Chapter 158: Why Is He So Strong? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Why Is He So Strong? (2)
A temple stood upon an unidentified foundation.
Within that landscape filled with a sense of wrongness, three figures stood, their faces obscured by dark robes.
“Wow, is Pride really dead?”
“Tsk—idiot. There’s a time and place for everything.”
“…….”
One spoke with a tone of surprise, another with a tone of pathetic disdain, while the third remained silent.
They were the Apostles of the Five Great Sins, of the same rank as the Apostle of Pride.
“It’s a bit fascinating, actually. To think he died to those outsiders even after receiving power from That Person… it’s not even funny.”
The ‘Apostle of Greed’ rested their chin on a hand, eyes filled with contempt.
“Tsk, tsk—”
The ‘Apostle of Sloth’ clicked their tongue as if unable to understand.
“He was acting arrogant. It’s only been barely ten years since he received that power, and he couldn’t even use it properly, yet his confidence pierced the heavens.”
“Keke—that’s true. He was nothing if not prideful. Ah, is it because he was That Person’s Apostle? Still, even considering that, it’s strange. Even if he was the weakest among us, it’s unexpected that there’s someone outside capable of taking him out.”
The subject of the conversation naturally shifted to a certain individual.
The one who had finished Pride.
Sloth nodded.
“That is unexpected, even to me. Well—not that he’d be a match for me, anyway.”
“True enough.”
Greed, acknowledging the point cleanly, shifted their gaze toward Wrath.
“So, Wrath, what are you going to do now?”
“About what?”
A voice of unidentifiable quality.
To Wrath’s question, which remained hidden beneath the dark robe, Greed added:
“Exactly what I asked. The barrier is down now, and we can go outside. I’m asking what you plan to do.”
“I am thinking.”
“Is—that so?”
“Yes.”
A defensive attitude.
Greed thought for a moment and then spoke casually.
“Is there a reason to think? We just have to go and retrieve it anyway.”
“…….”
Wrath did not bother to answer.
“I guess you don’t want to talk.”
Greed shrugged as if they couldn’t help it.
“Well—everyone seems to be doing as they please, so I should get moving too.”
“Are you going out?”
“There’s no reason to stay here now that the barrier is gone. Shouldn’t I go out, check on the state of the seeds, and manage them? Besides—I’m starting to get an itch I can’t ignore.”
With a smirk, Greed stood up.
“Well then, I don’t know when the rest of you will show up, but I’ll see you on the outside.”
With those final words, Greed vanished.
“Hmm—”
Watching this, Sloth also stood up.
“Then, I’ll be going as well.”
“Are you going out too?”
“I’m ‘thinking,’ just like you. To be precise, I plan to judge based on what Greed does. That fellow will likely clean up anyone capable of interfering with us.”
It’s a pain for me to deal with them, so I’ll wait until then. After finishing that thought, Sloth also disappeared.
Wrath sat in the now-silent temple, staring for a long time at the spot where Sloth and Greed had vanished.
* * *
The office of the Marquis of Palatio.
“Hello, Count—no, Marquis!”
“Right.”
Alon looked at the bright-faced young man, who had grown so much since their first meeting that he was almost unrecognizable.
‘……He certainly gives off the vibe of an original protagonist now.’
When Alon first met Elivan, he had looked young enough to be called a boy rather than a young man.
Now, he looked exactly like the Elivan from the game.
‘Yes, he’s handsome. There was a reason he was constantly described as a beautiful youth in the game.’
Alon found himself making that assessment internally.
The reason Alon was suddenly thinking about Elivan’s looks was because of the companions standing behind him.
Alon looked at the two women and one man behind Elivan.
‘If I recall, they were Yan, Vina, and Ralph, in that order.’
Looking at them—a mage, a rogue, and a warrior—Alon recalled the history of how Elivan recruited his companions.
First, Yan was a mage from the Blue Magic Tower whom Elivan met after first leaving his village. She was a companion who joined him after meeting him during a merchant caravan journey.
