Chapter 451: Return (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 451: Return (7)
The next day.
A little past noon, Alon looked down at the landscape of Divine Land.
“…It seems Divine Land changes significantly every time I see it.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Once again, the scenery of Divine Land had transformed.
The central tent where Alon stayed remained the same, but buildings were now rising all around it.
“Well, half a year has passed, so I suppose that much change is to be expected.”
“I suppose so.”
Alon nodded, feeling the weight of those words.
He hadn't been particularly conscious of it, but it had taken a full six months from the time he met the Seeker and obtained the Law until his return.
“…”
Tracing back the time that had passed in what felt like a flash, Alon lowered his gaze again.
Except for the wooden palisades and the central tent, Divine Land had become a respectable large town—one that could practically be called a territory.
“…Half a year is a long time.”
“It really is.”
As they descended the cliff and approached the gates of Divine Land, knights rushed out and began to line up as if they had been waiting.
It was a familiar sight.
However.
“…?”
Today, Alon felt a strange sense of doubt.
Usually, the formation would have been complete by now, but knights were still streaming out of the gate endlessly.
Moreover—
“…Are they crying?”
“I wouldn’t say they’re crying, exactly…”
“But they do look like they’re on the verge of tears.”
As the knights looked at Alon, their eyes were somehow glistening with tears.
Alon’s footsteps faltered as he drew closer.
Why on earth are they making those faces?
Behind his expressionless mask, he was beginning to feel flustered.
“…Lord Alon?”
Evan called out to him cautiously.
“What is it?”
“…Did you perhaps visit Divine Land in secret before this?”
“Why would I do that…?”
When Alon replied, Evan looked at the knights with a confused expression of his own.
“…If not, then why are they all looking at you like you’re some hero who sacrificed himself for the nation?”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Alon realize.
The teary-eyed expressions of the knights were born from an intense sense of loyalty.
…I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before.
Alon tilted his head, then let out a low exclamation.
It didn't take long for him to remember where he had seen it.
The knights welling up with tears every time his carriage passed.
Alon, moving forward with a stoic face.
This was just like—
…The Chieftain…?
It was strikingly similar to the reactions of the citizens who were moved to tears when the Great Leader of the northern country appeared—a scene he had watched with zero interest while eating tonkatsu in his original world.
“…”
Alon squeezed his eyes shut in silence.
* * *
Receiving a grand welcome fit for a Great Leader, Alon entered the tent.
“You’re back?”
“Silli.”
Silli greeted him with a bright smile, as if she had been waiting.
After a brief exchange of greetings, he heard from her the reason why the knights had changed so much.
“…So, you’re saying they gained power? Simus did?”
“Yes. And I got some too!”
Silli nodded vigorously.
Alon let out an involuntary “Oh” of admiration.
I knew things were progressing to some extent.
Alon had felt that Silli and Simus were moving forward quite well. Even when they were apart, Simus and Silli were connected to him.
Still, he was momentarily surprised they had obtained power so quickly, but he soon regained his composure and assessed the situation.
“…In other words, rumors have spread that Simus and you received power from me.”
“Yes, exactly! Though we might have added a few things here and there.”
“…Added a few things?”
“Oh, don’t worry too much about it. I just thought that since the word was going to get out anyway, why not make it a bit more helpful for you? So I just added a little seasoning!”
“Seasoning…?”
“Yes, but of course, there wasn't a single lie involved!”
Silli gave a suspicious smile, telling him not to worry.
Behind her, the faces of the teary-eyed knights he had seen earlier flashed through his mind.
“….”
Alon shifted his gaze slightly toward a corner of the tent.
Kalanon was standing next to a structure that looked like a cat tower.
Sliiiide—
As he looked at her, she subtly turned her head away.
“….”
“….”
Nod.
Alon conveyed his thoughts to Evan with a simple exchange of glances.
“By the way, what kind of business were you attending to?”
In response to Silli’s follow-up question, Alon gave her a brief summary of what had happened.
“I see—”
Watching Silli nod after hearing the story, Alon voiced a thought that had occurred to him.
“Are the knights the only ones who know that you and Simus obtained these abilities?”
“That’s right. Of course, something unexpected happened when Simus first got his power, so a few more people know, but it hasn't spread widely yet.”
Just in case, Silli added, and Alon nodded.
In fact, if such a thing had happened in Divine Land, the information should have reached him immediately, but nothing had been reported.
As he organized his thoughts.
“But what do you mean by ‘just in case’?”
When he asked for clarification, Silli went on to explain.
“Exactly what it sounds like. I hadn't heard your intentions yet.”
“My intentions?”
“Yes. You’ve bestowed power before, but this form of power is on a completely different level. Depending on how the rumors spread—”
“The reaction will change?”
Silli smiled silently in affirmation, and Alon pondered for a moment.
My intentions—
The reason Alon wanted to awaken divine power in humans was because of the Divine Blood.
At this point, where he wasn't even looking out for his own safety, it was research conducted to put weapons in their hands to oppose the Divine Blood.
