Regardless of her inner thoughts, Maggie quickly calmed down, especially when facing an angel. The calmer she appeared, the less information she revealed.
"The Duke will arrive at the temple in about seven days... with my mother. My request is simple: kill the Duke while ensuring her safety."
Maggie rested her arm on the table in front of her, her fingertips tapping lightly on the surface, producing a steady tapping sound, but in the noisy and chaotic tavern, the sound was almost inaudible.
"Can."
El nodded slightly, offering no further suggestions. However, in Maggie's opinion, if the leader of the Silver Wheel was an archangel, then this mission wouldn't even qualify as a mission.
After all, with his strength, he could easily take care of the Duke.
It's a pity that this part wasn't written in the original comic, otherwise Maggie wouldn't have been so unprepared.
"But I have a new suggestion that Miss Saint might consider."
As soon as El finished speaking, Maggie immediately became extremely vigilant, because according to Philomona, the angels' plans were basically related to the entire continent, and those who were used as pawns never had a good ending.
If she didn't want to be used as a scapegoat, she should have refused on the spot, but now that the two of them were sitting on opposite sides of the negotiating table, she had to listen to what El had to say out of politeness.
"you say."
Maggie lowered her eyes, showing no resistance.
"Presumably, Miss Saint already knows that your family is connected with demons, but you may have overlooked one thing."
El's voice lacked emotion, devoid of even the fluctuations of a normal human voice, making it sound somewhat eerie.
“Your father’s confidence does not come from demons, but from ‘Tartarus’.”
Maggie shouldn't have felt anything from the somewhat unfamiliar name, but the moment she heard it, a chill suddenly enveloped her, as if it came from the deepest, coldest cave in the world.
It seemed to come from the depths of a glacier in a frozen world, leading straight to the underworld, a place so dark it was terrifying.
It's more taboo than hell, something people don't want to mention.
Just hearing the name makes one feel uncomfortable and want to run away.
"What...is that?"
When Maggie asked that question, she inexplicably thought of the power lingering above the border city, which made her uncomfortable even when she got close to it.
Although she didn't know why the symptoms had subsided, the feeling lingered in her body, making it hard for her to forget.
"A black hole that devours the life of the continent and endlessly thirsts for souls."
El's tone was clearly indifferent, but Maggie detected a hint of disgust in it.
Something that angels find repulsive must be extremely terrifying.
The gods of the entire continent of Coral are now asleep. Only angels, demons, and the Elemental King possess power comparable to the gods. However, most demons reside in Hell, the Elemental King does not leave the Elemental Source Realm, and the Elemental Spirits are beyond the reach of even humans.
Therefore, the only beings who can move freely on the continent and possess god-like power are angels.
Aside from Philomona, she is a special variable.
Therefore, the 'Tartarus' he mentioned is definitely not something that a mere cannon fodder like her could possibly have access to.
Maggie instinctively didn't want to continue the topic, but the angel in front of her was more alluring than a demon.
She found it hard to refuse to listen to anything about the Duke, and in the end, she could only close her eyes and suppress her urge to leave.
“The ‘Tartarus’ has now developed its own will. It is no longer satisfied with the creatures that have fallen and stumbled. Instead, it has begun to grow claws and fangs, spreading outwards to erode and prey on creatures to fill its eternally empty abyss.”
El continued.
"...It's a monster?"
Although Maggie used a rhetorical question, she was actually 80% certain that the minions he was referring to were the monsters.
"Yes, and your father too."
Al nodded.
"So? What are you trying to say?"
Maggie's ominous premonition grew stronger.
“You should have sensed it long ago. Your father’s personality changed drastically. His soul had long been devoured and his body was taken over by the minions of ‘Tartaros.’ Now he’s just a monster in human skin.”
"But he will mimic your father's behavior, including his emotions, memories, and even your father, as a monster, may not have known he was a monster, but simply acted instinctively according to the hints and commands given by 'Tartaros'."
Instead of answering Maggie's question directly, El continued.
“I can indeed help you get rid of your father, but the minions on your father’s body are enough to deceive even angels. If I kill your father’s body, it will choose a new host and attach itself to an unknown person.”
"At that time, it will completely hide itself and only act again when the right opportunity arises. Even as the Archangel, I cannot easily locate its position."
Finally, El told Maggie the most important thing. In an instant, Maggie felt as if her heart had been squeezed, and she couldn't even breathe.
One thought even filled her mind, not concerning her own safety, but something else, which made her feel increasingly suffocated and her head spinning.
Even so, Maggie still forced herself to ask the question that concerned her most.
"That *Tumi* (荼蘼) potion..."
For the first time ever, Maggie lost her composure, her voice urgent as she tried to confirm whether her guess was true.
"Is it really just a highly addictive potion? Is it really just for making money? If those lackeys are willing to risk the future of the Zefnia family, and even... my life, to open the passage to all the kingdoms and spread it across the entire continent."
Does it have any other uses?
After Maggie finished speaking, she kept her eyes fixed on El's face, trying to read something from him, but unfortunately, the angel's face was expressionless; he just looked at Maggie calmly.
The colorful eyes were clearly beautiful, but in Maggie's eyes they were just inorganic glass balls.
“The Saintess is very clever. Those who take the poison will have their souls slowly devoured until they die, and their souls will be consumed by ‘Tartaros’.”
El's expression seemed to suggest something trivial, but to Maggie, it was like a bombshell.
"...Then why...aren't you an angel? The Elixir of the Fallen Rose has existed for a long time, why did you turn a blind eye to it, why did you do nothing about it? Why did you tell me all this?"
Maggie muttered to herself in disbelief, as if questioning someone or pleading for justice.
She didn't understand.
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