Chapter 67

Duke Komalon of the Ashtalon Kingdom, located in the west of the Asteria Kingdom, was a noble who held immense power, even within the Ashtalon Kingdom. Though most nobles were unaware, he also wielded a tremendous influence in the underworld. In fact, there was no place in the underworld of the United Kingdom where his reach didn’t extend—until recently.

“Hm…”

Late at night, Duke Komalon, whose youthful face betrayed his status as a middle-aged man who had held the title for over 20 years, stared at documents in his tranquil study. Suddenly, he spoke.

“So, it’s difficult to exert influence in the Asteria Kingdom?”

Speaking to himself in an empty study, yet despite the lack of visible figures around him, a voice responded.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

With that reply, a man emerged from the shadows, kneeling before Duke Komalon. This man, named Shuto, controlled immense power in the underworld of the Ashtalon Kingdom on behalf of the duke.

Without turning his head, the duke continued asking questions.

“Not at all?”

“Yes, they’ve eliminated all of our operatives there.”

“Did the organizations that received Abyssal Gems and Abyssal Bodies collapse that easily?”

“Well…”

Shuto hesitated for a moment before answering.

“No organizations worthy of receiving Abyssal Gems or Abyssal Bodies have taken root in Asteria yet.”

“I see. So, there were no suitable recruits.”

“My apologies.”

Shuto bowed his head. The duke, tapping his quill absentmindedly, responded calmly.

“There’s no need to bow your head.”

“I’m sorr—”

Just as Shuto lowered his head further to speak, something felt off, and as he recognized the incongruity, his vision shifted, revealing Duke Komalon’s figure in reverse.

“?”

Shuto’s face twisted in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation.

And then—

“Dying will be your apology.”

With that, Shuto’s body collapsed with a thud, and as soon as the quiet voice gave the order, shadows emerged from the darkness, dragging Shuto’s body off the study floor.

Shortly after—

“Injela.”

At the call of Duke Komalon, who had killed the underworld powerbroker with ease, another figure stepped out of the shadows—this time a dark elf with black skin and large ears, speaking up.

“You called?”

“Yes, from now on, you will handle things.”

“Understood.”

The dark elf nodded. Without a second glance at Shuto’s body, being dragged into the shadows, Duke Komalon spoke again.

“And… did you say we can’t exert influence in Asteria?”

“Yes.”

“That’s troubling. It’s necessary for the plan.”

“Shall we act?”

The dark elf inquired.

However, Duke Komalon seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, we should focus on what’s happening in Rakshasha. There’s no need to reveal our strength right now. So… the leader of Kalpha is… Count Palatio, right?”

“Yes. Kalpha, which dominates the underworld in Asteria, operates under that noble.”

“Count Palatio, huh.”

There was a trace of interest in Duke Komalon’s muttering. This was because Count Palatio had recently interfered with his plans a few times. Though it didn’t seem intentional, there had been several instances where he had to redo unnecessary tasks due to the count’s involvement.

Additionally, recent rumors had piqued his interest, especially as they pertained to his ongoing ‘plans.’

“Don’t move directly. It’ll be troublesome if we’re caught moving on our end.”

“Understood. So, what should we do?”

“Tell those who’ve been bribed to express their discontent to Count Palatio. Our goal is just to exercise some influence, after all. If we shake up his prestige a bit, cracks will start to appear quickly.”

As if fully aware of how futile a sandcastle built on politics could be, Komalon spoke casually.

“This is actually good timing. They’ve been asking for us to pay more attention to Asteria as well. Once we deal with the count, we can use that as leverage to expand our influence.”

“Understood.”

The dark elf Injela responded, and Komalon, about to lower his gaze back to the documents, paused as if something occurred to him.

“And how’s the experiment going?”

“If you’re referring to young master Carmine, he’s currently in the isolation room.”

“His condition?”

“In previous tests with the Abyssal Gems, although there were symptoms of anxiety and increased violence, he could still manage daily life. However, after absorbing the Abyssal Body this year, his violence and rage have become uncontrollable, and he’s essentially broken.”

Injela reported calmly, but Duke Komalon, though hearing such a report, showed no change in expression as he mulled it over.

“I see.”

“I understand. I’ll handle the Asteria side properly.”

With that, he shifted his gaze, no longer interested.

“Understood.”

The dark elf bowed his head and disappeared on the spot, leaving the duke’s office to return to its earlier stillness. It was as if no one had ever been there in the first place.

***

Alon stared blankly at the marriage registration form, then turned his gaze to Seolrang.

Seolrang’s eyes were glowing brightly.

“Let’s become a family!”

Seolrang had an expectant look on her face, but Alon, holding the form, thought, ‘This is a bit…’

With a slightly awkward expression behind his neutral face, he asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

“Nope!”

“…Sorry, but I can’t agree to this.”

“Eh—”

Seolrang’s ears drooped in disappointment, clearly showing her dismay. However, no matter how disappointed she looked, Alon had no intention of marrying her right away.

Objectively speaking, there was nothing lacking in Seolrang as a potential bride. She was incredibly beautiful, and her honor and status were nothing to scoff at either.

But that was from an objective viewpoint. To Alon, there were several issues that made him hesitate.

First, although there wasn’t a huge age difference between them, Alon had always thought of Seolrang as a daughter figure.

