Chapter 437. Strange (8)
Contanias didn't understand anything.
Why was Arculainisis, the Guardian Dragon of the Empire, emanating magic so charged with murderous intent?
Why was she so furious?
But what he could understand least… was the word she had uttered.
A single word.
…‘Father?’
She had called Alon Palatio “father”.
That was what made the least sense.
“Hm? Speak.”
A chilling pressure enveloped him.
Yet, even under that weight, Contanias remained trapped by her words.
‘Father… what the hell…?’
Arculainisis was the Guardian Dragon of the Empire.
She had existed since long before the Empire itself.
In a way, it wasn't that the dragon had accompanied the history of the Empire, but that the Empire had accompanied the dragon’s history. Even that phrase fell short.
And such a being had said it clearly:
Alon Palatio is her father.
Contanias raised his head and looked at Arculainisis.
Her eyes, always marked by deep dark circles, were now filled with a fury he had never seen before.
He couldn't delay things any longer.
“I apologize!”
He finally bowed his head hurriedly.
He might be arrogant, but he wasn't stupid.
Although his mind remained filled with a single doubt:
Why did the Guardian Dragon of the Empire call a simple king of a peripheral kingdom "father"?
But he didn't dare say it out loud.
She had lived in isolation, cutting off all communication with the outside until the fall of the Divine Bloods, but even so, it made no sense to think the Guardian Dragon could mistake someone.
As far as Contanias knew, she was closer to an omniscient being than anyone else.
That is why…
“I… due to my ignorance…”
He had to resolve the situation first.
However—
“Enough.”
The Guardian Dragon cut him off coldly, as if she had no intention of giving him a chance.
“From what I see, it seems you spouted that arrogance of yours in front of my father.”
As if she had seen it in person, she guessed exactly what Contanias had done.
The prince was left gasping with his head pressed to the ground, unable to breathe properly.
Arculainisis looked at him for only a moment before saying:
“…Go right now to my father and ask for forgiveness. And make sure to bring him here.”
It was an order.
“Thank you! Thank you for giving me a chance!”
The prince raised his voice with all his might.
“A chance… a chance?”
Arculainisis murmured distractedly and then—
“Yes. It can be called a chance. Because if you fail to obtain my father's forgiveness…”
With tired but piercing eyes, she looked down at him from above.
“…one of the story lines I have woven will disappear.”
She sentenced clearly.
“…A Law?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm.”
A few days later.
As always, crossing devastated lands,
and advancing west without encountering a single Divine Blood on the way,
Alon and Penia continued conversing.
They were still talking about the Law he had to create.
Until now Alon had tried to solve it alone, but the closer they got to the Temple, the clearer it became that he needed to hear advice.
When the time came to create the Law, there would be no time to hesitate.
So when Alon opened the subject, everyone began to think about it on their own.
“Hmm… it’s a difficult problem.”
“You think so too?”
“Yes.”
Penia spoke first.
“Actually, I would like to tell you to simply think comfortably and advance towards a direction that makes magic progress more and more… but if what Alon-nim says is true, that would be a waste.”
Alon nodded.
That was the reason he couldn't decide so easily.
If the number of possible Laws were limited, it would suffice to choose within them. But if the possibilities were infinite, deciding became much harder.
Freedom, paradoxically, was chaining him to his own thoughts.
“Well… I’ll think about it deeply. It’s not a matter to just throw something into the air like that.”
“I leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
When Penia finished, Evan intervened as if he had been waiting for it.
“But Alon-nim, if it’s about choosing a Law… wouldn’t it be better to simply choose one that is obviously powerful?”
“For example.”
“Well, there are many, right? If it’s a sort of absolute rule… for example, that any hit received produces instant death.”
Or a Law that made every attack completely nullified, Evan murmured, making Penia let out an incredulous laugh.
“Does that make sense?”
“But didn’t you say anything can be established freely? Then that should also be possible, right?”
“Well, if you think about it simply.”
“Then, why not do it?”
Penia let out a slight sigh and explained.
“Even if you create a Law like that, there is a high probability that it is not invulnerability or absolute nullification.”
“…Why?”
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You just have to look at the number of divine forms that exist.”
Evan thought for a moment and then let out a slight “ah”.
“Then… if such an absurd Law existed, wouldn’t there be so many divine forms from the start?”
