Chapter 371: A King? Me? (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 371: A King? Me? (1)
Immediately after regaining consciousness.
“So, why did you play such a prank?”
“Hmm—I just wanted to let you know that everyone around you right now has a guilty conscience, Godfather?”
Alon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Line, who answered nonchalantly.
“……Really?”
“Well…… at least in part?”
“Though, of course, none of them are the type to actually stab you in the back,” Line added with a smile.
She then stole a glance at Alon’s face before confessing her true feelings.
“I won’t be able to stay for long anyway.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
Line nodded and shifted her gaze downward, pointing toward the floor.
“……Huh?”
Alon noticed it then.
Line’s body was slowly fading away, starting from her toes.
“What is—?”
Alon frowned at the incomprehensible sight.
But only for a moment.
“Don’t worry too much. I told you before, didn’t I? That I’m here with the help of an artifact.”
“Then this disappearing is—”
“My time is up. Normally, I could have held out for another month or two, but well, things got a bit hectic, didn't they?”
“……Does using your power reduce the time?”
“Hmm, the mechanism is closer to an overload, but yes, that’s essentially it.”
Alon nodded at Line’s explanation.
She hadn't unleashed her full power in the battle against the Sin.
However, the fact remained that she had been involved in a violent struggle.
“Anyway—I won’t be able to see your face for a while now.”
Line murmured, sounding a bit lonely.
For a fleeting second, a strange sense of regret flickered across her expression.
Capturing that moment, Alon replied.
“I’ll come find you soon.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
At those words, Line wiped away her faint sadness as if it had never existed and flashed a fox-like grin.
“……You.”
I’ve been had.
Alon couldn't even finish his sentence.
“I’m satisfied. I was the first person you saw after waking up, and you even promised to come visit me yourself.”
Line feigned innocence, maintaining her relaxed, foxy smile.
“I’ll be waiting, Godfather.”
With a light farewell, she vanished completely.
Clatter—
As soon as Line disappeared, an object fell to the floor. It looked remarkably similar to the lithium batteries Alon remembered from his previous world.
The moment Alon picked it up.
“Oh, Marquis?!”
“Evan.”
Evan burst through the door.
Alon greeted him calmly, and after a brief moment of shock, Evan rushed over to him in a fluster.
“Are you alright?! How is your body?!”
“Fine. Not bad.”
Evan, who had been frantically checking Alon over, let out a sigh of relief.
He then stole a glance at Alon and asked tentatively.
“……By any chance, is your memory alright?”
“My memory?”
“Yes. Actually, after you collapsed, Line mentioned that your memories might be a bit unstable.”
Alon thought for a moment and decided to play a small prank.
“……Indeed, it does feel like there are some gaps in my memory.”
“R-really? Is that true?”
“Well, you don't need to worry. I still remember promising to cut your salary in half.”
“……Pardon?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not that…… I mean, wasn't it—wasn't it that you were going to increase it by half?”
“I remember it as cutting it in half.”
“Wait, no—”
Seeing Evan’s face turn pale in an instant, Alon let out a small chuckle.
* * *
After that, a stream of visitors followed as if they had been waiting for the signal.
The first to arrive were Basiliora and Blackie, who were somehow in Yutia’s hands.
[Kyu— Kyuuu!]
[I shall protect you from now on—!]
Alon wasn't sure what had happened, but the two of them seemed to be trembling slightly.
For now, Alon simply nodded at them.
Following them, everyone Alon knew began to visit one by one.
Of course, during the conversations, Ryanga and Seolrang would subtly ask about memories they were trying to plant, or Penia would look at Alon with an expectant expression.
For the sake of the blankets they would surely kick in embarrassment later, Alon decided to pretend he didn't notice.
Anyway, after a few more days of being bombarded with visitors, Alon was finally recovered enough to investigate the current situation in detail.
“An entirely new species?”
“Yes. For now, we’re calling them monsters, but these are entities we’ve never seen before, appearing ever since the Milky Way fell. Their forms are incredibly diverse as well.”
“Is the situation that bad?”
Evan shook his head at Alon’s question.
