Bram Stoker

Cardinal Loki remained silent for a long time after hearing the young man's words.

"... Humans?"

Cardinal Loki finally couldn't help but sneer, "Can you even be considered human, Bram?"

"If everyone who sees me thinks I am human, then I am human."

The young man, known as Bram, just smiled nonchalantly.

He sat cross-legged on the sofa, smiling as he looked up at Cardinal Loki, who stood in the center of the room. "If you can be called an elf, then I can be called a human, can't I?"

"--The opposite is true, isn't it?"

Cardinal Loki said coldly, "If I can be called an elf, you should be called the Child of the Moon. And don't try to confuse me with you... I have received the Candlelight's forgiveness."

"Oh, forgiveness."

The young man imitated in a strange manner, raising his pinky finger and speaking in a high-pitched voice, "Oh dear, forgive me!"

" —Bram Stoker!"

Cardinal Loki was instantly enraged, and crimson flames ignited in his pupils. His hair, which resembled a gas stove, roared and swelled, transforming into an even larger ball of flame.

The room was filled with red smoke, and the temperature rose rapidly at a visible speed.

He clenched his fists, took a half step forward, and growled in a low voice, "If you came to the Theocracy just to humiliate me, then get out of here right now!"

"This is my room. You're the one who should get out."

Bram, however, spoke casually and lazily.

Upon hearing this, Cardinal Loki turned and left without saying a word.

"—But in that case..."

Bram's drawn-out words caused Cardinal Loki to slow down and stop. "The punishment Bear Angel will give you in the future is none of my business."

"Just as I just said, Utgarda-Loki —the former Patriarch of the Supreme Heaven. Even if you betrayed the Supreme Heaven and thus obtained a Cardinal Bishop position in the Theocracy, you are still a giant. The blood of the Supreme Heaven flows in your veins."

The young man looked at Cardinal Loki, who had his back to him, and sneered, "Betrayal? How naive. It's not that easy to sever ties. Every past you don't want to remember will haunt you like a nightmare."

"... That doesn't count as betrayal."

The fiery- Cardinal Bishop slowly said, "Back then, no one knew that the Supreme Heaven's throne could rise again after it collapsed. You are just a Short-lived Races who did not experience that era. You have no idea how strong the White Dragon King's oppressive power was."

"So you ran away, betraying your country and your bloodline."

Bram chuckled and said, "Fleeing the battle—or even more. The fact that you weren't purged by the Theocracy must have made an outstanding contribution to this war."

"This is called abandoning darkness for light," Cardinal Loki said solemnly as he turned around.

"If that's really what you think, you wouldn't have gone through all that ' Controlled Fire ' trickery, Your His Highness the Prince Rocky," Bram said.

"... And what about you, great writer?"

Cardinal Loki countered, "You are from Avalon, yet you serve the Supreme Heaven. Have you not also betrayed your homeland and your origins?"

"Oh no, no, no, at this moment, I am no longer an Avalon. I am agile. Because I am no longer human either... I am a noble Blood Clan, Harbinger of Doom. The Child of the Moon, with dragon blood flowing through his veins, a descendant of Count Dracula— "

Bram Stoker, author of the bestselling book "Dracula," said casually, lounging on the sofa.

"Child of the Moon? Ha."

Cardinal Loki merely looked at him with a mocking expression. "It's nothing but stolen goods. You, who have no talent for the Path of Love, dare to call yourself the Child of the Moon?"

"And aren't you the same?"

Bram's expression turned cold. "Come on, Cardinal Bishop. Our meeting is all thanks to the kindness of the Gray Angel. The power of 'lies' allowed me to steal the blood of the Child of the Moon and allowed you to steal the body of an Elf... But in the end, it was all just lies."

"A lie can only be considered a truth when it is needed, and at other times it is nothing but a lie—I don't usually call myself Child of the Moon. Every goblin and troll who knows me believes I am human; no matter how you test me, I am still a 100% pure-blooded human."

"And what about you, Cardinal Bishop? Do you remember that you are actually a giant? A giant who can pierce the ceiling here if he just stands up? How long has it been since you changed back to your true form?"

"Or is it... that you're afraid Bear Angel will discover you're still alive and punish you for your cowardly act of deserting the battlefield, and therefore dare not admit your giant identity?"

"—Sharp-tongued!" Cardinal Loki roared.