“That is correct. Although of course, that is only if it worked.”
Penia added that it was impossible that no one had thought of such a simple Law if it were truly effective.
“…Yes, looking at it that way, it’s true.”
Evan accepted it.
“And furthermore, the greater the power, the greater the punishment it carries. That’s why you have to think it through.”
“Punishment? Was there something like that too?”
“Alon-nim explained it a moment ago. Right?”
Alon nodded, remembering the words the Blue Eyes had mentioned some time ago:
‘Of course, as long as you do not fully reach the Creation of Heavenly Law, any Law that goes outside the principle will carry a proportional punishment.’
Alon directed his gaze toward Yutia Bloodia.
She was thoughtful, silent.
Until finally—
“Hmm… I think the best thing would be a Law that functioned as a hidden card, Master.”
Yutia Bloodia offered her opinion.
“…A hidden card?”
“Yes.”
Nodding at Alon’s question, she continued:
“When creating a Law, in the end, you are specifying a method. And when a method gets specified, naturally compatibilities and disadvantages appear. So I thought maybe it would be better to create a Law that allowed you to turn all of that around.”
She smiled and added: “Because you have magic, Master.”
It wasn't a perfect answer.
Something important was missing in her approach.
But even so—
“…A Law that can become a hidden card.”
It turned out to be quite interesting.
Just as she said, Alon would most likely have to fight against many Divine Bloods from now on.
Not at the first level, but certainly from the second, he would be facing countless different Laws.
And as soon as he specified his own, he might be forced to fight at a disadvantage against other Laws.
‘An ability that can become a hidden card against them…’
Alon continued reflecting.
Weeks passed.
More than two weeks since he had entered the Western Empire.
“…It seems this is it.”
“Right.”
Alon finally arrived.
At the Temple the Seeker of the Path had spoken of.
A little earlier, when Alon was crossing the border of the Eastern Empire—
“Is it true? The king of Palantia entered the border of the Eastern Empire?”
“Yes.”
Serdea Polanticia, the imperial princess who governed the Eastern Empire, smiled softly upon receiving the report.
‘Of course… there wouldn’t be a man capable of rejecting me.’
She recalled Alon’s image from a few months ago.
His indifferent expression, as if nothing could perturb him even having her in front of him.
That coldness had impressed her quite a bit.
Although now that she could see his interior, it only made her laugh.
“But are you sure, Your Highness?”
“Of what?”
“Although you saw him, you didn't verify the rumors.”
The elderly advisor, always by her side, asked cautiously.
She nodded.
“No. I didn't verify anything.”
“Then—”
“But it doesn't matter.”
“…It doesn't matter?”
“Yes. That man isn't ordinary. From his aura, he is different from the other kings of the borders.”
My other relatives cannot understand it, Serdea murmured.
“Even if I perceived his aura wrong, it doesn't matter. Because…”
She smiled arrogantly.
“Having him by my side will bring more advantages than losses.”
“…Just by having a king of a peripheral kingdom by your side?”
“Yes. He is a king backed by the United Allied Kingdom. Even if he didn't have the ability to control Divine Bloods as the rumors say, just for that it is worth giving him a place. There is much to gain.”
The advisor did not respond.
It was obvious what she meant by “gaining much”.
Smaller in build than her siblings,
but capable of advancing without wavering more than any of them…
“…And his face is also quite to my liking.”
She murmured pleased.
“…Then I will notify you as soon as we have news.”
A week passed.
“Your Highness, Alon-nim has passed through the Tria Duchy.”
“…The Tria Duchy? But that isn't the route to the capital.”
“Yes, that is what is strange…”
At the advisor's doubt, Serdea reflected for a moment and then—
“Ah, I see. He is a quite considerate man.”
She nodded immediately.
“…?”
“Think. The special product of the Tria Duchy.”
“The special product… the flower that does not wither?”
“Exactly. Quite attentive, isn't he?”
“…I suppose so.”
The advisor instantly grasped his intention and nodded gently.
The waiting time arrived.
And when Alon finally reached the Temple—
“Your Highness…”
“Hmm— ah, my… did he finally go there?”
She received the report from her closest advisor:
“It has just been confirmed, it seems that Alon-nim has headed to the Western Empire.”
A completely stunned voice escaped from those defenseless lips.
