Mastermind
-4-

Chapter 151

Something happened all of a sudden.

Alon couldn’t understand the current situation.

His brow furrowed involuntarily.

He saw a Scorpion breaking through the wall and entering inside.

It was darker than he remembered, but it was definitely a Scorpion.

A monster possessing the artifact of pride.

‘Why?’

As far as Alon knew, the Scorpion should have been hibernating in its cave until the protagonist went to deal with it.

In other words, it shouldn’t be wandering around like this.

Alon couldn’t understand the situation at all.

“Bro…ther?”

He turned around momentarily at the sound of Seolrang’s voice nearby.

Seolrang, who had been holding a black cat until a moment ago, was now looking at the Scorpion with trembling eyes, unbelievably.

Following her gaze, Alon turned his head,

‘Ah-‘

Only then did he realize there was a Beastman on top of the Scorpion.

A Beastman with gray-white hair.

The moment he recognized that presence.

“1”

The man looked at Alon and grinned, then disappeared leaving a trail of black lightning.

“Acceleration.”

Instinctively, Alon formed a seal and moved backward.

An instinctive move, without time to think.

And that saved Alon.

Boom-!!

The place where Alon had been standing was struck by black lightning, just a hair’s breadth away,

“Wow, that was quick? Honestly, I didn’t think you’d react. Too bad.”

The ground was completely shattered.

Through the rising dust, the man walked out with a thick smile on his lips.

With a leisurely demeanor, Alon quickly racked his brain.

However, no matter how hard he tried, Alon couldn’t recall the identity of the Beastman in front of him.

No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember.

‘…Is this the same situation as Duke Komalon?’

He was a character who did not appear in the original story. Realizing this, Alon looked tense.

“Who are you?”

The lips of the Beastman, emerging from the dust, slowly parted.

“Me? Well, how shall I introduce myself? The brother of the fool standing behind you? Or perhaps— an apostle serving the Great Pride?”

“An apostle?”

Alon’s mind became cluttered.

He had only heard a few pieces of information, but he had already started deducing the situation from those two words.

However,

“Seolgak, bro…ther?”

As Seolrang muttered again, Alon had no choice but to look at her.

The corners of Seolrang’s eyes trembled slightly as she saw the apostle’s face.

However,

Unlike Seolrang, the man referred to as Seolgak maintained a relaxed expression.

“Yeah, Seolrang. This is your brother.”

“How, how is this possible?”

She questioned, unbelievingly, as if she were swimming through a dream.

But Seolrang’s reaction didn’t seem to matter to him, as he didn’t remove the smile from his lips.

“What are you curious about, little sister? Wondering why I’m still alive? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’re in a situation to enjoy ourselves. I have things I need to do.”

Instead, he looked at Alon,

“1”

and reappeared in front of him.

Seolgak, without hesitation, reached for Alon’s heart with his fist.

Alon couldn’t even react quickly enough,

But the fist did not pierce through Alon’s heart.

“What are you doing now, brother?”

Because Seolrang had blocked it.

“Bingo.”

Seolgak’s smile deepened.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m doing what needs to be done.”

“What task?”

Seolrang, who didn’t understand, asked again as Seolgak tapped her head lightly with his other hand.

“Yes, a task indeed. A task that must be done to rebirth my sister as ‘a great being.'”

Seolrang’s face still held unresolved questions.

Sullak sighed as if regretfully,

“Really— you’ve always been a high-maintenance sister. I prepared everything in advance before, but seeing that you’re still not broken and holding up well…”

“What are you talking about?”

Seolrang’s voice wavered, filled with confusion.

But no matter what emotions Seolrang showed,

“Don’t try to understand it unnecessarily, sister. From now on, I will make you into a being that suits you.”

Sullak grinned, and

“!”

At that moment, Alon recalled a conversation he had with the Golden Dragon Lainisius.

“Not at all. The bodies they descend into are initially created by the Apostles.”

“…Apostles?

“Yes, they often mentally break down those with high talent to make it easier for them to descend.”

It was a brief conversation.

Recalling that conversation didn’t mean Alon understood everything.

He still had no information about the ‘Apostle of Pride’ in front of him, nor about Seolrang’s past.

He only knew that her village had been burned down.

To make a proper causal connection, the information he had was woefully insufficient.

However, if there was one thing he could clearly predict,

“Let’s set aside the most precious thing for later and first tidy up the patchwork my sister has so diligently built.”

-That was about what was to come.

Soon.

Crack-!

Black lightning flashed, and the guild building where the Golden Mane tribe gathered began to burst instantly.

***

At that moment.

There was chaos in the fortress of the Colony.

“What in the world!”

Karsem’s eyes widened.

A massive monster had already crushed the entire wall and was now invading the inner city, wreaking havoc in the capital.

Fear, horror, and helplessness dominated him.

Even though he had learned magic for a little over half a year and reached the first rank, there was nothing he could do in this situation.

Therefore, as Karsem watched the monster grow larger in his field of view,

“Prince! You must move!”

He turned his body after a belated shout from a knight.

He wanted to stand against the monster too, but he already knew.

It would be a certain death to confront it now, and rashly doing so would only lead to the deaths of the knights following him.

Unlike before, Karsem was fully aware of the responsibilities that came with his position as a prince, not just the power.

Thinking he needed to make a rational decision, he turned.

“We must evacuate until the Barbarians arrive!”

He joined the knights, but

At that moment.

“Uh-!”

He turned towards the source of the moan.

It was a young maid.

The girl had apparently sprained her ankle and was lying on the ground, sobbing.

The child looked up fearfully at the Scorpion that had already entered the inner fortress and reached the garden.

Seeing this, Karsem’s steps slowed.

He knew even then.

Even if he went now, the chances of saving the maid were slim.

It was foolish to try to save her.

Yet Karsem was conflicted.

He knew he was not a hero.

He knew he didn’t even have the strength to be a hero.

Yet still, Karsem’s mind replayed that scene.

Marquis Palatio and Seolrang, who had rescued Filian from death without a second thought.

His actions in saving the Merkiliane domain without any consideration for his own safety.

What about himself?

He was a pig on its legs; why had he worked so hard over the past half-year?

Karsem had run all this way because he wanted to be like that.

“Prince!”

“Run forward!”

As he shouted, Karsem pulled out the wand from his pocket and summoned the wind. Quite adept at magic for someone who hadn’t been studying it for even half a year, he quickly grasped the young maid and exclaimed,

“Whoosh!”

He rolled to the side just in time.

Boom!

Along with it, the Scorpion’s massive pincer struck with perfect timing.

Squeak!

As the pincer embedded into the now blackening, oxidized ground, Karsem sprang to his feet and ran madly towards a decorative well connected to the underground waterways.

“If I can get down to the sewer, it won’t be able to follow…!”

He once again chanted a spell to freeze the ground.

A slick path of ice formed instantly between the well and Karsem. He slid across it, dodging another monstrous attack, and was about to jump into the waterway when,

“Ah.”

He wore a look of despair.

The entrance to the well he had struggled to reach had collapsed due to the recent shock, now completely blocked.

Above him, the shadow of the monster loomed.

Karsem saw the monster aiming its pincer at him once more, and at that gritted moment,

“You’ve held up well.”

“…What?”

Karsem found,

Before him, a girl with unfamiliar eyes on her back.

And then,

Dozens of golden rods repelling the Scorpion’s pincer.

-!!!!

The Scorpion, frustrated by its thwarted attempts, roared madly, swinging its pincers.

The merciless attack started breaking the summoned golden rods, but,

“Hmm— It would be troublesome if the master were to rest during such times,”

Rine remained unfazed.

If it had been just a day earlier, she couldn’t have remained so composed in this situation.

Since she had fully awakened ‘the Eye of the Tracker’ only recently, her abilities wouldn’t have been enough to stop the Scorpion.

Today, the reason Rine could stay calm was simple.

Yesterday, as Alon left for the ruins,

Rine had found a hidden site somewhere in the desert through the first clue given by ‘the Eye of the Tracker’ immediately after its awakening, revealing secrets not even present in the library.

