Chapter 211: The North…? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: The North…? (2)
Onel, a rookie who had recently joined the Eclipse Knights after having his skills recognized, felt a tremendous sense of pride in his order.
In truth, that pride was well-founded.
There were countless knight orders in the Kingdom of Calliban. However, none could compare to the orders led by the Five Swords of Calliban. And even among those five, the Eclipse Knights—led by the First Sword of Calliban, Deus Macallian—were the absolute object of everyone’s envy and admiration.
The First Sword of Calliban, Deus Macallian.
The Eclipse Knights under his command were often referred to as the premier knight order of Calliban. Thus, Onel had felt an immense sense of pride in becoming a member.
Yes, he certainly had felt it.
Though that sentiment was now phrased in the past tense, it didn't mean he had suddenly abandoned his admiration for the order. He still desperately wanted to be a part of the Eclipse Knights.
The reason Onel was having such conflicted thoughts was because of his senior. Or rather, to be more precise, it was because of his seniors.
"…Senior."
"Hmm? Onel. What is it?"
His senior, Viding, responded immediately. He boasted the sturdy build expected of a knight, yet he exuded an almost jarringly kind and gentle impression.
"Uh, may I ask you something?"
"There’s no need to be so formal. If you’re curious about something, just ask."
Viding let out a boisterous laugh. Onel hesitated for a moment, fumbling his words before finally speaking.
"Well… why are you praying?"
Prayer.
In Onel’s experience, prayer wasn't a particularly strange act. Even before, there were seniors in the Eclipse Knights who would offer a prayer before meals or training.
However, there was only one reason Onel was asking about it now.
Wait, why is everyone doing it…?
It was because every single person who had accompanied the Captain to the jungle had begun praying with extreme devotion since yesterday. And it wasn't just a casual gesture; they were so devout that they put the priests of Sironia to shame.
Onel had been dazed all last night by the sight that greeted him as soon as he returned from his dispatch mission. Seeing the atmosphere persist today, he finally worked up the courage to ask.
Viding answered as if the answer required no thought at all.
"Why, it’s a prayer to God, of course."
He gave another cheerful laugh.
God.
Onel also knew who his seniors were praying to. In fact, it was impossible not to know. Since yesterday, his seniors had been talking about one person incessantly.
"…By 'God,' you mean Marquis Palatio, right?"
"Exactly. These are prayers offered to him."
"…."
Onel was left speechless by the blunt, matter-of-fact response.
To be honest, Onel couldn't easily sympathize with Viding’s words. It would be one thing if this many people were praying to the Goddess Sironia, but the being they referred to as 'God' was the human Marquis Palatio.
"…."
Of course, Onel knew well of Marquis Palatio. The Marquis was certainly worthy of respect. He had dealt with two Outer Gods and was the very person who had stopped the Artificial Outer God incident that nearly brought the Shuhtalian Kingdom to ruin.
Considering the various rumors, both large and small, even Onel sometimes wondered, Is this really something a single human can achieve?
Furthermore, he had heard from his peers about the incredible feats the Marquis had displayed in the jungle and how the seniors had begun to follow him blindly afterward. He could roughly grasp the process of how this situation had come to be.
Even so, Onel felt that 'worshiping a living human' was a bit problematic.
"Um, Senior."
"Speak."
"Even so, he is a living human—"
Just as he was about to gently raise an issue with the current situation—
Bang!
"Emergency!! The Levirian Knight Order insulted the Marquis, calling him a heretical god!"
A knight suddenly burst through the dining hall doors and shouted at the top of his lungs. The dining hall, which had been filled with quiet conversation just a moment ago, was instantly plunged into a chilling silence.
And then.
"Those bastards…"
"Where is that piece of trash right now?"
"Lead the way this instant!"
Before Onel could even finish his question, every single knight in the dining hall vanished in an instant. Onel, staring blankly at the empty room, slowly closed his mouth and let out a sigh of relief.
…I’m glad I didn't ask.
He clutched his chest, his heart racing.
…I’m really, really glad I didn't say anything.
Senior Viding, who was famous within the order for his kindness, had just charged out with his sword drawn like a vengeful demon. The image was still vivid in Onel's mind.
…At this point, isn't this more of a Paladin Order than a Knight Order?
Perhaps it would be different if he had experienced the events in the jungle himself, but for the bewildered Onel, his seniors' behavior was nothing short of baffling.
After a moment, he stood up.
Should I mention this to the Captain?
Onel knew that the First Sword of Calliban, whom he admired so much, was very close to Marquis Palatio. However, he also knew that Deus Macallian was a man who strictly separated public and private matters.
Of course, that was a reputation Deus had earned among the knights for being indifferent to personal gain, even when he could have secured more benefits by complaining about the kingdom's budget allocation. But as a rookie who had been admitted solely on talent without prior experience, Onel could only assume that Deus was 'strictly professional at all times.'
The moment he stepped out of the dining hall to inform the Captain of the current situation, he got lucky.
"Ah, Captain—"
He spotted Deus Macallian heading somewhere.
"How dare some lowlife speak of the Marquis like that…!"
…Deus Macallian was walking with a grim aura, his purple eyes burning as he unsheathed his sword, his purple mana flickering ominously.
"…."
Onel closed his mouth once again.
…It was early winter.
* * *
Before heading to the Marquis’s estate, Alon made his way toward the Magic Academy to pick up Penia.
"…It’s here too."
"Indeed."
