Chapter 461. Why are you like this……? (9)
The place Alon Palatio arrived at following Lime was the guild office.
It was a place that, after the attack of the Divine Blood, had been so destroyed that its original shape couldn't even be distinguished.
“……They have restored it well.”
“Yes, it cost us quite a bit.”
Lime entered the office first, which had already recovered its previous appearance.
Alon Palatio followed her to the upper floor, arriving at the office Seolrang was using.
Seolrang’s office was not much different from before.
The objects, the furniture, the arrangement… everything remained practically the same.
Except for…
“Ahem, I couldn't explain it well before, I'm sorry.”
Alon averted his gaze from the spot he was observing and shook his head gently at Lime’s words.
“It doesn't matter. Rather, what is happening?”
“Well…”
Lime remained silent for a moment to organize her thoughts, and then opened her lips.
“As I said, bandits are appearing near Colony lately, but they are not normal.”
“What do you mean by they are not normal?”
“It is not certain, but I believe they are influenced by the Divine Blood.”
“……Influenced by the Divine Blood!?”
Penia reacted immediately and jumped into the conversation, serious.
But Lime waited a second and continued.
“Yes. But it is only a suspicion.”
At the fixed gaze of Alon Palatio and Penia, Lime let out a sigh.
“It’s just that… the situation is a bit complicated.”
She began her formal explanation, and when she finished, Alon Palatio organized the information.
“In short, you say that bandits are appearing who are so strong that it would be absurd if they weren't influenced by the Divine Blood, right?”
“Exactly. They aren't as monstrous as the ones we saw when Colony was almost destroyed, but even so…”
“And they clearly maintain a human form, right?”
“…Yes. That is why I said it was ambiguous.”
Lime’s voice lowered.
“The Special Creatures derived from the Divine Blood usually have aberrant forms, but they looked human.”
“So because of those bandits with abnormal strength, Seolrang and the other Baba Yagas have been going out to deal with them.”
“And now that Colony is being rebuilt, if such disturbing rumors start circulating again…”
Lime did not finish the sentence.
But even so, the meaning was clear to Alon Palatio and the rest.
In the midst of that silence—
Creeak!
The office door opened.
“Eh?”
Seolrang entered.
Seeing everyone gathered, she was disoriented for a few seconds.
But then she saw Alon, and her eyes opened wide.
“Master!”
With a radiant expression, she ran toward him.
Thud!
Seolrang hugged the seated Alon Palatio directly. Her tail moved happily, and her usual smile appeared in Alon Palatio’s view.
“Have you been well, Seolrang?”
“Yes! And you, Master?”
Alon Palatio stroked her head while she smiled broadly.
It had been a while since he saw Seolrang, but she was the same as always.
After greeting each other, Alon Palatio heard a more detailed explanation from Seolrang.
“We caught them alive to find out their hideout, but they never opened their mouths until they died. No, more accurately…”
“It is as if they couldn't speak.”
“……They couldn't speak?”
“Uh-huh. Like dolls.”
Seolrang tilted her head with a “Hmm—”.
“They looked human, and they moved their eyes, so it seemed like they did think… but they couldn't speak.”
“It is strange.”
“But even so, you found their hideout, right?”
“Yes!”
Despite everything, Seolrang managed to find the place.
“…Then, is the matter of the bandits resolved?”
“No. I only found more or less where it is, but I couldn't enter.”
“Why?”
“One of the girls who came with me started feeling sick.”
“Ah.”
“So I took her back, and when I was preparing to go out again… I just found you here, Master!”
Her smile filled her entire face again. Her tail also waved with happiness.
“But Master, why did you come to Colony?”
Finally, the question reached her.
Alon Palatio explained to Lime and Seolrang the reason for his visit, and after listening in silence, Seolrang spoke:
“Then there is a fragment the Divine Blood is looking for near here?”
“According to the information, yes.”
“Then I will help you!”
Without hesitating, Seolrang raised her hand.
Alon Palatio looked at her for a moment and then said:
“Thank you.”
“No! Helping Master is my duty!”
“But we cannot leave the bandits aside, so we will resolve that first.”
Seolrang nodded.
And thus, the first task for Alon and his group in Colony was decided.
That same night.
“Brother!”
“It’s been a while.”
