Chapter 323: Ryanga (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 323: Ryanga (5)
Immediately after confirming the theory that "if the body is strong, the mind is at ease," Alon decided to leave the Hundred Ghosts' hideout.
"It’s our first reunion in hundreds of years, yet you’re leaving after just one day... It’s a bit of a shame."
"...Should I stay a little longer if you want?" Alon asked Ryanga, who looked like she was about to burst into tears.
However, she shook her head.
"No. If I miss you again, I’ll just come find you myself," she said with a smile. "See you next time, Boss!"
"Right. See you then."
"See you later, Ryanga!"
Just as they were about to wrap up their farewells—
"Ah. Boss, can I ask you something?" Ryanga caught Alon as he was turning to leave, as if she had just remembered.
"What is it?"
"Did Blue Ghost happen to go looking for you? I didn't tell him to, but he suddenly vanished."
"...Ah."
Alon let out a low, involuntary sigh. It had happened so naturally that he hadn't even thought about it, but he realized he hadn't mentioned anything about Blue Ghost.
He was about to tell her, but then he hesitated.
...Is it okay to say this?
Alon fell into a dilemma. Of course, he had to convey that Blue Ghost had visited, but he wasn't sure how to answer the question of what he was doing now. Should he tell the truth—that Blue Ghost liked Divine Land so much that he decided to stay?
...That feels like it might lead to a bad outcome.
It felt like it would create a situation where everyone ended up hurt. After a brief moment of contemplation, Alon replied.
"He did come to see me."
"Really? Then where is he?"
"He’s currently helping me with some work in Divine Land for a while."
"Divine Land?"
"Yes."
Alon nodded and gave a brief explanation of Divine Land.
"Oh..."
Ryanga marveled at the news, as if she were hearing something fascinating.
"Anyway, he can't come back right now because he's helping out, but I'll tell him to return as soon as he's finished."
"Mmm—no, you can just leave him there."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. I'll just talk to him myself the next time I visit."
She spoke as if it were no big deal.
"If you say so—"
Leaving that conversation behind, they exited the forest.
* * *
After Alon’s party left the Hundred Ghosts' hideout.
"Um, Boss—"
"Yeah, what?"
Red Ghost—the red-skinned man who was second only to Blue Ghost and ranked third within the Hundred Ghosts—spoke up as he watched Ryanga. Her face, which had been bright just moments ago, had shifted into a bored expression, as if everything in the world was a nuisance.
"You must be disappointed, Boss."
"Hmm? Why?"
"You waited so long, yet he left after meeting for only a day."
At those words, Ryanga let out a short, dry laugh.
"It’s fine."
"It’s fine?"
"Yeah. Just seeing him and confirming things was enough. And besides—"
The Boss must be busy with his own work. If I tried to hold onto him just because we met after a long time, it would be no different from being a nuisance.
Red Ghost marveled anew at Ryanga’s cool-headed response.
She might act like a child sometimes, but she really is mentally mature.
Red Ghost slightly adjusted his evaluation of his leader from 'a nice person who's just incredibly strong' to 'a person who is mentally mature, even if she doesn't look it.' Then, he remembered something else.
"Is it okay to leave Blue Ghost like that? He was the one who managed the kids best, after all."
"Mmm—"
Ryanga placed a hand on her chin and made a thoughtful sound. As Red Ghost said, it was Blue Ghost who excelled at managing their subordinates.
"That’s true."
"Then shouldn't we bring him back now?"
"Don't worry too much. I'm going to bring him back anyway."
"Pardon? You are?"
"Yeah."
"...Then couldn't you have just asked that person to send him back?"
"There’s no need to trouble the Boss with such trivial chores. It’s better if I go myself."
...Why bother? Red Ghost felt a sense of oddity for a moment, but then—
"So, Red Ghost. It’ll probably take about a month for the Boss to reach his territory, right?"
"...Well, I suppose?"
"Then I’ll just go and bring Blue Ghost back around then."
"Wouldn't it be faster to go now?"
"He said he's helping the Boss. It would be rude to just pull him away, wouldn't it?"
Red Ghost, knowing Ryanga’s usual style of making the impossible happen whenever she wanted something, began to question her motives.
"Got it? I'll be heading out in about a month."
"Pardon? ...Yes."
"And I'll say hello to the Boss while I'm at it."
"..."
It wasn't hard to see through her intentions.
She acted so cool when she let him go—
But she was already fully planning to meet him again...
Only then did Red Ghost notice the faint smile playing on Ryanga’s lips.
His evaluation of her changed once more.
She was just a strong person who liked to act cool...
* * *
It had been about a day since they left the Hundred Ghosts' hideout.
Alon intentionally bypassed the areas where mutants appeared and took a detour through the ruins, not wanting to cause any trouble for Ryanga.
