Chapter 82

Alon, walking along the main road, soon found himself at the eastern coast of Syphra. He glanced around, noticing how the eastern beach was far quieter than the village he first arrived at. All he could see was sand, the sea, and distant cliffs—nothing else.

“I really made it…” he thought.

Remembering the man who suddenly changed his attitude and kindly showed him the way, Alon wore a peculiar expression as he began walking along the shore. Soon, he pulled out a necklace marked with the black wood pattern given by ‘that being’ he encountered at the Colony.

He never expected to encounter a different race openly on this coast, especially one he hadn’t seen even in Psychedelia.

Thus, with the necklace in hand, Alon kept walking on the empty sand toward the approaching cliffs until…

“Hm?”

He noticed a woman watching him from a rocky path leading beyond the cliffs.

No, it wasn’t a woman.

“A mermaid.”

While the upper body was undoubtedly human, the lower half had the streamlined form of a fish. Alon approached her, verifying her form.

“Who are you, and why do you have that necklace?”

The beautiful mermaid asked with a voice full of evident wariness. Alon, noting the beauty of her voice as much as her appearance, replied,

“I came here with an introduction from Dragonkin.”

“The Dragonkin?”

“I heard that with this item, I’d be able to see the truth.”

When he showed the necklace to the mermaid, she mumbled the words “Dragonkin” several times, as if pondering something, then asked,

“…Are you referring to the ones with long tails?”

“Tails… hmm, they are quite long, I suppose.”

“How long exactly?”

“Long enough to make a question mark with them?”

Alon responded, though puzzled by the question. However, his answer seemed to be what she wanted, as the mermaid, initially cautious, relaxed and spoke,

“It seems you really are a guest. You’ve come to see, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, please follow me.”

With a nod from Alon, the mermaid climbed down the rocks and dove into the sea.

Wooong-

She soon created a massive sphere, like a drop of water, in front of her. It shimmered in a reddish hue under the setting sun.

“Get in here,” the mermaid instructed.

Alon hesitated for a moment before stepping into the sphere. As soon as he entered, layers of magic began to cover the sphere.

“Alright, we’re moving now,” she announced, pulling the sphere down toward the sea.

Passing through the crimson waters dyed by twilight, they soon descended into the dark depths. Alon, steadily sinking into the deep sea, felt no particular fear, as if the mermaid, who hadn’t even introduced herself, was indifferent to the situation.

However, Alon couldn’t help but feel a chill as the surroundings grew pitch black, with nothing visible.

It felt as though he were floating in an endless void.

Amid this strange unease and discomfort, he briefly felt something peculiar…

“Huh?”

“…?”

At some point, a single beam of light appeared in the pitch-black darkness. As Alon noticed it, an aurora-like green light gently spread through the deep sea, easing his anxiety.

Captivated by the beautiful sight, Alon let out a quiet exclamation. As the mermaid continued to pull the sphere deeper, the green aurora became clearer to Alon’s eyes. After a little more time had passed…

“We’ve arrived.”

Alon found himself at a cave.

“This place is…”

As the sphere dissolved, Alon stepped into the cave, looking around with an intrigued expression. It seemed like any other cave, but the fact that he could breathe normally here was fascinating.

“Follow me.”

Distracted by his surroundings, Alon was startled by the mermaid’s voice. He turned to see her lower body transform: her streamlined shape had grown into two human-like legs. Apart from the gills on her neck, she looked nearly indistinguishable from a human. Realizing why Alon was surprised, the mermaid gave a faint smile.

“This only happens in this sanctuary.”

As if understanding Alon’s reaction, she led him further inside the cave. After about ten minutes, Alon arrived at a massive chamber.

“…Wow.”

He couldn’t help but marvel. Aside from the central altar, the chamber was empty, but the ceiling of the cave revealed the ‘sky.’ Yes, it was the sky. Despite being in the deep sea, a starry night sky spread across the cavern ceiling.

Alon, who hadn’t even uttered a word when he saw the aurora earlier, stared blankly at the ceiling, this time exclaiming openly.

“…Is it beautiful to you?”

Suddenly, the mermaid’s voice rang out.

“Yes, it is.”

Seeing Alon nod, her expression turned oddly bittersweet. No, it was something more than that—a profound melancholy. Just as Alon sensed the nature of this emotion…

“I see. For now… yes.”

