Chapter 167

Alon gazed intently at the statue of ‘Kalannon, the bearer of Lightning’ that Siyan was holding.

“It does seem somewhat similar, I suppose.”

Of course, the statue didn’t have a face, so it was impossible to discern any resemblance in facial features.

Still, the reason Alon thought so was that no matter how he looked at it, the clothing Kalannon wore closely resembled his own.

“Well, the coat I’m wearing now is the one the Red Tower Master gave me, so it’s different, but if we consider the previous one… there do seem to be many similarities.”

After a brief moment of pondering with a peculiar expression, Alon responded.

“…I suppose the clothing is somewhat similar.”

“The clothing, huh… Hmm.”

Siyan stared at Alon before shrugging and placing the statue on the desk.

“Well, it’s clear that you, a marquis of the Asteria Kingdom, couldn’t possibly be the ‘Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning’, newly revered in the Luxible Principality. Just think of it as a lighthearted joke and let it go.”

“Understood.”

Satisfied with Alon’s straightforward reply, Siyan nodded a couple of times before changing the subject.

“So, I’ve heard that you’ve been caught up in various matters recently. Can you share what you’ve been up to?”

“Understood.”

Why was she asking this?

Though a bit puzzled, Alon dutifully reported.

And then…

“…The Chosen, huh.”

“Yes.”

Having recounted everything, Alon posed a question in return.

“May I ask something as well?”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you call for me because something came to mind?”

The last time they met in the office, Siyan had certainly said:

“If something else comes to mind, I’ll summon you.”

“No, not particularly.”

“…I see.”

“This time, I simply called you because I wanted to see you. It’s been a while, after all.”

An unexpected answer.

“I see.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all.”

Siyan stared intently at Alon, who denied it indifferently.

“Fufu~”

“…?”

She let out a soft chuckle.

Alon’s face showed confusion.

“Just kidding.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying I didn’t summon you without a reason.”

“Ah.”

“Your reaction is a bit underwhelming, though.”

“My apologies.”

As Alon bowed his head, he briefly wondered if Siyan had always been like this.

“You don’t need to apologize for that.”

Enjoying her little tease, Siyan smiled as she rested her chin on her hand and spoke.

“As you guessed, there was something else that came to mind.”

“What is it?”

“In the inherited memories, it was said that you visited the World Tree of Greynifra and obtained something you needed there.”

“The World Tree of Greynifra…?”

When Alon asked again, Siyan nodded.

“Yes. Do you not know it? The land of the elves, located in the south, is called Greynifra.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Alon realize why the word ‘Greynifra’ felt unfamiliar to him.

“…The land of the elves, huh. It makes sense that I wouldn’t know much about it.”

Of course, it wasn’t the first time Alon had heard of it.

Yet the reason Greynifra felt unfamiliar was that the land of the elves was part of the ‘DLC area’ in the game ‘Psychedelia’.

He hadn’t purchased the DLC.

In other words, while he had occasionally heard the name ‘Greynifra’ during the game, he had never actually visited the land of the other races.

In addition, the relationship between the Allied Kingdom and the other races is not very good, though not as hostile as the Empire’s. As a result, it is rarely mentioned at all.

Because of this, Alon had even less information about it.

“Something necessary is there… huh.”

As Alon quietly pondered, Siyan added,

“Of course, there’s no need to go immediately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, to be more precise, you don’t have to go at all. It’s ironic for me to say this after bringing it up, but that place isn’t exactly friendly to humans.”

“…Indeed, I’ve heard as much.”

Recalling the tense relationship between the Allied Kingdom and the other races, Alon nodded, and Siyan shrugged as she leaned back in her chair.

“So, think it over at your leisure. But if you do end up going, I’d appreciate a report.”

“Understood.”

After a bit of small talk, Alon left the office.

Once his figure completely disappeared,

Siyan, staring at the door, stroked her chin as if lost in thought for a moment.

“Well, that should suffice.”

She soon stood up, leaving behind an enigmatic smile.

***

Attending the ball, Alon was inwardly overwhelmed by the much larger crowd compared to last time.

However,

“Greetings, Marquis!”

“Hello!”

“I’m—”

Before he could even glance around, he was bombarded by an unrelenting stream of greetings from the nobles.

It took over 30 minutes of receiving individual greetings from the Kalpha nobles, led by Duke Zenonia and Count Altia, before Alon finally found some freedom.

Letting out a sigh, he thought to himself,

“As expected, balls are exhausting.”

Moving to a corner of the ballroom, Alon picked up an egg tart from a table at the edge and began eating when—

“It’s been a while, Marquis Palatio.”

“…Hmm?”

A man approached him.

The face wasn’t immediately familiar but felt oddly recognizable.

With a brief moment of thought, Alon identified the man.

“…Duke Merkiliane?”

At last, the man’s identity came to him.

The second brother of Filian and the current head of the Merkiliane family. Duke Merkiliane smiled and gave a slight bow.

“It’s an honor to be remembered.”

“…It would be hard to forget.”

It wasn’t an empty statement.

Though it took him a moment to recall, Alon could not forget the Merkiliane family.

Not only because Filian could be recruited as a companion for the protagonist, but more significantly—

Because it was where Alon’s statue stood.

A statue of Alon that didn’t even exist in his own Marquisate of Palatio.

