Chapter 258 – Branches (2)

Alon walked while staring blankly at the city in front of him.

The ruins were maintained without a single change from 700 years ago.

Why hadn’t he noticed this fact?

Just as his contemplation continued for a moment.

Before long, he emerged from the long tunnel and arrived at the ruins.

Alon was even more certain.

That this place was the capital of the heterogeneous races.

Several questions floated in his mind.

‘…Why is it underground?’

As far as Alon remembered, though it was gray, the sky was definitely visible from the capital of the heterogeneous races.

Here, the sky would be visible if the wall was pierced a bit, but it was clearly underground.

Then, a new question arose.

‘And the name of the ruins is Kahara, the City of the Ancient God… Ah.’

Then Alon realized.

That there was no reason to worry much about that part.

‘Kahara, the City of the Ancient God’ was not a name given because something was obtained here.

It would be a name given by the explorer who first discovered these ruins.

Unsolved questions and surprisingly easily solved questions.

Alon, who finished his thoughts in his own way.

“I’ll wait here, Benefactor!”

“Have a good trip.”

“Yes.”

Receiving the greetings from Seollang and Evan, he moved his steps toward the center.

Because the person who would answer the unsolved questions was here.

“Phew—”

Alon, who arrived at the tower in the center of the ruins, began to climb the tower without hesitation.

At the end of the tower, where he arrived after a very long time.

[It’s been a long time.]

He could see the appearance of a god, different from before.

[Ho?]

The god, who looked down with a smile on her lips as if she noticed Alon’s reaction.

Alon looked at that appearance slowly.

The first thing he saw was blue hair hanging down to her waist.

The next thing he saw were eyes so close to blue that they were chilly.

The last thing he saw was a very long blue tail.

[Hmm? Did you perhaps fall for me after seeing my true appearance?]

The dragon race, who giggled as if she had found an interesting toy at Alon’s reaction.

But the reason why Alon was staring blankly at the dragon race was not because he fell for her.

It was because a single connection had been created in his mind.

A connection through which he could guess the name of the god in front of him.

Therefore, Alon, who had been silent for a while.

“…Yong-rin?”

He spat out that name as if to confirm.

At that, her expression, which had been smiling until just a moment ago, changed subtly.

[…I have never told you my name.]

She threw a question.

Before long, Yong-rin opened her eyes wide as if she realized something.

[…You, how on earth did you meet Dowon?]

She immediately found out the fact that Alon had not told her.

Yong-rin’s expression was very complex and subtle.

Alon, who was silent for a while.

“…It will be hard to believe. But I have been to the past.”

He began to slowly bring out the things he had experienced.

####

[That, is true?]

“Yes.”

Unlike the situation where Alon had to look up because she was always on top of the bookshelf.

Yong-rin came down to where Alon was directly.

After hearing the whole story, she showed an expression as if it were hard to believe.

[Yes… well, in the first place, Dowon’s traces are still on you, so it’s strange not to believe it.]

She soon nodded as if she understood.

“…Then, are you correctly Yong-rin?”

[Yes.]

“But as far as I know, last time you clearly said you were afraid of fighting the black thing and sealed yourself, didn’t you?”

Alon asked what he had been curious about since a while ago to the dragon race—no, to Yong-rin, who nodded her head.

The opponent Alon fought was Baarma, not the black thing.

At that question, the dragon race slightly rolled only her eyes and looked at Alon.

“?”

Alon felt puzzled.

At that, Yong-rin, who played innocent for a while.

[…You, don’t you often hear that you have no tact?]

“No tact?”

[Sigh—]

She let out a long sigh.

[…Yes, that’s right. As you said, I did say that when I met you.]

“Then is what I know wrong?”

[How could that be?]

“Then?”

At Alon’s follow-up question, Yong-rin let out a sigh again and.

[That…]

Shouted while her face turned slightly red.

[I, I just said it like that!]

“Why is that?”

[Why—]

Yong-rin fiddled with her bangs for no reason.

Hair that was twisted and then untwisted by her fingers.

She, who turned her head to one side because she couldn’t properly meet Alon’s gaze.

[That’s because, doesn’t it look a bit pathetic? I told an epic story about the gods fighting the black things and disappearing, but saying that I survived ugly and only used sacrifice as a pretext to run away when it became Baarma’s time.]

She mumbled with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“…You didn’t run away, did you?”

Alon asked at that, but Yong-rin shook her head.

[No, it’s correct that I ran away. At that time, it was I who was leading them. I should have taken responsibility until the end without sacrificing. In the end, I—]

Staring at the air for a moment as if thinking about the past, she said bluntly.

[I passed the responsibility to them without taking it myself.]

“Still, didn’t you eventually buy time with your sacrifice?”

[That is not important. What is important is the fact that I eventually failed to fulfill my duty despite exercising rights over those who offered faith.]

Alon tried to add something but soon closed his mouth.

Because not only was he a being who couldn’t properly understand the duty Yong-rin bore,

He didn’t want to crush the values she considered important in the name of comfort.

Values can differ in importance depending on the individual.

Alon knew this fact all too well.

Therefore, instead of comfort.

“Even so, there were none who resented you.”

[…What?]

“Among the soldiers and the king, all of them, I’m saying there were those who were sad about your sacrifice, but none who resented you.”

