Chapter 461: Why Are You Doing This…? (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 461: Why Are You Doing This…? (9)
The place Alon arrived at, following Lime, was the guild office.
It was a place that had once been so utterly destroyed by the Divine Blood’s attack that it was unrecognizable.
"…You’ve restored it well."
"Yes, it took quite a bit of effort."
Lime stepped inside the office, which had somehow regained its original appearance.
Alon followed her upstairs and arrived at the office Seolrang was likely using.
"…."
Seolrang’s office was not much different from before.
The items used and the arrangement of the furniture were mostly the same as they had been.
However….
"Ahem—I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier."
After staring at one spot for a moment, Alon turned his gaze toward Lime at her words and shook his head naturally.
"No. More importantly, what’s going on?"
"Well—"
Lime fell silent for a moment as if organizing her thoughts, then finally spoke.
"As I mentioned, bandits have been appearing near the Colony lately, but these bandits aren't ordinary."
"What do you mean by 'not ordinary'?"
"I’m not certain, but I think they’ve been influenced by the Divine Blood."
"…! Influenced by the Divine Blood?"
Penia cut in, her reaction grave.
Lime paused for a moment before continuing.
"Yes. But it’s only a guess for now."
As Alon and Penia stared at her intently, she let out a sigh.
"Yes. This is… well, the situation is a bit complicated."
The full explanation began, and once Lime finished her story, Alon summarized the details.
"So, bandits so strong that it wouldn't make sense unless they were influenced by the Divine Blood have been appearing recently?"
"Exactly. Though they aren't quite as powerful as the monsters we saw when the Colony was nearly destroyed last time. Furthermore—"
"They clearly have human forms?"
"…Yes, that’s why I said it was ambiguous."
Lime’s voice dropped lower.
"Most mutants derived from the Divine Blood take on bizarre shapes, but these guys were human."
"So Seolrang and the other Babayagas have been going out to deal with them because of these bandits with abnormal strength."
"The Colony is finally being rebuilt. If such ominous rumors start spreading again—"
Lime didn't finish her sentence.
However, the meaning was clear enough. While Alon’s group remained silent in thought—
Creeeeak—!
The office door swung open.
"Huh?"
Seolrang walked in.
She looked momentarily bewildered at the sight of the group gathered there.
But soon, her eyes widened as she spotted Alon.
"Mentor!"
With a bright face, she lunged toward him.
Oof—!
Seolrang threw herself into a hug with Alon, who was sitting down. Her tail wagged vigorously, and her usual smile filled Alon’s vision.
"Seolrang, have you been well?"
"Yup! How about you, Master?"
Alon stroked her head as she beamed at him.
Seeing Seolrang after a while, she was just as she had always been—unchanged.
* * *
After Seolrang’s sudden arrival and their greetings, Alon received a more detailed explanation from her.
"I tried to keep them alive to ask about their base, but they didn't open their mouths at all until they died. No, to be more precise—"
"It felt like they just couldn't speak."
"…Couldn't speak?"
"Yeah. Like dolls."
Seolrang tilted her head with a hum.
"They definitely looked human, and based on the way their eyes moved, it seemed like they were thinking, but they couldn't talk."
"…Hmm."
"That’s strange."
"But you did eventually find their base?"
"I did!"
Despite the difficulties, Seolrang had eventually located their stronghold.
"…Then is the bandit problem solved?"
"Not yet. I found the general area of their base through intuition, but I couldn't stop by there before coming back."
"Why not?"
"One of the kids who went with me wasn't feeling very well."
"Ah."
"So! I was going to head back out after dropping that friend off, but then Mentor was right here!"
A beaming smile filled Seolrang’s face once more. Her tail wagged incessantly, reflecting her mood, before she paused.
"By the way, Mentor, why did you come to the Colony?"
Only now did curiosity strike her.
Alon explained the reason for his visit to Lime and Seolrang. After listening quietly for a while, Seolrang spoke up.
"So, the fragment those Divine Blood guys are looking for is near here?"
"According to the information we have, yes."
"Then I’ll help you!"
Without a second thought, Seolrang raised her hand high.
Alon looked at her for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you."
"No need! Helping Mentor is my job!"
"But we shouldn't put off dealing with the bandits, so let's resolve that matter first."
Seolrang nodded in agreement.
And so, the first task for Alon’s group upon arriving at the Colony was decided.
* * *
That night.
"Brother!"
"It’s been a while."
Alon met with Karsem, who had come to visit him in the middle of the night.
"If you had told me you were coming, I would have come to meet you immediately…! I apologize."
"There’s no need for that. I came unannounced, after all."
As Karsem bowed his head, Alon waved his hand dismissively and asked, "By the way… is it alright for you to be moving around alone like this in the middle of the night?"
