Chapter 69

Milanon, a noble of the colony and a member of the Count of Philmaria’s family, couldn’t grasp the current situation at all—from start to finish. First of all, he didn’t understand why Seolrang, the first Baba Yaga of the colony, had slaughtered all his private soldiers and grabbed his head as if it was about to explode, just for mocking a nobleman walking around with a bewildered expression.

He also couldn’t understand why Yutia Bludia, one of the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario and known to have the strongest influence lately, suddenly stepped out of the carriage and held hands with the very noble he had mocked. Everything was a mystery.

However…

“Isn’t that Count Palatio?”

“Seems like it, huh?”

“He’s with a Baba Yaga, so it must be him.”

Milanon, hearing the whispers of the citizens, finally realized why Seolrang had grabbed his head. The rumor that Seolrang, the Baba Yaga of the colony, followed Count Palatio, a noble of the Kingdom of Asteria, as her Master, had spread quite widely since about a year ago.

Still, there were things he couldn’t comprehend.

‘Lord? She calls him Lord…?’

Milanon had heard rumors about Count Palatio. He knew Seolrang referred to him as Master and that Deus Macallian, the Master Knight of the nation of Caliban, called him Benefactor. He was also aware of his close relationship with a high-ranking member of the Labyrinth City’s council. But…

‘He’s close with a cardinal from the Holy Kingdom as well?’

Milanon stared at Alon and Yutia with a dumbfounded expression. Unlike Alon, who remained expressionless, Yutia, standing across from him, seemed to be filled with warm feelings. Feelings so full of warmth that even if Milanon had truly been mistreated in this situation, there was no way she would take his side.

‘What on earth is his true identity…?’

As that astonished curiosity filled Milanon, he heard Alon’s voice: “Seolrang, stop.”

With that, Milanon was finally released.

“Grr…”

Milanon clutched his head in pain, feeling as if it would split open. Alon approached him.

“Are you alright? My apologies.”

The apology was simple and straightforward. Milanon instinctively tried to open his mouth. He knew that mocking a fellow noble like Count Palatio was something he should not have done. But still, the response had been excessively harsh. And there were several witnesses to it.

Of course, since Milanon had used his soldiers to block access and keep the area to himself, no one viewed him favorably. In fact, many seemed to find satisfaction in Seolrang’s actions.

“Still, though~”

Milanon, who had gained some justification with Alon’s apology, was about to say something, but he quickly shut his mouth. He couldn’t help it, because both Seolrang and Yutia, standing behind Count Palatio, were staring straight at him. Their red and golden eyes glinting as if they wouldn’t miss a single move.

Staring intently.

And so…

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I-I’m fine… really, fine…!”

With that, Milanon frantically waved his hands and quickly fled the scene.

***

Shortly after the noble, whose identity Alon hadn’t even bothered to confirm, fled in a panic…

After the initial surprise of the sudden meeting, they moved to Seolrang’s guild to avoid attention. Finally, Alon could speak comfortably with Yutia.

“You said you came to the colony for some business?”

“Yes. So, I won’t be staying long.”

Alon nodded at Yutia’s bright smile, yet his expression turned somewhat pensive. Her smile was so kind, so saintly, that it was almost fitting to call her a saint. But there was a strange disconnect with how he remembered her.

‘Maybe it’s because I only saw her as one of the Five Great Sins in Psychedelia, but she feels very different now.’

Alon suddenly realized that although they had exchanged letters frequently, this was his first time seeing her in person. A sense of pride filled him. Yutia had grown up well. Particularly with the destructive image of her as one of the Five Great Sins still vividly imprinted in his mind, the pride he felt towards her was even greater than for others.

Looking around the room, Alon spoke up again.

“But… are you two not on good terms?”

The reason for his question was that Seolrang, who was always cheerful, had been looking unusually tense ever since Yutia arrived. But Yutia, without losing her smile, replied, “Oh, not at all. Seolrang and I are on very good terms, right?”

“Right,” Seolrang nodded.

However, despite their words, the atmosphere between them felt somewhat awkward. Alon tilted his head in mild confusion but then shrugged, deciding not to pry further since they both insisted they were close.

Then, out of nowhere, Seolrang asked, “Master, in two years, you’ll think about it, right?”

The sudden question left Alon momentarily confused until he realized she was referring to the marriage registration. He fumbled his response, “Well… I’ll think about it when the time comes.”

“What are you going to think about?” Yutia asked curiously.

Alon hesitated, wondering how to explain the situation, but before he could say anything, Seolrang boldly announced, “He said he’ll seriously consider marrying me in two years!”

Alon, taken aback, let out a surprised sound, “Ah—”

“Huh?” Yutia, equally shocked, voiced her confusion.

Seolrang, on the other hand, looked more triumphant than ever, as if she had never been upset in the first place.

Yutia, who had been staring blankly at Seolrang for a moment, suddenly burst into a soft laugh, “Pfft—”

“?”

Then, with a serene expression, she looked at Alon. “You don’t need to explain, Lord. I’m sure Seolrang made an unreasonable request, and you had no choice but to answer that way, right?”

Even though Alon hadn’t provided any explanation, Yutia seemed to understand everything perfectly, as if she were already wise beyond her years. Alon couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Anyone could see that she embodied the role of a nurturing older sister.

Just as Alon was about to nod in satisfaction, Yutia continued, “Yes, that must be it. Since Seolrang is a bit immature, you probably had to comfort her by promising something in two years, knowing that rejecting her outright would have made her incredibly sad. I know you only said that because you had no choice. Although lying isn’t good, sometimes there are lies that have to be told, right?”

“…??”

