Chapter 350

C350. Voting (5)

—Really, it’s fine.

In the end, that strange struggle ended when Alon desperately blocked the money bags of the princes who wanted to sponsor him.

However, Alon‘s feelings after stopping the sponsorship were indescribably strange.

‘……No, something here doesn’t add up.’

Alon did everything possible to prevent the princes and princesses from sponsoring him, and in the end, he managed to stop them.

Of course, from Alon‘s perspective, receiving support wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But it wasn’t something he was going to reach out for on purpose either.

Besides…

What would happen if he accepted a sponsorship and then they used that as an excuse to ask him for all kinds of favors?

That would be a headache in itself.

Anyway, with those thoughts, he blocked the sponsorship.

If one looks at it simply:

For Alon, receiving support is beneficial.

And for them, not sponsoring him would be the most profitable.

Especially since this didn’t have an ounce of commercial character.

That sponsorship, really, couldn’t have any meaning.

Yes, it should be like that.

Alon recalled the expressions of the distinguished guests who were looking at him just a moment ago.

Those faces filled with animosity.

Then, Evan‘s voice was heard.

—So, Marquis, you were the one trying to get sponsorship, and they were the ones who didn’t want to give it… right?

Alon replied without hesitation:

—The other way around, Evan. I was the one trying to stop them, and they were the ones insisting on sponsoring.

—……………….Really? Then I wasn’t wrong when I confirmed it.

—That’s right.

—But… why on earth would they want to sponsor you?

—………If I knew that, I wouldn’t be racking my brain.

Alon reflected.

Why did the princes and princesses look at him with an expression as if he had betrayed them?

“…Well, if we look at it broadly, maybe by donating a huge sum they wanted to use this place as if it were a mercenary group. Could it be that?”

—Is there……that possibility?

—Hmm, that’s why I said it only as a supposition. Frankly, this is not a mercenary group. So the theory doesn’t fit very well. Anyway, if that’s the case, there is only one possibility left.

—Which one?

—That the knight who did the presentation spoke so well that he managed to move the princes and princesses.

Alon put his hand to his chin.

—Evan.

—Yes.

—What do we have in our Divine Land?

—…Let’s see… barracks?

—And?

—More barracks.

—And?

—Very, very big barracks.

—Excluding barracks.

—…Yes, I admit that’s not enough to explain anything.

Evan nodded, understanding.

Alon shrugged slightly.

Regardless of their expressions…

The important thing was that Alon had achieved his goal.

‘I already exposed with sincerity all our shortcomings. The suspicion that we intend to start a war will disappear completely.’

Although things were unfolding in a totally different way than he thought…

Alon, who had no way of knowing this, felt satisfied and said to Evan:

—Evan, later give some personal reward to Seamus.

—To Seamus…?

—He is the knight who presented the Divine Land this time.

—Understood. I’ll make a note of it before we leave. By the way, if we return now, there is little time left for that day.

—That day?

—Yes, when we return, there will be barely a week left.

Alon nodded, as if just remembering it.

—Now that I think about it… how is the voting going?

—The voting?

—Yes. You said a lot of things were happening.

Evan remained in deep thought.

—How much do you have to think? Are you choosing your words?

—It’s not that… it’s just that if I start telling everything, it’s too much. I don’t know where to start to explain it to you…

—It’s true that I’ve been here for more than two weeks, but… it’s only been two weeks.

—Exactly.

—And in just two weeks so much has accumulated?

—More than you imagine.

—Fine, now I’m more interested. Just tell me the basics, whatever comes to mind.

Evan organized his ideas and began:

—To start, Yutia and Rine unified.

—……Huh?

—Then Seolrang and Magrina also unified. Later, Ryanga unified with Yutia, but then declared independence and left.

—Wait a moment.

—Then Historia unified with Magrina, who had stabbed Seolrang in the back, and also unified with Rine, who had betrayed Yutia… but afterwards they broke the unification. And furthermore—

—Wait a moment.

Alon felt his head spinning.

He covered his eyes with his hand.

—……Is what I’m hearing… really a voting to choose a partner?

—Yes.

—Why are they talking about unifications and alliances in a partner voting?

—Marquis, I only transmit what I hear. Don’t expect me to understand it.

—You’re right.

It was logical that Evan didn’t understand either.

Why did terms proper to political systems appear in a partner vote?

While Alon kept thinking, Evan spoke:

—But there is one thing I do know for sure.

