Chapter 424: The Seeker (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 424: The Seeker (3)
After Kalanon finished her explanation, Alon remained lost in thought for a moment before finally speaking.
"I understand the gist of it."
"You do? That’s a relief."
"However, I have one question."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I fully understand how a god can be created. But isn't a god's power only strengthened when 'Faith' is gathered?"
He wasn't entirely sure why, but thanks to his evolved Divine Blood, Alon was now capable of creating a god. He considered that a positive development. However, even if he could create one, whether that god would be practically useful was a different matter.
Fundamentally, while gods were powerful due to their unique abilities, their essence ultimately lay in Faith. A god's innate abilities and the magnitude of their power were derived from the Faith they received. In other words, no matter how many abilities one gained to become a god, they wouldn't be that strong if their following was small.
"Well, you're right about that," Kalanon nodded. Alon’s question was perfectly logical.
However.
"But! I’ve already thought of a solution for that!"
"…Have you?"
"Of course!"
Kalanon flashed a slightly devious smile and raised one hand again, molding her divine power. Soon, she shaped a human-like figure on the opposite side.
"Now, let me explain."
She drew Alon’s focus.
"First, you pick an Apostle you like and infuse them with divine power."
As she spoke, a small fragment of divine power broke off from the sphere and settled into the human shape.
"By receiving our great grace, they gain the power of a god."
The figure began to glow.
"Now, the person who became a god through our grace will feel grateful to us, right?"
"…I suppose so."
"That gratitude flows back to us as Faith. And then—"
A small thread emerged from the human form. It connected back to the main mass of divine power. Kalanon then took a portion of that slightly enlarged power and fed it back into the human form.
"We return about 80% of the Faith they offered back to them. Success! Perpetual motion!"
Kalanon nodded firmly, looking immensely proud of herself. As Alon stood there dazed, she asked, "Oh? Is there something you don't understand? I thought the difficulty level was low enough for even a cat to follow."
"…No, it’s not that I don’t understand."
"Then is there a problem?"
"Not exactly. In fact, it’s quite perfect. But—" He paused for a moment before asking, "Why only return 80%? Wouldn't it be better to just give back all the Faith you received?"
It was a simple and rational point. If he returned 100% of the Faith instead of 80%, they would grow stronger much faster.
"Oh, please—" Kalanon shook her head as if he were being naive. "—We don't live on air, do we? We have to keep a little something for ourselves~"
Seeing Kalanon act as if this wasn't her first time doing this—looking at him like he was some kind of amateur—Alon felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"…Kalanon."
"Yes?"
"Do you talk to Silli often?"
"Hmm—no? Not often, maybe once or twice…? Why do you ask?"
Kalanon tilted her head curiously. Alon remained silent.
‘…Is Kalanon being corrupted by Silli, or is Silli being corrupted by Kalanon…?’
That was the thought crossing his mind.
* * *
"I’ve grasped the overall context, but it seems some preparation is required."
"It is, isn't it? You’ll need to relearn how to draw out divine power, and more importantly, we need to automate the process."
"…Automate it?"
"Yes. Unless you plan on checking in every single day to distribute power manually. Wouldn't it be better to set it up beforehand so that when Faith comes in, 20% is automatically collected and the rest is redistributed?"
Alon let out a short "Oh" of admiration and nodded. "That is indeed a good idea."
"Right?"
"How do we do that?"
"How should I know?"
"?"
A brief silence descended between them.
"…Why don't you know?"
"Uh… well, I’m not very good at that sort of thing…?"
"You’re the one who suggested it."
"I did, but I’m more of a… hmm… creative consultant? I provided the inspiration."
Kalanon wore an expression that screamed, 'Beyond that? Not a clue.'
For a moment, Alon looked at her with the heart of an engineer facing a designer who had just proposed a Bluetooth showerhead that produced water without being connected to a pipe.
"I'll give it some thought."
"Got it!"
With those final words, he exited the mental realm.
"Nyan—"
Returning to reality, he found Kalanon in her cat form, shaking her head from side to side and rubbing her face against his hand. As Alon stood there blankly, not bothering to stop her—
[Kkyu?]
"Nyan?"
Whack!
Blackie suddenly popped out from Alon's chest and landed a rapid-fire succession of cat-punches right on Kalanon’s head.
"Nyan-nyan!?"
Kalanon scrambled away in a hurry, with Blackie relentlessly giving chase. Alon watched the two of them for a moment and let out a sigh, intending to take a short rest—
"Lord Alon!"
Evan burst in, looking urgent.
"What is it?"
"Outside…! There’s something… a bit strange to explain…!"
"…Something strange?"
"F-first, please come outside quickly…!"
Though puzzled, Alon stood up and headed out of the tent. The sight that greeted him immediately was—
"…."
The soldiers of Divine Land. They were standing with tense faces, gripping their various weapons. Among them stood Historia, Ryanga, and Silli, all wearing hostile expressions. And in the center of them all… was something bizarre.
It wore a pitch-black, ink-colored cloak. Above that was a bovine skull with massive horns, and within the sockets glowed a faint blue light.
