Chapter 387: Quickening (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 387: Quickening (2)
The desert city, Colony.
"Haa—"
Lime, Seolrang’s secretary, let out a soft sigh.
It was because of the events that had been occurring frequently in Colony of late.
"……."
From the upper floors of the towering guild building, she cast her gaze toward the north.
As always, the landscape of golden sands layered into mountains was quite beautiful, but that was not where her eyes were fixed.
It was further back.
A bizarre sight where the earth was covered in something deep purple instead of golden sand.
Ever since that phenomenon appeared shortly after stars fell from the sky, the atmosphere within Colony had been grim.
Furthermore, because of a certain Babayaga, the mood had grown even heavier.
'Scorching Hand,' a man who had recently become a Babayaga and set off boldly to investigate the situation, had not returned for over a week.
In this desert, failing to return for a week meant one thing.
It meant death.
But that wasn't all.
The biggest reason the atmosphere had turned so rigid was none other than the current King of Colony, Karmakeses III.
Despite the death of a Babayaga.
Despite the fact that the purple-stained land was slowly creeping toward Colony.
Karmakeses III had not issued a single order.
It was as if he were a mere bystander to the entire situation.
That wasn't the only issue.
The Kingdom was showing absolutely no reaction to other problems currently arising in Colony.
This was something that would have been impossible for the Karmakeses III she knew. Lime’s sigh deepened.
Thinking that far made her suddenly think of Seolrang.
'I wonder what Seolrang-nim is doing in a situation like this—'
Lime looked toward one side of the office.
It was the spot where Seolrang would usually be lounging lazily, but now it was empty.
'Seolrang-nim has been acting strange lately, too—I wonder if she’s really okay….'
Worry clouded Lime’s eyes.
It was because Seolrang’s condition hadn't looked very good recently.
To be more precise, Seolrang had changed—if only slightly—ever since she participated in the final battle before the Milky Way poured down a few months ago.
At first, the change wasn't significant.
She simply became a bit more taciturn and spent a little more time lost in thought.
But as time passed, Seolrang’s condition grew more serious.
She stopped speaking almost entirely, her periods of contemplation grew longer, and a dark cloud settled over her once-vibrant expression.
'…I heard she was her usual self when she was with the Marquis, though.'
Lime recalled the information she had secretly gathered from the information guild.
'What on earth is going on—'
She fell into silent thought while staring at the empty seat.
Just then.
"Vice Guild Master!"
As if to prove the previous silence was a lie, someone burst through the door.
"…I believe I told you to always knock before entering—"
Lime, frowning as she prepared to scold the guild member, quickly shut her mouth.
The expression on the guild member who had kicked the door open looked incredibly grave.
"You need to come downstairs right now…!"
Lime followed the guild member straight to the first floor.
Upon arriving at a private, sealed room on the ground floor, she gasped.
"P-Prince?"
"It… it has been a while—"
She was facing the 2nd Prince of Colony.
Karsem, who was covered in wounds from head to toe.
* * *
At that same moment.
Inside a cave to the west of Colony.
"Haa— haa—"
Seolrang was slumped on the ground, breathing heavily.
Exhausted, she stared at the object dropped before her with eyes weary from fatigue.
It was the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.
The essence Alon had handed to her a long time ago.
The essence whose full power she had yet to inherit because she hadn't completed all the trials.
[Are you planning to attempt the trial again?]
As Seolrang stared blankly at it for a moment and moved her hand to snatch the essence, a voice rang out.
Seolrang turned her head toward the source of the voice.
The Black Dragon was there.
The Black Dragon looked down at Seolrang, who appeared to be in a precarious state.
Her eyes had already begun to change, the whites turning black like a demon's after receiving its power.
"Why?"
[I’m warning you now: if you try any more than this, your body won't be able to take it.]
Seolrang’s body flinched at the Black Dragon’s words.
She knew that much herself.
However, the reason she didn't stop was because of a sudden, stark realization.
The realization that she was weak.
That at this rate, she wouldn't even be able to properly protect her precious Mentor….
The realization that she was falling behind.
Countless battles she had experienced flashed through Seolrang’s mind.
Simultaneously, the images of her comrades passed by.
The image of Mentor passed by.
And within those memories, she saw herself.
Not as a protector, but as someone who was always being protected.
"……."
Having thought that far, Seolrang moved her hand once more.
Her hand gripped the essence.
Feebly.
Yet desperately.
* * *
The day after Alon spoke with the Divine Blood who could be considered the original Goddess Sironia.
"Teacher."
"Yutia."
He was able to meet Yutia.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes."
"I’m sorry. I wanted to see you as soon as possible—but I had quite a bit of work to do, so I ended up being a day late."
"No. I didn't wait that long to begin with."
"Isn't a day quite a long wait?"
"I can wait that long without much difficulty."
Yutia’s eyes widened for a moment at Alon’s unhesitating answer, but she soon smiled again.
A smile that curved into a longer arc than before.
"It makes me happy to hear you say that. Let’s go inside and finish our talk, Teacher."
"Let's do that."
Yutia, who was about to lead Alon to her office, suddenly looked puzzled.
"By the way—where are the others?"
