Chapter 100: Mysterious Jungle Ronobelli (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Mysterious Jungle Ronobelli (2)
[I’m so sorry...!]
Alon stood in silence, watching Tobet hang his head with a tearful face.
To be honest, even Alon hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Is this... even possible?
Alon stared blankly at Seolrang.
Unlike a moment ago, when her eerie golden eyes had been glowing, she was now beaming at him, her face practically screaming, Look at me! Didn't I do a good job?
...No, seriously, how did she catch him?
Alon couldn't help but be amazed over and over again.
In theory, catching Tobet was an impossible feat. In game terms, he was a fairy capable of moving over a hundred tiles in a single turn!
"How did you catch him?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Seolrang tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"I just caught him?"
She answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"...Right."
Well, she’s not wrong, I guess.
But she was definitely skipping over a lot of details.
...No, really, what is she?
Alon knew from their previous encounter that Seolrang was fast, but he hadn't realized she was this absurdly quick.
At this rate... wouldn't it take her less than two days to cross the entire desert? More than that... just like Deus, she seems to have completely surpassed the level of a normal human.
Once again, he found himself marveling at the talent of the Five Great Sins.
...It’s not that they’re strong because a god descended into them; they were born with this kind of innate ability from the start.
Thinking about that made his own body, with its tiny mana hole, feel rather pitiful.
He felt a brief wave of gloom, but he quickly shook it off and looked at Tobet. Regardless, the situation at hand was still unfolding.
Tobet looked paralyzed with fear, likely traumatized by having his neck grabbed so suddenly and being threatened by Seolrang.
Seeing his expression, Alon asked, "...Does this count as a capture?"
[It counts...]
"..."
[I'll admit it.]
Tobet lowered his head, stealing a fearful glance at the smiling Seolrang.
"Then, it's our turn to be the ones running away. Correct?"
[Huh? Oh, yes.]
Tobet nodded frantically.
"Seolrang. Can you do it?"
"Of course I can, Mentor! I'm fast!"
Seolrang placed her hands on her hips with an air of supreme confidence.
At her words, Alon glanced at Tobet, who was still watching them warily.
"Then let's begin immediately."
[Okay. We'll start once that hourglass above your head flips. The, uh, escape time is one minute.]
Despite Tobet’s awkward, fearful demeanor, Alon remained inwardly tense.
On the surface, Tobet looked like nothing more than an underdeveloped young boy, but in reality, he was a fairy who had lived for hundreds of years.
And given the nature of fairies, they don't fear for their lives because they'll just revive even if they die.
Knowing this, Alon watched them closely, suspecting that Tobet might be faking his fear to catch them off guard.
Soon, the hourglass Tobet had summoned in the center of the hollow began to slowly turn over.
I knew it.
Alon noticed that despite his miserable-looking eyes, the corners of Tobet’s mouth were curling upward.
It was a truly wicked smile.
Seolrang, who had been staring at Tobet in preparation for the match, suddenly called out.
"Oh, Mentor."
"What is it?"
"If we get caught, can we try again?"
"A retry?"
Alon looked at the hourglass, which had rotated about 90 degrees.
"Hmm, I suppose so."
"Hehe—so we can try again?"
"Yes."
Alon nodded, recalling the lore that fairies must accept a challenge if a human requests a trial.
The moment the hourglass finished its rotation and the trial began—
"?"
Tobet didn't move.
Seolrang didn't move either.
...Are they moving so fast that my eyes can't keep up?
The thought crossed Alon's mind instinctively, but of course, that wasn't it.
The two of them were truly standing perfectly still.
"?"
Alon was filled with confusion.
However, even as he wondered, the sand in the hourglass was steadily trickling down.
After one minute had passed.
"Yay! I won!"
"..."
Alon saw Seolrang cheering with her hands in the air and a bright smile.
"..."
And then there was Tobet, who was hanging his head with a terrified expression, though Alon had no idea what the fairy had actually seen.
And that day, Alon managed to obtain the "Salvation of the Wanderer."
"It's thanks to you."
"I can do at least this much for you, Mentor!"
Seeing Seolrang radiating an aura of triumph, Alon felt a warmth in his heart.
"If there's anything you want, I'll grant it."
"Really!?"
"Yes. Well, if it's something too difficult, I'll have to think about it."
"Hmm—then can I tell you after I've thought about it for a bit?"
"Sure."
Sharing such small talk, they stepped out of the hollow.
As the entrance to the underground prison came into view, Alon suddenly grew curious.
"By the way, why did you both stay still earlier?"
"Huh? Earlier?"
"Yes."
"Mmm—I don't know? He just stayed still, so I stayed still too. I was going to move the moment he did."
Alon looked at Seolrang after her nonchalant explanation.
"What? Why?"
Seeing her innocent expression, he simply shrugged and stepped out of the cave.
It was a dawn where not a single soul was in sight.
* * *
The three days in Tern passed in the blink of an eye.
From the fourth day onward, the conference was officially over, and the remaining time was essentially a period for socializing without any formal meetings.
Because of that,
If I'm going to move, I should move quickly.
Alon decided to head out without hesitation.
He had already obtained everything he needed, anyway.
"Mentor, you're leaving already!?"
"I have things to attend to."
"Aww—"
Seolrang’s tail drooped visibly at the news of his departure.
