Chapter 361: What Must Be Done (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 361: What Must Be Done (4)
“…What did you say?”
Alon was momentarily dazed by Deus’s words.
The news he had just heard was that shocking.
“Elivan has become a Sin.”
However, asking again did not change the words coming from Deus’s mouth.
“Could you start by explaining the situation?”
Alon let out a sigh, trying to calm his chaotic mind. First, he needed to grasp the details.
“According to the reports received so far—”
In the heavy atmosphere, Alon listened calmly to Deus’s explanation. Once the report was finished, Alon felt a headache coming on again.
“…So, you’re saying he awakened as a Sin while killing all the nobles attending the ball in Tern?”
“That is correct.”
“…….”
Alon recalled Elivan’s face.
‘I didn’t see this coming at all.’
Alon was well aware that anyone could potentially become a Sin. He had already witnessed such cases several times. But even so…
‘To think the final Sin would be Elivan.’
He hadn't even dared to imagine it. Elivan was the figure standing at the polar opposite of the Sins—he was the protagonist of this world, Psychedelia.
“…Hoo.”
Alon exhaled and rubbed his eyes for a moment. He forced himself to cool his heated brain. If Deus’s words were true, the event had already occurred, and there was no way to undo it.
“…….”
Suddenly, he remembered Elivan’s appearance at the ball not long ago. Just like the boy he had first met years ago, Elivan had been wearing a cheerful smile.
‘…Omnipotence?’
‘Well, isn’t that a virtue of a god? What I’m asking about is the moment one becomes a god.’
‘…The moment one becomes one, you say.’
‘Shall I tell you?’
‘What is it?’
‘It’s the Engraving.’
‘…Engraving?’
‘It’s about how one is perceived—what kind of existence they are recognized as.’
The next thing that came to mind was the conversation they had during their final meeting. Looking back, it was a somewhat abrupt topic. On the surface, it didn't seem to have much to do with Elivan becoming a Sin.
Yet, perhaps because Elivan had become a Sin, those words felt strangely significant now.
Why had Elivan said those things?
Why—the moment his thoughts reached that point, Alon shook himself out of his reverie, organized his thoughts once more, and spoke.
“Deus.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember when Elivan’s birthday party in Tern was held?”
“It was likely two days ago.”
“Two days ago…”
As far as Alon knew, it took two months for the Sin of Wrath to fully manifest. That meant Alon had 58 days left.
However, he knew he couldn't afford to be complacent. Through several experiences, he had realized that this world no longer functioned like a game. Furthermore, since Elivan had become the Sin, he had to recognize that its nature might differ from the Sins he previously knew.
In short, considering everything, the remaining time was likely not that long.
With that judgment made, Alon estimated the Sin’s military might. As far as he knew, a Sin was powerful in its own right, but it also received bonuses based on the physical strength of its Avatar Body.
The Sin that had taken over the body of Elivan—the final Sin and the Hero of Psychedelia—would undoubtedly be stronger than any other Sin.
‘If so, that strength would be…’
“Marquis—!”
As Alon continued his train of thought, a voice called out to him urgently.
He looked up to see Evan rushing into the tent. Evan had left earlier to meet with people from the information guild. His expression was one of extreme urgency.
Just as Alon was about to ask what was wrong, Evan spoke first.
“Ashtalon has fallen…!”
“…What?”
“Exactly as I said. The Ashtalon Kingdom has been destroyed…! And by the hand of Elivan, who has become a Sin…!”
Alon couldn't even ask for clarification. He simply—
“Ha.”
—let out a low, hollow laugh.
* * *
Three days had passed since the capital of Ashtalon vanished at the hands of the Sin of Wrath.
The kings of the United Kingdoms held an emergency meeting at the Magic Tower, where the Academic Societies of all mages were held.
Naturally, not every king had physically gathered at the tower. Three days was enough time for rumors to spread, but far from enough for kings to move their bodies and assemble in one place.
Instead of gathering in person, the kings sought the help of the Magic Towers, which felt an equal sense of crisis. They participated in the meeting via ‘Mana Astral Bodies’ created by the Green Magic Tower and the Brown Magic Tower.
It was a fascinating experience for both the mages and the kings who were encountering this technology for the first time. The dozens of magic circles resonating to sustain the magic in this limited space were so precise and admirable that ‘majestic’ felt like an understatement.
And yet, no one present uttered a word of admiration. The current situation was that dire.
“So, what do you intend to do?”
The first to break the silence was Karmakeses III.
“What are you referring to?”
“At this point, what else is there besides that monster in Ashtalon?”
“I am aware of that. What I am asking for is an opinion on what to do about him.”
At Palmalian’s words, Karmakeses spoke as if it were obvious.
“We must dispose of that monster, of course. By mobilizing soldiers.”
“Does that monster look like the kind that can be subjugated just because you send a subjugation force?”
Faced with the immediate rebuttal, Karmakeses III fell silent and shifted his gaze. He stared at the screen projected from the magic orb in the center of the conference room.
“…….”
