Astariol of judgment, the one born as a judge of heaven. Through him, God would ensure that the justice and laws that He had provided were fulfilled on earth as in heaven.

In my mind, I thought of an old priest reading a passage from <Advent>.

Astariol, as the public knew, was basically a being mentioned in the <Advent> section of the Bible that priests preached every Sunday.

Regarding Astariol, I also only knew the contents of the Bible and general knowledge about it in the empire.

To paraphrase what was written in the Bible, Astariol was a demi-god who was sent down to the human world by God tearing himself into several pieces in order to save humans from falling into ruin.

I heard that each of them was born with the power of God, and that even now that the world was at peace, they remained on earth, proving God’s mercy and holiness.

‘Now that I see an Astariol which is actually alive and active, it feels different from how it appears in the Bible.’

While recalling those memories, the butler who had placed all the desserts and cutlery on the table finally placed the teapot and teacups.

Mom came in at that time. She had a calm expression on her face.

Strangely enough, I felt a little excited looking at my mother’s calm face. I felt like I could finally learn a lot of things I didn’t know before.

I guess I wasn’t normal after all.

“Please feel free to talk.”

The butler slightly bowed his head in greeting and walked backwards. Once the door was completely closed, my mother called to me in a soft tone.

“Claire.”

“Yes.”

“Why aren’t you eating anything?”

“Mom once told me not to eat sweets late at night.”

The man looked at my mother with an unexpected expression.

Mom probably ate a lot of sweets late at night when she lived with that man.

Mom moaned a little before saying, “Then… you can eat a few today as long as you promise to brush your teeth well.”

“It’s okay. I can eat them with Eciel tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I promised to give something similar to this to Eciel earlier.”

The man appropriately intervened and explained. My mother nodded her head quietly, reminded of Eciel like me.

My mother, who had previously wet her lips with a teacup, closed her eyes, as if she was hesitating for what she was going to say.

“First of all, I must say this, Claire. You … you’re not weird.”

I quietly looked at my mother.

Mom’s face was clouded as if she was crying. Her face was similar to the one Eciel had when she cried.

However, unlike Eciel, Mom rarely made this kind of expression.

“You and Eciel are different, but that’s not what makes you strange. It’s because you are different from the moment you were born. Eciel is just a normal child, while you …”

Mom couldn’t bear to speak.

I asked, almost certain.

“Am I an Astariol?”

There were too many clues.

My biological father was an Astariol, and I looked just like him. I also wield a power different from magic or divine power.

The reasoning was succinct, and the conclusion was clear.

My mother had a truly helpless look on her face, something that was rare to see. She nodded her head hesitantly.

As if this was some sort of fatal stigma in my life.

The man who was watching continued, speaking softly.

“It must have been difficult to  communicate emotionally with others from a young age. More than anything, you have a special power.”

Duke Chelsiers put his index finger and thumb together and made a clicking sound.

The effects of the simple actions were not simple.

The tea table that had been placed on the table disappeared completely without a single crumb, but when he clicked his fingers together again, they came back as if nothing had ever happened.

‘… It feels a little bit out of reality.’

I lightly pressed the pudding with a small spoon, scooped out a bit, and tasted it.

It was a little more delicious than I imagined.

The man who watched my confirmation recited dryly.

“The power must be kept away the imperial palace and within a certain distance from the emperor, it must not be used on humans when the reason is not clear, and must be exercised in accordance with human laws, social conventions, and overall norms.”

Rather than saying that because he really thought so … it seemed as if he was mechanically reciting rules that had been in place for a long time.

Mom shook her head.

“You’re not a good father after all. Is that the first thing you teach your daughter?”

The man looked a little embarrassed.

It could be because my mom made a statement clarifying my relationship with him for the first time, or it could be because of something she pointed out.

All of those could be the cause.

But this was the real Astariol, which the Bible did not teach about.

Beings who were completely bound by human laws, common sense, and regulations.

I heard that Astariol was mainly passed down through bloodlines.

Several of the Empire’s historic noble families have Astariol bloodlines, most notably Duke Chelsiers’s Disandos lineage.

‘I see.’

