Chapter 206 – Apostle (1)

The White Ghost, one of the four major factions appearing in Psychedelia.

Alon knew quite a lot of information about them.

Unlike the Apostles.

The four major factions were groups that inevitably appeared in Psychedelia when the game reached its middle stage.

They were beings that instilled a new kind of tension, separate from the Sins, into the players whose levels had risen.

Even among those four major factions, Alon knew quite a lot about the White Ghost.

No, in fact, not only Alon, but any Psychedelia player had no choice but to know the White Ghost best.

Basically, whether the four major factions became allies or enemies was decided by which route the player took and which options they chose.

Even if they were classified as enemies.

If one chose the dialogue options well or completed several essential quests, it was possible to pass without fighting each other.

But the White Ghost was different.

No matter which option or route was decided, they appeared as enemies unconditionally.

Unlike other four major factions, one could not avoid battle through quests or dialogue.

In other words, if you met the White Ghost, you had to fight.

As expected of one of the four major factions, even a single subordinate was extremely strong, making them quite troublesome to handle.

On top of that, the King of the White Ghosts…

Was strong to the point that if the player and their colleagues were not close to the maximum level in the late stage, it was better to just press save and load without facing her.

Even aside from this overwhelming power.

The reason the White Ghost remained most vividly in the minds of all players was…

‘Wow, this is really a total weakling. Is this all you can do? How boring.’

‘I will kill everyone. From here to there, from there to here, everyone… without exception!’

‘You dealt with a Sin? So what? There’s no relationship between you dealing with a Sin and me being bored, right?’

‘It’s a festival, a festival! Kill everyone!’

It was because of her ruinous personality.

The White Ghost, and especially the King of the White Ghosts.

Was engraved in the players’ minds as a ‘scoundrel’ herself, combining self-centeredness and insolence.

They would attack the player at any time or place.

Not only did they smash villages, but depending on the route, they also destroyed Ashtalon or Caliburn.

Even the reason for destroying a kingdom was just…

‘Because it seemed like it would be fun.’

It was based on such absurd amusement.

Because they were a faction that went around committing all sorts of atrocities without rest, Alon had been very tense when the White Ghost first appeared.

At least if the ones who appeared in front of him were the White Ghost Alon knew, he would surely not have been able to get out of here alive.

But.

“Long time no see!”

At the appearance of her, who came to greet him with a wide smile.

Alon had no choice but to have countless question marks floating in his head unconsciously.

Because it was a completely unexpected situation.

‘What is it?’

While being flustered inwardly, Alon looked at the King of the White Ghosts.

Her appearance, waving her hand vigorously with a broad smile as if she were truly glad.

To anyone’s eyes, it was no different from the reaction of someone excited to meet a very old friend.

Alon turned his gaze slightly.

Everyone’s gazes were fixed on him.

Even the fellows who had been following the King of the White Ghosts indifferently until just now.

Alon, who confirmed that everyone’s eyes had grown wide as if they had seen an extremely strange sight.

“What do you mean…”

He was about to spit out those words out of habit, but he stopped.

Because he realized that maybe this situation could be an opportunity.

‘The King of the White Ghosts is mistaken.’

Alon judged that the King of the White Ghosts was clearly making a mistake.

Whether it was a mistake about Kalanon the Receiver of Lightning or something else.

She was now mistaking him for another person.

Alon had never once encountered the King of the White Ghosts.

Because it was not a situation where he could have encountered her in the first place.

‘For now, I must use that.’

Alon took back the words he was about to say.

In fact, as much as he wanted to answer the greeting with a question.

If the King of the White Ghosts realized her mistake in the middle of it, he could have been killed right then and there.

No, since it was certain that he would be killed immediately.

He swallowed his saliva once.

“It has been a long time…”

“!”

He looked at the White Ghost while playing along.

Whether she was happy that Alon accepted the greeting.

The face of the King of the White Ghosts visibly brightened to anyone’s eyes.

In the game, the King of the White Ghosts always expressed only negative emotions, such as being bored with everything or frowning.

When she made a child-like smile as if she didn’t have a single worry in the world.

Alon was stunned for a moment and then suddenly realized one thing.

‘Her hair is black?’

That was it. The King of the White Ghosts’ hair was black.

Since Alon knew it was originally white, he felt doubtful, but…

‘Is it a different person?’

He soon shook his head.

