodded and said, "Yes, I want to know!"
"Very well…" Seeing his firm attitude, Aglea continued to activate the runes on the coffin, causing the lid to open a small crack.
"I will borrow the power of my father's former body to transmit this knowledge into your mind. You'd better not resist…
"Of course, if you feel it's dangerous, you can have the power of Sefirah Castle interrupt the 'transmission' at any time."
Before her words had even finished, Ebner sensed something entering his mental island, and at that moment, the "Pure White Eye" suddenly activated.
"What's going on? Why is the power of the mind out of control? What did you do? How did it directly enter your mental island…"
Aglea's expression changed when she saw this. She muttered a few words, but then suddenly widened her eyes, as if she had seen something unbelievable:
"Wait! This… this is the power of the 'Unknown'… the 'Memory Theater'?! You… you are another reincarnation of Father?
"This is bad! This reincarnation of his isn't even an angel yet, and the 'Memory Theater' isn't under his control. It must have been accidentally activated by the power of this body belonging to the 'Source of Depravity'…
"And as an 'intruder' judged by the 'Memory Theater,' I'm afraid I'll be pulled together with Father into a certain memory scene…
"Let's hope the 'Memory Theater' hasn't been activated too much… otherwise it'll be troublesome!"
(End of Chapter)