“No, according to the reports, it hasn't reached that point yet.”
“……Is that so?”
“Yes. It would be one thing if the monsters were just charging in blindly, but right now they’ve only been sighted; they haven't attacked any villages. However—”
“However?”
“If they do start attacking villages, things will become very problematic.”
“And if you add the Strange Gates to that……”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yes. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence of timing, but after the Milky Way fell, all the remaining Strange Gates completely vanished.”
“……All of them?”
“Yes.”
The Milky Way—the falling Divine Blood—and the simultaneous disappearance of the Strange Gates. Was it a coincidence?
Alon felt a brief moment of doubt but soon nodded.
“Are there any other matters?”
“Hmm—aside from the meeting tomorrow I mentioned earlier, there isn't much to worry about. If I had to name something…… perhaps Elivan?”
“Elivan……”
As Alon muttered the name, Evan quickly added.
“He still hasn't regained consciousness.”
“……How long do you think it will take?”
“Line said even she wasn't sure.”
Alon let out a sigh.
To be honest, he had secretly hoped Elivan would be awake by the time he woke up.
He had many questions for him.
“Anyway, that’s the gist of what happened while you were down, Marquis.”
Alon nodded and exhaled a long breath.
In truth, he had a lot to think about himself after this battle ended.
Even excluding the matters related to Elivan.
The first was his Divinity.
More accurately, it was the change that had occurred in Alon’s body.
Alon calmly closed his eyes and entered a state of Contemplation.
What he should have seen was his Divinity, just as it always appeared.
Yes, normally.
‘It’s gone.’
Alon looked into an inner world that was nothing but pitch black.
He wondered if he had made a mistake and failed to enter his Mental World, but that wasn't it.
This was indeed Alon’s inner self.
It meant that the Divinities that were supposed to be here had all vanished.
Even that Divinity emitting the ominous light was gone.
It was a shocking situation.
Yet, Alon managed to remain relatively calm.
This was because he could still use his Divine Power perfectly fine.
His Divinity was gone, yet he could still utilize the power itself.
That was the first thing Alon was brooding over.
The second was the Divine Blood that had fallen to the ground—something he had never seen in Psychedelia.
Alon had never seen the story beyond the end of Psychedelia.
It made sense. After all, the game he had enjoyed ended with the disposal of the Sins.
Therefore, Alon now had to find out about the Divine Blood.
About the Divine Blood that sought to destroy this world.
Fortunately, Alon had a place where he could obtain information.
“……You said Elivan had this?”
“Yes.”
The Gem of Oblivion.
Alon stared silently at the black crystal he had been searching for all this time, wondering why it had been in Elivan’s possession.
If he had this, he felt he could resolve the questions he currently harbored.
About the Divine Blood. And about himself.
And finally, the third remaining concern.
“……What was that?”
It was the words he had heard when the Milky Way fell.
[̆̊́͞I҇̓̑ c̾̾͡a͋͛͛̆͡n̽͛̇͠ f͑̋̋̇̅͠i̍̀̒̎͐͡n̐̈́̽̀̑͠ǎ͛̇̈́̚͡l̀́̋̕l̑̇͗̓̒̆͡͞y̾̾͡ s͑̋̋̇̅͠e̍̀̒̎͐͡ě͛̇̈́̚͡ ỳ́̋̕ȏ̇͗̓̒̆͡͞u̾̾͡ n̐̈́̽̀̑͠ǒ͛̇̈́̚͡ẁ́̋̕]̑̇͗̓̒̆͡͞
