Chapter 245

From the next day on, the capital of the alliance began to get busy.

The soldiers, who had stood around like old trees without any motivation, were now moving busily, preparing something.

The people also helped the soldiers without exception.

In the midst of all that, Alon—

“You’re so mean~!!”

He had come to visit the children he had rescued.

Alon looked down at Arquilainisis—no, Ar—who had wrapped her tail around his waist and was crying like a child.

“Why didn’t you come to see me?!”

“……It’s only been a few days.”

“Still, you’re too mean! You could’ve come yesterday or the day before!”

Even while sobbing, Ar said everything she wanted to say.

“Come down already, you silly dragon.”

“No!”

As Nangwon, who was watching them with an exasperated expression, said something— Ar shouted back.

Leaving Ar clinging to him like a cicada, Alon asked Nangwon,

“Have you been doing well?”

“Yes, thanks to your care, I was able to stay very comfortably. Thank you.”

Nangwon bowed politely just like before.

Alon was relieved.

‘I’m glad I had a place arranged for them inside the palace.’

Though Ryanga, Ar, and Lia might have been fine—

Someone like Nangwon could’ve caused trouble if left outside, so Alon had deliberately arranged lodging within the kingdom.

“By the way, Ryanga—”

“Chief!”

Before he could even ask, Ryanga came running from afar.

Still, a bright smile was clearly on her face.

“Have you been well?”

“Yeah, I was practicing.”

“Practicing?”

“……Yeah, I’m still not used to it, so I’ve been practicing how to handle it.”

Ryanga answered with an awkward smile.

As Alon looked at her, hiding both hands behind her back, he glanced down slightly.

Blood was seeping out between the bandages on her feet.

“Take care of yourself while you practice. If your body gives out when it really matters, you won’t be able to do anything.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

After Ryanga, the fox beast Lia showed up late.

Once Alon had checked on all the children’s conditions, he headed to his next destination.

“Penia.”

“Marquis, you’re here?”

It was where Penia was.

“Any new developments?”

The reason he came to see her— was to hear her opinion on the hint he had recently received from Dowon.

“Hmm—It’s not perfect, but I’ve managed to interpret it to some extent.”

Penia recited Dowon’s words that had been passed on to her via Alon.

[First, do not cling to the technique called Reversal of Heaven, and instead, reflect on what you truly need.]

[Second, do not seek out the laws.]

[Third, engrave it at the moment of birth.]

[Fourth, the divinity of green, is regeneration.]

As if someone unknown had foreseen that Alon would come to the past—

It was a spell entrusted to Dowon.

Alon had already repeated those words to himself several times.

“In my opinion, this hint basically means: ‘Create a new law and become a True Mage.’ That’s the only interpretation I can get from it.”

“So you think so too?”

“Did you think that as well, Marquis?”

“I wasn’t certain. But I remembered something you said before.”

“That all True Mages have the potential to become gods…………right?”

“Yes.”

Penia nodded in agreement.

“To be honest, I also interpreted it with that phrase in mind. Well, it’s not like it could be interpreted any other way.”

“Did you gain any other knowledge?”

“There were a bunch of books, so I did learn quite a lot~ But when it comes to the essence of a True Mage, the fundamental part—there wasn’t really anything.”

“……The essence?”

“Yes.”

Penia hesitated for a moment, then began to speak.

“Based on what I’ve learned, all True Mages—except for the first one who created the law—passed down mental images and developed magic that way.”

As Alon nodded for her to continue, Penia went on.

“So the process of how someone becomes a True Mage… it’s mostly vaguely written. Although there are other sections.”

For instance, things like the law of words or the law of beastkin.

—As she murmured, she suddenly went “Ah,” and said,

“But this part might be helpful to you, Marquis.”

“That’s true.”

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“Right? It’s really helpful, isn’t it?”

Her eyes sparkled brightly.

“……What artifact do you want to research?”

Alon, sensing her true intention, asked, and she giggled.

“I’ll tell you next time. Anyway, what’s certain is that ‘you become a True Mage through the process of becoming a god.’”

“And the process is the mysterious part, huh.”

“Exactly.”

She held her head and groaned as if it were giving her a headache.

“Well, unless I actually experiment with it, it’s hard to draw a solid conclusion. Anyway, that’s my interpretation.”

“I see.”

“But it’s definitely a bit strange, isn’t it? Last time, didn’t you get a hint to reach the fifth level?”

“I did.”

“But you’ve already reached the fifth level, haven’t you?”

“I can use mana burn, which only fifth-level mages can use, so I guess I’m at the beginning stage.”

Before coming to the past, Alon had already reached the fifth level.

“Do you feel any sense of what path you need to take next? You don’t, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“……Are the hints not connected to each other?”

The conversation between Penia and Alon grew longer, and so did their concerns.

####

Exactly one week later.

Alon had spent the time with the children, or reflecting on spells with Penia.

At night, he also listened to Magrina or had brief conversations with Rine.

Thanks to being so occupied, the week passed by in the blink of an eye.

“Everyone, move out!”

The time had come to head toward the final battlefield.

The army and civilians began moving, essentially abandoning the capital.

This was because of the World Tree, located beyond the alliance’s capital.

Fearing massacre, most civilians remaining in the capital decided to move along.

Watching the seemingly endless procession in silence—

“Let’s go, godfather.”