As they traveled, consuming another day of their journey—
"It’s a success...!"
"It really is!"
Alon and Penia shared the joy of their achievement. They had succeeded in 'lightweighting'—the first stage of extracting information from Tier Magic.
"Now we just have to combine the information! Of course, this is only the beginning."
"Still, I didn't expect we'd make progress this quickly."
It was exactly as he said. When they first tried to extract information from a simple Magic Bolt, they hadn't even known where to start.
However, after the brief moment of celebration—
"...But. Is this... actually implemented correctly?"
At Penia’s following question, Alon made a curious sound and looked ahead.
There stood the Magic Bolt that Alon and Penia had created after weeks of research.
"...Well, the array itself is a Magic Bolt, so I suppose you could call it that."
"But the shape is a bit different."
Penia’s doubt was valid. Fundamentally, the 1st Tier magic known as Magic Bolt was just a sphere of condensed mana.
However, the Magic Bolt Alon and Penia had created was—
"A line—"
It was a straight line. Looking at the Magic Bolt, which glowed faintly in a thin, rectangular shape like a plain arrow, Alon continued.
"Heinkel told me before that the shape could change depending on what information is extracted. I think this is within the expected range."
"I suppose that’s true."
"For now, let’s keep proceeding like this. I believe this is correct."
Alon recalled Heinkel’s words.
‘As I said, if this is a process of extracting information rather than modifying the magic, the magic won't function unless it's extracted perfectly. Tier Magic might be easy to modify, but it’s built to strictly prevent extraction, likely to ensure the proper transmission of "information."’
"Heinkel also said the magic would only function once all the information was perfectly extracted."
As Alon calmly organized his thoughts, Penia nodded.
"That’s true."
Just as they were watching the arrow-shaped magic slowly fade away—
"Marquis, we have arrived."
The carriage reached the camp.
There, Alon heard a disturbing rumor.
"Is that true? Three of the strongest have died?"
...The news that those who had gone to resolve the issues in the Ashtalon Kingdom were dead.
* * *
King Palmalian IV of Calliban had been suffering from a headache lately.
There were many reasons, of course.
The Northern Barbarians, who had been quiet until now, were starting to act up again.
A significant number of knights had suddenly left Calliban.
And his three sons were already making preparations to seize the throne.
There were many other complex issues, but more than anything, it was his sons who amplified Palmalian IV’s stress.
Yes, that was the case until a few months ago.
"Marquis Palatio has created Divine Land!"
When Palmalian IV first heard that news, he didn't pay much attention to it. Even when he heard that Marquis Palatio had hired a considerable number of soldiers and knights, his reaction was the same. The scale was certainly large, but he didn't think it posed a threat.
The reason he had even listened to the report was because of the rumor that the First Sword of Calliban was personally training the soldiers and knights.
Yes, that was how it was until then.
Three months ago.
"I have a report. It is said that knights and mercenaries are currently flocking to Divine Land."
"...Knights and soldiers?"
"Yes. And their momentum is said to be extraordinary."
"To what extent...?"
"At this rate... the numbers are enough to even make war possible—"
Until he heard that report from his secretary.
At that, Palmalian IV had wondered, Could Marquis Palatio be...? but he soon dismissed the suspicion. He knew that even the Marquis wouldn't do something so foolish.
Of course, he acknowledged that the Marquis possessed great potential. However, he didn't think it was enough to overcome the United Kingdoms. War was fought with numbers, not individual strength.
Thus, Palmalian IV easily let go of his suspicion.
Hmph—just because some private soldiers gathered? That’s not enough—
He was even more convinced when he heard news halfway through that knights and mercenaries were leaving.
...And then, two months ago.
"...It is said that the Saintess of Kalanon has gone to Divine Land, taking her believers and knights with her."
"...What?"
"And the soldiers and mercenaries are no longer leaving."
At that point, a small seed of doubt began to take root in Palmalian IV’s heart. There was no reason for them to abandon the temple they had built near Calliban and move to Divine Land. No matter how hard he looked, there was no logical explanation.
...But Palmalian IV was still skeptical about the idea of Marquis Palatio starting a war.
The thought of 'Surely not' was dominant.
Marquis Palatio? Surely not?
However.
"...So, you’re saying that all those rumors spreading are being manipulated by Marquis Palatio?"
"Yes. According to the investigation report from the Duke's Unit, that is the case."
"...The Marquis is winning over public opinion, something he has no reason to care about?"
"Yes. Also, there is one more thing to report."
"What is it...?"
The report from the Duke's Unit continued.
And finally.
"It is said that the Sword God, one of the Seven Strongest, has entered Divine Land."
When he heard those words.
"!!"
Palmalian IV’s pupils couldn't help but tremble violently.