Chapter 142 - Inquiry (2)

After spending a full day deliberating, Alon decided to return to the marquisate first. He could visit Lartania on the way to Coloni afterward anyway.

“Are you leaving, Teacher?”

“Yes.”

Yutia had come to see him as soon as he began preparing to leave, as though she had been waiting. Alon answered lightly, then asked a question of his own.

“Is the Holy Kingdom staying a while longer?”

“Yes. We may have dealt with that abomination, but I think the collapsed wall needs further attention.”

Alon nodded, looking past her at the temporarily repaired wall.

“Oh, Teacher.”

“What is it?”

“Would you mind giving me the object you brought out the other day?”

“... The object I brought out—”

“The one from inside Rikrakhamur. Could you?”

Her request gave Alon pause.

“... I could give it to you, but what do you intend to use it for?”

“I want to purify it.”

“Purify it?”

“Yes. It came from inside an abomination, after all. There may be nothing visibly wrong with it, but I think it would be best to take it to a cathedral for a purification ritual.”

Yutia hummed thoughtfully, then added,

“If you really would rather not do that now, Teacher, you don't have to. But please be sure to visit the Holy Kingdom and have it purified later. Objects like that can be dangerous even when they seem harmless.”

“They can affect the mental state of whoever possesses them,” she said, raising her index finger like a teacher.

Realizing why she wanted the discarded remnant, Alon felt a small measure of relief. Others might not know, but he did: she had originally been destined to become one of the Five Great Sins.

'Well, there's really no need to be nervous anyway.'

The discarded remnants of the Five Great Sins could only function at full capacity while inside the abominations—in other words, while those creatures continued to guard them. The moment Alon had removed this one from Rikrakhamur, it had lost its value as a discarded remnant.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Bring it out for me.”

Evan immediately went to the carriage and began rummaging around inside.

“Uh, my lord? I've found it, but... it's changed color since last time.”

“Wasn't it already changing a little?”

“But it wasn't this dark before, was it?”

Evan handed it over. The discarded remnant was no longer red; it had turned pitch-black.

Alon recalled a scene from the game: the Sin of Pride flying into a rage when the player timed things right and removed a remnant from an abomination before the Sin could get to it.

'... It certainly looks as though it's lost all its power.'

He stared at the remnant, stripped of its color, then handed it to Yutia.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you, Teacher. I'll take it to the Holy Kingdom, have it purified, and come straight back to return it.”

“I'd appreciate that.”

“It's no trouble at all.”

Yutia gave him the brightest of smiles.

Then—

“... Marquis.”

“Yes, Your Holiness?”

“I swear I will protect you.”

“... Pardon?”

Yuman had approached unnoticed and was nodding with a look of firm resolve, as though he had received a divine mandate.

Alon discreetly took a step back and closed his mouth.

'It's nice that he cares, but...'

It was starting to feel a little overwhelming. With that thought, he hurried on his way.

####

About a week after they left the border—

“I win, snakehead!”

[“You bastard! You cheated!”]

“What cheating? You're just too dumb!”

On a slightly chilly evening, Alon's party sat in small clusters around the campfire they had lit for the night.

Alon cooled a hot sweet potato and pushed it into his mouth, watching Evan and the little snake. Every night, the two found a new game to compete at, and by now he was growing used to the sight.

Then he happened to look up.

“...”

He gazed blankly at the stars.

[“... Do they look beautiful to you?”]

The Observer's voice lingered in his ears. He wasn't sure why, but lately, whenever he looked at the stars, her words would drift through his mind unbidden.

He chewed slowly, then put the rest of the sweet potato into his mouth, ending his recollection and turning his thoughts to what he needed to do next.

'The Time Gates—Elivan will handle those somehow, so I probably don't need to worry about them. My first priority now is dealing with the abominations that hold the other remnants, and strengthening my magic so I can do that... I suppose.'

He recalled what Rainicius the Golden Dragon had told him. More precisely, he recalled the remarks about magic the dragon had made after offering his proposal, before Alon left the cavern.

[“Unfortunately, I know little about the magic of the Magi. About all I know is that their magic is a language based on... what was it called? The Six Realms?”]

