Chapter 337

C337. Strangeness (3)

Everyone who helped in this battle, including Alon, gathered in the conference room.

Stallian V, who had not shown his face until now, finally appeared.

“Thank you all for providing your help.”

They were finally able to see his face.

Compared to the last time they saw him, Stallian V‘s appearance was terribly haggard.

While Alon was surprised for an instant, Stallian V finished his brief speech without much ceremony and then made a slight gesture with his hand into the air.

In response, the knights who hadn’t moved at all until a few minutes ago handed each gathered person a small jewelry box.

“This is what I had promised you.”

After adding a couple of polite sentences, Stallian V turned around with that haggard face and left the room.

In an audience that ended almost immediately, Evan, who was behind Alon, spoke slowly.

“It ended faster than I thought.”

“Indeed.”

“But… it doesn’t seem like the king is very happy, does he?”

At that, Penia, who was beside him, looked at him with an air of disbelief.

“And how is he going to be happy? More than half his territory was destroyed.”

“But even so, he was on the verge of dying and survived.”

“And what does that matter? From now on, it will be like he’s dying because of how hard it will be.”

“Hmph—”

Evan made an expression as if saying “Is it that bad?”, and Penia shook her head.

“Think about it: what happens when territory is lost?”

“…Money?”

“The money is already lost.”

“Hmm… power?”

“…That will also vanish.”

After so many wrong answers, Penia sighed deeply and explained:

“Listen carefully. This isn’t resolved as a simple ‘lost territory’. If it were one or two regions, maybe… but half was left in tatters.

And it all happened because of the king himself.”

“Isn’t that something that hasn’t been confirmed yet?”

While the situation became public, rumors circulated that Ashtalon had provoked everything by trying to secretly obtain the strange stones.

But officially there was no confirmation yet.

However, Penia frowned.

“Only in appearance is it unconfirmed; in practice, it’s almost a fact.”

‘If it weren’t something he caused himself, why would he have tried to solve it in such a desperate way?’ she added.

“In any case, from now on the King of Ashtalon will have it very difficult. The internal nobles, full of resentment, will be waiting for the opportunity to bite his neck, and from the outside, they will demand accountability.”

Well, if he pretended not to know anything until the end, maybe he could avoid taking the blame.

In any case, it was evident that the kingdom’s influence would be weakened.

“In conclusion, from now on only a path of constant decline remains for him.”

“…Is it prudent to talk about this here?”

“No, of course not. Under normal conditions.”

With a shrug, Penia looked at Marquis Palatio with an expression of full confidence.

‘…Why is she looking at me?’

Alon thought: I haven’t said anything…, but he didn’t comment.

He greeted those he knew briefly, left the annoying wizards in Sharan‘s hands, and returned to his room.

“Marquis, why don’t you open it?”

Together with Penia, he observed the small jewelry box he had received earlier.

Alon was also curious about the strange stone that Stallian V had promised as a reward.

‘Unlike the Abyssal Cores, it supposedly increases power without side effects.’

Remembering the rumors he had heard earlier, he opened the box.

“Oh—”

“How curious.”

While he listened to Evan and Penia‘s exclamations, he examined the contents.

Inside was a purple-colored jewel.

But unlike a common gem…

“It truly is curious.”

It seemed as if something was trapped inside. Alon focused on the white light enclosed within it.

It shone with a life of its own, changing its intensity as if it were alive.

At that moment—

[Kyu—?]

Blackie, who was sleeping in his pocket, poked his head out. He looked at the jewel with deep interest, his eyes wide open.

And not just him: Basiliora, who was inside the ring, also suddenly jumped out to observe the jewel.

[This is—]

Basiliora tilted his head, confused.

“Do you know something about this?”

After a moment of silence looking at the jewel, Basiliora spoke with an indecisive expression.

[If what I believe is correct… what is inside this gem is divine power.]

“…Divine power?”

[Yes. But it is not of the same type that we use.]

“What do you mean?”

At Alon‘s confusion, Basiliora tilted his head several times again.

[The divine power we use comes from faith.]

“That’s right.”

[But this… although it feels like divine power—]

Hmmm— Basiliora hesitated for a few seconds.

[To be honest, I don’t know.]

He finally answered.

If you don’t know, just say you don’t know.

[That’s why I just said it!]

Basiliora protested before Penia‘s dull gaze, who had lost expectation.

Alon, who was turning the gem in his hand, noticed that Blackie kept bringing his face closer to the jewel.

He lifted it a little.

Blackie looked directly at him, as if saying with his gaze: “Give it to me.”

