Chapter 174: The Sin of Greed (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: The Sin of Greed (3)
The monsters soaring through the air.
The hungry ghosts baring their razor-sharp teeth.
The bodies of the creatures charging forward, trailing their entrails behind them—all of them erupted in pure white.
And that wasn't all.
Every monster within the range of Alon’s mana began to oxidize into a brilliant white.
Fshhh—
They scattered.
It wasn't flashy.
There was no deafening explosion.
It wasn't tyrannical.
Nor was it overwhelming.
They simply scattered.
Like a snowman slowly melting under the arrival of spring.
Every monster within Alon’s mana range simply turned into a handful of snowflakes and drifted away.
The monsters.
The hungry ghosts.
The creatures.
The tree that had incessantly vomited them out.
And—
“This… can’t… be…”
—the Apostle was no exception.
Just as the laws of nature apply equally to all things in the world, the magical space Alon created bestowed an equal law upon everyone within it.
Alon stared intently at her.
As if she couldn't comprehend the situation at all, she watched her own body as it slowly crumbled into fine particles.
“Ugh—”
Desperate to escape the situation, she tried to rouse her mana to its limit to resist Alon’s magic, which seemed to freeze everything it touched.
Unfortunately, however, her mana froze the moment it was summoned.
“This power is—”
Soon, her trembling, disbelieving voice cut off.
Crack—!
Cracks formed across the Apostle’s white, frozen face. With that final shatter, she scattered into nothingness.
Silence returned to the massive cavern. Nothing remained.
“…….”
Line stared blankly at Count Palatio’s back.
She saw the Count, flanked by six arms of ice, his coat fluttering amidst a flurry of ice crystals as he held a hand seal.
She felt the awe he commanded within that silence.
Meanwhile, Alon…
‘…I feel like I’m going to throw up.’
Feeling nauseated from squeezing out his mana to its absolute limit, he finally released the seal.
Thud, thud, thud!
The moment the seal was broken, the six hands behind his back scattered into snowflakes and vanished, just like the monsters.
‘…Fortunately, it went as expected.’
Alon recalled the Apostle who had vanished into white snowflakes with an expression of utter disbelief.
There were two conditions that allowed him to defeat the Apostle this time.
First, the space was small enough for Alon to cover entirely with his mana.
Second, he had anticipated that the Apostle would be overconfident.
He already knew that the Apostle’s goal was to push Line to her mental limit and force her to awaken as a Sin.
‘The weaknesses of the spell were well-compensated for this time, too.’
The magic he had developed with Penia was incredibly powerful.
The moment someone was trapped within the expansion of mana linked by three or more seals, they needed either overwhelming mana that could sweep Alon’s away or absurd physical strength to break out.
That wasn't all.
By forcibly twisting the molecular structure of mana to increase the elemental resonance of the mana within the trapped space, Alon could manifest the effects of a single small spell across the entire range of his deployed mana.
And he could choose exactly which magic to manifest.
However, even such a powerful magic had a clear weakness.
The mana prison itself was extremely vulnerable to external shock.
Alon’s magic, which linked six seals, left no way for those inside to escape.
The expanded mana restricted the opponent’s physical movement, and the mana molecules, hardened according to Alon’s seals, not only interfered with the opponent’s magic but hindered the very act of manifestation.
However, that only applied to the interior. From the outside, Alon’s mana prison was as fragile as a balloon.
In other words, the moment mana was fired or physical force was applied from the outside, the molecules maintaining the prison would distort, and the prison would collapse.
‘…I’ll have to find a way to compensate for that soon.’
Both Alon and Penia already knew the solution.
Simply put, he needed to link the seals without expanding the mana in the first place.
However, that was currently impossible for Alon.
As it stood, he had to use all his mana and expand it just to secure enough range.
Regardless, because the scale of this cavern was just barely within Alon’s range and the Apostle had let her guard down, he had been able to trap both the Apostle and the monsters, eliminating any variables.
‘…Still, it’s impressive for its first use in actual combat.’
Alon was internally very satisfied that the first magic he had created had manifested properly.
Of course, he didn't let it show on his face as he turned a stoic gaze toward Line.
“Are you alright?”
“……Yes, I’m fine, Godfather.”
She said she was fine, but her complexion was poor.
“Let’s head back for now.”
His voice carried a hint of faint concern.
* * *
Alon woke the unconscious Evan and left the place with Line.
Evan, who had no idea what had happened while he was out, soon heard the details from Line.
“If you hear that woman’s story, you die?”
“Yes. Her mouth speaks of things that should never be heard.”
“……What does that even mean?”
Unlike Evan, who tilted his head in confusion, Alon understood immediately.
He had heard information about her and had experienced something similar in Laxas.
‘…I never imagined there would be someone who uses knowledge itself as an attack.’
Alon looked at Line.
Seeing her face full of worry, Alon hesitated for a moment.
‘…She definitely seemed to know about the Apostle.’
Based on her reaction earlier and Alon’s own deductions, the Apostle was undoubtedly linked to Line’s past.
