Chapter 450: Return (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 450: Return (6)
“I think they saw it.”
At Penia’s words, Alon asked back.
“...They know you used a Phrase?”
“Yes.”
When she confirmed it, Alon paused for a moment before double-checking.
“Well—we were practicing just yesterday, so they could have found out simply by observing... but you mean they’ve known for a while now?”
“Exactly.”
Penia nodded again.
“I could tell after talking to them today.”
“Did you meet both Tower Masters?”
“To be precise, I ran into Lord Norton, the Purple Tower Master, by chance.”
“Hmm. If that’s the case, it explains why the two Tower Masters are going to such lengths.”
In truth, their behavior had been baffling until today.
Of course, from an external perspective, there were many benefits to befriending Alon, but even considering that, their hospitality had been excessive.
But if it was because they saw Penia using a Phrase?
That provided a plausible explanation.
According to what Penia had told him before, the use of Phrases was a monumental matter for mages.
“Just in case, I have to ask—how much do they know?”
“I was vague when they tried to probe me, so I didn’t ask for specifics, but they seem to know that one can only use magic after receiving a blessing.”
Penia added that the Tower Masters had probed her exactly up to that point.
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“Well, let’s see...”
Alon stroked his chin.
I’ve already given it some thought...
The reason Alon had conducted the Phrase experiments on Penia was to bolster humanity’s military strength.
He thought that if mages could use Phrases, they might be able to hold their own against the Divine Blood—or at the very least, the bizarre monsters the Divine Blood created.
Of course, he was concerned about what might happen if he handed out Phrases indiscriminately and they were used for the wrong purposes.
However, he decided not to overthink it.
Phrases were fundamentally based on Alon granting a blessing.
In other words, the moment he stopped giving the blessing or revoked it later, everything would be undone.
“Well, I originally intended to share them with mages capable of using Phrases anyway, so I’ll probably distribute them.”
“I thought so.”
“Did you expect this?”
“How long have we been together now?”
Penia gave a soft chuckle and added, “Still, don’t you think it’s a bit of a waste?”
“What is?”
“Mages would probably pay a fortune just to be able to use Phrases. It feels like a waste to just hand them over without receiving anything in return.”
“Hmm, you’re not wrong, but—”
Regrettably, Alon hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Strictly speaking, he had considered it briefly but quickly dismissed the idea.
The priority right now wasn’t material gain, but ensuring they had the power to resist the Divine Blood even a little bit more.
Penia sighed, as if she had expected this response.
“Lord Alon, in that case, would you like to leave it to me?”
“...Leave what?”
“Delivering the blessings to the mages. Even if we don’t take payment, we still need to gather Faith, don’t we?”
“Faith will naturally accumulate, but isn’t it better to gather as much as possible, as quickly as possible?”
Seeing Penia’s suspicious smile, which suggested she had something up her sleeve, Alon relented.
“...If you have something in mind, go ahead and try it.”
“Yes, then I’ll make some preparations and carry it out.”
Alon decided to trust her and leave it in her hands for now.
* * *
A few days later, Alon headed toward Divine Land without Penia and Rainisius.
As much as he wanted to rest a bit more, he couldn't stay idle forever.
Though, looking at the Divine Power, it seems to be functioning properly.
Alon entered a state of Contemplation to look within himself.
What he saw was a massive, planet-like mass of Divine Power that hadn't been there before, and a small star shining brightly beside it.
Though small compared to the planet, the star was shining more clearly than ever, proving that Alon and Kalanon’s predictions had been correct.
As Alon peered into the small star, he noticed something else.
...Wait, now that I look at it, the Divine Power itself seems to have grown a bit larger.
Realizing that his Divine Power had expanded to some extent, he deactivated his Contemplation.
“Lord Alon?”
Immediately, he heard Evan calling him.
His voice was tinged with curiosity.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s just that I called you several times and you didn’t answer.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Anyway—I have something to tell you.”
Evan got straight to the point.
“I’ve looked into the things you asked me to investigate further last time.”
“...The things I asked you to look into.”
“You know, the Star Cluster, the movements of the Empire—and Divine Land.”
“Didn’t I give those orders before we arrived at the territory?”
“That’s true, but as I mentioned before, all the information guilds that were supposed to be there had vanished.”
“Right, they had.”
“Anyway, because of that, I only received the general information yesterday. As for Divine Land, you’ll be seeing it for yourself soon, so it’s not an urgent matter—”
As Alon nodded in recollection, Evan continued his report.
“A lot of information has come in regarding the Empire and the Star Cluster.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll start with the Empire. Right after we left, several Divine Blood factions reportedly began to emerge in the East.”
“...In the East?”
