Chapter 133: The Border Zone (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: The Border Zone (1)
After the regular meeting of the Blue Moon concluded.
“How was it?”
The magic orb, which had been displaying the video conference until moments ago, flickered off.
While Yuna sat there with a dazed expression, Hidan, who had been in the adjacent room, came to find her.
She opened and closed her mouth as if struggling to find the right words.
“……Um,”
“Speak.”
“This… this was a meeting, right?”
She finally managed to squeeze out a question.
“It was a meeting.”
“……This was?”
“Yes.”
“……A meeting where they talk about turning the 2nd Prince into an Outer God just to erect a statue of the Blue Moon……?”
“The 2nd Prince did try to slander the Blue Moon once before.”
“……Well, then I guess he deserves it. But still—”
“Still, it was a normal meeting until about halfway through, wasn’t it?”
“But still—”
Yuna sighed.
“Red Moon and the Golden Moon fighting over who gets to marry the Great Moon… or the Green Moon bragging about a gift she received from him for over thirty minutes… and the Silver Moon…… as soon as he heard there were more people slandering him, he smashed the window and jumped out before the meeting even ended……. Isn’t this a bit much, no matter how you look at it?”
“Hmm…….”
“Was the Purple Moon always that talkative? I’m sure he wasn’t. He used to be so taciturn, but today he spent over two hours straight talking about nothing but the Great Moon……?”
These were not the personalities of the Moons she used to know.
If they had changed, they had changed far too much.
As a complex swirl of emotions clouded her face, Hidan also fell silent.
……Because he felt much the same as Yuna.
The recent meetings, in particular, were becoming increasingly extreme. The intensity of their fanaticism had grown much fiercer than when he first joined.
‘……Has the Great Moon…… learned some kind of hypnosis?’
Thinking the same thought Ladan once had, he looked at Yuna. She wore an expression that clearly screamed, This isn't the kind of meeting I wanted to see!
And then.
“Hidan.”
“What is it?”
“The Great Moon……. Do you think he has some kind of cognition-manipulating ability…… or maybe hypnosis? When I saw him from a distance last time, he didn't really seem to have that kind of vibe…….”
Seeing Yuna arrive at the same conclusion as himself, Hidan replied.
“……Perhaps.”
He didn't bother to disagree with her.
* * *
The distance between the United Kingdoms and the border zone was vast, taking about a month to travel from the Palatio Marquisate.
It was only natural. The Asteria Kingdom was situated in the east, and the border was at the western end, past Calliban from the perspective of the United Kingdoms.
Because of this, Alon had to travel by carriage for over two weeks.
However, there was no time to be bored.
The reason was the Sentence he had obtained along with Blackie—the Shadow Spirit Dragon—called ‘Union of Shadow and Light.’
“Marquis, what are you brooding over so deeply?”
Alon had been staring at Blackie, who was busily scavenging and eating sweet potatoes by the campfire. He answered Evan’s question slowly.
“I just can’t seem to get a feel for it.”
“Ah, the magic?”
Alon nodded.
‘The magic isn't manifesting at all.’
While traveling to the border in the carriage, Alon had tried to use Union of Shadow and Light frequently, but he still hadn't figured out the proper method.
‘What’s the problem……?’
He knew there could be several issues. Fundamentally, magic that uses Phrases and Sentences requires the use of ‘correct and precise terminology’ to produce the proper effect, as the Dragonkin had mentioned before.
Yet, Alon felt doubtful because of previous precedents. Even when Alon didn't know the exact way to use a Sentence or Phrase, the magic would usually manifest to some degree, even if it wasn't perfect.
However, with ‘Union of Shadow and Light,’ the magic simply consumed mana without manifesting at all.
‘……Is this a spell that requires a special method of activation? Or is it a spell that only works for a Spirit Dragon, making it impossible in its Shadow Spirit Dragon state?’
His questions snowballed.
“Marquis, come to think of it, I forgot to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Evan’s voice pulled Alon out of his thoughts. Alon organized his mind and turned his gaze.
“It’s news I heard at the estate we stopped at this morning, but apparently, Exam Questions have been appearing frequently lately.”
“Exam Questions?”
“Yes. They used to only appear around the Magic Towers, but now they’ve started appearing simultaneously in various places.”
It wasn't surprising news.
‘……Well, with less than half a year left until the start of the original story, it’s about time they started showing up.’
He had expected the frequency of Exam Questions to increase from this point on.
‘The reason Elivan’s adventure as the protagonist began in Psychedelia was because a Strange Gate—the phenomenon that follows an Exam Question—appeared in his village and put it in danger.’
Since Alon’s attention was currently focused on the Five Great Sins, which were directly linked to the destruction of the world, he hadn't given it much thought, but the Exam Questions were also one of the main events that drove the story of Psychedelia.
Quite a few incidents capable of putting the entire kingdom at risk occurred during the Exam Question arcs.
Even so, Alon wasn't overly worried.
Because of the protagonist.
That’s right. Even if Alon didn't personally intervene, Elivan, the protagonist, would go around closing those Exam Questions according to the original plot.
‘……He’ll manage to close them on his own.’
Unlike the Five Great Sins, which guaranteed the destruction of a country or two once they descended, Exam Questions weren't a major issue as long as they were closed in a timely manner. Thus, Alon wasn't too concerned.
‘Well, maybe I’ll give him a little help when he starts his first adventure, just in case. I can give him some extra items too……. If he’s weaker than expected, should I keep him in Lartania for a bit and train him?’
As he drafted a plan for the Elivan who was destined to suffer, he popped a now-cooled sweet potato into his mouth.
“……Delicious.”
“Marquis. You eat sweet potatoes every time we light a campfire. Aren't you getting tired of them yet?”