"If you’re worried about me, I appreciate it, but I’m fine. I have enough martial prowess to protect myself, at least within this city."
Karsem let out a boisterous laugh.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And actually, even when you aren't here, Brother, I often travel back and forth through here at night."
"I see."
Is there a reason he, the King of the Colony, needs to visit this place in the middle of the night?
Alon felt a flicker of doubt, but since it wasn't an urgent matter, he simply nodded.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Alon brought up what he had intended to ask Karsem.
"May I ask you something?"
"Ah, yes! I’ll tell you anything I can answer."
Karsem nodded.
"By any chance, did you find the item?"
"The item…?"
"Didn't the Tower of Seekers grant power to the kings?"
"Ah."
At Alon’s clarification, Karsem nodded again as he understood the meaning of the question.
"Yes. I also found an item and gained an ability."
"…If it’s alright, may I ask what kind of ability you obtained?"
It was a very cautious question.
If he truly had gained an ability, asking about it could be considered a breach of etiquette.
No matter how informally Karsem treated Alon, they were both kings leading their respective nations.
…Of course, Alon himself lacked that sense of status.
Regardless, Alon was prepared for Karsem to decline to answer.
"Yes, of course you can!"
Contrary to his expectations, Karsem readily accepted Alon’s request.
* * *
At that same time.
Hidan, an executive of the Blue Moon, had been keeping a very busy schedule lately.
Ever since he had made a fatal(?) mistake and somehow earned Red Moon’s forgiveness.
He had been constantly researching what kind of hairstyles the Great Moon preferred.
That wasn't the only task Hidan was responsible for.
It was also Hidan’s job to mediate various situations occurring in the underworld within the Blue Moon’s territory.
Managing the overall members of the Blue Moon also fell to him. As a result, although things had improved slightly since the Great Moon entered the desert, he was still exhausted from the mountain of work.
Just as the interior of the Blue Moon’s hideout was being filled with Hidan’s sighs.
"You look like death warmed over."
"…Yuna."
Yuna, another executive of the Blue Moon, had arrived.
"I’ve just been tired lately."
"Well, considering the work you’re doing, it’s understandable. Things have been tiring on this end too, though—"
Yuna agreed that Hidan’s exhaustion was natural, but her voice trailed off.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, there’s just a lot of information to collect overall these days."
"…That much?"
"Well—we’re collaborating with the information guild, but even considering that, there’s a lot of separate intel to gather. You know, right? Things haven't been easy since the Divine Blood appeared."
"…That’s true."
As she said, since the descent of the Divine Blood, many things were happening behind the scenes of the United Kingdoms, even if they weren't visible to the public.
New organizations were popping up like mushrooms, and religions that had hidden away were reappearing to match the end of the world.
Among them, mutants created by the actual Divine Blood were appearing, causing chaos almost every day. This was happening despite the efforts of the Divine Land created by the Great Moon.
"You’re working hard too."
"Well… I guess."
Yuna shrugged at Hidan’s consolation and moved as she usually did.
She soon picked up a piece of stationery lying in a corner of the hideout and began to read it.
"Is it a report?"
"Yeah. Obviously. What else would it—"
However, Yuna’s voice suddenly cut off.
"What is it?"
Hidan asked, bewildered, but Yuna simply stared at the paper in silence for a long time.
"…Hidan."
"Speak."
"…Didn't you say the Moons were holding a meeting soon for the first time in a while?"
"That’s right…?"
"…Can you leave me out of that meeting?"
She spoke those words with eerie calmness.
Before the increasingly puzzled Hidan could say anything, Yuna handed him the paper she had been reading.
"?"
Hidan took the paper reflexively and read through the contents.
The content itself wasn't anything particularly grand.
It was literally just a report listing gathered information.
Hidan’s confusion over Yuna’s behavior only deepened until—
"…Ah."
A low groan escaped his lips.
"…Did you see it?"
"…Yeah."
He had seen it.
The sentence written at the very bottom of the report.
['Penia Kraysinne, Vice Tower Master of the Blue Magic Tower, officially announced at the Magic Society in the Central Magic Tower that she and the Great Moon are in a special relationship.']
"…Hidan."
"What."
"About that Vice Tower Master of the Blue Magic Tower."
"Yeah."
Yuna swallowed hard, her throat dry.
"…Does she have ten lives or something?"
Hidan remained silent.
…Because he was thinking the exact same thing.
"Yuna."
"Ah, sorry, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ve gotta go."
"No, wait—"
"Please handle the report for me! It would be weird for me to attend a meeting after so long anyway!"
"Wait—!!"
Before Hidan’s shout could even finish, Yuna vanished.
"…."
And so, left all alone, Hidan…
"…Ah."
…tightly closed his eyes.
Only one thought filled his mind.
Man, I want to go home.