Alon hesitated for a few seconds.

Then, he held the gem out to him.

And then,

Whoosh—!

“?!?!”

Something was absorbed into Blackie‘s body.

It didn’t even last a second.

Alon immediately pulled the gem away from his forehead.

But the stone had already lost all its shine.

“Ah.”

Alon, Penia, and Evan stood petrified.

[Kyu.]

In contrast, Blackie satisfiedly licked his paws and returned to Alon‘s pocket to sleep.

“……Is he… okay?”

Evan couldn’t hide his confusion.

Alon didn’t care too much about losing the gem itself. He was only interested because it didn’t come from Psychedelia; he had no real intention of using it.

But regardless of its use, he didn’t know if the stone was dangerous.

He looked at Blackie inside his pocket…

[…]

But Blackie was sleeping soundly with an expression of full fortitude.

“…I’ll have to ask him.”

Alon just brought his hand to his forehead.

---

The next day.

Alon went out to meet Eliban.

He had faced many Strange Gates; perhaps he knew something about those stones.

But…

Alon was surprised.

He was surrounded by a multitude of nobles.

“Wow… he really is popular.”

“…I didn’t expect it to be this much.”

Alon knew of Eliban‘s reputation.

It was impossible not to know.

Whenever he researched information, heroic stories about him abounded.

“Eh, I would say it’s even too little.”

“Oh really?”

“Of course. In any country, the nobles cling to him, and in the villages even more: they treat him like a hero.”

“Well, that is normal. He was chosen by the goddess Sironia, and his actions are always to protect the people.”

Nodding to Penia, at that moment—

“Ah! Marquis, what brings you here!?”

“…Eliban.”

Eliban spotted Alon among the nobles and ran toward him, ignoring them all.

Behind him, Alon felt gazes mixed with discomfort, surprise, and admiration.

‘I’ve waited so long!’ and ‘Does Eliban really follow him like that?’ was what their eyes were screaming.

Alon cleared his throat.

“…Did I interrupt something?”

“No, we were just chatting. What do you need?”

“I had a quick question.”

“Ask me anything.”

“Do you know anything about the stones from the Strange Gates?”

After listening to Alon‘s explanation about what happened the previous day—

“Ah, don’t worry so much about that.”

Eliban replied naturally.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s not that I know too much, but my companions also absorbed them and they are all perfectly fine.”

“Your companions… too?”

“Yes. I thought about absorbing one because they got stronger quickly, but I couldn’t, so I gave up.”

Alon nodded as if he had already obtained enough.

“Ah, right. Are you preparing to return already?”

“Yes, that’s the idea.”

“Then we’ll see each other in a couple of months. Well, it will be in three months anyway because of the ball in Asteria.”

“…Three months?”

Evan explained from the side:

“I think he refers to the ball that will be held in Asteria.”

“That same one.”

Eliban smiled.

“Then, see you there!”

After saying goodbye, he returned to the nobles.

Alon murmured:

“As he said… it’s about time to go back.”

“Then, shall we prepare everything?”

“Let’s stay one more day. I still have to say goodbye to Seolrang and Radan, and I must see the saint.”

“Understood.”

Penia raised her hand.

“Ah, Marquis! I will go see my teacher. I also must say goodbye.”

“Good.”

After separating from her and walking toward his room—

“Ah, right, Marquis.”

“What is it?”

Evan spoke as if he had just remembered.

“When we return to the territory, you must take care of something.”

“Of something? Did I leave work pending?”

“No, it’s not that. You must choose a partner.”

“…Partner?”

“Yes. The ball in Asteria strictly requires a partner of the opposite sex.”

“I see…”

Alon‘s eyes darkened.

Can’t I just not go?

A fleeting thought.

But Alon rejected it.

I have missed too many times. I must go at least once.

It had been years since he attended any ball.

He always had plausible excuses…

But being absent so many times was already becoming uncomfortable.

And last time I didn’t even go to the ball that Cyan asked me to attend.

Remembering that, Alon spoke:

“I will go this time, although I have always avoided it. But… is it mandatory to have a partner?”

“Yes. This time it is indispensable.”

“……I’ll have to look for a partner.”

“Exactly. It would be better to think about it starting now.”

“Hmm…”

After a few seconds of hesitation—

“…When we return, I will talk to someone close.”

“That is also fine. It is not necessary for it to be someone noble.”

Evan added:

“If you want, I can ask among my contacts.”

“That also works.”

Alon replied without giving it much importance…

Without realizing that the red brooch was shining with a particularly intense glow.