Chapter 72: Status (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Status (1)
“It is here.”
Maksim, whose presence was as formidable as one would expect of the King’s royal guards, spoke as Alon looked toward the opening doors.
“Go inside and bring out only one item of your choice. I must warn you, however, that if you are caught trying to sneak out more than one—”
Maksim’s gaze shifted toward Alon.
“—unfortunate things may happen. Please be mindful of that.”
It was a warning that felt somewhat unpleasant to hear, but Alon gave a light nod. He understood where Maksim was coming from.
‘There are more than a few fighters who try to pull tricks.’
Of course, not many fighters were bold enough to play games in the royal treasury, but Alon knew that such people did exist.
“You may enter.”
Alon stepped into the treasury without much emotion.
“Oh—”
An exclamation escaped his lips despite himself.
As expected, the interior of the treasury was filled with a vast array of items. From weapons like swords, axes, and spears to ornaments and accessories, the room was overflowing, with treasures scattered across tables and even rolling on the floor.
It was a place that perfectly lived up to the name 'treasury.'
However, Alon didn’t spare a glance for the weapons or jewelry. He moved toward a corner without hesitation and began searching. The item he intended to take from here had been decided from the very beginning.
About thirty minutes passed.
After rummaging through various spots, Alon finally found what he was looking for.
“Hmm.”
What he pulled from a pile of ornaments and accessories was a tiny dagger. In fact, it was so small that calling it a dagger felt awkward; it looked more like a longsword crafted for a member of the small-statured races. While it could certainly be used as a dagger, the grip was absurdly thin.
In other words, it was useless as a weapon and seemed intended only for decoration, but Alon didn’t mind as he tucked it away.
‘Contract Token of the Blind One.’
He recalled the name of the item in his hand. It wasn't something he could use right away. He would first need to go through the liberation process in Laxas, along with the ring he had received from Heinkel, to utilize it properly.
‘...Now that I’ve gotten everything I need, I just have to hear the explanation from the Dragonkin and then leave for Laxas.’
With that, he exited the treasury and returned to the King’s presence, accompanied by Maksim, who had been waiting outside. He would have preferred to leave the stifling royal castle immediately now that he had what he wanted, but etiquette dictated that he must express his gratitude to the King.
Because of that...
‘How can I politely refuse the offer regarding his daughter?’
Occupied with that thought, he arrived at the King’s location.
“...?”
He immediately sensed a rather bizarre atmosphere. Karmakeses III still wore a smile, though it wasn't the boisterous laughter from before Alon had left for the treasury, and there was a strange awkwardness about him.
“Ah, Mentor!”
In contrast, Seolrang, who had seemingly been talking to the King until just a moment ago, was beaming as usual.
“Ahem, hmmm—did you finish choosing your item?”
At Karmakeses’ strangely awkward question, Alon offered a polite greeting.
“Yes. I am grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”
“Right. Then you may go—ah, ah—and as for what I mentioned earlier, let’s just forget about it. It was merely a joke.”
“...? Ah, yes.”
Karmakeses forced out a boisterous laugh.
“Then, I shall look forward to seeing you again.”
With those final words, he dismissed Alon.
“...?”
Alon was left feeling dazed. The audience had ended without even the simple formality of showing the King the item he had taken from the treasury or offering a proper closing thanks.
“Seolrang.”
“Yeah? What is it, Mentor?”
Alon turned to the smiling Seolrang to ask a question that had suddenly crossed his mind.
“You didn't seem to show much etiquette when meeting the King. Is that alright?”
“Huh? It’s fine.”
“...I suppose the King allowed it.”
“That’s right, it’s fine.”
Alon felt another strange sensation as Seolrang nodded as if it were truly nothing.
‘...Even if she is a Babayaga, shouldn't she still show respect to a King?’
Of course, since such details weren't described in depth in Psychedelia, Alon couldn't know the truth, so he decided to let the subject drop.
“By the way, what did you talk about with the King?”
“Hmm—just a normal conversation?”
