Chapter 250: …What’s Going On? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 250: …What’s Going On? (2)
A bewildered silence descended upon the room, centering on Alon and Penia.
Penia found herself reflexively darting her eyes around.
Alon, likewise, remained silent, offering no explanation.
It wasn't so much a calculated silence as it was a genuine lack of knowing what to say.
Though he had only just emerged from the Strange Gate, he wasn't slow-witted. He could easily grasp what was happening here.
……No, in fact, anyone would have realized it.
“…….”
Alon turned his gaze toward the coffins lined up behind Evan.
Resting upon the three coffins were portraits of Alon, Penia, and Line.
The suffocating atmosphere kept him silent for a moment longer, until—
“……Marquis????”
At Evan’s call—one filled with utter disbelief—Alon pondered for a moment what to say.
“……It’s been a while.”
He offered a greeting.
……His first words after returning to his original time were an awkward salutation.
* * *
The atmosphere of the funeral hall became incredibly surreal at the realization that Alon and Penia had returned.
However, that lasted only a moment.
“……Marquis, I am truly glad to see you, but we must move immediately.”
“Me too. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I was worried about what to do, but Kalpa control should be easier now.”
“……I’ve caused you trouble.”
“No, it’s a blessing just to have you back—if you had really passed away like this, things would have been difficult…… truly.”
“Then, we’ll hear the details later when we meet separately.”
Duke Altia and Count Zenonia left in a hurry, leaving behind words of relief.
“Brother…….”
“It has been a while, Saint.”
“Truly, truly, I am so glad, Brother.”
Next, Yuman, the Saint of Rosario, stared intently at Alon with a face full of deep emotion.
Behind his expressionless mask, Alon scratched his head, feeling a bit sheepish.
“It seems I’ve caused you some worry.”
“Not at all. What matters is that you’ve returned. Truly, truly, I am so glad.”
Yuman nodded repeatedly and gripped Alon’s hand tightly, as if he were profoundly relieved.
Alon’s expression became complicated.
Of course, he knew the Saint had helped him an unusual amount in the past. Even so, he hadn't expected the man to shed tears over his death.
It was unexpected and puzzling, but—
“Brother, please rest for a moment. I’ve treated your major wounds.”
After treating Alon, Yuman left the tent for a while.
Immediately after.
“Is it really you, Marquis……?”
Evan, who had been staring blankly at Alon as if he were seeing a ghost until just a moment ago, finally asked.
“Do I look like an impostor?”
“……No, it’s just that I can’t believe it. You clearly disappeared with that monster. What on earth happened?”
Alon considered how to explain this, but decided to ask a question of his own first.
“I’ll tell you my story later when we’re alone. This isn’t a conversation for a crowded place. More importantly, how much time has passed?”
Alon asked, checking the distance to where Penia was deep in conversation with Selaim Mikardo.
Evan, though curious about Alon’s whereabouts, answered immediately.
“Three months have passed.”
“……Three months?”
“Yes.”
“……As many as three?”
“Yes! You were completely gone without a single word for three whole months!”
An unexpected passage of time.
Alon slowly calculated the time he had spent in the past.
‘Roughly speaking, that seems about right. Did time flow at a nearly 1:1 ratio with the past? No, that’s also a bit strange.’
If Alon had understood Penia’s words correctly, he should have returned to the point three months ago—immediately after being sucked in by the Hungry Ghost.
Because what Penia remembered was the Strange Gate of that time.
‘Regardless, I’ve returned without too much of a discrepancy, so it doesn’t matter much.’
If he had returned two or three years later instead of a few months, the situation would have been incredibly troublesome.
Alon let out a small sigh of relief, but only for a moment.
‘Then the first thing I need to do is go to Greinif.’
He thought of Line and considered his next move.
Just then, Evan asked as if he had been waiting.
“By the way, Marquis, where did Line go?”
“I was just thinking I need to go get her.”
“……? Go get her?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you go in together?”
“……It’s complicated.”
Evan’s expression shifted from confusion to intense curiosity. However, he eventually nodded as if he had no choice.
“Still, it’s a relief, Marquis. It’s a good thing you came back just in time to stop the world from going to hell.”
“……? Going to hell?”
“?”
“?”
“Ah, come to think of it, you wouldn't know, Marquis.”
Evan punched his palm and nodded, while Alon looked on in confusion.
“Well, a lot has happened in the three months you were gone.”
“……What kind of things?”
“First, Colony and Ashtalon are on the brink of war.”
“……?”
“Ah, Calliban and Ashtalon are also on the brink of war.”
“……??”
“Uh, and—Laxas is also making a fuss about going to war with Ashtalon……. Well, Ashtalon is just getting one-sidedly pummeled, though.”
Evan’s report was entirely unexpected.
‘……In Psychedelia, the United Kingdoms never fought amongst themselves like this.’
As he pondered, Alon recalled Evan’s first words.
‘It’s a good thing you came back just in time to stop the world from going to hell.’
The nuance suggested that this situation had occurred because of him.
Alon asked, just in case.
“……I’m asking just to be sure, Evan. Are the things you just mentioned…….”
“Yes. Just as you suspect, Marquis, they happened because you disappeared.”
“???”