“Yes.”

Alon soon joined the procession.

‘About two weeks left now.’

Just as Alon recalled the information he had heard earlier—

“Come to think of it, Marquis,”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I never really thought about it until now, but where did he go?”

“……?”

“… Basiliora, I mean.”

“Ah.”

At Penia’s casual question, Alon let out a quiet exclamation.

Penia quickly turned her head left and right, scanning her surroundings.

“I mean, you said Blackie’s been asleep since before, so I didn’t think much of it, but Basiliora hasn’t even shown his nose.”

Just as Penia said.

Blackie had appeared a few times after coming to the past— but had mostly been asleep and rarely showed himself.

Basiliora, however, was even more absent.

He hadn’t appeared at all since they arrived in the past.

Alon immediately checked the ring.

“?”

The ring looked the same as always.

He poured mana into it.

But still, there was no noticeable change.

‘What is this?’

Alon stared at the ring for a while, his eyes filled with doubt.

####

The allied forces steadily advanced toward the World Tree.

Exactly two weeks after the march began, they arrived at the land of the elves, Greynifra, where the World Tree stood.

Everything went as expected.

Thanks to Yongrin’s sacrifice, they arrived at the World Tree in time.

Even though the World Tree had suffered great damage, it still maintained its form.

However, there was one thing—

That they had not predicted.

“H-How did Baarma’s followers…!”

It was Baarma’s cultists.

They should not have been able to enter Greynifra in the first place— yet they had set up camp as if they were waiting for the allied army’s arrival.

And as if that wasn’t enough—

“Baarma…!”

Baarma himself appeared.

The god who fed on the lives and fears of other races to grow in strength.

Seated on a grotesque throne adorned with flesh and bones, exuding vicious madness— he looked down at the allied army.

“Uwaaah—”

“B-Baarma is here…!”

“H-He shouldn’t be able to enter right now…”

“How in the world…”

The allied army instantly fell into chaos from his mere appearance.

Baarma, sitting on the grotesque throne, twisted his lips into a smile.

His appearance was monstrous.

His massive body, nearly the same size as Dowon’s, was covered in mouths screaming to be fed, ready to devour anything.

His abyss-like red reverse eyes— instilled hopeless fear in all who looked into them.

Just as all eyes turned toward Baarma—

Crunch—!

As his foot slowly descended, one cultist, who had been lying prostrate to worship him, was crushed flat beneath it.

A death so sudden and meaningless, it felt even more horrifying.

But no one dared protest.

The cultists only bowed lower in reverence.

Their eerie fanaticism made the air feel even heavier.

At last.

[Welcome, my feast.]

Baarma’s voice rang out.

The allied forces clearly heard the word he used to describe them, spoken from his twisted mouth.

Not “enemies,” but “feast.”

Baarma rested his chin on his hand and continued—

[Such fine faces. Perfectly mouthwatering expressions for my final banquet.]

He said arrogantly.

“……How is this possible~?”

Surang muttered blankly, and Baarma mocked him.

[So curious, are you? Wondering how I got in here even after Yongrin’s sacrifice? Or is it that you’re shocked I was waiting, knowing you’d come here?]

He sneered wider.

[The answer is simple. His sacrifice, as a living offering, has long lost its power.]

“A living offering?”

[Yes. It took quite a few offerings to dull that power. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even eat them—I had to use them all up on that place.]

T-!

|-!

Along Baarma’s lips, the mouths scattered across his body bared sharp teeth and burst into mocking laughter.

Surang clenched his fists tightly.

“Then why haven’t you attacked—”

But his mouth soon fell silent.

Alon, too, stayed silent.

Because he knew the answer.

He had already gone through something similar.

He knew why Baarma didn’t just kill them immediately, why he left them with hope.

He had been told.

By Baarma’s apostle.

[Heh—]

Perhaps realizing the reason for Surang’s silence,

Baarma rose from his throne and began walking toward the World Tree.

With every step he took,

The prostrated cultists beneath him were crushed brutally to death,

Yet none who had their foreheads pressed to the ground rose up.

Unmoving.

A chillingly devout fanaticism

Pressed down harder and harder on the air around them.

And finally— Baarma reached the front of the World Tree and brushed it with his hand.

Though it had once burned, the tree still held onto life.

The massive tree, far larger than himself, was caressed again and again by Baarma.

[This is your hope, isn’t it?]

He looked at the allied army and smiled.

CRACK—!

He thrust his giant hand into the World Tree.

CRUNCH—CRACKLEEEE~!

In that instant, the tree, which had retained at least half its life, began to swell rapidly—

KA-KA-KA-KA-KABOOM—!!!

And it exploded into pieces.

So suddenly.

So effortlessly.

“……”

No one could even exhale.

The allied army’s gaze simply drifted aimlessly into the air.

Shards of the once-mighty World Tree scattered in every direction, falling with thunderous noise.

The tree was completely and utterly destroyed.

Next to it, Baarma smiled in near ecstasy.

Only then—

“Ah~”

A quiet sigh escaped someone’s lips.

A sigh of helplessness.

And in that moment, within the despair where everything had gone exactly as Baarma intended— as he stared at the shattered fragments of the World Tree— only Alon came to a realization.

He instinctively reached into his pocket.

And he fidgeted with it.

That object which had long been resting inside his pocket.