Barbara shook her head and explained, "The level of power used to erase that part of her knowledge is extremely high. In my current state, I cannot restore it."

  "Furthermore, if we forcibly restore that knowledge, it would likely attract the attention of the entity who deleted it, letting 'Him' realize that something is wrong here."

  "Then what should we do?" Eros felt a budding headache. Without that knowledge, Natalia couldn't comprehend the physical and spiritual devastation a Divine Descent would inflict on a non-divine vessel. Based on her reaction, she genuinely viewed it as a supreme honor—a blessing from the Goddess to Ayesha.

  To a fanatic, sacrificing oneself to let a deity descend into one's body was indeed the ultimate glory. It allowed them to be as close to their god as a mortal could possibly be.

  Is Natalia the kind of fanatic who would sacrifice her own daughter for faith? Eros wasn't sure. He wanted to test her. If she was, he would skip the persuasion and use his True Name to overwrite her and Ayesha’s faith by force. If she wasn't, he would try to guide them toward changing their beliefs voluntarily. He preferred not to forcibly alter someone’s cognition unless absolutely necessary, as it often led to severe mental instability.

  But the prerequisite for any choice was that Natalia had to understand the horror of a Divine Descent. Since her memory was erased and couldn't be restored, how could he make her understand? The situation seemed to have hit a dead end.

  Just then, Barbara gave a light cough, her voice sounding a bit peculiar. "I only said I couldn't restore the deleted knowledge. I never said she couldn't... relearn it."

  Eros froze. He had assumed that the deletion method was similar to how the Churches erased information about his Ancestor—where even if you relearned it, the weight of history would cause you to forget it again instantly. But as Barbara clarified, Natalia was just a low-sequence Warlock. Using such a high-level "Historical Deletion" on her would be like using a cannon to swat a mosquito—a complete waste of divine power.

  Relieved, Eros’s expression softened. Natalia watched the "Remnant of the Night" in silence for a long time, waiting for him to explain the consequences. Her spiritual intuition told her that this was vital; if she didn't understand it, she would regret it for a lifetime.

  Organizing his thoughts, Eros looked at Natalia’s piercing gaze and repeated softly, "Yes, the consequences of Divine Descent."

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  "If you don't understand, I can explain it simply," he continued, not waiting for her response. "Gods are Great Ones of supreme status. And Ayesha? She’s a Sequence 9 Warlock—not even truly Transcendent yet. Her soul is still essentially that of a commoner. For a mortal like her to bear even a fragment of a Great One’s consciousness..."

  "Her fragile soul would be crushed into nothingness in an instant. Perhaps Ayesha’s body has been modified by your Goddess to hold that power for a short time, but I can tell you with certainty: once the Descent ends, the residual divine power will completely corrupt her."

  "After all, God is the ultimate source of pollution, isn't He?"

  "By then, your dear daughter, your sweet Ayesha, will turn into a soulless, grotesque monster—perhaps covered in tentacles, or perhaps sprouting eyes from every inch of her skin!"

  "That is the fate of a non-divine vessel bearing a god."

  Eros added a silent caveat in his heart: Of course, there is always an exception... like me. He had no divinity within him—Barbara was certain of that—yet he could carry divine power without a single side effect. Even Barbara couldn't explain why.

  Natalia was stunned. Her eyes trembled, and her voice wavered. "How... how could this be? The benevolent Goddess... why would She do such a thing? This can't be true! You’re lying to me! Yes, you must be!"

  Her gaze suddenly hardened with desperate conviction. "You said you 'checked' Ayesha’s body. If she truly were a vessel for the Goddess’s plan, the Goddess would have surely left protections to prevent anyone from noticing. If anyone could just see through it, what would be the point of the plan? You claim you saw it by 'checking' her... are you saying you can see through the arrangements of a God?"

  "This alone proves you are lying. I don't know your goal, you hateful Remnant, but you will not shake my faith."

  Eros curled his lip. I can't see through it, but I have Barbara. As an artifact with maximum "Vision" attributes, seeing through a divine concealment was child's play. But he didn't expect to win her over with words alone. He just needed to plant the seed of doubt. As long as Ayesha remained at the Academy and wasn't reassigned by the Lunar Sect, she was likely safe for now; a Divine Descent required preparation.

  Eros smiled casually. "Then tell me, why did your Goddess gift you a child out of thin air? Oh, and it wasn't just you. Do you know where the others who received the 'Divine Grace' are? Are they also in Indiles?"

  Natalia’s pupils shrank as if she’d remembered something. She hissed in frustration, "Shut up! I don't want to hear it! If the Goddess gives us Grace, She has Her reasons. We only need to follow Her oracles."

  "You... you blasphemer, trying to slander the Goddess!"

  Eros scoffed, unimpressed. "She’s your Goddess, not mine." He then added as if in afterthought: "By the way, if Ayesha is ever reassigned to another task, remember to notify me in advance. And as for knowledge about the consequences of Divine Descent... logically, you should have studied it. History is full of cultists trying to summon evil gods. I noticed your knowledge in that area is a complete blank. If you have time, I suggest you look for those books. If you can't find them, you can always ask me."

  "Shut up! You blasphemer! Stop talking! I won't listen to a single word you say!" Natalia glared at him, her heart pounding. This man was systematically dismantling everything she believed in.