C447. Return (3)
Serdea Polanticia recalled, with a dazed expression, a memory from a long time ago.
When she was very young, when her father was still alive and the Empire still shone.
…When the siblings had not yet destroyed each other and had met the Guardian Dragon.
The meeting hadn’t lasted long.
Barely five minutes, if that.
But that brief memory was deeply embedded in her mind.
That was how impactful that meeting was for Serdea.
No, for her and for all her siblings.
For those who carried the mission of guiding the Empire’s future, it was rare to feel so powerless just by standing before a living creature.
Looking back on that past, Serdea then thought of Alon.
Undoubtedly, Alon Palatio was a quite special being, both from the rumors and upon meeting him in person.
Special, yes… but…
“…That Alon is the Guardian Dragon’s father is a bit…”
No matter how much she thought about it, it was strange.
Serdea tilted her head while looking straight ahead.
There stood her faithful subordinate, who was also conveying the same information with an incredulous expression, tilting his head just like her.
“......Is this information reliable?”
“Actually, I also found it hard to believe and verified it several times… But at the very least, Contanias expressed it like that.”
“Could it be that that idiot misunderstood it?”
Serdea asked again several times.
Her subordinate reflected for a moment before answering.
“It is possible, though I don’t think it’s very likely.”
“Why?”
“…If that proud Contanias bowed his head in front of all his vassals, that means that—”
“…He heard it directly from the Guardian Dragon?”
“Exactly. Besides, even if he is just full of confidence, he isn’t a complete coward, right? For someone with his character to go out so recklessly to the border is…”
With that explanation, Serdea finally nodded.
Certainly. Contanias’s conduct was too strange to attribute to simple misheard rumors. There were too many acts unbefitting of him.
In short, if one assembled all the pieces—
“So saying that Alon is the Guardian Dragon’s father… is true?”
“For now… that seems to be the conclusion, yes….”
Since the report turned out to be true, Serdea felt even more confused.
She thought about both of them.
“Do they not look alike… at all?”
The Guardian Dragon and Alon Palatio.
It was evident that they shared absolutely nothing in terms of presence, air, or appearance.
Furthermore, Alon didn’t have a trace of the characteristic dragon aura.
“But if Alon is the Guardian Dragon’s father…”
On the other hand, that also gave credibility to all the rumors he had accumulated in the small Allied United Kingdoms.
With a face full of confusion for a while, Serdea concluded:
“It seems… I will have to see him one more time.”
She made her decision.
“How long does it take to reach the Allied United Kingdoms once the matter is finished?”
“About four months, probably.”
“Four months, huh….”
Serdea murmured at the answer.
“Alright.”
She nodded firmly.
A week had passed since Alon crossed the northern border of the Empire and resumed his journey.
“Master, I think I must stay here.”
“......Stay here?”
Yutia announced her farewell suddenly.
“Yes. In this North Empire, there is a temple that serves the goddess Sironia.”
“If it doesn’t take too long, I can wait.”
But Yutia smiled gently and shook her head.
“No, I think it will take time.”
“......Oh, really?”
“Yes. I heard that I have some unfinished business here. And I may need some time to resolve it, so you can move on without worrying.”
Yutia’s words made Alon hesitate.
If it were in the Allied United Kingdoms, he wouldn’t have thought too much about it, but here they were in the Empire.
However, insisting on staying when she said it wasn’t necessary would also be strange.
“......Alright.”
“Then, I’m leaving, Master.”
“Yes.”
Yutia disappeared into the crowd of the square.
Afterward, upon leaving the territory and exiting the castle—
[Puhah!]
[Kkyu~!]
Basiliora and Blackie appeared as if they had been waiting in desperation.
[I thought I’d die from being cooped up so long!]
[Kkyukkyu~!]
Both, suffocated and complaining, began to make a ruckus inside the carriage, which soon filled with noise.
“…Certainly, it is very different when Yutia is here and when she is not.”
“Well— that is unavoidable.”
Penia showed a bitter smile at Alon’s comment, and then seemed to remember something.
“By the way, Alon-nim. Didn’t Cardinal Yutia seem a bit strange to you?”
“Yutia?”
“Yes! Uh— it’s hard to explain, but… it was as if she didn’t remember certain things well.”
At Penia’s words, Alon let out a brief exclamation.
“It’s true, there were moments like that.”
