Chapter 194 – Gyeok (5)

The eastern district of Greynif.

In a place that barely touched the domain of the World Tree.

There stood a single cabin in a place full of massive ancient trees.

Inside the cabin, part of which seemed to be assimilated with an ancient tree as it was connected to it.

A pair of a man and a woman were looking at each other.

One side was Filde, who was laughing leisurely.

The other side was Perion, who had moved to the House of Marquis Palladio with her.

“Hmm,”

Perion slightly looked around the interior and asked while recalling the luxurious office where Filde originally stayed.

“Do you always stay here when you are on vacation, Lady Filde?”

“Well… that’s right?”

“You even used your vacation, but is there a reason you insist on staying here?”

“Even if it looks like this, it is quite comfortable.”

Filde, who answered with a laugh, rested her chin on her hand.

“So, what is the reason for visiting me, who took a long-term vacation due to fatigue after a business trip?”

“……It was not that you were particularly tired, was it?”

Throughout the journey to the Marquis’s house.

Perion recalled her enjoying drinking and dancing in a state of being drunk all day long.

However, Filde shamelessly shook her head.

“No way. Are you saying that while knowing how much blood I spat out?”

“That is certainly true, but… anyway…”

Perion cleared his throat and then spoke.

“The reason I visited is just that I have some curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

“Yes. You might not have known since you are on vacation here, Lady Filde, but Marquis Palladio is in our land right now.”

“Marquis Palladio?”

Filde immediately showed interest as soon as that name came out.

“First, I will explain the situation a bit.”

As if Perion had been waiting.

He told her step by step about the things that happened from the moment Marquis Palladio arrived at Greynif until now.

“It is a situation like this.”

“Indeed.”

Filde slowly nodded her head.

“I have roughly grasped the situation, but what are you curious about?”

Filde threw a question.

Perion pondered for a moment and then opened his lips.

“Did you not clearly tell the Queen that last time, Lady Filde? That the reason Marquis Palladio, no, the First Elf, could not come to the World Tree was because of the black thing.”

“It was like that.”

“But the Marquis came to the World Tree. Even, if it is according to the rumors.”

“He eliminated the Ash Scatterer in the basement and breathed new life into the rotting World Tree. Right?”

“Yes. Truly, like the First Elf.”

Filde shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, then is it not all done? It means it is true that the Marquis was the First Elf as expected, right?”

“Looking at the conclusion only, that is true, but still there is something that is not understood.”

“What is it?”

Perion’s face became serious.

“In the end, was not your assumption wrong, Lady Filde?”

“What assumption?”

“The assumption that there is something behind the Marquis that must not be brought to the World Tree, so he cannot visit.”

“Hmm, well, that is true.”

“If that assumption is broken.”

The voice stopped for a moment.

“Is there not no reason for him to have not particularly visited until now, or why he still denies that he is not the First Elf?”

As if a water gate was opened, curiosity poured out.

“The Queen’s attitude is the same. If the First Elf had wished not to reveal his identity, the Queen would not have revealed that Marquis Palladio was the First Elf except to a minimal number of people.”

“But the Queen subtly told the surrounding people that the Marquis was the First Elf?”

“In addition, even though she heard your assumption, she seemed to have no doubt when the First Elf visited.”

Perion, who spoke up to there, scratched his head for a moment.

“I know my doubt is not that important. I do not know why the Marquis denies that he is the First Elf, but he has already proven himself anyway.”

“Hmm.”

“However, I visited because I was curious.”

Filde grasped it at once.

The doubt remaining in Perion’s heart.

“To tell the conclusion, that is it? The Marquis moved completely differently from what I was saying, but still, you are curious about the reason the Queen could blindly believe the Marquis was the First Elf?”

“Yes.”

Perion answered immediately.

Filde gave a light laugh and then spoke.

“I do not know either.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I do not know.”

She said so.

“Ah, is that so?”

The flustered Perion.

“Of course. Why did you think I would know?”

“Well, you are the wisest person? I thought you might be able to guess the reason the Queen is acting like that…?”

“Guessing…”

Filde, who made a short sound, added.

“Well, it is not that I am not doing it at all. Actually, after the Queen met Marquis Palladio and came back, there was one thing I was thinking, ‘could it be?’.”

“……Then could you tell me a bit?”

“Mmm… what should I do.”

Filde gave a mischievous smile while looking at Perion and then spoke.

“I like you, but telling you everything is a bit much, so I will give you one hint.”

“A hint?”

“Ring. Take a look at the ring the Queen carries around.”

“……A ring?”

“Yes, a ring. Then you might be able to roughly understand.”

She gave a hint.

“……No, is not that not even a hint?”

“No, it will be a decisive hint.”

With those words as the end, she held out a liquor bottle to Perion.

“What is this?”

“The price for the hint. It was lonely drinking alone, but perhaps it would be good if you become my drinking partner today?”