The information she gleaned from the ruins was scant;

Indeed, only two things: ‘the Eye of the Tracker’ is ‘the key,’ and a way to mobilize ‘the Eye’ to a limited extent.

But even that was enough.

She might not know exactly how to use ‘the Eye of the Tracker,’ but she knew the entities it could summon.

Therefore,

“Well, I needed to test a newly discovered fact anyway, so this works out.”

With a relaxed expression,

-“Gather.”

She uttered the command, and

With it,

Whooosh~!

A halo formed from the giant eye behind Rine.

Soon, many golden rods burst forth, forming some kind of shape around her.

The first thing that formed was a skeleton.

Over it, another layer of golden rods twisted around, encasing the skeleton.

And then, numerous rods chaotically intertwined above it, taking shape.

Thus,

What eventually emerged was a door so large it could easily surpass the height of the city walls.

And then,

Grooooaaaaarrrr!!!!

“The magic-tech weapon of the Ilaneph Empire, ‘Pluto.'”

With a sound that shook heaven and earth, the circular door opened.

Emerging from within was something that could even overwhelm the Scorpion,

“…Hand?”

Even Karsem, filled with despair, dumbfoundedly looked up at the mechanically crafted hand.

Made up of numerous parts and golden rods, it was a gigantic mechanical hand that seemed capable of grasping the sky.

Its mere presence made the world feel alien, a hand vast enough to obscure the sun, descended into the airspace of the fortress.

“Limited deployment,”

Rine commanded.

“Divine Punishment.”

The imposing hand of a god shot down towards the earth.

To punish the abomination that shouldn’t exist in this world.

Boommmmm!!!

Chapter 152

Clearly, Alon was ignorant about the Apostles.

He had never encountered an Apostle while playing ‘Psychedelia’, and the game’s lore had no mention of the Apostles of the Five Deadly Sins.

However, there was one thing Alon had come to understand with crystal clarity about this ‘Apostle’ now:

Boom!  

They were strong.

He stared ahead.

Over the ruins of what had once been the towering building of the Seolrang Guild, flashes of bright yellow and dark lightning clashed at speeds his eyes couldn’t possibly keep up with.

And then—

“Gah—!”

Seolrang was being pushed back.

Crash!  

With a deafening blast, Seolrang was hurled away, and the Apostle’s fist shot forward to deliver another blow.

Alon reacted immediately.

Catching Seolrang as she crashed into the ground, he deployed a shield.

But that wasn’t all.

“Enhance, Fixate.”

With magical reinforcement triggered by incantation and layered casting, three overlapping shields materialized precisely where the Apostle’s fist was headed.

However—

Crack—!  

The shields shattered like glass.

As if they were nothing—utterly meaningless and laughable.

Yet, in that brief moment, Alon had managed to pull Seolrang out of the Apostle’s range.

“Oh? A mage?”

The Apostle, Seolgak, halted in place, intrigued, showing no intention of pursuing further.

Alon looked down at Seolrang.

Her gaze was growing dim.

It wasn’t the confused, panic-stricken look she’d shown while fighting earlier.

No—this was something worse.

Something dying.

And in that moment—

“You’ve grown quite strong, little sister. I’m impressed. Who would’ve thought the weakest of our tribe could become this powerful?”

Seolgak spoke with the same smile as before.

Seolrang didn’t respond.

She simply stared at her brother with trembling eyes, her expression far grimmer than before.

Alon realized something was deeply wrong.

The Apostle’s strength?

That was certainly a problem.

But the real issue was—Seolrang herself.

She valued family above all else.

Perhaps even more than her own well-being.

She possessed an overwhelming sense of belonging to the category of blood and kin.

To her, family was: Sacred. Non-negotiable. Something to be protected at all costs.

And now, before her stood the only blood relative she thought long dead— The very person who had just destroyed everything she held dear.

Before she could even react.

Utterly and completely.

Alon glanced around the wreckage.

All he saw were corpses.

The fallen members of the Golden Mane Tribe— Seolrang’s attempt to build a new family.

‘This isn’t good.’  

His gaze shifted back to Seolgak.

The Apostle of Pride, her brother, had been watching everything with ease, making no move to engage since Seolrang’s initial attack.

‘No,’  

He wasn’t just watching.

He was ‘waiting’.

Waiting for Seolrang’s mind to break.

Alon frowned deeply.

‘What should I do?’  

He had no idea why Seolrang’s brother had become like this.

But one thing was clear—

‘This has to stop.’  

Still, there were two reasons Alon hesitated to act rashly:

He hadn’t fully grasped Seolgak’s abilities yet,

And—

He wasn’t ready.

Preparations he’d been making since Seolgak’s arrival were not complete.

But time wasn’t on his side.

He didn’t know how far Seolgak would go to provoke Seolrang—

Or how long Seolrang could endure it.

Ultimately, Seolrang was the priority.

Alon quietly observed her pallor.

It wasn’t just about her turning into something corrupted— She was deteriorating fast.

Without delay, Alon began casting a spell.

“Now, we can’t have that.”

“!”

Boom!  

In the blink of an eye, black lightning—moving faster than thought—struck him down.

“Master!”

Seolrang tried to retaliate with a punch toward Seolgak—

But—

“Urgh—!”

Her fist never reached him.

She struggled desperately to break free from Seolgak’s grip.

But—

“Sister, stop wasting your energy. No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape my grasp. And don’t worry—your mage isn’t dead.”

Seolgak’s smile didn’t fade, his tone almost amused.

“Still, it’s fascinating. The sister I remember would’ve been sobbing by now. Hmm. Maybe age has made you more dignified.”

He chuckled.

“Not that it’s an improvement.”

“…Did you ally with them?”

Seolrang’s darkened expression broke the brief silence.

Seolgak’s grin widened.

“Ally? With who?”

“With those ‘black things’ that destroyed our village!”

“And why would you think that?”

“Because I can ‘smell’ that bastard’s stench all over you!”

Seolgak glanced down at himself.

“Oh? Ahh…”

He let out an exaggerated sound of realization, then chuckled softly.

“Right. I forgot—I still have the curse from back then.”

“Curse…?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the reminder, little sister.

Now I don’t have to bother doing this the hard way.”

Seolgak’s grin turned mischievous, but his eyes gleamed with malice.

Then, with a flick, black lightning shot toward Seolrang’s head.

“Gah!”

Pain flared, sharp and sudden.

“Sister, let me tell you something interesting.”

He stared into her eyes.

“The one who slaughtered our people wasn’t ‘him’—”

Before Seolgak could finish—

BOOM!  

Seolrang saw it.

Seolgak was blasted away, his body slamming into the ruins.

She felt a pair of hands gently covering her ears.

“Don’t listen.”

A familiar voice.

“Don’t listen, Seolrang.”

A very familiar voice.

Seolrang looked up.

There he was.

Not with the usual indifferent face.

But with an expression filled with nothing but concern—

Alon.

Her eyes widened in shock.

***

Alon, having blasted Seolgak away, frowned slightly.

At the moment of impact, he had minimized the damage by using shields and wind magic in tandem, creating a reactive defense.

Meanwhile, he had been quietly casting another spell without Seolgak noticing.

Normally, this would have been impossible, but thanks to one of the new sigils he had developed in his recent research, it was achievable.

This sigil reduced the power of his magic but concealed its presence from others.

Thus, Alon successfully cast a hidden spell to knock Seolgak back.

However—

“Wow, that’s fascinating. I didn’t sense any magic at all. How did you manage that?”

He failed to injure him.

“And what’s the point of covering her ears like that? She’s already ‘remembered’ everything.”

With Seolgak’s words, Alon sighed softly.

While secretly casting his spell, he had no trouble piecing together what Seolgak was trying to reveal.

He understood just how much psychological damage Seolrang would suffer if the truth Seolgak had prepared reached her.

There was only one thing Seolgak wanted to tell her.

“Well? Do you remember now, little sister? The fact that it was ‘your brother’ who killed the villagers and our family…!”

A sneering grin devoid of any guilt.

The words were exactly what Alon had expected—down to the very phrasing.

