Chapter 299: Divine Land (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: Divine Land (2)
To be honest.
Hidan hadn't expected today’s meeting to feel like this at all.
This was the first meeting held since the return of the Green Moon, whose whereabouts had been a mystery for some time.
Because of that, he had expected the proceedings to be a bit more relaxed than usual—but the reality was different.
[It’s been a while, Line. I’m glad you returned without any major issues.]
[Yes. It’s been a while, Yutia.]
The atmosphere of the meeting was cold.
It was so frigid that Hidan felt as though he might freeze solid the moment the gaze of either the Red Moon or the Green Moon landed on him.
‘Why on earth is the mood like this…?’
Hidan harbored doubts amidst the chilling air, but those doubts didn't last long.
[So, Line, why did you do such a thing?]
[Which part are you referring to?]
[I’m talking about the brooch.]
[The brooch? Ah, do you mean the one that was on the Marquis’s chest?]
[Yes, that. You went out of your way to remove it and put it in your pocket, didn't you?]
Yutia’s mouth was smiling, but her voice lacked even a hint of inflection. In contrast to her, Line spoke with a sweet tone, letting out a soft "Ah" of realization.
[That? Well—]
She beamed.
[I thought it might bump against my head when I hugged Godfather.]
It was a blatant provocation.
[Wait—what? Line! You put the brooch away just so you could hug the Mentor?!]
The one who shouted in response wasn't Yutia, but Seolrang.
Seolrang stared at Line with a look of utter betrayal, but Line didn't spare her a single glance, her eyes still fixed firmly on Yutia.
Yutia spoke again, her smile deepening.
[Line, you shouldn't remove that so carelessly. It’s there to protect the safety of the Great Moon.]
[Oh, that brooch? Did it actually have some kind of effect?]
Line gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in mock surprise.
[…You already knew, didn't you?]
[I had no idea.]
Not at all, Line added with a slight shake of her head. At that, Seolrang, who had been glaring at Line as if she were a traitor, began to shift her eyes nervously.
It wasn't just Seolrang. Everyone present began to look around restlessly.
They all knew. They knew the situation had just become significantly worse.
Sensing the tension, Ladan spoke up.
[Ahem—So, Deus?]
[What is it?]
[Didn't you say you were with our brother recently? Did anything happen then?]
He deliberately shifted the topic to Deus.
Immediately, an exclamation mark seemed to pop up over Seolrang’s head as she looked at Ladan with admiration. She had instantly grasped his intent: to diffuse this desolate atmosphere with Deus’s mindless praise of Alon.
[Right, I’m curious too!]
Seolrang chimed in immediately. To help Ladan, she threw a question at Deus that she would never have asked under normal circumstances.
[Ah—come to think of it, I haven't told that story yet—]
Deus, taking the bait instantly, started his engine as if reminiscing about a fond past.
‘As expected, that was brilliant…!’
Hidan was also impressed by the maneuver, but—
[Deus.]
[Can’t you see we’re having a conversation?]
The chilling voices of Line and Yutia flew at him simultaneously. Deus, who was about to open his mouth, froze like a statue.
[Ahem—My, I’m terribly sorry, but I suddenly have something urgent to attend to.]
He blurted out.
Of course, one couldn't simply skip a meeting of the Blue Moons just because "something came up." Everyone knew this, and no one had ever left for such a reason before.
[I-I’ll be going now.]
Thinking that the glares from Line and Yutia were a hundred times colder than when his sister Silli was angry, Deus immediately deactivated his sphere.
[Now that I think about it, I should get back to the training room too—]
[Come to think of it, we’re all meeting up soon anyway… Should we just talk then?]
With Deus acting as a catalyst, the other Moons used similar excuses to make their escape.
Thus, the only ones left were Line, Yutia—and.
[….]
Only Hidan.
Unlike the other Moons, Hidan didn't have the confidence to deal with the aftermath, so he was forced to remain alone in this suffocating space.
Just as Hidan was trying his best to control his breathing to stay alive, Yutia’s voice rang out.
[Line.]
Yutia spoke, her lips curling upward.
