Chapter 298: Divine Land (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 298: Divine Land (1)
The day after he had greeted Line.
“Mentor!”
“Brother!”
“Seolrang, Ladan.”
Alon went to see Seolrang and Ladan, who were finally able to get out of bed.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah, thanks to you! It would’ve been a disaster if Mentor hadn’t told me!”
“Told you? Ah—you mean that.”
“Yeah, about using magic!”
At Seolrang’s words, Alon let out a small exclamation of realization.
It was exactly as she said. When the Mother of Greed first appeared, Alon had given her a rough explanation regarding the Sin of Greed.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Were you worried about me?”
“How could I not be?” Alon asked back.
Seolrang let out a giggle at his response.
“Mentor, my ears—!”
She thrust her face toward him. As Alon naturally pressed down on her ears, Seolrang began humming a happy tune and clung to him.
Alon smiled as he watched her, but then—
“Huh? Brother.”
“What is it?”
“Where is your brooch?”
“Brooch?”
At Ladan’s follow-up question, Alon finally realized the brooch was missing from his chest. He quickly recalled the events of the previous day.
“Ah, come to think of it, I tucked it inside my shirt.”
“…I see.”
“But why do you ask?”
Ladan hesitated for a moment, looking as if he were weighing how to answer.
Just as the silence stretched long enough for Alon to grow suspicious—
“It’s nothing, really. It suited you so well that I was just a bit surprised to see you weren’t wearing it. Hahaha.”
Ladan spoke up hurriedly.
“Yeah, yeah—that’s right. The red brooch looks great on you, Mentor.”
Seolrang, who had been listening quietly, also nodded fervently.
“...?”
Alon wore a puzzled expression at their reactions. Seolrang, who had been smiling happily just a moment ago, seemed to have trembling pupils.
“I should put it back on, then.”
Alon didn’t think much of it and pinned the red brooch back onto his chest. Seolrang and Ladan both let out a small, secret sigh of relief.
“Have you seen Line?”
At Alon’s question, the expressions of the two returned to normal.
“Ah, yeah! I saw her!”
“I saw her too, Brother.”
Ladan added, “I’m glad she seems to be doing well.”
Hearing that, Alon remembered what Evan had told him this morning and asked, “By the way, I heard you both are leaving soon. Is that true?”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Something I need to do suddenly came to mind.”
“That’s correct, Brother. It’s the same for me.”
“...Aren’t you moving again without enough rest?”
“That may be true—but there’s something I absolutely have to do, so I don’t think I have a choice.”
“Me too, Mentor. I want to play with you a bit more, though—”
Ladan and Seolrang expressed their regrets and shared a brief farewell with Alon.
“Are you leaving right now?”
“Yeah, see you later, Mentor!”
“I’ll see you again as well.”
“I’ll see you then.”
They departed so quickly it could truly be described as instantaneous.
“...Like the wind.”
Despite their lingering regrets, they vanished with startling speed. Alon wore a strange expression for a moment before someone else approached.
“Lord.”
“Ria.”
This time, Historia appeared before Alon. She looked significantly better than when he had last seen her.
“I’m glad you look well.”
“Mm.”
During their conversation, Alon noticed a small pack on her back and grew curious.
“But… are you planning on going somewhere?”
Historia nodded.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you need more rest?”
“I’m fine. And I’ll be back soon.”
“...Back soon?”
“Mm.”
With a concise farewell of “See you next time,” she departed.
“...?”
Three people had left in the blink of an eye. Alon grew increasingly bewildered.
* * *
At that same time.
On the outskirts of Phildegrin—no, Greinif.
“....”
“....”
Seolrang and Ladan, who had maintained an endlessly energetic air until they left Phildegrin, now wore expressions that were utterly somber.
The two walked in silence, without saying a word.
As they finally reached the boundary of Greinif’s territory.
“We… we couldn’t even help properly, could we?”
Seolrang muttered softly. Her voice sounded somewhat dejected.
Ladan, who had also been silent, replied calmly.
“...No.”
After another stretch of wordless walking, they finally reached the edge of Greinif.
And then.
“I’m going now.”
Seolrang was the first to move.
“...Are you going back to the Colony?”
“I’m going back to the Colony to prepare for what’s next.”
“Next?”
“Yeah. Next time… if a situation like this happens again—”
So that I can properly protect Mentor, she muttered to herself, staring at the gauntlets on her arms.
“Then, see you later.”
In an instant, she vanished from Ladan’s sight.
Ladan stared blankly at the spot where Seolrang had stood and let out a long sigh. The memories of the past few days were vivid in his mind—especially the realization of how particularly useless he had been, even more so than Seolrang.
“...What should I do?”
Ladan whispered softly, his voice catching in the wind. He clenched his fists tightly.
At that same moment.
“....”
Historia was also on the move.
I have to go back and find it.
Toward the Ronobelli Jungle.
...Deep footprints were carved into the path wherever she walked.
* * *
Immediately after the three had left.
“Brother, are you sure you don’t need to lie down a bit longer?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Anyway, what is the situation?”
Alon walked through Phildegrin with Magrina, who had also come to visit him the previous evening. As he assessed the details of the situation, he was able to reach a quick conclusion.
It’s not good.
It was exactly as it looked. Phildegrin was currently in a dire state. Half of the territory had been literally torn away by the Sin’s attack.
Although the soldiers and citizens had evacuated in advance and suffered no casualties, it seemed it would take over a year to restore the town itself, even if all the mages were mobilized.
“Sigh—it’s a worry.”
