Chapter 257 – Branches (1)

A dark temple beneath the roots.

Two figures were sitting there.

One was the Apostle of Wrath, wrapped in a black robe.

The other was,

A man with silver hair who did not match the dark underground.

He, who let out a satisfied voice, or rather,

“It’s good.”

The Apostle of Purity nodded his head as if he liked the current situation very much.

“…Is it good?”

Like an abyss where nothing could be seen.

The question of the Sin of Wrath, who was covered in a jet-black robe.

It was impossible to tell if it was an old man, a child, a woman, or a man.

A bizarre voice that made one’s expression frown just by hearing it echoed, but.

“Yes, it’s good.”

The Apostle of Purity still did not erase his smile.

“Look, the numbers are perfectly matched, aren’t they? To two.”

He said brightly.

“Phew—this is, well, other people might not know, but it’s very bothersome to me. So I feel somewhat satisfied with this situation. Ah—of course, I didn’t want the Apostles to die. I would have been satisfied even if only one had died.”

“Then there would be four, right? Two on each side, the number matches perfectly—”

The Apostle of Purity giggled and mumbled.

Wrath, who was silently watching him, opened his mouth.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“About what?”

“You should already know from the failure of the past Apostles. What I am talking about.”

At Wrath’s words, Purity tilted his head and then let out an exclamation.

“About our sown seeds being ruined? That is certainly a pity. We put in a lot of effort, but it looks like we’ll have to discard them without even being able to use them properly. Well, even so—”

Grin.

“I’m not particularly worried. Even though we touched this and that as His incarnation, it doesn’t mean we have to use it.”

“…Then?”

“There’s no need to obsess over it. Well—I’ll kill it for recovery, but I don’t need to get my hands dirty for that either.”

Purity laughed and pulled out a dark-colored hexahedron from his bosom.

“Do you know this?”

“That is—”

“It’s an item made by some half-baked fellow, but it’s quite useful. So I mass-produced it a bit. And I ‘slightly’ put in His authority as well.”

“…Do you plan to make an incarnation with this?”

At that question, Purity placed the hexahedron down in front of Wrath.

“As if—this is just like preparation for others. Even if they aren’t His Apostles, everyone has to come out, don’t they?”

“Then—”

“Naturally, the incarnation to accept my great one has already been decided. There happened to be one decent fellow.”

He walked to the other side of the table.

“Well, it seems the talk is over, so I’ll be going now. See you next time.”

The Apostle of Purity waved his hand with a laugh.

Just as his figure was gradually disappearing.

“Ah.”

As if he remembered something he hadn’t said yet, Purity let out a low exclamation.

“Just in case, I’ll deal with that guy too. Marquis Palatio? It seems most failures were because of him.”

Soon, he waved his hand again and,

“Even if you don’t show it, unlike me, you are grieving over the death of the Apostles, aren’t you?”

He completely disappeared.

Silence settled over the temple once again.

The Apostle of Wrath, who was left alone,

Silently looked at the Abyssal Being that the Apostle of Purity had left behind and reached out his hand.

A hand came out of the robe where nothing could be seen.

The hand picked up the Abyssal Being.

The Apostle of Wrath, who brought it close to his face—

“…Marquis Palatio.”

Mumbling the name that Purity had mentioned, he stared blankly at the Abyssal Being for a while.

For a while,

Blankly.

####

Before returning to the Marquisate, Alon, who stopped by Greynif one last time, received an unexpected item from Magrina.

“This is…”

“It’s your ring, Brother, right?”

It was the very ring that Alon had lost in the past.

Alon examined the ring that Magrina handed over.

Whether it couldn’t overcome the passage of time, there were some faded parts, but.

It was definitely the ring he used to wear.

“…Where did this come from?”

When Alon asked, Magrina closed her eyes for a moment as if to awaken an old memory.

“Someone gave it to me.”

“…Someone?”

“Yes, a person with blue eyes.”

[It seems to be that fellow I saw.]

Basilliora, who happened to be out of the ring, replied while curling his body.

“Do you happen to know who he is?”

At Alon’s question, Magrina shook her head.

“No, not at all. I was also curious why he had your ring, so I looked for information in my own way, but there was none at all.”

“I’m asking just in case, do you remember his appearance?”

“Hmm—no, his whole body was wrapped in a black robe, so I only confirmed his eyes.”

[It’s exactly the same as my memory.]

At Basilliora’s agreement, Magrina tilted her head.

“I thought you might know something, Brother, but it seems he was someone you didn’t know.”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded and suddenly realized something strange.

“Magrina, by the way, when did you get this ring?”

“I remember it was about a month or two after you disappeared, Brother.”

“…”

Alon frowned at that answer.

If Magrina’s words were true, a bizarre contradiction occurred.

‘If this is the case, shouldn’t there be two rings?’