[Wouldn't it be better to be satisfied with the position you have?]
Her eyes, however, were not smiling. In fact, beyond not smiling, they looked downright murderous.
…Normally, the conversation should have started to wind down at this point. Hidan knew that no matter how much the Green Moon engaged in subtle psychological warfare with the Red Moon, the Green Moon ultimately still had to be mindful of the Red Moon’s temper.
However.
[Hmm—I don't recall ever wanting anything more?]
[…Are you serious?]
[Yes. Godfather is Godfather. But—]
The Green Moon who had returned was different.
[If Godfather thinks otherwise, then that’s a different story.]
She said this directly to the murderous smile of the Red Moon.
The Red Moon’s smile faltered for a moment. But soon, she smiled again.
[There’s no way Godfather would think of you differently. You are his precious daughter, after all.]
This time, it was Line’s lips that stiffened momentarily. But she countered calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.
[Still, I’m closer to him than a teacher would be.]
A crack appeared in the Red Moon’s smile once more.
Ignoring it, Line left behind a refreshing smile.
[Well then, I’ll see you again.]
She vanished.
Hidan instinctively looked at Yutia. To his surprise, the expression of Yutia, who had looked furious just a moment ago, was now—
“…?”
Completely relaxed.
Before he could even process his confusion, she spoke.
[…Hidan.]
“Yes!”
[Let’s hold the meeting another time.]
“…? Ah, understood.”
Yutia left the meeting as if nothing had happened. A bewildered Hidan also deactivated his sphere for the time being.
And the next day.
“…Is that really true?”
“Yeah, they say the temple where the Red Moon was staying suddenly collapsed entirely.”
Hidan heard the news from Yuna, whom he had met to exchange information.
…Hidan began to dread the meeting scheduled for tonight.
* * *
A few more days passed.
Alon, who was starting to think about leaving Phildegrin to return to the Marquisate, was feeling a strange discomfort.
“I will help you dress.”
“…As I said before, it’s fine.”
Lately, he had been feeling an awkwardness from the Elves' excessive kindness.
Their over-the-top hospitality had begun ever since he became royalty, but it hadn't been this uncomfortable until now. Back then, if Alon declined politely, they wouldn't push it further.
But after he had dealt with the Sin.
“I truly wish to do this for you—would you not allow it?”
“…If you insist, then I’ll leave it to you.”
Since there were now so many who tried to bestow "kindness" even after being rejected, his discomfort grew with each passing day.
And that wasn't all.
“I greet the Primordial Elf.”
Now, whenever they crossed paths, they would immediately drop to their knees.
Of course, Alon was human, so being worshipped wasn't entirely unpleasant, but no matter how he looked at it, this was too much.
“Godfather.”
“Line.”
Alon, who had received over five extreme greetings from Elves just on his way to see Line, sat down in front of her with a sigh.
“Did you sleep well?”
When Alon asked, Line thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“No.”
“…Is something wrong?”
“Hmm—the bed is different, so I’m having trouble adjusting. I think I could sleep peacefully if Godfather helped me a little….”
As Line trailed off, Alon answered readily.
“I’ll help.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
When Alon confirmed it once more, Line gave a sly smile.
“Then, could you stay by my side until I fall asleep?”
She leaned in toward Alon.
“…What?”
Alon was flustered. However, Line gave a mysterious smile and giggled.
“I’m joking, Godfather. I’m sleeping just fine.”
She seemed to be enjoying herself.
“…So, didn't you say you had something to tell me today?”
Watching her, Alon cleared his throat lightly and changed the subject. The reason he had come to see Line today was because she said she had something to share.
Line stopped her giggling and got down to business.
“The reason I asked to see you today is because of your power, Godfather.”
“…My power?”
“Yes. It’s about making your Divinity perfectly your own.”
“Making the Divinity completely mine?”
“Of course, I know you handle Divinity well. But right now, it’s more like you’re borrowing someone else’s Divinity, isn't it?”
“Borrowing someone else’s Divinity….”
“To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that ‘even if you are the subject of that God, you are borrowing a name that isn't yours.’”
“…Is it wrong to use it that way?”