“Normal...?”
“You know—just stuff? Like food, or things to be careful about... that kind of thing?”
“I see.”
“Yep!”
At Seolrang’s energetic reply, Alon shrugged as he climbed into the carriage.
‘Well... if she’s always been like that, I guess it wasn't because of Seolrang... Maybe I just imagined the atmosphere was strange.’
* * *
The carriage Alon boarded didn't head for Seolrang’s guild, but straight toward the ruins outside the Colony. Now that he had obtained everything he needed, it was time to meet the Dragonkin and hear the story he hadn't been able to finish last time.
Thus, Alon arrived at his destination with Seolrang in the afternoon, bypassing the guild entirely.
“Well then, I’ll be back.”
“Got it! I’ll be waiting, Mentor!”
Seolrang raised her hand and waved it side to side at Alon’s words.
Accompanied by her send-off and the voice of Sparrow, who was still whining about wanting him to become his successor, Alon reached the Central Tower.
[You have come? I was waiting for you.]
As soon as he reached the upper floor, he encountered the entity again, which appeared as the room filled with bookshelves as usual.
“Is there a time limit on your manifestation this time as well?”
[You need not worry about that. There will be plenty of time for us to talk.]
“I see. But why aren't you keeping your promise?”
[...Promise?]
“You aren't planning on feigning ignorance, are you?”
When Alon pressed the entity, which was pretending not to know, it let out a groaning sound like an animal caught hiding something and spoke in a small voice.
[...Master, is that enough?!]
“I’ll let it slide with that much.”
[Why on earth did I make such a ridiculous promise—!]
The entity let out a long sigh at Alon’s words, then looked at Sparrow’s staff and replied.
[Still, your ability to execute is more impressive than I thought. I didn't expect you to have the staff already. Have you tried using magic?]
“Yes.”
[And Self-Embodiment?]
“I succeeded, but it was more dangerous than necessary.”
Alon spoke calmly. The Dragonkin seemed dazed for a moment.
[I suspected as much, but to think you actually succeeded... How absurd.]
It let out a hollow laugh. Then:
[Magus, you tell me. Is it true that this magician succeeded in Self-Embodiment?]
The Dragonkin directed the question to the staff rather than Alon, as if seeking confirmation.
[T-That is correct.]
“...?”
Alon looked puzzled. Sparrow, who had been squawking noisily until they entered the tower, was now answering in an extremely tense tone. His attitude was completely different from how he had been for the past few days, reminiscent of a mouse in front of a cat. While Alon was still questioning this change...
[Good. Very good. Excellent.]
The entity smiled and nodded several times as if highly impressed.
[There are things I wish to tell you and tasks I must inform you of right now, but everything has its order. Since there is a story I owe you, I shall address that first.]
It looked at Alon and spoke.
[What are you curious about? I shall tell you everything I can at this point.]
Alon pondered the question. There were so many things he wanted to ask, but now that the opportunity had come, he wasn't sure what to ask first. After a moment of silence, Alon spoke.
“...Last time, you said I needed 'Status' to hear this story.”
[I did.]
“What exactly do you mean by 'Status'?”
He brought up the topic of 'Status' as his first question.
[Hmm? Why, that is obviously—]
The Dragonkin looked puzzled, but then a smile spread across its lips as if the answer went without saying.
[—Divinity, is it not?]
* * *
Around the time Alon was listening to the story.
In the office of the Colony’s royal castle, Karmakeses III was letting out a deep sigh as he reflected on what had happened earlier.
‘...That was the first time I’ve seen her show such a variety of reactions.’
Karmakeses thought of Seolrang. Until now, he had never once seen 'that' Seolrang wearing a beaming smile. Her face had always been fundamentally expressionless whenever he had seen her. Whether they met at the Colosseum or the royal castle, it was always the same.
Therefore, although he hadn't shown it, the change in Seolrang’s expression was quite shocking to Karmakeses.
But that wasn't all.
‘Knock it off.’
