Chapter 241 – Technique (4)

Unlike when they first faced each other here.

Magrina bowed her head politely in neat attire.

Watching that appearance blankly, Alon asked with an incomprehensible expression.

“Were you an elf?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for having to hide my identity, God. The situation could not be helped…”

Magrina showed a pitiful smile.

However, Alon still did not understand.

Why she had been disguised as a human.

The fact that humans were not treated very well in the non-human alliance.

Because he had already confirmed that fact several times with his own eyes.

“I do not care that much about you hiding your identity, but isn’t it more dangerous for your safety to be transformed into a human?”

Thus, Alon directly expressed his curiosity.

The one who answered this was Kalanda.

“Normally that would be the case, but the situation is a bit different now. Since only my daughter was not cursed.”

“…A curse, you say?”

“Yes. You might not know by looking at her like this, but all elves are actually in a state of bearing a curse. Specifically, a curse that reduces their lifespan by half.”

“Lifespan, by half?”

Kalanda let out a sigh and stroked Magrina’s head.

“High elves like myself, who can usually live for well over a thousand years, had half of our lifespan taken away due to the curse.”

“Is it Baarma’s curse?”

“No, Baarma is certainly a being that can destroy our alliance, but he is not that omnipotent.”

“Then…?”

“The one who took away our lifespan was a magus.”

“…A magus, you say?”

“Yes, a magus who stood on the side of the black ones. No…maybe I should express it as a black one as well.”

Kalanda muttered like he was talking to himself while answering.

“If so, didn’t that happen before the war with Baarma?”

At Alon’s question, Kalanda briefly stopped his hand that was stroking Magrina’s head.

“Go back to your room. I shall visit you in a while.”

“…Yes, Father.”

He sent Magrina out of the room.

Only after the thud of the door was heard did he continue his words.

“You are right. That is an unmistakable fact. But…unfortunately, the world does not always see only the truth.”

“That means…”

“I shall put it simply for you. The elves are suspicious of Magrina. As a traitor who sold out her race to the black ones for her own benefit.”

“…”

Alon, lost for words, remained silent.

Magrina was a child who had not yet passed adulthood, even if not as much as Liang’a or Nangwon.

In other words, the suspicion spreading among the elves was something that sounded irrational to anyone who heard it.

Whether he recognized Alon’s gaze, Kalanda gave a bitter smile.

“I know it too. How ridiculous that suspicion is.”

“And yet…”

“But as I said, the world does not always see only the truth.”

“…”

Silence settled for a moment.

Alon opened his mouth carefully.

“…A scapegoat, is it?”

“Correct. No matter how irrational that suspicion is and how well they know it is something that could not happen, they are looking for a scapegoat. Because they need a place to vent their anxiety and resentment.”

Kalanda let out a hot breath.

“Of course, not everyone is like that. But it is also true that such people clearly exist.”

“…So that’s why the disguise.”

“Correct, since my daughter is being targeted even by her own kin.”

“Why was only Magrina not affected by the curse?”

“The fact that they do not know the reason is precisely what is turning their irrationality into rationality.”

Letting out an absurd laugh, he bowed his head to Alon once more.

“Anyway, I am truly grateful. I never dreamed I would see my daughter again, whom I lost vainly in the last war.”

“…”

Having straightened his body, he looked affectionately at the door Magrina had exited.

“To some, she is a scapegoat to vent resentment, but to me, she is my one and only precious daughter.”

####

Immediately after the conversation with Kalanda ended.

Alon returned to his room and organized the situation.

“In the end, it means there are two months…no, is it about one month now? We have no choice but to deal with Baarma after that. Godfather.”

“…It seems so.”

Alon, who let out a sigh, “Hoo…”, called Rine.

“Rine.”

“Yes, Godfather.”

“Is there no content about this current era in the library, by any chance?”

At that, Rine momentarily wore a subtle expression.

“I already looked it up, and actually, records do remain…but I don’t think they’ll be of much help at this point, Godfather.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It only remains as ‘The non-human alliance fought with Baarma.'”

“Hmm.”

“Besides that, detailed records are…”

Rine’s expression became increasingly gloomy.

Alon patted her shoulder.

“It’s okay.”

“…Yes.”

However, the shadow cast on Rine’s face showed no sign of disappearing.

At that moment, with a click, Penia entered inside.

“Penia?”

“Yes, y-yes…Marquis.”

While holding a mountain-like pile of books that well exceeded her height.

“…What are those books?”

Penia walked awkwardly and put down a pile of books on the desk.

Only then did Alon ask, and Penia rolled her eyes for a moment before extending her index finger.

“Ahem…anyway, we eventually have to deal with Baarma, right? Since that god named Yongrin also died.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I thought there might be something like Baarma’s weakness in the books…”

At that moment, Rine approached the desk and began to scan the book titles.

“Magic Cast by a Magus.”

“…”

“Marna’s Magus Dictionary…”

“…”

“The Relationship Between Magi and Gods, The Essence of a Magus.”

“…”

However.