Clench—  

Alon pressed his hands more firmly against Seolrang’s ears.

He knew she had already heard the truth.

No matter how tightly he covered her ears, the words had reached her.

He had seen Seolgak fire black lightning at Seolrang just before, lifting the magical seal on her memories—something even Alon hadn’t fully sensed.

Even so, he didn’t remove his hands from her ears.

It was pointless.

But even knowing it was meaningless, his hands wouldn’t move.

…Because Alon understood just how much the concept of ‘family’ meant to her.

“I’ll tell you something fun, Seolrang. Killing your own kind is quite thrilling. Watching those weaklings, rotten with peace, cry and beg for their lives—it’s euphoric.”

“Do you remember Paun from next door? That mischievous little brat you used to play with? He sobbed, begging for his life. I ripped him apart, holding his head and legs.”

“And Yuseon from the blacksmith’s—remember him? Your best friend, who adored his parents. I personally killed his parents right in front of him and gouged out his eyes before he died.”

Seolgak’s words were relentless, like blades, meant to drive Seolrang’s mind to the brink.

Cruel, unavoidable truths.

“How does it feel, little sister? To finally see the truth you’ve been blind to all this time?”

When Seolgak finally finished his tale, Seolrang, who had kept her head bowed until now—

Slowly lifted her gaze.

And—

Both Alon and Seolgak’s faces went blank.

As if time had stopped.

Facing them was Seolrang.

Her expression—

“So what?”

Was incredibly calm.

***

‘What… is this?’  

Seolgak couldn’t understand.

No, he ‘refused’ to understand.

Seolrang’s reaction was completely outside of his expectations.

He stared at her, standing up casually after brushing aside Marquis Palatio’s hand.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

She was supposed to lose her mind, consumed by hatred, directing all her rage at him.

Eventually, she was meant to kill the mage she cherished and awaken as the ‘Sin of Pride.’

Keeping her alive had been part of his plan.

The memory seal he’d placed on her—also part of that arrangement.

Unable to comprehend, Seolgak paused briefly, then sneered.

“…You don’t have to pretend anymore. You couldn’t hide your emotions earlier—do you think there’s any point in doing it now, little sister?”

He deliberately tried to provoke her.

But Seolrang tilted her head slightly, as if confused.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never hidden my emotions.”

“…What?”

“Why would I need to hide my feelings?”

She asked sincerely, as if she genuinely didn’t understand.

“…Just a moment ago, your eyes were full of confusion…”

Trying to rile her up again, Seolgak trailed off.

Seolrang shrugged casually.

“Of course I was. I couldn’t protect my master.”

“What?”

“My brother, you’re strong. I realized that after facing you. That’s why I was scared—I was in a situation where I couldn’t protect my master.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

She tilted her head again.

“What else should’ve shaken me?”

“What?”

“Did you really expect me to be emotionally wrecked by your little game?”

Seolgak frowned.

“…You’ve grown cynical, little sister.”

“Not at all, brother. I still love my family. Paun, Yuseon, and everyone you mentioned—they’re all precious memories to me. But if I let emotions like that sway me—”

Sway—  

“I wouldn’t be able to protect the one person I have left.”

“And, brother, I think you’re mistaken about  something.”

Instead of a faint smile—

Her eyes grew cold.

“I’m already angry.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Because you tried to kill my master.”

Silence settled between them.

Then—

“Ha… Hahaha!”

Seolgak burst into laughter, his face contorted with disbelief.

“Alright! So, you’ve gotten pretty clever over the past ten years, huh? I admit it, little sister—I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d grow this much! But still—”

Crackle—!  

“You’re not stronger than me.”

Black lightning shot toward Seolrang.

Crack—!  

His fist followed.

Seolrang moved.

But this time, she was faster—adapting to Seolgak’s speed.

A faint golden lightning began to form around her hands.

Seolgak’s grin twitched.

It was a phenomenon he’d never seen before—threatening and unfamiliar.

Yet, he didn’t lose his smile.

Though surprised, he assumed she still couldn’t control that power properly.

Seolgak thought to himself: ‘I’ll knock her down, then kill that mage right before her eyes.’  

A wicked grin crept onto his face.

His future seemed certain— His broken sister, and using her body as the vessel to summon the one who held everything: ‘His Lord.’

However—

Clink!  

Seolgak’s vision shattered.

“1.”

He stared ahead in disbelief.

A transparent wall stood in front of him, fracturing under his fist.

Mirrored distortions spread, twisting reality into countless geometric planes.

It was the mage’s doing.

The moment Seolgak realized it—

“Seolrang, stay calm. And remember—you’ve already reached the next stage. So—”

A quiet voice.

“Just believe in yourself.”

Came from the mage.

“And never forget—”

“Embrace the lightning.”

In the next instant—

“Ah—”

Seolgak saw it.

“Mm-hmm!”

Seolrang, smiling brightly as if something had clicked.

Her body now infused with golden magic and glowing with radiant, golden eyes.

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention, brother—I don’t have to be afraid of you anymore.”

And Seolgak realized.

That power—

“Thanks to you, I gained it.”

A power that surpassed even the royal lineage, once thought lost to this world.

The divine ability known as—

“Thunder Deification.”

“Die.”

Seolrang’s fist struck down with blinding white lightning.

Chapter 153

Alon knew nothing about the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.

That was only natural.

In the game ‘Psychedelia’, the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe wasn’t an item used in such a way—it was merely an artifact that boosted a player’s critical hit rate.

And yet, he was able to give Seolrang advice because…

He had seen it.

The mana pattern of the essence Seolrang possessed began to twist abnormally, soon forming a nonlinear array that surged through her body.

Normally, it would’ve been impossible for Alon to perceive that pattern.

The same went for other mages.

Even a Tower Master who had reached the 8th Circle couldn’t have seen it.

While it might be possible to sense someone’s mana, discerning how it flowed was another matter entirely.

But now, Alon could.

It must’ve started after his battle with Duke Komalon.

He had gained the faint ability to see the mana patterns of others.

Yet, he hadn’t fully recognized this fact until recently.

No, he hadn’t thought much of it.

Though he could faintly perceive the patterns, they weren’t detailed enough to be of significant use in magic research or combat.

But at this very moment, Seolrang’s mana pattern was crystal clear.

He didn’t know why, but it was as if she had awakened.

That’s why Alon was able to advise her.

And Seolrang…

Had ascended to the 6th Stage.

Crackle!  

Alon stared at her in awe.

Seolrang, now bathed in golden light, looked down upon the Apostle of Pride.

Her presence was so overwhelming that even Alon couldn’t help but let out a breath of admiration.

Just as she was about to strike again—

“Ha—!”

Seolgak moved.

Crack-crack-crackle!  

Black lightning surged around him as he recoiled, his face contorted with pain.

He hadn’t been able to react when Seolrang awakened, and as a result, his right arm had been completely obliterated.

“Ghh…!”

Seolgak barely managed to clutch at the bleeding stump.

Grit!  

But instead of crying out in pain, his face twisted with rage.

“…Fine, I’ll admit it. You got me, little sister.”

Crackle!  

“But nothing’s going to change.”

Shrouded in black lightning like a cloak, he charged at Seolrang once more.

And the black thunder roared down.

Rumble!  

Seolgak, surging toward Seolrang with black thunder crashing around him, struck her with such speed that even she couldn’t react.

The sheer velocity, far beyond human limits, caught Seolrang off guard, allowing his attack to land.

However, contrary to expectations, it was Seolgak’s expression that hardened.

In that fleeting moment, he realized—

Seolrang had raised her hand, dispersing the force of the blow.

Seolgak clenched his teeth, panic flickering in his mind.

‘My only chance is now.’  

He knew it.

He knew what the Thunder Deification meant for the Golden Mane Tribe.

Even after receiving power from ‘Him’, Seolgak had never been able to reach that realm.

It made his insides churn.

What surged within him was not just inferiority—

But fear.

He had craved that realm more than anything.

He had sacrificed his entire family without hesitation, even intending to offer his own sister as ‘His’ vessel.

