Chapter 86: The Title Conferral Ceremony (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: The Title Conferral Ceremony (2)
“…Such a rumor is going around?”
“Yes. There was a meeting of the United Kingdoms recently, wasn't there?”
“Was there?”
“...Sometimes I really think you have no interest in your surroundings, My Lord.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
As Alon nodded, Evan immediately continued.
“Anyway, it seems the topic came up there. Stories about Penia Kraysinne and the Count of Palatio possibly being involved with one another.”
“...Was Penia Kraysinne actually there?”
“Of course not. It was a gathering for royalty only, intended to foster friendship and maintain the alliance of the United Kingdoms.”
“Then why did such a rumor even start?”
“I wouldn't know that. I only heard it second-hand myself.”
As Evan shrugged his shoulders, Alon wore a look of genuine bewilderment.
And for good reason—there hadn't been even a shred of a reason for such talk to circulate between him and Penia. In fact, recalling Penia’s behavior from not too long ago, it was baffling that such a rumor could even exist.
‘What is this…?’
Alon looked puzzled for a moment, but he soon decided to put the rumor out of his mind.
Distorted rumors were common among the nobility anyway; he figured it would naturally fade away with time. Most groundless rumors Alon had encountered so far disappeared quickly.
“Well, it’s not a rumor worth paying much attention to.”
And so, Alon brushed it off lightly.
At least, that was until he arrived in Teria a few days later.
* * *
A banquet was held shortly before the title conferral ceremony, intended for the participating nobles.
“Congratulations, Count!”
“...Congratulations for what, exactly?”
“I heard the rumor that you and Penia Kraysinne are in that kind of relationship.”
“…”
Question marks practically floated over Alon’s head. He was starting to feel dizzy. He had only been in the hall for a short while, yet this was already the fifth time he was hearing this.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but unfortunately, that is a false rumor.”
After dismissing the noble’s words, Alon was standing in a corner of the banquet hall eating an egg tart when Duke Altia appeared before him.
“It’s been a while, Count.”
Alon nodded as she bowed with a smile, but his greeting was brief.
“It has been a long time.”
“By any chance, is that rumor true?”
“Which rumor are you referring to?”
“The one I’ve heard recently—that you and the Blue Tower Master, Penia Kraysinne, are romantically involved.”
“…”
That made six.
False rumors might die fast, but until they did, they certainly burned bright. Alon let out a sigh.
“I’ve already said this several times, but that rumor is nonsense.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There’s no way it could be true in the first place.”
“I thought it was real.”
“...And why is that?”
“Well… a marriage with the Blue Tower Master would have a tremendously positive impact on your House and our faction. For instance—”
Alon watched with a look of inward exhaustion as Duke Altia began to list the advantages of marrying Penia Kraysinne with clinical precision. Seeing her categorize every benefit and drawback, from the monumental to the trivial, reminded him once again that she was indeed one of the Three Masterminds of Asteria.
‘...Not that she’s much different now.’
Just as Alon was thinking that.
“...Given these positive aspects, I judged that you would find marriage well worth considering. Was I wrong? Besides, I actually thought you were the one who started the rumor, Count.”
“...Me?”
“Rumors possess a surprising amount of power. Sometimes, by spreading them like this, parties are forced together for the sake of group interests even if they personally dislike it.”
Alon replied to the Duke, who had just casually painted him as an underhanded, personality-deficient schemer.
“...Even I wouldn't go that far.”
“Oh, really…?”
Seeing Duke Altia’s genuinely surprised expression, Alon wondered just what kind of person he was in their eyes.
After a moment of contemplation, Duke Altia spoke again.
“I suppose you might be more of a romantic than I thought, Count.”
She left after a few more words and a soft smile.
That day, Alon received congratulations approximately nine more times.
...It was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.
* * *
The next day.
The title conferral ceremony began.
In front of the assembled nobility, the 8th Queen, Cretenia Siyan, declared that the Count of Palatio was being elevated to the rank of Marquis.
The ceremony itself was over in a flash.
However, despite the ceremony being finished, Alon’s status was still technically that of a Count. There was one reason: to officially use the title of Marquis, one had to receive a blessing from an Archbishop belonging to the Holy Kingdom Rosario.
Thus, as soon as the event concluded, Alon began preparing to head for Rosario.
“Then, have a safe journey.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
Cretenia Siyan stared at Alon as he bowed. With a curious hum, she approached him and—
Poke—
Just like last time, she used her index finger to nudge the corners of his mouth upward.
“Did I not say you look much better when you smile?”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
Alon lowered his head.
“Well, fine. Return once the conferral is fully complete. Let us sit across from each other and have a proper talk then.”
With a smirk, Siyan gave a wave of her hand and turned away.
Alon stared blankly at her back, noting once again how Siyan’s behavior differed slightly from his expectations, before he began his final preparations for the Holy Kingdom.
* * *
The journey from the Asteria Kingdom to the Holy Kingdom Rosario was quite long, taking about two to three weeks.
However, it was a more comfortable trip than the one to Laxas, as there were many towns and estates to stop at between Teria and Rosario. Because of this, Alon was enjoying a significantly more relaxed journey.
About a week into the trip, while resting at an inn in the village of Nenda, Alon spoke with Evan.
