Chapter 363: About the Sins (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 363: About the Sins (1)
Five days had passed since Alon joined the meeting and presented his plan to deal with the Sin of Wrath.
"Brother."
"Saint Yuman."
"As you requested, the priests will be arriving shortly."
"And their numbers?"
"It is most of the priests currently available in Rosario."
"Thank you. May I ask when they are expected to arrive?"
"Given the distance, I expect it will take about two weeks."
Alon fell into thought at Yuman’s words.
Two weeks.
If the Sin of Wrath moved to destroy a nation, that was an absurdly generous amount of time. It was long enough to wipe out one or even two other kingdoms.
...No, perhaps it was even enough time to devour the entire United Kingdoms.
Nevertheless, Alon did not press Yuman. Hurrying wouldn't shorten the distance the priests had to travel.
Furthermore, it wasn't just the priests who needed time to mobilize. The fighters and knights of each kingdom, as well as Laxas’s naval forces, would also take time to assemble.
So, the total time for all forces to gather is... one month?
One month.
It was a duration that could be considered long or short, depending on the perspective. However, there was no way to know which it truly was. Ultimately, the standard of evaluation would be when the Sin decided to make its move.
"Thank you, Saint Yuman."
When Alon bowed his head in gratitude, Yuman shook his head with a smile.
"No, Brother. There is no need for that. I know how hard you are working to save the world."
"Saint Yuman..."
Alon felt a small wave of emotion. Of course, those close to him, including Evan, trusted him without question. But it was rare for an outsider to show such total, unwavering faith.
Well, they believed him, certainly. But the "suspicious" glares directed at Alon hadn't entirely vanished. Alon understood the feelings of those people—especially the kings. No matter how many unbelievable feats he had achieved, the fact that he knew exactly how to deal with such a nonsensical monster was bound to look suspicious.
As Alon was inwardly moved by the Saint's words, Yuman continued slowly, the smile still on his lips.
"More than that, I didn't realize you had seen this far ahead."
"...Pardon?"
Alon looked puzzled, unsure of what he meant. But Yuman pressed on.
"To be honest, at first, I didn't understand why you were suddenly creating Divine Land, Marquis."
"..."
Alon let out a low sigh. He realized instantly what kind of misunderstanding the Saint had fallen into.
"That is—"
He opened his mouth to clear up the misconception, but Yuman didn't give him the chance.
"When the Luxible Grand Duchy was secretly gathering its forces, I felt pathetic for letting my faith in you waver, even for a moment."
At those words, Alon closed his mouth. The thought flashed through his mind: Is it even worth clearing up this misunderstanding?
He suddenly recalled all his past conversations with Yuman. No matter how many times Alon told the truth, the man always believed exactly what he wanted to believe.
And so, Alon didn't bother to stop Yuman as he left the room with a benevolent smile.
"Anyway, I believe in you, Brother."
Immediately after he left...
"Mentor!"
"Brother."
"Seolrang... and Ladan?"
"I ran into him in front of the Magic Tower."
Seolrang and Ladan entered the room. Seolrang clung to Alon with her usual energy, while Ladan stood by his side with a smile. Ladan’s complexion looked much better than when they had last parted.
"It seems you've resolved whatever was bothering you."
"Bothering... me?"
"Yes."
"...Was it that obvious?"
Alon didn't say anything. Instead, the very faint smile on Ladan’s lips served as the answer.
"...Goodness, it really is hard to hide anything from your eyes, Brother."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. But don't worry. As you expected, most of it has been resolved."
Alon nodded and spoke.
"Rest for now. We'll start the discussion once the others arrive."
"Got it!"
"Understood."
Seolrang answered while naturally hopping onto Alon’s lap. Ladan nodded peacefully.
A short while later...
"Ah!"
Seolrang, who had been humming softly while enjoying Alon’s ear rubs for quite some time, let out an exclamation as if she had remembered something important and looked up.
"Mentor! Give me your hand!"
"My hand?"
"Yeah!"
Though puzzled, Alon held out his hand. Seolrang smiled and dropped an object into his palm.
"This is...?"
"You said you were looking for it!"
It was the 'Screaming Blessing' from the Colony, the artifact Alon had been searching for.
"...You went all the way there to get this?"
"Yup!"
Seolrang nodded with an expression that clearly said, Aren't I impressive? Hurry up and praise me! Alon naturally smiled and stroked her hair.
"Thank you."
"Hehehe!"
Thanks to Seolrang, he now had two of them. There was only one artifact left for Alon to find.
The Gem of the Blind One.
Where on earth could that be?
While Alon was stroking Seolrang’s hair as she basked in his touch...
"Marquis!"
Evan rushed in, looking more urgent than usual.
"What is it?"
In response to Alon’s question, Evan delivered the news even more breathlessly.
"The Hero’s party—no, Elivan’s party has arrived!"
* * *
On the fifth basement floor of the Magic Society.
Inside the magic prison where those who had brought shame to the Magic Tower and the name of mages were held to await "execution" by their peers...
"...It’s been a while, Yan."
