Chapter 399: What Is That…? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 399: What Is That…? (2)
Alon remained dazed for a long while after hearing Evan’s words.
He thought of Cretenia Siyan, the Queen of Asteria.
A queen far too young for her station, and the one who had inherited the ‘Golden History Eye,’ a power passed down only through the Asterian royalty.
As his thoughts reached that point, Alon tilted his head.
‘Was the Golden History Eye really that powerful?’
From what Alon knew, the Golden History Eye was indeed a cheat-like ability. It allowed the user to inherit all the skills and capabilities achieved by their predecessors throughout the generations.
Because of this, Cretenia Siyan was exceptionally skilled despite never formally learning magic or swordsmanship. Even without studying statecraft, he was able to handle all affairs with the natural grace of a king.
However, that didn’t make the claim that Siyan had dealt with a Divine Blood entity any easier to swallow.
‘Shouldn’t that be impossible…?’
Siyan, who appeared occasionally in Psychedelia, was certainly strong. But he was merely at the top tier among humans; he wasn't supposed to be on a level that could rival the Divine Blood.
‘Another reason to go to Teria.’
Just as Alon reached that conclusion, Evan, who had remained silent to let him think, spoke up again.
“There is something else I should tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It doesn’t really affect us directly, but apparently, the Empire is in total chaos.”
“Didn’t you mention that last time?”
“I did… but they say it’s incomparable to before.”
“…To what extent?”
Evan thought for a moment before answering.
“Marquis, just in case, you are aware that the Empire was split into four parts a few years ago, right?”
“I know.”
Alon nodded, already aware that the Empire had been fractured. Evan continued.
“The Western Empire has reportedly fallen.”
“…Completely?”
“Yes. They say it was torn to shreds by the Divine Blood and utterly destroyed.”
“That is… a bit unexpected.”
“Is it?”
Unlike Evan’s casual reaction, Alon found it quite surprising.
‘…I thought they would hold out to some extent.’
While he hadn't played Calypsophobia, where the Empire was the main stage, he still possessed a fair amount of information.
‘The Empire is stronger than the United Kingdoms.’
Not only that, the Empire’s territory was so vast that it made the combined lands of the United Kingdoms look small, and its number of powerhouses was proportional to its size. There was a reason why a bad ending related to the Empire would trigger if the Sins destroyed more than two of the United Kingdoms.
‘Even on the community forums, people complained about whether the power balance between Psychedelia and Calypsophobia made sense. Besides, the protagonist should be there.’
Alon thought of the protagonist from Calypsophobia. The being the community referred to as the "Ultimate Alpha Imperial Killing Machine."
“Hmm.”
Regardless, considering the various settings, he had expected the Empire to hold its ground for a while, even against the Divine Blood.
“I thought they’d be able to endure a bit longer.”
“Well, you’re not wrong about that.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Even though the Western Empire ended up like that, the others are apparently holding out quite well.”
Evan nodded.
“Among them, the Eastern and Northern Empires are said to be fending off the Divine Blood successfully.”
“…Without any damage?”
“Yes. The East has an incredible number of powerhouses, and they say the Northern Empire has a ‘Dragon.’”
“A Dragon?”
“Yes. What was it…? The Smiling Dragon? …Ah, no, the ‘Crying Dragon.’ They say there’s something called the Crying Dragon.”
“…What is that?”
When Alon asked, Evan simply shrugged.
“I don’t know the details either, but they just call it by the alias ‘Crying Dragon.’”
“The Crying Dragon, huh…”
“Anyway, I wanted to let you know since the Empire is in such an uproar.”
“I see.”
Alon nodded, recalling a memory he had pushed to the back of his mind.
‘Come to the eastern edge, my friend. Then I shall hand over what is precious to you.’
The faint voice he had heard when the Divine Blood fell.
‘Something precious… Something precious, indeed…’
Alon stared out the window, lost in thought for a long time.
* * *
A month had passed since Alon’s party left the Colony for Calliban.
He had heard various news through Evan during that time, but none of it concerned the Divine Blood. In other words, there had been no attacks for three weeks.
One couldn't afford to be careless, of course, but it was a relief.
“It seems there were no attacks yesterday either.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alon thought to himself.
‘…It seems the rumor that most of the Divine Blood fell toward the Empire is true.’
According to the information Evan brought last week, the Empire was in a state of constant turmoil.
Just then.
“Marquis, could you take a look at this for a moment?”
“Sure.”
Penia handed Alon a piece of paper. It was covered in complex formulas that looked difficult even at a glance.
“This is…”
“I tried creating a magic formula based on what you suggested. What do you think?”
A discussion between Penia and Alon followed. This had become their daily routine on the way to Calliban.
During the day, while the carriage moved, he would conduct research with Penia. Occasionally, he would watch Basiliora, Blackie, and Evan play together. And at night, he would engage in magical debates like this with Penia.
“Ah, by the way, Marquis. How is that going?”
In the middle of their conversation, Penia asked a question. It was an abstract inquiry, but Alon had no trouble understanding what she meant.
“You mean the Divine Power? There hasn’t been much change yet.”
“I thought as much.”
Alon nodded, naturally closing his eyes to contemplate his inner world. Before long, he easily entered his mental landscape.
“…….”
There, in the middle of his once-dreary, dark inner world, he found a small bead floating.
A very tiny bead.
He had noticed this bead right after leaving the Colony, realizing it had appeared in place of the five divinities that had vanished as if they had never existed.
