Chapter 196 - How to Use It (2)

To Duke Merkillan, elves were both mysterious and frightening. Naturally so. Relations between the allied kingdoms and the nonhuman alliance were poor enough that there was no exchange between them. With no opportunity to see elves, he inevitably found them mysterious.

'An elf's lifespan is ten times a human's, and a high elf's... twenty times—'

At the same time, what he had read in ancient books made him fear them. Though they looked much like humans, they lived for what was almost an eternity by human standards. He had read that, with such long lives granted to them, individual elves easily surpassed humans in strength as well.

And that was not all.

'I feel like I can't breathe—'

Pain constricted his chest. Duke Merkillan unwittingly breathed harshly as he looked at the elves before him. There were clearly more than ten of them, and every one exuded powerful killing intent, bearing down on him and Kurak as though they would kill them at any moment.

Yet Kurak took their killing intent as though it were nothing, bursting into hearty laughter beneath his helmet.

"Hahaha! You pointy-eared bastards are as foul-tempered as ever!"

"I will not say it twice. Stay away from the primordial elf."

The elf, Draim, delivered another chilling warning. Seeing the unmistakable gleam of fanaticism in his eyes, Kurak curled his lips into a smirk.

'That settles it. He really is the Great Exalted One.'

Of course, from the moment he first saw Marquis Pallatio, he had already suspected to some extent that he was the primordial elf—no, the Great Exalted One. From the Black Leaves hovering around him to that "black thing" behind his back, none of it was something an ordinary human could have accompanying him.

Moreover, the unmistakable divine stature Kurak had felt when they met face-to-face today had erased any remaining doubt that he was the Great Exalted One. The only puzzle was that the marquis himself had quietly denied it. That bothered him somewhat, but...

'Well, perhaps he has some other reason.'

Kurak swept his gaze over the elves before him and once again concluded that he was right. If the marquis were not the primordial elf—in other words, the Great Exalted One—these elven bastards would never behave this way.

Having sorted things out to his own satisfaction, he said casually, "Sorry, but that's impossible. I'm acting under orders myself."

"If you approach him again, we will not settle it with words next time."

"Heh heh. Have you got the strength for that?"

"It would be a different matter if all of us attacked you."

"Hah! All I did was have one conversation, and you're being damned bloodthirsty."

"Remember what your race did to him before you say that."

Their hostility was blatant. Yet Kurak merely shrugged.

"Well, do as you like. I've no desire to fight you right now."

He turned away as though dismissing the elves.

"Let's go."

"... In this situation?"

"Would you rather stay?"

"No, but the elves—"

"Don't worry. Those pointy-eared bastards may be rather rigid, but they know honor."

Despite the duke's concerns, he strode off without hesitation.

"W-wait—"

Afraid of becoming separated from Kurak, Duke Merkillan immediately hurried after him. Inwardly anxious that a clash might break out, he saw that, just as Kurak had said, the elves remained on guard but did not attack.

Then—

"Oh!"

In an instant, the entire group of elves vanished without a trace.

Kurak's voice soon reached him.

"I imagine you've understood enough by now without any further explanation. Have you?"

"... Then are you saying that Marquis Pallatio is the primordial elf?"

A brief silence passed.

"The Great Exalted One, to be precise. But yes, that's what the pointy-ears call him."

At Kurak's confirmation, Duke Merkillan could only gape blankly.

"..."

'Marquis Pallatio really is a god?'

He was aghast at this unbelievable truth(?).

####

About a week had passed since Kurak and Duke Merkillan left. Alon had spent that time resting, all thanks to his excellent worker, Alexion. In the past, returning from a trip meant wrestling with paperwork for at least a month. Now the capable Alexion took care of it all.

Lately, Alon only had to spend a little time each morning giving the documents final approval. For the rest of the day, he either simply rested or immersed himself in magical research with Penia—though the time he devoted to research overwhelmingly exceeded the time he spent resting.

"Whew..."

Alon leaned back in his chair and let out a quiet sigh. Penia, who had been observing his magic until a moment ago, busily wrote something down, then nodded.

"Hmm, I think that brings us to five seals."

"I see."

["Kyu?"]

What Alon had been researching was linked seals for properly handling Blackie. Over the past week, they had discovered two more seals that could be linked.

"That was faster than I expected."

"As you know from trying it last time, once we identify the molecular structure corresponding to the seals we're linking, we can find them right away."

"I see."

As Alon stroked Blackie's head, the creature gave a pleased, chirring purr and rubbed its head against him even harder.

"Oh, speaking of which, I looked into stature as well."

"Did you find anything?"

"Hmm, I did."

When he resumed his magical training, Alon had asked Penia whether this divine stature could also be incorporated into magic. Since then, they had been researching stature alongside their other work.

"Is it good news?"

"Half and half."

Alon straightened in his chair. After a moment's thought, Penia began.

"First of all, this stature has similarities to mana, but it feels different."

"For example?"

"Well, with mana, the magic changes depending on how mages arrange and use its molecular structure, right?"