“It’s not that it’s wrong. But there are clear limits. Ultimately, a Divinity that you haven't proactively created doesn't truly suit you.”
Alon pondered Line’s words for a moment before asking.
“So, what you’re saying is that I need to create a Divinity that suits me. Is that it?”
“Exactly. More accurately, it’s best to see it as a process of integrating fragmented Divinities.”
“Integrating fragmented Divinities?”
Line nodded.
“Yes. If you allow it, I’d like to teach you how. From what I’ve gathered, if you create and utilize a Divinity as it truly is, it will definitely be of greater help than it is now. For instance—”
To the formulas you use, Godfather, Line added.
“…My formulas?”
“Yes. From what I’ve ‘read,’ formulas and Divinity are like pieces of a puzzle.”
“A puzzle.”
“The two pieces can exert power even without each other, but together, they exert even greater power. That’s how it is.”
“Did you get that knowledge from the Forbidden Section of the Library?”
“Yes. Of course, I couldn't open everything. I’m making the body of the Hungry Ghost pay the full price for opening the Forbidden Section last time.”
Alon nodded. He had heard a similar answer when he had asked her about the forbidden knowledge before.
Stroking his chin for a moment, Alon met Line’s eyes.
“Then what must I do to formally obtain Divinity? Do I need to gather Faith in a crisis like last time?”
“No, there’s no need for that. You already have more than enough Faith, so now you must do something else.”
Something else.
Under Alon’s gaze, Line held up three fingers.
“There are three requirements: a Divine Land, Divine People, and a Knight Order.”
Alon’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected answer.
“To put it simply, just think of it as creating your own version of Rosario.”
“…That sounds like it’s going to be quite massive in scale.”
“You don't need to overthink it. If you follow my advice, you’ll probably be able to create it without much difficulty.”
Alon nodded at Line’s continued explanation and listened intently to her words.
And a short while later.
“Evan.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
“Send a letter to the Marquisate.”
“Suddenly…? Weren't you planning on returning to the territory soon anyway?”
“I was, but there’s something I need to convey first.”
Evan, bewildered by Alon’s sudden command, took out a pen.
“What should I write?”
“…Write that we will be recruiting a Paladin Order.”
“A Paladin Order?”
“Yes.”
“…Um, yes, well—understood.”
Evan nodded without any further questions. Alon looked at him with a strange expression and asked cautiously.
“Does it, uh, not seem a bit strange?”
“Huh? What does?”
“The fact that I said we’re recruiting a Paladin Order.”
“Ah—well—you’re already using the power of a god, and the Elves drop to their knees just by looking at your face, so this much… isn't really that surprising.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Anyway, Penia seems to be in contact with the Magic Tower, so I’ll send it along with her messages. But—do I not need to write down any specific conditions?”
Alon nodded at Evan’s question.
“Well, you don't have to be too detailed. Even if it’s a Knight Order, we’re just trying to gather them as a trial for now.”
“Understood.”
The letter left for the Marquisate more easily than expected.
And a few days later.
“…Huh? Recruiting a Paladin Order?”
The letter Evan had written was now in Alexion’s hands.
‘…What is this?’
With a puzzled expression, he leaned in close to the letter to look again.
But the content written in the letter was just one sentence.
That Marquis Palatio was recruiting a Paladin Order.
“No… what am I supposed to do with this?”
Alexion’s brow furrowed.
It was only natural. All that was written in the letter was that single statement. There were no specific details—how many people were being recruited, what the conditions were, or what the primary purpose of the Paladin Order was.
However, since he had received the letter, he couldn't just do nothing.
“…Well, I guess I’ll just post it as an announcement?”
Following Alon’s letter, Alexion set a period of two months and spread the recruitment notice for the Paladin Order throughout the territory.
…Without imagining for a moment how big of a deal that small action would become.
And exactly ten days from then.
“…This is quite interesting.”
“I have to leave right now.”
“The Mentor’s Knight Order?!”
“The Marquis is forming a Knight Order—”
A single rumor spread throughout the entire United Kingdoms.
The rumor that Marquis Palatio—
Was creating a Paladin Order.