"By others—do you mean Evan and Penia?"
"Yes."
"Evan went out for a moment, and Penia also left, saying she had something to discuss with a mage here in Rosario."
Blackie and Basiliora had clung to Penia and Evan respectively the moment they heard he was meeting Yutia.
Without mentioning that fact, Alon followed Yutia to her office.
As soon as they arrived, he saw her desk, as tidy as ever.
And on that desk sat a crystal ball.
A crystal ball that was cracked in various places, as if its durability had been severely depleted—
"?"
A question mark instantly popped up over Alon’s head.
"Um, is something wrong, Teacher?"
"No—that—"
"That?"
"Wasn't there a crystal ball there just a moment ago?"
"A crystal ball?"
"Yes, that—the one that was a bit broken… worn out."
Because the crystal ball he had clearly just witnessed had suddenly vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.
A sense of bewilderment naturally rose within him, but—
"Oh, really?"
"Yes."
"…I don't think I saw anything like that?"
"Is that… so?"
"Yes. Please, have a seat, Teacher."
Faced with a composed Yutia, Alon sat down, feeling confused. After sharing some brief updates, Alon sensed that the small talk was coming to an end.
This meant he could now ask Yutia what he had been curious about.
However, even at this point, Alon hesitated once more.
He wondered if it was okay to ask Yutia about the Aberrant Blood.
Of course, all Alon intended to do was ask a question.
It was just a simple question that didn't require much thought.
But instinctively, he felt that this question might change something. After a brief moment of hesitation—
"Yutia, may I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Alon finally spoke.
After all, the reason he had waited for Yutia to return was for this very purpose.
"By any chance, do you know anything about the Aberrant Blood?"
Alon’s calm voice echoed through the office.
* * *
The moment Alon’s question was asked.
Yutia’s expression shifted subtly for an instant.
Was it the look of someone who knew about the Aberrant Blood?
Or was she contemplating the word 'Aberrant Blood' itself?
Or was she thinking of something else entirely? After a moment of silence, Yutia spoke.
"May I ask why you're curious about that?"
Yutia threw the question back at Alon with a face that made it impossible to tell whether she knew about the Aberrant Blood or not.
Alon thought for a moment before answering.
"I happened to hear about the Aberrant Blood by chance."
"…Hmm—"
At that, Yutia made a humming sound and tilted her head several times.
"Well, strictly speaking—"
Then, as if it were nothing, she nodded.
"I suppose it’s correct to say that I know?"
"You know?"
"Yes, though not everything, of course."
"…Not everything?"
"Yes, what I know about the Aberrant Blood is because of information I recently heard from Line."
Yutia then spent some time telling Alon about what had happened a while ago.
"So—you were looking into the Divine Blood and information about the Aberrant Blood came up as well… is that what you're saying?"
"That’s right. But as I said, I don't have a lot of information. Just—"
Yutia narrowed her eyes slightly as if recalling a faint memory before answering.
"—That the Aberrant Blood was originally Divine Blood?"
"The Aberrant Blood was originally Divine Blood?"
"Yes."
"Is that true?"
"According to the information I heard from Line, it was."
"Was there any other information besides that?"
"Hmm, I haven't heard anything else—should I mention it to Line?"
"…I would appreciate that."
Alon nodded, feeling a small sense of relief that Yutia didn't seem to know much about the Aberrant Blood.
Of course, Alon himself didn't quite realize why he felt that way….
Anyway, Alon suddenly recalled one other thing.
It was the memory of Yutia giving him advice so naturally, as if she knew his concerns, even though he hadn't said a word when he had lost his memory.
"Yutia."
"Yes?"
"May I ask one more question?"
"If it’s a question from you, Teacher—anytime."
Alon was about to speak again, but—
Clatter!
"Marquis! You were here after all—!"
Unfortunately, the conversation was cut short by Evan, who suddenly burst through the door.
Evan shouted urgently, gasping for breath.
"Marquis—it’s an emergency!"
"What is it?"
"They say the Divine Blood have all risen at once and war has begun! Especially in Colony—!!"
Alon asked back reflexively.
"What?"
"……."
Alon’s eyes widened for a split second, and the smile on Yutia’s face thinned for a moment.
Alon soon regained his outward composure and asked.
"When did this information come in?"
"They say it was this morning…!"
"…Just in case, what about Seolrang?"
"From what I’ve heard, she seems to be okay for now, but…."
After a brief exchange, Alon immediately looked at Yutia.
"Yutia."
"Yes, Teacher."
"It seems—we’ll have to finish our talk later."
"I understand. Are you planning to leave right away?"
"I believe I must."
"…I’ll follow you as soon as my urgent business here is finished, Teacher."
"Right. Let’s talk about the rest… later."
With a short farewell, Alon disappeared, practically running out with Evan.
After the sound of their hurried footsteps faded into the distance.
In the office where Yutia remained alone.
"…Hmm."
The grave expression on Yutia’s face returned to its original state.
As if her previous worry had been an act.
And then.
"…Aberrant Blood—Aberrant Blood, huh—"
In that silence.
"I wonder who told him this time…?"
Yutia muttered.
With a deep smile on her face.