And so, he already knew—

Now that Seolrang had reached that realm, he could never win.

That’s why…

‘I have to kill her before she fully adapts to the Thunder Deification…!’  

Seolgak’s eyes turned bloodshot as he unleashed his mana.

The overwhelming power granted by ‘Him’ devoured his body, granting him strength he could never have achieved on his own.

But power without purpose comes at a price.

The excessive strength, beyond his limits, began to not only consume but collapse his very flesh.

Yet, he wielded it without hesitation.

The power bestowed by the Great Sin of Pride had allowed him to overwhelm most of the world’s strongest beings—

But it was nowhere near enough to reach that golden god.

All it did was buy him a little more time.

‘No matter what, I’ll kill her before she adapts!’  

Consumed by prideful mana, Seolgak became black mana incarnate, shooting forward toward Seolrang.

And with that—

Black thunder and golden lightning rained down across the entire colony.

Obsidian lightning shattered the world.

Golden lightning etched itself into the heavens and earth.

Amidst the chaos—

“…It’s ready.”

Alon muttered quietly, gazing up at the sky.

***

In truth, Alon shouldn’t have been able to participate in this battle.

Seolgak was recklessly overclocking his power, even at the cost of his body, to kill Seolrang, while Seolrang was fending off his onslaught.

There was no way Alon could keep up with their speed.

That’s right.

To him, this battle was nothing more than a natural disaster, filled with deafening thunder, golden lightning, and black storms.

He simply lacked the ability to step into their world.

However, Alon could still calmly observe the situation.

Thanks to the lingering traces of mana left behind by their clash.

The mana residue from their battle provided him with valuable insights.

His recent focus on magical research, especially on mana patterns based on ‘seals’, had been a great help.

While he couldn’t fully grasp the entire situation from the lingering mana alone, he could still gather key information.

The two most crucial facts were:

‘The Apostle of Pride is overexerting himself to deal with Seolrang, and Seolrang hasn’t fully adapted to her awakening yet.’  

Alon stared into the void.

He still couldn’t see clearly.

Only mana fluctuations appearing and dissipating, allowing him to infer patterns.

After taking a steady breath—

“Hoo—”

Alon formed a seal.

As mentioned, Alon couldn’t participate in this battle.

It was impossible.

At least, it would’ve been for the Alon of the past.

He looked up at the sky again.

Amidst the scattered mana residues of the two Golden Mane Tribe members, his own mana had quietly spread.

Though not yet fully manifested, his mana drifted invisibly through the air.

Mana typically required ‘manifestation’ to take form.

But Alon had broken that convention.

Drawing out almost all of his mana from his mana hall, leaving only the bare minimum, was thanks to his recent research with Penia.

Through exploring mana pattern transformations based on seal structures, he had discovered new forms of mana molecules.

This allowed him to control his mana in its molecular state without manifesting it, anchoring it in the air.

And with ample preparation time, Alon had managed to scatter his mana across the entire battlefield.

‘Of course, due to the lack of abundant mana, its density was inevitably low.’

But that was enough for now.

After all, Alon’s goal wasn’t to deal with Seolgak—

“Expansion (膨脹).”

—but simply to create a brief opening for Seolrang.

Rumble!  

As Alon muttered, the mana molecules he had scattered began to expand all at once.

In that fleeting moment—

“1.”

Alon could see it.

Seolrang, dragged out of the battle by the suddenly expanding mana in the air.

“What the—?!”

And Seolgak, striking at her in that very instant.

Without a moment to spare, Alon spoke the next incantation.

“Point (點).”

The expanding mana instantly converged onto Seolgak.

However—

Boom!  

The magic Alon had prepared for minutes, holding his breath, was completely shattered with nothing more than an irritated kick from Seolgak.

A single blast of black thunder erased all the mana Alon had expanded.

A crushingly futile situation for Alon, unfolding in less than two seconds.

Yet, a crooked smile crept behind his expressionless face.

Two seconds.

For him, two seconds wasn’t even enough time to properly cast a spell.

But for Seolrang—

“1.”

Two seconds was more than enough to deal with Seolgak.

Alon didn’t take his eyes off the sky.

There, with an expression of horror, Seolgak looked upward.

“Rangchangrangchang (槍狼槍)—”

And descending from above—

Thunder Dragon’s Descent (龍降臨).

A golden dragon.

Roooooaaaaar!!!  

The world turned white.

***

Shortly after.

A crater, impossibly wide and deep, had formed there.

And at its center stood Seolrang.

Her Thunder Deification had faded, and she gazed silently downward.

At her feet lay the Apostle of Pride, Seolgak.

With a massive hole in his heart.

“Stupid… really.”

Despite having his heart pierced, leaving no chance of survival, Seolgak glared at Seolrang with wide, furious eyes.

“You’ll regret this, little sister. You’ll definitely regret the day you discarded the powers I arranged for you… You’ll regret it!”

Seolgak’s desperate screams.

But Seolrang remained expressionless as she lifted her leg.

“I don’t need any of that.”

Crack!  

She crushed his head as if she no longer needed to hear another word.

“I’ve already gotten what I wanted.”

Watching as Seolgak’s body crumbled to dust, as if he had never existed, Seolrang turned her gaze.

“Ah, Master!”

She spotted Alon and tried to run toward him—

Thud!  

But collapsed immediately.

Alon rushed over to check her condition.

“Huh? My body won’t move at all.”

Seolrang’s carefree remark, despite having just fallen, made Alon let out a small sigh of relief.

“It’s probably because you overexerted yourself a bit.”

“Is that it, Master?”

“Yes.”

Seolrang nodded briefly as if that made sense, then softly whispered.

“Thank you, Master.”

“…All of a sudden?”

“Yeah. You taught me how to use Thunder Deification. Thanks to you, I was able to kill him.”

Thank you, huh.

Alon was silent for a moment before speaking.

“Seolrang.”

“Yes, Master?”

“…Are you okay?”

“Hm? About what?”

“…You care deeply about your family.”

Seolrang smiled at his question.

A bitter smile Alon had never seen before.

But—

“…Yes, Master. I do cherish my family.”

“…”

“But you know what?”

This time, a bright smile appeared on her face.

“I’ll never do something that makes me lose something even more precious. I’m not a fool.”

“…”

Hearing her resolute words, Alon realized something without even meaning to.

He had been perceiving her just like Seolgak had—through his own assumptions.

Just as Seolgak still saw Seolrang as the naive, weak child from ten years ago,

Alon had been viewing her as one of the Five Great Sins from ‘Psychedelia’.

Even though they’d shared memories and experiences, he had still clung to that bias.

Not as Seolrang, who now showed him a bright smile and had become the first Baba Yaga of the colony—

But as a character who could always become one of the Five Great Sins in the game.

But now he understood.

Seolrang was no longer a mere in-game villain or someone Alon needed to cautiously watch over.

She was someone who valued her family with her life but could still make necessary choices without hesitation.

In some ways, she had grown stronger and wiser than Alon himself.

“…I see.”

Alon chuckled softly without realizing it, feeling lighter inside as he looked at her.

“Master… you can smile?”

“…?”

Seolrang looked up at him with a face more surprised than ever before.

It was faint, but it was a smile that touched the heart.

***

Some time later.

After hearing that Rine had dealt with the Scorpion, Seolrang rested against a ruined wall to recover.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

“Do that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“The ear thing.”

“…Why?”

“It felt nice.”

Seolrang giggled, and Alon gently pressed her ear without question.

Closing her eyes slowly, Seolrang spoke.

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

“…Of course I’d worry.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

At his answer—

“…I see.”

A small smile crept onto Seolrang’s lips.

It was an afternoon where the setting sun could be seen beyond the broken walls of the colony, fading over the horizon.

Chapter 154

The day after Seolgak’s attack on the colony, the entire place was in disarray, looking as if it had just been hit by a bomb.

Although Seolrang had killed Seolgak and Rine had stopped the Scorpion, the damage sustained was far from insignificant.

For starters, the city walls were gone.

Buildings along the Scorpion’s path had collapsed into ruins, and the area around Seolrang’s guild had been devastated by Seolgak.

