Chapter 158

A temple stood atop an unknown foundation.

Within that eerie, alien landscape, three figures shrouded in dark robes sat, their faces obscured.

“Wow, is Pride really dead?”

“Tsk. What an idiot. Everything has its time.”

One spoke in a tone of surprise, another in sheer disdain.

The third remained silent.

They were none other than the Apostles of the Five Great Sins, peers of the fallen Apostle of Pride.

“It’s kind of amusing, really. He even received power from that one, yet he still got killed by some outsider trash. Ridiculous.”

The Apostle of Greed leaned on their hand, eyes filled with contempt.

“XX XX.”

The Apostle of Sloth clicked their tongue, as if utterly unable to comprehend.

“He got cocky. It had only been ten years since he received power, and he barely knew how to use it—but his arrogance was sky-high.”

“Hehehe, yeah, that’s true. Utterly arrogant. Oh, was it because he was the Apostle of Pride? Even so, it’s still strange. He was the weakest among us, sure, but the fact that someone out there was capable of taking him down is unexpected.”

Naturally, their conversation shifted toward a particular individual.

The one who had defeated Pride.

Sloth nodded.

“I didn’t expect it either. Though, of course, it wouldn’t have mattered against me.”

“That’s true.”

Greed acknowledged it without argument, then shifted their gaze toward Wrath.

“So, Wrath, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

A voice, devoid of discernible emotion, echoed from within the shadows of their hood.

Pride’s death had broken the seal on their domain.

For the first time in centuries, they were free to leave.

“What he means is exactly what he said. The barrier is down, we can go outside now. So what’s your plan?”

“I’m thinking.”

“That so?”

“Yeah.”

A defensive response.

Greed thought for a moment before casually remarking—

“Is there even a need to think? We just have to go reclaim it.”

Wrath remained silent.

“You don’t feel like answering, huh?”

Greed shrugged, as if it couldn’t be helped.

“Well, since everyone’s doing whatever they want, I guess it’s time for me to make my move.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Now that the barrier is gone, there’s no reason to stay here. I have to check on the seeds and make sure they’re properly maintained.”

Greed grinned and rose from their seat.

“Well then, I don’t know when the rest of you will come out, but see you all on the outside.”

With that, they left.

“Hmm—”

Watching Greed disappear, Sloth also stood up.

“Guess I’ll head out too.”

“You as well?”

“I’m still considering it. Or rather, I’ll wait and see how Greed handles things. If there’s anyone who can clear obstacles in our path, it’s him.”

Sloth, too, vanished.

Wrath remained seated in silence, staring at the now-empty space where the other two had once stood.

***

Marquis Palatio’s Office.

“Hello, Count—ah, I mean, Marquis!”

“…Yeah.”

Alon studied the youth before him—one who had grown so much compared to when they had first met.

‘…He definitely looks like the protagonist now.’

When Alon had first met Eliban, the boy had still been a child.

But now, he undeniably looked like Eliban from the game.

He really is good-looking. No wonder the game always depicted him as a pretty boy.

Alon found himself evaluating Eliban’s appearance purely on instinct.

But the real reason he had even thought about Eliban’s looks was—

The people standing behind him.

Two women. One man.

‘Yan, Bina, and Ralph, if I remember correctly.’

A mage, a rogue, and a warrior.

Alon recalled how Eliban had recruited them in the original storyline.

Yan was the first to join Eliban’s party, a mage from the Blue Tower whom he had met while traveling with a merchant caravan.

Yan had agreed to join simply because Eliban had helped gather magical materials for her.

Bina, the rogue, was the second.

Eliban had run into her in the next town over—as a pickpocket.

And, as ridiculous as it sounded, she had been described in the game as a very promising young thief.

Her reason for joining Eliban’s party?

He had caught her stealing—and then let her go.

It was hilariously flimsy reasoning for a serious RPG like Psychedelia, and the community often joked about it.

Most of the early party members, except Ralph, the one other guy, had extremely weak motivations for joining Eliban.

That led to frequent discussions online about how Eliban must be an absurd-level “Alpha Male.”

Alon casually observed the two female party members behind Eliban.

And immediately noticed it.

‘…Holy shit, the joke was real.’

Yan and Bina’s gazes were blatantly filled with admiration for Eliban.

For a brief moment, Alon felt the sheer unfairness of the world.

But he quickly cleared his throat and focused.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Well, Marquis, I actually need your help. Would you be willing to assist us?”

“…My help?”

“Yes. You once told me that if I needed assistance, I should ask… But, um, would that be too much of a bother?”

Alon immediately shook his head.

Not only had he really said that, but even if Eliban hadn’t asked, Alon had already planned to help him anyway.

Eliban was growing fast, and soon, there would be a lot he needed help with.

“What do you need?”

“It’s about the Abyss Gate.”

“The Abyss Gate?”

“Yes. There’s one we need to deal with soon, but it seems too difficult for just our party. I was wondering if we could request your assistance.”

Eliban let out a good-natured laugh, but Alon frowned slightly.

At this point in the story, the next Abyss Gate Eliban was supposed to tackle should have been well within their abilities.

‘Wait… wasn’t this the one I was planning to go to myself?’

Alon thought for a moment.

Then it clicked.

‘Ah… right. In the original storyline, this gate was supposed to be extremely dangerous, so they originally planned to request support from Asteria. But things went sideways, and they never got backup.’

Alon recalled the game’s events and nodded.