"That's true, after all, I make my living by writing books. If I can't even deliver a powerful insult, wouldn't I be wasting my Word Blade Speech Bullet?"

Bram was pleased with himself.

Clearly, Cardinal Loki is no longer leaving.

Despite his reluctance, now that Bram had arrived with Bear Angel's orders, he had no way to escape.

If he tries to escape again, Bear Angel's claws will personally punish him.

When that time comes... will the Candle Master still protect him? He is, after all, just a giant, not a true elf.

Cardinal Loki sighed and sat down opposite Bram.

"Tell me," he said coldly, "What exactly does Bear Angel want from me?"

"Let me start with something important."

Instead of answering his question, Bram said, "Bear Angel is about to return to his position as Pillar God —did you know that?"

"... Which one?"

Cardinal Loki's heart skipped a beat.

His first thought was—who wants to abdicate? The Silver Crowned Dragon was at the height of its power, and almost all the monarchs of the Material Realm were trying to maintain their authoritarian authority. Under these circumstances, it was virtually impossible for the Supreme Heaven to reclaim its original position.

The other Pillar God are even more so... showing absolutely no signs of decline.

In this situation, defeating the Pillar God head-on is impossible. The most they can do is voluntarily abdicate.

"Serpent Father."

Bram replied, "This is a secret from the highest level of the Dream Realm — the Serpent Father is planning to abdicate."

"Because He has reached the highest peak, there is nothing to surpass except amber. He is also tired of infinite self-transcendence, so He intends to relinquish the position of Pillar God and repeat the feat of transcendence. The highest position is vacant. If our Lord can obtain the fragments of the Celestial Sphere Human World have fallen to Ring Angel, He can step into the River of Change and become a new Pillar God."

"You heard it yourself?"

"You don't actually believe I'm Dream Wandering Monk, do you?"

Bram scoffed, "That's just marketing to boost novel sales. I really have no other path but authoritarianism, transcendence, and adaptation. Besides, even if I were Dream Wandering Monk, I wouldn't hear such things."

"That sounds really scary."

The fiery- Cardinal Bishop commented, "The three paths of Professionals —are you really not insane?"

"Who knows? Maybe I've already gone mad, or maybe... I went mad back when my father forced me into the Inspectorate."

Bram's pale face revealed a sinister smile, "But I've always been flexible. I'm adaptable, unlike you. As a fellow inheritor of ' The Silken Grimoire,' my understanding of lies is far deeper than yours, senior."

Cardinal Loki stopped asking where he had learned about it and simply assumed it was a lie.

So he simply asked, "So? Where is that fragment of the Ring Angel you mentioned?"

"It is in the Theocracy."

Bram replied, "This is Bear Angel's order to you—find him. Find the Avalon named Iver Moriarty."

"And then... kill him?"

Cardinal Loki asked in a deep voice, his fist clenching unconsciously.

"No, then you must mark his soul with a ritual or curse, and I will personally devour him in the Dream Realm. If this is handled well, it will not affect your current identity at all."

"I heard your Pope is in a coma? Isn't this the perfect opportunity? She can't see anything, and the matter will be over."

"—By the way, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with me, so don't expect me to help you. I'm only here in the Theocracy to deliver a message to you because I happen to have some business to discuss."

As he spoke, Bram gestured towards the old troll by the fireplace. "A benevolent lord specifically requested him, to be traded from the Theocracy... Anyway, the final payment hasn't arrived yet, so I'll use him for now. Although Iver seems immune to curses, he should still be aware of it. With him as bait, that guy will probably come looking for me."

"But I can't give you this bait. It wouldn't be good if you ruined it. I still need to sell it for money."

"Ha, the great writer who trades trolls, huh?"

Cardinal Loki scoffed.

Bram didn't react at all. "By the way, I'm being paid to deliver your message. My lord promises that I can get the final payment from you after I find you."

"... Final payment?"

Upon hearing this, Cardinal Loki's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you want?"

"Don't be nervous. What I want is your giant blood that was sealed away by the Candle Master, the divine blood from the Supreme Heaven."

At this point, the famous writer's pupils turned blood red. "Let me take a bite, Senior Rocky."

"Quietly let me steal your [power], your [name], your [identity]—at this moment, isn't it a win-win situation?"

"Your Excellency, Cardinal Bishop Controlled Fire ...you wouldn't want your followers to know that you are actually a giant, would you?"

The room was now covered with gray cobwebs.