And then.
"Greetings, King Alon Telia of Palantia."
The mysterious entity, who had remained composed despite the tense standoff, bowed politely the moment he identified Alon.
"…Who are you?"
Alon spoke while forming a seal inside his pocket, prepared for any sudden development. However, the skull-masked figure maintained his polite demeanor as he pulled something from his black cloak.
"Please, do not be so alarmed. I have not come to start a fight."
He respectfully held the object out toward Alon. It floated naturally through the air, drifting toward him. Alon caught it without difficulty.
‘…A letter?’
He realized what it was.
"O King of Palantia, member of the United Kingdoms, the time has come to honor the ancient covenant of the continent."
"What…?"
With those final words—
"Then, I shall take my leave."
The skull-masked figure vanished from the spot in an instant.
The atmosphere grew noisy as the soldiers murmured about the figure that had evaporated into thin air. Alon didn't hesitate to tear the letter open.
And then.
---
The Primordial Covenant hereby summons you to the Central Tower, located at the heart of the continent, two months from this day. You who shine upon your respective thrones shall heed this call and gather at the promised location.
This is an irrevocable command and a sacred duty for the sake of the continent. Should any person defy this edict and fail to attend, they shall be deemed a traitor to the covenant, stripped of the abilities granted by their presence, and exiled.
---
"!"
The hand holding the letter trembled for a brief moment. He couldn't help but be shocked. What was written in the letter was none other than the details regarding the 'Contract of the Seeker.'
But that wasn't the only reason for Alon's surprise. The fact that the Contract of the Seeker was actually taking place told Alon something else entirely.
The Contract of the Seeker was something that had come up in Siyan’s deductions… and the fact that it was being executed meant—
‘…The 2nd Turn.’
It meant the probability that this world was truly the '2nd Turn' had become even higher.
"…."
The countless thoughts Alon had pushed aside previously came pouring back into his mind like a waterfall.
If this was the 2nd Turn. If this was—if this was a repeated life—the assumptions began to mix chaotically. The puzzle pieces that hadn't fit before began to fall into place one by one.
But only for a moment. Alon forcibly shut off the cascading thoughts. At the very least, now was not the time to be lost in contemplation.
It wasn't that there was a conclusion he didn't want to reach… probably.
* * *
Immediately after settling the situation.
"…So, do you plan on going?"
At Penia’s question, Alon, who had been agonizing over it for a long time, nodded.
"I intend to go for now, but is there something bothering you?"
"No, not really. It’s just—a bit fascinating."
As Penia muttered that she had heard of it but didn't know it actually existed, Evan, who was standing nearby, asked, "But where is this Central Tower of the continent? We need to know where it is to even go there."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. It seems this letter itself is a guide."
"…The letter is a guide?"
"Yes. If you tear the letter, it will likely guide the way naturally."
"Oh—"
Evan looked impressed, while Penia peered closely at the letter. Watching them, Alon closed his eyes for a moment.
From the moment the Contract of the Seeker arrived, all sorts of thoughts had been rushing through Alon’s head. Of course, he had suspected Siyan’s words weren't entirely false, but now that deduction had moved one step closer to the truth.
However.
"Hmm—well, it says we have two months, so we have some time. What do you plan to do?"
At the sound of Penia’s voice breaking his reverie, Alon naturally pushed those subjects aside once more. No matter how important the matter was, it wasn't 'immediately' important.
"Assuming the Central Tower is truly in the center of the continent, how long would it take to get there?"
"Hmm—if we travel at our usual pace, it would take a month… and a little more."
"…Then do we have about two weeks left?"
"Is there something you need to do?"
Alon nodded at Penia’s question. "There’s something I need to experiment with."
"An experiment?"
"Yes."
Alon told her about his conversation with Kalanon. After listening quietly for a while, Penia looked very surprised before quickly reaching a conclusion.
"…So your goal is to create a magic circle that automates the process?"
Alon shook his head.
"Eh? Is it not?"
"No, that is correct. However—there’s one more thing I want to test."
"Hmm?"
Seeing Penia’s questioning look, Alon thought to himself.
Actually, at the very beginning, when he first heard from Kalanon that he could create a god, his first emotion had been doubt. Then, when Kalanon suggested a practical method, he suddenly thought of Babiloia.
The nation created by the one who wanted to become a god, existing even further back than the forgotten age of gods… the Magus.
As far as Alon knew, it was said that any citizen belonging to Babiloia could become a Magus. The god established the Laws, but the utilization of those Laws was permitted to everyone. In other words, the Divine Blood that created Babiloia was very different in form from what existed now.
Even if it was far from what Alon imagined, it meant that the god could plant the possibility—the 'seed'—in everyone who believed in him.
And according to the blue-eyed entity, Alon was also 'Divine Blood.'
If so. If that was truly the case—
‘There’s no reason I can’t do it too.’
It meant it might be possible for Alon as well. Not by granting power individually, but by allowing the 'seed' to be inevitably planted in everyone who believed in him.
"…."
A small spark of determination flickered in Alon’s eyes.