Chapter 385 : Magic (5)

A few weeks passed after that.

“It’s starting to come into view.”

Just as Penia said, Rosario could now be seen in the distance.

Alon gazed at the scenery, lost in thought.

There was only one thing he had to do in Rosario.

To meet the goddess Sironia, just as “that” had told him.

If there was anything else to do there,

It was to ask Yutia about the “Abominable Blood.”

Abominable Blood.

Alon knew very little about it.

The only things he knew were that Yutia Bludia was the daughter of Abominable Blood, and that it had destroyed two empires.

That was all.

However, there was a good chance Yutia Bludia knew something.

After all, she was the daughter of Abominable Blood.

‘Of course, there’s a chance she doesn’t know either.’

The reason Alon had realized Yutia Bludia was the daughter of Abominable Blood was because it had been explained inside Psychedelia.

But if, by any chance, Yutia herself was unaware of her own origins, then she might not know her true identity at all.

“Phew—”

Of course, that possibility was exceedingly slim.

After thinking that far, Alon decided to admit it plainly.

Right now, he felt a strange reluctance to ask Yutia about Abominable Blood.

He didn’t know why, but the feeling was unmistakable.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be struggling with the thought like this.

Feeling that faint unease, Alon suddenly thought of Eliban.

The man he hadn’t been able to understand, yet who was clearly moving toward some purpose.

“Penia.”

“Yes?”

“Do you happen to know what became of Eliban?”

“Eliban?”

“Yes.”

Penia tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then replied.

“Last I heard, most of his wounds had healed. But…”

“He hasn’t woken up, has he?”

“No. Even though he was brought to Divine Land and cared for all this time, he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

Alon sighed lightly and shook his head.

He suddenly felt that all his overthinking was rather pointless.

“…I’ll just ask her.”

That was the conclusion he reached.

Before long, the gates of Rosario drew near.

“Both Yuman and Yutia told me to stop by here, and now I finally have.”

Alon stopped thinking about Yutia for the moment and recalled the reason he’d originally come.

“The goddess Sironia.”

To Alon, the goddess Sironia had become a far more complex figure than before.

At first, she had been just another goddess one might find in any fantasy world.

Then, an incomprehensible deity whose actions he couldn’t make sense of.

Later, he’d recognized her as a god who appeared during the age of forgotten outer gods.

But now, his thoughts had changed yet again.

More precisely, his doubts had deepened.

He had never expected the name of the goddess Sironia to come from those blue eyes.

“Well, I’ll know everything soon enough.”

As Alon’s carriage approached, the massive gates began to move as if they’d been waiting.

The tightly shut gates opened wide, and beyond them—

—stood Yuman, waiting.

When he spotted the carriage, Yuman smiled.

Seeing that, Alon subconsciously braced himself as he stepped down.

“Welcome, brother.”

As soon as Alon descended, Yuman greeted him warmly.

In truth, Alon had no reason to be nervous.

He hadn’t wronged Yuman in any way.

However, unlike before, Alon was now aware of what kind of “misunderstanding” Yuman held about him.

That was what made him a little uncomfortable around the man.

It would have been one thing back when Divine Land was first formed, but at this point, Yuman likely already knew that Alon intended to proclaim his own kingdom.

…In any case, because of that, Alon had felt awkward during the last meeting they’d had after the “One Who Bears It’s” battle.

“It’s been a while, Saint.”

“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you. Please, come in.”

Unlike Alon, who felt slightly tense, Yuman simply smiled and led the group inside.

Naturally, Alon followed him into Rosario.

“Oh—”

“It’s recovered quite a bit.”

[Hmph—indeed.]

[Yes.]

As soon as they entered Rosario, Evan, Penia, Basiliora, and Blackie all let out words of admiration.

Alon silently agreed.

Once ruined on one side by Sin’s destruction, Rosario had now been restored to its former pure-white glory.

The city gleamed again—so bright that it seemed to reject even the faintest trace of shadow.

After admiring the radiant city for a moment, the group finally reached the temple.

***

When Alon arrived at Yuman’s office, he was told the reason Yutia hadn’t come to greet him.

“She stepped out for a while?”

“Yes, but she should return either this evening or by tomorrow.”

“I see.”

After that, Alon and Yuman exchanged light conversation.