They originated from Antinel Disandos, Astariol of Judgment and founder of the Empire.

His descendants also inherited the nickname ‘Judge’, the highest status among the great nobles, and the enormous wealth that came with it.

When you thought about it, wasn’t that kind of limitation a bit insignificant?

I asked, puzzled. I couldn’t even guess why my mother’s expression was so dark.

“Is that all I need to know?”

The man had an ambiguous expression.

The soft, pleasant voice became chillingly low, as if revealing a secret. It was a voice that seemed to run down my spine.

“In general, the Astariol spoken of in the Bible and the living Astariol are very different, but there is one almost unique content worth keeping in mind.”

Mom lowered her gaze to the teacup.

Contrary to the Duke, my mother’s face was now showing a clear expression of discomfort.

The Bible was mostly praising and upholding the Astariol.

‘Has there ever been a story that would have garnered this much of a response?’

It was strange. I tilted my head.

My mother was a rare non-believer in this day and age. Moreover, because we moved so often, we never really had a Bible in our house.

So, the only Bible I knew was an abbreviated version given by priests who traveled to remote villages without temples to spread the word.

This edition was edited to focus on the word of God and the miracles of prophets and saints, with some parts dealing with human debauchery removed.

So, if the suffering and shame of the Astariol, or something similar, were in a separate, complete version of the Bible.

‘I won’t know that part at all.’

Duke Chelsiers frowned slightly when I had no idea.

His exceptionally handsome and surprisingly cold face became even colder.

“Charlotte, why didn’t you tell her about Tara when you knew your daughter might be an Astariol?”

Although it was a very soft voice, it was a clear reprimand.

Mom bit her lip slightly.

Even though she couldn’t refute it as if it was an obvious thing, she didn’t look good.

With that response alone, the man seemed to have missed it and walked around the table to my mother.

The man who knelt at my mother’s feet without hesitation touched her lips and cheeks and spoke soothing words.

“I didn’t mean to blame you.”

Mom looked at the hand for a moment, then waved it to tell him to go back to his seat.

I felt like I’d seen so much in a very short amount of time.

I blinked and then asked.

“… … What exactly is Tara?”

Mom took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“Tara, who appears in the Bible, is the first demon who succeeded in seducing and corrupting the Astariol, reducing him into a human.”

If it was Eciel, she would probably have asked about temptation and corruption at this point. But I listened in silence.

Duke Chelsiers, who returned to his seat, grinned.

Even though he had a cold face, when he smiled like that, he looked mischievous, like a boy going through a rebellious phase.

I thought about it again in my mind.

‘Let’s not forget that that person is at least thirty years old.’

Mom must have had a hard time ignoring that smile, so she glanced over to me and continued speaking.

“The first Astariol’s name was Astariol, and the name Tara originated from Astariol. It said that Tara was a demon created solely to tempt Astariol.”

“And?”

“And Tara really succeeded in seducing Astariol. After that, Astariol was trapped in a human body with only one of his many divine powers left, and was never able to return to heaven again.”

“And what does Mom think about it?”

Mom closed her mouth. Slowly, her face turned red. She wasn’t particularly angry, more like she was embarrassed.

‘… But what on earth is there to be ashamed of?’

As soon as I thought about that, the man who had been looking at me with great amusement from a while ago said something humorous.

“Charlotte, please speak with your own mouth. You are a Tara, after all.”

I blinked once, looked at my mom, and then let out a dry exclamation.

“… Oh.”

Perhaps even more embarrassed by her daughter’s reaction, my mother buried her face in her hands. Her slightly exposed cheeks were as bright red as a midsummer rose.

‘I didn’t really mean to make fun of you.’

I was sorry, but my mother was no longer in a state where she could have a normal conversation.

The man looked at my mother with a smile, as if he had expected that to happen.

What should I say about that gaze?

Gentle affection, fiery passion, and completely uncorrupted affection. There was a feeling that it was too deep for one person to accept.

It was almost laughable that I once worried that this person was out to kill us.

The man noticed my gaze and turned his head to me. He smiled at me too. It was a very friendly smile.

I felt dizzy with realization, then almost panicked for a moment.

So, ‘that’ was Tara like.