Chapter 154: The Road Back (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: The Road Back (1)
The day after Seolgak attacked the Colony.
The city was in a state of total disarray, looking as if a bomb had just gone off.
Although Seolrang had killed Seolgak and Line had fended off the Scolpirion, the damage sustained was far from negligible.
For starters, the city walls had been obliterated.
The buildings along the path the Scolpirion took while breaking through the walls had collapsed into ruins, and the area around the guild where Seolrang had been was reduced to a wasteland because of Seolgak.
Furthermore, over fifty percent of the royal castle within the Colony’s inner walls had crumbled due to the Scolpirion. Naturally, the atmosphere inside the palace was grim.
In the midst of this...
“...First, I must express my gratitude, Marquis Palatio. Once again, I find myself in your debt.”
“Not at all. And the credit belongs more to Seolrang than to me.”
Alon was currently in an audience with Karmakeses III.
“Likewise, Line Grof, I offer my thanks to you as well. Truly, thank you.”
“It was nothing. I only moved because my Godfather was here.”
“...? Godfather? Are you referring to Marquis Palatio?”
“Yes.”
Karmakeses’s gaze shifted back to Alon.
“...Was the Marquis not with Seolrang?”
“If that monster started running wild, it would have made things uncomfortable for the Marquis.”
“....”
Line offered a bright smile.
Struck by a sense of déjà vu, Karmakeses didn't respond. He simply let out a heavy sigh, his face wearing an expression that said, Ah, she’s one of those types too.
It was already the fourth sigh he had let out since meeting Alon.
After taking a moment to compose himself, he finally spoke.
“Forgive me. As you can see, the situation is quite a headache.”
“...I understand.”
Alon sympathized with Karmakeses III.
To the King of the Colony, this incident was a pure disaster. It was a calamity akin to a natural disaster, with no one left to hold accountable for the damages.
Because of this, the financial loss the royal castle suffered—even excluding the cost of physical reconstruction—would be astronomical.
Of course, there were ways to avoid spending more than just the reconstruction costs depending on his choices, but the King likely knew those weren't good options.
In short, he must have a massive headache right now.
...He would have to scramble to plug the budget holes until the end of the year, even if it meant scrapping the national administration plans he had set at the beginning of the year.
Alon offered a silent, brief prayer for the man burdened with such heavy responsibility.
Soon, he left the temporary audience chamber and headed toward the center of the collapsed royal castle.
“Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“Is it really okay to collect the carcass like this?”
Evan, who was walking behind him, asked.
Despite being within the combat radius of Seolgak and Seolrang yesterday, Evan didn't have a single scratch on him, let alone an injury.
When Alon stared at his pristine appearance, Evan looked puzzled.
“...? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“No, it’s just... I’m still amazed that you don't have a single scratch.”
“...Was I supposed to get hurt...?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Of course, Alon knew exactly why Evan was so unscathed.
‘He said he jumped out the window and escaped the moment he heard a loud noise outside.’
Alon marveled once again at Evan’s decisive judgment and belatedly answered his question.
“In any other kingdom, it might be different, but the Colony has a custom of granting all rights to a slain monster to the one who defeated it. That’s why this is possible.”
“Is that so?”
“Most likely.”
In truth, he didn't know the exact customs, but it had been mentioned a few times in the Colony arc of the game, so it probably wasn't wrong.
Regardless, having secured ownership of the Scolpirion through Line, Alon soon arrived at the spot where the Scolpirion’s carcass lay.
“...Wow. I saw it yesterday, but it really is impossibly huge.”
“Indeed.”
He stood before the massive corpse of the Scolpirion, which took up most of the garden.
...Its head was half-crushed in death.
“...Line.”
“Yes, Godfather.”
“Did you say you finished it in one blow?”
“Hmm—well, not exactly one blow, Godfather. Its outer shell was surprisingly sturdy.”
Line added that it had managed to withstand about three hits.
Alon looked at the Scolpirion again.
‘...I don't know if I should say this thing held out well, or if Line is just that good at hunting.’
Actually, Alon had been quite shocked when he first heard that Line had taken down the Scolpirion. Defeating this Abomination was by no means an easy feat.
While its overall size was smaller than Rikrakakmur, the venom secreted from the Scolpirion’s claws was a potent acid capable of melting almost any weapon.
In particular, the dozens of poisonous needles it fired from its tail meant instant death the moment even one struck.
The sheer act of firing so many needles boasted incredible lethality, and even if one survived the initial barrage, the slightest graze from the extreme toxin was fatal.
In a sense, the Scolpirion was a boss even more difficult to handle than Rikrakakmur.
The reason he thought the Scolpirion might have actually held out well against her attacks was because of what happened last night.
When a bewildered Alon had asked how on earth she had dealt with the Scolpirion, Line had summoned Pluto without hesitation.
‘...If it survived three hits from that, then this Abomination really was impressive.’
He briefly imagined Pluto’s massive fist slamming into the earth.
“Impressive. It’s not an easy foe to catch.”
Alon praised Line once more.
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s the power you gave me, after all. Though I’m embarrassed to say I haven't mastered the proper way to use it yet. Plus, summoning it three times is my current limit.”
“...You’re saying you haven't mastered the proper way to use it yet?”