“A Magus’s Passionate Lo…”

“Waaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!”

The reading of the book titles finished quickly.

Because Penia shouted a scream and hid the book behind her back.

Both eyes rolling around and cold sweat flowing on her face.

Rine and Alon looked at Penia with faces that had cooled down.

Penia, who seemed to be desperately choosing an excuse, saying “Hmm…uuhm…”, then raised her index finger.

“T-That is, you see? This…once we return to reality, there’s nowhere we can obtain materials about magi, right? So, while researching here in various ways and helping the Marquis’s magus research? Maybe even checking the parts that can be applied to magic?”

“…”

“In any case, helping the Marquis’s research is the priority, but maybe? Just maybe, if there’s material that can open a truly new horizon in magic, I could use it to gain public recognition and flatten the Master’s nose? That kind of? Feeling?”

However, what came out was just gibberish.

Alon asked Penia, who was struggling (?) with all her might.

“…I do not mind that, but isn’t it only possible once we return?”

“That is true. But I believe.”

“In what?”

“In what the Marquis will show me.”

Penia clenched her fist with an expression of ‘Hey, I’m believing in you!’.

Alon felt an inexplicable sense of being slightly irritated, but.

‘Anyway, it is unavoidable that I must fight Baarma. I’ll have to find out by talking tomorrow first.’

He first reached that conclusion.

###

The next day.

Alon, who had an audience with the three kings again.

“…You are saying the weapon was destroyed?”

He realized that the current situation was more serious than he thought.

“Strictly speaking, rather than being destroyed, it was confirmed that operation is impossible.”

Surang’s sigh mixed with a groan.

Alon calmly organized the contents he heard in his head.

The reason why Yongrin, the god leading the alliance, went as far as sacrificing himself to deploy a barrier and block Baarma’s advance.

It was precisely to buy time to use the weapon ‘Agathon.’

Agathon.

As a weapon that magi used to deal with the black ones, time was needed to maintain the thing that could deal with Baarma.

However, unfortunately, Yongrin’s plan went awry from the beginning.

When using Agathon, the World Tree must distribute overwhelming mana as its power source.

But as if they knew this plan.

In timing with the period when Yongrin accepted the sacrifice, Baarma’s followers invaded.

Due to them, the World Tree suffered a great blow.

But even in a situation where the World Tree was destroyed.

They had finished maintenance to try and operate Agathon in some way using people’s mana as a power source, yet.

In the end, Agathon also became unusable.

In other words, the situation was that the two months of time Yongrin had bought might become meaningless.

The kings’ expressions could not help but be sorrowful.

“…”

Around the time Alon was also lost in thought and rubbing his forehead.

“Can I take a look at Agathon once?”

Rine, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.

“That is not difficult, but as a result of checking, that equipment can only be handled by a magus… Wait, a magus?”

Expectation briefly appeared on Surang’s face, but.

“No, that’s not it.”

“…I suppose, that wouldn’t be possible. Since all the magi already met their end at that time.”

He immediately became gloomy again.

In the meantime, Alon recalled Rine’s ability and asked once more.

“Still, just in case, could we check it?”

Surang still wore an unenthusiastic expression, but soon nodded.

“…Okay. Let’s go right now. In any case, we can’t really talk about anything in the current situation.”

He stood up from his seat.

Around then.

“Wait a moment.”

Ashir, who had been watching silently until just now, interrupted.

“What is it?”

“Could Alon act separately with me?”

“…Why?”

“Dowon is looking for him.”

“Alon?”

“Yes.”

At Liosh’s nod, Alon was bewildered.

“Who is the person named Dowon?”

“To think you really wouldn’t know anything despite hearing from my son… Dowon is the god who leads the alliance along with Sir Yongrin. Also, she is the only god of Kalgunias remaining at this point.”

After hearing the name Kalgunias flowing out once more, Alon asked.

“May I know the reason you are looking for me?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot know about that part properly. To me as well, she only said that she wanted to see your face once.”

As Ashir gave a light shrug, Alon briefly had a doubt, but.

“Let’s do that.”

He soon accepted the proposal.

Alon, who came to act separately from Rine, followed Ashir toward the outside of the palace.

‘…Whenever I see it, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.’

How much time had passed since he unconsciously thought that while seeing the appearance of the royal palace once again?

After some time passed since leaving the palace.

A massive temple began to be visible from afar.

A temple that was very massive and brilliant even in appearance.

Alon, who arrived at the place that made him wonder if a giant had built it.

“Then enter.”

“Aren’t you going together?”

“Because the one she wants to see is only you.”

According to Ashir’s words, he moved his steps toward the front of the temple alone.

The moment he reached the front.

Crrrruuuumble!!

As if welcoming him, the massive door opened on its own.

Alon slowly entered inside the door.

He didn’t even have to go far.

Because he soon saw a giant.

A blue-eyed goddess, looking at Alon as if she were seeing a very peculiar existence.

And.

[…Finally, the time to keep the promise has come.]

The goddess’s voice rang out.