For the record, the reason Yan became Elivan’s companion was simply because he helped her collect some magic materials during the trip.
Next, the second to join was the rogue, Vina. She was someone he got involved with in the town after that through a typical pickpocketing incident. It was a bit funny, but her setting was that of a quite promising rogue(?).
She joined Elivan for the minor reason that he simply let her go after catching her pickpocketing him.
In other words, for a game with a relatively solid story like Psychedelia, the reasons the early companions joined the protagonist’s party—excluding Ralph, the only other male—were surprisingly flimsy.
On community forums, there were often jokes that Elivan was an "alpha male" to an impossible degree.
Alon shifted his gaze slightly to examine the faces behind Elivan.
‘To think the rumors were true.’
Yan and Vina were sending looks of clear affection toward Elivan, so obvious it was palpable.
Alon felt a brief moment of the world’s unfairness.
He cleared his throat and organized his thoughts.
“So, what brings you here?”
“It’s nothing else, but I came because I need the Marquis’s help. Would it be possible to receive your assistance?”
“……My help?”
“Yes. I remembered you told me to let you know if I ever needed help…. Would it be a nuisance?”
Alon immediately shook his head.
Not only was it true that he had said those words, but Alon had planned to help Elivan even if he hadn’t asked.
Elivan needed to grow quickly, as there were many things he needed to do in various ways.
“What kind of help do you need?”
“I need help with a Strange Gate.”
“A Strange Gate?”
“Yes. There’s a Strange Gate we need to handle this time, but it seems a bit too much for just us. Would it be possible to get some help?”
Looking at Elivan, who wore a good-natured smile, Alon felt a sense of doubt.
‘……If it’s a Strange Gate he’s supposed to go to at this point, it should be the one I was planning to go to…. But Elivan’s party should have no problem handling that place on their own?’
Alon pondered for a moment.
However, he soon realized the reason.
‘Come to think of it, in the original story, it was supposed to be very dangerous, so he tried to get support from Asteria. But then, due to an unexpected situation, he couldn’t get that support.’
Alon nodded as he belatedly recalled the game settings.
‘Originally, the story was just about asking a nearby territory for help, but since he knows me this time, he came to ask me.’
Works out well, Alon thought as he replied.
“I shall go with you.”
“Ah, the Marquis himself?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! I was going to ask if you could just spare a few soldiers, but thank you!”
Elivan bowed his head deeply.
“It’s fine. I told you before that I would help. As for the departure…. Right, there’s no point in dragging it out, so let’s go tomorrow.”
Having made the decision immediately, Alon showed Elivan’s group to a room where they could stay for the day.
After they left.
“Marquis.”
“What is it?”
Evan approached with a look of disbelief.
“……That guy—is he by any chance that kid from a few years ago? The one you were looking after so much—”
“Yes.”
“Wow—”
At Alon’s answer, Evan’s jaw dropped.
“……The world is so damn unfair,” he muttered under his breath.
“Hmm, honestly, I think so too.”
He really was excessively handsome.
“Right?”
[Hmph—your face suits your personality perfectly.]
“What did you say, you bastard?”
[Am I wrong?]
Evan scowled at Basiliora, who was laughing mockingly, but then he seemed to remember something and let out an exclamation.
“……Wait a minute, Marquis. Now that I think about it, that Elivan guy… I didn’t realize it when we were talking earlier, but isn’t he a ‘Chosen One’?”
“A Chosen One? Ah, well, yes.”
It was a setting Alon had also briefly forgotten.
‘……I just glossed over it after the early parts, but there was such a setting.’
A Chosen One.
The title given to those who close the Strange Gate phenomena occurring in this world. In other games, it would be a position similar to a Hero.
Elivan had also received the blessing of Sironia to handle the massive Strange Gate phenomenon that occurred in his village during the very first tutorial.
‘By now, he’s probably been officially recognized by the Five Great Kingdoms…. Ah, was that why Yutia visited?’
