C404. The proclamation ceremony… but…? (3)
An enormous shanty settlement extended endlessly in front of the marquis's house.
Alon observed that scene and seriously wondered what the hell Silly had done now.
Although that doubt only lasted a moment.
After passing through the countless shanty neighborhoods and arriving in front of the castle gate, Alon muttered while looking at the endless line.
"…Was my territory always this popular?"
"Well, it was popular. From the start, because of the auction house, it was a mandatory stop for merchants. But…"
Evan, seeing the incredibly long line, spoke with a tired gesture.
"…There have never been this many, that's for sure."
"I think the same."
"I don't understand what Silly did… no, what she did, for there to be so many people."
Evan trembled, as if thinking the same thing as Alon.
"I was curious too."
Hearing Penia say the same thing, Alon looked around.
"…I feel like a cruel feudal lord."
"So suddenly?"
"I mean, because inside the wall everything is luxurious, but outside there are only depressing tents and huts."
"Hmm…"
Evan looked alternately at the shanties and the interior of the wall, and then pointed at Alon's statue.
"If one looks closely, it doesn't seem like it… but seeing that, it does give off that feeling a bit."
Alon looked at his own statue.
…Definitely, looking at it, the feeling got worse.
'…Does that pose have some kind of magic or what?'
That idea crossed his mind for only a second.
After passing through the crowd without difficulty and entering the territory, Alon found himself with:
"O-oh, you have… arrived, my lord marquis…"
"Alexion… are you okay?"
"I'm still… alive…"
Alexion was attending to matters with a completely exhausted expression.
He explained the general situation to him.
"People were already coming little by little, but since a month ago it suddenly exploded. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes."
"…And the reason?"
"Honestly, I don't know exactly. Although recently rumors have been spreading about the marquis's statue…"
"Rumors about the statue…"
"They say things like: 'if you have the marquis's statue, a benevolent Divine Blood will protect you'… Something like that."
"Do you think that caused this?"
Alexion answered immediately.
"I don't think the rumor itself has such a big impact. It started circulating just a few weeks ago… although it could have served as a trigger."
"People believe rumors too easily…"
"The Divine Bloods can wipe out an entire country without breaking a sweat."
Alon nodded briefly.
And Alexion continued.
"Besides, as I said, the real reason is most likely not the rumor, but the saint."
"The saint… Silly?"
"Yes."
"I suspected it…"
Evan and Penia also nodded.
"What exactly did Silly do?"
"I don't know in detail. But based on the result, I think she gathered the refugees from Ashtalon."
"The refugees from Ashtalon?"
"Well, it was destroyed… so it is possible…"
Penia nodded but with a confused gesture.
Alon also had doubts.
'Is that… possible?'
Actually, strictly speaking, only the royal family of Ashtalon disappeared. The territory remained surprisingly intact, as if divine fortune had protected it from the Divine Bloods.
It meant that the nobles were still alive and with their lands.
Alon hadn't given it much importance, but he knew that other countries were trying to attract those nobles to their own nations.
Which implied that there shouldn't be refugees coming all the way here.
"How did she gather them then…?"
The question came naturally out of Alon's mouth.
Alexion hesitated and replied.
"Well… from what I know, somber rumors began to circulate in Ashtalon."
"Somber?"
"Yes. For example, that a Divine Blood would descend soon upon Ashtalon, or that someone saw a Special Creature coming out of the mountains…"
"Just with that?"
"And right after, some Divine Bloods appeared in Colony, Caliban, and a small kingdom in the south called Rogatan."
"Ah."
"And at that moment, the rumor about the marquis spread like wildfire."
"What rumor?"
"That you are a living Wise God."
Just with that, Alon could already imagine what Silly had done to attract refugees.
But a doubt still remained.
"I understand it more or less… but even so, is it possible to attract so many refugees just with that?"
Alexion nodded, as if admitting that it was a reasonable doubt. Then he looked around cautiously and leaned forward.
"Since it seemed strange to me, I investigated a little…"
Evan and Penia also leaned in without realizing it.
And then:
"…"
"…Apparently, several villages in Ashtalon were… destroyed in secret."
"What?!"
"Eh?"
"What?"
"What?"
The four stood petrified.
"Don't tell me…?"
Evan asked, horrified.
Penia, Alon, and Alexion looked at each other carefully.
Then:
"Wait."
