Chapter 212 – North… (3)

Inside the office.

Alon stared blankly ahead.

Before his eyes were two people, no, an elf and a lizardman.

On one side was Lim, an elf who emitted a thorough faith toward Alon that anyone could see.

Unlike when they first met in Greynif, her eyes were very sparkling, and she stood in a very polite posture.

The other person was Kurak, the lizardman who had visited Alon just a while ago, boasting a very cheerful aura as before.

“……”

Alon cautiously raised his hand and rubbed his temples while looking at the two.

“So, what did you say?”

“We have come to ask who should take charge of your escort.”

“You just need to decide, my friend! We will handle the rest ourselves!”

Opposite to Lim, who bowed her head politely, Kurak burst into a hearty laugh.

“No……”

However, naturally.

What Alon wanted to ask was not a simple conclusion.

First, Alon did not know why Lim and Kurak were here together.

Above all, he did not understand how this situation had come about.

He knew what the words ‘to escort’ meant.

But he had no idea why such a story was sparked, progressed, and reached this point.

He could not guess even a little.

[……Even if I concede a hundred times and say I understand the elves, why the lizardmen?]

Since Kurak was especially a mystery, his gaze naturally turned toward him.

“Hmph, as expected, the Marquis’s discernment is accurate. We are certainly stronger than those long-ears.”

“You bastard.”

He had only looked because of his complicated feelings without any thought.

But Kurak was getting ahead of himself with all his might, while Lim frowned.

Alon had been in the office for less than thirty minutes, yet the sigh he had already let out several times leaked out again.

“……First, I think I need an explanation. Can you tell me exactly what the situation is?”

“Ah…… I will explain right away.”

Startled by Alon’s request, Lim immediately took a parade rest posture.

He thought there was no need to be so strictly disciplined, but.

Since it was clear that telling her to be at ease would not work, Alon listened to her explanation in silence.

After some time had passed.

“……So, you are saying that for those reasons, you are deciding who will take charge of my escort.”

“That is correct.”

“It is so.”

“……”

Lim and Kurak nodded their heads proudly.

Alon was flustered inside, unlike his expressionless face.

Because not a single bit of Alon’s will was involved in their conversation or conclusion.

[Of course, being escorted isn’t particularly bad, but……]

From Alon’s perspective, he was honestly tempted.

In a dark fantasy world full of threats, the more escorts there were, the more helpful it would be.

However, Alon’s point of concern was, as expected.

That this escort power struggle also originated to some extent from a misunderstanding.

He roughly knew how the elves were acting based on a misunderstanding, but.

He did not know at all what was going on with the lizardmen.

[No, really, how are these guys acting based on a misunderstanding again……?]

Of course, he could infer something based on Kurak’s previous remarks.

But even so, he had no idea how things had turned out so that they were even fighting with the elves over the escort.

Even though he had heard the explanation until just now.

Alon, who had been contemplating for a moment, spoke.

“……First, thank you for the thought, but an escort is not particularly necessary.”

“Ah.”

“Hmm.”

Lim and Kurak sighed softly.

Alon also felt a slight sense of regret, but he composed himself.

An escort received without any price.

It was very tempting, but it was like an alluring trap.

All of this was a relationship stemming from a misunderstanding.

Of course, it was not Alon’s intention; they had misunderstood one-sidedly.

Anyway, Alon had gained various benefits from being misunderstood.

But if he tried to take the benefit of an escort on top of this.

What if the elves or lizardmen, who would be attached to him constantly, realized the fact that they had misunderstood after seeing Alon’s actions during the escort?

He would suffer a loss greater than what he had gained so far.

[Besides, Gyeok is accumulating now.]

Recalling the Gyeok that had already accumulated to some extent, Alon exhaled secretly and looked at the two.

For now, he had to protect it.

Their misunderstanding.

“So, I will decline the escort.”

“……Is that so?”

“This is unfortunate.”

Lim and Kurak could not hide their disappointment.

“I understand. Since you go that far, I will not say anything more.”

“I will follow the words of the First Elf.”

Kurak bowed his head deeply, and Lim also bent her body, now calling him the First Elf without hesitation.

Once the situation was settled.

As Alon exhaled a light sigh after sending the two out, Evan shrugged his shoulders.

“Now they are anxious because they cannot escort you.”

“……I don’t know why they are like that either.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

He made a ‘Hmm’ expression for a moment.

Evan raised a finger and pointed to one side as if he had thought of something.

“Ah, Marquis. Did you see that?”

“That?”

“Yes, that.”

As Alon turned his gaze along Evan’s hand to check outside the window.

There was a giant statue that Deus had gifted Alon for his birthday.

“……?”

There was something that certainly wasn’t there until Alon left.

A statue with ‘giant horns.’

