I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 70: Nathalia [1]

"Master Nathalia has been waiting for your arrival."

Lilith, the daughter of the Goddess of Will, Zila.

Up close, I could see her features clearly.

Lilith had obsidian-black hair falling loosely down her back, smooth and shiny.

Her blood-red eyes faintly glowed as they locked onto mine.

Her pure white feathered wings rested gently against her back, each feather pristine and symmetrical.

Her skin was milk-white, flawless, almost unnatural in its perfection.

And her face...

It was small, delicate, and she seemed so innocent.

A face that didn’t belong to a ruthless creature, not even a servant.

No.

She was more than that.

She was a deity.

And yet, here she stood in front of me.

Dressed in a maid’s uniform, bowing her head before me.

It was surprising. She was being genuine— it gave me goosebumps.

’What’s with this sudden change in attitude?’

My question was directed to Sera.

Her ghostly figure once again appeared beside me.

’Human, we don’t know either. Just like you, we are confused. We’ve never seen her act like this.’

I furrowed my eyebrows.

’Weird...’

’What is…?’

The fact that they knew I was coming here. I wonder how they knew. I raced my mind to its full gear, finding the most possible answer, but before that happened, Sera cut me off.

’Nah, there’s nothing weird at all. She has been an Authority Holder for thousands of millennia. It would be weird if she didn’t know we were roaming around her fortress.’

She was indeed correct, but that’s not what I was referring to.

If I remember correctly, Lilith and I hadn’t met before—same with Nathalia. But judging by her current behavior, I wouldn’t be surprised if she already knew I was an Authority Holder.

"Ah—"

But then all things clicked, just like my pendant Aegis, Nathalia must also possess some artifact which was able to identify Authority holders.

That was the most logical explanation.

Haaaaahhh….

’I was careless.’

Oh yeah, we remember now.’ Sera placed her translucent hand on her head and said apologetically, ’There are indeed similar Divine Artifacts like Aegis—she must have one.’

"..."

Is she serious?!

She was telling me now!

’That was supposed to be a crucial piece of information!’

Damn her!

Wait…

’Sera, I feel like your Madness Manipulation effect wore off… I suddenly feel dumber.’

’Our skill is working fine. This is just your true nature—you’re dumb. Accept it.’

She was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Umm…? Master Nathalia is waiting." Lilith, still bowing her head, she called again.

Then, nodding my head, I muttered softly.

"Yes, please lead the way." I answered.

What else can I say?

There’s a huge chance that this was a trap set by Nathalia. But, what can I do now? It’s not like I could simply refuse her and turn away.

My plan was to get inside Nathalia’s fortress, and this seems to work either way.

’Alright Plan-A successfully executed.’

’Successful? How?! Did your intelligence drop after using both our skill and your Ruler skill?!’’

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I pulled out my pendant, Aegis.

The golden hour hand keeps resonating with four different hours.

>01. Emotion

>08. Will

>12. Dream

>13. Paradox

It wasn’t stuck at No. 13 like it did before.

And it’s not a good sign either.

Four Authority Holders. Including me, Sera, Lilith and Nathalia.

All at the same time, they were now present at this very fortress.

As Lilith led us inside the fortress, I noticed how exceptionally contrasting this fortress was to its surroundings atmosphere.

The fortress was immaculate and dust-free, as if frozen in time.

From the smooth marble floor to the towering roof above, every inch of it reflected the moonlight like a mirror.

Above the fortress, the sky was clear, and open. Unlike the dense forest I had just passed, here, there were no trees to block the light.

And below—

An endless garden, filled with red roses.

The sweet scent of roses clung to the air, invading my senses with every breath I took.

It was so unnatural.

It was too perfect.

It was too controlled.

Lilith led me forward, her steps were silent against the polished stone floor.

We entered a long corridor, its walls lined with grand paintings framed in gold.

My feet halted on one of the paintings.

My eyes locked onto it.

There’s a woman in it.

Her hair was white, fully cascading down like flowing silk.

Her eyes were golden in color.

She wore a loose pure white robe—the same kind I had seen in the vision Goddess Ylthea showed me.

The vision of Olympus’s destruction.

And in her right hand, she held a balancing scale, crafted from white orbs and golden chains.

It was a painting that took my breath away.

As if noticing my reaction, Lilith stepped beside me.

"Beautiful right? She was once worshiped as the Goddess of Justice…"

She continued, her voice now wavered with sadness.

"But now she…"

The last word from her mouth was so quiet that it didn’t get past my ears.

Both Sera and I went silent, we started questioning our judgement regarding them.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Was she really that Lilith, who just a moment ago brutally beat Defender?

Was she really that Lilith, who took part in destroying Elven civilization?

Her expression tells otherwise.

I really wanted the answers from her, why was she being a deity serving under a fallen angel?

"Time is running, please follow me." Lilith requested slightly bending her head forward.

I wondered how I should deal with this situation. Everytime she bowed for every little request, it just— didn’t suit her.

We continued walking. I followed behind as she led me to Nathalia.

We stopped in front of a huge wooden door, its surface was polished and several rose petals were handcrafted on it.

Lilith turned to me.

"Master Nathalia is waiting for you in her bedchamber."

"..."

Silence stretched between us.

I blinked, processing what the fuck I just heard.

"Bed chamber?" I repeated.

Lilith tilted her head in confusion, then with an innocent voice she answered.

"Yes, bed chamber, she was eagerly waiting for your arrival."

I think maybe I’m overthinking this.

I supposed I should just pretend I didn’t hear her.

Slowly, Lilith knocked at the door lightly, and pushed it open.

Creak!

End of Chapter.