Magrina let out a sigh, her face clouded with concern. After a moment of thought, Alon called out to her.
“...Magrina.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“If it’s alright with you, would you consider accepting help from human mages?”
“Human mages?”
“Yes.”
He knew well that elves generally disliked humans, but he believed that restoring the territory as quickly as possible was the top priority in the current situation.
Magrina pondered his suggestion for a moment before nodding.
“If we could truly bring in mages as you say, Brother, that might be the only way given the circumstances. But—is there a way to invite them?”
“If you grant me permission to use a few specific authorities, there is a very simple way.”
“A few authorities?”
Alon calmly explained his plan to the curious Magrina.
A short while later.
“...If it’s only that much, it’s not difficult. But can we really recruit mages with just that?”
“Yes.”
After reassuring the skeptical Magrina, Alon went to find Penia.
And then.
“Gasp—so you’re saying that if they want, they can transcribe the contents of the ancient books...?”
“Yes. Of course, not the ones in the basement, but limited to the ones on the outer floors. With this condition, do you think you can—”
“Bring them here and work them to the bone, you mean?! It’s possible! Absolutely!! If I set a limit of fifty people on a first-come, first-served basis, I bet they’ll all gather within a single day!”
“...Is it that significant?”
“Of course it is! They all know I wrote my thesis based on information I got here.”
“That’s good to hear.”
He had easily secured slaves—no, manpower.
As Alon nodded, Penia glanced at him tentatively.
“But—but you see, Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“If I bring the mages here like that, would there perhaaaaps… be something in it for me?”
She asked while twiddling her fingers. Alon spoke up.
“I’ll talk to them so you can access the basement of the library.”
“I’ll go get ready right now!!!”
At Alon’s single sentence, Penia’s eyes sparkled brilliantly as she dashed away. Alon thought her eyes shone like the characters in those idol mangas that had completely botched their endings.
Once he had settled the situation, Alon sat down to catch his breath.
“Godfather.”
“Line.”
This time, Line came to find him.
“Did you get some rest?”
“I haven’t been able to today.”
In truth, Alon had hardly rested at all today. In the morning, he had seen off Seolrang, Ladan, and Historia, who had left so abruptly. And he had spent the entire afternoon surveying Phildegrin.
...Actually, in Phildegrin’s case, I don’t really need to do this.
However, since he had received a title, he felt he should do at least the minimum amount of work, so he had spent almost the entire day walking around.
“Can’t you rest a little?”
“I suppose I could… Ah, by the way, Line, what are your plans for the future?”
“Mine?”
“Yes. Are you going back to Lartania now?”
Line made a thoughtful expression before shaking her head.
“No, I think I’ll be staying here for the time being.”
“...For the time being? Why?”
“Well—”
Line hesitated for a moment as if debating whether to speak or not.
“...Actually.”
She soon began her story. And Alon heard something quite surprising.
“...You’re making an artifact out of the Hungry Ghost?”
“Yes. It’s still remaining in the basement.”
He listened to the startling facts.
“So, to summarize, you summoned the Sin and manifested the Hungry Ghost by looking at forbidden knowledge while you were sealed...?”
“Yes.”
“And then, you got rid of the Sin while leaving only its power behind?”
“Since I had essentially suppressed the Hungry Ghost entirely, turning it into an artifact was quite easy. However, it’s taking a long time to stabilize it perfectly.”
“So, the conclusion is that you can’t leave the vicinity of Greinif until the artifact is stabilized.”
“That’s right, Godfather. If the connection with me is severed, it will go on a rampage.”
“...Is that artifact very important?”
“Hmm—I wouldn’t have been able to summon what I did last time without it.”
“It’s a very important item, then.”
“Yes. I’ve put 600 years of effort into it. But—”
Line suddenly gave a crescent-moon-shaped smile.
“If you tell me to give it up, Godfather, I will.”
“...So suddenly?”
“Yes.”
“...I didn’t mean it in that sense. And do you really think I’d say that after you’ve put so much effort into it?”
“No, I didn’t think you’d actually say that. So, this is—”
A small smile played on her lips.
“—a sort of appeal, I suppose.”
She added meaningfully.
She looked at Alon with her green eyes revealed through her smile.
“....”
Alon reflexively turned his head away. Line watched him with an amused expression.
...Silence continued for a while.
* * *
A few days later.
Around the time Alon had fully recovered and was thinking about returning to his territory.
Late at night.
With Line’s return, the Blue Moon Meeting was held once again.
Normally, the meeting was supposed to be held once every six months, but it hadn't been convened since Line disappeared. However, even though the time had not yet come, Yutia had summoned everyone.
There were a total of six participants in the meeting.
Yutia, Seolrang, Line, Ladan, Deus, and Hidan.
Even excluding Hidan, the remaining five were a combination so noisy that a meeting was usually impossible whenever they gathered. Furthermore, hadn't Line just returned?
Yet, at this moment, as the meeting opened for the first time in a long while.
[[““....””]]
No one dared to speak first.
Seolrang’s golden eyes darted back and forth as she gauged the atmosphere. Ladan was doing the same. Deus, who had initially tried to boast about his younger sister with a clueless “Ahem—”, belatedly realized the mood and turned his gaze toward the distant mountains.
[[....]]
As for Hidan, who was in charge of presiding over the meeting—
“Hic—”
He let out a small, involuntary sound every few seconds as if he were suffocating. He glanced at the two sources of this stifling atmosphere—
[[....]]
[[....]]
Line and Yutia—and then desperately averted his eyes.
Save me...
Everyone except Line and Yutia was thinking the exact same thing.