Chapter 376: A Birthday Without Memories (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 376: A Birthday Without Memories (1)
“Marquis?”
“……What is it?”
“No, it’s just that your expression doesn’t look very good.”
“Mine?”
“Ah—well, you don’t usually show much change on your face, but I can still feel it to some extent.”
As Alon continued his train of thought, Evan spoke up.
Alon remained silent for a moment before answering.
“It’s nothing much.”
“……Is that so? That’s strange—”
“Eek!”
“? Why?”
“No, I just got goosebumps for a second…….”
“……Why do you treat me like that……?”
Penia immediately began dealing damage without missing a beat.
Evan replied naturally, and the two began their usual bickering.
Alon stared blankly at the scene, lost in thought.
‘What on earth was that?’
In the end, Alon hadn't received an answer as to how the Previous Observer—no, how that entity—knew such facts.
[You’ll find out naturally. That is, if you can truly reach the ‘Creation of Heavenly Law’ and become a god.]
That was what he heard instead.
Alon considered asking her one more time after hearing that sentence, but he soon gave up.
The reason was simple.
He had no way of making her open her firmly shut mouth.
And time was running out.
‘……Then how exactly was I able to become a Divine Blood?’
Instead, Alon had asked her something else.
He asked how he was able to become a Divine Blood.
She gave a light shrug.
[Didn’t I tell you? Those born as living beings in this world can never become Divine Blood. This place was created solely for the gestation of a god.]
[No matter how much faith or belief they gain, they only live longer, and at most, half-baked versions of Divine Blood appear. But you’re ‘different,’ aren’t you?]
[Of course, that reason alone isn’t enough to become a god. To become ‘Divine Blood,’ you need faith and belief. But coincidentally, you had everything.]
As if it had all been prepared in advance.
Her voice continued in his memory.
[You had faith. You had people who would make that faith bloom as Divine Blood, and in the battle against The Burdened One, you imprinted yourself as a ‘god’ upon the humans of this world. It happened so smoothly.]
It all fit together too perfectly, didn't it? she had added with a playful smirk.
[That is exactly why you were able to become a Divine Blood.]
She had given him that answer.
Alon quietly listened to her next story.
It was about Creation.
[First, let me tell you this. It will take time for you to reach Creation.]
‘Will it take long?’
[There are four stages of Status.]
[The first is witnessing All Phenomena.]
[The second is performing Rhythm within it.]
[The third is engraving Logic.]
[The fourth is becoming Providence itself.]
[And where you need to reach—is the second stage, Rhythm.]
‘Then, will I be able to reach Creation?’
[You’ll be able to mimic it.]
She had answered with a brilliant smile.
‘……How should I train?’
[Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out on your own even if I don’t tell you. And more importantly, that’s not what matters right now.]
‘Didn’t you talk as if that was the most important thing?’
[Yes. But you have to survive until you reach the second stage, don’t you?]
[…….]
[Keep this in mind. Raising your Status is important, but what you must prioritize above all else is your magic proficiency.]
‘Proficiency…… I see.’
[Yes, proficiency—meaning you need to fill what you currently lack. Only then will you be able to fight those guys. So I’ll say it once more. Keep it in mind: you certainly have potential, but—]
‘—Until that potential blooms, you are infinitely in danger…… is that it?’
Alon let out a sigh as he recalled the last words she had left behind.
His head felt cluttered, likely because of the sheer amount of information he had received.
The things she told him contained truths too significant for Alon to ignore.
But above all, there was something that kept bothering Alon after hearing her words.
‘……Elivan.’
Alon thought back to Elivan’s actions.
He might not have known before, but now that all the puzzle pieces were in his hand, it wasn't difficult to deduce……
The actions of Elivan, who had prepared all of this.
‘Just what are you……’
Alon pondered.
Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind.
He still couldn't understand why Elivan had moved in such a way, as if he had prepared everything in advance.
And so, his contemplation deepened.
For a long time.
* * *
A few weeks had passed since then.
Alon returned to the Palatio Marquisate to rest.
……In truth, there was too much to do for him to actually rest—the proclamation of the kingdom, Siyan’s request for a meeting, handling affairs for the Divine Land and the territory, and so on.
But he decided to rest first because he was simply too exhausted.
Of course, that didn't mean he just played around.
He had already received a clear warning from her, and Alon wasn't so thick-skinned that he could ignore it and just slack off.
Therefore.
“Hmm—there’s still no significant progress.”
“I see.”
Alon was conducting magic research with Penia.
More accurately, he was researching the supplementation of his magic that she had mentioned.
“But Marquis, honestly…… isn’t this a bit impossible?”
“……Is it, after all?”
“Yes. Marquis, you basically use ‘Phrases’ and ‘Sentences’ to push the destructive power of your magic to the extreme, right?”
When Alon nodded silently, Penia continued.
“But to supplement that by reducing the incantation to almost nothing while maintaining the same level of magic…… isn’t that a bit nonsensical?”
She was speaking politely, but she was essentially pointing out, ‘Aren’t you being a bit too shameless?’
Alon scratched his head.
She wasn't wrong.
Nevertheless, the reason Alon was agonizing over this was clear.
At least in his mind, if he were to supplement his own magic, that was the only way.
Alon’s magic was strong.
Perhaps to the point where no mage at this point in time could dare to match the destructive power he produced.