A sentence he couldn't comprehend.
Alon reflexively pointed at himself and asked back.
“……Because of me?”
“Yes, because of you, Marquis.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. If you don’t go, war will break out for sure…….”
Evan asserted with 100%, no, 150% certainty.
Alon raised the finger he had been using to point at himself and silently clutched his head.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't fathom the logic of how things had turned out this way.
Furthermore.
“Oh, and I think you need to check on Seolrang’s condition immediately. Her state is…… a bit unusual right now.”
At this additional news—
‘……What on earth is happening????’
Alon’s mind became even more cluttered.
* * *
The ‘Dragon’ thought the end was near and slowly raised its head.
In its sight was a beastkin.
One with golden hair.
In a short while, this beastkin would be completely consumed by it, becoming a small sacrifice for the Great Cause.
To think things would unfold like this.
From within the dark abyss of the girl's mind, where the beastkin could not see, the entity mused.
In truth, when the Apostle was first defeated, it had intended to abandon the beastkin’s body without hesitation.
Her body was certainly attractive.
It was a perfect vessel for descent.
It was certain to adapt well to its authority.
In other words, a body that was undoubtedly a fine sacrifice for the Great Cause.
However, the reason it had intended to give up on the beastkin’s body was because there was no room to enter her ‘heart.’
Entities like it fundamentally had to prey upon a broken spirit and gradually seize the body.
Yet, her spirit, which should have been shattered by the Apostle, remained intact.
……In fact, her spirit was so flawless that Pride could find no opening to enter.
Moreover, since it had lost its Apostle, it had intended to abandon the beastkin and find another vessel.
That was, until recently.
From within the endless abyss, it contemplated the beastkin’s mental state.
A spirit so unstable that it seemed it would collapse entirely if the entity whispered just a few more times.
The ‘Dragon’ could not fathom why the beastkin’s state had changed so drastically.
Last time, her mental strength had been so solid that not a single crack could be found.
But now, it was slowly crumbling even though the entity hadn't even moved.
Like a flower naturally withering with the passage of time, it was collapsing on its own.
Thus, the Dragon had continued to observe the girl’s body, which it had intended to abandon.
And finally, recently, it had achieved results.
It was now able to share a portion of its power with the beastkin.
This meant she was becoming the perfect state for descent.
Therefore, the Dragon rejoiced and carefully watched her spirit as it began to be stained by the abyss.
And only today.
[Child—do you not desire more power?]
It began to speak to the beastkin.
In the Dragon’s eyes, the beastkin’s spirit had finally reached the perfect condition for descent.
It was so completely twisted that there was no longer any need to watch from the shadows.
“……I don’t need it.”
[Why do you say you do not need it? Do you not wish for revenge?]
“……Revenge?”
[Yes. Against the world that made you like this? Do you not wish to take revenge on those who killed your precious one?]
The beastkin’s pupils trembled violently.
Watching this, the Dragon wore a cruel smile.
It knew.
The being before it would suffer a great mental shock whenever ‘precious things’ were mentioned.
Had she not accepted its power last time when it mentioned her precious one?
Reminded of the weakness that moved the beastkin, it spoke persistently.
“……I’ve already…… taken my revenge.”
[Revenge is not over.]
“……Why?”
[If the others had not allowed your precious one to die in the first place, would this have happened?]
“The other…… people?”
[Yes, the other people. You must take revenge on them. It is their fault for failing to protect what was precious to you.]
A very sweet whisper.
……A very wicked whisper.
The beastkin’s eyelids were now trembling.
Confirming this, the Dragon unhesitatingly crawled out from the abyss and materialized before the beastkin—before Seolrang.
Once it materialized, it would take a long time to do so again, so it had to be cautious, but the Dragon was certain.
Now was the only time for descent.
[Come, I shall help you. If you accept me, you can kill them all. Those who could not even properly protect your precious—]
Thus, the entity that had revealed itself without hesitation opened its mouth with a cruel smile—
“Seolrang-nim!!”
—But could not finish.
[…….]
The Dragon felt annoyed by the sudden interruption, but soon smiled again.
Even if an interloper had appeared, Seolrang’s gaze was fixed on it.
Just as the Dragon was about to open its mouth once more—
“The Marquis! They say the Marquis is alive!!!”
“!”
At the cry of the girl who burst through the door, color began to return to Seolrang’s eyes, which had looked dead while staring at the Dragon just a moment ago.
Her dull golden eyes began to shine brilliantly.
Her drooping tail began to wag.
Her limp ears pricked up toward the ceiling.
“Real……ly?”
“Yes! They say he’s on his way here right now!”
As the girl confirmed it once more, Seolrang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
In that moment, the Dragon saw it.
Seolrang’s spirit, which had been buried in the abyss, was being restored to a solid state at an unbelievable speed.
[W-Wait! That is a lie! It is merely a falsehood to deceive you—]
The Dragon tried to shout in panic, but—
“Eunsaaaaaaaa!!!!”
Before it could say another word—
Crash!
Seolrang smashed through the window and leaped out…….
[…….]
Left alone, the Dragon stared blankly at the broken window.
[……????]
A hollow expression crossed its face.
[……What. What is this.]
Only a strangely pathetic voice echoed through the room.