Chapter 195 - How to Use It (1)

Alon knew little about Kurak the Engraver. Kurak was a character with absurdly overpowered combat abilities, created to promote DLC. Alon, who had taken petty pride in braving Psychedelia's difficulty without buying the DLC, had never had much reason to learn about him. Naturally, his knowledge was exceedingly shallow.

'All I really know is that the person inside that black armor is a lizardman, and that he's strong.'

Just those two things.

Knowing nothing beyond that made Alon all the more bewildered. He could not even begin to guess why Kurak was bowing to him like that.

He looked at Duke Merkillan in the hope of finding some clue, but...

"???"

...the duke was too busy looking back and forth between Alon and Kurak with wide eyes.

In the end, Alon asked,

"... What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. To think the great one's friend truly has been reincarnated!"

"R-reincarnated?"

Despite Alon's question, Kurak merely repeated the same words, interpreting everything as he pleased. Meanwhile, Duke Merkillan was beginning to draw yet another bizarre conclusion. Looking at the two of them, Alon hurriedly spoke.

"... I'm sorry, but there seems to be some misunderstanding. I know nothing about you, let alone this great one you speak of."

Alon was simply stating the truth.

"...?"

Kurak hummed and tilted his head as he looked at Alon, as though wondering, 'Was I truly mistaken?'

But that lasted only a moment.

"Ha ha!"

Kurak burst into hearty laughter again.

"There is no need to test me, friend of the great one! Though I may be a mere mortal, the power bestowed upon me by the great one allows me to perceive your stature."

"... Ah."

Only then did Alon realize what Kurak was seeing. He did, in fact, possess stature.

Even so, he had not thought the stature he possessed had anything to do with the lizardmen. Their lands lay beyond Greinif, the elves' territory, after all.

Yes, that was certainly true, but...

'I thought it had nothing to do with the primordial elf either, yet it turned out to be connected—so could there be a connection to the lizardmen too?'

The thought flashed through his mind.

But before he could sort out his thoughts, Kurak bade him farewell.

"At any rate, now that I've confirmed it, I shall take my leave! The great one will be delighted!"

"..."

Alon considered asking him something, then remained silent. By now, he was beginning to realize that no matter what he said, the heartily laughing Kurak would not readily believe him.

Besides, there was no need to clear up the misunderstanding here by recounting everything, from his visit to Greinif to how he had acquired stature.

Siyan had requested the trip, and Alon had enjoyed an uneventful visit, but strictly speaking, relations between the allied kingdoms and the nonhuman alliance were not particularly good. Had Kurak been alone, it might have been different. With Duke Merkillan present, however, there was no reason to go into detail.

And so...

"Then I shall visit again with a letter from the great one!"

"Ah, well... I shall take my leave for now, Marquis."

Alon did not stop Kurak or Duke Merkillan from leaving. Once they had departed his domain...

"My lord."

"What?"

"We don't know who it is, but how does it feel to have become the friend of someone so very great?"

"... Complicated."

Evan pretended to be asking Alon a question as he continued,

"I imagine it would be. What if he's another one like Basiliora?"

["? Why are you suddenly picking a fight with me?"]

"I'm not picking a fight. I'm just stating a fact."

["You little—I should have swallowed you whole when we went down into the Root!!"]

Alon shook his head as Evan casually baited Basiliora.

####

A day later, Alon went to deal with the work that had piled up at the marquis's estate, only to receive quite a surprise. There was far less to handle than he had expected. After a moment of bewilderment, he soon learned why.

"Radan put you in charge?"

"Yes, he... did."

Alexion looked distinctly more haggard than when Alon had last seen him. Looking at him, Alon let out a soft exclamation.

'Come to think of it, he did mention something like that on my birthday.'

Radan had confidently assured him, ["I know people who could do a good job!"]

As if to prove those words true, Alexion had neatly dealt with all the paperwork. All Alon needed to do was give his final approval.

'He certainly seems good at his job... though he looks terribly tired.'

Despite his impassive expression, Alon felt a little sorry for him. He really did look a wreck.

'Hmm, where else have I seen someone looking like that? Ah—Penia looked that way too.'

Still, whatever the case, Alon had no desire to return to that dreadful hell of paperwork.

"Then I'll leave it in your hands."

"I'll... do my best."

He could not let such a talented man who had come of his own accord(?) slip away. Alexion nodded with a strange expression that could have been either a smile or a grimace of tears.

Of course, he ought to be properly compensated.

"Since you're taking on such demanding work, I'll see that you're paid fairly. Hmm... how does this amount sound?"

Alon slid a sheet of paper toward him. Alexion, still looking gloomy, glanced at it.

"I'll do my best!!"

He even snapped off a salute, looking ready to leap to his feet.

The words were exactly the same as before, but his cheerful response now rang with sincerity.

'Money really is wonderful.'

Alon felt the power of money firsthand.

After parting with the delighted Alexion, Alon considered going straight to see Penia, since the work had been finished so quickly. Then he suddenly turned to look out the window.

There it still stood: the enormous statue that had planted itself squarely in the center of his domain on his birthday.