“No, they’re always fresh and tasty.”
“……Is that so?”
Evan, seemingly tired of sweet potatoes, was eating a potato instead.
‘……I don’t think I used to like sweet potatoes this much.’
Why were they so delicious?
The question crossed his mind briefly, but he soon shrugged and shoved more sweet potato into his mouth. Eating sweet potatoes by a campfire in the cool night air was as delicious as ever.
* * *
After another two weeks of travel, Alon finally arrived near the border.
“Wow, it really is a complete wasteland from over there.”
Looking at the high castle walls that divided the border and the sandy wasteland beyond, Alon began to think.
‘……How should I cross?’
The wasteland between the United Kingdoms and the Empire was an area known to players as the Badlands.
Because the ‘Allied Forces’ guarded this place, entry was not easy. In fact, an ordinary noble wouldn't even be permitted to set foot in the wasteland; even in the game Psychedelia, it was a place you could only cross a few times through special quests.
‘……Was the reason, besides the Empire, to avoid waking the Hesitation?’
The Hesitation.
At this point in time, they had yet to reveal themselves, but in the future, they would be known as one of the Four Major Factions, alongside the Hundred Ghosts of the jungle. That group had made its home in that wasteland.
There were many other minor reasons, but that was the primary one.
‘Should I use the backdoor after all?’
He recalled the only secret gap in the wall, which was otherwise covered in hundreds of magic circles, but he smacked his lips awkwardly.
‘……I’d rather not use it if I can help it.’
If he used the backdoor, he could certainly get inside. However, if there was another way, he didn't want to use it. Moving through that gap was more exhausting than one might think.
‘……I don’t know exactly why it’s so taxing, though.’
Whenever Alon used the backdoor to enter the wasteland for leveling in the game, a notification saying ‘You have consumed too much stamina!’ would always pop up, and the HP of all party members would drop by 50%.
As his dilemma deepened.
“Shall we stop by the village first?”
“Yes.”
Since the sun was setting, they decided to spend the night in the village with a direct view of the border zone.
And in that village.
“Teacher?”
“……Yutia?”
“Brother.”
“……The Saint is here as well.”
He encountered a very strange combination.
“What brings you here?”
The surprise of the unexpected meeting was brief. Alon answered Yutia’s question as she walked quickly through the crowd of clergymen with a steady smile.
“……I have some business at the border.”
“At the border?”
“I do, but why are you here?”
When he asked why they were there.
“We are heading to the border to repair the holy gates, as problems have recently arisen there, Brother.”
Yuman intercepted the answer.
Yutia looked at Yuman with a slightly stiff smile, perhaps because she had been cut off. However, Yuman didn't even acknowledge her gaze and added with a gentle smile.
“If you have business at the border, Brother, why don't you come with us?”
Though it didn't show on his face, Alon was delighted. If he went to the border with them, he wouldn't have to use the backdoor.
“……Would that be alright?”
“Of course.”
Thanks to this unexpected stroke of luck, Alon was able to enter the border with great ease.
* * *
The ‘Allied Forces’ guarding the border.
As the name suggested, it was an organization formed by drafting a certain percentage of soldiers and knights from each of the five nations representing the United Kingdoms.
And at this point in time, the Border Guard Captain of the Allied Forces was Kiriana, who had been known as the Second Sword of the Five Swords of Calliban a few years ago.
She was not flustered by the sudden appearance of the Saint and the Cardinal. She had already received word from her superiors.
Rather, the person who piqued Kiriana’s interest was the Marquis of Palatio, who had arrived with them.
Not only was he not in the reports, but she had also once been indebted to him in the North and hadn't been able to properly thank him until now.
But that interest was short-lived.
Kiriana found herself in a difficult situation. No, actually, it was a bit of a ridiculous situation.
That situation being.
“……I think it would be best if I served as the guarantor.”
“No, you can just use my name.”
It was a squabble over whose name to put down as the Marquis’s guarantor.
The Saint and the Cardinal, who had come to repair the gates, didn't need guarantors, but in the case of the Marquis of Palatio, he needed a clear guarantor to accompany them into the border zone.
They didn't need many guarantors. Only one.
In other words, only one of the two people in front of her needed to sign the form.
And yet, over that simple act of writing a name.
“……Saint? I will stand as Teacher’s guarantor, so do not worry.”
“No, Cardinal Yutia, I will do it, so please do not concern yourself. I heard you find these things very bothersome.”
“Not at all. It’s Teacher, after all. This isn't bothersome in the least. Not between Teacher and me.”
“It is the same for me. This is nothing between Brother and me, so you need not worry too much.”
They had been engaged in this psychological warfare for over ten minutes.
“…….”
Kiriana looked at Yutia and Yuman’s faces. Both had pleasant smiles on their lips, but their eyes were not laughing.
……In fact, they felt strangely eerie.
“Saint? Why don't you stop being stubborn now? I think Teacher is starting to feel uncomfortable.”
“Why don't you stop being stubborn, Cardinal?”
‘……Seriously, what is the big deal about this……?’
As the two clerics began to use increasingly aggressive wording, even Kiriana began to feel uncomfortable.
“Stop being so obstinate.”
“Cardinal, you are the one being obstinate, I beg of you. You didn't do anything when Brother was being censured at the Union Conference last time, so there’s no need to try so hard just because Brother is watching now.”
“I already sent a letter before you even knew about it, Saint, so don't worry. I care for Teacher far more than you do.”
As the atmosphere turned murderous, as if a real fight was about to break out, Kiriana barely suppressed the urge to massage her temples.
‘What on earth is the Marquis of Palatio……?’
She looked at the cause of the dispute.
But Alon himself.
‘……What is wrong with them?’
Was just as clueless as she was.