‘It probably formed after I defeated the Divine Blood entity…’
Alon recalled what the Blue-eyed Entity had said—that he would naturally ascend to the next stage.
‘…So that’s what she meant.’
He had never imagined that defeating a Divine Blood would allow him to reach the next stage, so he had been a bit flustered at first. However, having it happen this way gave him a clear goal.
That said, there was one thing he wasn't happy about.
‘How on earth do I use this?’
He had no idea how to utilize this Divine Power. Although he had confirmed its existence a month ago, he still couldn't properly wield it.
The most he could do now was simply manifest the Divine Power externally.
‘Though the amount is so minuscule it’s practically unusable.’
Still, knowing how was better than not knowing. Alon tried several different methods to manipulate the power before eventually giving up and opening his eyes.
“Another failure…?”
“It’s not easy.”
Alon shook his head and bit into a sweet potato. Penia spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“If you could use Divine Power, we could broaden our variations quite a bit.”
“Well, I’ll have to find a way.”
He quietly pushed more of the sweet potato into his mouth. Penia stared at him intently.
“…What is it?”
“I’m just asking out of curiosity… but do you still find sweet potatoes delicious, Marquis?”
“If they weren't delicious, why would I eat them?”
“No, I mean, that’s true, but… it’s been three weeks straight.”
“Hey now, why are you asking such a thing? What’s so strange about the Marquis eating sweet potatoes? He once ate nothing but sweet potatoes for three months, you know.”
“…That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
Surprised by Evan’s comment, Penia tilted her head several times before asking, “Could I… have just one bite of that sweet potato?”
Alon silently handed it over, and Penia took it cautiously.
“Ahem.”
“…Why are you suddenly clearing your throat?”
“Um—it’s nothing.”
She gave him a subtle, sidelong glance. When Alon questioned her, she brushed it off and took a bite of the sweet potato he had been eating.
“…Hmm.”
After chewing for a while, Penia spoke.
“It’s… just a sweet potato?”
“Did you expect it to be something else?”
“No… it’s just that you’ve been eating nothing but these for nearly a month, so I wondered if they were somehow different from the ones I know.”
She cleared her throat again for no reason. Then, wiping her mouth, she said, “My throat’s a bit dry. I’m going to go get some water.”
“Go ahead.”
As she headed toward the carriage, Alon finished the rest of the sweet potato in one bite.
“?”
He realized his surroundings had gone silent. Looking around, he saw Evan, Blackie, and Basiliora had stopped their chatter and were all staring at him.
“What is it?” Alon asked.
But…
“No… well, it’s nothing. Just because.”
“?”
[Kyu—]
[Tsk, tsk—]
Since everyone’s reaction was so suspicious, Alon couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
* * *
The next day.
Calliban appeared in the distance through the window, and Alon began searching for the rumored giant.
But then.
“?”
He spotted something strange.
…No, that needed a correction. It wasn't just strange; it was incredibly bizarre.
“Evan.”
“Yes…”
“Is that the rumored giant Divine Blood?”
“Marquis. Are you asking because you don’t want to believe the truth, or because you really can’t see it?”
“…So, what I’m seeing is correct.”
“Yes… unfortunately.”
At Evan’s confirmation, Alon instinctively covered his face with his hand.
It was only natural. There, in the capital of Calliban, standing tall and radiant even above the castle walls—
“…But why is that there?”
“I’d really like to know the reason myself…”
—was a statue of Alon.
And for some reason, it seemed to be basking in a spotlight…
The statue of Alon, which should have been back in his own territory, was striking the exact same pose as the Northern Chief from his previous world.
“That… why on earth is that there…”
Alon muttered hollowly. Evan, who had been staring blankly at the statue alongside him, let out a low exclamation as if he had just remembered something.
“Marquis.”
“…What is it?”
“I think… that might be Silli’s gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. You know… you told her to send a gift before the kingdom’s proclamation.”
“Are you saying she sent that as the gift?”
“…Probably?”
Alon squeezed his eyes shut.
“…I’ll have to apologize.”
Fundamentally, a gift sent during a kingdom’s proclamation was like giving out rice cakes after moving into a new neighborhood. It was a gesture that meant, ‘We’re establishing a kingdom now, so let’s get along without fighting.’
But to send a statue as that gift? And not even a statue of the King of Calliban, but a statue of Alon?
…In a way, this could be seen as nothing short of a provocation. Alon kept his eyes closed.
A short while later.
“Marquis.”
“Deus, have you been well?”
“Yes. Are you alright, Marquis?”
“…Yes. But before that, I should have an audience with the King first.”
After a brief greeting with Deus, who had been waiting at the city gates, Alon headed straight for Calliban’s royal palace.
…Passing right by the giant statue striking the Northern Chief pose.
The moment he stepped into the audience chamber where Palmalian, the King of Calliban, was waiting.
Grab.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Marquis…!”
“…Pardon?”
Palmalian had cast aside all royal dignity, jumping up from his seat to grab Alon’s hands.
“Um… may I ask what exactly you are thanking me for?”
A bewildered Alon asked, trying to find the reason. Palmalian’s face lit up.
“For the gift you sent, of course!”
“If you mean the gift… are you talking about the statue?”
“Yes, exactly that! Thank you so much! To think you would send me such a statue…!”
“…No… I mean…”
What…??
Faced with an answer that only deepened the mystery, Alon began to feel a profound sense of mental anguish.