Second, Alon believed that Seolrang didn’t truly love him; she just wanted to get married to him to become ‘family.’ In other words, she liked him, but she wasn’t in love with him.

These two points were significant to Alon, who held fairly traditional views on relationships, and that’s why he refused her request.

“Uu—”

Seolrang let out a pitiful sound, her tail drooping sadly, as if she were feeling down. Alon then…

‘First of all, I need to soothe her after the trauma from the previous betrayal, but saying things like ‘We’re family’ probably won’t help much.’

After a brief moment of thought, Alon made up his mind and spoke.

“Let’s think about this again after you get a little older.”

“…How much older?”

“…Two years?”

Alon sighed inwardly. He figured saying something too far off wouldn’t be comforting, while saying something too soon would sound strange, so he landed on two years as a compromise, mostly for reassurance.

‘Did I say too short a time?’

But regardless of his concerns, Seolrang, seeing a glimmer of hope, brightened up and wagged her tail.

“Okay!”

Seeing her perk up, Alon let out a sigh of relief.

‘Well, in two years, she’ll probably change her mind.’

Alon thought briefly.

***

Some time later, Alon arrived at a forgotten ruin. Leaving Seolrang, who had insisted on waiting behind, he immediately began moving. He soon reached the central tower, where he had previously encountered something unknown. Without hesitation, he made his way up the tower.

And then…

[Oh, you’ve come.]

As soon as he entered a large room, a figure appeared before him as if it had been waiting. Alon’s eyes widened in surprise.

The last time they met, this figure had been so distorted that it was impossible to recognize. Now, its form was clear. It had the physique of a human, yet it sported antlers on its head and a long tail that extended from its back.

“A… dragon? No… a dragonkin?”

Though still obscured like a shadow, Alon could now roughly discern the figure’s identity.

[Ho, you can see me now? I suppose defeating the outer god has raised your level. Quite impressive. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d manage.]

Alon replied to the dragonkin-like figure, which still resembled a shadow.

“I nearly died doing it.”

[If a mere human can handle an outer god and only ‘almost’ die, that in itself is quite remarkable, isn’t it? Although… judging by the energy, it seems you dealt with it before it fully manifested.]

The figure sat cross-legged atop the desk in the study and propped its chin in its hand.

[Still, it’s curious. How did you kill it, even if it hadn’t fully manifested? It’s not something a human should be able to do.]

The dragonkin, forming a question mark with its long tail, seemed genuinely curious.

“I used *Manifestation of Essence*.”

[…Huh? *Manifestation of Essence*? You?]

“Yes.”

[…Pfft.]

Alon answered calmly, but the figure, which had been speaking arrogantly just moments before, suddenly went blank. Then—

[Puhahahahahaha!!]

It burst into uncontrollable laughter, leaning back like a child, slapping the desk as it laughed. Alon, taken aback by the sudden reaction, could only watch in confusion.

[Ahh, I’m sorry, I haven’t heard such a joke in a long time.]

“What part of that was a joke?”

[The part where you claim to have succeeded in *Manifestation of Essence*, of course.]

The dragonkin wiped tears from its eyes, still chuckling.

[Well, it’s easy to misunderstand. After all, a wizard needs pride, but a bit of arrogance too.]

The figure, now blatantly mocking him, continued.

[Let me tell you something. It’s impossible for you to have succeeded in *Manifestation of Essence*. How can a mere human, who hasn’t even mastered *Mind Resonance*, succeed in *Manifestation of Essence*?]

“…Mind Resonance?”

[See? You don’t even know what *Mind Resonance* is, and you’re talking about *Manifestation of Essence*. Pfft.]

The dragonkin snickered, resting its hand on Alon’s shoulder as it added.

[I’ll give you credit for defeating the outer god, but lies aren’t good. Oh, and if you’re embarrassed, I’ll let you leave for a moment to regain your composure. Take your time.]

Still giggling, the dragonkin removed its hand from Alon’s shoulder. Alon, looking at the figure, asked.

“…Do you really think I lied?”

[Of course.]

“And what if I didn’t?”

[If you didn’t—]

The dragonkin, still maintaining its smug expression, grinned widely.

[Then if you can prove it right here, I’ll start calling you ‘Master’ from now on! How about that? Can you prove it?]

The dragonkin proposed this as if it were all a joke.

“Make sure you keep that promise.”

Alon warned as he formed a seal with his hands.

[Oh, I’ll definitely keep it! If you can really prove it.]

The dragonkin, still filled with ridicule, sneered. But Alon thought to himself.

‘Can I do it?’

Truthfully, recreating *Manifestation of Essence* with his current power was nearly impossible. However, this wasn’t a real battle.

‘If it’s just to demonstrate a small-scale version, without practical use, I should have enough magic to pull it off.’

With that thought, he quietly began chanting. As the spell slowly started to take form, the dragonkin, who had been grinning up until then, froze.

As the ice sphere in front of Alon slowly morphed into a giant crystal, forming a spear, the grin faded from the dragonkin’s face. The spear twisted and turned, creating the key to *Manifestation of Essence*.

[Huh?]

For the first time, confusion filled the dragonkin’s eyes. The dragonkin, with wide eyes, as if something had gone terribly wrong, stared at the scene in disbelief.

And then—

“Ice Spear of Conjuration.”

As Alon uttered the final words of the spell, the frozen ground spread before him.

[Nonsense…!?]

The face of the Dragonkin was filled with astonishment.