Chapter 22: The Grand Social Gathering (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: The Grand Social Gathering (2)
The battle against the goblins finally concluded in victory.
Thanks to the knights and mercenaries responding calmly, the front lines held firm. The tide of battle shifted in an instant when Alon used his magic to once again decimate the detachment that had been moving to strike the nobles with bows.
Of course, since there were hundreds of goblins and they were variant species, there were some casualties, but the number was remarkably low considering the scale of the fight.
The battle came to a complete end when a knight pierced the skull of the last struggling goblin.
As soon as they confirmed the situation was over, the combatants let out deep sighs of relief. At the same time, they turned their gazes toward Alon, who was looking down at the goblin corpses.
Despite having just been in a life-or-death struggle moments ago, he maintained an expressionless face as if the ordeal had left no impression on him. Seeing this, the mercenaries momentarily wore expressions of awe.
The image of Alon turning dozens of goblins into chunks of meat without even changing his complexion had been deeply seared into the minds of both the mercenaries and the knights.
However, while the knights and mercenaries were looking at him with genuine admiration...
‘I almost kicked the bucket in one go...!’
Though it didn't show on his face, Alon was putting a great deal of effort into calming his wildly racing heart.
Because he possessed the Mark of the Unrighteous, he was already able to use magic three more times than before. However, by the time he had used Wall and Shield twice each, he had been reduced to a mere civilian due to the pathetic capacity of his mana hole.
‘I’m just glad the knights won.’
Of course, even if they were variant goblins, the probability of the knights and mercenaries losing was significantly low, so he had trusted them to some extent. But at the moment he was stripped of all ability to protect himself, he couldn't help but feel desperate.
‘...I thought about just slipping away in the middle of it, but I’m glad I stuck with them. More importantly...’
While Alon praised his past self for acting rationally, he soon calmed his racing heart and turned his gaze back to the goblins, his expression turning serious.
He knew all too well the meaning of the purple amethysts sprouting from the goblins' bodies.
‘Why is there a Divine Possession...?’
It was a bizarre phenomenon that occurred among the continent's monsters whenever an Outer God attempted to descend upon this world.
Monsters affected by the Divine Possession phenomenon became even more ferocious, and their physical abilities were enhanced.
Of course, even so, the monsters they would encounter on the way to the Duke's territory could likely be handled by the people gathered here. That wasn't what Alon was worried about.
It was the fact that the Divine Possession had occurred at all.
The occurrence of the Divine Possession phenomenon was as good as saying that an Outer God would descend upon this land before long.
Outer Gods from the frontier, who surely shouldn't be able to descend unless the Five Great Sins did first.
‘This shouldn't be happening...?’
The descent of Outer Gods was a grave matter for Alon.
Even if they weren't as powerful as the Five Great Sins, once the frontier Outer Gods began to descend and run wild in earnest, a kingdom or two would vanish like it was nothing.
Currently, there were only six kingdoms on the continent excluding the Empire, which meant there was a one-in-three chance his retirement plans would go up in smoke.
No, he’d be lucky if he could even worry about retirement plans. Alon stared at the goblins with a grim expression.
However, there were those nearby whose expressions were even more serious than Alon's—expressions that looked as if their entire family lines had been ruined for three generations.
“....”
...It was Count Craild and Count Edorn.
* * *
A few more days passed after the appearance of the variant goblins. Now, only about a day remained until they reached the Ducal House.
It had only been a few days, but two changes had come to Alon in that short time.
One was that the nobles, who used to look at him with blatant expressions of contempt and mockery whenever Count Craild and Count Edorn spat insults, no longer wore such faces.
And the other change was...
“Count Palatio, this is meat I brought from my estate. Would you like to try some?”
“Count, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to provide a little support to your territory. What do you think?”
Count Craild and Count Edorn had stopped the mockery they had been spewing so diligently for the past few days and began to grovel before Alon.
Unlike a few days ago, the two Counts were now clinging to the expressionless Alon and acting subservient, looking as if they would give him their very souls.
Alon continued to treat them with indifference, but the two Counts were desperate.
No, they were truly desperate.
The display Alon had shown a few days ago was suspiciously powerful for someone who was said to have taken over the Palatio family by mere 'luck.'
Furthermore, they still remembered what the 3rd Tier mage, brought along by Baron Arman to show off his wealth, had said that night.
That Alon’s magic was absolutely not at the level of the 2nd Tier.
The moment they heard that, the two Counts flipped their stance like a palm turning over, thinking that the rumors currently spreading through the world might be wrong.
Of course, there were still lingering questions that prevented them from believing the rumors were entirely false, but that wasn't what was important.
What mattered was that the two Counts realized Alon was hiding a strength so great that he didn't even need guards.
That meant the power the Count of Palatio possessed—the power that had erased Avalon in a single day—might be real. In the end, the only option left for them was to appease his mood as quickly as possible.
Of course, someone watching this might think it would be better to investigate the situation properly before acting, since there were still suspicious points. But for the two who knew the Palatio family, that didn't apply at all.