Alon recalled Yutia stopping by the territory a month ago before leaving. He realized she had likely stopped by Tern for the appointment of the Chosen One.
“Wait a second. Then…… Marquis, did you know that guy would become a Chosen One?”
Alon hesitated for a moment on how to explain Evan’s suspicious question.
“No, you don’t have to answer.”
“……Why?”
“It’s not like it’s the first or second time you’ve done things I don’t understand. I’ll just take it as it is.”
“……Is that so?”
“Yes. Well—just because something a bit suspicious happens doesn’t mean you’re suddenly going to change, Marquis. I’ve gotten used to it by now.”
Evan shrugged it off with an attitude that was either indifference or trust—at any rate, an acceptance of Alon as he was. Alon felt strangely moved.
“……I’ll give you a raise.”
“Really!?”
And Evan, too, was moved.
* * *
Around the time Evan and Alon were sharing their mutual moved sentiments.
Elivan’s group, having secured a place to sleep thanks to Alon.
“Oh! This is so comfortable!”
“Ugh—how long has it been since I’ve seen a real bed?”
As soon as they entered the room, they jumped onto the beds with great joy.
“Aaaah—”
“This is the taste of nobility—”
Vina and Ralph rubbed themselves against the cozy bedding as if in bliss.
Unlike them, who were distracted by the fluffy texture, Yan spoke to Elivan with a grumpy expression.
“Elivan, did we really have to come find him?”
“Hmm?”
“The Marquis of Palatio.”
“Well—because we need support?”
Elivan’s answer was simple.
However, the furrow in Yan’s brow showed no sign of loosening.
“But if we do that, we’ll have to share the rewards from the Strange Gate with the Marquis.”
The reason for Yan’s dissatisfaction.
It was the rewards.
Elivan’s party had already entered Strange Gates about three times and obtained rewards, so they knew how high the quality of those rewards could be.
In other words, Yan didn’t want to share the rewards with the Marquis of Palatio.
To Yan, a mage, the rewards from a Strange Gate were very sweet.
However, Elivan wore his characteristic good-natured smile.
“Don’t think like that, Yan. You never know what might happen. They did say it was very dangerous when we received this request.”
“……I think we would have been fine on our own.”
“It’s better to be safe, isn’t it?”
“Still.”
Yan still looked full of complaints.
Elivan just scratched his head awkwardly.
Knowing Elivan’s personality—that he couldn’t really say anything harsh to others—Yan continued to grumble.
Eventually.
“Honestly, I don’t like the Marquis of Palatio either. He’s so expressionless that I have no idea what he’s thinking.”
After spitting out her complaints as she always had, she looked at Elivan, expecting him to be smiling awkwardly.
And then.
“……?”
Yan saw it.
She saw Elivan smiling.
However, the smile currently hanging on his lips was different from any smile she had seen before.
Certainly, his mouth was smiling.
But his eyes were not.
Shiver!
Yan felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
“Yan.”
Elivan’s low voice dropped.
“Y-yes?”
Elivan, who had approached Yan as she stammered as if hiccuping, placed a hand on her shoulder.
Then, bringing his radiant face right up to hers—
“I don’t think it’s very good to talk about the Marquis like that. What do you think?”
He stared straight into Yan’s eyes with shadowed blue eyes.
It was clearly the same Elivan she had always seen.
However, Yan found herself swallowing hard at the eerie fear she felt within those blue pupils.
“I-I’m sorry…… Elivan. I think I was being too selfish.”
She slowly offered an apology—no, a sentence of repentance.
Elivan, who had gripped Yan’s shoulder firmly once, said,
“It’s okay, Yan. But let’s be careful from now on, okay?”
He stepped back, his eyes crinkling into a smile once more.
It was a bright smile that made his enchanting face stand out even more.
However—
“……Yes.”
She felt a strange terror.
* * *
The next day.
“Let’s head out.”
“Yes, sir!”
Alon set off toward the Strange Gate with Elivan’s party.