Chapter 149 - Secrets (2)

“A being higher even than... the five high gods of the forgotten age of the gods?”

[“Indeed. If it can interfere with the bronze mirror, it must be higher than they are. And even I cannot begin to fathom what such a being might be.”]

A being so unimaginably high that even the dragonkin could not gauge it.

“... Then could Ultultus know of this being? He was the first to mention it, after all.”

[“No, he would not. Most likely, Ultultus merely made the same mistaken assumption I did.”]

“Then, about that black thing—”

[“At present, I do not know.”]

At the dragonkin’s firm answer, Alon fell silent for a moment, then shrugged.

“Somehow, every time I come here to clear up my questions, I only leave with more.”

[“Well, from your perspective, I suppose that is true.”]

Alon sighed, set that subject aside, and decided to ask something else. He still had plenty of questions left.

“First, let me tell you everything else.”

He began recounting the matters on his mind one by one.

A little while later...

[“... It seems rather more happened than I expected.”]

“As you’ve heard.”

Over roughly thirty minutes, he told the dragonkin everything he needed to say.

First came his encounter with Duke Comalon and the magic of a Magus that the duke had mentioned. Second was the information that the “black things” would rise before long. Last came the story of Rainicius the Golden Dragon.

The being stood silently, swishing the long tail characteristic of dragonkin back and forth. After a moment, it finished sorting through its thoughts and began.

[“First, as that sealed dragon said, I did not know that information about those things.”]

“Is that so?”

[“Yes. My understanding was somewhat different to begin with. Well... if they will rise through that process anyway, the gods’ silence will serve no purpose.”]

“Can you reveal it now?”

[“I would merely be telling you the beginning of a story you already know, but if you need it, I shall.”]

Alon nodded at once. The being remained silent for a while before slowly continuing.

[“It is not a particularly interesting tale. To you, it is quite literally ancient history.”]

Its voice sounded as though it were reaching into distant memories.

[“Long ago, in what you call the forgotten age of the gods, gods and humans truly existed together in the same world. Humans worshipped the gods, and the gods received their faith and bestowed it in turn.”]

“...”

[“Much was different from today. Rather than calling them nations, we divided territories under the names of gods. Mages were called Magi, and there was only one human nation among them. Let me see... Yes, I do not remember its name, but it was founded by a man named Palaon.”]

The being gazed intently at Alon.

[“At any rate, that was the world we lived in. A world where gods existed, where humans and other races offered them faith... and where Magi like you could inscribe their own laws upon the world.”]

Murmuring that this was what they called the forgotten age of the gods, as though recalling an old memory, the dragonkin continued.

[“In truth, I could not call the world peaceful then, even out of courtesy. Something happened every day. Yet it was not an age of war. Not until those things rose.”]

“... The black things.”

[“Yes. Those things.”]

The dragonkin’s blue eyes narrowed.

[“They appeared without warning and began slaughtering every living creature they saw. Gods, humans, other races, Magi. All of them. Every last one.”]

“... Did they have a purpose?”

[“No, they had no purpose. No... perhaps they did, but we had no way of knowing. They had no intention of speaking with us in the first place.”]

In an instant, the atmosphere around him changed completely.

[“Countless gods stepped forward. Some stood alone; others formed alliances. They took up arms to kill those things whose origins none knew. And the result is what you see now.”]

“... You lost?”

[“We did not merely lose. Most of the gods who went to deal with the black things were annihilated.”]

“...”

His helpless voice filled the air.

[“Ordinarily, gods do not perish so easily. Even if one fell, as long as there was faith, they would return—after a few days at the shortest, or decades at the longest. Only the time differed. Yet most of the gods struck down then were annihilated.”]

“... Was there a reason?”

[“It is simple. Their names were stolen.”]

The loss of a name.

[“A name is important to a god. No, not merely the name—every element that constitutes a god is important. But if even one of those is stolen, a god cannot maintain their form.”]

“...”

[“Some lost their names. Others their bodies, others their minds... and others their honor. That was how they were annihilated. It was the same for me.”]

A self-mocking smile crossed his face.

[“After my name was stolen, I escaped annihilation by sealing myself within my own temple at the very last moment.”]

It must have been a final, desperate struggle to cling to life, however incomplete that life might be.

“... Then did the other gods survive in the same way?”

[“Even I do not know that much. I sealed myself away while the war was still raging. However, most of the gods who remain alive today were tremendously powerful beings in the old age.”]

“Why?”

[“They survived even after losing their names. Is it not obvious?”]

At any rate...

[“In the end, the gods were defeated by those things. Even our positions as ‘gods’ were usurped.”]

“... Usurped.”

This was...

[“Yes, usurped. We, who were once the gods of this continent, are now called Outer Gods, while those things have come to be called the ‘Five Great Sins’ in awe and terror.”]

...the history of the Five Great Sins’ birth.

####

“I have a question.”

[“What is it?”]

After listening to the dragonkin’s story for some time, a question arose in Alon’s mind.

“Why did the Five Great Sins steal your names and even usurp your positions as gods?”

[“Who knows? I only learned of it after awakening from my seal. Hmm. If I had to guess, it was to make us forgotten.”]

“... Make you forgotten?”

[“It is only speculation.”]

“I’d still like to hear it.”

[“When I awoke again, the original gods had disappeared, and the legacy of the Magi’s will had died out. Furthermore, if what you told me is true, the dragons were all slain and became creatures of fantasy.”]

