Chapter 199

Stalian stared blankly at Duke Merkiliane.

“The god of other race…?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Stalian V asked, looking utterly baffled.

Duke Merkiliane calmly recounted the events so far.

Starting with Zukurak’s actions at the Marquisate of Palatio.

Then, the elves who had appeared on their way back to Ashtalon.

And finally, the conversation between Zukurak and the elves.

After listening in silence for a long while, Stalian V finally spoke.

“So, Duke, you’re saying that Marquis Palatio is actually the god of other race?”

“…Based on what I’ve seen so far, that seems to be the case.”

“And Zukurak… he knelt before him?”

“Yes.”

“…That’s hard to believe.”

When they first brought him in through a secret contract, there had been an opportunity to gauge his power.

He had strength beyond common sense.

So overwhelming that it was almost absurd—enough to make one suspect he might be a god.

‘And yet, that man knelt?’

That could only mean—

‘Marquis Palatio is an even greater being than him, but why would someone like that…?’

No answer presented itself.

No matter how much he thought about it.

He couldn’t even begin to guess why Marquis Palatio was pretending to be a mere noble and hiding his true identity.

But only for a moment.

“Hah.”

Stalian V decided to stop thinking about it.

Why he was hiding his identity.

Whether the one acting as Marquis Palatio was really Marquis Palatio.

Instead—

“Duke Merkiliane.”

“Yes.”

“I believe you have some level of acquaintance with Marquis Palatio.”

“Well, yes, to some extent.”

“…Can you find out what he likes?”

“What he likes, you mean?”

“Yes. More precisely, what he needs at this moment.”

He had made up his mind.

To draw him into the Kingdom of Ashtalon.

***

A week had passed since Marquis Palatio left.

[…You’re quite good.]

“Oh, please, it’s nothing!”

Even after the magic conference had ended, Penia and Heinkel continued their training at the Mage Tower.

Despite being relentlessly drilled all day long.

Penia’s eyes sparkled with excitement, her face radiating ‘This is so fun! It’s always thrilling!’ rather than exhaustion.

Heinkel clicked her tongue but—

[Alright, now for the 72-ring array. Layer connections within the circles. The key is the straight line. The array must be deployed with a direct line passing through all 72 rings.]

“Yes! I’ll try it right away!”

The moment she assigned the next task, Penia answered energetically and immediately started practicing.

Without realizing it, Heinkel felt a sense of pride.

She hadn’t particularly noticed before, but lately, Penia Crysinne had been reminding her of her younger self.

Back when, no matter what magic she learned, instead of thinking ‘This is hard,’ she always thought, ‘I’m curious!’ first.

Naturally, her fondness for Penia had grown significantly.

Well, aside from the first lie she told.

She embodied the ideal mage Heinkel envisioned.

And on top of that, Penia was a genius.

A genius so extraordinary that even Heinkel unconsciously found herself nodding in approval.

Teaching her was becoming increasingly enjoyable.

Tell her one thing, and she understood ten.

Teach her ten things, and she grasped a hundred.

‘Her personality is a bit eccentric, but well, any true mage should have at least one odd quirk.’

Mmm, of course.

Just as she was nodding in agreement with herself—

Watching Penia begin to construct the magic circle, Heinkel suddenly recalled something from a few days ago.

More precisely.

The moment when she saw the brooch on Alon’s chest.

Her face involuntarily stiffened.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Even in her spiritual form.

Just recalling that moment made his entire body feel cold.

Her heart pounded violently.

A sensation she hadn’t felt in so long—

No, one she had thought she’d never feel again.

‘That magic… No, that place.’

Heinkel ran through the verification process again, for what must have been the hundredth time.

Though, deep down, she already knew.

The Abyss—

That girl had cast that magic.

In fact.

She had even been slightly impressed when she realized Heinkel had figured it out.

But even now.

The reason she kept going over that moment again and again was—

She simply.

‘I can’t understand it.’

Because—

It was not something the girl should have been able to use.

It was an impossible ability.

‘That was definitely… back then.’

No, to be precise.

Even if it could be replicated someday, ‘right now.’

It was an ability that should not exist.

That’s why Heinkel kept wondering—

What exactly is she doing? Why hasn’t she lost her power, and how is she still here? Why—

For a long while, she pondered.

‘Why is that being following Marquis Palatio?’

As unanswered questions swirled in her mind.

***

At that moment.

Alon had arrived at the Lonovellia Jungle.

“Marquis.”

“Speak.”

“It’s about Varnos, which you previously mentioned. Strangely, there’s no information on it.”

“No information?”

“Yes. Even the information guild says they know nothing about that place. Apparently, all intelligence networks in the surrounding area have been completely severed. However, it’s certain that something has happened.”

“I see.”

“Should we look into it further?”

“No, that’s enough.”

Even with just the information Evan had gathered, Alon could already tell.

The events in Varnos were related to the emergence of the Four Great Powers he knew.

‘It was just like this when Agwid first appeared in the game.’

The Four Great Powers, which only emerged in the mid-game, had already shown themselves.

Realizing this, Alon quickly fell into deep thought.

‘If this happens, what comes next? Will the other Great Powers reveal themselves too?’

As far as Alon knew, once the Four Great Powers appeared, the Allied Kingdom entered an era of great chaos.

Each of the Four Great Powers possessed strength that far exceeded that of the entire kingdom.

If they started rampaging in earnest, the kingdom would fall in an instant.

‘In the game, strong individuals eventually sided with the Allied Kingdom around the mid-game, so unless the kingdom was destroyed by a Sin, things could somehow be resolved.’