Alon was meeting the Hero’s party.
"You remember my name."
Yan replied with a haggard face, looking slightly surprised. Alon shifted his gaze to the others, who looked just as drained as she did.
"Of course. I remember Vina and Ralph as well."
He shrugged lightly as he recited their names.
Whether I like it or not, they're characters I'd see constantly once I became a player.
After briefly asking how they were, Alon continued.
"You'll likely have to stay here for the time being."
"I see."
Yan looked a bit dejected. In truth, Alon found the situation quite unfortunate. After all, it was Elivan who had committed the wrong, not the Hero’s party. However, because they had been active as Elivan’s party, they were currently under unavoidable suspicion. Consequently, they had been imprisoned in the dungeon as soon as they arrived at the Magic Tower.
It was a deeply unfair treatment.
"But don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."
He wouldn't let them continue to suffer like this. Alon knew better than anyone that they were innocent.
"Thank you."
Seeing Yan offer a small word of thanks, as if his sincerity had reached her, Alon remained silent for a moment before carefully bringing up the main point.
"I heard that Elivan knocked you all unconscious, and after waking up, you immediately assessed the situation and came here. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Could you tell me about the situation then in more detail?"
In truth, Alon didn't need to hear any more about Elivan. Elivan had already become the Sin of Wrath and was intent on destroying humanity. Hearing about what had happened to him wouldn't change the future ahead.
The reason Alon persisted was simply because he didn't understand. He couldn't comprehend why Elivan, who had sought to save the world, had become a Sin.
"I'd like to tell you, but I'm afraid that's impossible."
"Why is that?"
"...Because the last thing my comrades and I saw was Elivan’s smile and him saying, 'Thank you.' After that..."
"You were immediately taken down by Elivan?"
"Yes. By the time we woke up..."
"I see."
Alon nodded at Yan’s quiet voice, but then...
"However, I have something to tell you about the time before that."
"What is it?"
"Yes. Actually, the reason I came to this Magic Tower was to tell you this, Marquis."
At Yan’s words, Alon focused his attention once more. After a long silence, Yan spoke abruptly.
"...Elivan was strange."
"Strange...?"
"Elivan always kept things from us. For instance, he always possessed power far greater than ours."
"..."
"But we never doubted him for it. Elivan always acted exactly like the Hero in the stories."
"...Meaning?"
"Exactly what I said. He worked without rest to eliminate anything that was a threat to humanity. He never overlooked even the smallest matter and was equally kind to everyone."
Alon nodded silently. While a player could play however they wanted, the fundamental nature of the playable character Elivan was 'Absolute Good' unless one intentionally tried to ruin it. In other words, Elivan’s behavior was, in a sense, only natural.
"...In fact, that side of him never disappeared, even until the very end. Elivan still had things he was hiding, but he still moved for the sake of everyone."
"From what I've heard so far, it doesn't seem like there was a major problem."
"You're right, on the surface."
Yan let out a small sigh before continuing.
"...At some point, Elivan became obsessed with his fame."
"...Fame?"
"Yes. He certainly wasn't like that before, but from a certain point on, he didn't hesitate to spread his own reputation. There was no exaggeration in it... but still, yes, it was strange."
Because he never used to care about such things, Yan added as she went on.
"Also, if the schedule for dealing with a Strange Gate or an Outer God was delayed even slightly, he became extremely anxious. As if he had done something wrong."
"Wasn't that because of the potential damage they could cause?"
"No, it was different from that. To begin with, Elivan dealt with most Strange Gates before they even reached a dangerous state. And after he dealt with a gate so urgently—"
"He spread word of his achievement?"
"Yes. From a certain point on."
Alon was silent for a moment before speaking.
"...Couldn't it be that his personality just shifted that way? The achievements Elivan accomplished were certainly worthy of praise."
"I agree with that. He would even go out and clear Strange Gates alone while we were resting. But his personality hadn't changed. Everything else was the same as before, except for his desire to spread his achievements."
"...Was there anything else different?"
At Alon’s question, Yan replied.
"He often looked at the sky."
"...The sky?"
"Yes. At first, I thought it was just a harmless habit. Elivan always looked at the sky whenever night fell. But after living with him for several years, I realized. Elivan didn't particularly like the night sky."
"Did he say that himself?"
"No, Elivan would just smile when I mentioned it."
"Then it could have been a misunderstanding—"
"No."
Yan replied firmly.
"Even I... can read the emotions of someone precious to me. That was—"
She started to say something but then fell silent and looked at Alon.
"Actually, I thought you might know something, Marquis."
"Why is that?"
"...Because Elivan seemed infinitely sincere only when he was talking about you."
"..."
Alon didn't offer any response to her words. No, he couldn't.
Because Alon hadn't known anything about Elivan’s strange reactions. He couldn't fathom why he had tried to spread his achievements so widely, nor could he understand why he felt such anxiety over clearing Strange Gates. And he had no idea why he would stare blankly at a night sky he didn't even like.
And so...
What on earth is it?
Alon could only agonize over the mystery.