Chapter 340

C340. This wasn’t in the plans (3)

“Sorry! I just went somewhere else for a moment.”

“Apologies, Marquis.”

“It’s fine.”

While Alon was chatting with Ryanga and Historia, Silly and Deus naturally joined them.

Alon barely waved his hand indicating it was okay, when—

“Ah! Before we keep talking, let’s change locations.”

“Hm? Is there a reason for that?”

“Yes, I have something to show you!”

Silly proposed.

Alon, with a doubtful expression, ended up nodding.

He finished his conversation with Ryanga and Historia and followed the siblings.

It didn’t take long after they started walking.

“It’s here.”

“This is—”

“The Marquis’s residence! Even though you aren’t normally here, you come from time to time!”

Alon found himself in front of a huge fabric structure in the center of the Divine Land.

‘No… should I really call this a tent? This is…’

“…isn’t this simply a palace? No, what should I call it…?”

“A tent-shaped palace…?” murmured Evan, stunned.

Just as he said, what was before them wasn’t a simple tent, but a true palace made of canvas, leaving both completely bewildered.

“Let’s go inside!”

Following an euphoric Silly, they entered almost without realizing it.

What appeared was a fully equipped office.

There, they could start talking calmly.

Silly looked at Alon with sparkling eyes.

Alon became pensive.

He had so many questions to ask them, but having them in front of him, he didn’t know where to start.

After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.

“I heard earlier from Ryanga and Historia that you created a rank called the 4 Knights.”

“Ah, yes! They are the Marquis’s escort knights!”

“Escort knights?”

“Yes, there are always those who protect a divinity. So I created them provisionally! I only plan to choose people with enough skill to protect you no matter what happens.”

She added that there were still two empty spots.

“Ah, and we also reorganized the soldiers’ ranks a bit!”

“The soldiers too?”

“Yes! I divided everything into five main ranks—”

And she began to explain the complete army reform to him one by one.

For about 30 minutes.

…And in those 30 minutes, Alon understood two things:

First, that the rank system, which previously only consisted of Knights and Soldiers, had now been divided into fifteen.

Second, that his small “Divine Land” was a thing of the past.

“Of course, my brother helped me a lot.”

At Silly‘s comment, Deus puffed out his chest with pride, although he kept his usual expressionless face.

Alon, not knowing what made him feel so confident, continued the conversation.

“But, is there a reason to divide the ranks so much?”

“Ah, yes… simply because we are a lot of people now!”

“…It’s true that there seem to be more soldiers.”

Alon recalled the scene he had seen.

There were so many soldiers gathered that it was impossible to believe this was the same Divine Land as before.

“Ah, many of the mercenaries who came last time stayed.”

Silly explained, as if she had read his doubt.

“Huh?”

“I thought most would leave.”

“Well…, some did leave, but the majority came to trust in you, Marquis.”

Silly shrugged with a proud expression: See? Did I do good?

Alon only felt more doubts.

The mercenaries had arrived at Divine Land due to distorted rumors.

Once they discovered the reality, they should have left on their own.

Then, why did they stay?

“…Is there a reason why they didn’t leave?”

“I evangelized them!”

“…Evangelized?”

“Yes!”

But even with her energetic answer, Alon couldn’t understand it.

The mercenaries of Psychedelia valued profit more than faith.

“Did they accept believing in me just like that?”

Alon asked without resolving his doubt, and Silly smiled.

“At first, no.”

“Then?”

“I managed to make them believe. That is what a Saintess must do.”

Silly smiled proudly, ‘ahem’.

“May I ask… how you evangelized them?”

“Of course!”

She nodded as if it were obvious.

“To start, I gave power to a weak knight.”

And she began her explanation clearly.

About 30 minutes later—

“—And so, whether it was a weak mercenary or a strong one, everyone ended up receiving faith.”

There are few scriptures! There are even people anxiously waiting to receive one!

When she finished, still with her innocent smile,

Alon was left with his mouth open.

Evan too.

It was natural.

If everything Silly said was true,

the strategy was… too sinister to have been devised by a girl with such a pure smile.

“But, aren’t there side effects for making them believe like that?”

“In what sense?”

“If you give them power so that they believe, doesn’t that power fade away little by little?”

asked Evan.

But Silly responded with a calm smile.

“Don’t worry about that. What they need is hope.”

“…Hope?”

“Those who received strength through me believe that with enough devotion they will be able to show that power again. And the others believe that with faith they can become just as strong.”

“Isn’t that… a lie?”

Evan asked carefully.

Silly let out a giggle.

“A lie? If in the end they can handle the power, then it isn’t a lie.”

Well…, maybe I exaggerated a little bit—

When she said it, Evan could only nod awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Alon, Deus, and Evan had the same expression:

this was too much.

“Why are you looking at each other like that?”

asked Silly.

Alon pretended to cough and changed the subject.

“By the way, where did you go earlier?”