“Yes. Right now, I only know the activation word and some basic maneuvers.”
“...Then, if you eventually use it ‘properly,’ would you be able to summon the weapon itself...?”
“Perhaps?”
As she continued her explanation, Alon felt a strange sense of envy.
...It was actually pretty cool.
“Ahem.”
Alon cleared his throat to regain his composure and asked.
“...Are you sure I can take this carcass?”
“Do whatever you wish, Godfather. It’s of no use to me.”
After offering a brief word of thanks to Line for her ready permission, he moved closer to the Abomination.
[Kyu?]
As he got close enough to touch the corpse, Blackie, who had finally escaped Seolrang’s clutches, poked his head out.
Unlike when he was playing with Seolrang, Blackie’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation as he stared at the Abomination’s corpse, before stealing a glance at Alon.
It was different from the last time when he had absorbed an Abomination without permission.
Seeing him tilt his head while looking at Alon as if waiting for approval, Alon thought that Blackie might be getting smarter little by little.
‘...If Blackie absorbs the carcass, will the Artifact of Sin be absorbed as well?’
In truth, the Artifacts of Sin weren't items Alon strictly needed to obtain for himself, as long as they didn't fall into the hands of the Five Great Sins.
Regardless, Alon gave a slight nod to Blackie.
Sssssssssss—!
Immediately, Blackie leaped in front of the Abomination and began to absorb it.
The carcass turned into powder and was sucked in instantly.
“Huh?”
Evan, witnessing this for the first time, gasped in surprise, while Line watched with interest.
Blackie devoured the entire Abomination even faster than he had with Rikrakakmur. Feeling satisfied, he made little purring noises as he climbed back onto Alon’s shoulder and rubbed his head against him.
‘The artifact wasn't absorbed.’
In the spot where the Scolpirion’s carcass had been, a pair of grey gauntlets remained.
He had successfully obtained the Artifact of Pride.
* * *
A few days after recovering the artifact.
After confirming that Seolrang had recovered to some extent, Alon began preparing to leave the Colony.
He had finished everything he needed to do, and he planned to visit the Colony again in two months anyway.
“I should have pretended to be sick a little longer—”
While Alon’s group prepared to depart, Seolrang grumbled with her tail drooping. Alon tried to soothe her.
“I plan to visit again in two months.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
When Alon nodded, Seolrang’s smile returned instantly, and she stood right in front of him.
“Mentor! Do that for me!”
Her eyes were full of expectation.
Looking down at her child-like face, Alon now quite naturally pressed down firmly on both of her ears.
“♩—♬”
Seolrang hummed a tune, clearly in a good mood.
Ever since the Seolgak incident, Seolrang had requested this action instead of having her head patted, and Alon complied without complaint.
A conversation he had with her a few days ago flashed through his mind.
‘Seolrang.’
‘Yeah? What is it, Mentor?’
‘...Why do you keep asking me to hold your ears?’
‘Hmm—well, you know? I can feel your heart.’
‘...My heart?’
‘The feeling that just as I treasure you, Mentor, you treasure me too.’
‘Is that so?’
‘Yeah.’
Treasure... to treasure someone.
“...?”
While quietly recalling his conversation with Seolrang, Alon was snapped back to reality by a sensation on his own ears.
...Seolrang was reaching up, struggling to cup both of Alon’s ears with her hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm—I wanted Mentor to feel it too.”
“...That you treasure me?”
“Yeah. Can you feel it?”
Alon let out a small chuckle at Seolrang’s mischievous smile.
“...What are those two doing?”
“....”
The moment continued until Evan, looking at Alon as if he were absurd, and a somewhat pouting Line appeared.
And then.
“Mentor! See you in two months!”
“Right.”
With Seolrang’s bright farewell, Alon departed from the Colony.
* * *
The 2nd Office of the Marquis Palatio’s estate—the space essentially used as Penia’s laboratory—was fundamentally a very noisy place.
Various screams erupted from there daily at a terrifying frequency.
The violent screams of a woman and the sorrowful screams—no, wails—of a man.
Because of this, the 2nd Office had earned the ridiculous nickname "The Room of Death" among the servants.
Silence...
Today, however, it was exceptionally quiet.
There wasn't even the sound of clinking or something being tightened from inside.
Truly, it was quiet enough to startle everyone.
Of course, Penia did have a guest.
But for Penia Kraysinne to be that quiet?
Had she not always maintained the same attitude regardless of who visited?
The servants of the Marquis’s house peeked toward the Room of Death from a distance with curiosity.
Inside the room, instead of the usual pair of a woman and a man—the Kraysinne siblings—
“....”
“....”
There were two women.
“....”
One was Penia.
Usually, if things didn't go her way, she would beat Pellin up and curse like a sailor, omitting the subject "Marquis Palatio." But now...
“....”
She was merely shifting her eyes around, looking everywhere but at the person in front of her.
And before her...
“Hello, Ms. Penia Kraysinne.”
A Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, and...
“...I sent a letter, but you never visited.”
A woman rumored to be one of the three most powerful figures within the Holy Kingdom.
“So, I came to find you.”
Yutia Bloodia was staring at Penia Kraysinne, her eyes glowing with a faint red light.