It wasn't as if the world was ending, but her disappointment was so clear that Alon felt like he was watching a daughter throw a cute tantrum.
"Well, I'll come visit you sometime."
"Really!?"
"Yes."
It was a bit of an empty promise, but he would have to travel to meet the Dragonkin soon enough anyway.
Having soothed her as best he could, Alon bid a brief farewell to Seolrang and set off immediately.
A short while later, Alon went to say goodbye to Deus.
"Ronobelli, you say?"
"Yes."
"In that case, I shall accompany you."
...He didn't get to say goodbye.
"Accompany me?"
"Yes. As it happens, I also have business in Ronobelli."
"...What kind of business?"
When Alon asked, Deus explained.
"Reinhardt entered Ronobelli a year ago and hasn't returned since."
"...So, you're going to find him?"
"Yes. To be precise, we have a lead, but the knights haven't been able to bring him back."
"You have a lead, but the knights couldn't bring him back?"
"I'm told he is presumed to be within the 'Silvanus Zone'."
"Ah."
Alon, who hadn't understood why the knights couldn't retrieve Reinhardt until a moment ago, nodded instinctively at Deus's words.
...If it's the Silvanus Zone, it makes sense why the knights couldn't enter.
The Silvanus Zone.
It was one of the three explored areas in the vast, uncharted jungle of Ronobelli, and it was a place inhabited by grotesque, mutated monsters.
An ordinary knight would likely be torn to shreds the moment they stepped inside.
In Psychedelia, the Silvanus Zone was an area players only frequented during the mid-to-late game.
It's possible if you use the Blessing of the Ruins, but the knights obviously wouldn't know about that.
Recalling the game information, Alon gave a light nod.
"Then let's go together."
"Yes, I will escort you."
That day, Alon set off for Ronobelli with Deus.
* * *
Traveling to Ronobelli with Deus for several days turned out to be more enjoyable than Alon had expected.
When they first boarded the carriage, he had worried it would be an awkward trip with the same silence as before, but this time, Deus was quite talkative.
And so.
"...Is it almost time?"
"It seems so."
Feeling the air grow damp enough to soak into his clothes, Alon realized they were nearing the outskirts of the jungle and organized his tasks for the stay in Ronobelli.
First, go to the Malaka Ruins that the King mentioned.
Alon nodded slightly.
Going to the Malaka Ruins wasn't particularly difficult. He knew where they were located since they appeared as part of a sub-quest in the game.
However, in the game, even if you found the ruins, the entrance was usually collapsed, so he had never actually been inside.
Second, find the other half of the ring.
Alon reached into his coat and pulled out a bracelet.
This was the item he had recently obtained in Tern; on its own, it served no function.
...It was definitely in the Hermit's Hideout.
But if he could obtain the matching bracelet from the "Hermit's Hideout," the two combined would become an item that the current Alon desperately needed.
And finally, the third task.
The Forgotten One.
He planned to find something here to prepare for the Forgotten One.
Unlike the Outer Gods he had faced so far, he knew that "The Forgotten One" had already fully manifested in this world.
"Whew."
He finished his thoughts with a light sigh.
"We have arrived."
Alon realized they had reached Caslot, a territory of the Luxible Grand Duchy, a small principality adjacent to the jungle, and stepped down from the carriage.
From here, he would have to walk into the jungle himself—specifically, to the explorer camp established by mages and explorers.
The three of them arrived in Caslot and immediately headed toward the South Gate, which led to the jungle.
As soon as they passed through the South Gate—
"Milord, you look like you're new here. Do you need a guide? Just tell me where you want to go, and I can take you there right away!"
Touts began to swarm them as if they had been waiting.
...I expected there to be many, but this is more than I thought.
Aside from the explorer camp, most of the surrounding areas were ruins where many artifacts were being excavated.
Naturally, explorers and mercenaries full of dreams frequently visited this place.
Alon took a step back from the tout.
"I'm fine. I already know my destination."
"Oh, don't be like that! It's easy to get lost in a jungle like this!"
"I'll be fine regardless."
Alon refused.
Only then did the tout turn away and disappear, looking disappointed.
"There are a lot of solicitors."
"Indeed."
As Alon and Evan were talking—
"Marquis."
"Yes?"
"That fellow just now... shall I kill him?"
"...Huh?"
Alon was bewildered by Deus's sudden declaration of murder.
"Why?"
"He insulted you, Marquis."
"...Did he?"
"Yes. I heard him clearly."
"Uh..."
Being insulted isn't exactly pleasant.
Even so, killing someone just for an insult seemed a bit much, didn't it? Alon shook his head.
"There's no need for that."
"Understood."
Seeing Deus nod, Alon added a few more words.
"But thank you for looking out for me."
He nodded pleasantly, thinking Deus had said it out of consideration for his feelings.
However, exactly five minutes later.
"Marquis."
"...What is it now?"
"The solicitor from a moment ago... shall I kill him?"
"...The reason?"
"He walked away cursing after you rejected him."
"...Don't do it."
"Understood."
By the time they reached the South Gate leading to the jungle, Deus had declared his intent to kill exactly eight times.
Seeing him touch the hilt of his sword while staring regretfully at the spot where a tout had vanished...
Wait, he hasn't awakened, has he???
...Alon began to feel a strange sense of unease.