“Count—no, should I call you Marquis now? I’m not used to it yet.”
“I am not a Marquis yet, so speak comfortably.”
“Then, Count, I’ve obtained one of the pieces of information you asked me to look into.”
“...Here?”
“There happened to be an informant in this village. I stopped by while I was at it.”
“...And the information?”
“Ah, it’s nothing major, really. It seems the Abyss Pearls and Abyss Bodies you mentioned have been appearing frequently on the black market lately.”
“...Does that mean they are being heavily distributed?”
“No, it doesn't seem like they're being moved in large quantities, but they are being spotted often.”
“Hmm…”
Alon fell into deep thought.
‘...That’s not good.’
The spread of Abyss Pearls or Abyss Bodies in this world was not a good omen. Since Abyss Bodies could grant Divinity to the strong, turning them into even more powerful beings, their spread in the shadows was no different from the probability of the world falling into chaos skyrocketing.
Furthermore, in the original work, it was only mentioned that Abyss Bodies were ‘distributed somewhere,’ without specifying the exact route. In other words, he couldn't cut off the supply using his prior knowledge.
“...Did you find the source of distribution?” Alon asked, just in case.
Evan shook his head.
“No, unfortunately, I couldn't find that. However, I did find out where most of them are heading.”
“Where?”
“The Holy Kingdom.”
“...The Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes. At least, that’s the judgment of the Information Guild.”
Alon wore a strange expression. The Holy Kingdom was the place that least suited the Abyss Bodies.
‘Of course, that place is plenty corrupt in its own right, but I didn't think they were far gone enough to touch Abyss Bodies.’
Tilting his head in thought, Alon considered his options.
‘...I’ll have to see if I can find out more by asking Yutia. Still, that makes two things I need to ask of her. Should I buy her a gift?’
Since he was planning to ask Yutia for a favor anyway while he was in the Holy Kingdom, Alon pondered for a moment.
‘It would be best to stop somewhere along the way and buy something.’
He concluded his thoughts there.
A short while later.
“It’s getting late. Let’s head down for dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
Alon headed down to the first floor of the inn with Evan.
“Wahahaha!”
“Drink! I said drink!”
“Man, that thing was so squishy, it just—!!”
Unlike when they first arrived, the first floor was now so boisterous it was almost deafening. Alon stared blankly at the scene.
“Mercenaries?”
“It appears so.”
“...The soundproofing in this inn is surprisingly good.”
“Indeed. I’m a bit surprised myself.”
Alon moved to find an empty table in the corner. No matter how noisy it was, he still had to eat.
As he approached a vacant table—
“Hup!”
“?”
Just before he could sit, a mercenary suddenly snatched the spot. Alon could only look on in bewilderment.
“What are you looking at? This is my seat!”
One of the mercenaries who had been partying just moments ago was now picking a fight out of nowhere.
“…”
Alon and Evan exchanged incredulous looks. Even for a mercenary who didn't know the ways of the world, were there really people stupid enough to pick a fight with someone who was clearly a noble? Knowing that was impossible, they couldn't help but make such faces.
“I said go sit somewhere else! Huh?”
Soon, the stench of alcohol wafting from the man made Alon realize that the drunkard’s intelligence had plummeted to non-existent levels.
Just as he was debating how to handle this—
“...?”
Alon noticed the surroundings had suddenly gone quiet. He looked around.
The mercenaries were still there. However, the men who had been rowdy just a moment ago were now staring toward Alon and the drunkard, their mouths shut as if frozen in place, wearing expressions of sheer horror.
The moment he felt something was off—
CRASH!
“Didn't you hear me?! Just get lo—”
Someone appeared behind the troublemaker and smashed a liquor bottle over his head.
Thud!
The mercenary collapsed to the floor, twitching. Alon, startled by the sudden turn of events, looked up.
“I-I’m sorry! Count Palatio!”
He saw a Beastkin woman holding the jagged remains of the bottle, her head bowed low.
Recognizing the somewhat familiar figure, Alon realized who she was.
“...Myaon?”
“I’m so sorry…!”
Myaon, the Guild Master of the Ancient Chaser Guild—one of the Five Great Guilds of Lartania—was bowing her head in apology.
* * *
The regular meeting of the Blue Moon.
Normally, only the five executives of the Blue Moon participated, but this time was an exception; Hidan was allowed to join.
The reason was that he had found several pieces of information regarding the faction seeking to slander the Great Moon.
In other words, he was only there to report, but Hidan was secretly feeling a bit excited. In his heart, he held a deep respect for the other ‘Moons,’ including the Great Moon, who possessed a strength fundamentally different from his own.
With a fluttering heart at the thought of meeting the Moons, Hidan stepped inside—
[I’m going to marry him!]
[No!]
[I’m going to marry him!!]
[No!!]
[I’m going to marry him!!!]
[No!!]
[As I’ve said, I think this is too unfair. It’s about time you let us send letters too—]
[I think that’s a fair point!]
[Looking at the moon like this reminds me of that time. It was years ago, but it’s still vivid in my mind. The sight of the Great Moon facing an Outer God… it was truly awe-inspiring. Ah, come to think of it, Hidan, haven't you heard the story? Then let me explain it to you step by step.]
[…]
...He couldn't help but feel dizzy.