Chapter 134 - The Borderlands (2)

About twenty minutes later, Alon was finally able to cross the border with two guarantors vouching for him.

... It was a first since the border had been established.

In any case, having safely entered the borderlands, Alon looked out at the wasteland and caught sight of a strange scene: countless monster corpses along the outer wall.

Of course, the sight itself was not necessarily unusual. The wall existed to guard against monsters, as well as any potential invasion by the Empire. What made him question it was the fact that this was the wasteland.

'... There are monsters in the wasteland, but it's strange for them to swarm here in such numbers.'

The corpses numbered well beyond a few hundred—quite possibly in the thousands. Soldiers were still clearing them away on one side.

"My lord."

Alon turned toward the voice and saw Kyriana, who was responsible for defending the border, approaching.

"I owe you a debt for what happened before."

"... Before?"

"Yes, in the north. Had you failed to defeat the Outer God, I probably wouldn't be standing here alive today."

"Ah."

Only then did Alon understand. He nodded.

"Not at all. I merely did what needed to be done."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"You are a man of great benevolence and integrity."

At Kyriana's assessment, Alon hesitated for a moment. He could more or less understand why she had said that.

He had only gone to stop the Outer God because he knew things would become difficult if it fully descended. But Kyriana had no way of knowing that. To her, he must have seemed like someone who had come all the way north to defeat an Outer God and prevent loss of life.

Unable to think of an appropriate response, he offered a brief "Not at all," then decided to change the subject.

"By the way, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I see a great many monster corpses. Was there an attack recently?"

Kyriana tilted her head.

"Yes. Were you not aware?"

"I wasn't."

"Ah, since you arrived with those two, I assumed you knew the circumstances."

She then briefly explained the current situation at the border.

"... A monster wave?"

"Yes. They've been coming every few days for over two months now. At first, there were only a few dozen, but lately their numbers have been growing. That's why we invited those two here to repair the gate."

Only then did Alon get a rough idea of what was going on.

'So that's what they meant about the gate.'

Yuman had told him the reason for the visit yesterday, but Alon had never really known much about the gate in the first place. It had not even appeared in Psychedelia. Naturally, there had been no quest involving monsters swarming the border like this, either. Nor had the original story ever mentioned such an incident.

'... Do I simply not know about it because it happened before the original story? Or did something go awry and cause this?'

As he pondered that question...

"So, Your Holiness, you can repair the gate. I'll stay by Teacher's side."

"Cardinal Yutia, isn't repairing the gate the cardinal's responsibility?"

"Certainly not. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the one with the more devout divine power to do it?"

Yutia and Yuman were approaching from behind, talking to each other. Both were smiling, but their eyes were cold.

'... They really don't get along.'

After watching them for a moment, Alon turned back to Kyriana.

"So, about the monsters—?"

But she had already left.

"Have a safe trip...!"

She had already reached the border entrance, where she gave him a light nod and a relaxed smile. Seeing her, along with the aide who looked half-dead from dealing with Yutia and Yuman, Alon realized the truth.

'... She didn't come to thank me. She came to dump them on me and run.'

Just as the thought of how crafty she was crossed his mind, Yuman spoke.

"Cardinal, you need only do as you always have. Brother is not someone who would fail to understand."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You did nothing when Brother was being slandered in the kingdom, didn't you?"

"... As I said earlier, I had already finished all the preparations."

"But in the end, you weren't there at the time, were you? You should know this as well, Cardinal. Help is needed at a particular time and place."

Alon realized something: Yuman, with his easy smile, was far better at getting under people's skin than he had expected. Looking at Yutia's frozen smile as proof, Alon broke into a discreet cold sweat.

####

Shortly afterward, not long after leaving the border, Alon parted ways with Yutia, Yuman, and their party. He was able to do so thanks to their consideration.

As though she had known in advance, Yutia told him he could go his own way as soon as the allied army disappeared from sight behind the wasteland terrain. Surprisingly, Yuman also sent him off with a kindly smile, saying, "You must have things you need to do."

Thanks to them, Alon was free to act independently.

"My lord."

"What is it?"

"When on earth did you become so close to the saint?"

"I don't know, either."

"... Really?"

"Why would I lie?"

If anything, Alon himself understood it least of all. Why was Yuman being so kind to him?

'... What on earth has he misunderstood?'

He pondered it only briefly.

"... Let's head down for now."

"Yes, my lord."

Recalling Duke Comalon's words, Alon began walking toward the southern reaches of the border.

####

Some time had passed since Alon and Evan had started heading south along the border. Seeing the sun high overhead, Alon found himself caught up in a strange train of thought. As he drew closer to the place Duke Comalon had told him about, the thoughts he had kept suppressed began to surface.

How much of the duke's account had been true? What awaited him in the south the duke had mentioned? He felt a peculiar urge to explore this place that had never appeared in Psychedelia, and, finally, worry about the Five Great Sins. All manner of thoughts and feelings rose within him.

After walking south for a while, Alon suddenly realized something.

