Chapter 424. The Seeker of the Way (3)
When Kalanon's story ended,
Alon, who had been thinking for a while, finally opened his mouth.
"I understand what this is about."
"Oh, really? What a relief."
"But I have one thing to ask."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I understood well how a god can be created. However, doesn't a god's power only become strong when faith is accumulated?"
He didn't know exactly why.
But, in any case, thanks to his evolved divine power, Alon had managed to acquire the ability to create a god.
Up to that point, he considered it acceptable.
But even if he could create a god, the problem was different: would that god really be useful in practice?
The fundamental reason why gods were strong did not lie solely in their innate abilities, but essentially, it was faith.
After all, a god's abilities and the magnitude of their power came from faith.
In other words, even if someone acquired power and became a god, if their faith was meager, they wouldn't become that strong.
"Hmm, what you say is true."
Kalanon nodded his head.
Alon's question was reasonable.
However...
"But I thought about that too!"
"...Yes?"
"Of course I did!"
Kalanon sketched a slightly mischievous smile, raised a hand, and generated divine power.
Then, he created a humanoid figure in front of him.
"Alright, I'll explain from here."
Alon concentrated.
"First, you choose an Apostle you like and infuse them with divine power."
Just as he said, a small fragment of divine power came out of the planet and inserted itself into the human figure.
"With that, thanks to our great grace, they obtain the power of a god."
The figure began to shine.
"Then, the person who becomes a god thanks to our blessing will naturally feel gratitude towards us, don't you think?"
"...I suppose so."
"And that gratitude turns into faith towards us. And then..."
A small thread was born from the human figure.
That thread connected to the divine power, and from that power, which grew slightly, another piece detached and returned to the human figure.
"And like that, we return around 80% of the faith they offer us with devotion. Perpetual cycle achieved!"
Kalanon nodded with conviction, as if it were a perfect plan. Alon remained momentarily perplexed, and Kalanon asked:
"Eh? Is there something you don't understand? I think even a cat would understand this."
"...No, I understood it."
"Then is there a problem?"
"No, it's rather perfect. But..."
After thinking about it for a moment, he asked:
"Why return only 80%? Couldn't you simply return 100% of the received faith?"
A simple and logical observation.
If he returned 100%, he would become strong much faster, so Alon asked.
"Oh my..."
Kalanon shook his head as if Alon didn't understand something basic.
"We don't live on air, do we? We have to keep something~"
He said.
With an expression of "why are you acting like an amateur?", Alon felt a strange déjà vu.
"...Kalanon."
"Yes?"
"Do you talk often with Silly?"
"Hmm... No? Not that often, only once or twice... Why do you ask?"
Kalanon tilted his head.
Alon remained silent.
...Was it Kalanon who contaminated Silly, or Silly who contaminated Kalanon...?
He thought.
"I understood the general idea, but I'll need to prepare."
"Well, yes, right? You'll also have to relearn how to extract divine power, and besides, we must automate it."
"...Automate it?"
"Yes. You wouldn't want to be checking every day to release divine power manually, right? It's best to create a system where, when faith arrives naturally, you automatically recover 20% and distribute the rest."
Alon let out a faint "oh" and nodded.
"That certainly is a good idea."
"Right?"
"And how is that done?"
"Well... I don't know either."
"...?"
An awkward silence covered both of them.
"...Why don't you know?"
"Eh... well, it's just that I'm very bad at these things..."
"But you suggested it."
"Yes, but... let's say I contributed the creativity."
With an expression of "I don't know the rest", Kalanon looked...
...like a designer proposing a Bluetooth shower that dispenses water without being connected to any pipes.
Alon looked at him like an engineer looking at a conceptual disaster.
"Well, I'll think about it."
"Yup."
With that, they went outside.
"Nya~!"
Upon returning to reality, Kalanon rubbed his head against Alon's hand like a cat.
Alon didn't stop him; he simply stood still.
[Kyu?]
"Nya?"
Wham!
Suddenly, Blackie shot out from Alon's chest and landed a cat-punch straight on Kalanon's head.
"Nya-nya!?"
Kalanon ran off immediately, and Blackie chased him ferociously.
Alon watched them for a moment and sighed, trying to rest, but...
"Alon!"
Evan entered hurriedly.
"What is it?"
"Outside... something strange is happening...!"
"Something strange?"
"You better come quickly... It's hard to explain...!"