[“Beyond that, there is only one piece of information I can offer that might help with a Magus's magic.”]

[“Seals. I do not know exactly how it works, but my sworn ally once told me of strengthening magic by layering seals. Frankly, I was not listening very closely, so I do not remember much. But he said that if you understand the seals you use in detail, you can layer their effects and abilities.”]

The Golden Dragon had concluded by saying that was all he knew.

'... Seals, then.'

During the hunt for Rikrakhamur, Alon had felt the need to delve a little deeper into magic. With Rikrakhamur, he had been able to plan around various mechanics he remembered from playing the game, but most of the other abominations had no such mechanics to exploit.

In other words, he would more often face situations where he couldn't devise a strategy that used those advantages to secure an overwhelming upper hand.

Rather than relying solely on Manifestation of One's True Nature, he needed to study magic itself and prepare spells that would let him deal with even a few more situations. His first task was to investigate seals, which he had never properly explored before.

As he pondered this—

“My lord.”

“Hm?”

Evan handed him another sweet potato. His face looked wonderfully refreshed; apparently his argument with Basiliora, thinly disguised as a game, had ended.

“Thank you.”

“It's nothing.”

[“Give me one too!”]

“No food for losers!”

[“Aaaaargh! Don't give me that bullshit, human!! I could never lose to a mere human!!”]

Basiliora wailed, writhing on the ground as though breakdancing.

“So.”

“Yes?”

“What were you playing this time?”

Seeing how bitterly Basiliora was taking it, Alon asked Evan, who was calmly biting into an ear of corn.

“Marbles.”

“... Marbles?”

“Yes.”

“... The game where you shoot marbles to win the other person's?”

“Yes.”

Alon looked down at Basiliora.

[“I! I, of all beings! To a mere human!! A mere humaaaaaan!!!!”]

'... All this over losing a single game of marbles...?'

What a reaction. Alon thought he was starting to understand why Evan and Basiliora enjoyed their games so much.

He absently went to put the sweet potato into his mouth again—

[“Mew?”]

Instead, he offered it to Blackie, who had climbed onto his shoulder unnoticed.

Blackie eagerly took a bite and munched away, as though it had been waiting. Watching its eyes curve into an adorable smile, apparently pleased with the taste, Alon reflected anew,

'... At least it no longer grows a mouth on its belly like last time.'

It had given him quite a fright when a mouth suddenly appeared there before.

[“GRAAAAAARGH—!!! Ah, wait—wait, wait! Stop! I said stop!!”]

Blackie had gone over and swatted Basiliora several times with a forepaw, perhaps displeased by his incessant screaming.

[“It's so unfair. So unfair...”]

As Basiliora shrank into himself, night finally fell in full.

... It was a pleasantly cool night.

A few weeks later, Alon arrived at the Pallatio estate for the first time in almost two months.

A great deal seemed to have changed in his absence. Correspondingly, a considerable backlog of work awaited him, and he also heard that Radan had paid a visit.

But he didn't hear all the news in detail.

No—he couldn't.

Because—

“I'm so soooorry!!!”

BANG!

“...”

The moment he arrived, he had to contend with Penia, who dropped to her knees before him and slammed her forehead into the ground with all her might.

####

In his office, piled high with documents, Alon found himself feeling rather strange.

Penia Kraisinne sat before him, unable to keep still. As though she had done something truly unforgivable, her eyes darted everywhere and her body twisted this way and that.

“... Did you come alone?”

“Ah, n-no... Um... with my younger brother...”

Her head lowered along with her dwindling voice. She looked like a broken toy robot, prompting Alon to speak first.

“... I'd like to hear exactly what you think you've done wrong.”

“Ah. W-well—um—”

Penia cautiously looked up at him, only to lower her head again, unable to meet his eyes.

For no good reason, Alon felt as though he had become one of the bullies he used to see at school. ... No matter how he looked at it, Penia looked like their victim.

Just as he began to feel oddly wronged—

“Well, the thing is...”

Penia began to speak haltingly. After listening to her for a while, Alon heard her conclude,

“Th-that's what happened.”

“... I see.”

He now understood why she had been begging forgiveness on her knees.

