C387. Birth (2)
The desert city of Colony.
“Haah…”
Lime, Seolrang's secretary, let out a small sigh.
It was all because of the uncomfortable events that had happened lately in Colony.
From the upper floors of the massive guild building, she turned her gaze toward the north.
As always, the landscape of mountains formed by endless layers of golden sand was beautiful, but that wasn't the place she was observing.
Further back.
A grotesque spectacle where, instead of golden sand, the ground was covered by something of an intense purple color.
That had formed shortly after stars fell from the sky; because of that, the atmosphere within Colony hadn't been good recently.
Furthermore, because of a Babayaga, the atmosphere sank even lower.
The “Scorching Hand,” who had recently set out with great determination to investigate that situation while transformed into a Babayaga, hadn't returned in over a week.
Staying missing for a whole week in the middle of the desert... meant death.
And it didn't end there.
What had stiffened the atmosphere the most was the fact that the current king of Colony, Karmaxes III, even with all that...
Even when the Babayaga had died.
Even when the purple-stained land was slowly advancing toward Colony.
Karmaxes III hadn't given any orders.
As if he were watching it all from afar, with no intention of intervening.
And not only that.
The kingdom wasn't reacting to other problems that had recently arisen within Colony either.
For the Lime who knew the usual Karmaxes III, that was something impossible.
Her sigh became deeper.
At that moment, a name came to her mind: Seolrang.
“What could Miss Seolrang be doing in this situation…?”
She looked toward a space in the office.
Normally, Seolrang would be lying there, resting quietly, but now the place was empty.
“Miss Seolrang has also been acting strangely lately. Is she really okay…?”
A shadow of worry appeared in Lime's eyes.
It was no wonder: Seolrang's condition didn't look good lately.
More precisely, after participating in the last battle just before the galaxy fell from the sky months ago, Seolrang had changed a bit.
At first, it wasn't a noticeable change. She just spoke a little less and seemed to think more. But over time, her condition became serious.
Her words ceased almost entirely, she spent long moments lost in thought, and a dark cloud spread over her always-lively face.
“…I had heard that when she was with the Marquis, she seemed to act normally.”
Remembering what she had secretly heard in the information guild...
“What is happening…?”
Lime stood staring at the empty space where Seolrang should be, lost in thought.
In that instant—
“Vice-Chief!”
As if the calm of a moment ago had been a lie, someone burst in, slamming the door open.
“I've told you many times that you should knock before entering…”
Lime frowned, about to scold the guild member, but she shut her mouth.
The face of the person who entered looked too serious.
“You have to come down immediately… Please!”
Following that guild member, Lime headed to the first floor.
There, in a room completely isolated for privacy, she found—
“P-Prince?”
“My— it's been a while.”
The Second Prince of Colony, Karsem, heavily injured all over.
At the same time, inside a cave west of Colony…
“Haaah… haaah…”
Seolrang was collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
Exhausted, she looked with eyes full of fatigue at the object lying in front of her.
It was the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.
What Alon Palatio had given her a long time ago.
An essence whose full power she still could not receive, as she had not finished all the trials.
Do you plan to undergo the trial again?
Just as she reached out her hand to take the essence, a voice spoke.
Seolrang turned her head toward the source of the sound.
A black dragon was there.
The black dragon was observing Seolrang, who seemed to be at her limit. Since she had already received his power, her scleras had turned black like a demon's.
“Why?”
I'll warn you first: if you try anything more, your body won't withstand it.
Seolrang stopped. She knew it too.
But even so, she didn't stop because...
She had come to a painful realization.
That she was weak. That like this, she couldn't protect even her master, someone she cherished deeply.
…That she was falling behind.
Through her mind passed the countless battles she had lived.
And the faces of her companions.
Her master's face.
And there, among those memories, was herself.
Not protecting, but being protected.
Remembering it, Seolrang reached out her hand again.
Her fingers closed over the essence.
Weakly.
With an unsure gesture.
The day after Alon Palatio spoke with the original of the Goddess Sironia, the Divine Blood…
“Master.”
“Yutia.”
He was able to meet with Yutia.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes.”
“Forgive me. I would have liked to see you sooner, but I had too many things to do, so I ended up coming a day late.”
“It doesn't matter. I wasn't waiting that long.”
“Doesn't a day count as waiting a long time?”