—What thing?

—That you have no intention of returning right now.

—You know me well.

—Do you want us to go slowly?

Alon nodded instantly.

……It was autumn.

Duchess Altia regularly paid large sums to the information guild and received data periodically.

Sometimes, the quality wasn’t up to the money paid…

But Altia never thought it was a waste.

For her, information was…

A hidden gold that, depending on how it is used, can generate overwhelming value.

And now…

She had accumulated a huge amount of usable information.

The only problem was…

Although she gathered information, she couldn’t use it.

No, strictly speaking:

Before Altia could utilize the information, someone else was already using it.

—Duchess, this…

Altia silently looked at the huge sheaf of papers her secretary handed her.

At a glance, there were dozens of sheets.

She read the sentence on the first one:

[The age of Yutia Bloodia is at least 2,800 years, inhabitants ‘shocked’]

Besides the content…

The text was in a flashy red, clearly designed to defame Yutia Bloodia.

Altia turned the page.

[Yutia: “Totally absurd and false statement”, inhabitants ‘relieved’]

[Babayaga Seolrang, once endangered Marquis Palatio, inhabitants ‘shaken’]

[One of the Four Great Powers, the King of the Hundred Ghosts declares ‘Marquis Palatio is my boss’, inhabitants ‘scandalized’]

[Magrina is asked if she is over 600 years old, she replies: “In human age it would be about 20”, inhabitants ‘confused’]

[Inhabitant missing, work of a certain narrow-minded elf? Public ‘horrified’]

Each page contained declarations more delirious than the last.

This was…

The amount of pamphlets distributed in just four days in the territory.

Each one had been distributed not in dozens, but in hundreds of copies.

The territory was flooded with pamphlets.

—Why on earth do they always add things like ‘relief’, ‘shock’ at the end…?

—I’m sorry, Duchess, that is…

—Don’t apologize. I didn’t say it looking for an answer.

Altia sighed.

—……Is this only from three days?

—Yes, Duchess.

In just three days, dozens of pamphlets had circulated.

The candidates unified, betrayed each other, disunified…

While Altia reflected in the midst of that absolute chaos…

An instinctive sensation arose inside her.

……Should I really get involved in this?

Of course, Altia wasn’t joking.

Since she received the letter and decided to join the competition, she had prepared thoroughly.

But she had underestimated something:

The candidates were much more serious than she imagined.

No… not just serious.

They were extremely serious.

Altia looked out the window of her mansion.

It was night.

Therefore, normally everything would be dark.

Yes. It should be dark.

But—

Altia saw a golden-blue glow traversing the sky.

And golden crowns flying in all directions.

It wasn’t just that.

Clearly, holy lights of the Martyrs of Rosario illuminated the landscape.

There were large and small explosions in multiple places.

Above all—

—Historia! I told you that in human age I’m barely twenty!

—Yes, sure… and even so you are over 600.

—You are even older than me!

—Do you want to…… check it?

Magrina, emanating a red magic so intense it gave goosebumps.

And Historia, who responded with total calm…

Drawing a sword larger than her own body.

Before Altia could process anything…

Both disappeared in a deafening crash.

This didn’t happen once.

It happened every night.

Every night, the marquis’s mansion turned into a battlefield.

Altia observed the night landscape and thought:

Do I seriously belong in a place like this?

But then…

She gritted her teeth and held onto her waning determination.

‘Yes. From the beginning I knew it would be difficult.’

She knew this wouldn’t be easy.

……Although she didn’t expect it to be this difficult.

But she didn’t want to give up without trying anything.

That is why—

‘I already understood the situation more or less, so now—’

Just when Altia was preparing to recompose her will—

KWAANG!!!

Her room’s window exploded when someone slammed against the wall.

—!?!?

Altia looked in surprise.

Amidst the dust…

Seolrang came out, grinding her teeth.

—Rine, admit it, you are already an old hag!!!

She shouted as if she were deeply offended…

And immediately transformed back into a golden glow and disappeared.

Altia watched her figure drift away…

And then saw her room completely destroyed.

For a while…

She listened dazedly to the sounds of battle resonating from every corner of the territory turned into hell.

Until finally—

‘…I quit.’

Her heart broke completely.

A little later…

—…Marquis, don’t you think coming the night before the voting is exaggerating?

—I had matters to attend to.

—Matters… is that it?

—Magic research is a crucial topic.

Thus began the voting to choose Alon‘s partner.