Moreover, over 50% of the royal palace within the colony’s inner city had crumbled due to the Scorpion’s rampage, leaving the atmosphere inside the palace understandably grim.

In the midst of this chaos—

“…First, let me express my gratitude, Marquis Palatio. We’ve received your help once again.”

“It’s nothing. The credit belongs to Seolrang, not me.”

Alon was having an audience with Carmaxes III.

“Likewise, I thank you as well, Rine Groff. Truly, thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was only able to act because of Godfather.”

“…? Godfather? Are you referring to Marquis Palatio?”

“Yes.”

Carmaxes shifted his gaze back to Alon.

“…Wasn’t Marquis Palatio with Seolrang?”

“Well, once that monster started causing trouble, I figured the Marquis wouldn’t want to be inconvenienced.”

“….”

Rine smiled, and Carmaxes sighed heavily, realizing with a resigned expression, ‘Ah, she’s one of those types too.’

It was already the fourth time he had sighed since meeting Alon.

After suppressing his frustration, he finally spoke again.

“Apologies. As you can imagine, the situation is quite the headache.”

“…I understand.”

Alon sympathized with Carmaxes III.

For the king of the colony, this entire ordeal had been nothing short of a disaster.

A natural disaster, really—one without anyone to blame.

As a result, the financial damage to the royal palace alone would be astronomical, even when accounting only for restoration costs.

Of course, there were options that didn’t involve spending beyond palace repairs, but those weren’t exactly ideal.

In short, the king’s mind was likely overwhelmed with stress.

He’d have to revise the government’s annual plans and scramble to reallocate the budget for the rest of the year.

Alon silently offered a brief moment of sympathy for the king.

Soon after, he left the temporary audience chamber and made his way to the ruined palace’s center.

“Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“Is it really okay for us to collect the corpse like this?”

Evan, walking behind him, asked the question.

Despite having been near the battleground where Seolgak and Seolrang fought, Evan didn’t have a single scratch on him.

Alon stared at him intently, prompting Evan to tilt his head in confusion.

“…? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ah, I’m just still amazed you’re completely unscathed.”

“Did you expect me to be injured…?”

“Well, not exactly.”

Of course, Alon knew why Evan was perfectly fine.

‘He said he broke through a window and escaped the moment he heard the commotion outside.’  

Alon found himself once again impressed by Evan’s quick decision-making, then belatedly answered his question.

“In most other kingdoms, I wouldn’t be sure. But in the colony, there’s a tradition that grants all rights to the one who slays the monster. So, yes, it’s allowed.”

“Is that so?”

“Probably.”

To be honest, he wasn’t entirely certain of the tradition, but it had been mentioned a few times in the game, so he wasn’t wrong.

Anyway, thanks to Rine, Alon had secured the rights to the Scorpion’s corpse.

Before long, they arrived at the site where the body remained.

“…Wow. I saw it before, but it’s still ridiculously huge.”

“Indeed.”

They stood before the enormous corpse of the Scorpion, which filled most of the courtyard.

Its head was half-crushed, lying lifeless.

“…Rine.”

“Yes, godfather?”

“You said you took it down in one hit?”

“Hmm—not exactly one hit, godfather. Its outer shell was sturdier than I expected.”

She added that it probably took about three hits.

Alon looked back at the Scorpion.

‘Should I be impressed that it held out that long, or that Rine managed to take it down?’  

In fact, Alon had been quite surprised when he first heard that Rine had defeated the Scorpion.

Taking down such a beast was no easy feat.

Although not as large as Rikrakamur, the Scorpion’s claws secreted an incredibly strong acid that could melt through any weapon.

Moreover, the dozens of venomous stingers it fired from its tail were instantly lethal if even one hit its target.

The sheer volume of projectiles alone made it deadly, and even surviving those attacks meant facing the risk of severe poisoning.

In other words, the Scorpion was, in some ways, an even tougher boss than Rikrakamur.

The reason Alon thought the Scorpion might’ve just endured well was because of what happened the night before.

When Alon, dumbfounded, asked how she managed to defeat the Scorpion, Rine casually summoned Pluto.

‘…If this thing withstood three hits from Pluto, then maybe the monster was impressive after all.’  

Just imagining Pluto’s massive fists slamming into the ground was enough.

“Amazing. It’s not a creature that can be easily taken down.”

Alon praised Rine once again.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s thanks to the power you gave me, godfather. Honestly, I’m still not fully familiar with how to use it. I can only summon it about three times before reaching my limit.”

“…That’s you not fully knowing how to use it?”

“Yes. Right now, I only know the activation phrase and some basic controls.”

“…So, if you eventually learn to ‘fully’ use it, could you summon the weapon itself?”

“Maybe?”

Hearing that, Alon felt an odd sense of envy.

‘…That’s kind of cool.’  

Clearing his throat to regain focus, Alon asked,

“…Are you really okay with me taking this corpse?”

“Do whatever you like, godfather. It’s useless to me.”

Grateful for her easygoing permission, Alon approached the massive corpse.

[Meow?]

As he neared the body, close enough to touch it, Blackie emerged from Seolrang’s grasp.

Unlike when playing with Seolrang, Blackie’s bright eyes sparkled with anticipation as it stared at the corpse.

It glanced at Alon, tilting its head as if waiting for permission.

Unlike last time, when it absorbed a monster without asking.

Seeing this, Alon thought, ‘…Is Blackie getting smarter?’

‘…If Blackie absorbs the corpse, will it also absorb the Sin Artifact?’  

Truthfully, Sin Artifacts weren’t items Alon needed to acquire personally, as long as they didn’t fall into the hands of the Five Great Sins.

After a moment’s thought, Alon gave Blackie a slight nod.

Sssssss!  

Blackie immediately darted toward the corpse and began absorbing it.

The massive body turned to dust in an instant.

“Huh?”

Evan, witnessing this for the first time, was stunned, while Rine watched with interest.

Before long, Blackie had completely devoured the corpse even faster than it had with Rikrakamur.

With a satisfied ‘meow-meow’ sound, it climbed back onto Alon’s shoulder, rubbing its head affectionately.

‘The artifact wasn’t absorbed.’  

Where the Scorpion’s body once lay, a gray exoskeleton armor remained.

Alon had successfully acquired the Artifact of Pride.

***

A few days after retrieving the artifacts.

Once Alon confirmed that Seolrang had recovered to some extent, he began preparing to leave the colony. He had already completed everything he needed to do, and since he planned to visit the colony again in two months anyway, there was no reason to stay longer.

“I should’ve pretended to be sick a bit more.”

While Alon and his party were getting ready to depart, Seolrang grumbled with her tail drooping. Alon gently coaxed her.

“I’m planning to visit again in two months.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

When Alon nodded, Seolrang quickly regained her bright smile and stood right in front of him.

“Master! Do that thing for me!”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Looking down at her childlike face, Alon now naturally pressed both of her ears gently.

“—”

Seolrang hummed a tune, clearly in a good mood.

Since the Seolgak incident, Seolrang had stopped asking for head pats and instead preferred this gesture. Alon complied without complaint.

A conversation they had a few days ago flashed through his mind.

‘Seolrang.’

‘Hmm? What is it, Master?’

‘…Why do you keep asking me to cover your ears?’

‘Hmm~ you know, it just feels nice. I can feel your heart.’

‘…Heart?’

‘Like how I cherish you, Master, it feels like you cherish me too.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Yep.’

Cherish, huh.

“?”

Lost in thought about their conversation, Alon suddenly became aware of a sensation on his own ears.

Seolrang was reaching up, struggling to cover both of his ears with her small hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Mm— I wanted you to feel it too.”

“…To feel that I’m cherished?”

“Yep. Do you feel it?”

Amused by her playful smile, Alon let out a small chuckle.

“…What are they doing?”

Evan appeared, looking at them with disbelief, and Rine stood nearby, visibly annoyed.

And then—

“Master! See you in two months!”

“Yeah.”

With Seolrang’s cheerful farewell, Alon left the colony.

***

The second office of the Marquis Palatio—essentially used as Penia’s laboratory—was usually incredibly noisy.

