In the resting room outside the banquet hall, Roel impassively stared at the painting before him, looking like a picky art connoisseur with impossible-to-meet standards, but beneath his calm exterior was a furiously beating heart.

His senses had dulled after his powers were sealed, but even so, he could immediately sense who was out for his life. The other party had been directing a piercing gaze at him ever since he arrived at the resting room, not concealing his intent at all.

However, Roel ignored the other partys hostility and maintained an impassive attitude, knowing that the other party wouldnt be able to make a move in public.

He was both the lofty Kingmaker and the Mother Goddess guest. Harming him here would only bring dishonor to the Mother Goddess. The other race leaders wouldnt allow that person to carry out such a reckless act.

It was also unlikely for the enemy to resort to alternative means like poison.

It was nigh impossible to poison a transcendent as powerful as the Kingmaker to death, not to mention that resorting to such tricks under the Mother Goddess watch was nothing short of idiocy. Someone who wielded the power to influence the cycles of day and night could probably resuscitate him with a simple spell.

I should be safe at least till the banquets conclusion, Roel figured.

With his safety assured, he turned his attention toward deciphering the reason behind the killing intent directed at him.

There had to be a reason the Mother Goddess subordinate harbored such strong killing intent toward him. While the Kingmaker must have come into contact with many races over the course of their duties, he didnt think that there were many races who hated the Kingmaker, especially since the Kingmaker had contracts with most races.

Neither Race Sovereigns nor gods were eternal in this world, and the Kingmaker wielded the power to bring them back into this world. There was hardly any greater temptation than that in the world, especially to those who had reached the zenith of power.

Besides, while the Kingmaker retained their lofty standing, they should have stopped carrying out their duties since the departure of Goddess Sia. It was hard to imagine that anyone in the current era would still harbor a grudge against them over that.

From the letter he had found in his pocket, the original Kingmaker appeared to be a true neutral party who kept a distance from both the Savior and the Mother Goddess. It was hard to imagine why the Mother Goddess subordinate harbored such deep enmity toward him.

Looking at it from this perspective, doesnt it also mean that the Mother Goddess subordinates only turned hostile after I substituted the original Kingmaker?

Roels expression turned grim. He quickly glanced at the Systems evaluation.

Evaluation: Average (63)

The marginal increase in his evaluation score surprised Roel.

Well, I suppose that this increase was from my conversation with Edavia? I guess she has a decent opinion of me. But since there isnt much of a change in my relationship with the Mother Goddess, how did I incur such strong animosity from her subordinate?

Roel was perplexed. The only thing he had really done since entering this Witness State was to lie flat and submit to the Mother Goddess.

Little did he know that that was the exact reason Micher was so wary of him.

On the other side of the room, Micher was staring intently at Roel, albeit with an impassive look on his face. He, too, was hardly as calm as he let on.

The Mother Goddess hadnt planned on holding this night banquet; Her initial intention was to have a private conversation with Roel. However, Micher had vehemently opposed Her decision, worrying that a private meeting between the two would grant Roel a chance to beguile Her into sparing him.

That could lead to disastrous consequences for their faction.

The other race leaders shared the same concerns and stood with Micher. Their collective insistence convinced the Mother Goddess into switching the private meal into a dinner banquet, but of course, Her compromise didnt mean that She would take a hard stance against Roel.

With a heart brimming with worry, Micher retracted his gaze and assessed his surroundings. He noticed that none of the race leaders were approaching the Kingmaker to initiate a conversation at all; rather, they were fervently discussing in their little cliques. Clearly, they were awaiting the outcome of this banquet. 24062

No support, but no hindrances eitherthis was what Micher had expected.

After the guests had spent some time socializing with one another, the setting sun outside the window finally fell beneath the western horizon. A euphonious bell rang right afterward.

Milords, it is sunset. May we invite you to your seats in the banquet hall? The maids respectfully bowed and spoke with a dignified demeanor.

Roels eyebrows shot up. After a moment of thought, he took the lead and entered the banquet hall ahead of the others. The other guests were startled by Roels proactiveness. They glanced at one another before stepping through the majestic golden doors themselves.

What unfolded before Roels eyes was a vast hall following a mysterious silver color theme instead of the usual warm tones. He figured that this was likely due to the Savior.

Similar to how the Mother Goddess represented the moon, the Savior was worshiped as the Sun God. Considering the hostile relationship between the two, there was not a chance that a banquet hosted by the Mother Goddess would use warm tones that emulated the suns rays.

With that being said, the silver color theme had a peculiar beauty to it too.

Lord Kingmaker, allow me to guide you to your seat.

A servant ushered Roel to the front of the dining table, where he took the first seat to the hosts right. The other guests were brought to their respective seats too. Much to his surprise, the tense atmosphere didnt dissipate after everyone settled down; it only further intensified.

A middle-aged high elf settled down on the first seat to the hosts left, which positioned him directly opposite Roel. Roel could sense the middle-aged high elfs formidable strength even with his powers sealed, and the other partys position on the dining table signaled his high standing in the Mother Goddess faction.

Is he the leader of the High Elves?

Roel thought that he should say something to alleviate the atmosphere, but he suddenly felt a surge of discomfort. He immediately looked at the middle-aged high elf seated opposite him, and his golden eyes sharply narrowed.

Its him! Hes the one who glared at me in the waiting room.

It was at this moment that Roel was finally able to put a face to his enemy. He hadnt thought that the one out for his life was actually the leader of the High Elves, and this marked the worst possible situation.

Due to the Loyal Origin Attribute, the Mother Goddess trusted the High Elves and viewed them to be Her confidants, evident from how She entrusted them with the responsibility of managing the Six Calamities. The leader of the High Elves was a highly influential figure in the Mother Goddess judgment, with his words holding the power to sway the Mother Goddess judgment.

Roel clenched his fists as he realized that this banquet wouldnt be as smooth-sailing as he had imagined it to be.

Meanwhile, the final embers of the sun vanished from the horizon, and a silvery moon emerged in the night sky. The chatting guests immediately quietened down and rose to their feet. A blurry silhouette appeared at the forefront of the banquet hall and slowly turned corporeal.

The Mother Goddess had descended.