Alon met with Karsem, who had sought him out late at night.
“If I had known you were coming, I would have come out to receive you… forgive me!”
“There is no need. I came on my own.”
At Karsem’s bow, Alon Palatio waved his hand to dismiss it and then asked:
“But… is it okay for you to go out alone at this hour?”
“If you are referring to whether you are worried about me, thank you, but I am fine. At least inside this city, I have enough strength to protect myself.”
Karsem let out a loud laugh.
“Really?”
“Yes. Besides, even when you didn't come, I also used to move around a lot at night here.”
“I see.”
…Why would the king of Colony have to come here at night?
Alon felt curious, but it wasn't an urgent matter, so he let it pass.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Alon asked what he wanted to know from earlier.
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course! If I can answer, I will do so gladly.”
Karsem nodded.
“Did you find the object?”
“The object…?”
“The one that was given to the kings in the Tower of the Seeker.”
“Ah.”
Karsem nodded upon understanding the question.
“Yes. I found it and obtained the ability.”
“……May I ask what ability it was, if it isn't an indiscretion?”
It was a delicate question.
If he had really achieved an ability, asking about it was almost a lack of respect.
And although Karsem was close to Alon Palatio, both were kings.
Of course, Alon Palatio didn't have much awareness of those nuances.
Even so, he was prepared for Karsem to refuse to answer.
“No, it's fine! I can tell you!”
Contrary to his expectations, Karsem accepted gladly.
At that same moment.
Hidan, one of the executors of Blue Night, was extremely busy lately.
After committing a fatal error (?) last time and being forgiven somehow by the Red Moon.
Because he was constantly investigating what hairstyle the Great Moon liked.
That wasn't Hidan’s only job.
He also had to mediate in clandestine matters within the Blue Night’s territory.
And, furthermore, manage all the members of the organization.
That is why, although things had improved a bit since Great Moon entered the desert, the burden was still enormous, and Hidan was exhausted.
While sighs filled the Blue Night’s hideout—
“What a face you're wearing.”
“…Yuna.”
Yuna, one of the executors, appeared.
“It’s just that I’m exhausted.”
“Well, considering everything you do, it’s normal. Although lately I also…”
Yuna left the sentence hanging.
“What is happening?”
“It’s just that there is too much information to gather these days.”
“…That much?”
“Yes. Although we collaborate with the Information Guild, we still have to look for data on our own. You know, since the Divine Bloods appeared…”
“……It is true.”
Since the arrival of the Divine Bloods, many things had been happening in the darkness of the Allied United Kingdoms.
New organizations appeared ceaselessly.
The religions that had hidden after the start of the end of the world were emerging.
Even Special Creatures created by the Divine Bloods were beginning to manifest, causing chaos relentlessly.
And that was despite the efforts of the Divine Land created by Great Moon.
“You must be exhausted.”
“Well… yes.”
Yuna shrugged her shoulders.
Then she took a document in a corner of the shelter and started reading it.
“Is it a report?”
“Obviously. What else would it be—”
But her voice stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
Hidan asked confused, but Yuna remained silent for a long while as she looked at the paper.
“Tell me.”
“You said the Moons called a meeting after a long time, right?”
“Yes… why?”
“……Can you get me out of that meeting?”
She said it with total calm.
Before Hidan could react, Yuna handed him the paper.
Hidan read it without much interest.
It was just another report.
Gathered data, nothing special.
But as he continued reading…
He let out a sigh.
“…Did you see it?”
Of course he had seen it.
The last line of the report:
“The sub-master of the Blue Magic Tower, Penia Crysinne, officially declared before the Central Magic Tower Association that she maintains a special relationship with Great Moon.”
“Why…?”
“The sub-master of the Blue Magic Tower.”
“Yes.”
Yuna swallowed saliva.
“…Does she have ten lives or what?”
Hidan remained silent.
He thought exactly the same.
“Yuna.”
“Ah, sorry, I have something to do, I’m leaving.”
“Wait—”
“Please replace me at the meeting! It would be weird if I appeared right now!”
“Wait—!!”
But Yuna disappeared before Hidan could finish.
And thus, Hidan was left alone.
“…Ah.”
He closed his eyes tightly.
He only had one thought:
I want to go home.
