Chapter 413: The Second (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 413: The Second (2)
Time passed.
The festival held in the Palatio Marquisate—no, the capital of Palantia—had come to an end.
The capital began to regain its original atmosphere.
The kings and other key figures from various nations who had gathered to celebrate Alon’s coronation returned to their respective countries, and the nobles who had filled the banquet halls dispersed.
It was only natural.
Given the chaos caused by the Divine Blood, it was almost surprising they had managed to spare this much time at all.
And Alon Palatio, who had become the first King of Palantia—
“…Your Majesty, yes, first of all, we can proceed with the territorial expansion as planned, but it seems we are lacking in many areas.”
“…Is that so?”
—was currently in a meeting with the leadership of Palantia.
Of course, even though they were called the "leadership," it was just Evan, Penia, Alexion, and Silli.
In reality, it was no different from their usual meetings.
“Yes. For starters, don’t we need to build a new castle?”
“A castle…”
Alon nodded.
If it were a typical territory, he wouldn't have cared much whether there was a castle or not, but Alon was no longer a mere noble; he was a King.
In other words, he needed to maintain a certain level of dignity.
“It’s certainly necessary, but do we have the funds?”
While not as precisely as Alexion, Alon had a fairly clear grasp of the marquisate’s financial state.
It should be getting dangerous soon.
The marquisate’s finances were currently in quite good shape. They had managed to acquire the materials for the territorial expansion at prices that were absurdly cheap compared to the current market rates.
However, even considering that, building a castle was an undertaking that required an extraordinary amount of money.
We might have enough to build it, but…
It wouldn't make sense to pour every cent they had into a single castle.
When Alon asked, Alexion seemed to check something before replying.
“Normally, we should be a bit short on funds, but the situation looks like it will be alright.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“It’s because of the sheer volume of gifts sent from various countries during the proclamation ceremony.”
“…There were enough gifts to build a castle?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not quite enough to cover the entire cost, but it will be a massive help.”
“…Even if you put it that way, it must be an incredible amount…?”
“It is.”
Alon couldn't help but be surprised by Alexion’s confirmation.
He knew that those who attended the ceremony would bring gifts to save face, but he hadn't expected the treasures brought for the sake of appearances to amount to that much.
After a moment of thought, Alon reached a conclusion.
“Then let us proceed with the construction. However, be as frugal as possible where we can.”
“Understood. Then we shall build the new castle within the inner castle walls.”
“How long do you expect the construction to take?”
“It depends on the budget, but if we hire mages in large numbers, it will likely be shortened significantly.”
“Mages—”
As Alon pondered this, Penia, who was standing nearby, chimed in.
“Shall I try contacting the Magic Tower?”
“If you can.”
“Yes, I’ll send word separately. I’ll try to negotiate the labor costs as low as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” Penia said with a smile.
She’s been smiling a lot lately, Alon thought briefly before moving on to check a few more items.
“Is that the end of the urgent business?”
“Yes. For the territorial expansion, we plan to hire workers a month before the materials arrive to prepare the site in advance. As for the soldiers, I heard that Divine Land will be handling all of that.”
“…I see.”
With that, he concluded the day’s meeting.
As he rose from his seat—
“Godfather.”
“Line?”
Line had come to find Alon.
“Are you leaving?”
Alon asked, sensing the reason for her visit. She nodded.
“Yes. And I have something to talk to you about. Just the two of us.”
“Something to talk about?”
“Yes,” Line replied shortly.
Alon was puzzled but soon nodded in agreement.
After Penia—who was looking at Line with a strangely sharp gaze—and the others, who seemed a bit dazed, had left, Alon got to the point.
“So, what is it you wanted to say? Is it something that needs to be kept secret?”
Line toyed with her hair, which she had styled differently than usual, and spoke.
“Hmm—actually, not really.”
“…Then?”
“I just said that because I wanted to be alone with you.”
Alon went blank for a moment.
Line giggled as if finding his reaction amusing.
“I’m joking, Godfather. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Divine Land.”
“…Divine Land?”
“Yes.”
“Is something wrong with Divine Land?”
“No, it’s not that. I just thought it might be time for you to start learning how to utilize Divine Land properly.”
At those words, Alon was reminded once again that Line was the one who had suggested he create Divine Land in the first place.
“How to utilize Divine Land properly?”
“Yes.”
“…Am I not utilizing it properly now?”
In truth, he hadn't been able to use it well since the Divine Blood entities fell, but before that, Alon had been utilizing the gathered Faith quite effectively. He was confused.
Line answered him.
“Well, I thought so too, but actually, you’re only using half of Divine Land’s potential.”
“…Only half?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, you’re only using it to spend the Faith you receive.”
As Alon nodded curiously, she leaned in closer with a smile.
“Let me share some information I found in the library.”
* * *
The next day.
