"You've certainly grown. I mean..." Mephilia paused deliberately, "...in terms of thick-skinnedness."
"Thank you," Aiden replied nonchalantly. "So, your answer is?"
People are like that. Once you break through your lower limit, you can fearlessly face anything. If you lie flat on the ground yourself, no one can hit your face—especially when facing gods.
Having personally experienced the "game" arranged by Melissa, Aiden fully realized he had never truly been Mephilia's jailer, just a pet dancing in her palm.
He had once genuinely believed he shouldered the responsibility of guarding a god, even personally presenting Mephilia with the theory that mortals must monitor gods to secure their right to survival. Yet, in the end, Mephilia actually never cared about mortal confinement at all.
But feeling disheartened about it wouldn't change reality. He could only face the gap between himself and the gods.
What mattered most to him was still figuring out Mephilia's purpose for insisting on staying in prison.
He had to ask tirelessly because it was too important to him. His past connection to this world, his current situation, his future end—all were inextricably linked to the goddess before him.
Even if what Mephilia told him was a lie, it would still be a crucial clue for him.
"Truly adept at pestering," Mephilia laughed. "Alright, seeing as you did quite well this time, I'll chat with you 'truthfully' for a bit."
"Shall we play a game while we talk?" Aiden asked.
"Let's play this then!" Mephilia took out a rarely used chess set from the toy box.
"Chess?" Aiden frowned slightly. "I can't possibly beat you at this."
With Mephilia's calculation ability, Aiden basically stood no chance in this type of game.
"Let's modify the rules. If you can kill all my pawns, you also win," Mephilia stated calmly.
"Why?" Aiden was puzzled by this rule.
"My greatest pleasure in this game is promoting a pawn to a queen," Mephilia smiled. "If you can kill all the pawns, it means you've destroyed my greatest pleasure. I'll concede immediately."
"You truly are a typical sadist. You'd do anything to please yourself," Aiden shook his head, began setting up the pieces, and made the first move.
"I've told you before, pursuing pleasure is my driving force," Mephilia replied, also moving a piece. "Staying in this prison is also just for fun."
"So..." Aiden picked up a piece and paused. "...you're sticking to the old story?"
"I'll be more specific this time," Mephilia barely looked at the board, mostly observing Aiden's face. "Firstly, I'll acknowledge your guess. If judged by your standards, Melissa... can indeed be considered my avatar."
"Judged by my standards? That sounds like this avatar isn't so simple," Aiden narrowed his eyes.
"Strictly speaking, I haven't lied to you either. She can be considered both my avatar and my believer," Mephilia explained.
"What do you mean?"
"Figure it out yourself... I've already revealed enough," Mephilia suddenly became deliberately mysterious again.
Aiden thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something: "Could she be another person whose mind was 'assimilated' by you using Authority power?"
"Oh my, you even figured that out?" Mephilia abruptly stopped the chess piece she was moving with telekinesis.
"You..." Aiden stared at Mephilia for a while. "Melissa... is actually a Dominator too, isn't she?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Simple empathy. If I were to lock myself in prison but could leave an 'avatar' outside, I would reserve at least half my power as insurance. Though I truly can't fathom your thoughts," Aiden said slowly. "You seemed to have mentioned before that you grasp more than just the 'Wisdom' Authority."
"Alright, since I promised to tell the truth, I'll tell you the truth," Mephilia sighed, but her face was beaming. "I did indeed... split off an Authority onto Melissa..."
"It's the 'Desire' Authority, isn't it," Aiden sighed deeply.
Turning one person into another version of oneself—Aiden had seen such a thing in the Nameless Witch's diary. Abigail had speculated that Melinda, the Goddess of Love, manipulated the "Desire" Authority to gradually synchronize the Nameless Witch's mind with her own.
Last time, when Aiden realized Mr. Blood Robe seizing the "Hatred" Authority was instigated by Mephilia, he had already suspected Mephilia actually controlled the "Desire" Authority.
Although Mephilia denied it then, Aiden hadn't fully believed her.
"Well..." Mephilia mumbled vaguely.
"Looks like it is," Aiden confirmed.
If it weren't, Mephilia would have denied it directly.
This time, Mephilia didn't speak, merely smiling—which could be considered tacit agreement.
"Then you did lie to me after all," Aiden looked up, questioning her intently. "You denied it last time I asked you this."
"I didn't lie. I only said 'I' don't possess the 'Desire' Authority. The one who holds that Authority is Melissa," Mephilia defended herself innocently. "Melissa is the Dominator of the 'Desire' Authority. What does that have to do with me, Mephilia?"
"Sophistry."
"You can't say that. She and I are indeed completely different individuals," Mephilia smiled, moving a chess piece. "Our consciousness and memories are not shared. I don't know what interactions she has had with you. It's just that we ultimately share the same thought patterns, so occasionally we do happen to think alike."
"The master of two Authorities, forcibly split into two Dominators acting independently... Just thinking about it is headache-inducing," although his guess was confirmed, Aiden felt his mood growing heavier. "Since the 'Desire' Authority is also yours, then you should recognize the name Melinda, right?"
"This truly is beyond my expectations," an appreciative expression appeared on Mephilia's face. "That you would actually know this name..."
"So it really was you," Aiden couldn't help but massage his temples.
"Not me. Melinda was just another 'me' whose mind was assimilated using the same method in the past," Mephilia chuckled. "She's a different person from me."
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