Chapter 183 - Birth... Day? (4)

The office could not have been more peaceful.

After rolling around on a book, Blackie had drifted off to sleep. Despite the midsummer weather, mana stones kept the office comfortably cool.

In short, the time and atmosphere were perfect for reclining in a chair after lunch and enjoying a leisurely nap.

They certainly should have been.

"... So, what did you say?"

"I said the lord of Lartania's head will explode, Godfather."

If not for those words from Rine.

Though Alon's face remained expressionless, his pupils trembled faintly.

Deus and Radan were no different. As though they had witnessed madness surpassing their own, both discreetly retreated half a step.

Looking around at the three of them, Alon carefully set the button down.

"... So, um..."

He swallowed the question: How on earth was this supposed to be a gift?

"Oh. I haven't explained that part, Godfather."

"What part?"

"Once you press the button, all you have to do is come over, and you can become the lord immediately."

Rine gave him a bright, refreshing smile.

"That's the gift I've prepared for you."

A tiny button that fit in one hand.

'So she's saying... if I use this to blow up the lord's head whenever I want, she'll install me as lord?'

... He took back what he'd said about a normal gift.

"Actually, I was going to take care of everything neatly myself before telling you, but I thought that might attract some unwanted pests. So I prepared it this way instead. Besides, this lets you act whenever you wish."

"I... see."

"Yes."

It sounded very considerate.

No, it really was very considerate. It just strayed a little beyond the bounds of common sense.

Rine chuckled softly as she looked at the button. Worried about what might happen, Alon discreetly took it back.

'Surely not?'

Could Rine have awakened after her last encounter with the apostle?

He began to feel a little uneasy. Covering the button with both hands, Alon seriously considered his options.

Should he thank her first? Or...

'Even if it makes her uncomfortable, should I check whether anything has changed since the last incident?'

It might be an unfounded fear, but Alon thought he ought to get some clarity on the matter. After all, his highest priority was to raise the children destined to become the Five Great Sins into ordinary people.

Even if it was a gift, planting a bomb inside someone's head—assuming that was what she'd done—was plainly something she should never do.

Still, Rine had gone to such lengths to prepare this gift for him. Was it right to scold her in front of the others?

He hesitated. All the more so if her confrontation with the apostle had left lingering effects. Rine rarely showed her distress, no matter how much she was suffering.

In the end, Alon gently closed his eyes.

"... I'll gladly accept it."

"Do you like it?"

"I do."

He decided to let it pass for now.

"I'm glad."

"Still, you needn't give me such an extravagant gift next time. Keep it reasonable, so it won't be too much of a burden."

Instead, he offered a word of caution.

"The same goes for you two, Deus, Radan. You needn't go out of your way for a gift."

However...

"All right, Big Brother. But I didn't really push myself that hard."

"Neither did I, my lord."

At Radan's and Deus's protests, Alon felt an involuntary twitch at the corner of his mouth.

They'd made that absurdly enormous statue and captured an actual Sea King God, yet claimed they hadn't overdone it? Where was their common sense?

But...

"... Fine. All right."

Faced with six eyes proclaiming their innocence, he swallowed everything he wanted to say.

####

The afternoon sun beat fiercely down on the land.

"Hmm... Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since we met like this."

"Indeed. I've seen Rine, but it's been a long time since I've met you."

"It has."

While Radan, Deus, and Rine caught up, Alon stopped by the second office to work on magical research with Penia.

"Let's stop here for today."

"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."

"So, what do you think?"

"Hmm... To be perfectly honest, I think it's still slightly lacking."

Their current research concerned the guidance Kailas had given Alon. Wielding the Death Shadow Dragon required very precise mana control.

"It's fascinating, though. How Blackie responds when you form seals."

"Is it?"

"Yes. Essentially, the seals you use—your hand signs—change the very structure of your mana molecules. And Blackie changes along with them."

"... That's certainly true."

"Hmm... Oh, now that I think about it, couldn't we try using it this way, too?"

"How?"

Penia launched into an enthusiastic explanation.

"... Indeed. If what you say is correct, Penia, it could be used that way as well."

Alon nodded with his arms crossed. Penia's theory of the relationship between the seals and Blackie was intriguing in a different way from Kailas's.

"... Then let's research that further."

"Yes, understood. Oh, and..."

Penia slipped something out of her robes and offered it to Alon.

"... What's this?"

"Well, I heard today was your birthday. It's nothing much, but I prepared a gift."

"Thank you."

Penia's gift was a reagent.

"What is this reagent for?"

"It's a stimulant."

"A stimulant?"

"Yes. Um... It's not something to use carelessly. Inhaling the powder temporarily enhances your mana. Of course, it does have side effects, but it'll be better than getting mana poisoning."

Alon gave a low exclamation of admiration.

"... This is quite a gift. I'll put it to good use."

"I'm glad you like it."

Penia put on her polite professional smile.

'Not that I originally made it as a gift.'

She kept that truth to herself.

The stimulant masquerading as a gift was actually something she had produced by accident during an experiment.