[̑̎̍̆̾͡S͒͗͊͞h҇̉̋̍͐ō̉͒̿͡w͑̈͐͂̓͡ m̋̾̍̓͒̕e̽͒̓̑͠ w̉́̚͠h͊́͂́̃͠a҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞t̽͊͝ ỷ̛̌̎̀o̍̒͛̅͡ư̆̈́̓̆̋'v̋̾̍̓͒̕e̽͒̓̑͠ g̉́̚͠o͊́͂́̃͠t҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞]҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞
[̽͊͝F̛̉̌̎̀i̍̒͛̅͡ň̚͞ă̛̈́̓̆̋l̑̎̍̆̾͡l͒͗͊͞y҇̉̋̍͐f̄̉͒̿͡i͑̈͐͂̓͡n̋̾̍̓͒̕a̽͒̓̑͠l̉́̚͠l͊́͂́̃͠y҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞f̛̉̌̎̀i̍̒͛̅͡ň̚͞ă̛̈́̓̆̋l̑̎̍̆̾͡l͒͗͊͞y҇̉̋̍͐f̄̉͒̿͡i͑̈͐͂̓͡n̋̾̍̓͒̕a̽͒̓̑͠l̉́̚͠l͊́͂́̃͠y҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞f̛̉̌̎̀i̍̒͛̅͡ň̚͞ă̛̈́̓̆̋l̑̎̍̆̾͡l͒͗͊͞y҇̉̋̍͐f̄̉͒̿͡i͑̈͐͂̓͡n̋̾̍̓͒̕a̽͒̓̑͠l̉́̚͠l͊́͂́̃͠y҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞f̛̉̌̎̀i̍̒͛̅͡ň̚͞ă̛̈́̓̆̋l̑̎̍̆̾͡l͒͗͊͞y҇̉̋̍͐f̄̉͒̿͡i͑̈͐͂̓͡n̋̾̍̓͒̕a̽͒̓̑͠l̉́̚͠l͊́͂́̃͠y҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞f̛̉̌̎̀i̍̒͛̅͡ň̚͞ă̛̈́̓̆̋l̑̎̍̆̾͡l͒͗͊͞y҇̉̋̍͐f̄̉͒̿͡i͑̈͐͂̓͡n̋̾̍̓͒̕a̽͒̓̑͠l̉́̚͠l͊́͂́̃͠y҇̃̋̀͋̄̇͞-͒̊͝]҇̒̂̔̽͛
Because of the heavy noise, he hadn't been able to hear them clearly.……
But even from what he could make out, it was undeniably strange.
It was as if they had known Alon from before.
‘……What is it?’
Alon found it incredibly suspicious.
Of course, if he assumed they had been looking down at him.……
The words weren't entirely incomprehensible.
However, that only provided a reason for them ‘knowing’ Alon; it didn't explain the goodwill he felt from them, which remained just as bizarre.
Moreover, while some sent him goodwill.……
There was also an incomprehensible malice mixed in.
‘And that last voice…….’
Alon searched his memory.
Just before he lost consciousness after hearing the voices of the falling Divine Blood.
[́̍̌͐̔̕─́̈́̉̇͞─҇̇̒̽̌̚─̔͗͋͠─̄͒̇̎̕─̛̾̽͒─̛̒̆͛̎─҇͂̒─̇̅͠]̏̀̏̈́̋͠
A voice that seemed to whisper in his ear, one that was particularly faint.
At first, he didn't even know what it had said.
Back then, it had sounded like mere mumbling.
But after waking up and recalling that noise-like murmuring over and over again.……
Alon was able to decipher the words.
[Come to the eastern end, friend. Then I shall hand over what is precious to you.]
It had been so quiet at the time that it was almost unintelligible.……
A voice that might have come from right behind his back.
Alon remained silent for a long time.
He had no idea why those who appeared to be Divine Blood would say such things to him.
But Alon soon shook his head.
In any case, it was impossible to reach a conclusion without more information.
“Evan.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
“After the meeting next week, we’re going to Laxas.”
“So suddenly……? Well, yes. Understood.”
Evan bowed his head, and Alon let out a long sigh.
It was late at night.
* * *
A day later.
A meeting was held due to the fall of Ashtalon and the appearance of unique variant monsters outside.
Alon, who attended the meeting, actually hadn't been thinking much until he entered the hall.
Or, to be more precise.……
“……So, what are your thoughts, Marquis Palatio—no, the King?”
“……Hmm— wait, what? Me? No…… what……?”
……Until Karmakeses III addressed him as the King with a slightly embarrassed and awkward tone.
“……??”
Having only recently regained consciousness.……
Countless question marks appeared over Alon’s head for the first time in a long while.