Perion looked at the liquor bottle with an ‘Ah’.

Suddenly, the fact that Filde was an absurdly heavy drinker occurred to him.

In other words, by tomorrow.

It meant that he would be so soaked in alcohol that he would not be able to move.

‘……My stomach is churning.’

He was already worried about the morning.

####

A few days later.

Alon immediately prepared to return to the Marquis’s house.

Already all the business in Greynif was finished, so there was no need to stay any longer.

Actually, in his heart, he wanted to rest a bit more and think.

“I will escort you.”

“That, it is okay.”

“No. I must! I want to do it.”

……Resting was impossible.

Whether the rumor had already spread to the whole since Alon went to the roots.

It was because he came to receive very burdensome treatment wherever he went.

Was it not like that even now.

Alon looked at Lim while feeling burdened inwardly.

Her eyes were twinkling so much that it was as if she had picked and placed the Milky Way of the night sky in them.

“……If so, I will ask only up to the vicinity of the domain.”

“I will follow!”

Lim, who bowed her head with a bright smile.

……He could not adapt to the point where he wondered if she was the same cold elf from a few days ago.

“Marquis.”

Evan, who spoke as soon as he got in the carriage.

“Why do you ask?”

“How does it feel to ride in the carriage with a humble body?”

“……It seems you liked that quite a bit.”

“It is not that I liked it, it is just that calluses formed in my ears because people around were talking like that so much.”

Alon let out a sigh.

‘Why are they looking at me pitifully.’

Actually, there was one more reaction of the elves toward Alon.

Right, regret.

The great, great elf.

The regret that he was reincarnated as a human who can only live for about 100 years and is suffering without being treated.

In short, if Alon walked around the kingdom, he came to receive burdensome reactions of respect and awe.

At the same time, he came to receive eyes of pity and sympathy, which were bothersome in another sense.

Thanks to those racist(?) eyes.

Alon just decided on a quick escape.

Therefore.

“It is strange to listen to them whispering like that next to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It has reached the point where I am starting to get confused too.”

“About what?”

“You are not the First Elf, are you, Marquis?”

“Yes.”

Alon, who nodded without hesitation.

In the past, he would have checked their reaction at least a bit, but now there was no need for that.

Anyway.

Nod!

Even if he denied it, it did not work at all.

Rather, Lim even nodded her head very boldly and uprightly as if she would follow the rhythm.

“Well, I do not think so either.”

“But?”

“Since the reaction keeps being like that, I am starting to get confused little by little now.”

Evan, who was silent for a moment.

“Marquis.”

“What.”

“You are not, right? That, the First Elf.”

He asked again cautiously.

“I am not.”

“……I see.”

Even while answering like that, at Evan’s eyes where a strange suspicion started to gather.

Alon let out a small sigh.

When it became afternoon before he knew it, the carriage arrived at the boundary.

“Then, we will say goodbye here.”

“Yes.”

“I will be looking forward to the day we meet again!”

Leaving behind Lim, who bowed her head deeply.

Alon escaped the land of the elves.

####

Alon headed straight for the Marquis Palladio’s house.

He had to stop by Theria to report to Siyan.

But since he departed for Greynif immediately after his birthday, a few things to process remained.

‘In addition, I want to research properly about the technique and Gyeok.’

The technique was impossible to investigate during movement since he had to face Kailus.

But regarding Gyeok, he examined it by using it a few times on the way back to the Marquis’s house.

As a result.

Alon came to know four facts.

The first is that the power of the First Elf, that godhead power Alon used.

The fact that it is a power that grows something, although he does not know exactly.

The second is that other Gyeoks cannot be used yet except for the green Gyeok Alon used first.

The third is the fact that physical strength is consumed faster than expected when Gyeok is used.

And finally.

The fact that Gyeok returns to its original amount or grows larger as much as possible after using that power once, depending on the gathering and scale of faith.

‘Clearly at first, the green Gyeok was remarkably smaller than other Gyeoks.’

Alon, in the state of contemplation which had become quite familiar now.

After checking the green Gyeok, whose size had grown enough to rival the blue Gyeok before he knew it, he came out.

‘Should I talk with Penia about Gyeok? Ah, come to think of it, I have to go to the magic conference with Penia.’

Without Penia knowing, while rearranging the schedule with her.

Alon arrived at the Marquis Palladio’s house before he knew it.

And not long after he returned.

At the news that Duke Merkillan was waiting, Alon went to meet him without even being able to rest.

“Ha, hahahahaha! It was true!”

“?”

“I, the Engraved One Kurak. I offer greetings to the friend of that great one!”

……He received greetings out of the blue.

That too.

Kung!

Burying his head in the floor as it was.

The intense greeting of Kurak, the promotional DLC character in Psychedelia.

Duke Merkillan, who had a clear look of embarrassment like Alon.

Whether he did so or not.

“I meet the friend of that great one!”

Kurak shouted gallantly.