Chapter 45: What’s Going On? (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: What’s Going On? (1)
Five days had passed since then.
The news that the Babayagas Kalman and Malliam had targeted Seolrang’s life spread across the Colony in an instant.
With the testimony of Rian Argulus, daughter of the Red Tower Master, and the mercenaries who survived the ambush, the scandal grew out of control.
The public was outraged that the Babayagas had cowardly joined forces to eliminate one of their own. They used ropes to pull down the statues of Kalman and Malliam erected in the eastern part of the Colony, smashing them to pieces.
Similarly, the guilds belonging to the factions of those two Babayagas splintered overnight. Within just a few days, every trace of Malliam and Kalman had vanished from the Colony.
In their stead, it was Seolrang who filled the void.
Having returned after disposing of those who had launched a cowardly surprise attack against her, Seolrang now enjoyed immense public support.
As the testimonies of the Red Tower Master’s daughter and the mercenaries were proven true, Seolrang’s popularity soared to unprecedented heights—to the point where she was hailed by the masses as the "First Babayaga," surpassing even those who had held the title longer than Kalman.
Furthermore, a tremendous amount of interest was being poured into Count Palatio, who was known to have played a major role in helping Seolrang deal with the two Babayagas.
And currently, he was...
“…….”
Back in Kahara, the City of the Old God, checking something at the eastern edge that he hadn't been able to reach last time.
He was looking at the text written on the Eastern Slate, just as it had mentioned.
“Hmm.”
After staring blankly at the slate for a time that could be considered either long or short, Alon finished reading all the text and was suddenly struck by a question.
‘……Come to think of it, how am I reading this?’
It was the language.
Even though the words written on the slate were not in the continental lingua franca but in a script he had never seen before, he decoded them naturally. It was as if he had been able to read these sentences from the very beginning.
Alon wore a strange expression for a moment before deciding to stop by the Central Tower to ask about this before leaving.
Turning around to walk away, he ruminated on the contents he had read on the slate.
‘……Outer Gods and Gods.’
The Eastern Slate, which the mysterious "entity" had recommended, saying it would give him a rough idea of how things were unfolding, contained stories related to Outer Gods and Gods.
However, what was peculiar was that several parts differed from the information he had gained while playing Psychedelia.
‘……Why are Outer Gods and Gods described as the exact opposite?’
In Psychedelia, Outer Gods and Gods are distinct.
"Outer God" literally referred to those who were not original deities of this continent but were born from human faith or came from other worlds.
"God" was the term for those who had existed since the beginning of time, when nothing else was on the continent.
As far as Alon knew, those called "Gods" rather than "Outer Gods" in Psychedelia were the Five Great Sins, while the Brute God he had met in the North was called an "Outer God."
Yet, on this slate, it was completely different from what he knew: "Outer Gods" were referred to as "Gods," and the Five Great Sins were described as "Outer Gods."
Of course, the names of the Five Great Sins and the Outer Gods weren't explicitly stated on the slate.
The names of the gods were written metaphorically, such as "The One Who Values Honor," "The One Who Seeks Forgotten Death," or "The One Who Peered Too Deeply into the Mysteries of Magic."
However, Alon, who had played Psychedelia countless times, knew exactly who these metaphors referred to.
He knew that metaphors like "The One with Many Hands" and "The One Imbued with Greed and Jealousy" pointed toward the Five Great Sins.
“Hmm—”
Alon thought for a while before deciding to tuck that information away in a corner of his mind.
Aside from the fact that Outer Gods were expressed as Gods and vice versa, there were no overlapping parts between what Alon already knew and the information he could read on the slate.
After all, the narrative of Psychedelia mostly dealt with the future, not the past.
‘It would be nice if I could ask about this part too.’
Alon organized the contents of the slate in his head as he made his way toward the Central Tower.
* * *
In the end, Alon did not meet the entity again.
The door that had clearly been in the center of the tower when he first arrived at the city had vanished as if it were a lie.
He considered destroying his way up, but he didn't think he would find it that way, so Alon eventually stepped outside.
“Mentor!”
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Seolrang, who greeted him more energetically than anyone else.
She had looked bored while Alon was away, but the moment he appeared, her face broke into a wide smile.
Alon climbed into the carriage with her.
“Let’s get married?”
“…….”
……He wore a dizzy expression at Seolrang’s proposal, which was her nineteenth in the span of about five days.
Alon looked at Seolrang, who had placed both hands on his knees before he knew it.
Unlike before, the distance between them was closing with each passing day.
Of course, it was more accurate to say that Seolrang was unilaterally closing the distance while Alon remained still.
“Well?”
Seolrang perked up her ears and tilted her head slightly to the side.
Watching her tail wagging behind her face, Alon let out a shallow sigh.
At first, it felt like a cute daughter saying, "I want to marry Daddy!" which had actually made him feel a bit proud, but now it was becoming a problem.
“……As I told you before, I think of you as family.”
It was his nineteenth answer.
“But we’re not actual family!”
……And it was her nineteenth protest.
“That’s why getting married solves everything!”
“What problem does it solve?”
“We become real family!”
Seeing Seolrang’s face, which was full of "I’m a genius!" Alon began to feel as if this conversation was like a repeating dialogue loop in a game.
“……Do you even know exactly what it means to get married?”
Alon threw out a question to try and push the conversation further than the same conclusion they had reached nineteen times.
“Of course I do! I’m confident I can make you happy, Mentor!”
