Chapter 285: Treatment (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: Treatment (4)
A thunderous roar erupted as the falling mountain erased everything, as if it had never existed in the first place.
It happened in an instant, so fast that not even a scream could escape.
"……This is, unbelievable."
In the silence that followed, Evan’s murmur echoed like a great shout in everyone’s ears.
However, no one present could easily find the words to deny him.
There were many reasons for their shock.
Some, like Evan, felt pure awe at the phenomenon Ria—Historia—had caused, but Alon was surprised for an entirely different reason.
‘I couldn't see the mana?’
Alon was a Magus, but he was also a 5th Tier Mage.
Because of that, he had been able to track the lingering scent of mana ever since his first battle with an Apostle.
Yet, Alon’s eyes had failed to catch the trajectory or the afterimage of Historia’s strike.
It was as if she hadn't used mana at all.
When he turned to look at Penia, she wore the same expression. A face that clearly asked: How did she do that?
Even for a swordsman, using mana was a matter of course.
As Alon stood bewildered by the unsolvable mystery, he felt a soft sensation wrap around his waist.
It was Historia.
"It’s over. Let’s go."
Historia didn't show even a hint of exhaustion.
Watching her, Alon fell into another sudden realization.
‘She’s even stronger than I thought…?’
Alon knew Historia was powerful. She was, after all, one of the 7 Strongest in the game Psychedelia.
However, the strength she had just displayed far exceeded the level he remembered.
As Alon stared blankly at her, Historia tilted her head, her ears twitching slightly, before she slowly uncoiled her tail from his waist.
"I’ll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"There’s still something left."
"……In there?"
Alon watched the dust slowly settle over the valley—no, the earthen mountain that had been smashed beyond recognition—and followed Historia down.
There, they found a man.
A man crushed under a massive pile of boulders, his entire body a mangled mess.
"!"
The sight was gruesome even to Alon’s eyes. His lower half had already vanished, flattened beneath a rock dozens of times the size of an adult male.
But the reason Alon was shocked wasn't just because of the cruelty of the scene.
‘……The Martyr of All Phenomena?’
The Martyr of All Phenomena.
The leader of The Martyrs, and the entity who, if left unchecked in Psychedelia, eventually awakens into a bizarre existence known as the "All-Encompassing Famine."
That was the identity of the man before them.
"Gah—!"
Dark red blood erupted from the Martyr’s mouth.
Death was, for all intents and purposes, standing right before him.
Yet, Alon felt no sympathy.
The Martyrs were a persistent and sinister group. They committed massacres and offered sacrifices without a second thought if it suited their needs. They were the kind of monsters who would burn a newborn life to ashes without hesitation.
Regardless of that, a question filled Alon’s mind.
‘It’s possible for The Martyrs to be here, but for the Martyr of All Phenomena himself to be here… that’s strange.’
Of course, he was well aware that the original story had been twisted several times.
He knew full well that the situation had become entirely different from the future he knew.
Even so, it was strange for the Martyr of All Phenomena, who should have been in the United Kingdoms, to be in this place. Just as Alon tilted his head in confusion—
"Damn, it—"
The eyes of the man who had been vomiting black blood just moments ago filled with resentment.
Then,
"If, only—not for those, blue eyes—"
With a faint voice full of hatred and grief, his body began to turn the color of ash.
"Even so—there is, still hope—"
And with that final, bitter murmur, the Martyr of All Phenomena died before he could finish his sentence.
Alon stared down at him blankly.
"……Blue eyes?"
He quietly repeated the words the man had spat out.
* * *
Having dealt with The Martyrs in an instant, Historia, Alon, and the rest of the party immediately resumed their journey toward the capital.
That night.
"So, it’s not that you didn't use mana, but that you condensed it to an extreme degree? And you achieved that through sheer personal skill…!"
"Yes."
"That’s amazing…!"
Alon watched Historia as she explained her swordsmanship to Penia, having been asked—or rather, pleaded with—to do so.
"Marquis."
"What is it?"
"That beastkin named Historia… you said she’s someone you met in the past, right?"
Evan, sitting beside him, asked quietly.
"Well… yes. Why do you ask?"
Evan wore a slightly strange expression as he spoke.
"Well, I’ve seen several people you’ve reunited with from your time in the past, haven't I?"
"You have."
"But I feel like this friend doesn't have that same… dramatic feeling as the others."
"I think I know what you mean."
"Right?"
It was true. The people from the past Alon had reunited with so far all had a certain sense of emotional catharsis, even if it wasn't always "dramatic."
"But isn't this level of reaction normal when meeting someone after a long time?"
"They haven't met in 700 years; shouldn't there be something more? Well, I did see her wrap her tail around you, though."
"……Is that so?"
"It is."
Alon shrugged at Evan’s words.