Therefore.
“…Well, there was no special intention.”
“Is that so?”
“The primary goal was simply to give them the power to stand against the Divine Blood.”
When Alon answered, Silli let out a small exclamation and nodded several times.
Then, she asked with clear eyes.
“Then do you plan to increase the number of people in the future?”
In truth, his goal was to go beyond bestowing blessings individually and achieve complete automation, but since that was nearly impossible for now.
“That will likely be the case.”
Alon nodded for the time being.
At that, Silli seemed to think deeply about something before asking cautiously.
“Then, if it’s alright with you, could I be the one to select the next person to receive a blessing?”
“…You?”
“Yes, if you’re okay with it, of course.”
Silli emphasized once more.
After a moment’s thought, Alon gave his permission.
“I don’t mind if you do that. Though I will perform the final check.”
“Understood! Then I’ll start moving in earnest from now on.”
“…In earnest?”
“Yes.”
While Alon hesitated at the expression she used.
Silli shouted, “It’s a great opportunity to gather Faith!” then gave a quick bow and hurried outside.
…Before Alon could even ask what she meant.
“…What is it?”
What was she planning to do?
An inexplicable sense of unease blossomed within Alon.
And the next day.
“…Um, Lord Alon.”
“What is it?”
“I looked into the rumors, and it seems…”
Evan scratched his head and hesitated for a moment before relaying the news.
“It seems the story is that you ‘personally sacrificed your own lifespan to tear away pieces of your power’ to give to humans suffering at the hands of the Divine Blood.”
“…What?”
…A story that was a little—no, heavily—mixed with fabrications.
* * *
Around the time Alon was clutching his head over the fabricated (?) rumors.
A single crow was gliding through the sky over the Palantia Territory.
This creature felt entirely different from an ordinary crow.
A faint resonance of mana lingered in its flight path, and its size was several times larger than a normal specimen.
The identity of the crow that had been circling Palantia’s airspace for a while was—
[Imperial Princess, we have arrived.]
“Oh, I see.”
—none other than the knight Marilleus, the confidant of Irenena Polantisia, the Princess of the Southern Empire.
And Irenena was riding atop him.
“I knew we would arrive quickly with your ability.”
[I am honored.]
The crow—or rather, Marilleus—replied while transformed by the power he had obtained as a ‘Derivative’ of the Princess’s grace.
Irenena Polantisia lowered her gaze.
“Is this definitely Palantia?”
[Yes, that is correct.]
“…The castle is truly massive.”
[I have the same impression.]
“…Why on earth would they build such a giant castle?”
Doubt clouded Irenena’s face.
The castle of Palantia was so large it far exceeded her common sense.
However, she soon shook it off and reminded herself of her purpose for coming here.
The reason was clear.
It was to confirm the rumors that the King of Palantia was the father of the Guardian Dragon.
And to use the power she had recently obtained to verify those rumors.
Having finished her thoughts, Irenena closed her eyes, muttered something, and then snapped them open.
Whoosh!
A blue light began to flicker in her eyes, which had clearly been golden before.
At the same time, the world she was looking at transformed.
The landscape below, which had looked bright and sunny just a moment ago, was now stained in shades of gray.
And filling that gray world were blue flames.
“Phew—”
High in the sky, Irenena let out a small sigh.
This was the power she had recently acquired; from the moment she used these eyes, she could see information about the living beings existing in this world.
That wasn't all.
She could also estimate an opponent’s approximate strength by the color she saw.
Starting from blue, which was closest to an ordinary person, the color of the flames grew darker depending on their innate power.
In the case of dragons, they scattered brilliant golden flames.
She recalled wandering the skies of the Northern Empire just to see how the Guardian Dragon would appear.
If Alon was truly a dragon hiding his identity, he would surely be emitting golden mana.
As she looked around with those thoughts.
“!”
Before long, she spotted a golden flame and her eyes widened.
“…?”
But she soon tilted her head in confusion.
It was strange.
The one emitting the golden flame wasn't Alon, but—
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“I’m saying, I’m curious about the relationship between you and Lord Alon.”
—another man with an otherworldly, heavenly appearance.
Irenena involuntarily held her breath at the sight of a man so handsome he couldn't possibly be a mere human.
Because that brilliantly shining man was the owner of the enchanting golden flame.
…Why is there a dragon here…?
The moment Irenena’s eyes filled with questions, something even more shocking happened.
“What kind of relationship, you ask? Well, there’s no need to overthink it.”
Into her ears, which were enhanced by mana to sharpen her hearing, came the words:
“It’s simply a relationship between master and slave.”
“…Just to be sure, are you the slave?”
“Isn't that obvious?”
“….”
The shocking statement from the radiant man reached her.
“I am the slave, and Alon is the master.”
A story that was a little—no, utterly—unbelievable.
“…He has a dragon… as a slave?”
At the dragon’s voluntary declaration of slavery (?), Irenena’s pupils trembled.