Excluding the hair color.

Her face was exactly the King of the White Ghosts he had seen in Psychedelia.

What was it? Why did the hair color change…

“Wow, look at the boss’s smile. Anyone would think she met a lover she hadn’t seen for a few hundred years…”

Boom!

…That was right.

She was clearly the King of the White Ghosts.

At the sight of the blue-skinned man, who was sent flying and smashed into the forest, breaking trees, after being struck by the fist she stretched out while he was being cheeky.

Alon quietly nodded his head.

Looking at those cruel methods, she was the existence he knew.

At the moment when even the tiniest doubt was washed away.

“Hmm…”

“!”

The King of the White Ghosts had arrived right in front of Alon’s eyes before he knew it.

She, who approached so quickly that he couldn’t even notice.

Looked at Alon intently as if observing something with a face full of interest and then.

“The black thing.”

Thud. She spat out those words.

A question Alon could not understand, but which clearly contained some meaning.

Alon instinctively realized it was a question she threw to confirm something, but he could not easily open his mouth.

Because he knew too well that his life would depend on this one answer.

But since he also perceived that his neck would fly if he did not answer quickly, Alon was about to open his mouth.

“Hmm.”

He soon hesitated again at her changed face.

As if she had realized something.

The King of the White Ghosts, who had a strange expression with the bright smile from just now gone.

At that appearance, Alon felt an instinctive sense of crisis, but.

“I see… Not yet.”

“…?”

The King of the White Ghosts muttered so softly that it could not be heard even by Alon right in front of her, and then she turned around.

Then.

“Let’s go.”

Unlike the beginning, she began to move into the forest while leading her subordinates, her voice trailing off leisurely.

“No, wait. You came all this way to meet and just go…”

At that, the blue-skinned man who had been smashed into the forest just now joined the line, his whole body covered in dust.

He scratched his head as if it were not a big deal even after being struck by that massive attack.

Everyone here thought he was an unusual person due to his brazen appearance, but.

Boom!

The man soared into the air once again from the girl’s fist as soon as he joined the line.

He smashed into the surroundings while being sent into the forest again.

“See you next time.”

The White Ghost shrugged her shoulders calmly as if nothing had happened and returned into the forest.

And Alon’s party.

“……???”

For a while, in the middle of the mutant corpses.

They could only blankly stare at the place where the White Ghost had disappeared.

####

Immediately after the White Ghost disappeared.

Alon began to prepare to return to the Principality of Luxible after taking the horns Kalanon had requested, along with the black thread spool Kraksha had possessed.

“……So it was because of this that you said it would be okay even in the White Ghost’s territory.”

“…….”

He remained silent at Reinhardt’s question.

In fact, the reason Alon had said it would be okay even if they entered the White Ghost’s territory.

Was not what Reinhardt guessed, but because of the characteristics of the White Ghosts.

Basically, they didn’t like to move unless it was night.

Even if they did, they only moved when someone truly entered deep into their territory.

They wouldn’t come to catch someone just because they stepped on the boundary for a moment.

But for them to appear like this and then retreat without doing anything.

Alon had not foreseen such a situation either.

‘……What on earth is it?’

Alon thought of the King of the White Ghosts once again.

The strange points were not just one or two.

‘I clearly felt that the mistake was caught.’

Her last appearance.

He didn’t know what kind of mistake it was, but it was a reaction as if she had clearly realized something.

But despite that.

The White Ghost left without saying anything to Alon.

And she left the words, ‘See you next time.’

‘……What on earth is it?’

Therefore, Alon had been thinking about it since the moment he boarded the carriage.

He could not come up with a plausible assumption at all.

Because information was lacking to properly grasp the situation.

While his agonizing continued.

Alon, who had boarded the carriage after the preparations to return were finished.

“Marquis.”

“Why is it…….”

“You look like you are in pain.”

“……Well, I am.”

“You are a god. Should you not be in pain?”

He became doubtful at Evan, who asked subtly.

“……God?”

“Yes. The rumors are spread far and wide outside. Even the knights of Caliburn were calling the Marquis ‘Kalanon.'”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Otherwise, there’s no way I would know, since I didn’t even follow you.”

“That is true.”

“So, is it real this time?”

Evan asked as if it were a greeting.

Alon shrugged his shoulders after thinking for a moment.

“……About half?”

“……If it’s real, it’s real, and if it’s not, it’s not. What is ‘about half’?”