“Let’s head out.”
Despite having become the King of a nation, Alon set out on his journey with only Evan and Penia, without any other escort.
“Alon-nim.”
“Yes?”
“You’re a King now. Don’t you think it would be better to travel with an escort?”
Evan asked, but Alon’s thoughts were different.
More people just slow us down.
If Alon were weak, he would have brought an escort, but he wasn't. In other words, even traveling like this, there was almost no chance of encountering a life-threatening situation.
Therefore—
“Having too many people just makes the travel time longer.”
“…That is true.”
Evan nodded in agreement.
“Ah, come to think of it, you’ve seemed deep in thought since yesterday. Is something bothering you?”
“Since yesterday?”
“Yes. It seemed to start after you talked with Line.”
At Evan’s words, Alon let out a low exclamation as he recalled the conversation he had with Line the previous day.
‘Actually, ever since those things fell from the sky, I’ve been looking into the Divine Blood in the Forbidden Section of the library, and I found some interesting information.’
‘What kind of information?’
‘It said that Divine Blood entities with a certain level of power can strengthen their believers or the territory they possess.’
‘…Strengthen believers or territory?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t know about the territory, but I’m aware that those who believe in me can use my power even now…’
‘That’s right. But that’s literally just borrowing your power, isn’t it, Godfather?’
‘Then—’
‘Strictly speaking, what I’m talking about isn’t just strengthening, it’s—’
“…Evolution.”
Alon muttered the term Line had used at the end.
Line had definitely said it.
That the Divine Blood entities didn't just give divine power to humans; they ‘evolved’ them.
And if Line’s words were true, that would be possible for Alon as well.
The problem was—
…Faith hasn't been accumulating since the Divine Blood fell.
Currently, Alon possessed two types of divine power: the power of the Poison Eater and the power of the Devourer.
Yet, strangely, aside from those two, no other divine power was gathering within him.
Nothing should have changed, though…
While Alon was pondering this on his way to Teria to meet Siyan, Evan suddenly shared some news.
“Ah, Alon-nim, did you hear about this?”
“…What is it?”
“They say a Divine Blood entity appeared near our territory yesterday evening.”
Alon’s expression hardened instantly.
“…What?”
However, Evan spoke with a relaxed expression that contrasted with Alon’s tension.
“Ah, you don’t need to be so worried. If it were serious, I wouldn't be talking about it so lightly, would I?”
“Then what happened?”
“The Divine Blood entity disappeared immediately after it appeared.”
“…It disappeared immediately?”
“They say it seems to be dead.”
“…Dead?”
“Yes. According to the information guild’s assessment, there were signs of a battle, and red blood and fragments of the Divine Blood entity’s corpse were scattered everywhere.”
Alon remained silent at Evan’s explanation, tilting his head in confusion.
It was a relief that the Divine Blood entity was dead.
But.
Who on earth could have done it…?
As far as he knew, there was no one capable of killing a Divine Blood entity, which only deepened Alon’s suspicion.
At that same moment.
In an office in Rosario.
“…Lady Yutia?”
Cardinal Sergius froze in his tracks, a look of surprise on his face.
His eyes were fixed on Yutia Bloodia, who was sitting in the room.
And for good reason.
…How is she here already?
He had heard the news that she had left the Palatio Marquisate—no, Palantia—only ‘yesterday.’
As Sergius stood there dumbfounded, Yutia spoke softly.
“Yes, please, go ahead.”
At that moment, Cardinal Sergius noticed two strange things about Yutia.
One was the red blood staining the hem of her black mourning clothes.
And the other was—
A ring…?
The kind of elastic rings women use to tie their hair were stuck in her snow-white locks.
…And there were two of them.
When his dazed gaze moved from her hair to the hem of her clothes, Yutia slowly looked down.
“Oh my, I didn't even realize it was there.”
She murmured nonchalantly with a serene smile, then looked back at Sergius.
“So, what is it?”
At Yutia’s question, Sergius simply remained silent.
He knew.
That in this world, there are times when it is much better not to know than to know.
Therefore, rather than asking why she was here when she should have been on her way from Palantia to Rosario, Sergius changed the subject.
“Unlike recently, you seem to be in a rare good mood.”
It wasn't just a typical deflective question.
Yutia truly wore a faint smile, unlike her usual self.
“Oh, do I look that way?”
“Yes. Did something happen?”
At that question, Yutia looked at him, still maintaining her serene smile.
“Yes, something quite good happened.”
“…Something good?”
“Yes, something good.”
She turned her head to gaze quietly at the capital of Rosario.
Then, she whispered softly.
“Finally, all the arrangements have fallen into place.”
“…Arrangements?”
“Yes. The preparations are complete.”
Her lips parted slightly.
“Everything is ready.”
Her blood-red eyes shimmered with light.