Every day, without fail, it echoed with various terrifying screams. The furious shrieks of a woman mixed with the sorrowful wails—or rather, cries—of a man.

Because of this, the office had earned the grim nickname “The Room of Despair” among the staff, though no one found it particularly funny.

But today, it was unusually quiet.

Not even the usual clattering sounds or the noise of something being tightened could be heard.

It was so eerily silent that it would’ve shocked anyone familiar with the place.

Of course, Penia did have a visitor.

But even so—was it possible for ‘that’ Penia Crysinne to be this quiet?

She was someone who maintained the same attitude regardless of who came to see her.

The servants of the Marquis household glanced curiously at the so-called “Room of Despair” from afar.

Inside were two women—not the usual Crysinne siblings.

One of them was Penia.

Normally, if things didn’t go her way, she’d take it out on Felin and curse like a sailor, omitting even the title of “Marquis” from her tirades.

But now—

“……”

She was silently darting her eyes around, deliberately avoiding making eye contact.

In front of her stood—

“Hello, Penia Crysinne.”

The Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom,

“…I sent you a letter, but you never responded.”

A figure now rumored to be one of the top three most powerful people within the Holy Kingdom.

“So, I decided to come in person.”

Yutia Bludia stared at Penia Crysinne, her crimson eyes glowing faintly.

Chapter 155

Penia Crysinne lived in the flavor of her own importance. Although she acted like a hooligan, displaying her temper as she pleased, this didn’t mean she was stupid or dull.

In a word, she was well self-aware.

Penia had a good grasp of her own situation, so the reformative letter wasn’t much of an issue for her.

The letter was a source of fear only for nobles involved in political life, but there was no reason to fear if one wasn’t entangled in political ideologies.

Unless one were to commit absurdities like human experimentation associated with heretics.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Saints also made an effort not to easily antagonize the people from the Mage Tower.

Fighting each other would benefit neither side much.

Thus, even when Penia heard that Cardinal Yutia had come looking for her because of the reformative letter, she was nonchalant, and had even hoped for a small slip of the tongue when she first heard of the Cardinal’s visit, perhaps to relieve some stress from the workload piled up by Marquis Palatio.

So she looked at Yutia with eyes full of venom, at least until Yutia stepped into the room.

But.

The moment Yutia entered and looked at Penia with a casual expression and a deep smile, Penia couldn’t help but adjust her posture.

In a fleeting moment, she saw something behind Yutia.

She couldn’t see it clearly.

But one thing was clear. It was the same type as ‘that’.

The thing that Marquis Palatio wore on his back.

Something that people must never recognize.

Recognizing it meant one could gain everything in the world, but it would also mean having to sacrifice one’s life—it was a poisoned chalice.

Unknowingly, Penia began to sweat coldly.

‘That’ being there meant, the person before her was not just some Cardinal, but something entirely different.

Thus,

‘What? How? Why is there such a thing behind the Cardinal of the Kingdom of Saints? Why?’

Feeling fear and confusion, Penia said,

“Sorry.”

“What?”

Suddenly apologizing, Yutia had Penia staring blankly,

“As the Vice-tower master of the Blue Tower, I thought it might be difficult to converse without revealing this briefly… I didn’t realize it would scare you this much.”

“Sob-“

She hiccupped.

“You don’t have to react like that. I’m not here to harm the Vice-tower master. Just-“

Despite Penia’s state, Yutia still wore a calm smile.

Then she slowly raised her index finger to her lips and whispered,

“You know, this is a sensitive matter.”

“Yes, of course. I am tight-lipped. Yes, very much so…!”

Penia nodded her head as if mad,

“That’s very good.”

“Yes, yes-“

Unlike when she was grilling Felin, Penia, with a servile smile plastered on her face, cautiously opened her mouth,

“But, may I know the reason for your visit…?”

“Ah, just heard some interesting rumors.”

“Interesting, rumors, you say?”

At Penia’s question, Yutia laughed,

“Yes. Some interesting rumors about our Vice-tower master and Marquis Palatio.”

“Ru, rumors-?”

At that, Penia immediately realized what Yutia was referring to, and simultaneously, her survival instincts, which had started to sound an alarm, miraculously summoned a crumpled memory tucked away in a corner of her brain.

Specifically, the rumor that Marquis Palatio and Cardinal Yutia were closely linked.

Realizing this, Penia closely observed Yutia’s expression.

Surely, she was smiling, but not really.

Her mouth might have been curved into a smile, but her eyes were cold.

Penia frantically struggled for survival,

“That, that’s absolutely not true!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely! That’s just a rumor, absolutely! Definitely…!”

“Yet, you hadn’t denied those circulating rumors before-“

“No, no! I’ve denied them all now! Recently! There won’t be any such rumors in the future, really!”

Penia earnestly explained,

Whether her explanation was effective or not, the shadow in Yutia’s serene smile seemed to gradually lift.

Seeing this, Penia, realizing her lifeline was slowly opening, became even more determined and continued her words.

However,

“I, I don’t really have such a taste for the Marquis. Right? He always has that expressionless face, you know? I don’t really like such people.”

“What?”

Maybe, that was too much.

“…What?”

“What did you just say?”

Yutia’s face, which had been smiling pleasantly, suddenly grew cold.

Penia belatedly rolled her eyes and opened her mouth,

“Ah, that, um-“

Penia began sweating profusely,

Why must she suffer so much because of Marquis Palatio?

Suddenly, she felt a surge of sadness, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

But the next moment,

“Vice-tower master.”

“…!?”

Penia couldn’t help but be startled.

Just moments ago, Yutia had been sitting across from her, but now she was unexpectedly beside her, gently placing her hand on Penia’s shoulder.

Penia momentarily froze and wanted to scream, but she managed to keep her mouth shut with hiccups instead.

“It’s good to show your innocence, but that statement was a bit over the line, wasn’t it?”

“Sob-“

“Answer.”

“Yes… yes…! I’m, I’m sorry…!”

“I’ll let it pass this time. But next time… you know?”

Thud-

“I’m a bit short on patience.”

Soon, Yutia whispered in her ear with a chilling voice,

“Alright, Vice-tower master. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“….Yes, understood. Well, Marquis Palatio does have his… his admirable aspects, ha ha.”

Penia replied with an awkward laugh as Yutia stood up,

“But, does that mean you wanted a… a certain kind of relationship with Marquis Palatio?”

Yutia’s face started to harden again, and Penia had to quickly add more to her statement,

“Ah, no, it’s not like that, the Marquis is handsome, but that’s not really my type…”

“So, the Marquis is not your type?”

–

“No, it’s not that, he definitely is a handsome man!”

“He’s not your type, but you’re interested because he’s handsome?”

“No, that’s not it,”

Penia felt as if she was trapped in an endless cycle, feeling indescribable anger and injustice,

‘This crazy woman, what on earth does she want me to say?!’

But as Penia was very self-aware, and felt painfully that she could not oppose the being in front of her,

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for being alive…”

She could only bow her head.

It was a peaceful afternoon.

***

Three days later.

[Ha ha ha- It’s my victory!]

“You crazy-“

[Meow-?]

As Alon was crossing the desert, he observed Evan, Basiliora, and Blackie gambling excitedly from the driver’s seat.

‘What on earth are they playing?’

He soon rummaged through his belongings and pulled out the Scorpion gauntlet he had captured,

Like the artifact he had given to Yutia, it was powerless and glowing a pale white,

‘…Apostle.’

Apostle.

It was the first time Alon had seen an Apostle.

They didn’t even appear in games.

But one thing was certain, they were powerful.

‘If Seolrang had not awakened, it would have been us who suffered.’

Alon felt a deeper need to delve into magic research.

Not just because of the grotesque clean-up, but soon he had to prepare for the Apostles that would start appearing.

Judging coldly, if all Apostles possessed that level of power, it would be virtually impossible for Alon to stop them.

If he couldn’t stop them, the Apostles would eventually create Sin.

Fortunately, Alon had people to help him with his research, and he had already thought of ways to enhance his magical abilities.