“Yes. I heard there were originally only about four major Divine Blood factions, but now there are many others. The strongest among them seems to be a group called ‘Astaroth’—”
Evan paused for a moment.
“They’re a bit peculiar.”
“The Divine Blood being peculiar... well, isn't that always the case?”
Alon asked, recalling the varied appearances of the Divine Blood, but Evan shook his head.
“I understand that, having followed you around, but they are peculiar in a different sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s said that the Divine Blood belonging to this group all wear black armor.”
“...Like a knight order?”
“Yes. I don’t know why, though.”
Evan looked into the distance as if trying to recall his memories.
“Besides that, there are rumors that a ‘Predator’ has appeared in the East, and that fragments of power have been scattered, causing the Divine Blood to stir not just in the Eastern Empire but across the entire continent—but for now, those seem to be the most important points.”
As Alon nodded, Evan moved on to the next topic.
“And regarding the Star Cluster.”
“...Sigh.”
The Star Cluster.
A Divine Blood group that was suddenly expanding its influence within the United Kingdoms.
Alon sighed at the thought of them.
In truth, the Star Cluster hadn't done anything particularly noteworthy so far.
However, the mere existence of such a Divine Blood group in the United Kingdoms was not a good sign.
Unlike the Empire, which was managing to fend off the Divine Blood invasions in one way or another, the United Kingdoms were helpless against their attacks.
Of course, they had the power granted by the Seeker, but it was true that that alone felt insufficient.
If the Star Cluster suddenly attacked while everyone was let down by their silence, the United Kingdoms would likely collapse instantly.
“Has the Star Cluster grown again?”
Evan nodded at Alon’s worried question.
“Yes, I heard they’ve grown even more than before, with about ten more entities joining them.”
“...This won't be easy.”
While Alon groaned, Evan scratched his head and added, “However, there is one rather strange rumor.”
“What is it?”
“They say it’s not certain since it’s just based on observations, but rumors are circulating that the Star Cluster is protecting humans.”
“...The Divine Blood—no, the Star Cluster is protecting humans?”
“Yes.”
“...?”
Alon couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
* * *
Around the time Alon was questioning the idea of a ‘Humanity-Protecting! Divine Blood Gathering, the Star Cluster,’ a conversation was blooming in Palantia between the two Tower Masters and the Golden Dragon, Rainisius.
“Ho—how fascinating. Did you create this yourself as well?”
“That’s right. What do you think?”
“It’s quite well-made.”
Naturally, the two Tower Masters and Rainisius hadn't known each other before.
The Golden Dragon had been stuck in a subterranean cavity in the Wasteland until Alon rescued him.
However, the Tower Masters and the Golden Dragon had quickly become close.
The Tower Masters felt an immense interest in a dragon, a race of magic, and Rainisius found the magic circles they created intriguing.
The Golden Dragon’s eyes sparkled intensely as he looked at the blueprints the Tower Masters handed him.
The Tower Masters were quickly captivated by the Golden Dragon, who instantly understood the magic circles that were the culmination of their knowledge.
But that was only for a moment.
“Isn't this part already built?”
“Hmm—yes.”
“But many magic circles are missing. Is it unfinished?”
“Why is this part missing?”
“Because of the cost, obviously.”
“...The cost?”
Norton nodded.
“Yes, the cost. If we built it according to the blueprints, it would require an amount of mana stones that would make running the castle almost impossible.”
She let out a series of sighs.
“It’s a shame—honestly, if we could just handle the cost, we could build something even greater than this.”
The Brown Tower Master, standing beside her, expressed his agreement.
“That’s true. We could make the floating island currently in the sky several times larger, or just use levitation magic on the entire space itself—”
“And besides that, we could apply large-scale golem manufacturing techniques to prepare for invasions and infiltrations.”
“Honestly, if we could control the castle gates with magic, it would really have the right feel—”
The two of them smacked their lips as they looked at the blueprints with regret.
Rainisius listened quietly to their conversation and then spoke casually.
“...With this much, I think it could easily operate for half a season just by me replenishing the mana once a month.”
“What...?”
“Really...?”
The two Tower Masters asked back in shock, but Rainisius merely nodded calmly.
“Yes, since I am bound to him, I will be staying here anyway, so you don’t need to worry about mana.”
Since my mana is essentially infinite, the Golden Dragon added.
“...Mana is, infinite?”
“We can build... what we wanted to build?”
The eyes of the Purple Tower Master and the Brown Tower Master glazed over as if they were possessed.
“Th-then, would there be enough mana even if we added illusion magic through this kind of structure?”
“No problem. My mana capacity is infinite.”
“Then what about this composite magic?”
“The same.”
Before long, at the answer that everything was fine.
“...”
“...”
The eyes of the two Tower Masters began to fill with determination.
...Something was about to happen.