"So, what’s the score this time, Marquis?"
"…If I had to give it a score, I’d say a 9."
"Oh, that’s one point higher than yesterday. What earned the extra point?"
"…Because the tree is growing so straight?"
"Hmm—is that so? Now that you mention it, it does feel like it’s stretching out in a perfect line."
Alon looked at the tree before him as he conversed with Evan. Or rather, he looked at the artificially landscaped tree. It was a tree boasting vibrant green leaves that didn't suit the early winter season at all. Alon wore a peculiar expression as he gazed at it.
"So, how many days has it been?"
"Hmm—it’s been about two weeks, hasn't it? These trees started appearing like this a day after we left Calliban."
Evan looked up at the beautifully landscaped tree with admiration.
"By the way, I wonder who’s leaving these behind? At this point, I can't help but think they’re placing them specifically wherever we go."
"I think so too."
Alon nodded in agreement. Honestly, when he first saw the trees once or twice, he simply thought someone had landscaped the roadside. But even after two weeks, different landscaping appeared every single day along the path he took.
What on earth is this?
Alon felt a sense of doubt and tried to recall if anything like this had happened when he played Psychedelia, but he soon shook his head. Though his memories were faint, he could easily remember that nothing like this had ever occurred.
After pondering for a while, he decided to set it aside.
It doesn't seem like anything dangerous is happening, so it should be fine for now.
Alon knew all too well how careful one had to be in this world, even with the smallest things.
"Are we arriving today?"
"We should be, right?"
Alon planned to ask Penia about this landscaping as soon as he met her. Just as Alon’s carriage moved toward the Magic Tower, which was now only a short distance away—
"Ugh…"
"How frustrating…"
"This is unfair."
Beyond the landscaping, the sorrowful voices of Elves and the refreshing laughter of Draim, who was nodding with a confident smile, drifted past for a brief moment.
* * *
A few hours later, after arriving at the Magic Tower, Penia joined Alon with a slightly sullen expression.
"Wait, Sister—why do I have to go too?"
"I’m going, so you’re going. You have a problem with that?"
"But the Tower Master gave me a specific task to handle…?"
"Just leave it to someone else."
Penia dragged along Pellin, who clearly didn't want to go.
"No, I—"
"Shut up and get in!"
"Gah!"
Penia kicked Pellin in the back, shoving him into the carriage. Watching this, Alon was reminded of her personality and offered a greeting.
"It’s been a while."
"Ah, yes!"
The moment Alon spoke, the menacing aura Penia had been exuding vanished instantly. Seeing his sister suddenly turn into a well-behaved girl, Pellin, who had been kicked, wore a look of indignation and absurdity. Penia simply kicked the carriage door shut.
"I apologize. I would have preferred to leave you at the Tower longer, but an unavoidable matter has arisen where I need your help."
"Help?"
"Yes."
As Alon spoke, he lightly manifested Kalanon's Divinity in front of Penia.
Zap!
"!"
Penia’s eyes widened in surprise the moment she saw the lightning crackling over Alon’s hand. As if to prove her intuitive genius, she seemed to realize something the moment she saw the sparks jumping from his palm.
"This… could it be—"
"It’s a Divinity."
"…Whoa."
At Alon’s confirmation, Penia, who had been radiating 'I don't want to go' with her entire body just a moment ago, now had eyes sparkling with excitement. She suddenly looked as lively as a graduate student who had found a perfect thesis topic and grabbed Alon’s hand.
"Please show me one more time…!"
"Alright."
Alon manifested the Divinity once more without hesitation. In truth, manifesting even small sparks was somewhat burdensome with his current level of Divinity, but it didn't matter much. The reason he wanted to bring Penia to the estate in the first place was to show her the Divinity and receive help with his magic research.
As Alon displayed Kalanon's Divinity several times as she requested, he realized at some point that Penia was leaning in much closer than he had expected. While her hands and face were focused on Alon’s hand, from the side, it looked as if she was practically snuggling into him.
"Marquis—again! Do it again!"
However, Penia herself seemed completely oblivious to this as she urged Alon on.
"I understand."
Just as Alon was about to manifest it once more—
Freeze.
Penia, who had been bouncing with excitement just a second ago, suddenly stopped moving.
Step, step.
She then took exactly two steps back.
"?"
Alon looked at her, confused by the sudden movement. But Penia, after putting those two steps of distance between them, spoke.
"…Please, show me."
The anticipation she had shown earlier was gone. Instead, her large eyes were brimming with tears.
"Is something wrong?"
Alon asked, but Penia only shook her head timidly with an awkward smile.
"No, of course not…."
In the end, Alon, still wearing a puzzled expression, used the Divinity once more. However, Penia’s eyes were no longer on Alon’s hand. They were fixed on the brooch Alon was wearing.
…It was the day the first snow fell.
A few weeks later, Alon arrived at the Palatio estate, accompanied by a Penia who had suddenly become quite strange.
"I greet the friend of the Great One!"
"Greetings. Primordial—no, Marquis! I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I’ve come to discuss the matter of your escort."
He was greeted by Kurak, whom he had met before, and Rim, who had served as his guide in Greinif.
"…An escort?"
"Yes. It’s about whether the Elves or the Lizardmen will serve as the escort for the Primordial Elf—no, for you, Marquis."
At the following agenda—
…??? You guys? Escorting me?? Why???
—Alon could only stare at them with that exact expression.
…It was a lively return.