“I can wait that long without difficulty.”
At Alon's unhesitating response, Yutia's eyes widened in surprise... but she smiled again, with a wider curve.
“I'm glad to hear that. Let's go in and continue talking inside, Master.”
“Let's do that.”
Yutia was about to lead him to the office when she frowned in confusion.
“And the others?”
“You mean Evan and Penia?”
“Yes.”
“Evan went out for a moment. And Penia went to speak with a mage in Rosario.”
Although Blackie and Basiliora immediately clung to Evan and Penia upon learning they would see Yutia, Alon didn't mention that.
Upon arriving at the office, the first thing Alon saw was the tidy desk as always.
And on the desk, there was a crystal sphere.
Heavily damaged, with cracks everywhere, as if its durability had reached its end.
“…”
A question appeared in Alon's mind.
“Is something wrong, Master?”
“No, it's just that—”
“Yes?”
“A moment ago there was a crystal sphere there, wasn't there?”
“A crystal sphere?”
“Yes, a rather broken... worn one.”
The sphere he had just seen clearly—
Had disappeared without a trace.
“Really? I didn't see anything like that.”
“…You didn't see anything?”
“No. Take a seat, Master.”
With Yutia's naturalness, Alon sat down, bewildered.
After a brief exchange about their recent situations, Alon felt it was the right moment.
Now he could ask Yutia what he wanted to know.
But he stopped.
Could he ask Yutia about Supernatural Blood?
It was a simple question.
But something in his instinct told him that this question would change something.
Even so...
“Yutia, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What do you wish to know?”
Alon finally spoke.
After all, he had waited just for that.
“Do you happen to know anything about Supernatural Blood?”
Alon's calm voice filled the office.
In that instant—
Yutia's face turned strange.
Was it an expression that she knew something?
Or was she remembering?
Or thinking about something else?
After a moment of silence...
“Why do you ask?”
She returned the question.
There was no way to know if she knew the subject or not.
Alon thought for a moment and replied:
“I just heard something about it, by chance.”
Yutia tilted her head several times, as if thinking deeply, and then:
“Well... strictly speaking...”
As if it were nothing important,
“I suppose so, one could say I know.”
She nodded.
“You know it?”
“Yes, though not everything.”
“Not everything?”
“What I know I heard recently from Rine.”
Thus, Yutia told Alon what had happened recently.
“So, while you were investigating Divine Blood, you also found information about Supernatural Blood…”
“Exactly. But as I said, it's not much. Just—”
Yutia frowned, trying to remember.
“—that originally, Supernatural Blood was Divine Blood.”
“Supernatural Blood was Divine Blood?”
“Yes.”
“Is that true?”
“That's what I heard from Rine.”
“Was there more information?”
“No, just that. Do you wish for me to ask Rine for more details?”
“I would appreciate that.”
Alon nodded, relieved that Yutia didn't know much.
Although even he didn't understand why.
Then he remembered something. When he lost his memory, without him saying anything, Yutia gave him advice as if she knew his worries.
“Yutia.”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you one more question?”
“If it's yours, Master, as many as you wish.”
Alon opened his mouth to speak, but—
Clack!
“Marquis! I knew you were here!”
Evan burst in, slamming the door open.
“Marquis! We have a problem!”
“What is happening?”
“The Divine Bloods have all risen at the same time, and a war has started! And among them all, Colony is—!”
Alon asked unintentionally:
“What?”
His eyes widened for an instant. Yutia stopped smiling.
Alon recovered his calm and asked:
“When did the information arrive?”
“This morning!”
“…I'm afraid to ask, but… Seolrang?”
“According to the information, she seems to be okay…”
Exchanging those few words, Alon looked at Yutia.
“Yutia.”
“Yes, Master.”
“It seems we will have to continue this conversation later.”
“I understand. Will you leave immediately?”
“It seems so.”
“I will finish my business quickly and catch up with you, Master.”
“Good. We'll talk about it later.”
After a brief exchange, Alon left hurriedly with Evan.
When the hurried footsteps faded away...
In the office, only Yutia remained.
The serious face she had shown a moment ago returned to her usual expression.
As if the worry from before had been a simple act.
And then—
“…Supernatural Blood, huh.”
In the stillness...
“And this time... who could have spoken…?”
Yutia murmured. With a thick smile.
