Chapter 338: This Wasn’t in the Plan (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 338: This Wasn’t in the Plan (1)
The following day.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes. I’ve finished everything I needed to do here.”
“Ahaha—man, I’m really sorry I wasn't much help this time either, Brother.”
Alon stared at Ladan with his characteristic expressionless face as the younger man joked around, looking sheepish.
“Don’t think like that. We wouldn't have even been able to start the fight without you. You were definitely a help.”
“Is that so…?”
“Truly.”
After talking with Ladan for a bit longer, Alon turned to leave.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Understood, Brother! I’ll see you later!”
Ladan gave Alon a final farewell and watched his back for a long while.
Finally, the moment Alon disappeared from his sight…
“…”
The bright smile Ladan had forced onto his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hollow, calm expression.
“Sigh.”
Staring at the empty space where Alon had been, Ladan returned to his room and wiped his face with his hand. A deep sigh followed.
Once again—I was useless.
Ladan’s expressionless face crumpled as he recalled the battle with the Sin of Sloth. In that fight, he hadn't been of much help, objectively speaking.
Of course, by using the item his brother had given him, he had temporarily summoned a ‘stronger’ version of himself and seemed to contribute significantly at the end. But that wasn't his own hidden talent. If Alon had used that item on Seolrang or Elivan, the outcome wouldn't have been any different.
“…”
Ladan suddenly thought of Seolrang. Even though they had started at a similar level, she was clearly different from before. No, it wasn't just that.
She definitely got stronger.
It was true. She had grown more powerful. Even if it wasn't glaringly obvious right now, Ladan could feel it clearly. She was becoming stronger. And he knew she would continue to do so.
But what about Ladan? He was exactly the same.
It wasn't that Ladan hadn't tried. Ever since he was called by Alon in Greinif and fought against a Sin, he had been striving to get stronger. He trained harder than usual and sought out more relics to study their uses.
But no matter what he did, Ladan couldn't get any stronger.
Of course, his versatility increased as he acquired more relics and learned how to use them. However, that was merely a diversification of power; it didn't make Ladan fundamentally stronger.
The resulting sense of helplessness—the anxiety that his comrades were moving forward while he remained stagnant—began to fill Ladan’s heart like dark mud.
[Hey—]
“!”
In the empty room, a voice that sounded remarkably like his own rang out. Ladan’s face instantly tensed with alarm. But that only lasted a moment.
[Don’t be so tense.]
Realizing the voice was coming from his own person, Ladan reached into his pocket and pulled out the source of the sound.
“…This is.”
The voice was coming from the blue gem. The very gem Alon had handed to Ladan right after the battle with the Sin.
“…”
Ladan stared intently at the gem. When he first received the blue gem that his ‘Future Self’ had sent to Alon, he wondered if it contained some special power.
But he had been wrong. It was just a glowing gem with no apparent special properties. Ladan hadn't understood why his future self would send such a thing, but he had been carrying it around for the time being.
[Have you finally relaxed?]
“…You.”
As the voice spoke to him again, Ladan felt a bizarre sense of dissonance. It didn't take long for him to realize the source of that feeling. In fact, he couldn't help but realize it.
“Me…?”
The voice from the blue gem. The voice that sounded so much like his own. No, it was Ladan’s own voice.
[Correct.]
The blue gem replied playfully.
[First off, I’m not taking any questions about how I’m doing this.]
“What?”
[I didn't have much time, so I couldn't imbue much Intent into this. The time I have left is—maybe five minutes?]
No, probably shorter than that, the blue gem muttered to itself before quickly continuing.
[I’m going to tell you how to get stronger. You’re probably agonizing over it right now. How a useless person like you can get stronger in this place. Or rather, how you can keep from falling behind… right?]
It was something like that—well, situations might differ, so I can’t be certain.
At the blue gem’s words—which sounded like a mix of a monologue and a complaint—Ladan asked, “…Can I really become stronger than I am now?”
To that, the blue gem let out a playful laugh.
[Of course.]
And then, it whispered.
[As long as you follow my instructions—and revive a Sin just to devour it.]
* * *
After parting with Ladan, Alon immediately went around to say his goodbyes to the others.
“I’ll see you next time, Saint.”
“Yes, Brother. I hope you’ll visit Rosario soon.”
“You said Goddess Sironia called for you?”
“Yes.”
“I understand.”
After Yuman, Alon met…
“I’m going too, Mentor!”
“…You too?”
“Yep! I got a long vacation, and they said I could go play once this job was done.”
He met Seolrang, whose ears were twitching with excitement.
“I don’t mind, but…”
“Then I’m coming with you!”
“Go ahead.”
“Yay—!”
As soon as Alon gave his permission, Seolrang spread her arms wide in delight. And as soon as she stepped away to tell the others she was leaving…
[T-This is impossible?! What have you done!!]
