He observed as they nodded in response before swiftly racing through the castle.
Orion then shifted his attention to Seth. "You can wait; I will come out to meet you when I am done," he said, turning around and entering the Garden, with the large stone closing the entrance behind him.
Observing Orion's departure without waiting for a response, Seth furrowed his brows, appearing troubled before exhaling in defeat.
"What are you looking at?" Seth asked, directing his words at the two Crystalforge Clan guards, who immediately directed their gaze forward without uttering a single word.
Seth snorted before moving forward, positioning himself to stand guard beside the large stone door.
….…
As Orion stepped into the Garden, he immediately encountered the Guardians of the Garden, whom he greeted with a wave of his hand.
Although the Guardians still disliked Orion, the recent events had rendered them unable to expel him from the Garden. So, they chose to ignore his presence, paying him no heed.
Orion, who had thought about finding someone to direct him to the Princess of the Garden, could only smile wryly as he was ignored. Undeterred, he focused his attention forward and searched for the Princess of the Garden himself.
After less than thirty minutes of exploring her usual spots, he found her near the Divine Lake Essence.
As he silently approached her from behind, he noticed she was alone and lost in her thoughts. Once he arrived right behind her, she hadn't sensed him yet, leaving Orion to wonder about what occupied her current thoughts.
Nevertheless, he extended his hands forward and covered her eyes, surprising her. The Princess of the Garden initially wanted to react, but she felt the familiar touch and immediately recognized who it was.
After all, only one person would dare to approach her in such a way.
"Orion, is that you?" The Princess of the Garden asked gently, with a smile on her face.
"How can you tell it's me when you are so lost in your thoughts?" Orion asked.
Orion observed as the Princess of the Garden raised her right hand and used it to guide his hands downward. She then turned around and stared at Orion.
"You're back."
Orion nodded in response, observing as the Princess of the Garden leaned in for a kiss. He reciprocated, sealing their lips for a moment before they pulled back.
"Since you suddenly appeared here by yourself, that means you have only just arrived. So, to have come here immediately means you want to seriously talk, right? What is it?" the Princess of the Garden said, staring at Orion.
Seeing that the Princess of the Garden had seen through him, Orion breathed out deeply before he positioned himself properly, sitting on the ground.
"It's a complicated matter that we three need to discuss together," Orion responded.
He watched as the Princess of the Garden furrowed her brows in confusion before her eyes immediately widened, as though realizing who the third figure Orion wanted to join in their discussion was.
Although the relationship between the Princess of the Garden and Aerialia was no longer fierce, Orion decided to let her know beforehand, understanding that the Princess of the Garden might still feel uncomfortable in Aerialia's presence.
The Princess of the Garden took a deep breath and exhaled before nodding towards Orion.
"I'm alright; you can go ahead and summon her," the Princess of the Garden responded with a resolute expression.
Orion nodded in response and instantly summoned the four-meter crimson greatsword from the small crimson greatsword mark on his right arm.
Suddenly, a bright flash occurred, and along with the appearance of the crimson greatsword, Aerialia also materialized, hovering in the air with her wings spread apart, staring at both Orion and the Princess of the Garden.
"Is there something that requires this goddess's attention?" Aerialia asked, her eyes focused on Orion.
Orion nodded in response to Aerialia's question.
"I need to figure something out, and I would very much appreciate your help solving it," Orion responded.
Aerialia became thoughtful momentarily, realizing that there was only one reason Orion would seek her assistance in figuring something out.
"If you're thinking about extracting information about the gods, you are mistaken. As you've heard before, it is forbidden for a mortal to possess that kind of knowledge," Aerialia said, staring at Orion with a resolute expression.
However, contrary to her expectations, Orion asked, "What do you want me to do before you can reveal that information to me?" Despite receiving assurance from Aegis of the Arctic Deity that the last ember of White Flame, which had entered his chest after White Flame's death, wouldn't harm him—a sentiment Aerialia also seemed to share—Orion couldn't continue living with such ignorance about something so integral to his being.
Above all, he harboured reservations about Aegis of the Deity's words, contradicting everything White Flame had conveyed. Even though doubting White Flame's words crossed his mind, the man-made god had expressed himself with indescribable emotion. Since he lacked alternative sources to validate either perspective, Orion needed to solve the mystery before solving every other issue piece by piece.
To hell with 'a knowledge which no mortal could possess.'
Meanwhile, Aerialia furrowed her brows as she observed Orion's stare.
"If you were a god or demigod, then I would have shared such knowledge with you; however, I cannot share such sacred knowledge with a mortal…" Aerialia said.
However, Orion's words were immediately interrupted before she could finish her statement.
"Then our journey together ends here."
Aerialia was stunned.
"What… do you mean?" Aerialia asked, her expression one of dumbfounded confusion as she stared at Orion.
The Princess of the Garden herself was bewildered by the meaning behind Orion's words.
Orion stared at Aerialia with a serious expression.
"What I mean is that I am terminating our relationship here," Orion said.
Although they didn't share a close relationship due to the previous circumstances between them, and their connection was more transactional than personal, there was no reason to continue such a relationship if Aerialia wasn't willing to help now, especially when he found himself in such a serious predicament.
