Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

"Prince Isaac said that you are much older than you appear to be," Ethel said. "Is that true?"

"Well, do you not like mature and more experienced men, Lady Ethel?" Godfrey asked back with a smile. "I fall under that category."

"…" Ethan didn't know what kind of answer he was supposed to give the Vampire Lord, who was oozing with confidence.

Clearly, he wasn't lying when he said that he had more experience. After all, it was true that Godfrey's approach to women was as suave as his looks.

Seeing that the young beauty had become speechless with his reply, another chuckle escaped Godfrey's lips.

It sounded playful, teasing even. If not for the fact that Ethan knew whom he was dealing with, he might have thought of the Vampire Lord as a happy-go-lucky person who wouldn't hurt a fly.

But since he knew what he was, he kept his guard up and spoke his mind.

"If you are really as old as Prince Isaac said, I wonder why you're still not married," Ethel said. "Someone as good-looking as Lord Godfrey would not have a hard time finding beautiful women to be his wives, no?"

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," Godfrey replied. "But I will have to agree that you are right, Lady Ethel. There were indeed ladies who asked me if I wished to marry them, but I turned them down.

"You see, I have high standards. As much as I do appreciate women and have often partaken in… a memorable night with them, I haven't found the special someone whom I want to spend eternity with."

Ethel smiled faintly. "Really? Did you really not even consider any of those women as a potential wife?"

"It seems that Lady Ethel is very interested in my love life. Do you perhaps want to become my special someone?" Godfrey grinned.

But Ethel didn't reply and kept the smile on her face.

"Well, I guess we can close the distance between us if I tell you more about me," Godfrey said. "So I will tell you about that one time when I went to seek a wife in distant lands. It was a place far from the Lands of the Milesians, located all the way across the ocean.

"There is no doubt that it is one of the most memorable trips I've had, perhaps because it ended in an unexpected manner."

The Vampire Lord looked up at the starry sky as if recalling the memories of the past.

"There was a particular lady hailed as the Saintess of a new Order recently founded to worship a Deity called the Tidebringer," Godfrey stated. "Although I don't know much about him, I've heard tales about his wonderful feats in the Lands of Alastor.

"According to the people of that time, the First Saintess of the Order was not only beautiful, but she was also an exceptionally powerful sorceress. Mind you—back then, there were only very few individuals who could truly call themselves powerful.

"Out of curiosity, I decided to take a long journey across the sea to meet such a person. I even thought that she was the one that I've been waiting for."

Ethan frowned after listening to the Vampire Lord's words because he remembered that the Demigod had appeared at the Temple of the Tidebringer during the event inside the Painting of Enlightenment.

The Painting of Enlightenment connected the past, present, and possible futures.

Since Godfrey appeared at that time, there was indeed a possibility that he personally visited the Temple of the Tidebringer in the Magdar Kingdom.

Hecate remained silent and waited for the Vampire Lord to continue his story.

Her fragmented memories were still hazy inside her head, so she was hoping that Godfrey could say something that might connect these pieces together.

"Unfortunately, the First Saintess was no longer there when I arrived," Godfrey sighed. "She had left the Temple a month before I arrived and hadn't been seen since then."

A shiver ran down Ethan's spine after hearing the Vampire's words.

If Godfrey truly arrived when Princess Ramona was still serving as the Saintess of the Tidebringer, he had no doubt in his mind that the Vampire Lord might have done something to force the Princess to marry him.

'Fortunately, she had already left before he arrived.' Ethan felt relief in his heart.

However, the Vampire was still not finished with his story.

"But since I already traveled a great distance to see her, and I was curious to know where she ended up, I decided to do an investigation of my own," Godfrey continued his tale, not even glancing at the two people who both had conflicted expressions on their faces.

"You see, I have all the time in the world, and I thought that working on this particular case might become a rewarding experience. I set off on a wild goose chase. I visited all the places where Princess Ramona was last seen.

"And she had covered many miles on her journey. From the Great Mountains of Escalor to the Under Cities of Valfegor, the Princess' trail led me to them. I have faced miles upon miles of unknown territory and encountered perilous situations.

"Back then, I wondered where the Princess was going. It was as if she was looking for something. While I don't know what she was searching for, I could not help but be surprised by the great lengths she had taken to look for it."

A sigh escaped Godfrey's lips as he closed his eyes.

"It was rather easy to find her trail since many people remembered her and her companion. You see, two beautiful ladies traveling together will certainly catch the attention of many.

"According to the people I talked to, the Saintess was accompanied by a beauty with long, dark blue hair and eyes as blue as the sea. Knowing that she had company on that dangerous journey brought a sense of relief to my heart. After all, even I, who consider myself to be very powerful, had a very hard time following their trail."

A moment of silence passed as Godfrey stopped talking.

It seemed that the particular memory had made him a bit emotional, so he decided to regain his composure first before continuing his tale.

"I didn't know back then that this journey, which I started on a whim, would bring me to the edge of the world—the final frontier before the Abyss of nothingness," Godfrey said, almost in a whisper. "I wasn't prepared for such a thing, and I didn't expect to meet someone like that at the borders of the Abyss."

Godfrey then glanced at the two teenagers who were listening to his tale and said the words both of them didn't expect to hear.

"Standing before me and holding the soulless body of Princess Ramona was none other than the Progenitor of Magic. And those who know her name refer to her as…

"Hecate."