“... To summarize, Heinkel thinks you and I are romantically involved, and said she'd teach you magic if you asked. So you deliberately pretended we were involved while at the magic tower... Is that about right?”

“That's... right. She keeps wandering around in spirit form...”

“So you did learn magic from her, but you came to confess because it was only a matter of time before you were caught.”

“Y-yes, sir...”

Penia nodded, watching him anxiously.

'So that was why.'

At last, Alon understood why the rumors hadn't died down easily. Watching the fidgeting Penia, he considered his options.

'What should I do now, then?'

He didn't particularly want to do anything to her. It had been annoying, but he hadn't actually suffered any harm.

As he pondered, something occurred to him. Smiling inwardly, he spoke.

“All right. Then let's do this.”

“Pardon?”

“Your goal is to learn magic from Heinkel, correct?”

“Um, I can manage without learning it, but I do think I'd be really pleased and happy and delighted if I could... Yes, yes...”

Penia trailed off uncertainly.

Alon slowly leaned back in his chair and made his proposal.

“How about this? Instead of keeping those awkward rumors alive, I'll go and meet Heinkel myself. Wouldn't that be easier for both of us?”

“Huh? Really...!?”

“Yes.”

Penia's eyes widened in genuine surprise. They sparkled as though she had rediscovered her childhood innocence—an expression he could scarcely imagine on someone with such an awful personality.

Then she nodded, looking utterly delighted.

“Yes, yes! That would be wonderful for me...! Those rumors are a little awkward, after all...!”

“...”

Alon felt oddly unsettled. Of course the rumors were awkward, but seeing her so happy about ending them made him feel as though there was something wrong with him. It wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling.

“In return, however, I have a favor to ask.”

He put those emotions aside and got to the point.

“What sort of... favor?”

At Penia's question, he smiled and explained what he wanted.

“I'd like your help with my study of magic.”

“Your study of magic?”

“Yes. The subject may be somewhat unfamiliar, but could you help?”

The timing was perfect.

'She'll be a great help with my research.'

Penia Kraisinne had a terrible personality. But her magical skill was unquestionably genuine, and even now, she was surely making steady progress beyond the seventh tier toward the eighth.

“If that's really all you need... I'll do it...!”

Penia agreed enthusiastically. Both felt they had reached a satisfactory outcome.

But Penia had no idea.

She didn't know that what awaited her next was “backbreaking labor in the abyss”... under the name of research.

She would realize that a week later.

####

Around that time, Hidan had come to Deus's mansion in Callivan to relay news about the latest Time Gate situation.

But that was not the subject he opened with.

No—he couldn't.

The reason was—

“... Lord Violet Moon.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“That...”

A gigantic statue stood in the middle of the garden, visible through Deus's window. And it resembled the one in the Merkillan domain... No, it was practically identical.

When Hidan looked at him, Deus spoke with an utterly serious expression.

“... You see.”

“Yes?”

“... I visited the Merkillan domain and met Philian.”

“Yes.”

“He's a very good friend. We spoke about him for a very long time—almost three whole days.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

“... But does that have anything to do with the statue?”

At Hidan's pointed question, Deus averted his gaze slightly.

“... Philian offered me a statue as a gift.”

“Didn't you buy it rather than receive it as a gift?”

“... It would have felt wrong to simply accept it.”

“... Even so, I hear you spent an enormous sum.”

“Well—”

Deus faltered several times before finally managing to speak.

“... It was to establish a plausible pretext.”

“A plausible pretext?”

“... Yutia said we needed one. To form some sort of territorial alliance with the Merkillan domain—”

“But you don't have a territory.”

With one sentence, Hidan utterly demolished Deus's plausibility—no, his logic.

“Anyway, that's what happened.”

“... I see.”

“Yes.”

Hidan thought to himself: Ah. What bullshit.

“... I'll report this to the Red Moon.”

At that, Deus asked,

“Could you... perhaps not report it?”

“They'll find out soon anyway...”

“If you report it, I'll have three months. If you don't, I'll have half a year.”

Deus wore the expression of a child determined to keep his precious toy for even three months longer.

“...”

Seeing that, Hidan quietly shut his mouth.