Chapter 359 : What Must Be Done (2)

The nobleman's neck twisted around, and at the same time, pandemonium erupted.

“Guards! Guards! The hero has gone mad!”

“R-run away!”

“Hurry, get out!!”

“Move! I said move!”

The calm atmosphere shattered in an instant.

The nobles screamed in voices closer to shrieks than anything human, thrashing about to escape.

Some shielded their bodies with the soldiers they had brought with them.

Others, astonishingly, reached into their garments as if they had prepared for such a situation, trying to pull something out and flee.

However—

Craaaack—!

Unfortunately for them, the nobles could not escape.

Beyond Eliban’s smiling face, yet another noble’s head twisted and he fell dead.

Then another.

And another after that.

And then another—

It continued endlessly.

They were slaughtered without pause.

The once-glorious ballroom was now covered in corpses and blood.

The golden chandelier was soaked in red.

Thick blood seeped into the carpets and the golden embroidery along their edges, blotting out all brightness.

And the only thing that remained—

“Ah~ Aaaah.............”

At the very front.

Duke Pimalian, who had been staring at Eliban.

He had not run away; instead, he blankly gazed at Eliban.

No, to be precise—

He hadn’t chosen not to run.

He couldn’t run.

His legs were paralyzed by fear, trembling uncontrollably.

His mouth, which should have been screaming, could only quiver in terror.

Yet despite that terror and despair, Eliban was smiling brightly.

The duke simply could not understand.

To be honest, he couldn’t understand a single part of what was happening.

No—he could understand Eliban’s logic.

He was a hero.

He had used his own birthday party to lure nobles connected to the underworld, and he had massacred them all.

They were undeniably villains.

Yes, up to that point, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible—even if the methods were monstrously brutal and extreme for a hero.

But the question tearing through the duke’s mind was something else.

“Why... why do this?”

The duke muttered unconsciously.

If the hero intended to kill them, he didn’t need to do it here.

With that unprecedented power, he could have killed them quietly.

But Eliban chose not to.

He deliberately brought them here.

He even used the pretext of a birthday celebration to gather the attention of the entire Allied Kingdom.

Then he killed them.

As though he wanted this incident to be known far and wide.

It was a profoundly foolish act.

Even if they were criminals and connected to the underworld—

What he had done was reckless enough to completely destroy the prestige of “Hero Eliban.”

Why—why on earth—

“You seem curious.”

Lost in terror and confusion, Duke Pimalian suddenly realized Eliban was staring straight at him.

Eliban’s expression was the same as ever.

A cheerful smile hung on his lips.

But the horrific scene that filled the duke’s vision— made him realize that such a smile could no longer be seen as normal.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“What is it that’s troubling you so much? Are you curious why I gathered the nobles here just to kill them? Or are you more curious why I willingly threw my reputation into the dirt?”

Unlike the duke.

Eliban asked with leisurely composure.

And before the duke could even respond, he answered as if he already knew his thoughts.

“The answer is simple. You’ve probably already figured it out. Every noble gathered here is trash. They are parasites who would eventually take root in the underworld and corrupt the kingdom.”

“Parasites, you say?”

“Yes, parasites. There’s no more accurate word.”

The duke was confused.

It was true that everyone here was connected to the underworld.

However—

Among them, there was not a single figure who wielded enough power to corrupt the kingdom on a national scale.

In fact, as far as the duke knew—

The true powers of the underworld had not been invited to Eliban’s party.

That realization brought forth a new, horrifying doubt.

“But... in that case, there is no one here who could.........”

Even while drowning in fear, the duke managed to force out the question with trembling lips.

Eliban nodded as if amused.

“Yes, that’s right. Everyone here is insignificant. For now, that is. Including you.”

Duke Pimalian couldn’t understand what that meant.

“And the reason I specifically gathered all of you here to kill you is simple.”

Eliban continued.

“A reputation that has been inflated—falls all the more spectacularly when it crashes.”

The corners of his lips remained lifted.

Naturally, the duke could not comprehend why Eliban would do such a thing.

But amidst that confusion—

There was one thing he did comprehend.

That the man standing before him—Eliban—was far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

“S-s-save me... You’re a hero, aren’t you?”

The duke begged for his life.

He knew.

How pointless it was.

But he still wanted to live.

His mind, consumed by survival instinct, desperately clung to even the faintest chance.

Eliban looked down at him and calmly replied.

“No, I’m not a hero.”

“...What?”

The duke blinked in disbelief.

Eliban smiled again.

“Literally. I am not a hero. Strictly speaking, I’m more like someone who was helped by a hero.”

As always.

Unfortunately, the duke never got to respond.

Because the moment Eliban said those words—

Crack—!

The duke’s neck was already twisted.

With a dull thud, blood spilled across the floor.

Eliban looked away naturally.

At some point, a figure wearing sacred vestments had appeared.

“How is it outside?”

At Eliban’s question, the figure smiled and answered:

“They’re gathering here. It seems everything is proceeding exactly as you intended.”

“So, are the preparations complete?”

“Yes.”

At that response, the figure in sacred vestments flicked something toward Eliban.

It was a crimson shard.

It wasn’t polished enough to be called a gemstone, just a fragment red as blood.