The dragonkin continued calmly.

[“... I understand that the gods, Magi, and dragons were killed, bringing that age to an end. But too much remains unexplained to simply leave it at that.”]

“... Are you talking about the gods’ positions being usurped?”

[“Not only that. The magic of the Magi is the same. Even if they all died, their lineage should have continued to some extent. Yet look. Is there a single Magus in this world besides you?”]

“... There isn’t.”

[“Exactly. Something is wrong. Even if the gods were annihilated, information about them should still exist. And the deaths of the Magi are no reason for the laws they left behind—or even their research—to disappear.”]

The same held true even if the Magi had failed to leave behind their Mourning of the Heart.

His voice rang out with firm conviction.

[“All information has disappeared from this world. Everything about dragons, about gods... and about Magi. As though—”]

The dragonkin exhaled heavily.

[“It had been manipulated.”]

####

On the way back from the ruins...

[“Kyuu...”]

Watching Blackie being flown around like an airplane in Seollang’s hands, Alon calmly sorted through the rest of his conversation with the dragonkin.

No, in truth, there was little to sort through. Most of it had been speculation.

‘... Well, he sealed himself away midway through the war. That can’t be helped.’

Ultimately, he had learned two definite truths from this conversation.

First, although their aim remained unknown, the Five Great Sins had usurped the gods’ positions and tried to thoroughly erase every trace of the old age.

Second, why Duke Comalon had called himself a half-baked Magus.

‘A spell formula inscribes the Mourning of the Heart, then.’

Alon recalled the dragonkin’s explanation of Magi.

[“Each Magus has their own Manifestation of One’s True Nature. As I told you before, it is only possible with Mourning of the Heart.”]

[“A spell formula is the stage beyond that Manifestation of One’s True Nature. By inscribing the laws and Mourning of the Heart into your mana reservoir, you become one with the laws themselves. Only then do Magi have no hesitation in calling themselves Magi—”]

[“Well, ask me about that in three months, when the object you entrusted to me is ready.”]

“... So that’s why he called himself half-baked.”

Having understood Duke Comalon’s meaning, Alon unwittingly let out a deep breath. He had learned some things, but unanswered questions remained.

‘... Why did the black things try to erase the past? From what the Golden Dragon said, Kailas is clearly a Magus, so why did he appear as an Outer God?’

Countless questions tangled his thoughts.

But Alon set those questions aside and reminded himself of his original goal.

‘My highest priority right now is stopping the Five Great Sins.’

In the end, only one thing mattered most to him: stopping the Five Great Sins and living the peaceful life of a noble.

If he had any additional goal, it was to explore magic in greater depth.

The magic he had initially learned merely to keep himself safe had now become indispensable to him. It was the only thing in this world that stirred his curiosity and desire to improve.

And so...

‘... First, I’ll have to make preparations to deal with the abomination. Then, when the original story begins, perhaps I’ll join the protagonist briefly to retrieve that object. With it, I should be able to meet Kailas.’

Sorting through his plans once more, he looked at the sun slowly climbing toward its zenith.

... He was in the middle of a sweltering desert.

####

“Good day, my lord Marquis. His Majesty wishes to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. He also asked that Lady Seollang accompany you.”

Upon returning to Coloni, Alon received an unexpected invitation from the monarch.

“Mentor, what do you want to do?”

Though Alon wondered why Karmakses III was summoning him, he asked,

“When should we go?”

“You may depart immediately, if you wish.”

“... Then let us go now.”

He accepted the King’s invitation. Of course, he would have liked a brief rest to gather his thoughts, but he knew enough basic etiquette to understand that refusing a king’s invitation was rude.

He took the waiting carriage to Coloni’s royal palace and soon began walking through its lavish halls, just as he had before.

A short while later, not far from the dining room where Karmakses awaited him, he encountered a man.

A man who was staring straight at him.

“...?”

Feeling the stare, Alon naturally looked back at the man. It did not take him long to recognize him.

‘Karan?’

Karan, currently Coloni’s first prince, who would succeed Karmakses V in the story to become Coloni’s sixth king.

He was staring intently at Alon, looking deeply displeased about something.

“...?”

As a question arose in Alon’s mind, Seollang, too, began narrowing her eyes at Karan.

“...”

A moment later, however, the encounter ended without incident. Karan, who had looked as though he had been waiting for a chance to confront him, turned his gaze away and went on his way.

“My lord, do you know that gentleman?”

“I don’t.”

“Then why is he giving you such a nasty—no, such a lovely look?”

Evan glanced around to see whether anyone might overhear, spotted a guard, and hurriedly changed his wording.

“I have no idea either.”

Naturally, Alon did not know. He knew Karan from playing Psychedelia, but this was their first face-to-face encounter.

Of course, Karan might have heard of Alon through various rumors and reports. Even so, the unmistakable hostility he had displayed was rather strange.

But Alon only puzzled over it briefly.

Soon, he arrived at the banquet.

“Good day, my lord Marquis!”

“?”

The moment he entered the banquet hall, a man bent at a ninety-degree angle to greet him. Alon was briefly bewildered, but then inwardly marveled.

“... It has been a while, Your Highness.”

“Yes!”

For he realized that the handsome man bowing before him was the second prince, Karsem—the man who, half a year earlier, had sported a soot-smeared, bloated face and had essentially been called a walking pig.

“???”

An endless stream of question marks sprang up above Alon’s head.