Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1958: Talking to the gods (1)

The remaining items discovered in the room were handed over to the former crown prince, though his possession of them was merely a temporary arrangement.

These artifacts held immense significance for the sea witches, after all.

The first volume contained the authentic, unvarnished history of the sea witches.

The second book consisted of a comprehensive catalog of spells developed by the sea witches throughout the ages.

As for the third book, it was undoubtedly the one that would trigger the most excitement among the sea witches.

This particular text was a compilation of potion recipes painstakingly crafted by their ancestors.

Despite not being a sea witch himself, the former crown prince had spent enough time in their company to grasp the value of these potion recipes upon scanning them.

As he looked through the pages, a look of pure astonishment surfaced on his face, which he couldn't manage to conceal.

His reaction alone served as a testament to the extraordinary nature of the recipes recorded within that book.

I didn't mind the former crown prince taking ownership of them, as these items were of no use to me. Had I kept them, they would have simply gathered dust and rotted away since I lacked the ability to utilize them.

Therefore, even though I was the one responsible for the discovery, I was perfectly content to let him deliver them to the sea witches.

However, I gave him a specific instruction: "Don’t let them know that it was me. Just say that it was you who discovered it."

The former crown prince appeared puzzled by my request, yet he didn't refuse, recognizing the sincerity in my voice.

Once the books were secured, I made my way back to the kraken's location, as there was a matter I needed to discuss with it.

"We’re heading back," I announced.

The kraken was caught completely off guard by my words, appearing visibly confused by the sudden declaration of our departure.

Zyra, however, seemed to be the one most agitated by the news.

When we returned, she had been right in the middle of showcasing her various experiments. My interruption naturally displeased her, especially since she hadn't managed to extract any of the information she wanted from the kraken yet.

The former crown prince stepped in to manage the situation, showing her the treasures we had unearthed in the library.

It was only after laying eyes on those two specific books that her temper began to subside slightly.

Nevertheless, it was obvious that Zyra remained dissatisfied with the overall situation.

Still, her complaints were not my primary concern at the moment.

Before long, we set off toward my intended destination, though it was not the capital of the Merman Empire that we were returning to.

By allowing the kraken to return to its massive true form, we were able to travel at a staggering pace.

Thanks to this incredible speed, we arrived back at the taboo area in a very short amount of time.

Upon our arrival, the local inhabitants were understandably startled to see us. However, they didn't hesitate to welcome us, considering the kraken was the only one accompanying me.

After all, the kraken was a native of this region, and I was treated with respect as a guest of their deity.

Because of this, a crowd gathered to greet us as soon as we were spotted.

But the person I needed to speak with wasn't among these residents.

Instead, I commanded the kraken to transport me directly to the throne where Aestum resided.

As we drew near, it seemed as though Aestum had detected our approach, and that familiar sphere of blue light manifested once again.

"Holy Son, why are you back?"

Aestum's voice was tinged with undeniable bewilderment as the question was asked.

Even with the status of a god, they were unable to decipher my intentions for returning.

In truth, most gods found it impossible to read me, as I possessed a protection that blocked any attempt to peer into my mind. Consequently, there was very little information they could glean from my thoughts.

"I have something that I want to discuss with you," I replied, my voice remaining neutral and steady.

The blue orb of light flickered slightly, as if Aestum was suddenly on guard. Ultimately, however, the deity responded, "Alright, what is it that you have to discuss?"

"I stumbled upon something quite intriguing during my visit with the sea witches. I assume your messenger has already informed you of this, right?" I said, glancing briefly toward the kraken.

The blue light remained still for a moment before bobbing up and down, mimicking a nod of confirmation.

This didn't surprise me; serving as a conduit for information was the primary reason the kraken acted as Aestum's messenger.

"Then you shouldn't be shocked to hear that I found something specific in their library."

Another flicker pulsed through the blue light, though this one differed from the last. This time, it carried a distinct trace of panic, suggesting that Aestum was feeling unsettled.

It was peculiar to see a god react with such trepidation, yet Aestum clearly had a reaction to my statement.

"What do you think that I’ve discovered?"

"It isn’t the right time to be talking about this," Aestum interjected the moment I stopped speaking.

It felt as though the deity had already anticipated my words... or perhaps Aestum expected me to reveal even more than I actually had.

That reaction was more than enough to confirm that Aestum understood exactly what I was referring to, revealing a clear sense of guilt regarding the matter.

It was now certain that the gods had indeed been keeping secrets from me concerning this issue.