The only concern was the ‘information’ about the Apostle.

‘…There’s nothing known about them.’

Unfortunately, no one knew about the Apostle.

Neither asking Rine nor the Dragonkin he had visited during his stay in the Colony yielded any different information.

The most he had learned was that someone who had survived the war might know something.

Thus,

‘…Kylrus’

Alon recalled that name once more.

To the Golden Dragon, he was a mage,

But now, he had appeared as a goblin Outer God.

‘Once I get that item following Eliban, I should go meet him right away.’

Apart from knowing how to use the Dragon of Darkness, there was another reason to meet Kylrus.

As he was organizing his thoughts,

“Marquis.”

Alon turned his head at the sound of Evan’s voice.

“What is it?”

“I realized I hadn’t given this to you.”

Evan pulled a glass bottle from his bosom and handed it over,

“What’s this?”

He asked as he received the bottle filled with black powder,

“From what I hear, it’s the powder of the Apostle’s corpse?”

“What?”

“Was it Seolrang’s secretary…? That person had given it.”

Following the explanation,

“Why would I want this?”

Alon looked bewilderedly at the finely divided (?) powder of the Apostle.

***

In the southernmost part of the continent, in a dense forest touched by the hands of elves instead of humans, lay the sacred land.

Deep within what the elves called Greynifra, lay the elven kingdom of Fildagreen.

The dreamy country of elves built around the World Tree.

And in the massive palace right below the World Tree, in the center of that kingdom,

“You found Raguerine’s blessing?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A man, or rather, Perion who had dropped his human disguise, bowed his head and reported to the queen.

“I hadn’t thought it would be possible, but you’ve done something truly great, Perion.”

The elf queen Magrina, her voice mixed with surprise and pride, her bright platinum blonde hair flowing down to her waist, praised him.

Perion bowed even deeper and continued,

“Thank you, Your Majesty. However, there’s something I must tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Raguerine’s blessing, it wasn’t me who found it.”

“It wasn’t you, Perion?”

“Yes. It’s that—”

Carefully nodding, Perion began to recount the events that had occurred in Lartania, and as Magrina listened to Perion’s words for a while,

“So, this Marquis Palatio not only instantly recognized your identity but also informed you of the location of Raguerine’s blessing… is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“The room with Raguerine’s blessing was made like Fagade’s hideout—”

“No one else had entered there besides me. And as I mentioned, there was a message written inside.”

“‘I hope it reaches my sibling well,’ wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Magrina looked at the blessing brought by Perion with a disbelieving expression and fell silent for a moment.

Her voice began to tremble slightly,

“So, Perion, are you suggesting that this Marquis Palatio might be the ancient elf—my older brother?”

“I can’t be certain, of course. But considering he easily discerned that I was part of Fagade and led me to Raguerine’s blessing, it must have been him.”

Magrina lost her words again.

Because Perion’s reasoning made sense.

However, she couldn’t judge the Marquis based solely on this fact.

Originally, as Magrina knew, the ancient elf and her brother had died hundreds of years ago.

She knew well that the dead do not return.

Amid the continuing silence,

“I will quietly check and come back.”

Turning towards the voice, there stood an elf wrapped in a mage’s robe—Philde, Magrina’s personal mage.

“Is it possible to confirm that?”

“There isn’t a lack of methods. As you know, my eyes are a bit special.”

“Ah.”

Magrina inadvertently let out a gasp.

Philde possessed the Spirit Eyes, capable of seeing souls.

If so, confirming the identity of Marquis Palatio would be an easy task.

“Then, please proceed.”

“I understand. I will go with Perion.”

As soon as their task was decided, Philde and Perion promptly bid farewell and left.

Watching the backs of the two elves,

“If my brother really is alive…”

She clenched her fist.

She knew it was logically absurd.

Yet, in her eyes, there flickered an unmistakable light of subtle hope.

Chapter 156

Spiritual Realm.

The dragonkin, who had sealed themselves away and been imprisoned for a thousand years, long past mere centuries…

[Kuaaaah!]

[Shut up already.]

While modifying an artifact for Alon in real time, they pondered.

About the “black thing” clinging behind Alon.

‘…What in the world is that?’

By sealing themselves, the dragonkin had lost most of their power.

Even their name and abilities had been scattered somewhere in this world when they sealed themselves, leaving them even weaker.

And yet, the dragonkin could still see the two eyes behind Alon.

Because the divinity they had possessed since the age of forgotten gods made it possible.

‘A being that can interfere with eternity…?’

Unlike the “blue one,” the “black one” actively interfered whenever they tried to speculate about it—without Alon noticing.

With overwhelming power.

‘That power…’

It made their entire body shudder.

Even though they were in a spiritual form.

Just by scattering its residual echoes, it could erase their very existence without hesitation. A terrifying force unlike anything they had ever encountered before.

In truth, even if it hadn’t threatened them, there was little the dragonkin could deduce.

However, despite their lack of understanding, it didn’t seem like the black one intended to harm the last remaining mage in this world.

Even if they couldn’t grasp that enigmatic existence completely, some intentions could be inferred through its actions.

‘…No, it almost seemed like it was helping.’

In the end, the dragonkin let out a heavy sigh.

Even if they wanted to imagine what it was, they had far too little information.

And so…

‘…Just what is that thing, that he carries something so terrifying behind him…?’

Muttering softly, they could do nothing but drift blankly through the spiritual plane.

***

About two weeks later, as they neared the end of their desert crossing…

“Godfather, I think I’ll be heading back now.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. My work here is done, and there’s something I need to take care of.”

“You seem to have a lot to do.”

At Alon’s words, Rine let out a small chuckle.

“Most things are handled by my capable secretary, so I’m not that busy. But there are still some things I must do myself.”

“……”

“Like preparing a gift for you, Godfather.”

“…A gift for me?”

“Yes.”

Alon was momentarily puzzled but responded nonetheless.

“…I don’t need anything too extravagant.”

It was true.

Though he had felt just a tiny bit disappointed when no one had prepared a gift for his last birthday, that didn’t mean he was expecting anything grand.

Of course, a bigger gift would be nice, but ultimately, what he truly wanted was for someone to remember his birthday.

“No, this is something I genuinely want to give you.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. I want to give you a gift you’ll never forget.”

“If you insist, I won’t stop you. But don’t overdo it.”

“I won’t.”

Rine slowly shook her head.

“I want to build a relationship with you too, Godfather.”

“…A relationship?”

“Yes. Like Seolrang.”

Why is Seolrang suddenly being brought up here…?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Alon spoke.

“…Seolrang or you, you are both like family to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. If you’re preparing a big gift just because of that, you really don’t have to. No matter what you think, I truly see both of you the same way.”

He cared equally for all of the Five Great Sins.

“Then, do it for me too. That thing.”

“…That thing?”

“Yes. The one you did for Seolrang.”

Unlike before, Rine was now being surprisingly direct.

Alon hesitated for a moment but then placed his hands gently over her ears.

A brief silence.

“Mm~ Thank you.”

At the end of it, Rine smiled once again.

“…Are you satisfied?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s good.”

A simple exchange.

Yet, the commotion around them grew.

[What is that? It seems meaningless.]

“Ugh, you’re so clueless. Well, I guess a snake without hands wouldn’t understand—”

[Hah, another human brat acting up. So, do you know what it is, then?]

“Of course.”

[What is it?]

“I don’t know.”

[…?]

[?]

[Didn’t you say you knew?]

“I lied.”

[…]

Basiliora stared at Evan with an expression that clearly said, This bastard…

As they watched this nonsensical exchange, they finally emerged from the desert.

“Well then, I’ll be off now, Godfather.”

“Alright. I’ll visit sometime.”

“I’ll come see you on your birthday.”

Alon parted ways with Rine.

And after his carriage had traveled far into the distance, Rine turned around.

“…The relationship between me and Godfather… isn’t just that.”

She whispered softly.

I want something deeper than anyone else.

Her jade-green eyes shimmered faintly.

“More than anyone.”

She walked forward, quietly.

***

Alon arrived at the Marquisate of Palatio’s territory about two weeks later.

