Chapter 214

🌳 Forest Rendezvous and a Heist Plan

In a small, open area within a forest located somewhere in the southern expanse of the Allied Kingdoms, a group of five individuals—four men and one woman—were gathered.

“So, are we truly going through with this?”

“Yes.”

The woman posed the initial question. She wore a look of disapproval, but the man who replied, Tulman, offered a slow, determined smile.

“We are going to take the property belonging to Marquis Palatio.”

“No matter how I analyze this, it sounds completely insane—”

The woman expressed her objection, and the man seated next to her confirmed her sentiment with a nod.

Yet, Tulman, the man with a prominent facial scar and the head of the notorious “Black Hand” organization within the Allied Kingdoms, spoke again.

“No, we shall do it. In fact, we must do it.”

“……Even if it means putting our lives on the line?”

“Absolutely.”

“Is there seriously a justification for such an extreme risk?”

“Of course, there is.”

A confident grin spread across his features. As the other executives watched him with doubt, Tulman produced a document detailing the assignment, complete with an attached sketch, and laid it before them.

“What is this?”

“A wristband?”

As the executives examined the paper, their eyes began to widen in stages.

“…??!”

Their reaction was understandable. The sheer value listed in gold coins at the bottom of the request—was a sum so colossal that it defied their very comprehension.

“……Is this legitimate?”

“Yes. To be certain, I verified it personally.”

“We’ve dealt with a substantial amount of wealth in our careers, but this figure… Has anything like it ever crossed our path? More crucially, can they genuinely afford this amount?”

“I already told you. I verified it.”

At Tulman’s resolute confirmation, everyone’s mouths fell open. This was… for real? In that case—

“It’s worth wagering our lives on, isn’t it?”

“That is undeniable.”

“If you consider it, it’s not even a life-or-death scenario. We are merely stealing an object. What is the great difficulty?”

“Well… it being Marquis Palatio is admittedly a slight worry—”

The man who had previously sided with the woman in opposition slowly nodded.

“To be honest, this is exceedingly tempting. We’re not doing anything other than thievery. That is, after all, our specialized skill.”

“But what specifically is this wristband that warrants such an outlandish payout?”

A perfectly reasonable inquiry. However, Tulman dismissed it easily.

“Does it matter? From our viewpoint, all that’s required is delivering the commissioned item and collecting our reward.”

“That’s sound reasoning.”

“Very well, since we are all in agreement, should we commence immediately?”

As Tulman’s words settled, the executives’ eyes—fixed on the commission letter—began to glow with avarice.

“We’ll begin with a little surveillance.”

And, naturally, in Tulman’s own eyes—a deep, unquenchable craving flickered.

🍠 Journey to Asteria and an Unsettling Revelation

About a fortnight after the group departed for Asteria—

“This tastes wonderful—”

Alon, once more enjoying sweet potatoes, took a bite and—

[Kraaaah! I told you not to touch me!!]

—observed Basiliora, who was bellowing angrily with his mouth still full, and Blackie, who completely disregarded him and continued to playfully swat at him.

It caused Alon to muse suddenly—

‘…Now that I consider it, Blackie keeps taking in those massive entities, yet not much seems to be changing.’

Immediately after they had defeated the Apostle of Sloth—Blackie had absorbed Krakscha, who had disintegrated into dust.

‘They said it would gain strength by consuming them, but does it undergo a single, dramatic evolution?’

As Alon contemplated while chewing his sweet potato—Blackie, which had been bothering Basiliora, abruptly shifted its attention to him. Then, it approached and started nuzzling affectionately against Alon’s legs.

Sensing the unexpected display of affection, Alon gently stroked its head, realizing it had been acting unusually attached recently.

‘It used to be more reserved.’

Although Blackie had always been fond of him—had it ever been this overtly affectionate before?

Just as Alon found himself surprised by this shift—Blackie continued its playful showing of devotion, all while stealing occasional glances at the brooch pinned to Alon’s chest.

Just as Alon was about to tilt his head in confusion—

“Marquis.”

Evan, who was peeling a potato unlike the others, called out to him.

“What is it?”

“Do you recall those organizations you mentioned earlier? The ones I reported had vanished entirely?”

“Ah, those?”

“Yes. You seemed a bit doubtful back then, so I dug further, and it turns out they truly are gone. But since then, that organization named ‘Black Hand’ has been growing increasingly bold.”

“Black Hand?”

“Yes. It was one of the names on the list you instructed me to investigate, and apparently, they’ve become quite infamous.”

“Hmm~”

Alon nodded while holding a sweet potato. The Black Hand. It was an organization he knew very well. They were mainly involved in larceny and the trade of people—and in Alon’s memories, they were an extraordinary nuisance.

For several reasons. First, they were cowardly. Unlike numerous other organizations in Psychedelia, the Black Hand never exposed their headquarters nor directly engaged opponents. Instead, they constantly harassed players through non-combat means—making them far more annoying than one might anticipate.

Furthermore, their structure was decentralized. Even if one executive were eliminated, the organization as a whole remained largely intact. On top of that—regardless of the starting kingdom of a player—if their reputation grew, the Black Hand invariably pursued them. Unless a player invested in specific attributes, by the final stages of the game, they had to entirely obliterate the Black Hand—or else they would be perpetually plagued by their relentless theft attempts.

