Chapter 193 – Gyeok (4)

“Wha… what?”

Palloel made a flustered expression at Lim’s reaction.

No, he had no choice but to be flustered.

Even if she belonged to the secret organization Pagade, her status or power was not higher than the Council of Elders.

In other words, Lim speaking informally to Palloel right now was.

A clear overstepping of authority.

Palloel furrowed his brow sharply, but.

“……”

He did not dare utter the next words.

‘This girl is serious.’

The killing intent that overwhelmed the space.

That fierce momentum was telling him.

If he truly opened his mouth further.

That ‘Palloel, I will harm you.’

While Palloel could not easily utter words.

He could not understand Lim’s behavior at all.

Certainly, until a few days ago, she did not like that human.

Why on earth had her attitude changed like this?

Palloel, who was contemplating, finally reached one conclusion.

He could only reach ‘one’ conclusion.

It was right then.

‘Don’t tell me that human really is a god.’

Unless Marquis Palladio, who had come to Greynif, was truly a god.

Lim’s sudden change in attitude was something that could not be understood.

At that time.

“I will tell you clearly.”

“……”

“From now on, any attack on Marquis Palladio will be considered an attack on me.”

After leaving such a warning, Lim leisurely passed him by.

Palloel could only watch her back without a word.

Meanwhile, at that point.

“……That is the situation.”

“Indeed, I see.”

He was in a private meeting with the Elven Queen, Magrina.

Alon, who conveyed the circumstances, checked her reaction and brought up the next topic.

“Anyway, I have a few things I would like to ask about that, if I may?”

“As many as you like. I will answer anything I know.”

At the favorable smile, Alon threw the first question.

“Perhaps, when did the Greed, no, the Ash Scatterers below appear?”

“I cannot tell you that exactly either. Even we elves do not know the details.”

“……Is that so?”

“But if I were to give an estimate of the number of years… it seems to be roughly 600 to 700 years ago.”

“600 to 700 years?”

“Yes. Because I heard the story around then.”

Alon tilted his head without realizing it.

‘If it is 600 to 700 years, is it ambiguous to say it is related to Greed?’

As far as Alon knew, the Mother of Greed appeared along with the Sin of Greed.

And even afterward, it only revealed itself if the Sin of Greed was nearby.

The Five Great Sins, including the Sin of Greed.

Once they descended, they never stayed still.

As if their goal was to exterminate all populations on the continent.

They moved to places where there were living creatures to spread death all around.

In other words, if the Sin of Greed had truly appeared, there was no doubt that it would have been a mess.

‘If I assume that the Sin of Greed appeared and died 600 to 700 years ago, and only the Mother of Greed survived, the probability is not entirely off.’

Alon, who was contemplating, asked further.

“……Perhaps did the Sin of Greed awaken around then?”

“Hmm, I am not sure about that. I do not think anything like that happened.”

An uncertain answer came back.

“Is that so?”

Alon decided to move on to the next question, leaving the hypothesis behind for now.

Because he judged that there would be no information to gain by asking any further.

‘Anyway, if it is an event of such a distant past, it might be recorded in ancient books, so should I look it up?’

Then suddenly.

Alon looked into Queen Magrina’s face anew.

‘……How old is she?’

It was not an important issue right now.

But since a number of years that did not match her young beauty no matter how he looked at it came out, he had a question.

‘Mentioning 700 years so casually means she was alive then, so this elf’s age is at least.’

Alon, whose thoughts naturally followed this.

“Oh, no, Marquis? Perhaps are you having a very insolent thought?”

He came to his senses at her words.

The Queen was smiling.

But unlike her raised corners of the mouth, her eyes were not smiling at all.

“No, it is nothing like that.”

He answered faster than usual.

“Then please continue the questions.”

“I will.”

Fortunately, the situation passed quietly.

“Perhaps do you know about the mirror beneath the roots?”

“A mirror?”

“Yes, a round full-length mirror.”

Alon told her about the strange experience he had.

“Well, first of all, it is true that the object you saw is an artifact. However.”

Stopping for a moment, she gently shook her head.

“I do not know the effect properly either.”

“You do not know the effect?”

“Yes, because usually nothing is reflected in that mirror. That is why I thought it was an artifact.”

“……How long has that mirror been there?”

This time too, Queen Magrina pondered for a moment before answering.

“I do not know since when. However, it was there since the first time I went there.”

“Then you would not know who placed it there either.”

“Regrettably, that would be the case.”

Since this too was lost in the fog.

Alon made a short sound and moved on to the next question.

“Do you know what this is by any chance?”

What he brought out was.

The golden fruit obtained from the deep part of the roots.

As soon as the Queen saw it.

“……! This… how did you obtain it?”

She asked back as if a bit surprised.

Alon briefly conveyed the situation.

A moment later.

“Indeed, it is so.”

Magrina nodded.

As if she understood something.

She immersed herself in a sea of thoughts alone for a while.

Soon, she, who came up to the surface, answered Alon.

“What the Marquis is holding right now is the fruit of the World Tree.”

“The fruit of the World Tree?”

