?


    "These are the treasures that allowed me to exert the powers of other paths by simply inputting aura."


    By this time, Varian also ''caught up'' on thenguage and was able to speak properly, much to the relief of the foreigners.


    "I found them early on and they''re the reason I could use multiple powers."


    In a sleek white room with no furniture save for a few snow white chairs, a few items floated between the envoys and Varian.


    "Treasures of this kind are just rare," Ashley bit her lip and inspected them one by one. Finar also joined while Edison simply watched with disinterest.


    ''Dude, you are giving me the least trouble,'' Varian would''ve praised him and took him out for a nice meal if only he didn''t act so aloof.


    Even Finar who got angry and almost punched him responded to his words. But this guy? He didn''t even return a greeting or even acknowledge his presence.


    ''Cool down, cool down. I have more important things to do.''


    Varian calmed himself.


    He got this multi-treasure idea from the treedy Maria''s usage of treasures. So, he went to Boo and Oob, took some help and manufactured appropriate treasures.


    Of course, he used the sliver powers so that their measured age would be messed up.


    "…Looks like this too has no problem."


    After an hour, Ashley set aside the items and sat back in the chair, at the center of the three.


    "Varian Konstant, those ck hole creatures sucked away the aura of your civilization, keeping you aura-less until 500 years. When the war was ending, your present ship called Boo broke in and affected those creatures.


    Aura was finally released.


    The previous civilization you had was nothing special. Nor are those extra spaces like ruins, secret realms.


    Nearly 500 yearster, you identally got a precious fruit by extreme luck and grew strong. You even found treasures to showcase multiple powers.


    Everything fits perfectly."


    Even though she said that Varian didn''t rx. If anything, he held his breath and awaited the next words.


    "But."


    There it goes.


    "Why would abyssals, a creature who fought against Centaurus duchy not long ago, attack your civilization? And two hundred years? Why would the Abyss Lorde here all the way from another gxy? What were the abyssals after? What are you hiding? What is it?"


    Unlike her outbursts or disys of anger until now, Ashley was eerily cold as she shot those questions one after another, in an indifferent tone.


    Because this was the most challenging part of the entire investigation. If there''s any secret, it would be out now.


    There was a little possibility of him covering things up or falsifying things in the previous cases. It was razor-thin since she was the one conducting the investigation. But it still existed.


    Here, though, he''d be butt naked, forced to spill out the truth. And only the truth.


    Varian looked at them with a deep gaze before sitting on a plush chair and taking out a bottle of wine.


    The air around him changed, from his overly cheerful and bright demeanor to a heaviness and destion.


    From an energetic teenager to an overburdened, cynical, and depressed middle-aged man.


    "I learned about this only recently but…" Varian took a sip and let out a bleak chuckle. "The Centauruians fought Abyssals a few centuries ago. The defeat pushed the abyssals into crisis.


    They wanted revenge. And my guess is that they''re instructed by a higherup to do what they did."


    "…What do you mean?"


    Ashley leaned forward and her eyes grew focused, fully reflecting his sorrowful figure.


    "A military base."


    The envoys jolted to their feet. Even the aloof Edison now stared at Varian with a stressed gaze.


    "Think about it," Downing another gulp, Varian spread his arms. "A civilization that hasn''t been discovered thanks to ckhole creatures. Heck, there wasn''t even a proper aura.


    And it''s very, very close to Centaurus—the edge of the kingdom and a perfect spot to drill into its hearnd.


    Why did the abyssals didn''t send any celestials? Why did they not work on genocide right away?


    They were always trying to suppress any information going out of this star system. For them, it''s more important than fighting us humans. In their eyes, we were as good as dead. If not today, then tomorrow. So, they focused on isting any signals we sent out.


    There were many missions back to outside the sr system back then, manned and unmanned. They all failed."


    As he said those words, the abyssal treasures that were once used to block out sr system appeared in front of the envoys. They ran a basic test and agreed with his im.


    If it was for a military base, they''d have to be careful not to alert anyone else. It had to be with as little noise as possible.


    "We did nothing wrong. A war happened near us that we weren''t even aware of. We took no sides. Yet…we were treated as expendables for that very war." The sorrow in his voice couldn''t be faked.


    Varian wasn''t faking the grief. He did mourn for the tragedies his fellow humans faced—for no wrong of their own.


    And that''s why, he''d do anything—right or wrong—to ensure they wouldn''t go through that again.


    Ashley looked into his eyes and for the first time, felt a tinge of sympathy. Not for him, but these ''backward'', ''undeveloped'' people.


    Perhaps it came out of her sense of superiority. Perhaps it was just a vehicle to assert her own importance. But it did.


    "Alright, alright that clears up about the abyssals. We''ll do some checks and if you hadn''t lied, you''ll be left to rule this forest. If you lied even the slightest…" Finar gave a menacing smile and was about to continue his little speech when the envoy of the number 1 candidate asked his very first question.


    "Where did Princess Azalea die?"


    Varian''s expression hardened.


    Edison rose out of his chair and took a step forward.


    "Lead us there."


    Varian showed a struggling expression. Inwardly, he wasughing like a madman.


    ''Yes! Let''s go, you son of a bitch!''