Unfortunately, this was still the early stages of Psychedelia.

The powerful figures who could balance the power scale against the Four Great Powers had yet to appear.

In other words, if the Four Great Powers started rampaging now—

Except for Ashtalon, where Zukurak was present, it was impossible to predict what would happen elsewhere.

‘The only silver lining is that the other Great Powers haven’t surfaced yet.’

But his thoughts were soon interrupted.

“Marquis, there’s something else I need to report.”

At Evan’s words, Alon turned his attention back.

“What is it now?”

“This came up while I was gathering information on Varnos. Do you remember the rumor that spread in Lonovellia last time?”

“A rumor…? Ah, you mean the one about black magic spreading?”

“Yes, that one.”

“Did you find additional information?”

“I did, but… it’s not good news.”

“What is it?”

Evan hesitated for a moment before speaking with a troubled expression.

“A massacre occurred.”

“…A massacre?”

“Yes. But the strange thing is, it wasn’t caused by a single entity.”

“What do you mean?”

At Alon’s questioning, Evan detailed the rumors.

“In other words, people killed each other?”

“Yes. From what I’ve heard, it was extremely eerie. Their minds were supposedly intact, but they picked up weapons, fought, and killed each other. As a result, most of the mercenaries and explorers in the jungle died.”

Alon frowned internally.

As he listened, a particular thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

“…So their minds were fine, but their bodies moved as if possessed?”

“Yes. One of the few surviving mercenaries described it as feeling like… ‘being turned into a puppet.’”

“A puppet?”

“…Do you have any suspicions about this, Marquis?”

Alon didn’t answer, but Evan was right—he had a suspicion.

No, he had to have one.

Because what Evan had just described was something Alon had encountered multiple times when he played Psychedelia.

The Sin of Sloth.

It was precisely the type of rumor that spread when the Sin of Sloth manifested.

In other words—

For Alon, it was the worst possible rumor.

Fortunately, Alon managed to maintain his composure.

‘…There’s no way a Sin has manifested already. If it had, the world wouldn’t be this peaceful. It would’ve been an absolute disaster.’

He knew exactly how quickly the world fell into chaos once a Sin was born.

But what about now?

A horrific massacre had taken place, yes.

But there were no reports that the Sin had awakened.

Nor had similar events spread elsewhere.

This meant one thing.

It wasn’t the work of a fully awakened Sin roaming the world to slaughter humanity.

In that case, the only possibility left was—

‘An Apostle…!’

An Apostle of Sin.

And specifically, it seemed the Apostle of Sloth was in Lonovellia.

“…Evan.”

“Yes.”

“We’re heading to the Duchy immediately.”

“Understood.”

There was no time to waste.

***

Exactly one day later—

Alon arrived at the capital of the Luxibl Duchy.

And the first thing he saw was—

“…It’s huge.”

“Yes.”

“It’s really huge.”

“I agree.”

“…Isn’t that basically a monument gifted by Deus himself?”

Right in the middle of the Luxibl Duchy stood a massive statue.

‘Kalannon, the lightning receiver.’

…A statue that, in essence, depicted Alon’s own back.

Though not as grand as the one at the Marquisate of Palatio, it was still large enough to be unbearably embarrassing.

Alon stared at it for a moment before pretending not to care and heading toward the palace.

“We’ve been expecting you, Marquis.”

“Syrkal.”

The moment he entered the palace, Syrkal greeted him.

She bowed politely before saying, “I’ll guide you inside.”

She led Alon further in.

Then—

“…Marquis.”

“What?”

“…I’m a little scared.”

Evan clutched the hem of Alon’s coat.

Alon didn’t brush his hand away.

Because, to some extent, he felt the same way.

‘No, this is a bit much…’

Everywhere Alon walked, members of the Thunder Serpent Tribe working in the palace prostrated themselves.

They pressed themselves so flat against the floor that it felt excessive.

Of course, as a noble, he had never been treated disrespectfully.

But such extreme reverence was a first.

The overwhelming display of devotion left him momentarily bewildered.

‘…Wait, I thought they were working alongside Luxibl’s forces? Why do I see only the tribe members and not a single Luxibl soldier?’

A sudden question surfaced in his mind.

But before he could fully process it—

Another mysterious sight caught his attention.

“…What is this?”

“Ah, this is our tribe’s Sacred Stone Tablet. We brought it here when we allied with Luxibl.”

A large, weathered stone tablet stood in the palace, looking slightly rough for its setting but emanating an unmistakable aura of mystique.

As Alon examined it, his eyes were drawn to the inscriptions.

“The day I first came into existence?”

He read the words—

And in that instant—

Whoosh—!

The world around him shifted.

Before he could even perceive the sensation of entering another space,

In the blink of an eye—

His surroundings changed entirely.

One moment, Alon had been inside the kingdom.

Now, he stood in an entirely different realm.

If he had to describe it—

A space wrapped in a dreamlike night sky, where dark blue galaxies shimmered like flowing rivers of stars.

And at the very center—

A girl with blue hair.

With blue eyes the same shade as her hair, she gazed at Alon.

She looked utterly displeased.

“?”

Alon felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Even though he had never seen this girl before, it felt as if he had.

As he tried to recall why she seemed familiar—

Ah.

He realized it.

Where he had seen her before.

The girl was—

‘The Thunder Serpent NPC…?’

She was an NPC who only appeared when players attempted to complete the Thunder Serpent quest by dealing with Basiliora,

Then vanished once the quest was finished.

The moment he recognized her—

“Give it back.”

“…?”

“Give me back my divinity—!!”

The girl’s voice, filled with grievance, rang out in Alon’s ears.