“…That’s true.”

Duke Merkiliane responded with a sheepish expression, while Alon glanced around and thought,

“They said there would be many foreign nobles, and it seems they were right.”

At first, he had been too busy greeting the Kalpha nobles, but now that he looked around, it was clear there were many unfamiliar faces at the ball.

Among them—

‘…King Shtalian V?’

The King of Ashtalon was also present, and standing closely behind him was a knight who caught everyone’s attention.

Even at a glance, the knight’s towering figure exceeded 2 meters. His overwhelming presence felt out of place amidst the ball’s grandeur, though no one could guess his identity.

After all, the knight wore a helmet that obscured even his eyes.

But Alon recognized him with ease.

Zakurak the Scarred.

A lizardman who had crossed over from the land of the other races Siyan mentioned earlier. In Psychedelia, Zakurak was a key figure who became a major force when facing the Five Great Sins.

“In addition, he’s a character designed to tempt players into buying the DLC.”

In Psychedelia, when facing the Five Great Sins, NPCs form the core of the party composition.

Depending on the nation where the Sin manifests or the player’s actions thus far, relevant NPCs join the party to assist.

Zakurak, too, was an NPC who provided assistance if the Five Great Sins appeared in Ashtalon, distinguished by his unique traits among other characters.

The difficulty of dealing with the Five Great Sins, which could smash a controller in frustration, is reduced somewhat by Zakurak’s strength.

…Though it only adjusts the difficulty from Hell Mode to something closer to Very Hard Mode, even that is a significant relief in Psychedelia, where there are no other ways to lower the difficulty.

Additionally, Psychedelia’s DLC allows players to summon Zakurak, who otherwise only aids during the Ashtalon chapter, in battles against the Five Great Sins.

On top of that, clearing the DLC storyline unlocks other powerful non-human allies, comparable to Zakurak, who can also assist in battles against the Five Great Sins.

For this reason, most players who wanted an easier time playing purchased the DLC.

…Except for players like Alon, who clung to their pride in the base game.

“I didn’t think he’d grow this significant.”

Up until now, Zakurak had been looking ahead, but then he turned his head.

Although his helmet obscured his expression, his gaze unmistakably landed on Alon.

For a moment, Alon wondered if he should attempt to establish a connection, but unfortunately, he knew very little about Zakurak.

Neither his reasons for aiding the protagonist in battles against the Five Great Sins nor his motives or goals were revealed in the base game.

In short, there wasn’t a single thread Alon could use to create a link.

Just as he decided to give up and averted his gaze,

Flinch!

“…?”

Alon saw it.

The massive frame of Zakurak, clad in armor, shifted slightly.

Before he could ponder further,

“…Marquis?”

Merkiliane’s voice brought Alon back to the conversation at hand, and he gave a slight nod in apology.

“Ah, my apologies.”

“Not at all. Actually, may I ask you for a small favor?”

“…A favor?”

“Yes. It’s not a particularly difficult one, but…”

Alon tilted his head slightly, his expression neutral, and responded,

“Please, go ahead.”

“It’s about my brother… Could you write him a letter?”

“Your brother… You mean Filian?”

“Yes. The thing is…”

Merkiliane hesitated awkwardly before revealing the situation. Alon summarized the story after hearing the explanation.

“So, you’re saying that he wants to replace the current statue and erect a new one of me, but the costs are excessive.”

“Yes, exactly. My brother doesn’t seem to have much sense of money and even suggested making it out of solid gold this time… But he doesn’t listen to me.”

Muttering, “I suspect he gave the current statue to Deus Maccalian of Caliban as an excuse to erect a new one,” Merkiliane sighed deeply, his frustration palpable.

Alon was at a loss for words.

“…Why is he so insistent on erecting a statue of me?”

Of course, Alon had helped Filian, but he couldn’t fathom why they were going to such lengths.

…And he doubted he ever would.

Still, Alon nodded to indicate he understood.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Merkiliane let out a relieved sigh.

Meanwhile, Alon couldn’t shake the vague feeling of guilt, even though he had done nothing wrong.

***

Late into the night, as the first day of the ball drew to a close, Alon began preparing to return to his quarters.

…To be honest, he had wanted to leave hours ago.

However, he had been caught up with the nobles, unable to rest, and now felt as though he had spoken more in half a day than in six months.

Finally breaking free, Alon headed toward the corridor leading to his assigned lodging.

“?”

There, he encountered two very familiar faces.

“…Syrkal?”

It was Syrkal and her younger sister, Jenira.

Alon tilted his head in momentary confusion but soon recalled why they might be here.

‘The Thunder Serpent Tribe aligned with the Principality of Luxible, didn’t they?’

As he remembered the rumor he had overheard from Evan, Syrkal and Jenira approached him.

“Long—”

Before Alon could finish his greeting,

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

The sisters spoke in unison.

They bowed deeply and respectfully.

“Um…?”

Above Alon’s head, an infinite cascade of question marks seemed to materialize.

Meanwhile, from behind a pillar in the corridor—

“…What was that?”

Carmaxes III, who had stealthily followed Alon to make a discreet proposal that no one else was supposed to overhear, froze in place.

Marquis Palatio… is a god?

His jaw dropped as he tried to process the unbelievable “truth” unfolding before him.