[Kkyu-! Kkyukkyukkyukkyu-!!]
As if they had been waiting, Basiliora and Blackie burst out of the ring and the pocket, respectively.
[This makes no sense! No sense at all! How can you treat me, who fought so hard in that great battle, with such neglect?!]
[Kkyu! Kkyukkyukkyukkyu!!!!]
That’s right! This shouldn't be happening!!!
Alon looked awkward as Blackie stomped his front paws in fierce agreement.
…Is taking Seolrang along really that big of a deal?
He briefly recalled the past—specifically, the things Seolrang had done to Basiliora and Blackie.
…It was understandable.
Hmm.
While he was lost in thought, Seolrang returned, and Blackie and Basiliora vanished back into his person as if they had never been there. Marveling at the pair’s speed, Alon nodded calmly at the energetic Seolrang.
“Let’s head out.”
“Yes. Penia said she’s going back to the Blue Magic Tower for a bit, so I think it’s fine if it’s just us.”
Soon, the carriage departed for the Palatio Marquisate.
* * *
A little over a week later.
“Zzz—”
Seolrang was sleeping soundly with her head on Alon’s lap, looking perfectly content. As Alon stroked her hair, Evan brought him some decent news.
“You found information on the Blind One’s gem?”
“Yes, I heard from the information guild at the last village.”
“Did you find the location?”
“No, not exactly. However—they said they found a book containing information about it.”
“A book with information, huh.”
Alon nodded.
“Finding even that much isn't bad.”
It was much better than before when they had absolutely no information on the Blind One’s gem. Feeling somewhat satisfied, Alon asked, “So, where do I have to go to get this book?”
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. They said they’ve already obtained the book and will deliver it to us.”
“…I feel like I’m just receiving help all the time.”
“Well—I suppose so?”
As Alon began to wonder if he should do something in return, Evan spoke up again.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“You asked me to check if there were any movements from the Empire’s side recently, right?”
“Ah, that—”
Although the Ashtalon Kingdom hadn't been completely destroyed, making an imperial invasion less likely, Alon had asked Evan to look into it just in case.
“Did anything come up?”
“No. The information guild says the Empire is quiet, with no major movements.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Alon let out a sigh of relief. Even though he knew the probability of an invasion was low, as long as it wasn't 0%, he couldn't help but be concerned.
This is a problem that could be solved if I caught the spy in the Empire—
Thinking back to when the Empire invaded in the game, a major cause was an imperial spy who had infiltrated a high-ranking position in the Kingdom. The invasion would begin when the spy sent a signal to the Empire while the United Kingdoms were in a vulnerable state.
However, despite knowing this, the reason Alon didn't catch the spy to prevent it was simple.
Naturally, he didn't know who the spy was. Unless one reached the Empire Destruction Ending, the spy’s identity was never revealed, and the person changed every time. In other words, no matter how much information he dug for or how many guilds he used, he couldn't easily identify and confirm the target.
There were a few spy quests you could do separately around the mid-to-late game. You could catch them if you followed those all the way through.
But since he wasn't Elivan, performing those side quests was impossible. After agonizing over it for a while, Alon decided to push aside the unsolvable thoughts.
* * *
Alexion was exhausted to the point of collapse. It couldn't be helped. The workload of the Marquisate was incredibly demanding.
At first, he suffered from the fact that he had to act as the Marquis’s proxy without any compensation—and work hard at it, too. However, at this point, such complaints had long since vanished.
The amount of money the Marquis paid Alexion was simply staggering. It was so much that a smile would involuntarily spread across his face whenever he received his salary.
At any rate, Alexion, who lived a life that was happy because he earned a lot of money but sad because he had too much work, let out a fresh sigh.
Find a partner… huh.
He could guess why the Marquis of Palatio was looking for a partner.
It was in three months, right? He must be looking for a partner for the ball where the entire United Kingdoms will gather.
Alexion began to ponder how to go about finding a partner. Since the request had come to him, he had to handle it somehow. But he soon realized there was no need to overcomplicate things.
…Come to think of it, there were quite a few young ladies throwing themselves at the Marquis.
In fact, since the Marquis had told him he didn't need to pass on letters that weren't related to work, Alexion had filtered out most of the suspicious letters to avoid bothering him. But the number of letters addressed to him was truly immense.
It was only natural. The person Alexion served was none other than the ‘Marquis of Palatio.’
Therefore…
I can just ask the young ladies who have been making advances about their intentions. Of course, only those whose status is suitable for the Marquis.
He quickly recalled the list of people who had sent letters.
…Then, after I conduct interviews on my end, the Marquis won’t have to deal with any discomfort. Yes, that’s the best way to do it.
He pulled out some stationery, never dreaming of who might actually show up…