For this reason, Psychedelia players universally despised the Black Hand. Especially those who declined to allocate their stats according to the developer’s intended balance—and instead concentrated all their points into extreme, role-playing-focused builds. To those players, the Black Hand was particularly detestable. Naturally, Alon—who had once lost a precious resource he had painstakingly collected—hated them as well.

‘I’d much prefer to avoid dealing with them if possible.’

But at the moment, there was no way to utterly eliminate the Black Hand. With a sigh, Alon took another bite of his sweet potato.

“Hmm—”

The sweet potato was tasty.

And then—another week passed.

👑 Teria and an Unexpected Question

By the time Alon had nearly stabilized the magic he had been developing alongside Penia, the carriage finally arrived at the capital of the Asteria Kingdom—Teria. And there, waiting for him—

“Greetings, My Lord.”

“Yutia…?”

—was Yutia. Wearing a cheerful smile as bright as the sun, Yutia lowered her head in salutation.

Alon, observing her, inquired, “I didn’t anticipate seeing you in Asteria. What brings you here?”

“I have a few matters to attend to, but primarily, I need to meet with the Queen of Asteria.”

Alon nodded. It was not particularly unusual for a cardinal to pay a visit to a Queen.

Meanwhile, Yutia’s gaze drifted to the red brooch fastened to Alon’s chest pocket. A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she spoke.

“I’m pleased to see you are wearing the brooch.”

“It would be a pity to merely keep a gift purely for display.”

“I’m relieved. I was concerned you might simply put it away.”

“Don’t worry. I will make good use of it.”

“Truly?”

“Yes.”

“Then, will you make a promise to me?”

With a simple gesture, Yutia extended her pinky finger.

Alon, smiling faintly, interlocked his pinky with hers.

After exchanging light, friendly remarks, the two walked side-by-side toward the royal castle of Asteria.

“Go in first. I shall wait.”

“Thank you for your consideration, My Lord.”

Yutia offered a gentle bow for Alon’s thoughtfulness and then proceeded into the audience chamber first.

After some time had elapsed—

“Marquis Palatio, we shall escort you now.”

It was finally Alon’s turn. A knight, bowing respectfully, guided him. Following behind, Alon moved forward.

And once more, instead of being taken to the audience chamber, he was directed to Siyan’s office.

“It has been a while.”

“I greet Your Majesty.”

Alon bowed with deference.

“Please, sit down first.”

Following the Queen’s invitation, Alon took a seat. Siyan, wearing an amused expression, stared at him intently.

“I’ve been hearing quite a lot of intriguing gossip again recently. Since you came to see me, I presume you’ve also been to Greynifra?”

“Yes.”

When Alon confirmed it, Siyan nodded with satisfaction, but then, she swiftly changed the topic.

“I’m quite curious about that as well, but first, there is something I must ask.”

“Please, proceed.”

“Are you and Cardinal Yutia…”

Alon tilted his head, wondering why Yutia’s name suddenly arose.

“…In love with each other?”

And at the wholly unexpected words—

“…What?”

For a brief second—he nearly lost his self-control.

🧝‍♀️ The Observer and the Elves

Among the executives of the Black Hand, Foulton was reputed to possess the most exceptional proficiency in stealth.

At this very moment, he was observing Marquis Palatio from a cliff face outside the castle walls.

‘For all the overwhelming stories, he doesn’t seem particularly special.’

That was Foulton’s initial assessment of the marquis. He had heard countless rumors about Marquis Palatio previously. The accounts were consistent. Every single one lauded his power, claiming he was so formidable that even those who simply heard the tales couldn’t help but be awestruck.

But contrary to those stories—the man before him was impassive and cold, but otherwise, he appeared rather ordinary. Not only that—judging by his own personal standards, Palatio’s capabilities didn’t appear particularly noteworthy either.

‘If I compare him to a mage… at best, he’s at the fourth rank… No, perhaps the fifth rank now?’

Of course, he understood that outward appearance was not everything. Even keeping that in mind, the marquis looked far too commonplace. A sneer naturally formed on Foulton’s lips.

“If he’s only this, not only could I rob him, but I could take him down myself.”

A mumbled comment, filled with nonchalance. Though, it wasn’t entirely genuine. Having survived in the criminal world since childhood, Foulton never judged anyone solely on their appearance. Even so, the fact that Palatio seemed this unimpressive was quite strange.

“Hmm…”

Foulton paused for a moment.

“You plan to eliminate Marquis Palatio?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Why would you dare to attempt that?”

Out of habit, he casually replied to the voice beside him—

“This fool is speaking so disrespectfully again. I’m trying to pull off one major job and finally retire—”

And then—he realized something was wrong. Right now, he was by himself. He had been monitoring Marquis Palatio while hidden. Meaning, he had no subordinates nearby. No one was supposed to be here to ask him anything—and certainly, no one for him to answer.

Slowly turning his head, utterly bewildered—Foulton saw them.

“Tell me, what precisely do you intend to do to the marquis?”

Glaring directly at him—with expressions twisted into pure antagonism—were a group of elves.