And the moment he saw the estate…

“…Is this really the marquis’ estate?”

He couldn’t help but be shocked.

He had only been gone for a month, yet the estate had grown even larger and more magnificent.

“Wow, that was fast. It’s only been a month, but everything’s changed so much. Is this thanks to magic construction?”

“Magic construction?”

“Yes, apparently if you have enough money, you can hire mages to rapidly build structures.”

“I see…”

Only then did he understand why the estate had changed so dramatically in such a short time.

And when he stepped inside the house…

“Hello.”

“Are you alright…?”

“Uh, um… I think I’m fine. Maybe. Maybe not.”

There stood Penia, looking utterly exhausted.

“…Did something happen?”

She looked like she had been wrung dry and completely withered.

Feeling a little uneasy, Alon asked.

Penia gave a self-deprecating smile.

“A lot happened—Ah.”

Then, as if she had suddenly realized something, she snapped back to attention.

“Nothing happened!”

She hurriedly corrected herself.

“Yes, really. Absolutely nothing happened. Right. Of course.”

As Penia’s energy suddenly dropped, her movements slowing, Alon briefly wore a strange expression.

But soon, he understood why she looked so utterly exhausted.

“Wait, did you actually finish all of this?”

“…Didn’t you tell me to do it before you left?”

Looking at Penia’s resentful expression, Alon shifted his gaze back to the research journal she had brought.

It was so thick it could practically be classified as a legal textbook, making Alon’s mouth slightly part in astonishment.

“No, what I meant was just a ‘preliminary’ summary.”

‘…Huh? What?’

“I clearly said to just compile the magical array sums according to the formula.”

“But isn’t the combination method included in the sum?”

“No, it’s not.”

‘What? Then what the hell have I been doing this whole time…?’  

Penia’s face went blank with despair.

Alon felt a little guilty.

Even though he hadn’t explicitly instructed her to do all this, the fact remained that she had put in a tremendous amount of effort.

Wondering if there was any way he could compensate her, Alon suddenly let out a quiet ‘ah’ and spoke.

“…Would you like to take this, if it’s alright with you?”

He handed Penia a glass vial.

“What’s this?”

Her eyes, filled with exhaustion, injustice, and frustration, now fixed on him with suspicion.

Alon awkwardly met her gaze.

“…I heard it’s a very high-quality catalyst.”

“A high-quality catalyst?”

“Yeah.”

He wasn’t entirely sure of its effects—he was just repeating what Seolrang’s secretary had told him.

‘Well, Rine seemed to think it was incredible too.’  

So he figured it should serve as a decent reward for Penia.

She took the vial with a doubtful expression and carefully infused a bit of mana into it.

—Gasp!  

She immediately recoiled in shock.

“W-Where did you get this?!”

“Why?”

Penia’s voice trembled, and even Alon was puzzled by her extreme reaction.

“T-This is unbelievable! Even in the Twisting Forest, this would be impossible to find—it’s an absolutely incredible catalyst…! With this, I could finish experiments I hadn’t been able to complete, no, I could repeat them at least five times over!”

Muttering rapidly to herself, she clutched the vial tightly, her previously resentful eyes now shimmering with excitement.

It was as if all her prior suffering had been wiped away, replaced with the thrill of listing all the magical experiments she could now attempt.

“Hehehe~”

As she even started letting out a strange giggle, Alon was once again reminded that she was, at her core, a born magician.

“Does this count as compensation?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely!! More than enough!!”

Watching her twirl around in place like a child given a kitten, Alon recalled something the servants had mentioned earlier.

“Now that I think about it, I heard Yutia came to see you. Did anything happen?”

A casual remark.

But.

Thunk!  

Penia abruptly froze in place.

She stiffly forced herself to move, like a broken machine, and answered in a forcedly cheerful voice.

“Yes, of course! Nothing happened at all!”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Absolutely nothing happened. Not at all.”

Her response was incredibly awkward.

“Uh, I-I should get going.”

“…? Alright.”

“Yes.”

With her eyes suddenly welling up with tears, she hastily fled the room.

‘What exactly happened…?’  

Watching her retreating figure, Alon could only wear a puzzled expression once again.

***

About two weeks after the Marquis of Palatio had returned…

Outside the land of the elves, Greynifra, Philde and Perion arrived near the Palatio Marquisate.

“Hmm-hmm~”

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

Perion glanced at Philde, who was humming happily.

Philde nodded.

“Of course! I much prefer wandering through human towns over staying in Greynif.”

“That’s… an unusual preference.”

“It’s called curiosity. Instead of locking myself in a room to research magic, I’d rather travel the world while doing it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“…But isn’t what you actually do just lounge around and drink?”

“Mm, is that so? That’s fun too.”

Even as Perion pointed it out, Philde leisurely took another sip of her drink.

Perion watched her with skepticism, then shook his head slightly and continued speaking.

“By the way, Lady Philde.”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever seen the ‘Primordial Elf’?”

“Nope.”

“…But the ‘Soul Eye’ allows you to see souls. If you’ve never seen the Primordial Elf’s soul, how do you distinguish it from others?”

Philde pondered for a moment before giving a simple answer.

“I don’t.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I don’t distinguish them.”

‘What?’  

Perion’s expression hardened.

“So… does that mean you lied to Her Majesty?”

Seeing his reaction, Philde chuckled.

“Lied? No way. There’s a method, of course.”

“…And what method is that?”

“Listen closely. The soul is always structured to match the body perfectly. If a soul doesn’t belong to its body, there’s a mismatch.”

“So if I just check for a soul that doesn’t align with its body—”

“That’s it.”

Philde casually took another sip from her bottle.

“Though honestly, I think the chances of that happening are less than 1%.”

“…That rare?”

“I’ve never seen it happen before.”

“Then isn’t the probability effectively zero?”

“You’re the one who was suspicious, weren’t you?”

Perion remained silent for a moment, then came to a realization.

“…You just wanted an excuse to leave, didn’t you?”

“Maybe a little? But hey, I am checking, aren’t I?”

Philde let out a bizarre laugh, making Perion’s eyes turn cold.

‘…And this woman is supposed to be a mage of the ninth circle?’  

He sighed, but only for a moment.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Oh, this is it?”

Still tipsy and in a good mood, Philde flicked her fingers.

With that, the distinct elven spirit magic activated, and a hidden magic formation silently spread around the outer walls of the marquisate.

Seeing its immense scale, Perion let out a low whistle.

A moment of silence followed.

Then, with her eyes closed, Philde suddenly spoke.

“Found him.”

A playful smirk crossed her lips.

At that moment, the magic formation projected an image of the Marquis of Palatio inside his office.

“Now then, let’s take a closer look~”

With a lazy voice, she activated the ‘Soul Eye.’

And then—

“…Huh?”

Perion saw it.

The face that had been smiling just moments ago suddenly froze with an expression of pure horror.

And he heard it.

“…The soul doesn’t match?”

A whisper of disbelief slipping from her lips.

Chapter 157

Among the elves of Greynifra, Philde was the greatest magician, and she possessed a natural gift—Soul Eyes (영안)—which allowed her to see the souls of all beings.

From the smallest of creatures to the most powerful.

As long as something was alive, it would naturally have a soul, and she could see them all.

However, she never paid much attention to this so-called “blessing.”

First, because she wasn’t a necromancer who dealt with souls or dark magic.

Second, because she had never found souls particularly interesting.

While every individual’s soul was slightly different, it wasn’t usually distinct enough to be fascinating.

A soul was just a soul.

Of course, when she was very young, she had seen gods and foreign deities with unique souls, but that was only because they were gods.

For ordinary living beings, souls were all more or less the same.

That’s why Philde had been completely shocked when she saw the soul of Marquis Palatio.

Because—

His soul resembled the souls of gods she had seen in the distant past.

“……”

Unlike a typical soul, which appeared as a blue sphere, his was faint but tinged with radiant gold.

That was something no ordinary human could ever possess.

A golden soul meant one of two things—it was either a being close to divinity or a god itself.

And there was one more thing that stunned her.