Karmakeses recalled Seolrang’s voice from earlier. The moment Count Palatio left, her cheerful expression vanished, replaced by a cold, expressionless voice delivering a sentence.
“....”
Karmakeses let out a hollow laugh as he remembered the suffocating feeling he had experienced in that moment. Seolrang’s behavior was, by any standard, a clear act of treason. Even if he accepted her informal speech because she was the first Babayaga, showing hostility toward the King...
...And emitting such a chilling bloodlust was an act that anyone would be justified in labeling as treason.
Yet, despite Seolrang’s actions, Karmakeses hadn't dared to say a word to her.
There were two reasons for this. First, Karmakeses knew exactly how strong Seolrang was. Not the strength of the 'Golden Flash' known to the world, but the true power she possessed. For the Colony, which currently had two vacant Babayaga positions, Seolrang’s overwhelming power was an absolute necessity.
...And the second reason was that Karmakeses had tried to use his royal authority to exploit Count Palatio, even though he knew full well that the Count was Seolrang’s mentor.
In the upper classes, marriage is fundamentally used as a political tool. In other words, describing his daughter as a 'gift' to Count Palatio upon their first meeting was a proposal that would have benefited Karmakeses in one way or another.
If the Count refused the gift, the King could use that as an excuse to pile up a sort of debt. If he accepted, the King could utilize the prestige of Count Palatio, who had recently become famous and was clearly a man with a promising future. His fame had been spreading quite widely within the Colony lately.
But above all, the reason Karmakeses wanted to draw him in was that Count Palatio was the mentor of the Babayaga, Seolrang. If he could bring the Count to his side, it meant he would be able to better manage the first Babayaga, whom he couldn't properly control.
...Furthermore, he knew the Count had a connection with Yutia Bloodia, who wielded great influence in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, which was why he had pushed his luck with such a proposal.
‘...I didn't expect the backlash to be so severe, even if he is her mentor.’
Karmakeses thought of Seolrang once more. Of course, he had known their relationship was unusual based on how she treated him. However, no matter how informally she spoke, Seolrang had never once crossed a certain line until now.
Because of that...
‘...Just who is he?’
Just as Karmakeses was tilting his head in newfound curiosity about Alon...
“Your Majesty, the Cardinal requests an audience.”
“Let her in.”
Karmakeses stopped his train of thought at the voice from outside. Normally, he would have continued his musings, but in his current position where he needed the support of the Holy Kingdom, he wasn't in a place to refuse the Cardinal’s request. That was why he had been forced to break royal tradition last time and grant her one of the treasures from the treasury, even though she wasn't a fighter.
“Your Majesty.”
Yutia, the Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, entered and gave a light bow. Karmakeses was about to return the greeting naturally when...
“...?”
He felt something was off.
During their many previous meetings to discuss 'support,' she had never once lost her smile. But now, her lips were flat, and it looked as if all expression had vanished from her face.
‘Did something happen?’
Karmakeses’ confusion was short-lived. Yutia, who had walked into the office with an expressionless face, soon approached him.
“Your Majesty, I have heard something I would like to ask you about. Would that be alright?”
“What is the question?”
“...It is nothing else, but I heard that Your Majesty tried to give Count Palatio—no, Teacher—a troublesome gift. I was wondering if that was true.”
As she spoke, he saw it.
Her red eyes.
Karmakeses couldn't read the emotion contained in those eyes. They showed no emotion at all. In a way, they were serene, and in another, they were indifferent.
“Will you answer me?”
“...!”
Despite the lack of emotion, he suddenly felt cold sweat running down the hand that held his pen. His body was reacting instinctively despite the absence of any felt emotion.
Feeling as if he were facing a being that should never be encountered, Karmakeses felt confusion and doubt, but instinctively recalled one fact.
The fact that her change was because of Count Palatio.
Because of that...
‘Just what... what is that man’s true identity...?’
Karmakeses—the King of the Colony—felt an even greater sense of confusion as he once again realized that Count Palatio’s identity was anything but ordinary.