Having witnessed the Palatio family's reputation for madness multiple times, they knew.
They knew just how cruel they could be.
Of course, Alon, the third son, had never shown such a side, but they were certain he already possessed a cruel and vicious personality.
...After all, the Palatio family had been nothing but lunatics since the time of his grandfather.
Anyway, thanks to that, Alon enjoyed a very luxurious life for the past few days.
He ate meat instead of sweet potatoes and corn for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the wine they occasionally brought along was also excellent.
However, the reason Alon’s expression didn't brighten despite receiving such gifts for several days in a row was still because of the goblins from a few days ago.
‘Who is it...?’
In truth, no matter how hard Alon thought about it, there was no answer.
Ultimately, the Divine Possession was merely a precursor to an Outer God’s descent; there was no way to know exactly which Outer God would descend, or when.
Worrying himself to death here was meaningless.
...Even though he knew it was meaningless, as someone whose future plans could vanish in an instant—potentially turning him from a noble to a commoner overnight—he couldn't help but be concerned.
‘Once I get to the territory, I absolutely have to gather as much information as possible.’
Thinking that, Alon looked at the nobles beside him who were now acting subservient, even discarding their pride to make up for what they had done before. He once again realized the sheer weight of the Palatio family's reputation for madness.
‘...I didn't expect them to act like this just because the rumors might be wrong.’
After watching the Counts' little performance, Alon turned his gaze away.
Realizing the extent of their fear was one thing, but Alon had no particular desire to dispel their anxiety.
...He considered himself cool-headed, but he had a bit of a petty streak.
The two Counts' performance finally ended when Alon arrived at the Lotegr Ducal House.
* * *
As soon as he arrived at the Lotegr Ducal House, what Alon saw were impossibly massive mansions, and more mansions, and even more mansions.
‘Just how many mansions are inside this castle? He really is rich.’
Seeing so many different mansions, to the point where it seemed the Duke's hobby was collecting houses with various interior designs, Alon soon realized they were all mansions for the Duke's concubines and clicked his tongue.
While wondering if the man’s body could even handle all that, Alon arrived just as the banquet was in full swing. Stepping into the ballroom, he couldn't help but be surprised once again.
He realized that an absurd amount of money had been poured into everything he saw.
Even the wine glasses, which should have been the least of anyone's concerns in this ballroom, were finished with gold rims. Seeing that even the chandeliers were made of gold, Alon felt a sudden urge to pluck one down and sell it as he walked through the hall.
Naturally, there were many nobles in the ballroom.
Along with Duke Lotegr—who, as expected, was severely gaunt and had spent a fortune to host this Grand Social Gathering—numerous nobles were engaged in private conversation.
Alon didn't bother joining the nobles' chatter as he had before.
He could easily guess that nothing good would come of joining in.
In a sense, it was even worse than the last ball.
Therefore, instead of joining the conversations, Alon simply stayed nearby, eating a reasonable amount of food while trying to eavesdrop on the nobles' talk.
Evan had already left to contact the information guild the moment they arrived at the territory anyway.
So, while popping a dessert similar to an egg tart into his mouth along with some wine, Alon soon heard an interesting piece of news from a conversation between some nobles.
“Baron Daldoran, have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“You know, the rumor that Duke Altia and Count Zenonia haven't just formed an alliance, but are planning to create a faction.”
“Ah, that rumor? I’ve heard it too.”
The nobles were whispering as they moved toward a corner as if sharing a massive secret, but Alon, who had enhanced his hearing with mana, could hear their voices without difficulty.
“But is it true? I couldn't even believe that Duke Altia and Count Zenonia had allied in the first place, so this is shocking. If they actually form a faction, they’ll be powerful enough to suppress all the current factions.”
“Indeed. An unprecedented event might be unfolding.”
Alon was certainly surprised to hear this, just as the noble said, but his expression didn't turn particularly serious.
Even if such rumors were spreading, he believed the two masterminds would never be able to maintain an alliance for long.
As he thought this, Alon’s eyes widened involuntarily at the taste of the egg tart in his mouth, and he nodded to himself.
‘This is delicious.’
Naturally, he picked up another egg tart and shoved it into his mouth.
However—
“But that news isn't the problem.”
“What do you mean it’s not the problem? Is there a rumor even bigger than that?”
“I wouldn't have started if there wasn't a bigger rumor.”
Munch, munch, munch—
“What on earth is it...?”
“I heard this very secretly, so don't go spreading it around. From what I’ve heard, the head of this faction isn't Duke Altia or Count Zenonia.”
“...? Then who is the head?”
Munch, munch—
“Count Palatio.”
“...Count Palatio?”
“That’s right. They say the head of the faction is... Count Palatio.”
“Is that really true?”
“Of course. Do you think I’d lie?”
Munch—?
“???”
...Excuse me?
—At the words that followed, Alon couldn't help but drop his jaw, his gaze involuntarily snapping toward the nobles sharing the secret.