“……When did it get horns?”

As Alon asked, Evan answered as if he had been waiting.

“I heard that Deus had contacted them in advance. So the remaining personnel came on a business trip and added them before we arrived.”

“……Is a statue something that can be easily detached and attached like that?”

“Normally it’s impossible, but I heard it’s possible if there is a mage. Although it is quite expensive.”

Alon looked at the statue with his mouth hanging open in a daze.

With two giant horns attached, it was no longer even human.

Watching the statue, which felt like it had returned from hell and was shouting, ‘Stand up, you too!’, he thought.

[……This is more embarrassing than I thought.]

Alon sighed lowly once more.

####

Exactly two months after Lim and Kurak stopped by the Palatio Marquisate.

By the time it was midwinter and the snow turned the world white.

“Let’s stop here.”

“Ah, already?”

“Yes, it is a bit more difficult than I thought.”

“I understand.”

Alon was engrossed in magic research with Penia.

More accurately, in the research of Gyeok and magic.

Alon exhaled hot breaths several times as if he were out of breath.

Penia brought him a towel and spoke.

“Still, with this, it seems you have virtually achieved the correct implementation, right?”

“That is certainly true.”

“Yes, but no matter how many times I see it, it really is amazing. Converting magic power into lightning. I guessed it when you first showed me Gyeok, but I can’t help but find it amazing every time I see it in person.”

Well, that’s why the magic we are making now is also virtually possible, Penia added.

Alon nodded while asking.

“Haven’t you seen even more than that?”

“That’s true. Even though magic power was converted into lightning, it changed again according to your attribute. Just like Blackie.”

Penia pointed to Blackie on the desk with a tilt of her head.

[Kyu?]

Then, Blackie, who was tapping the magic reagent, looked at Penia and Alon.

“It is worth researching in many ways.”

“I am always grateful. Thanks to you, the research is progressing rapidly.”

“I’m receiving what I deserve. And the research is interesting too.”

After lightly praising Penia, whose face was filled with pride.

Alon sat in his chair and organized the things he had found while researching Gyeok over the past two months.

There were three main things in total.

First, to use Gyeok for manifestation, one must clearly perceive the ability of Gyeok.

Second, one must clearly perceive the trigger for manifestation.

The last and third point was that two Gyeok could not be used simultaneously.

In other words, Alon, who was using Callanon’s Gyeok, could not use any other Gyeok at all.

[Exceptional, I can at least shroud myself in the First Elf’s Gyeok.]

However, because he had not properly grasped the ability of the First Elf’s Gyeok either, he could not manifest it.

[……Should I go to Greynif and ask about the power?]

Alon had recently been contemplating a way to accurately perceive the power possessed by the First Elf.

“Ah, Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“Come to think of it, I heard you are moving around next month. Is that right?”

At the question that came, Alon nodded.

“Yes, I will probably move next month.”

In fact, if he were only going to Caliban, it would have been fine to move more leisurely.

However, he was trying to move earlier to stop by Asteria.

[I have to meet Siyan.]

He had to report to her about his visit to Greynif.

At Alon’s answer, Penia slowly nodded and spoke.

“Hmm, around that time, this research will also come to an end.”

“That certainly seems likely. Only the adjustment remains now.”

“Even so, just in case, it would be better to refrain from using it in actual combat even if the adjustment is perfectly done. It is certainly innovative, but there will still be quite a lot of risk.”

“It would be good if we could conduct research even a little more often,” Penia muttered to herself.

Alon also agreed with that.

The current speed and amount of Gyeok accumulating were insufficient to proceed with the research without any shortage.

[Well, compared to the beginning, a lot is accumulating though.]

When he first started research at the Marquisate.

He could virtually only conduct research once every three days.

But hasn’t he become able to research almost once a day now?

As he recalled that fact anew, a question bloomed in Alon’s mind.

[……Huh? Come to think of it, why is so much Gyeok accumulating?]

He hadn’t properly examined it all this time, but thinking about it, it was a bit strange.

Faith might be accumulating better thanks to the events in the jungle last time.

However, even considering that.

The power that could be used almost once every three days had become usable about once a day?

Alon immediately entered a state of contemplation and expanded Callanon’s Gyeok.

And then.

“???”

He could see it.

Certainly, even just three months ago.

Around the Gyeok, which had been pitch black except for Callanon’s Gyeok itself and Silly’s star that directly handed over the power.

The sight of a blue nebula having formed before he knew it.

[……What is this?]

His face was filled with doubt for a moment.

Since he could not continue his thoughts in Penia’s office.

Alon hurried back to his office and.

“Marquis, do you know that?”

“What is it?”

“Silly has become a Saintess.”

“……What?”

Before he could even continue his thoughts properly, he heard news that made his head go blank.