C384. Magic (4)
"With this, I think we've finished organizing the most important things."
"I see."
Penia looked at the documents with dull eyes.
Alon stretched his stiff neck.
For almost a whole week…
Alon, Penia, and Evan had dedicated practically all their time to establishing a system in the Divine Land.
"Phew… that was exhausting."
Evan let out a light sigh.
Then Penia looked at him with disbelief.
"You don't have a reason to be tired, you know?"
"Huh? What does that mean? I was here all week racking my brain too, wasn't I?"
"And what good was it? You didn't contribute anything useful."
"Don't you know that just giving opinions is helpful?"
"And how exactly does that help?"
"Well, because someone had to say it, even if I didn't."
"I don't think anyone would have said it."
"Tsk, tsk— this is why it shows you have no social experience—"
Provoked, Penia clicked her tongue, and Evan didn't hold back, shaking his head as if the other was ridiculous.
Alon, leaning back calmly, observed the scene.
"Ha? The more I think about it, I'm sure I know more about social life than you."
"You? More than me?"
"I think you’re forgetting I'm the Vice Master of the Blue Tower, right?!"
"Being Vice Master doesn't mean knowing about social life. People who just give orders from above don't count. You don't have friends either, do you?"
"Of course I have them!"
"Who?"
Penia responded almost convulsively, with a smile that looked more like a scratch on her pride.
"Don't be surprised! My friends are of much higher quality than yours."
"So who?"
"The princess of Laksas!"
"Princess?"
"Yes! She is my magic study partner."
Evan made a gesture of “ahh, I see.”
Penia snorted haughtily.
…Although, honestly, why was that something to brag about? That doubt passed through Alon's mind for just a moment.
"And?"
"…huh?"
"And who else?"
At the question—no, the attack—from Evan…
Penia, who a moment ago was smiling with absolute confidence, looked increasingly empty.
"Ah— that, that—"
She murmured, averting her eyes.
Evan also went blank.
But Penia continued to say nothing, looking from side to side.
Finally, when Alon understood why she was so proud of having a princess as a friend… the atmosphere became solemn.
"Ah, well, anyway… that's it."
"Don't change the subject!!!"
Evan raised his finger to continue his argument, but Penia shouted immediately.
While both began another natural and endless argument, Basiliora spoke from the wine cup where she rested.
[Hmph. I cannot comprehend why you dedicate so much time to administering a country of believers.]
"And how would you administer it?"
[It's simple. With fear.]
Basiliora said it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Alon shook his head, remembering that Basiliora had been a being who received faith instead of Kalanon, The Lightning Receiver.
Of course, fear could gather faith.
Alon knew beings who had done it that way.
But it wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't the path he sought.
And besides, unless he was going to conquer the entire continent…
Gathering faith with fear was a mediocre method.
"That's not a very good idea."
Alon replied.
[Hmph. That is because you are unnecessarily soft.]
Basiliora grumbled. But in her voice, the trust she had in Alon could be perceived.
While he watched Evan and Penia argue as if they were almost friends, Alon stood up from his seat.
They had finished the work in the Divine Land, so it was time to head to Rosario.
"Gyaaaah, I'll rip all your hair out!!!"
"You're always so damn temperamental!!"
…But first, he had to stop Penia and Evan.
Feeling that his daily life remained peaceful for now, Alon sighed softly.
…It was winter.
The next day, Alon set himself in motion.
"Hmm… it seems there is still much to do."
The winter landscape, with bare branches after the leaves had fallen. Alon, looking out the window, listened to Penia's words.
"Much to do?"
"Yes. You said we had to go to Rosario, so we only resolved the urgent matters, but there are still many pending tasks."
"Mm."
Alon nodded.
It was true: they had made progress with the Divine Land matters.
But there were other important things to consider.
To proclaim a kingdom, they had to prepare even the phrases for the official announcement.
And furthermore…
Although there were many knights in the Divine Land, a kingdom was not made with military force alone.
A kingdom needs people. Citizens.
Without citizens, a kingdom cannot exist.
"Well, at least I asked Silly for help, but…"
Silly had always managed to gather a large number of followers on her own.
But gathering enough population for a kingdom…
That was impossible.
……Impossible?
……No, yes, surely impossible.
Alon cut off that exaggerated thought.
"Yes, there is much more to resolve besides the Divine Land."
"Exactly. There is also the magic, the Magic Tower, Teria, and Fildegreen. You should visit those places, right?"
It was true.
There were many problems to solve and many places to visit.
"I will have to move all at once soon."
He thought.
But then—
"Ah, you also remember, right?"
"Remember what?"
"The one who runs through the past—Kylus, right? You also had to meet with him."
"Right."
Alon let out a small sigh.
He had wanted to see him since he recovered his memories, but the accumulated work of the Divine Land had prevented him.