“…….”
However, realizing that continuing the conversation would only lead to the same repetitive cycle, Alon gave up.
“Seolrang, marriage is a serious matter, so think about it more deeply.”
“I am being serious!”
“……Try being a bit more serious.”
He fell silent after those words.
In the first place, he didn't have the slightest intention of marrying anyone at this point.
Furthermore, even if he hadn't raised her himself, Seolrang felt like an affectionate daughter to Alon.
‘……In a few years, she’ll stop saying things like that.’
After some time had passed, and by the time Seolrang’s cheeks—which had been slightly puffed out from being rejected multiple times—had returned to normal.
They arrived at the Colony, and Alon immediately prepared to depart.
He would have liked to leave a bit later, but due to the nature of crossing the desert, it was much safer to move with a merchant caravan that departed at specific intervals.
And so.
“Then, I shall see you again next time.”
“Okay! You have to give me an answer then!”
“……Sure.”
Alon left the Colony, leaving behind an empty promise.
* * *
Seolrang watched Alon depart with the merchant caravan for a long time, returning to the guild only when the carriage was no longer in sight.
“…….”
The guild, now devoid of the kin who had betrayed her, including Ralga, remained the same.
The kin she had gathered were furious at Ralga’s betrayal, and many among them sincerely worried for Seolrang, who they thought was in shock.
The sight of the organization becoming more ideal—at least in her eyes—should have been quite satisfying.
……Normally.
“Phew—”
Seolrang let out a shallow sigh.
Instead of the smile that usually graced her lips, a expressionless mask took its place.
It was because she had realized one thing through this incident.
No matter how hard she tried, she could never regain the happiness she had felt when she was young.
“I hate this—”
Seolrang’s mutter, devoid of interest, echoed quietly in the empty room.
It sounded ordinary, but it was actually a somewhat gloomy voice.
The fact that the happiness she believed she would feel if she created a "family"—a belief she had held onto without wavering—was a mirage brought her a sense of loss.
She had truly believed that if she gathered her tribe and returned to how things were before, she would be happy.
However, the reason a curve was slowly forming on her lips despite that sense of loss was because of one person.
“…….”
Alon.
In this moment, Seolrang remembered.
Even though he could have lost his life in an instant to Kalman’s attack, he had trusted Seolrang and prepared his magic without moving a single step—
—And the way Alon had thrown himself into danger to save her without hesitation the moment Ralga launched his ambush.
……The image of the Great Moon, who had shown her the ideal form of family through actions rather than words.
Swish, swish.
Seolrang’s tail wagged pleasantly.
The path to "happiness" that she hadn't seen in the kin she had gathered over two years was something she had glimpsed during the week she spent with the Great Moon.
The path to the "happiness" she pursued.
Of course, he wasn't family, but that didn't matter at all.
If they weren't family yet, they just had to become family.
“I really want to get married—”
Seolrang muttered the words she had already said many times, wearing a pleasant smile.
Her heart pounded with anticipation for the happiness she would regain once the Great Moon became her family.
Unfortunately, even Seolrang recognized that she couldn't achieve this immediately.
For now, she had the task of forming a royal guard to protect the Great Moon and act on his behalf.
“…….”
In truth, Seolrang hadn't thought deeply about that task before.
She had assumed that the more kin she gathered, the task the Great Moon had given her would naturally resolve itself.
But not anymore.
To her, the Great Moon was no longer just a mentor, but someone she couldn't live without.
Therefore.
‘I have to make it.’
Seolrang.
‘A royal guard that can protect him from any threat, at any time.’
She made a quiet vow.
Her golden eyes shone vividly.
* * *
The night they left the Colony.
“By the way, did you check?”
“You mean the members of Seolrang’s guild? I’ve checked them all, and it seems no one else has shown any suspicious movements other than Ralga and those who were dealt with this time.”
Alon nodded as he listened to Evan’s report.
In fact, after returning from the ruins, Alon had ordered an investigation through the information guild to see if anyone else within Seolrang’s guild was plotting something suspicious like Ralga.
The reason, of course, was that it would be troublesome if Seolrang were to be emotionally wounded again.
‘It’s not good if unnecessary problems arise.’
Once was fine, but he wasn't sure she would be okay if it happened again. Thus, Alon intended to preemptively deal with any elements that might provoke her.
“That’s a relief then.”
“Since you’ve already provided the funds, I’ve instructed them to give us continuous briefings if any potential situations arise.”
“Good job.”
Alon replied to Evan and leaned back in the carriage with a sigh, feeling that his work in the Colony was mostly wrapped up.
It felt like things were finished, but unfortunately, his work was far from over.
‘……"Go and deal with one more Outer God"…… was it?’
Besides that, the new knowledge he had gained was floating around in his head.
Starting from the swapped definitions of Outer Gods and Gods, to the "Status" that the mysterious entity kept talking about.
And above all.
‘……The Principle.’
Alon recalled one of the hidden truths of this world—something he had never heard or seen even while playing Psychedelia.
‘Is it about time I head there?’
As he was thinking about his next destination—a place where countless "Phrases" were written, a place he should have visited long ago—
[I—]
At the regular meeting where everyone from the Blue Moon, including those in the Colony, was required to attend, the peaceful atmosphere that had persisted until now—
[—am going to marry the Great Moon!!]
[Ha……?]
[…….]
[…….]
[…….]
—was replaced by a raging storm.
A rather fierce storm.