“Line.”
“……Yes, Godfather.”
Her response was a bit slower than usual.
Alon stared intently at her face.
Her complexion had recovered slightly, but a different emotion flickered in her eyes.
A very subtle sense of anxiety was leaking out.
Noticing this, Alon thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.
“……You’ve been through a lot. Go back and rest.”
He decided not to press her about her past.
He was curious, of course, but it was obvious.
She didn't particularly want to talk about it.
Even so, if Alon asked, she would surely answer him faithfully. He didn't want to force her to bring up a story she didn't want to tell.
“Thank you, Godfather.”
Line bowed her head.
To anyone else, it would have seemed like a simple thank you for his concern.
But Alon could easily tell.
She had realized his intention and was thanking him for his consideration.
“……? What’s with this sudden atmosphere without me?”
Evan, failing to grasp the subtle mood, simply looked back and forth between Alon and Line with a bewildered expression.
By the time they returned to Lartania, the sun was setting. Alon encountered Deus, who had returned from the Labyrinth.
“You came out sooner than I expected.”
“Yes, the pathfinding was easy, so I was able to find what I wanted and leave quickly.”
A pleasant smile played on Deus’s lips, as if he had obtained what he desired.
“Did you also get what you wanted, Marquis?”
“I did.”
Alon nodded, fiddling with the Feet Running Through the Past in his pocket.
In truth, he should have finished his entire conversation with Kailas before returning.
So, strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say he had only obtained half of what he wanted.
Nevertheless, the reason Alon could positively affirm that he had gotten what he wanted was simple.
‘Because I can meet Kailas now without having to go back there.’
Alon recalled what Kailas had said just before he left the Mental World.
[Don’t worry, brat. Even if you leave now, since I’m already connected to you, you can call me back here as long as you activate that medium. We’ll finish our talk then.]
It was a very brief exchange.
Of course, he had to refill the mana to use the Feet Running Through the Past again, but that wasn't a major problem.
No matter how long it took, a month would be enough to refill the mana as long as nothing major happened.
‘…But come to think of it, in Psychedelia, you could only use the Feet Running Through the Past in that specific place. Why was it like that then?’
As Alon harbored this sudden doubt…
“Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“You can look forward to it.”
Deus’s lips curled up slightly as he puffed out his chest with confidence.
Like a child seeking praise.
“……I appreciate you preparing a gift, but don't overexert yourself.”
“I understand.”
“So, now that your business in Lartania is finished, are you heading back?”
“No, I have some business in Laxas, so I’m thinking of heading there.”
Watching Deus add that there seemed to be materials he needed there, Alon momentarily wondered if the man had even heard what he just said.
Just then.
[Hmph—how refreshing.]
A welcome voice was heard after a long time.
When Alon looked down, Basiliora, who had been uncharacteristically quiet inside the ring until they returned to Lartania, had emerged.
[……Whoa! What is this thing?!]
Basiliora recoiled in horror the moment he spotted Deus.
“This is……?”
As Deus frowned and looked at the small snake, Alon explained.
“It’s Basiliora. Do you remember what I told you briefly when we were coming to Lartania?”
Deus thought for a moment and then slapped his palm with his fist.
“Ah, it has indeed turned small, just as you said, Marquis.”
Deus scanned Basiliora with interest.
[What are you looking at!]
In contrast, Basiliora flinched and showed blatant hostility in his eyes.
Their attitudes were polar opposites.
As Alon observed this, a realization flashed through his mind.
‘…Ah, that makes sense.’
Come to think of it, hadn't Deus helped him capture Basiliora?
‘He certainly might hold a grudge.’
Alon nodded, remembering that the only reason Basiliora didn't talk back to him much was because of Heinkel.
“Hmm—”
Deus didn't react much to Basiliora’s outburst and simply stared at him.
“Seeing him so tiny, he’s quite cute.”
He let out a low chuckle.
[What?! Who are you calling cute, you mere human!!!]
Basiliora began to throw an even bigger fit, seemingly triggered by being called cute.
“……Cute?”
“Yes.”
“……That thing?”
It was an incomprehensible sentiment.
Despite carrying him around every day, Alon had never once felt that Basiliora was cute.
‘…If anything, Blackie is the cute one, not—ah.’
Now that he thought about it, while Deus’s sister, Silli, had been marvelling at Blackie, Deus hadn't reacted at all.
‘His tastes are a bit—’
Only then did Alon realize…
“Yes, it’s cute because it’s so insignificant.”
[GYAAAAAAAH!!]
“……I see.”
…that Deus’s sense of aesthetics was strangely different.
* * *
And at that same time.
In the Kingdom of Colony.
“……So, according to what you’re saying, a Living God might actually exist?”
“Rather than saying one ‘might’ exist, it would be more accurate to say that a Living God truly does exist.”
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“Yes.”
As Karmakeses III listened to the scholar’s opinion…
‘…Count Palatio is… truly… a god?’
…he was reaching a bizarre truth.