Chapter 162 – …Huh? (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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By the time the sun was setting, Alon arrived at the inner stronghold of House Zenonia.

“It has been a while, Marquis Palladio.”

“It has.”

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

“I have.”

“Let us begin with dinner.”

He met the Duchess of Zenonia, whom he had seen only through a crystal orb for nearly a full year, and agreed to dine with her.

It is large.

Following the duchess, Alon looked around.

He had already felt it from the moment they entered the inner stronghold, but after stepping inside the manor, he felt it even more clearly.

House Zenonia was massive.

It was almost like a castle.

It was large in the game too.

Before he became familiar with the game, he had gotten lost in House Zenonia over and over.

He had barely finished recalling that when they soon reached the dining hall.

“Oh.”

A sound of admiration escaped Alon before he knew it.

The large dining table was packed full of dishes, enough to make one’s mouth fall open.

“This is…”

“I heard you were coming, so I prepared it.”

“…Thank you.”

“Hehe. Let us eat first.”

At the duchess’s consideration, Alon sat down and began the meal.

When they were nearing the end, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Now that I think of it, there is something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know anything about the chosen one?”

Alon thought of Elivan’s handsome face.

At that, the Duchess of Zenonia nodded.

“Yes, I do. I even looked into him personally.”

“Personally?”

“I heard he was coming to stop the gate near this territory, but more than that, I wondered whether he was the sort of person who could bring a meaningful change to the current political structure.”

“And?”

“In that respect, I do not think there is much. If I had to pick one thing…”

The duchess thought for a moment, then answered.

“He may know Cardinal Yutia.”

“…Yutia?”

“Yes. I heard that, during the process of being appointed as the chosen one, he behaved as though he knew Yutia. Or rather, to be precise, he tried not to show it, but made a mistake.”

“Hm.”

Alon tilted his head inwardly as he thought of Elivan and Yutia.

If what he knew was right, it was strange that those two would know each other.

…Of course, they could have formed a connection without me knowing.

Alon also knew that Yutia went around doing volunteer work here and there.

Still, where exactly could their paths have crossed?

He was only briefly lost in thought before the duchess spoke again.

“Did something happen? If so, I can sound him out tomorrow.”

“…You are meeting him tomorrow?”

“Yes. He cleared the gate in front of my territory, so I should commend him at least once.”

At the duchess’s offer, Alon shook his head.

If there were a clear reason, that would be one thing.

But right now, there was not.

“No, there is no need for that.”

“Understood.”

After that, he and the duchess moved on to another topic, mainly Kalpa.

Then, as they talked.

“Come to think of it, Marquis, do you intend to participate in this upcoming ball?”

“Hm. I probably will.”

“That is good.”

“Why is that?”

“It seems that kings and nobles from other kingdoms will also be participating in this ball.”

“…Kings and nobles from other kingdoms?”

“Yes. I judged that it would be necessary, to some degree, to build ties with nobles from other countries.”

Of course, it seems you already have many connections, Marquis, she added.

Then she continued.

“And this time, the Principality of Luxible will be attending as well.”

“The Principality of Luxible…”

“The place that recently expelled its corrupt faction and placed power in the hands of the royal family.”

“…I have heard a little. I heard they changed the state religion.”

“Yes. It was…”

The duchess placed an index finger against her lips, then answered as if she had just remembered.

“Kalanon the Lightning Receiver, I believe.”

“I heard the same, but is it really important that they are coming?”

“Hm. Not overwhelmingly important. But if the talks go well… as you may already suspect, I believe our faction has quite a lot to gain in various ways.”

Naturally, Alon had no idea what she meant.

Luxible was a foreign country, separate from Asteria.

And it was quite far away.

In other words, he could not picture what benefit could come from a relationship with the Principality of Luxible.

But it would be awkward to ask that too directly.

“…I see.”

So he could only answer as though it were nothing.

####

The next day.

“I will be going, then.”

“I will see you at the ball.”

“Very well.”

After exchanging a short farewell with the Duchess of Zenonia, Alon left the territory.

The place he headed was not the Marquisate.

It was north.

[Are we not going back home?]

Basiliora, who had rarely come out of the ring and was currently having a strange staring contest with Kkamangi, asked the question.

“There is somewhere I need to stop by.”

[Somewhere to stop by?]

“Yes. But why are you suddenly so interested in that?”

[Hm hm. It is nothing.]

At Alon’s question, Basiliora only coiled up and feigned indifference.

“That snake head is hiding something, is it not?”

[What? I am hiding nothing at all!]

“Nothing at all, my ass. The way you turned your head just now was exactly like a squirrel hiding something away.”

[Do not talk nonsense, human. I am still better than you, who was fooling around with a maid yesterday.]

“What? When was I fooling around with a maid?”