The first sight to greet their eyes was the wretchedly destroyed capital of Ashtalon. The next was a single, massive scar carved across the ruined city.
And after that…
“Tsk.”
“…It’s unpleasant no matter how many times I see it.”
It was the mountain of corpses built within the capital. As if slaughtered livestock had been piled up, mounds of bodies were formed throughout the city, with red blood flowing endlessly, staining the ruins a dark crimson.
The kings who turned their eyes toward the magic orb all grimaced. The mages maintaining the astral magic and the Tower Masters quietly observing the meeting felt the same. The scene of the ruins on the screen was reminiscent of a hellscape.
However, more than the horrific visual, it was the information that pressured those in the room.
A single noble who had miraculously survived the massacre—Philian Merkillan—had conveyed one fact.
“…A single strike.”
That fact was plunging the atmosphere of the conference room into despair.
“…No matter how I think about it, isn't it an exaggeration to say a whole nation fell in just one strike?”
The King of Laxas, who had been silent until now, spoke up. Siyan, the Queen of Asteria, replied calmly.
“It doesn’t particularly look like an exaggeration to me.”
“…Why is that?”
“Setting aside ordinary soldiers, the noble of Ashtalon, Philian Merkillan, is someone who has already reached a high level of mastery. No matter how consumed by fear such a noble might be, he wouldn't hallucinate or distort his memory.”
““…….””
“Besides—the evidence is plain to see on the magic orb, is it not?”
A massive scar, running from left to right.
As Siyan added this calmly, the conference room fell silent. No one answered her. Everyone inwardly recognized that her words were likely the absolute truth.
“But no matter how strong the opponent is, we can’t just leave it like this, can we?”
“…I agree with that, but I question whether we can win even if we gather our forces.”
“Are you saying we should just sit back and watch? We don’t even know where that thing will strike next! Or does Laxas think it’s safe because it’s an island?”
“…I suggest you mind your tongue.”
The voices of Karmakeses III and the King of Laxas began to rise. Yet, despite their confrontation, no one else spoke up. Everyone present felt that both opinions held weight.
Indeed, the thing that appeared to be Elivan—the one once called a ‘Hero’ who had destroyed Ashtalon overnight—did not seem like the kind of monster that could be subjugated by simply gathering troops.
At the same time, they couldn't just do nothing. If they stayed like this, that monster, which had appeared in Ashtalon less than half a day after being in Tern, could show up anywhere else.
“In the first place! If we scrape together every soldier we have and send a subjugation force, what happens if that thing moves and strikes somewhere else? It would be a catastrophe!”
“That’s why I’m saying we should strike quickly before that happens!! Nothing gets solved by just sitting on our hands!”
As time passed, their opinions failed to align. The atmosphere in the conference room began to turn sour.
“…….”
Finally, just as Yuman, the representative of Rosario who had remained silent, let out a deep sigh—
Creeeeak.
The door to the conference room suddenly swung open.
The commotion died down instantly. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the sound.
And there…
“…….”
A man.
No.
“…Marquis Palatio?”
Marquis Palatio stood there.
“…….”
Standing still with the door open, he calmly scanned the room with his characteristic expressionless face.
Then.
Step. Step.
Without a word, he walked into the room.
Without a change in expression. Without a greeting. Calmly, as if there were no need for such things.
Having fully entered the room, Alon turned his gaze to the screen projected by the magic orb. The sight of the hellscape.
The expressions of those who followed Alon’s gaze back to the screen hardened, but even while looking at such a horrific scene, Alon walked toward the magic orb as if he felt nothing.
Vroooom!
He placed his hand on the orb and shut down the projection of the ruins.
“…?”
The kings, who had been staring blankly at Alon’s sudden appearance and actions, began to show their resentment.
“Marquis Palatio, what is the meaning of this?”
It was only natural. No matter how great a figure Alon was, this was a place where the kings of the United Kingdoms gathered to discuss affairs of state. He hadn't asked for permission to enter, and as someone who was still technically just a noble, barging into the meeting like this—and acting as he pleased—was essentially an act of looking down on them.
“Even if your reputation pierces the heavens, this is clearly crossing the line—”
“To run wild like this, trusting in your own power—”
Palmalian and the King of Laxas tried to reprimand him, but…
“I have a way to deal with that thing.”
At those words, the kings’ mouths were instantly shut.
“—If my presence is inconvenient, I shall leave.”
Furthermore, at Alon’s added passive-aggressive threat(?), the two kings, who were now receiving glares from the other monarchs, stammered.
“N-No—what I meant was—”
“—I was trying to say that Marquis Palatio is a person fully entitled to act this way.”
They hurriedly tried to fix what they had said.
And then, as the two kings poured out praise after their sudden pivot…
“Then, I shall begin.”
Alon officially opened the floor.
At that same moment, in the royal castle of Phildegrin…
“…The Guardian Weapon of the Illanef Empire.”
Line, who had been engrossed in the Ancient Library until a moment ago, muttered the knowledge she had found in the library as if she couldn't understand it.
“…Sin (罪惡)?”