So, without further thought, he used The Step that Runs through the Past and entered his inner world to find Kylus.
"It's been a while."
Kylus greeted him.
But Alon couldn't return the greeting in the usual way.
Because—
"……What is this place?"
His inner world…
It no longer looked anything like the one he knew.
Actually, it couldn't even be called a landscape.
He was standing in…
An absolutely pitch-black space.
But it wasn't a deep darkness like the abyss either.
Although the surroundings were dark, Kylus's figure could be seen with total clarity.
Faced with that contradiction, Alon asked, and Kylus answered as if it were obvious.
"Why do you state the obvious?"
"…This is my inner world?"
"Yes."
"The inner world can… change?"
Kylus shook his head.
"Usually it doesn't change, unless there is a trauma or an immense emotional change."
"…Then my inner world changed because—"
"Because you suffered a trauma or a significant emotional change."
Although we don't know which one, Kylus added.
Looking at that darkness resembling the abyss, he asked:
"So, what exactly happened to you?"
Alon calmly related everything that had happened.
The transformation of Eliban into the Apostle of Wrath.
the Bearer.
His words.
And the encounter with those blue eyes.
After listening attentively for a long while…
Kylus let out a dry laugh.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Now that I've heard everything… I pity myself."
Alon remained silent.
It wasn't strange.
Kylus was a True Mage who even became a goblin to defeat the Sins, a mage who would become a god if necessary.
It was normal for Alon's words to shake him.
Alon watched him in silence while Kylus took a deep breath.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't plan on letting myself be dragged by a past that has already ended. Although it is a shame not to have taken revenge with my own hands."
"…I see."
"Anyway, getting back to the topic: your story does explain why your inner world has changed. But I don't understand why it adopted this form."
Kylus observed the darkness.
"You don't seem like someone on the brink of the extreme, from what I see now and what you have told me."
"In conclusion, we don't know why my inner world changed like this."
"Exactly. In the best case, I can assume it's because of having become that Divine Blood or whatever it's called. I suppose you had already reached the same conclusion."
Kylus slightly averted his gaze.
"In any case, while you are like this, you won't be able to train."
"And why not?"
"It's obvious. In an inner world changed like this, you cannot use your power."
"I can't use it?"
Alon tried to use magic.
"Huh?"
Just as he said, the magic didn't work.
"Wow… I thought you would be able to."
Kylus shrugged upon seeing Alon's surprise.
"In any case, until this inner world recovers, training is suspended."
With that, he ended the conversation.
While Alon left the inner world to head to Rosario…
In the Divine Land—
"Uh… this looks complicated, doesn't it?"
Three people were conversing seriously in the office.
"I agree."
The first to speak was Ryanga.
Deus responded.
"I agree as well."
Historia also nodded from her chair.
The reason they were gathered was:
An instruction sent by Marquis Palatio.
More precisely, a recommendation: “Can you try this?”
"But we can't just sit here doing nothing."
"That is also true."
"I concur. If the Marquis said it, it must be done."
Their expressions were determined.
For them, the Marquis's words were practically an absolute order.
But even so…
"……How do we gather citizens?"
For these three…
Devising a method to gather a population was extremely difficult.
Moreover: anyone in the Divine Land would be left speechless by that topic.
They had nothing, and yet they had to gather a multitude that could be called “citizens.”
"I have a method."
It was obvious who said it.
"?! Really? You have one?"
"Yes."
"Which one?"
"We disarm the soldiers and turn them into citizens."
"…We already tried that and it failed."
"Ah."
While they exchanged opinions—if they could be called that—
"Everyone was here."
Silly, who had gone out for a few days for personal matters, entered the office.
"Silly, welcome back. Did you have any trouble?"
"No, brother. I just needed to prepare a 'gift', that's why I had matters to resolve."
"Are you finished?"
"No, it will take time to manufacture it, but it will be ready before the day of the proclamation. More importantly: what are you discussing?"
Deus explained to her what Alon had commissioned.
After listening to it—
"Ah, it's simple."
She said it with a terrifying lightness.
"Simple?"
"Yes. It won't be difficult."
"…Gathering so many citizens?"
"Yes."
Ryanga and Deus looked at each other uneasily.
Because they already knew.
Silly could commit unthinkable atrocities… while smiling sweetly.
"Silly."
"Yes, brother~"
"I want to confirm something. You aren't planning to use forced methods… right?"
Deus asked with caution.
Silly smiled even more sweetly.
"Please, how could I do that? He wouldn't like it. I would never use methods like that."
"I thought so."
"Of course, it's not something forced."
"Mm."
"It's not forced."
Deus and Ryanga looked at each other again, with even more anxiety.
"…"
Only Historia watched the exchange of opinions between the two with an expression of doubt.
