Chapter 211 – North… (2)

Onel, a recruit who had recently been recognized for his skills and joined the Eclipse Knights, felt a great sense of pride in the knight order he belonged to.

In fact, that pride was justified.

There were truly numerous knight orders in Caliban.

However, none of them could ultimately compare to the knight orders led by Caliban’s Five Swords.

And among the knight orders of the Five Swords.

The Eclipse Knights, led by Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallan, received overwhelming envy and admiration from everyone.

Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallan.

Because the Eclipse Knights led by him were soon called Caliban’s foremost knight order.

Therefore, Onel felt a very great sense of pride in becoming a member of the Eclipse Knights.

Yes, he certainly ‘felt’ it.

Although it had become a thing of the past.

That did not mean he had suddenly abandoned all his admiration for the Eclipse Knights.

He still wanted to be a member of the Eclipse Knights.

Yet, the reason Onel had such thoughts.

Was precisely because of his senior.

No, to be precise, it was more correct to say it was because of his seniors.

“……Senior.”

“Hmm, Onel. What is it?”

Senior Bidin answered Onel’s call immediately.

He boasted a sturdy build befitting a knight, yet gave off an impression so kind it felt out of place.

“Um, may I ask you something?”

“There is no need to be that formal. If you are curious, you can just ask anytime.”

Bidin burst into a hearty laugh.

Before him, Onel hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Um, why are you praying?”

Prayer.

In fact, in Onel’s common sense, prayer was not that unusual an act.

Because even before, there were occasionally seniors in the Eclipse Knights who prayed before meals or training.

However, the reason Onel specifically now.

Asked about it was for only one reason.

[No, why is everyone like this……?]

Because everyone who had been to the jungle with the Commander this time.

Had begun to pray very devoutly since yesterday.

And it was not just a half-hearted attempt, it was so devout that it surpassed the priests of Sironia.

Onel had been dazed all last night by the sight that unfolded before him as soon as he returned from his dispatch mission.

As that atmosphere continued today, he cautiously threw out the question.

Bidin answered as if there was nothing more to think about.

“Well, of course, it is a prayer to God.”

He laughed cheerfully once again.

God.

Onel also knew who the object of his seniors’ prayers was.

No, in the first place, it was impossible not to know.

Because since yesterday, the seniors had been talking about one person incessantly.

“……If it is God, you are talking about Marquis Palatio, right?”

“Yes, it is precisely a prayer offered to him.”

“……”

At the blunt answer that seemed so natural.

Onel was lost for words.

To speak honestly, Onel could not easily sympathize with Bidin’s words.

It might be different if all these people were praying toward ‘Goddess Sironia.’

But the target, the being referred to as ‘God,’ meant the human ‘Marquis Palatio.’

“……”

Of course, Onel also knew Marquis Palatio well.

The Marquis was fully worthy of respect.

He had disposed of as many as two Outer Gods.

He was also the person responsible for preventing the artificial Outer God incident that almost led to the downfall of the Stalian Kingdom.

Considering various other rumors, big and small.

He himself sometimes had doubts, wondering, ‘Is this really something a person can do alone?’

Moreover, he showed an incredible appearance in the jungle this time too.

Since he had also heard from his peers that the seniors had begun to blindly follow him like that afterwards.

He could roughly grasp the process of how all these scenes began.

But no matter how much that was the case.

He wondered if ‘worshipping a living human’ was perhaps a bit problematic in his mind.

“Um, Senior.”

“Speak.”

“No matter how much, he is a living human, and.”

The moment he was about to gently raise the issue about the current situation.

Bang!

“Emergency!! The Lvirian Knights insulted the Marquis as a pagan god!”

Suddenly, a knight burst open the dining hall door and shouted loudly.

Inside the dining hall, where quiet conversation had been continuing until just moments ago.

“……”

In an instant.

A cold silence descended.

And then.

“These bastards.”

“Where is that bastard right now?”

“Lead the way right now!”

Before Onel even had a chance to ask anything.

In an instant, all the knights in the dining hall rushed out.

Onel, who was watching this blankly.

[……It is a good thing I did not ask.]

He quietly closed his lips, which he could not shut, and felt a sense of relief.

[……It was really good that I did not speak.]

Senior Bidin, who was well-known for being kind even within the knight order.

The sight of him rushing out with his sword like a demonic god was still vivid.

[……At this point, isn’t this more like a holy knight order rather than just a regular one?]

He might have understood if he had experienced the events in the jungle together.

But for Onel, who did not know the reason, he could not help but feel even more doubtful about his seniors’ behavior.

After a short while.

[Should I mention this to the Commander?]

He stood up with that thought.

Onel knew.

That Caliban’s First Sword, whom he admired so much.

Was very close with Marquis Palatio.

But he knew one more thing.

The fact that Deus Macallan was a person who strictly separated public and private matters.

Of course, that was.

Something the knights said about Deus’s aloofness toward the benefits he could gain by not expressing any dissatisfaction with the kingdom’s budget allocation.

But for Onel, who had entered based on recognized talent without other experience.

He had no choice but to know that Deus was ‘strictly professional at every moment.’

The moment he stepped out of the dining hall to inform the Commander of the current situation.

“Ah, Commander.”

Fortunately.

He was able to see Deus Macallan heading somewhere.

“How dare someone insult the Marquis!”

With his purple eyes burning, he drew his sword.

Deus Macallan was walking grimly, his purple magic power undulating.

“……”

Onel closed his mouth once more.

……It was early winter.

####

Alon, who was heading toward the Magic Academy to take Penia with him before going to the Marquisate.