"Correct."

"But the divine stature you showed me doesn't work that way, my lord. It feels more like your phrases or sentences."

"My phrases or sentences?"

"Yes."

Penia pressed her index finger to her chin, deep in thought.

"The phrases you use twist mana, while your sentences twist magic itself, don't they? Like some sort of law."

"Hmm."

"This divine stature feels similar. The difference is... it feels 'absolute.'"

"... Absolute?"

"Yes. Your sentences also alter magic, but this is more far-reaching, I suppose. In short, it's like an absolute law. One that remains unshaken no matter the circumstances."

"What do you think would happen if I used it together with magic?"

"Hmm, as for the ability of the divine stature you've shown me... I'm sorry, but I don't know yet. I haven't even identified exactly what kind of phenomenon it is."

"I see."

Alon felt a little disappointed.

"But if you could use an absolute law like this together with magic, I think you might create something truly outrageous."

"Such as?"

"... This is just optimistic speculation, but if the absolute law were something like 'immutability,' you could create a fire that never goes out. That sort of thing."

"Oh..."

"In short, I think it's well worth researching."

"You really are remarkable."

At Alon's praise, Penia shrugged with a look that said, 'Hehe, who do you think I am?' But a moment later, she exclaimed, "Ah!"

"Still, just in case, I think you should be careful about using divine stature inside a Time Gate or Monster Gate."

"Why is that?"

"As you know, my lord, Time Gates are fundamentally created by irregular mana phenomena—extremely irregular ones. Mana itself interferes with space-time."

"... Would using divine stature there cause problems?"

"Ordinary magic is fine, but using a power that possesses an absolute law, like divine stature, probably wouldn't be good. Hmm..."

"If I had to hazard a guess," Penia murmured, then added as though an idea had struck her, "The already unstable space-time might become even more distorted and drop you somewhere strange. Or the magic might fail to manifest and engulf you in an explosion. I think it would be one of those two."

"I'll have to be careful."

Either sounded like something best avoided.

Afterward, as they wrapped up their research and chatted about various things, Alon brought up a subject as though it had suddenly occurred to him.

"Come to think of it, isn't it almost time for the symposium?"

"Yes, indeed!"

The moment he mentioned the magic symposium, Penia answered as though she had been waiting for it. A smile had already formed on her lips, and a peculiar greed ripened in her catlike eyes.

"Then I should attend this time. When should we leave?"

"About a week from now should be good...!"

"Let's do that."

Leaving the thoroughly fired-up Penia behind, Alon stepped out of the second office and took out The Foot That Runs Through the Past.

He had originally wanted to use it the day he returned, but he had been unable to. Absurdly enough, he had only belatedly realized that unless he used The Foot That Runs Through the Past immediately after filling it with mana, that mana would continue to dissipate little by little.

Having replenished the mana that had dissipated, Alon could finally use it.

Soon, the scenery changed.

"You're here."

Alon found himself facing Kailas in the ruined world.

"You've done everything I instructed you to do last time, I assume?"

Kailas checked the moment they met. Alon nodded, then asked a question.

"Before we begin training, there's something I'd like to ask. May I?"

"What is it?"

"It's about spell formulas and divine stature."

"... Spell formulas and divine stature?"

At Kailas's question, Alon recounted what had happened in Greinif, the land of the elves—from the matter of defiance of heaven to how he had been able to use only the green divine stature out of several. Kailas listened calmly to the entire account, then frowned.

"Spell formulas aside, why are you asking me about divine stature? You should know how I became a god. Asking me won't do any good. I have nothing to tell you."

"Hmm, is that so? I asked just in case. Does anything come to mind at all?"

Kailas hummed thoughtfully for a moment before replying.

"As I said, my knowledge of divine stature is shallow. Nearly everything I know is merely what I've heard. But if I were to offer an answer that's closer to speculation, I'd say you should visit its symbolic object."

"... Symbolic object?"

"Yes. You said you had some idea where the faith for one of the five divine statures was coming from, correct?"

"That's right."

"Then go to the symbolic object of that divine stature."

Seeing Alon's puzzlement, Kailas elaborated.

"A god's power ultimately comes from faith. And that faith flows into you through a symbol. If you can find that symbolic object, awakening your dormant divine stature should not be particularly difficult."

"Just finding the symbolic object will awaken it?"

"Yes. Symbolic objects are extremely important to gods. And if my prediction proves correct, you will be able to wield another divine stature."

Able to wield one more divine stature, huh.

Soon, doubt crossed Alon's face. He didn't think he had awakened the green divine stature—the primordial elf's divine stature—by finding any particular symbolic object.

But that doubt lasted only a moment before he reconsidered.

'If the World Tree is the primordial elf's symbolic object, then it does make sense.'

The green divine stature had indeed reacted when he was inside the World Tree.

And so...

'... I should pay the Thunder Serpent tribe a visit.'

Alon decided on his next destination, where he would head immediately after attending the magic symposium.