He just calmly conveyed the truth.

[Thank you.]

“Suddenly…?”

[If it’s as you said, eventually those who believed in me would not have survived if you had not defeated Baarma.]

Yong-rin expressed her gratitude to Alon with sincerity.

####

Immediately after that.

[…No words can be heard?]

“Yes, even after having it for several months, I can’t hear anything at all.”

Alon took out the jewel and handed it to Yong-rin.

The reason he originally intended to stop by Yong-rin.

[Mmm—]

Yong-rin, who looked into the jewel so hard that her brow wrinkled.

Soon, as if she realized something, she let out an exclamation.

[It seems there was an impact.]

“An impact?”

[Yes, in the first place, this jewel was reconstructed with the divine power remaining in me, but it seems it became slightly distorted as other divine power flowed in.]

“Was it not an ordinary jewel?”

[How could it be an ordinary jewel when the soul of a mage is inside?]

Yong-rin floated the red jewel in the air and soon began to create geometric patterns.

Patterns that were a bit heterogeneous, different from the divine power or magic Alon used.

After a short time passed.

[It’s all done.]

“…Is it over now?”

[Yes, you will probably be able to talk in about a day.]

Yong-rin returned the ring to Alon once again.

[By the way, did you eventually obtain your own formula?]

“Yes.”

[So, what is the law you disrupted?]

“Didn’t you already know?”

[I know about Reverse Heaven, but I don’t properly know what exact law it is.]

At Yong-rin’s following question, Alon pondered for a moment and.

“It is the power to change the laws of magic.”

He confessed.

“…What?”

The two eyes of Yong-rin, which were relaxed, grew large once again.

“??”

A very surprised face.

At that reaction, a question mark floated over Alon’s head.

####

The Apostle of Purity was wearing a rather unpleasant expression.

He was just walking toward the entrance of the cavity.

Why was he wearing an uncomfortable expression?

Because someone ignored him?

No.

Because the cave was too dark?

No.

Nervousness due to the one he would meet when he reached the end of this cave?

That was not it either.

Of course, the existence at this end.

The one he came to find, the one that was more than enough for Purity’s incarnation.

Even the Apostle of Purity had to have a certain degree of tension.

But that was not a reason to be unpleasant.

What triggered his irritation was.

‘…Why is there light only on one side?’

The fact that the lights illuminating the path of this cave were only on one side.

Purity, who couldn’t easily straighten his crumpled face.

“Tsk—”

He lightly clicked his tongue and then snapped his fingers with a ‘thud’ sound.

At that moment.

Clash—!!!

The lights that were glowing faintly until just now were all cut at once and fell to the ground.

As if they were cut by something all at once.

“Phew—”

Purity, who exhaled as if he felt comfortable only then.

Purity, whose footsteps became lighter, arrived at the giant cavity after not much time passed.

In the middle of the giant cavity, he discovered a man and a woman behind his chair.

Two men and women with creepy ‘inverse eyes.’

The Apostle concentrated his gaze on the man among the two.

Before long, his lips twisted upward.

Although he had already looked many times for investigation, the existence in front of him was beyond imagination.

Perhaps to the extent that he could immediately manifest that person right now without taking any measures.

But naturally, the Apostle had no intention of doing so.

The incarnation dedicated to that great person must be endlessly great.

In the first place, didn’t he come to meet him like this to ensure perfection?

“Glad to meet you.”

The Apostle greeted with a smile.

Then, the man sitting in the seat looked at the Apostle with an impassive expression.

“Are you that salesman?”

“Rather than a salesman, I’m an existence that shares hope.”

The Apostle took out the hexahedron while discussing ‘hope.’

The man cast his gaze at the hexahedron.

“Hope—is that hope?”

“For those without power, it is unmistakable hope. Because this gives power just by absorbing it. In the first place, didn’t you want to meet me because you were interested in ‘this’?”

A relaxed attitude as if he knew everything.

At this, silence flowed for a moment.

“So, the price?”

At Nang-won’s following words, Purity’s lips drew an arc.

The incarnation said to be obsessed with strong power.

Just as he had heard, the man was clearly feeling a deep interest in the Abyssal Being.

While feeling joy at the situation flowing as expected, the Apostle mentioned the price he was thinking of.

“Money is not needed. Instead—I would like you to deal with one person.”

To comfortably deal with a bothersome intruder.

“Marquis Alon Palatio, the Marquis of the Kingdom of Asteria.”

The Apostle spat out that name.

Wearing a satisfied smile.

And.

“…Alon Palatio?”

“Yes.”

The Apostle.

“Deal with that person?”

“That’s right.”

Detected something strange.

“…?”

Nothing had changed.

The King of Curses was sitting in his seat looking down at him.

And the woman behind him was the same.

But—

Shiver—!

His body would not move.

As if he had been hit by something.

At that moment.

“!”

The Apostle realized.

Why his body would not move.

It was exactly killing intent.

Killing intent so thick that even his instincts refused to detect it was already holding his body.

The next moment.

“Deal with, my brother… I see.”

The Apostle saw.

“…If you babbled your mouth to make me angry—”

Starting to stretch out from within the abyss,

“I will truly, praise you.”

Countless ‘hands’ that were too many to count.