‘Normally, they would have requested help from the nearest noble’s territory, but since Eliban actually knows me, he came straight to me this time.’

That worked out perfectly.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Huh? The Marquis himself?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! I was actually just hoping to borrow a few soldiers, but this is even better! Thank you!”

Eliban bowed deeply.

“It’s nothing. I said before that I’d help you, didn’t I? As for when we leave… Hmm, no reason to delay. Let’s go tomorrow.”

Without hesitation, Alon set the departure date.

After directing Eliban’s group to their rooms for the night, Alon returned to his office—

Only for Evan to approach with an incredulous expression.

“…Wait. That guy. He’s that kid from a few years ago, right? The one you kept helping—”

“Yeah.”

“Wow—”

Evan’s jaw dropped.

And then, in a hushed voice—

“…The world is so damn unfair.”

Alon sighed.

“Honestly? I agree.”

Eliban was too ridiculously good-looking.

“Right?”

[Hmph. Your personality suits your face perfectly.]

“What the hell did you just say, you bastard?”

[Am I wrong?]

As Basiliora let out a mocking laugh, Evan scowled—then suddenly let out a gasp as if realizing something.

“…Wait a second. Marquis, that guy—Eliban—now that I think about it, isn’t he a Chosen One?”

“Chosen One? Ah, well, yeah, he is.”

Alon had momentarily forgotten about that setting.

‘I kind of ignored that aspect after the early part of the story, but yeah… that was a thing.’

The Chosen One—a title given to those who could close the Abyss Gates plaguing this world.

In other words, the role was akin to a Hero in other games.

Eliban had received the title after closing a massive Abyss Gate in his hometown during the tutorial, thanks to Sironis’ Blessing.

‘By now, even the Five Great Kingdoms should have officially recognized his status. Ah… was that why Yutia visited a month ago?’

Alon recalled how Yutia had briefly stopped by his territory and left.

It dawned on him that she had likely gone to Teren to formally appoint Eliban as a Chosen One.

Just as Alon was piecing things together—

“Wait a second. So… Marquis, did you already know that guy would become a Chosen One?”

Evan’s voice carried clear suspicion.

Alon hesitated, unsure how to answer.

But before he could respond—

“No, never mind. You don’t have to answer.”

“…Why not?”

“Because, it’s not like this is the first time you’ve known things you shouldn’t. I just accept it at this point.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yep. No matter what weird things happen, it’s not like you’re suddenly going to change. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Whether it was indifference or trust, Evan simply shrugged and moved on.

For some reason, Alon felt strangely touched by how naturally Evan accepted him.

“…I’ll raise your salary.”

“Really?!”

And just like that, Evan felt touched too.

***

Meanwhile, in Eliban’s Quarters.

Thanks to Alon, Eliban’s party had comfortable lodging for the night.

“Wooow! This is amazing!”

“Aaah~ It’s been so long since I’ve slept on a real bed.”

The moment they entered their room, Bina and Ralph immediately threw themselves onto the mattress, rolling around in pure bliss.

“Aaaah—”

“This is the taste of nobility—”

They happily rubbed their faces against the soft blankets.

Unlike them, however, Yan was frowning.

She turned to Eliban and spoke in a grumbling tone.

“Eliban, did we really have to come here?”

“Huh?”

“To Marquis Palatio.”

“Hmm… well, we needed support, didn’t we?”

Eliban’s answer was simple and casual.

But Yan’s frown didn’t fade.

“But this means we’ll have to share the Abyss Gate rewards with the Marquis.”

Yan’s real problem.

It was all about the loot.

Eliban’s party had already cleared three Abyss Gates, and they knew firsthand how valuable the rewards were.

As a mage, the artifacts and materials obtained from those gates were especially valuable to Yan.

She did not want to split the profits.

However, Eliban simply smiled, his usual good-natured grin.

“Don’t worry too much, Yan. You never know what might happen. When we got this request, they did say it was really dangerous.”

“…I still think we could handle it on our own.”

“Better safe than sorry, right?”

“But still…”

Yan still wasn’t convinced.

Eliban, awkwardly scratching his head, sighed.

He knew Yan wasn’t great at expressing herself.

And so, she continued grumbling—

“I just don’t like the Marquis. He’s always so expressionless. I can never tell what he’s thinking.”

As usual, she vented her complaints before glancing at Eliban.

And then—

“…?”

Yan froze.

Eliban was smiling.

But.

The smile on his lips was different from the ones she was used to.

His mouth was smiling.

But his eyes weren’t.

Chill—!

A sudden shiver ran down Yan’s spine.

“Yan.”

Eliban’s voice dropped to a low, quiet tone.

“Y-Yes?”

Yan stammered as Eliban stepped toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Then, bringing his glowing face right in front of hers—

“I don’t think you should talk about the Marquis like that. Don’t you agree?”

His deep blue eyes locked onto hers.

It was definitely Eliban.

And yet, in that moment, Yan felt an eerie fear creeping through her.

She instinctively swallowed dryly.

“M-My bad… Eliban. I think I was just being too selfish.”

Slowly, almost mechanically, she apologized.

Eliban’s grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment before finally loosening.

“It’s okay, Yan. Just be more careful next time, alright?”

He smiled again—a bright, radiant smile that only made his already stunning face even more mesmerizing.

However.

“…Yeah.”

Yan felt something terrifying beneath it.

The Next Day

“Let’s move out.”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, Alon and Eliban’s party departed for the Abyss Gate.