"Well, Historia has always been like that."
"Has she?"
Alon recalled the Historia of the past.
She had never been the talkative type. Even when he first saved her, she had remained mostly expressionless, save for a fleeting, faint smile. Even when hanging out with the others, it was always impossible to tell what she was thinking.
‘Hmm… even so, meeting after 700 years does feel like we moved past it a bit too casually.’
Thinking back, unlike with Magrina or Nangwon, he hadn't shared a long conversation with Historia.
…No, would it be more accurate to say he couldn't?
‘Historia basically gives one-word answers to everything.’
Even when he tried to start a conversation, it rarely lasted more than three sentences. That was likely why it felt that way.
However,
"Yeah."
Alon didn't go out of his way to try and force a long conversation with her. He knew that even without words, they weren't uncomfortable with each other.
"Let’s get some sleep."
After watching Penia and Historia for a while, Alon spoke and lay down.
Time passed, and it was soon the middle of the night.
"……Ugh."
Penia, who had been lying with a troubled expression, let out a shallow groan and sat up, clutching her waist.
‘This bed is so uncomfortable—’
As the Vice Tower Master of the Blue Magic Tower, Penia had traveled to many places, but sleeping outdoors like this was rare.
Of course, it wasn't that she had no experience. During the war… specifically, when she had crossed over to the past with Alon, sleeping on the bare ground was the default, and a carriage was a luxury she couldn't even dream of.
But she still couldn't get used to it. After looking around at the rest of the party sleeping soundly with a dissatisfied expression, Penia noticed something.
"?"
She realized that Ladan and Historia were missing from their spots.
Penia felt a flicker of curiosity. Instinctively, she spread a thin layer of mana and caught the sound of voices coming from a distance. She cautiously moved toward them.
After walking for a bit, she found Ladan and Historia standing there, though they should have been asleep.
And then.
"I’ll give you one piece of advice."
"?"
"Don't act too close to the Marquis."
Penia felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen this scene somewhere before, watching Ladan give a warning more serious than ever.
‘Where was it? What was it—’
Penia struggled to remember.
"Why?"
"If I tell you not to, then don't."
"Why?"
"……Because you don't suit my brother."
In the meantime, Penia watched Ladan, who seemed to be at a loss for words as if he couldn't get through to her. It was then that she finally realized where she had seen this before.
‘……This is exactly like that story!’
A romance novel Penia had read out of pure curiosity a long time ago. It was a typical story about a commoner and a noble falling in love, but that was exactly why it was popular.
In that novel, there was a scene where a noble lady, having noticed her son’s love, threatened the commoner heroine: "My son does not suit someone like you, so disappear on your own!" This was incredibly similar.
The only slight mismatch was that Ladan was in the position of the noble lady.
‘……He seems quite serious.’
Penia wondered why Ladan was giving such a warning(?) to Historia. No matter how much Ladan cared for Alon, there was no need for him to go that far.
As she pondered the situation, unable to make sense of it, a thought struck her.
‘……Wait.’
She came up with one plausible reason. The reason why Ladan had gone out of his way to call Historia out here and give her a warning disguised as advice.
‘Does he… like Historia?’
Penia recalled the events of a few days ago. Ever since Historia appeared before Alon, Ladan had become rapidly quiet, his eyes constantly following her.
Certainly, Ladan had been acting a bit strange since then.
‘He was so cheerful when it was just us, but he became strangely quiet after Historia joined. He kept looking at the Marquis and Historia together with a strangely anxious expression.’
As the hypothesis that started with a "maybe" began to fall into place, Penia’s mouth hung open in spite of herself.
In reality, Ladan was anxious because of the ominously glowing brooch on Alon’s chest, not because of Historia clinging to him. But there was no way Penia could know that.
Therefore.
"……Listen to me. Nothing good will happen if you stay close to my brother."
"I don't want to."
Eavesdropping on their conversation, Penia naturally began to form a plan in her head. A plan to help Ladan.
……More accurately.
A perfect plan to help Ladan and, in exchange, gain the freedom to research the relics he possessed to her heart’s content.
Meanwhile, before Ladan could say anything more, Historia turned around and vanished.
"This is a problem……."
Ladan groaned and clutched his head as if he had a migraine. Penia suppressed a mastermind-like chuckle and crept away like a thief in the night.
And the next day.
"Just trust me."
"……?"
"You don't have to make that face. I know everything. Hehehe—"
Penia suddenly approached Ladan, making a fuss and letting out a meaningful laugh.
‘……Did she eat something bad yesterday?’
Ladan was bewildered inwardly, but he quickly avoided Penia’s burdensome gaze.
About two weeks passed like that.
"We’ve arrived."
"Oh—"
Alon and his party finally reached Seonju, the capital of the Eastern Country.