When the time came for Alon to bring up the real reason for his visit,

“It would be best if you rest today and meet the goddess tomorrow,” Yuman said first.

Alon flinched behind his calm expression.

“You already knew?”

“Yes. The goddess herself said that you would be coming.”

“…The goddess Sironia?”

“Yes.”

Alon unconsciously rubbed his chin.

The fact that the goddess Sironia had been waiting for his arrival was unexpected.

'So the goddess Sironia really is connected to the Blue Eyes, huh?'

As he drifted into thought, Alon reminded himself that Yuman was standing right in front of him.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Oh, think nothing of it. It’s only natural, isn’t it? You’re my brother, after all.”

Yuman waved his hand with a warm smile.

Alon glanced at him carefully before opening his mouth.

“Um, just to make sure...”

“Hm? Yes, brother?”

Looking at Yuman’s kind smile, Alon hesitated.

Should he bring this up or not?

...He already knew.

He knew it was far too late to undo the misunderstanding.

Still, he figured it would be better to mention it at least once.

“By any chance, has that misunderstanding not been cleared up yet?”

Alon asked cautiously.

Yuman looked straight at him for a moment before smiling faintly.

“And what misunderstanding would that be?”

“—”

Alon was momentarily at a loss for words.

Now that he thought about it, there wasn’t just one misunderstanding Yuman had.

'Where do I even start?'

He was at a loss.

But his dilemma didn’t last long.

“I don’t know which misunderstanding you’re referring to, but if you’re worried that I treat you this way because of one, please don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?”

Before Alon could say anything, Yuman had already spoken first.

“I mean it. Even if your identity turns out to be different from the one I thought, I don’t see that as a problem.”

“I... see?”

“Yes. I trust in what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

With a gentle smile and a gaze full of faith, Yuman continued,

“So please, don’t worry yourself too much, brother.”

Then he said kindly once more, “Now then, let me show you to your quarters.”

Yuman rose from his seat first.

As Alon followed him, he reminded himself what kind of person Yuman truly was.

'...So this is what it means to be a saint.'

Humans, by nature, cared deeply about affiliation.

Even more so when it came to religion.

That was why Yuman’s response felt so refreshing to Alon.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Meanwhile, behind them, Penia and Evan whispered quietly as they walked.

“So, was that sigh from the Marquis out of admiration?”

“What, he’s finally realizing it now?”

“Well, they have been together for years.”

“True. Just look at him — he’s probably thinking, ‘So this is what true sainthood looks like!’”

“Honestly, you don’t even have to be a saint. Anyone who knew what the Marquis has done would treat him with reverence.”

“There’s not a single one of us who doesn’t know. It’s just the Marquis himself who’s strangely unaware of his own worth.”

They whispered softly as they followed behind Alon.

***

The next day.

With Yuman’s guidance, Alon headed straight to the Saint’s Chamber — the place where he could meet the goddess Sironia.

“I’ll leave you alone for now.”

As soon as they arrived, Yuman turned quietly and exited the room.

Alon looked up at the massive statue that nearly filled the chamber.

Then—

Vwoooom—!

Even though he hadn’t used any magic, a pure white light began to emanate from the statue.

Recognizing this as the precursor to the goddess’s voice, Alon waited calmly and thought to himself.

'What will I hear this time?'

He’d come to Rosario with a certain level of expectation, but even so, he had no idea what to anticipate.

He still couldn’t imagine what kind of connection existed between the Blue Eyes and the goddess Sironia.

But he did believe that he would gain something here.

So he stood still, staring at the statue.

When the light from the statue finally steadied into a flawless, radiant white—

[Hello there.]

A voice echoed.

It was the voice of the goddess Sironia... or was it?

“Huh?”

Alon blinked in confusion and looked at the statue.

The statue was indeed shining brightly.

There didn’t appear to be any problem on the surface.

And yet, he found himself frozen for a moment—

Because of the voice itself.

'It sounds... different. Much younger?'

The voice of the goddess he remembered had been sacred and mature.

If his memory wasn’t wrong, that was definitely the case.

But the voice he was hearing now—was young.

Closer to that of a girl than a grown woman.

So naturally—

“...Are you really the goddess Sironia?”

[Hmm, strictly speaking, not exactly. You see—]

Alon asked, and the voice replied—

[—I’m the ‘Divine Blood,’ the original essence from which she was born.]

That was its answer.