Feeling intrigued, Alon exited the tent.
And what he saw was...
The soldiers of the Divine Land.
They held their weapons with tense faces.
Among them were Historia, Ryanga, and Silly, all with serious expressions.
And in the center of them all... there was something strange.
A figure covered with a cloak of absolute black.
Beneath it, a massive bovine skull with giant horns, and inside, a piercing blue glow.
And then:
"Greetings, King of Palantia, Alon Palatio."
Despite the tense situation, that mysterious figure bowed his head respectfully as soon as he saw Alon.
"...Who are you?"
Alon spoke while forming a seal in his pocket, ready in case something happened.
But the skull figure maintained his polite attitude, took something out of his cloak, and said:
"Do not worry. I have not come to fight."
He extended something to him with courtesy.
That object floated in the air and reached Alon's hands.
Upon catching it, he noticed it immediately.
...A letter?
It was a letter.
"King of Palantia, member of the Allied United Kingdoms. The time has come to honor the ancient pact of the continent."
"...What?"
And after saying that:
"Then, I shall take my leave."
The skull figure disappeared instantly.
The atmosphere filled with murmurs among the soldiers.
Alon opened the letter without hesitation.
And what he saw was:
"The Ancient Alliance summons the kings two months from now, at the Central Tower located in the heart of the continent.
You, who shine upon your thrones, must attend the agreed place.
It is an unavoidable order and a sacred duty for the continent.
Whoever does not appear will be considered a traitor to the Pact, will lose the powers granted by their participation, and will be expelled."
"...!"
Alon's hand trembled for an instant.
It was inevitable.
What was written... was about the Pact of the Way.
But that wasn't the only reason he was surprised.
That the Pact of the Way had been activated... meant something else.
That pact came from Siyan's theory.
And if it had really been executed...
...Second run.
It meant that the odds of this world really being a second run increased even more.
The thoughts he had paused came crashing back into his mind like a waterfall.
If it was the second...
If they were really living a repeated life...
The pieces that didn't fit before began to fit, one after another.
But only for a moment.
Alon forced his thoughts to stop. Now was not the time to get lost in them.
And besides... there were conclusions he didn't want to reach.
Perhaps.
After calming the situation,
"So... do you plan to go?"
Penia asked, and after thinking for a good while, Alon nodded.
"For now, yes. Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing. It just seems surprising to me."
Penia murmured that she had heard of the pact but didn't believe it actually existed. Evan asked:
"But where is that Central Tower?"
"Ah, that's not a problem. The letter itself seems to be a guide."
"The letter is a guide?"
"Yes. If you tear it, it will surely indicate the way."
Evan was surprised, and Penia observed the letter.
Alon closed his eyes for a moment.
Since he received the Pact of the Way, millions of thoughts wouldn't stop spinning in his mind.
He believed that Siyan's words were not completely false.
But now... they were one step closer to the truth.
However...
"Well, there are still two months left. What do you plan to do until then?"
Penia's voice broke his concentration.
However important the matter was, it wasn't something urgent at this instant.
"If the Central Tower is really in the center of the continent... how long would it take us to arrive?"
"If we go at the usual pace, a month... and a little more."
"Then we have about two weeks free."
"Is there something to do?"
Alon nodded.
"I have to do some experiments."
"Experiments?"
"Yes."
Alon told her about the conversation with Kalanon.
Penia listened in silence and, surprised, said:
"...So your goal is to create a magic circle that automates everything?"
Alon denied it.
"No? Is that not it?"
"Well, yes it is, but there is something else I want to test."
"Eh?"
Penia looked at him with curiosity.
The truth was...
When he first heard Kalanon tell him that he could create a god, the first thing he felt was bewilderment.
And when he proposed a realistic method...
Alon remembered Babiloia.
A nation built by an ancient individual who sought to become a god, even before the forgotten times of the past.
A True Mage.
According to what Alon knew, anyone in Babiloia could become a mage.
The laws were established by the god, but their use was permitted for everyone.
That is, the type of god that created Babiloia was very different from the current one, but...
Regardless of what it was like, that god had been capable of planting a "seed"—a possibility—in everyone who believed in him.
And according to the blue eyes...
Alon was also a Divine Blood.
If that was true...
If he really was...
There is no reason why I can't do it.
It was possible.
Instead of granting power one by one, he could plant a "seed" in everyone who believed in him.
A firm decision was reflected in Alon's eyes.