Alon was left bewildered, his mind filling with question marks as Yutia, still smiling, rattled off her words without even pausing to breathe.

She then turned her gaze to Seolrang and said, “So, Seolrang, you understand now, right? You shouldn’t put Lord in a difficult position. And, like I said before, it’s too early for you to think about marriage.”

“I didn’t put him in a difficult position! And the vice guild leader told me that a five-year age gap is perfect for marriage!”

“Seolrang, I said no. You shouldn’t make things hard for Lord.”

Yutia continued to speak with a smile, but Seolrang’s expression twisted in frustration as she shouted, “You’re the one who can’t! You’re too old!”

“…What do you mean by that, Seolrang? I’m only two years older than you.”

Yutia’s smile didn’t waver, but…

“I heard it from Rine. Your age is estimated to be thou—”

Before Seolrang could finish her sentence—

Boom! Crash!

Seolrang suddenly disappeared through the floor.

“…?”

Alon stared blankly at the scene, stunned by how quickly everything had unfolded. Yutia, who had been glaring down at where Seolrang had stood moments ago, suddenly noticed Alon’s presence again. She quickly softened her expression and smiled kindly.

“It seems the building is a bit weak.”

It was an obvious lie, but Yutia said it with a straight face.

“The building… is weak?” Alon asked.

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

“Really. It just collapsed all of a sudden, didn’t it?”

Despite her repeated insistence, as if she would never admit to having slammed Seolrang into the lower floor, Alon could only respond, “I see…”

Alon reluctantly nodded in agreement, while suddenly recalling that Yutia had once been one of the Five Great Sins. He thought to himself,

‘So, a woman’s age really is a taboo topic… But a thousand… a thousand years? I didn’t expect that.’

Alon filed away this new piece of information that he had never wanted to know.

“I’ll go fetch Seolrang,” Yutia said, ending the conversation.

A few minutes later, Alon saw Seolrang, creaking and moving like a puppet, seated back in her chair. He was reminded again of the absolute taboo she had broken.

For the next half hour, they conversed, sharing stories. Eventually, Yutia spoke up.

“Lord, I believe it’s time for me to take my leave.”

Alon nodded in response. “Yes, you did mention you had other business.”

“Yes, I’ll probably be here for about three weeks, so I’ll make sure to stop by often while you’re still around.”

“Alright.”

Just as Yutia was about to turn and leave with a small smile, she suddenly clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.

“Oh, and earlier, you mentioned that you would be participating in the Colosseum?”

They had indeed talked about that earlier during their conversation.

“Yeah, that’s right. As I said, I’m aiming to get something from the royal treasury.”

“The Sparrow’s Staff, right?”

“Correct.”

“Hmm…”

Yutia nodded lightly, understanding his intent.

“Well then, I’ll see you again soon,” she said with a smile, before leaving.

Alon watched as a white carriage headed toward the royal palace of the colony, and he turned his gaze to Seolrang, who let out a huge sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease.

“Alright, I suppose I should start preparing as well.”

***

The next day, after spending the night at Seolrang’s guild, Alon headed straight to the Colosseum and submitted his application to participate. Thanks to Seolrang’s help, the process, which usually took a week, was completed in just an hour.

“F-rank fighter pass… This is just the beginning.”

Holding the pass that all new applicants receive, Alon steeled himself for what was to come. Two days later…

– Waaaaahhhhhhh!! –

Alon stood in the arena of the Colosseum, about to participate in his first battle. He exhaled a shallow breath and looked around. The audience seats were packed with spectators, not a single seat was empty, and around 100 other fighters stood in the arena with him.

His first match was not a one-on-one duel but a battle royale, and the victory condition was simple: be the last fighter standing. There were no other conditions—survival was the only rule.

Though Alon generally preferred one-on-one matches, he chose the battle royale for one simple reason: winning a battle royale would allow him to jump from F-rank to D-rank in a single leap. Once a fighter reached D-rank, they gained the right to challenge higher-ranked fighters and exchange ranks, which would allow Alon to skip ahead faster.

As he glanced around, Alon thought to himself, “The only way to enter the royal treasury and retrieve the treasure I’m after is by becoming an A-rank fighter.”

Of course, becoming a Baba Yaga would allow access to the national treasure, the *Rebo*, but Alon didn’t need to go that far. The items he sought, including the Sparrow’s Staff, were housed in the treasury that an A-rank fighter could enter.

“It won’t be easy.”

Alon scanned the area. The other fighters gripped their weapons and stared back at him, as if they had all made some unspoken agreement.

Some were tense, others serious, and a few sneered or tried to gauge the situation carefully. Their emotions varied, but they all shared one thing in common: they were ready to point their weapons at him.

Of course, Alon had anticipated this. Even though the fighters here were all F-rank, none of them were mere cannon fodder. They had joined the battle royale with the goal of advancing by crushing the competition.

And to them, Alon was the clear target. Rumors had spread that he had fended off foreign enemies and played a major role in dealing with the Baba Yagas. For those aiming to win, taking Alon out first was only natural.

[“Alright then, the fighter’s match will begin shortly!”] the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena.

Most of the fighters tensed up, waiting for the signal, and as soon as it came—

[“Let the match… BEGIN!”]

—they all rushed toward Alon.

The situation grew tense in an instant. The arena echoed with the wild cheers of the spectators, while the fighters’ battle cries filled Alon’s ears. As the first fighter’s axe swung down toward his head—

With the faintest movement of Alon’s fingers, encased in his black battle armor—

Crack!

A sudden wave of freezing cold swept through the arena.

“|||”

The axe, just inches from Alon’s head, froze in mid-air.

“Ice Crystal,” Alon muttered, forming a hand seal.

A wall of ice began to rise around him.