“Yes.”

“……Does eating this fruit have any effect?”

Magrina’s answer came immediately.

“Of course. Since it is the fruit of the World Tree.”

“What is it?”

“You will probably gain mana beyond your imagination.”

“……Mana beyond my imagination?”

“Yes. Because the mana of the World Tree is contained in it as it is. Just by consuming it, you will overflow with mana.”

“Oh.”

A faint admiration appeared on Alon’s face.

According to Magrina’s words.

Because this fruit was the key to solving Alon’s innate mana depletion.

However.

“But, you should be careful to some extent before consuming it.”

Life does not always go easily.

“Is there any side effect?”

“Rather than a side effect… is the problem that the effect is too strong?”

“The problem is that the effect is too strong?”

“Yes. If you eat it wrong by any chance, your body will burst.”

“……Is that true?”

“It only increases mana, but it does not improve the body to be able to accept that massive amount of mana.”

Alon was silent.

He realized that the fruit before his eyes, boasting a golden light, was a beautiful but useless thing for him right now.

But.

‘Improving the constitution, then.’

Since he had no intention of giving up the opportunity once gained.

Alon, who decided to investigate improving his constitution gradually, put the fruit back in.

“Now, have you asked everything you were curious about?”

Just as the meeting was about to end.

Alon remembered one question left in his mind.

“Perhaps, could I ask one last thing?”

“As many as you like.”

Magrina smiled as if it were not bothersome at all even though he had asked quite a few questions.

Alon pondered for a moment.

“……Could you tell me what you know about the First Elf?”

Eventually.

He tossed such a question.

As long as she misunderstood him as the First Elf.

This question was undoubtedly going to sound very strange.

Nevertheless, returning without hearing anything about the First Elf.

Since he thought that was even more wrong.

He cautiously brought out the question.

Unlike his expressionless face.

Alon was inwardly quite nervous and waiting for Magrina’s answer.

“About the First Elf… you mean?”

“Yes.”

Soon, Magrina.

“Aah, yes, yes, I will tell you. Something like that is not difficult at all.”

She put up a smile that seemed to say, ‘I see, it is that kind of feeling, right?’.

Just like the first time when Alon had denied being the First Elf.

“Mmm, what should I start with?”

“I would like you to tell me everything you know if possible.”

Since he had to get as much information as possible anyway.

Alon demanded as much as there was.

Then Magrina began to trace her memories as if it were a fun game.

“First, he was a mage.”

“I see.”

“He had a daughter too.”

“……He had a daughter?”

“Yes.”

That was unexpected information.

‘He must have been married.’

Alon lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Is there more?”

“He was smart. And he seemed blunt on the outside but was a warm-hearted person.”

Starting from that point.

Magrina brought out her cherished memories for a while.

Alon, who was listening to her story quietly.

“I think this will be enough.”

“Is that so?”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

Leaving Magrina behind, who showed a bit of regret, he returned to the lodging.

####

Shili, the second child of the Macalian family.

Recently, she had become quite a celebrity.

Of course, Shili had been a celebrity in the past too.

Her older brother was Deus Macalian, the First Sword of Caliburn.

And he was a self-proclaimed sister fool who cherished his younger sister terribly.

However, the reason Shili became famous recently was.

Right because of magic.

Basically, in Caliburn, mages are not treated particularly well.

Nevertheless.

The fact that she reached the Second Circle in less than two years of learning magic proved her genius.

She herself became quite a celebrity within the capital.

Today, she stopped by Deus’s office because she had something to say to him.

“Brother?”

“What is it?”

There.

She faced her flesh and blood, who was holding binoculars and looking at something.

“……What are you doing, brother?”

“What was I doing, ah, are you talking about this?”

“Yes.”

When Shili nodded, Deus gave a confident smile.

“Take a look.”

He handed the binoculars to his sister.

“……?”

She took them while making a puzzled expression.

She soon focused them on her eyes.

“This is?”

She let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it at the view of the massive territory entering her vision.

Then Deus’s bright voice was heard from the side.

“It is the Marquis’s territory.”

“……Pardon? If it is the Marquis, Marquis Palladio’s?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it come out very well?”

“Uh, it does, but how is this?”

When Shili asked with a face that looked like she did not understand, Deus proudly squared his shoulders.

“I asked a mage to cast shared magic on the jewel I brought from the labyrinth. Usually, it would be an impossible distance, but the artifacts that came out from the labyrinth have quite good utility.”

Deus burst into laughter.

“……Uh, I get that, but why would you specifically do this?”

“Why? Naturally, it is to protect the Marquis.”

“The Marquis?”

“Yes. Just in case there is a group targeting the Marquis, I have been standing guard 24 hours a day like this.”

Hehehe.

Deus’s face was full of pride as if he were satisfied with himself.

But Shili herself.

“……Guard? This was?”

“So that if any illegal scoundrels target the Marquis, I can deal with them immediately.”

The more she heard.

‘Is not this more illegal?’

She fell into a labyrinth.

“No one will dare touch the Marquis, haha!”

It was a strange evening.