'... He only told me to go south. He never told me how far.'

Whatever its extent from east to west, this border stretched a very long way from north to south. Even if the section connecting the borders was short, it was still a border, and the wasteland between them was enormous.

He sighed and had only just begun wondering how much farther he would have to go when a voice suddenly rang out inside his head.

["How curious. Are you a Magus?"]

It was a clear male voice.

Before Alon could reply, it continued.

["If you have come to this place where no one ever visits, you are most likely looking for me. Excellent timing; I was growing bored. Shall we talk for a while?"]

No sooner had the voice in his head said that than...

VROOOOM!!!

A magic circle formed beneath Alon's feet.

"!"

It happened without warning. Before he could belatedly take any action, the activated circle swallowed him with terrifying speed.

And in the wasteland, only Evan remained, having been trailing languidly behind Alon with his eyes on the ground.

"... My lord?"

Meanwhile, the first thing Alon saw after the magic circle summoned him in an instant was an unnervingly vast cavern. The next thing he encountered was...

"!"

A golden eye.

It was an immense golden eye, easily taller than Alon himself, its luster lost and its color dulled. After staring blankly at its reptilian vertical pupil, he slowly turned his gaze and took in more of what lay beyond it.

Golden scales that had lost their radiance and now looked a dull brown. And three enormous black spears embedded between the scales of that gigantic body.

The moment he had taken it all in, Alon realized what the being before him was.

["Now, why have you sought me out? Me, Rainicius the Golden Dragon?"]

An ancient dragon known only through legend in Psychedelia, said to have fought the Five Great Sins. That being was looking quietly down at Alon.

####

Recently, as the situation finally began to settle down, Philian Merkillan had officially passed his position as heir to his younger brother, Killan. He had never intended to inherit the title in the first place.

Now free, he devoted himself to training in swordsmanship and magic. He spent his entire day practicing, and he was thoroughly enjoying his current circumstances.

Swordsmanship had always been his greatest strength. Though he lacked any great talent for magic, he still enjoyed learning it. Every little bit he learned made him feel one step closer to the person he admired.

Today, too, he practiced magic as usual, then headed to the center of town in the afternoon. He was going to see none other than the statue of Marquis Pallatio that stood there.

Like the other nobles, even his younger brother had failed to understand why he had erected the statue. Philian, however, had no regrets. Indeed, he was deeply satisfied with his accomplishment. To him, Alon had already become the very embodiment of admiration.

And so Philian, who visited the statue every day, encountered someone he had never expected to see.

"... Hm?"

"?"

It was Deus Makalian, whom he had seen at the earlier meeting of the kingdoms. He was quietly gazing at the statue of Marquis Pallatio.

What on earth was he doing here? Philian wondered only briefly before involuntarily shrinking back. Carefree as he usually was, the trauma of that meeting remained vivid.

While he stood there unsure what to do, Deus greeted him first.

"... It's been a while."

"It has, Sir Deus."

Philian returned the greeting, looking somewhat bewildered.

Even with his utterly abysmal social skills, Philian knew one thing: Deus Makalian disliked him.

"... I hear you proposed erecting this statue. Is that true?"

"Pardon? Ah, yes."

At the question, Philian nodded as though in a trance.

"Why did you propose it?"

After a moment's hesitation, Philian answered sheepishly.

"Because the marquis saved our territory."

"Is that all?"

"No, that isn't the only reason. How should I put it... It's a little embarrassing to admit as a grown man, but seeing him save our territory made me admire him."

He gave an awkward laugh and continued.

"That's why I suggested erecting it."

"I see. So you've come to admire him."

"Embarrassing as it is, yes."

"No, that is nothing to be ashamed of."

"... Pardon?"

Deus had come to stand beside him and laid a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"That's right. Mere admiration isn't enough for a man like the marquis. Don't you agree?"

He even gave a faint smile as he sought Philian's agreement.

Having found someone who understood the feelings he had thought too embarrassing to voice, Philian's heart melted. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly...!"

"Yes. Speaking of the marquis reminds me of what happened in the north—"

Deus brought up the events in the north as naturally as though following a prepared itinerary.

"Oh...!"

His eyes shining more brightly than ever, Philian began listening intently to Deus's story.

And so, about five hours later...

"... Kulan."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"... Where is my brother?"

"In the central square."

"... Still?"

"Yes. As I reported earlier, he is continuing his conversation with Callivan's First Sword."

"... Didn't you say they were talking five hours ago?"

"... They still are."

"Why didn't you call him in for dinner?"

"Well..."

"Well?"

"... Lord Philian and the First Sword both seemed to be enjoying their conversation so much that I couldn't bring myself to interrupt. In fact, they seemed to grow even more enthusiastic as time passed, so..."

Hearing Kulan's report, Gillan was both dumbfounded and curious.

'... What on earth could they be talking about?'

And then...

"They still need to eat dinner. Bring them both here."

"Understood."

Just as curiosity killed the cat, Gillan had made a foolish choice.

'Now I'm curious.'

A very, very foolish choice.