However, that immense power came with the risks of the Divine Blood and Phrases.
And those risks had become a massive weakness for Alon.
Until now, he had minimized those risks by always having the help of the others.
On top of that, he had used his prior knowledge of the techniques used by the Outer Gods and the Sins to prepare and buy time.
But that would be impossible from now on.
The Divine Bloods Alon would have to fight from here on out had never appeared in the game.
“Whew—”
Alon let out a sigh.
To want to use magic that only becomes strong with risks, but without any penalties.
Even he thought it sounded like a child’s stubborn demand.
But the problem was.
Even if it was a stubborn demand, he had to find a way somehow.
“…….”
As Alon scratched his head in serious thought, Penia, who had been watching him quietly, spoke up cautiously.
“……Um, Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“If you really can’t give up, I do have a method…… would you like to hear it?”
“There’s a method?”
“Yes. Oh, of course, it’s not a certainty. Hmm—how should I put it? It’s more like something that makes your creativity a bit more abundant?”
“What does that mean?”
At Alon’s interest, Penia slowly continued, looking somewhat wary.
A short while later.
“So, there’s a potion called the Potion of Regression, and if I drink it, I’ll temporarily return to a younger state?”
“Strictly speaking, only your mind.”
“……To what age?”
“……Between ten and thirteen years from now?”
“Hmm—”
Alon pondered.
Or rather, he questioned her with a skeptical tilt of his head.
“Will that really be of any help?”
“Hmm—I think so.”
“……Really?”
“Yes.”
“……No, if my mind just goes back ten years, won’t all my memories of magic disappear? How is that supposed to help?”
When Alon asked as if he couldn't understand, Penia replied as if telling him not to worry.
“Because we can leave an engraving.”
“An engraving?”
“Yes. We leave an engraving on the subconscious. Even if the ‘me’ from ten years ago doesn't recognize it, it allows you to find clues for magic that you can't even imagine right now. Hmm—to put it simply, you keep only the memories of magic and wipe the rest.”
“……That’s possible?”
“Yes, well—you’ll be confused for a day or two, though.”
Penia let out an ‘Ah’ and quickly added.
“Just so you know, I’m not saying this without any basis, okay?”
“……You weren’t?”
“Of course not……! In the first place, the Red Tower Master and the Green Tower Master reached the 8th Tier using this method.”
“……Using this method?”
“Yes!”
Penia gave a confident nod.
Alon fell silent.
Honestly, until a moment ago, he thought Penia was suddenly trying to sell him some strange medicine again.
But if there were precedents from the Red and Green Tower Masters, the story was different.
“Nothing will go wrong, right?”
“As far as I know, nothing has gone wrong for anyone. If worst comes to worst, we can just undo it. It only lasts about two weeks anyway.”
“Two weeks, huh……”
Since it seemed better to try it than to do nothing, Alon nodded.
“When will it be ready?”
“I happen to have one bottle I made to use for myself later. You just need to learn how to engrave the knowledge and then drink it right away.”
“……Let’s give it a try.”
He accepted Penia’s proposal.
* * *
About a month later.
Yutia Bloodia was walking through the interior of the Palatio Marquisate.
A pleasant smile played on her lips.
Normally, she should have been in Rosario, not here.
But the reason she was here now was.
Because tomorrow was the Marquis of Palatio’s birthday.
In truth, it would have been better to show up on the day of his birthday to congratulate him, but Yutia chose to come a day early.
It was because of the people who would gather for Alon’s birthday.
Rather than congratulating him among a crowd of people, Yutia wanted to congratulate him alone.
Congratulating someone together and congratulating them alone held different meanings.
At least to Yutia, it was even more so.
On top of that, Line had broken Yutia’s brooch again before disappearing.
The fact that she hadn't been able to monitor—no, protect—Alon for two months was also a reason.
Anyway, that was why Yutia had secretly entered the Marquisate without informing Alon.
She opened the door to the office where Alon should be.
And there.
Just as Yutia expected, Alon and Penia were present.
“Gasp—”
Penia gasped in surprise as soon as she saw Yutia.
Yutia was about to frown at that reaction for a moment.
But thinking that Alon was watching her, she smiled instead and greeted them.
“My, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, that—”
Penia’s pupils shook for a moment.
Yutia felt a sense of doubt at that excessive reaction, but she quickly looked away.
After all, the person she cared about wasn't Penia.
Thus, Yutia looked at Alon with a smile.
Alon met her gaze with an expressionless face.
“Hello, Marquis?”
Yutia, naturally approaching him, gave a light greeting.
Alon also greeted Yutia—
“……Who, who are you?”
Greeted—
“……Pardon?”
He did not greet her.
Yutia stared at Alon, momentarily forgetting even to keep her smile.
After Penia’s gasp was heard once more, silence descended upon the office.
But that, too, was brief.
“You’re being…… mischievous, Marquis……. That kind of joke isn’t funny, you know?”
Yutia wore a smile full of agitation.
As if telling him to stop joking.
However, instead of answering, Alon stood up from his seat.
“……?”
He naturally moved behind the seated Penia.
And soon, Yutia saw it.
Alon’s two hands, tightly gripping the chair Penia was sitting on.
And the moment she understood the meaning of that gesture.
“Wh-who are you, really……?”
At Alon’s following words.
“……Eh?”
Yutia’s heart shattered.
……Crack.