“To evangelize!”

“…Oh really?”

“Yes. You told me I had to gather more believers.”

“I said that?”

Me? When? thought Alon, although he kept a calm face.

“Yes, the Guardian Deity told me.”

Silly pointed to the side.

There—

Startle!

Kalanon was there in cat form, moving his eyes nervously.

‘It was you…?’ thought Alon.

Kalanon, embarrassed, climbed onto his lap and—

[Nyaa]

He rubbed against him.

As if saying: “Sorry, I had no choice~”

No choice for what?

Alon couldn’t understand it, but when he was about to pet him—

Wham!

Blackie, who was kept in his pocket, jumped out.

Tap-tap—

He saw Kalanon sitting on Alon‘s lap.

And then—

SMACK! SMACK!

[Nyaa—]

He gave him a couple of hits on the head.

They were such hard hits that they made a sound.

Kalanon ran away terrified and Blackie—

[Kyuuu—]

Glared at him and sat on Alon‘s lap as if he were the rightful owner of the place.

Alon was left with his hand in the air, not knowing what to do.

A while later.

Silly excused herself and left the office for a moment.

Then—

“Master!”

“God.”

“Boss!”

Seolrang, Historia, and Ryanga arrived.

The three of them were looking at him… but they were butting heads (?).

What on earth had happened to them?

“Move a little—”

“You move.”

“Idiots…”

Although they were smiling, their gaze was so charged with mana that it almost materialized.

Alon sighed.

‘Right… Seolrang and Historia never got along.’

He could understand that, but Ryanga too?

‘They were fine when it was just with Historia…’

Alon looked towards Deus.

Deus watched them without any interest, like someone watching chickens fight.

His attitude said: I don’t care if they kill each other.

Then—

“Ah, Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“I forgot to tell you something today. A message arrived from Alexion this morning.”

“Alexion? Why now?”

“You know, your dance partner.”

Alon let out an “ah”.

“But why mention it?”

“Because I asked him to.”

“Again?”

“Don’t worry, the annoying thing from last time won’t happen.”

“…Thank goodness.”

“Yes, the candidates for the interview will come soon.”

“Candidates?”

“Alexion sent letters only to the young ladies interested in you. When they come with the invitation, an interview will be held to select those who are at your level.”

“Is it necessary to go that far?”

“For someone of your position, we were already late.”

Just when Evan was responding firmly—

“…”

Alon felt a strange chill.

The three girls’ growls had disappeared.

Looking towards them—

Historia, Seolrang, and Ryanga were completely still, with their eyes wide open.

“Boss? What does that mean about a partner?”

Ryanga asked.

Alon briefly explained about the ball.

And upon hearing it—

“Uh… Boss, I… have something to do, I’ll be back later…”

“Master, I have to go out too.”

“Me too.”

They disappeared as if they had been waiting for that moment.

And not just them.

“Marquis, I’ll go out for a moment too.”

Even Deus.

Alon looked at him confused, then looked at Evan.

Both shrugged.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

“Sir Alexion.”

“Yes?”

“The letters… some were stolen.”

“…What?”

Alexion was perplexed.

They weren’t political letters, why steal them?

“Who stole them?”

“They don’t know. Some say they fainted and when they woke up they didn’t have the letter anymore. Others say it disappeared from their pockets.”

“Mmmm…”

Could it be that they lost them? thought Alexion.

But then his skin crawled remembering the girl who appeared two days ago:

Yutia Bloodia, the Cardinal of Rosario.

She was smiling, but her eyes were not laughing.

For a moment he thought: “Was it her?”

But he shook his head.

She was at the Marquis’s mansion.

She couldn’t steal letters that were being distributed throughout the country at the same time.

Besides, if she wanted to eliminate the other candidates, she would have stolen ALL the letters.

Since she didn’t…

It wasn’t her.

‘Then, who?’

While he was thinking, his secretary added another piece of news.

“There is something else.”

“What is it?”

“It seems the rumor about finding a partner for the Marquis… has spread.”

Alexion sighed.

He didn’t get angry.

Even if he sent letters discreetly, it was impossible to hide something like that.

And he had foreseen it.

“It’s fine.”

“What shall we do?”

“What else? Send them again. Ah…, it would be so easy if I could use a communication orb, but in noble matters everything must be by letter. How inconvenient…”

He didn’t give it importance.

But the rumor spread much faster than he thought.

“So… a partner is being sought for brother?”

“That is so.”

“A partner for the Godfather?”

“Yes… of the Primordial Elf…”

It even reached the elven country.

Upon hearing the news, Magrina and Rine, who were drinking tea, froze.

Myu, Magrina‘s secretary, was startled.

It was natural.

“Unnie, I have something urgent, I’ll be back soon.”

“I also have something to do.”

Their eyes shone with a dangerous intensity.

Myu felt it immediately.

‘…W-what is this?’

Something big was coming.