Most mages never even considered using stimulants. Side effects aside, they hardly ever overused magic to the point of mana poisoning in the first place.

In other words, even if the accidental stimulant's effects were certain, there was nowhere she could sell it for a decent price, and Penia had no use for it herself. It was the very definition of something too good to throw away but of little practical value.

As it happened, Alon's birthday was approaching, and Alon was constantly struggling with insufficient mana.

It was an opportunity to turn her useless surplus into a precious gift.

'I probably would've given it to him even if it weren't his birthday.'

Regardless, there was absolutely no harm in getting on Alon's good side.

And so...

"Ahem. I did put quite a bit of care into making it, you know."

"Did you?"

"Yes. For starters, it contains lots of expensive ingredients..."

Making hay while the sun shone, Penia continued boasting with claims that weren't quite lies.

"It takes no fewer than eight ingredients—ah!"

Suddenly, she caught her breath.

"...?"

Before the puzzled Alon could ask why, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"There you are, Teacher."

"Yutia. You've arrived."

"Yes, Teacher. I arrived just a little while ago."

"It must have been quite a journey. Thank you for coming all this way."

"Not at all. It's your birthday, Teacher. Of course I had to come."

Yutia smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. She looked at the reagent in Alon's hand.

"I take it this gift came from Penia Kraisinne?"

Then her gaze turned to Penia.

"N-no, I didn't give him that!"

Penia hurriedly tried to hit the emergency escape button, but...

"That's right. Penia gave it to me. It's just what I need at the moment."

"Oh... Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then I must thank you, Penia."

Alon's calmly interjected praise robbed her of her chance.

"Ah, let's head to the office rather than stay here. The others should all be there as well."

"Of course, Teacher."

"Penia, forgive me, but I'll be going ahead."

"Ah, yes..."

Fortunately, Alon led Yutia away.

"Whew..."

Penia quietly sighed with relief. Raising her head as though she'd been saved, she saw it.

"... Ah!"

As Yutia left with Alon, her expression turned cold enough to cut into flesh, where Alon couldn't see it.

And then...

CREEEAK—CLICK!

Watching the door slowly close as though possessed by a ghost, Penia bitterly regretted her actions, her face crumpling.

'I shouldn't have bullshitted...'

... Should she pack her bags and flee to the Blue Magic Tower, even now?

Penia's fleeting thoughts roamed the room like a restless spirit.

####

"So, how have things been lately?"

"Hmm... Nothing particularly major. A few minor incidents, perhaps?"

"Really?"

As they exchanged pleasantries on their way back to the office where the other three waited, Alon thought to himself.

'Various incidents should start happening in Rosario soon, too.'

Of course, most would involve Monster Gates. The truly serious events would come a little later.

Still concerned, he told Yutia, "If there's ever anything I can help with, tell me."

"Hmm... I'd rather not make you worry, if I can help it."

"Don't think that way."

Yutia was silent for a moment. Then, with a smile even brighter than usual spreading across her face, she said, "The same goes for me."

"For you, too?"

"Yes. If there's anything you need from me, please don't hesitate to ask. Don't think you're making me worry."

Her smile made the corners of Alon's mouth shift slightly as well.

During their heartwarming conversation, they reached the office before they knew it. The moment they opened the door and stepped inside, they found another enormous box.

"Oh, is this your gift, Yutia?"

The box certainly hadn't been there earlier.

But...

"...?"

Yutia tilted her head as though she knew nothing about it.

Then who on earth was it from...?

"Oh, they said it had been delivered, so I brought it inside," explained Evan, who had been talking with the others.

"Apparently Seollang sent it."

"I see."

Then, spotting Yutia, Evan was about to raise a hand in greeting when...

"Ta-da! Making my entrance before Yutia arrives!!"

The lid of the enormous gift box burst apart with a bang.

What emerged from inside was...

"Seol... lang?"

Seollang, wrapped from head to toe in red ribbons.

She immediately scampered over to Alon.

"Your birthday present is me, Mentor! Me! You can have me!"

She held out the marriage registration form Alon had refused to sign last time—

And at that moment...

"—Huh?"

Seollang noticed Yutia standing behind Alon.

"Y-Yutia?"

Seollang's voice began to tremble.

"It's been a while, Seollang, hasn't it?"

In contrast, Yutia replied with perfect composure.

Deus and Radan, who had watched with interest right up until Seollang tore her way out of the box, flinched.

To anyone else, it sounded like her usual voice. But they recognized it instantly. That subtly lowered pitch was a particular tone she reserved for those who had deeply displeased her.

The best thing they could do now was avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

They carefully averted their eyes.

Remembering her mistake of teasing Yutia at their last meeting, Seollang let out a nervous laugh.

"Heh, heh..."

Like a thief betrayed by a guilty conscience, her eyes darted to and fro as she backed away.

PATTER-PATTER!

She climbed back into the box she'd just torn her way out of, stuck only her hands up, and closed the lid.

"..."

The battered lid wouldn't even close properly.

In the suddenly frozen atmosphere, Alon could only stand there, dumbfounded.