... To be honest, it was still a little—no, very—embarrassing.

Just then,

"What are you doing, my lord?"

"Hmm? Nothing much. Just looking at the statue."

"Oh, have you heard, my lord? It's a rumor I picked up after we returned to the estate."

Evan had approached without Alon noticing, and now whispered ominously.

"They say that statue's eyes move sometimes."

"... Its eyes move?"

"Yes."

"A ghost story?"

"That's how it's been spreading, but there do seem to be more people claiming to have seen it lately."

Alon looked at the statue's eyes.

'... I think I'd genuinely keel over if those moved.'

Those diamond eyes were a little overwhelming no matter how many times he saw them.

"Well, it did appear out of nowhere. I suppose it's bound to pick up a ghost story or two."

"I suppose so."

"... Ah, that reminds me. What happened to that creature? The one Radan brought."

"Oh, that one? We released it into the garden pond."

"... The pond?"

"Yes. You should be able to see it from over there."

Alon followed Evan to a window overlooking the garden.

"Aww, it's adorable!"

"How can it look like a snake and still be cute instead of creepy?"

"Look at those bright little eyes."

There was the Sea King God, being showered with affection by the maids.

It did not seem to mind, either. It ate the treats the maids offered and frolicked in the pond as though thoroughly enjoying the attention.

"..."

"..."

Alon and Evan were left speechless.

"But isn't that pond freshwater?"

"... Can something that lived in seawater survive in freshwater too?"

"Well, it seems to be doing fine, so perhaps there's no problem?"

"... I suppose so. Ah."

"Is something wrong, my lord?"

"I just realized it should be about time to open the gift."

"... Gift? Oh, the one Yutia gave you?"

Alon nodded, returned to his desk, and took out the box Yutia had given him. She had asked him to wait a month before opening it. He gazed down at the box, which he had kept unopened until now, then carefully lifted the lid.

"... Hmm?"

Inside was a brooch set with a red gem that shone with a beautiful radiance.

"It's a brooch?"

"So it is."

Alon nodded as he took out the gift.

"Hmm..."

Evan studied it for a moment beside him, then said,

"Well, it's the thought that counts with gifts, but after waiting a whole month to open it, you might find it a little disappointing, my lord."

Indeed, judging by appearances, Yutia's brooch was nothing particularly special in either size or power compared with the other children's gifts.

Yet...

"I'm not disappointed at all."

Alon was not the least bit disappointed.

"You're not?"

"No. As you said, it's the thought behind a gift that matters."

He gently ran his fingers over the brooch, then pinned Yutia's gift to the breast pocket of his coat.

"This is more than enough."

By then, a gentle smile had appeared on his face—a smile clear enough for anyone to recognize.

"Huh...?"

Seeing it, Evan found himself thinking,

'His expression changes so readily these days whenever the children are involved.'

####

Duke Merkillan had been traveling for roughly an hour since leaving the Pallatio estate. He looked at Kurak beside him.

"Hmm-hmm..."

Whatever had him so delighted, Kurak was even quietly humming to himself.

The duke, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. Before they had even had a proper conversation, Kurak had declared that he had confirmed what he needed to and was going home, dragging the duke out with him.

... Not that the duke could have interrupted the two of them to ask a string of questions anyway.

Still, he had learned nothing concrete.

"May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

Duke Merkillan posed his question to Kurak.

"Didn't you say before that you had come to verify whether Marquis Pallatio was a god?"

"I did."

"... Then have you finished verifying it?"

"Of course."

"You reached your conclusion simply by looking at him?"

"Yes."

The crease between Duke Merkillan's brows deepened.

"From what I hear, you had already seen Marquis Pallatio before. Is that correct?"

"It is."

"... If you could tell just by looking at him, why couldn't you verify it then?"

It was a reasonable question. Kurak's lips curled into a broad grin.

"Because I was overwhelmed by something else at the time."

"Something else?"

"... No, thinking about it, he may have deliberately concealed his power. I can sense it so clearly now, but back then, all I could feel was 'that.'"

Kurak broke off his answer and abruptly sank into his own thoughts. Naturally, however, Duke Merkillan could find no clues in this conversation. No matter how he looked at him, Marquis Pallatio was merely a nobleman to his eyes.

'... Of course, he isn't just any nobleman—'

Still, special though he certainly was, calling him a god was another matter altogether.

"It remains a difficult story to believe."

The duke could reach no other conclusion.

At that, Kurak chuckled again.

"You needn't try so hard to believe it."

"... What do you mean?"

"The ones who will make you believe will catch up with us soon enough."

Yet another incomprehensible remark.

"??"

Confusion was spreading over Merkillan's face once more when Kurak murmured,

"Hmm. Right on time."

Then the duke saw them: a group emerging one by one from the shadows of the forest beneath the setting sun.

"... Elves?!"

And then...

"Ha ha ha ha! You pointy-eared bastards. I've been wondering when you'd show yourselves ever since you started skulking around the Great Exalted One."

Following Kurak's hearty laughter, Merkillan heard an elf's chilling voice, its words striking his ears.

"Stay away from the primordial elf, lizard."