“There are some circumstances.”

“You won’t tell me even if I ask, right?”

“I will tell you this, but only after the work is finished.”

“Wow…….”

Evan’s face was suddenly filled with emotion.

“……What is that expression suddenly?”

“No, I really thought you wouldn’t say even a single word until you died. I’m a bit touched because you said you would tell me later.”

Alon’s mind changed somehow at the burdensome reaction.

“I’ll take back what I said about telling you.”

“Hey, why are you being like this? I even brought a gift.”

“A gift?”

Then Evan pulled a deer horn from his bosom and handed it to Alon.

“It is the horn the Marquis mentioned earlier.”

“Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t dig it out. I just carried it.”

At the moment he received the horn from Evan.

“Ah.”

[Oh, that’s a relief.]

Alon was able to meet Kalanon the Receiver of Lightning once again.

But.

[First, don’t ask questions and listen well, okay? I don’t have much time left now.]

“……What? Suddenly?”

[It’s not sudden. It means I won’t be able to contact you for a while because I used up all the Gyeok.]

She spread her small fingers as if she were in a hurry and explained after counting something diligently.

[First, what I want to tell you is that I used all the Gyeok gathered until now in this battle.]

“All of it?”

[Yes, all of it. You probably won’t be able to use Gyeok for a while.]

“Didn’t you say Gyeok is gathered through faith?”

[That’s right. It’s probably gathering again even now. But the absolute amount is small, right? It will take some time until it gathers again. Ahem… and besides, it had to be a bit flashy too.]

“……It had to be flashy?”

[Right? Anyway, I also needed a bit of impact to survive. Well, but I didn’t use that much, right? It was just about making the horns. Of course, I also made the lightning crackle a bit… and did all that.]

“……Was that horn just for decoration by any chance?”

[Rather than for decoration, it’s my lifeline… Yes… You could call it a struggle not to be forgotten…]

Alon asked in a voice that somehow felt moist.

“Is that enough with just that?”

[As long as the symbolism of the horn continues, I will not disappear either. Because I have engraved the impact strongly. Ahem… anyway, this is not the problem…]

Kalanon continued her words while looking at Alon.

[Please gather faith again as much as possible within a short period. Only then can I properly tell you how to handle Gyeok.]

“……I’ll try.”

[Ah, but even so, you shouldn’t cause another incident just to gather faith recklessly!]

“Why is that?”

[Well, there are several reasons… First, since there’s no time, I’ll explain that later. I’ll ask one more favor.]

“What is it?”

[The statues, right? Those things you’re gathering faith with right now.]

“Mhm.”

As Alon tilted his head as if to tell her to keep talking, Kalanon opened her mouth cautiously.

[If it’s not a discourtesy… could you add some horns there?]

“You want me to add horns?”

[I also have to make a living…]

Rumble.

The world began to collapse the moment Kalanon let out a sigh.

[Ah, time’s up already! Anyway, I’m counting on you. Okay!? That is surprisingly important! I’m counting on you!]

At that, Kalanon, who had been entreating him several times like a machine gun, disappeared.

“Marquis.”

“……Ah?”

“Why are you making such a blank expression suddenly?”

Soon, Alon.

Realized that he had returned to reality at the appearance of Evan, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

‘……Add horns?’

He, who was thinking something while blankly looking at the horn held in his hand.

‘That… won’t be easy.’

While having such a thought, he let out a quiet sigh.

####

The next day.

Without being able to properly ask Kalanon anything.

Alon woke up in the morning, moving his painful body awkwardly.

As soon as he woke up, he headed to the audience chamber to meet King Pamilono.

Because of the favor Kalanon had requested the day before.

Even if it was not an easy task, it was not something he could simply ignore.

‘……Still, it doesn’t seem easy.’

To ask to attach horns to an already finished statue.

It was a hard task to request from Alon’s perspective.

It was highly probable that it would be an embarrassing and difficult task for the one hearing it as well.

Because it was effectively no different from asking to make the statue again.

Therefore, Alon arrived at the audience chamber with a heavy heart.

“I meet the Great One, Lord Kalanon.”

“…….”

He could see.

Having come down from the throne…

“Ah, please sit.”

King Pamilono.

Who was politely entreating him to sit on the throne while bowing deeply to him.

Alon.

“…….”

His head again.

Began to get slightly dizzy.