[Hmph. Did you think no one would notice? I saw everything, you lowly human.]

“Do not talk nonsense. We only took a short walk in the garden together.”

[Hmph. Did you not boast by skillfully inventing things that never even happened in the gate?]

“Are you a stalker, you bastard?”

Evan was alarmed because he had been hit where it hurt, while Basiliora mocked him to the fullest.

To Alon, there was not much difference between Evan, who had apparently bluffed to a maid, and Basiliora, who had secretly stalked him and was now exposing it.

[Ha. Now that I see it, you are not human at all. You are just a monkey.]

“Shut up, you snake-head bastard. I only took a walk with her.”

[Hmph.]

Snorting at Evan’s protest, Basiliora suddenly put on a wicked little smile.

Then.

[Orle, your eyes are as clear as the purple sky I saw in the gate.]

[Ahh, Lord Evan.]

Lowering its voice for one line and raising it for the next, it started acting out a scene.

Evan’s face turned bright red at once.

“Waaaaah.”

“Kkamangi, p, please make that snake-head shut up. Please.”

He hurriedly asked for help.

[Kkyu.]

But even Kkamangi was looking at Evan as if he were pathetic.

After a barrage of complete humiliation.

“Huff, huff.”

Looking utterly exhausted, Evan turned his head toward Alon.

“…So, Marquis. We have been heading north because you said to, but where exactly are we going?”

“We will likely need to travel another two days or so.”

“Two more days? If we go up that far…”

After thinking for a moment, Evan asked.

“I believe there is a village called Parsley. Are we going there?”

“More precisely, I am planning to go to the ruins near Parsley.”

Only then did Evan go ah and nod.

“I see. So there is something you want to find in those ruins.”

“You catch on quickly.”

“I have not spent just one or two years following you around, Marquis. It is not hard to figure out this much.”

“Then if that were really so, you should have known at once when I said we were heading north.”

“Well, I only asked as a formality.”

Evan curled up the corners of his mouth playfully.

Alon smiled faintly as well, then looked at the scenery around them.

And then.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“Marquis, you smiled.”

Evan’s eyes widened.

“Did I?”

“You have already gone back to your usual expressionless face, but you definitely smiled just now.”

Alon lightly touched the corner of his mouth.

Hm. Lately, unlike before, it does feel like my emotions show a little more.

He remembered what Seol Lang had said once, then shrugged.

There was not much point in worrying over it.

“By the way, Marquis, after we stop by the ruins, are we going back to the Marquisate?”

“If nothing unusual happens, then probably so.”

“Understood.”

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Evan looked slightly more excited as he drove the carriage.

Just like Basiliora, he too seemed eager to return to the Marquisate quickly.

Alon briefly considered asking why, then gave up and looked out the window instead.

It was an afternoon with the sun beginning to burn hotter.

####

Three days later.

Even after reaching Parsley, Alon only arrived at the place he wanted after wandering around for another full day.

“…This is a ruin?”

Evan looked at the ruin in front of them with a doubtful expression.

It was understandable.

The ruin before them was so small it was almost embarrassing to call it a ruin.

It was little more than a single tiny door.

“It is.”

“…It is this small? It does not even look like one person could get in.”

He was right.

The doorway looked narrow enough that even one person would have trouble entering.

But Alon only shrugged and took out Lumiel’s Oath.

“…That is the item you got from the elf before, is it not?”

“It is.”

“Do not tell me you open it with that?”

“That is correct.”

He immediately raised Lumiel’s Oath and started carefully examining the ruin.

Not long after.

Found it.

At the lower right side of the ruin, he found the slot where Lumiel’s Oath was meant to be inserted, and fitted the ring into place.

Then.

Kuguguguguguk.

A great noise shook the entire ruin, and the small door in front of him began to open slowly.

“How do you even know things like this so well?”

Evan asked, his expression filled with admiration and doubt.

Naturally, it was only because Alon had used Lumiel’s Oath to obtain relics several times in the game.

There was only one additional thing he knew about this ruin.

This was the place where the staff used by the first elf was stored.

Alon had no idea who the first elf was, or what kind of standing that being held.

The first elf had never been mentioned at all in the game.

…I think there was one more ruin like this.

Aside from that, Alon knew nothing about the first elf.

At most, he could infer that the first elf had been a great mage.

No, a magus.

The relic itself is that good.

The slowly opening door finally opened completely.

And then.

Found it.

Inside the ruin, opened with that great noise, Alon discovered the relic left behind by the first elf.

Holy One’s Staff.

A staff in the form of a gauntlet.

A faint smile appeared beneath his expressionless face.

At that same time.

“…Let us depart.”

“Do you truly intend to go in person, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. I will see it with my own eyes.”

In Greynif.

“Whether that person truly is the first elf.”

The queen began to move.