She mumbled softly, her voice barely audible to Alon, before continuing the conversation.

“This is the sky you’ve always seen.”

“…But wasn’t it still daytime when we came in?”

“It took us some time to descend. It’s not too early for the stars to appear. Anyway—”

The mermaid changed the subject.

“Welcome to the Sanctuary of Observation. I am the ‘Observer.’ You came here to see the truth, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. I was told I’d be able to see the truth here.”

“You made a wise choice.”

“…Did I?”

“Yes. Once you see the truth, you will understand everything.”

With that, she moved toward the altar, retrieving a mirror, which she handed to Alon.

“This is…?”

“Look into it. You will see what you’ve been searching for.”

Taking the mirror, Alon peered into it. He saw his own expressionless face reflected back, feeling puzzled.

Then, he experienced a strange sensation. It felt as if the entire world was being sucked into the mirror. Alon realized that his perspective had shifted.

[The true gods have been dethroned.]

A voice echoed in his mind.

####

Hidan, an operative of the organization working for the Blue Moon, had arrived at Moolman, one of Asteria’s territories. Moolman was a place where the influence of the underworld was strong, neglected by the nobility.

Hidan had come here for one reason: he had learned that the ringleaders, who were plotting against the Great Moon, would be gathering in this area. Following the orders of Jaweol—Deus Macallion—he was here to identify those conspiring to defame the Great Moon.

Arriving a little ahead of the appointed time, Hidan was preparing to conceal himself in advance.

As soon as he arrived at the basement entrance, there were only red bloodstains in sight.

Seeing the blood trailing outside the building, Hidan realized that there had been an attack. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a dreadful scene.

Drip, drip.

A horrifying environment unfolded before Hidan.

The room was filled with corpses—faces mangled by something, bodies split in half, and limbs missing. There were even bodies with eyes still wide open in terror. Numerous other gruesome remains littered the room, creating a terrifying atmosphere.

Despite the gruesome sight, Hidan’s mind remained calm.

“Who could have done this? Traitors? Black Light Cultists? The Roots? No—none of them would go to such lengths. Could it be the Shadows? …No, the Shadows wouldn’t leave behind such evidence.”

Even in this dire situation, he was attempting to deduce who was responsible.

Crash!

Hearing a sudden noise from above, Hidan quickly moved to the upper floor.

When he reached the second floor, he saw a bizarre scene.

Five people, unmistakably nobles of Asteria, were seated around a large round table, their necks twisted two full turns, killed in a strange manner.

“Huh?”

Standing in the middle of the round table was a man, staring directly at him.

The black-haired, blue-eyed man stood in the silent, moonlit room, gazing calmly at Hidan, who had appeared abruptly.

The man held no visible weapon. There was nothing resembling a weapon at his waist, nor anywhere else.

Still, Hidan instinctively understood: this man was the one who had caused the horrific scene.

He unconsciously tried to suppress his wildly beating heart, assuming a tense expression.

The man did nothing. Yet, Hidan sensed that he was a formidable presence.

There was no evidence or clear reason, only an instinctive awareness that the black-haired, blue-eyed man was making this fact known to him.

But Hidan couldn’t just stand there, so he quietly reached for the sword at his waist.

At that moment—

“Ah.”

The man, previously expressionless, broke into a smile.

It was an innocent smile, one that seemed impossible for someone who had created such a scene.

As that smile appeared, the suffocating pressure also vanished, leaving Hidan bewildered.

Then—

Tap! Tap, tap.

The man stepped down from the round table and started walking toward Hidan.

Seeing this, Hidan tried to draw his sword, but—

Thud.

The man, having closed the distance in an instant, pressed the hilt of the sword back into its sheath.

Click!

The sword slid back in smoothly, as if Hidan hadn’t exerted any force at all. Before he could process what had just happened—

“The job here is already done, so you can leave. But—if I were to say one thing.”

The man glanced at Hidan, then—

Pat, pat.

He patted Hidan on the shoulder.

“Next time, make sure to do your support work properly.”

With that innocent smile, he added,

“This is a rather sensitive matter.”

And with those words, he disappeared from the building.

…

Left alone in the vacant spot, Hidan stood there, staring blankly at the door through which the man had exited.