“Right?”
Alon recalled Yutia’s face.
“…Although she didn’t seem to have any problems.”
Throughout the journey, Yutia acted as usual. But Alon agreed with Penia, because sometimes she seemed not to remember certain events well.
“….Although she responded well and covered it up.”
There were moments when Yutia hesitated for just an instant, as if she were forcibly nodding to something she didn’t remember.
“Well, I suppose forgetfulness like that can happen to anyone.”
“I think so too. But since it is Cardinal Yutia… it stands out more.”
Alon agreed.
Forgetfulness wasn’t something serious, but coming from Yutia, it was notable.
But he stopped thinking about that because Evan asked a question.
“Ah, have we completely finished our schedule?”
“Practically yes. There is only one place we will pass by on the way.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It won’t take extra time.”
‘We have to see the Golden Dragon before returning.’
When Blackie jumped onto Alon’s lap, Penia asked again.
“How is the handling of the ‘Law’ going now?”
“I learned how it is used, but it isn’t simple to master yet.”
“Yes, it is easy and difficult at the same time. It requires a lot of analysis.”
Penia nodded thoughtfully.
“Even so, I think it was a good choice. It can become a decisive factor.”
“Yes, although due to the restrictions, it requires quite a bit of thinking.”
Alon agreed, and Penia raised her eyebrows before resuming the topic.
“There was something I was curious about.”
“What is it?”
“About the ‘Law’ of the Mages and the ‘Law’ of the Divine Bloods we talked about before.”
“Ah.”
They had talked about that before crossing the border.
“We thought that the Laws of the Divine Bloods implied a restriction in exchange for using the Law, while the Laws created by Mages required mana… right?”
“Yes.”
“Besides the difference in power or that Mage Laws have more defined characteristics.”
“And?”
At Alon’s question, Penia continued.
“The ‘Reverse Heaven’ that Alon uses is a Mage Law. And Mage Laws use mana as a cost.”
“Correct.”
“Then… a Law that creates infinite mana… isn’t that a bit weird?”
“That…… at first…… huh?”
Alon, who was going to refute by reflex, opened his eyes wide.
He had never analyzed it, but looking at it now, it was strange.
Silence covered the carriage.
“......Right?”
“I hadn’t thought about it carefully, but certainly…”
“Yes. If our theory about both Laws is correct, Reverse Heaven… contradicts logic. It is as if—”
Penia’s voice resonated clearly.
“—As if it were a Law created by the Divine Bloods.”
A month passed since they separated from Yutia.
Alon arrived at the border earlier than expected and, thanks to Contanias’s consideration, left without issues toward the wastelands.
“This time it was quite a long trip. In fact, we were away for almost half a year.”
Alon nodded at Evan’s comment.
“Yes, it has been quite a while.”
“True. More than doing things, what took time was the travel. So, where are we going now? Didn’t you say you would pass by somewhere?”
Alon organized his thoughts and replied:
“We are going south.”
Without further words, the group headed toward the south of the wastelands.
Several more days passed.
As they advanced through the desolate desert—
“—”
Alon perceived an anomaly.
The entire carriage began to be enveloped in mana.
But Alon, understanding immediately what it was, stopped Penia, who was about to use her mana as a precaution.
And then—
A flash, and everyone realized they had been transported to another place.
“......Alon?”
“Is this…?”
Evan spoke from outside, visibly surprised, and Penia opened her eyes wide.
Alon stood up and got out of the carriage.
And there—
[…It’s been a long time, Mage.]
“Yes.”
He found himself facing Lainicius.
With the same expressionless look as always, without feeling any emotion, Lainicius observed him from above.
[…]
While silence stretched between the two—
[…?]
An expression of doubt suddenly appeared on Lainicius’s face.
[??]
He seemed not to understand what was before him, tilting his head again and again.
“…What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Alon asked first, although he also understood his reaction.
‘Well, many things have changed since the last time.’
A lot of time had passed.
But Alon’s growth was too great to be explained in just a few years.
Surely it had surprised him.
Alon felt proud inside.
It was like being recognized by a being that was practically living magic.
However—
[…Mage, I want to ask you something.]
“What is it?”
[By any chance… is there a dragon outside? No, you—]
To Alon’s disappointment, the dragon’s question was not what he expected.
[…Did you marry a dragon?]
Very, very far from expected.