Magrina certainly received the ring from an unidentified person with blue eyes.

And now, 700 years later, she handed the ring to Alon.

In other words, the ring Alon lost had been with Magrina for 700 years.

Of course, looking at it like this, there seemed to be no problem, but a clear contradiction existed here.

As Alon knew, if this ring was the only one of its kind in the world.

In the first place, it made no sense for Alon to obtain this ring in the labyrinth a few years ago.

…Because the ring Alon lost should have been with Magrina.

‘And the glove as well.’

Alon looked down at his hand.

This glove, which was used as a staff by the First Elf in the settings, was also causing a bizarre contradiction.

At the time he went to the past, he had not taken any particular action, such as sealing this glove where it was originally obtained.

Just as his contemplation was growing long.

“First, I understand. Thank you for taking care of the ring.”

“It’s nothing, Brother.”

Alon stood up from his seat for now.

####

[What are you thinking so much about?]

About a week after leaving Greynif.

Basilliora asked Alon, who had been silent for a while while looking out the window.

“…It’s just that there are many suspicious points.”

[Suspicious points? Ah, the things you mentioned then? The ring and the glove?]

“Yes, and there are the blue eyes as well.”

“Ah—certainly, hearing the story, it is a bit strange.”

Evan, who was listening nearby, nodded and then shrugged his shoulders.

“But well… in conclusion, didn’t everything turn out well?”

“It’s not that a problem has occurred.”

Alon stroked his chin.

Evan’s words were correct.

No problem had occurred.

Nevertheless, for some reason, it was bothering him.

Psychodelia, which Alon had experienced so far.

There were many parts where the settings were different from the original, but.

There had never been a case where a unique setting was changed like this time.

‘Something, I feel like there’s something.’

A sense as if something was caught in his mind.

At that time.

“Ah, Marquis, I remembered while talking, there was something I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Evan leaned his body close.

“Do you happen to remember the Abyssal Beings?”

“If it’s the Abyssal Beings.”

“Yes, the ones from the time of Duke Comalon.”

“…Is it by any chance a story that they are still being distributed?”

“Hmm—it’s not that kind of story. Didn’t I tell you that they moved one or two at a time anyway?”

Alon nodded.

Even after Duke Comalon fell, he had heard such news from Evan.

“Then what is it?”

“This is just a rumor, but it is said that special Abyssal Beings are currently being distributed in large quantities.”

“…In large quantities?”

“Yes, it seems someone has started producing Abyssal Beings again. Because of that, the underworld is a bit unsettled.”

“It’s not very good news.”

“I suppose so.”

“By the way, what is so special about those Abyssal Beings?”

When Alon hit the point, Evan pondered for a moment and opened his mouth.

“From what I’ve heard, they enhance abilities much more than the Abyssal Beings originally distributed.”

“…Much more?”

“Yes.”

[Hmph, even so, aren’t they just an enhanced version of those half-baked guys we dealt with last time? It’s nothing to worry about.]

Basilliora boasted with a smirk.

“Didn’t you also exchange blows with one of those half-baked guys last time?”

[What nonsense are you talking about? I crushed five of them by myself!]

“Was that so?”

Then Evan picked a fight with Basilliora like an automatic answering machine.

The inside of the carriage became noisy once again, and.

[Gyu—]

Blackie, who was sleeping in his chest, rubbed his eyes and looked at the two of them as if they were pathetic…

The peaceful journey continued for a few more weeks.

“Benefactor!!”

As soon as they arrived at the Colony, Alon received a fierce welcome.

Seollang, who clung to Alon as if she had been waiting with her neck stretched out.

“Have you been doing well?”

“Yes! I’ve been doing well!”

Alon, who stroked the head of the brightly smiling Seollang.

“…?”

He expressed doubt at the fact that Lime, Seollang’s secretary who came out to meet him together, was wearing a somewhat awkward smile, but.

“Marquis, since we arrived early in the morning, it seems it wouldn’t be bad to go right away.”

“Let’s do that.”

At Evan’s following suggestion, they immediately headed toward the ruins.

Alon entered the entrance of the ruins as usual and walked through a long tunnel.

The scenery of the ruins began to appear slowly in the distance.

Alon, who was looking at that sight—

“…?”

He unintentionally wore a doubtful expression.

The reason was.

Because in the ruins he saw after a very long time, he felt a very familiar sensation.

A sense of déjà vu as if he had seen that scenery somewhere else.

“…? Benefactor? What’s wrong?”

At that, Seollang, who was walking beside him, tilted her head, but.

Alon, who was staring blankly at the front.

“Ah.”

With a low exclamation, he gained two realizations.

Where he had seen this scenery.

And.

When he went to the past and saw the capital of the heterogeneous race alliance.

Why he felt so much familiarity.

“Was it, this place.”

Alon realized only then.

This place was the capital of the heterogeneous races he had seen 700 years ago.