“……It is here too.”

“I see.”

“So, how many points is it this time, Marquis?”

“……If I were to give it a score, it would be around 9 points.”

“Oh, it is one point higher than yesterday. What made it higher?”

“……Because the trees are stretching straight?”

“Hmm, is that so? Now that I hear it, it certainly feels like it is spread out in a straight line.”

He looked at the trees in front of him while having such a conversation with Evan.

No, to be precise, the artificially landscaped trees.

Trees boasting incredibly green leaves that did not match early winter.

Watching them, Alon made a strange expression.

“So, how many days has it been?”

“Well, it has been about two weeks. Since these trees started appearing like this a day after we left Caliban.”

Evan looked up at the beautifully landscaped trees in admiration.

“By the way, who on earth is placing these? At this point, I can’t help but think they are being placed to match everywhere we move.”

“I think so too.”

Alon also nodded.

Honestly, when he saw the trees for the first once or twice.

He simply thought that such trees had been placed in this kind of path.

However, even after two weeks had passed.

Since a different landscape naturally unfolded every day along every path he took.

[What on earth is this?]

Alon felt doubtful and retraced his memories, wondering if such a thing had ever happened when he played Psychedelia.

He soon shook his head.

Although it was a faint memory now.

He could easily recall that such a thing had never happened.

So, after pondering for a while.

[For now, it does not seem like anything big is happening, so it might not matter.]

Because Alon knew well how much one had to be careful even with the smallest things in this world.

“Are we arriving today?”

“Right?”

Alon thought about asking Penia about this landscaping as soon as he met her.

Around the time Alon led the carriage toward the Magic Tower, which was not far away.

“Kugh.”

“This is frustrating……”

“This is unfair.”

Beyond that landscaping.

The voices of grieving elves and.

“Heh.”

Draim’s fresh laughter, as he nodded several times with a confident smile, briefly passed by.

####

After moving for a few more hours after that, they arrived at the Magic Tower.

Penia joined Alon with a somewhat sullen expression.

“No, sister, why on earth me?”

“You aren’t going when I am?”

“I have something the Magic Tower Master specifically ordered me to handle……?”

“You can just leave it to someone else.”

Taking along Pellin, who did not really want to go together.

“No, I.”

“Shut up and get in!”

“Gwah!”

Penia kicked Pellin’s back hard and shoved him into the carriage.

Watching that, Alon recalled her personality once again and greeted her.

“It has been a long time.”

“Ah, yes.”

As soon as Alon spoke, Penia quickly withdrew the fierce aura she had been emitting until just moments ago.

At the sight of his sister who had suddenly become well-behaved, Pellin, who had been kicked in the back, made a face mixed with resentment and absurdity.

Penia closed the carriage door with a kick.

“I am sorry. Actually, if it were up to me, I would have wanted to leave you at the tower a bit longer, but an unavoidable matter arose where I needed help.”

“Help?”

“Yes.”

Alon said so and lightly brought out Callanon’s Gyeok in front of Penia.

Crackle!

!

As soon as she saw the crackling lightning on Alon’s hand, Penia’s eyes widened as if she were surprised all at once.

As if to intuitively show her own genius.

Penia shouted as if she had noticed something as soon as she saw the lightning bouncing from Alon’s hand.

“This, could it be.”

“It is Gyeok.”

“……Wow.”

At Alon’s confirmation, Penia, who had been expressing ‘I don’t want to goooooo’ with her whole body until just moments ago, her eyes sparkled.

She became full of life like a graduate student who found a useful thesis topic and grabbed Alon’s hand.

“Please show me one more time……!”

“Alright.”

Alon used Gyeok once more without hesitation.

In fact, with Alon’s current Gyeok, it was somewhat burdensome to even crackle a few times, but it did not matter much.

Because the reason he had planned to take Penia to the Marquisate in the first place was to show her Gyeok and receive help in magic research.

Thus, Alon, who had displayed Callanon’s Gyeok several times as she wished.

At some point, he realized that Penia was closer than he had thought.

Her hands and face were focused on Alon’s hand.

But from the side, she looked as if she had burrowed in deep enough to be hugging him.

“Marquis, again, again!”

However, Penia urged Alon as if she did not care about such things.

“I understand.”

The moment Alon was about to cast it once more.

Stop!

Penia, who had been jumping around in excitement until just moments ago, suddenly stopped moving.

Step, step.

In that state, she stepped back exactly two steps.

?

Alon made an expression showing he did not know the reason for her sudden behavior.

However, Penia backed away two more steps and.

“……Please show me.”

She said so.

It was as if the anticipation she had shown just a moment ago had vanished somewhere.

With tears welling up in her large eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

Alon asked, but.

“No, of course not……”

Penia shook her head timidly and gave an awkward smile.

In the end, Alon, who was wearing a bewildered expression, used Gyeok once more.

However, Penia’s eyes.

Were no longer focused on Alon’s hand, but on the brooch Alon was wearing.

……It was the day the first snow fell.

A few weeks later.

Alon, who arrived at the Palatio Marquisate with the suddenly strange Penia.

“I greet the friend of the Great One!”

“Greetings. The First…no, Marquis! I apologize for the sudden visit, but I have come to discuss your escort.”

He was welcomed by Kurak, whom he had seen before.

And Lim, who had also served as his guide in Greynif.

“……An escort?”

“Yes, it is about whether an elf or a lizardman will escort the First Elf…no, the Marquis.”

At the ensuing agenda.

“……???”

You guys? Me?? Why???

He could only look at them with that expression.

……It was a lively return.