Alon raised his hand.
"No… I don't think Silly would go that far."
A reasonable argument.
Evan and Penia tried to support it:
"Hmm… even if it's Silly…"
"Yes, it's true… she wouldn't do something so…"
"…Or would she?"
The four looked at each other.
No one could say for sure that Silly wouldn't have done something like that.
While Alon had conflicting thoughts about Silly…
"Ah, here you were!"
He turned around upon hearing the voice.
"…Silly?"
There was Silly, with her usual smile.
"I had business at the marquis's house and heard that you had already arrived, so I came."
She greeted with joy.
But then…
"Why are you making those faces…?"
They almost took a step back unintentionally, and she tilted her head in confusion.
After explaining what Alexion had investigated…
"Eh… no matter how hard I try, do you really think I would do that? That's a bit too much, isn't it?"
She pouted.
"Right? That's what I thought."
"I trusted you!"
"Me too."
"Although your faces didn't look like it…"
Silly sighed.
"First I'll make it clear: I didn't do that on purpose. Besides, the marquis hates that kind of thing, why would I do it?"
"…Right?"
"Obviously. I am a saint."
"I don't do things the marquis doesn't like," she said proudly. Evan sighed.
"So destroying the villages was just a coincidence."
"Ah, no, that was me."
"?"
"?"
"?"
"?"
Silly, my dear, what did you just say?
The four were left with the same expression.
"Didn't you say you hadn't done it?"
"Exactly! I would never hurt anyone!"
"…But the village?"
Evan asked, confused. Silly smiled.
"Ah~ it was an empty village."
"Empty?"
"Yes. There was no one there. And if anyone could have remained, of course I would have verified it. I checked several times."
"Did empty villages exist…?"
"As you know, after the destruction of the capital, the large villages didn't flee because of their assets, but some poor villages without belongings… did abandon them. Those are the ones I destroyed."
"Then others would already know they were empty, right?"
"Those from the area, yes."
"Right."
"But those who aren't from that area don't know~"
Evan understood immediately.
Penia and Alexion too.
Of course, Alon also understood.
That is why:
"Anyway, don't worry. No one was hurt!"
Silly said with a radiant smile.
Alon could only think:
'Is this… that thing called "chaotic good"…?'
When they confirmed that the new citizens of the future kingdom had arrived… in a "peaceful" manner.
Alon finished his conversation with Alexion.
"Ah, can you check this?"
Alon showed him Footsteps Running Through the Past.
"This…?"
"It's an artifact, but I think it broke. Can you fix it?"
Alexion checked it, formed a fine thread of mana with his fingers, and manipulated it for a few seconds.
Until finally:
"Here you go."
"Already?"
"Yes. One of the artifact's circuits was failing and the mana got trapped. I just recalibrated it."
"Impressive."
"Not that much. The impressive ones are those who build it; I only touch the circuit."
Alon nodded, took the artifact and, once in his office, activated it.
And then:
[Long time no see, huh?]
In front of him appeared Kylus, standing on the grayish space with his usual cold expression.
"Yes."
Alon observed the gray world surrounding him.
"It has changed."
[What happened?]
Alon briefly explained what had happened.
[So you defeated a Divine Blood and this happened.]
"Exactly."
[And you came to confirm it?]
"Partly yes, but I also came for Blackie."
[Blackie? …Ah, that Shadow Dragon.]
"Yes."
[What is the problem?]
"I just want to know this: can a Shadow Dragon transform by absorbing things?"
[Transform?]
At that moment, Blackie came out of Alon's chest, peeking out as if knowing they were talking about him.
Kylus took him with an indifferent expression.
Blackie stretched and stuck back together as if he were gelatin.
"I don't see anything strange."
He said calmly.
"Blackie."
Alon called him.
And from Blackie's back, spider legs began to emerge.
"After eating the corpses of the Divine Bloods, he can transform like this. Since I don't know anything about Shadow Dragons I thought maybe you did."
Blackie's face transformed into that of a Poison Eater.
Alon watched him… until he noticed that Kylus had been silent for too long.
"Kylus?"
Alon called him.
Then—
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Thud!
Kylus screamed like a little girl, threw Blackie as far as he could, and fell to the ground convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
"What… what was that?"
Alon muttered, stunned.
[Kyu… kyu?]
Blackie cried with an offended expression from where he had been thrown.
