I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 71: Nathalia [2]

Creak!

As the huge wooden door creaked open, the inside of the room came into my view.

The first thing I noticed was a wooden study desk, its surface was buried under bundles of scattered papers, some crumpled into a ball,while others neatly stacked on top. A few of them had even hastily scribbled notes, while others contained some sort of diagrams that I couldn’t immediately decode.

But what struck me the most was what lay behind the desk.

Behind the desk, a massive blackboard hung against the wall, filled with various complex equations and chemical formulas—some half-erased, others overlapping chaotically.

"Please come in," Lilith said, bowing her head again"

"..."

Despite the situation I was in, my mind was extremely calm.

The Ruler’s effect hasn’t worn off.

I stepped inside, and in an instant, my entire definition of a bedchamber shattered to dust.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Not only was there a blackboard and research papers scattered around, but an entire wall to the right that had been converted into a massive storage rack.

Rows upon rows of glass vials and bottles filled with colorful liquids lined the shelves, their labels marked in an unfamiliar language to me. A few of them, however, I recognized instantly—Healing Potion, Strengthening Elixir, Essence Replenisher… and several others whose purpose remained unknown to me.

This so-called bedchamber was nothing of the sort I had imagined.

No.

Calling it a bedchamber would be an insult.

It was a laboratory.

All these things compelled me to ask.

’Exactly… who is Nathalia?’

The question echoed in my mind, I don’t want an answer to this. I know that nobody could answer it.

Even Sera, who rarely showed surprise, seemed momentarily dumbfounded.

She didn’t say anything—didn’t even direct a single thought toward me.

She was acting strange.

She simply turned her gaze to the left.

I followed her.

And there—on a queen-sized bed, in between all this chaotic laboratory—she was laying on her bed.

Our eyes met, and in that instant, I saw a mischievous grin forming on her lips.

"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you." Nathalia said.

Her voice was sweet, melodic, and almost hypnotic to my ears.

It resonated through the room, it was soft and divine in its own right.

For a brief moment, I swore it carried the same quality as Ylthea’s.

And not just her voice.

Everything about her was mesmerizing.

Her body was covered in a thin layer of white fabric. It clung to her curves, barely hiding anything.

Her features were just like the faceless Nathalia we had seen before. But now, she had a mouth, a nose, ears… and eyes which were hidden behind a white blindfold.

Her hair was silver-white, it was long and spread across the bed like strands of silk.

And then, there were her wings—each feather perfect and symmetrical.

They moved slightly with every breath she took.

She was beautiful. Too beautiful.

A vision of haunting beauty.

After all, she was the last Fallen Angel.

"I have been waiting for you," Nathalia said.

She rose from the bed, her movements were effortless.

For a moment, she floated in the air, her wings spreading like those of a divine being. Then, slowly, she descended, her bare feet touching the cold marble floor beneath us.

"Let me welcome you," her tone filled with warmth.

It was so unnatural of her.

Her hands gracefully folded in front of her chest as she stood there.

Her blindfold-covered eyes remained unreadable, yet she seemed to follow my gaze even with them on.

Her smile was blissful.

With a curtsey, she slightly lifted her robe and greeted me.

"I am Nathalia, the wielder of Dream, the last Fallen Angel in existence. I greet you, the only child of the Ylthea. I welcome you—The Paradox."

"!"

My breath caught in my throat.

’H-How?’

How did she know that?

I shifted my eyes to Sera, her ghostly figure hovering right beside me.

She was in a shock, just like me.

’Sera, how does she know I hold the Authority over Paradox?’

Sera remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

’We don’t know. She shouldn’t be able to sense it unless… she really did possess an Arifact just like Aegis, or…’

’Or what?’

’Or she has a connection to Goddess Ylthea or to your Authority in some way.’

That only raised more questions.

’This doesn’t make sense. Isn’t Goddess Zila on the opposing side, one of the gods who was on the side to divide the universe into domains?’

With my Ruler’s skill active and my intelligence boosted, there was only one logical answer.

’She was betraying them?’

No—

It’s too soon to jump to a conclusion.

I looked at Nathalia again.

Her expression was pure. She showed no sign of deception.

But I remembered the stories—Sera told me about.

Sera had once told me that Nathalia was the one who led the massacre of the elves. The one who wiped out an entire civilization without hesitation.

She was a ruthless being who felt nothing.

But the woman standing before me now…

She was nothing like that.

Was it all a facade? Or a carefully crafted dream?

Or had we been wrong about her all along?

Now that I think about it…

She indeed teleported all the first and second year students to Demon Continent. But… all of them were alive, despite being in this continent. Which was supposed to be filled with monsters and demons—yet we encountered none on our journey.

Was this all a coincidence?

Or…

Was that her entire plan?

But more than that…

What did she want from me?

She didn’t call me here just to exchange greetings. There was something more she truly wanted.

I exhaled slowly.

I wasn’t going to dance around it any longer.

I met her unseen gaze and finally asked—

"What do you want?"

She tilted her head to the left.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

She continued.

"I want your trust."

"What…?!" I raised my voice.

Trust?

From who? Me?

She didn’t stop there.

She offered me something I couldn’t seem to reject.

"In return, I shall teleport all of you back to the Human Continent. Unharmed."

A slight grin formed on her lips.

End of Chapter.