And the moment that shard touched Eliban’s hand—

Craaaaaack—!

His body began to be devoured by the red veins pouring out of the shard.

Slowly, yet rapidly.

As Eliban quietly allowed himself to be consumed by the blood-red veins, the figure in sacred vestments suddenly asked a question.

“Aren’t you afraid? If your prediction is wrong, you won’t be walking the path to save this world—you’ll be the one to destroy it. You will become the greatest evil.”

It was a calm question.

To this, Eliban simply replied,

“No.”

Just that.

A very simple answer.

Yet even at that short response, the figure involuntarily widened its eyes.

For in Eliban’s expression—though he was being absorbed—were unmistakable traces of trust and conviction.

As though he had already seen the future with his own eyes.

Therefore, the figure only smiled faintly before vanishing,

And Eliban quietly looked up at the sky.

The evening sky, newly stained with darkness, was embroidered with a sweeping Milky Way.

It shone brightly, as if gazing down upon the earth.

Yet even as he looked upon it, his gaze did not waver.

Because the only answer he had found—was precisely this.

Eliban placed his trust in that vision.

Eliban placed his faith in that conviction.

And so, he simply closed his eyes.

And then—

“.... ”

“.... ”

Rage opened its eyes.

***

[I thought I was going to die!]

[Meowww—!]

Around that time.

Alon arrived at the Marquisate a little faster than usual.

As soon as he entered his office, Basiliora and Blackie burst out, panting heavily.

[Damn it! Why won’t that weird beastman freak shake off?!]

[Meow—! MeowMeowMeow—!!]

The moment Seolrang disappeared to finish her unresolved game match with Ryanga, Basiliora and Blackie popped out and began pouring out their grievances at full speed.

Both of them turned to stare at Alon simultaneously.

[Alon! Hurry up and send those guys away! We’re at our limit here!]

[Meow!]

Their cry was filled with desperate determination.

But behind his expressionless face, Alon looked slightly awkward.

He could tell them what they wanted to hear.

But telling Seolrang outright, “It’s time for you to leave,” felt a bit... difficult.

“Well. I’ll ask, at least.”

He couldn’t just ignore their pitiful eyes either.

So Alon nodded, signaling that he understood.

Just as Alon was preparing to calm them down—

“It’s been a while.”

Creak

— the door opened, and Evan stepped into the office.

[You scared me, you idiot!]

[Meow!]

The two creatures were about to dart at light speed into Alon’s pocket and ring, but stopped mid-motion and glared fiercely at Evan.

“Why don’t I call Seolrang again?”

[Meow~!]

[Tch— I admit it. Right now, you’re stronger than me.]

Evan snickered dismissively, as if their protests were laughable, and lightly threatened them.

The two creatures moaned like they were looking at the greatest villain in the world as they reluctantly hid away.

“Hehehe~”

Evan chuckled, his shoulders shaking triumphantly.

Watching this, Alon spoke.

“......Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Of course I am, my lord. Opportunities to push those two down are rare.”

“If I don’t suppress them now, when else will I?” added Evan confidently.

Then Alon asked,

“So, did you find Sili?”

“Ah, I actually came to report on that. It seems she has already gone back to Divine Land.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“......Then it seems I’ll have to go to Divine Land again soon.”

For a moment, Alon recalled what Syrkal had said previously.

Then a thought surfaced, and he asked,

“Come to think of it, didn’t Sili say she had something she needed to do in the territory?”

“Yes, it seems she built a church.”

“...A church?”

“Yes. She built it right across from the church founded by Yutia.”

At that, Alon’s lips pressed together.

He wasn’t sure where to begin—

Should he first question why she built something in his domain without permission?

Or why she built it directly across from the Sironia Church?

He had no idea which to tackle first.

Since he would be meeting Sili soon anyway,

Alon decided to ask her about it then.

Immediately after, Evan delivered a strange piece of news.

“Oh, and it seems they’re planning to start by constructing small residential houses in Divine Land.”

“......Houses?”

“Yes. They were using military tents all this time, so it looks like they’re planning to build proper homes now.”

Alon hummed thoughtfully and nodded.

It was true that with the number of people skyrocketing, they urgently needed housing.

However, the reason Alon had delayed the matter was—

The cost.

The Palatio Marquisate was extremely wealthy.

At this point, even if Alon retired and lived leisurely, he would never run out of money in his lifetime.

Unless he started living extravagantly, which he was not inclined to do.

But building residential housing in Divine Land was no small expense.

It would require enough money to make even Alon flinch.

Therefore—

“How much is the necessary budget estimated to be?”

Alon asked with a hint of tension.

But Evan replied,

“Budget? There isn’t one.”

“......? None?”

“Yes.”

“Then how are they planning to build housing?”

“It says here, they’ll fund everything with donations.”

“Donations?”

“Yes.”

“They raised enough donations to build housing developments?”

Alon asked in disbelief.

Evan, recalling something else, continued.

“Oh, and they’re also planning to refurbish the roads.”

“......The roads too?”

“Yes. With donations.”

“And they plan to build a town hall as well—small, but still.”

“No way, don’t tell me—”

“Yes. Also with donations.”

“......???”

A faint expression of confusion spread across Alon’s face...