Chapter 11 - Job Hunting (1)

Four months had passed since Alon heard that Loria had become Duchess of Altia. Only five years remained until the original story began.

The winter that had painted the whole world white had passed, and spring was well on its way, bringing every living thing not merely a sense of ease, but drowsiness.

“Young master—no, should I be calling you my lord now?”

“I haven’t held the succession ceremony yet.”

Though Alon had yet to hold the formal ceremony, he could now call himself Count Pallatio rather than the heir to the house.

“But you’re effectively the count already, aren’t you? Seeing you become count is quite moving, young master.”

“Is it?”

Alon gave a faint smile. It was a wry one.

‘None of this was actually in the plan, though.’

His original goal had not been to become count, but simply to enjoy a leisurely life as a noble under the shelter of that title.

Unfortunately, Leo, who should have become count, had suddenly been assassinated. That was the only reason Alon was here.

‘It’s not what I intended, but it isn’t all that bad.’

He would have been perfectly content spending quiet days in Rodmil, amusing himself, studying magic, and toasting bread. Still, being count had its advantages.

The position allowed him to enjoy a more refined and luxurious version of the peaceful noble life he had envisioned.

Naturally, that improvement in his quality of life came with responsibilities. But after handling various minor duties as the house’s heir for the past six months, he had found the work-life balance remarkably good.

‘I never thought belonging to a house of thugs would come in so handy.’

Managing their territories was one reason nobles were busy, but politics accounted for a far greater share of their work.

House Pallatio, however, had never involved itself in politics. Unless something truly urgent came up, Alon could generally lead a leisurely life.

Moreover, while the assassins who had disposed of Avalon had certainly wiped its members out cleanly, they had not taken any of the money the group had accumulated.

As long as he avoided extravagant spending, those savings alone would easily last him five years.

“Oh, that reminds me. Have you found any new information?”

“Do you mean information on the assassins who killed Leo?”

Alon nodded, and Evan shook his head.

“Apparently, the Information Guild has never encountered anything like this either. They seem to be investigating very carefully, but it appears they still haven’t uncovered anything.”

“... Really?”

“Yes.”

Alon smacked his lips at Evan’s answer.

He had not kept the investigation going all this time because he wanted to identify Leo’s killers and take revenge. It was simply that the past was gradually changing from what he knew.

‘The butterfly effect... I suppose that’s what you’d call it. I did expect it to some extent.’

Alon had suspected that his own actions were the reason the past was deviating from the version he knew.

After all, besides rescuing the Five Great Sins, he had meddled in all sorts of affairs to deal with future annoyances in advance.

If a butterfly’s tiny wingbeats could create a storm, what he had done was no mere flutter of wings. He had practically created a hurricane with his own hands.

‘Of course the past would change... Though I don’t know why some things changed.’

Leaving aside his own recent formal accession as count, Alon recalled one future that had changed conspicuously.

Loria. The woman who had become Duchess of Altia six months ago should, originally, have died.

Yet not only had she survived and become duchess, she was now expanding her power in the underworld at a frightening pace.

Alon wondered which of his interventions had intersected with her survival to change the future, then shrugged. He realized there was no point thinking about it.

Instead, he returned to the subject of Leo’s assassins.

“... That’s enough. Stop investigating.”

“Are you sure?”

“I still haven’t found the answers I wanted, but if even the Information Guild can’t uncover their identities, there’s no point digging any further.”

There was another reason Alon had decided to end the investigation he had pursued without pause for roughly a year.

‘Some things in this world are better left unknown. This looks rather ominous, too.’

In this world, the Information Guild knew at least a little about everything.

That was because its owner and guildmaster was the leader of “Darkness at Night’s End.” As far as Alon knew, only a handful of organizations could evade the guild’s information network.

He knew several of those organizations from the game’s lore, and he also knew that learning their names would do him no good.

Even if he worked hard to uncover their identities, his only reward would be assassins coming after him again and again to keep that information secret.

In the end, Alon gave up on finding out.

He had only wanted the information so he could prepare for any possible trouble. There was no reason to pursue knowledge that would put him in greater danger the moment he acquired it.

‘Besides, if Leo was attacked by a group even the Information Guild can’t name, they won’t have any reason to attack me.’

Secret societies generally left people alone unless their identities were exposed or someone blatantly interfered with their work.

They were far more obsessive about concealing themselves than was necessary.

“Understood.”

Evan nodded and turned to leave the office, only to return as though something had just occurred to him and offer Alon a letter.

It was from Yutia.

“I brought it with me, since I was coming to report to you anyway.”

Alon gave a brief nod, unfolded the letter, and read it.

It described daily life at the orphanage. Recently, he had found that reading her letters warmed his heart before he even realized it.

And no wonder. Yutia’s monthly letters were filled with little details about the everyday lives of the Five Great Sins and their friends at the orphanage. They were deeply heartwarming.

‘Deus has been putting on puppet shows often lately, and Seollang is absorbed in games with her friends...’

Other stories, such as Rine still quietly reading and often making things, or Radan developing a taste for landscaping, brought a fatherly smile to his face.

Of course, he had not fathered the Five Great Sins, nor had he even seen their faces. Still, after supporting them for nearly five years and watching them grow, he found those feelings coming naturally to him these days. At the same time...

‘I think it’s about time to send them out into the world...’

Alon was beginning to consider having all five leave the orphanage.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“How old are the Five Great... No, how old is Yutia?”

“Hmm... I believe she’s nineteen now.”

“And the others?”

“... Most of those you personally ordered me to rescue should be around that age. Rine is seventeen, and Radan should be twenty now. But why the sudden interest in their ages?”

“I thought it might be time for them to leave.”

“... Those five? ... It certainly is rather late for them to still be living at an orphanage.”

Unlike in the modern world, people here were effectively considered adults from sixteen and expected to function as members of society.

Evan nodded as though he understood what I meant, then asked,

“But weren’t you deliberately keeping them together?”

“Well... I was, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to keep them together forever.”

Alon had gathered them together solely to prevent them from awakening as the Five Great Sins, who would destroy countless kingdoms in the future.

In other words, once they had received enough care, there was no reason to keep them tied to the orphanage.

‘Besides, if I put them in the right places, they should all have more than enough ability to secure positions for themselves.’

Alon recalled the talents each of the Five Great Sins possessed, and the narration that played when he faced them as bosses—the typical sort used to hype up a boss’s strength.

‘... Yutia has faith, Deus has the sword, Rine has inquiry...’

He also recalled the descriptions of Seollang’s talent as a fighter and Radan’s as an apostle. Without hesitation, he took out some stationery and began writing.

‘They only said they had talent, without specifying exactly how much, so I can’t be sure. But they should be able to look after themselves.’

As he wrote, Alon decided that, while he was at it, he would give each of the Five Great Sins a gift before they ventured out into the world upon receiving his letters.

‘I was going to give them these eventually anyway.’

After spending quite some time writing all five letters, Alon sealed them and handed them to Evan.

‘If they do well later, perhaps a few crumbs will come my way too.’

With that carefree thought, he smiled quietly behind Evan as the man left to have the letters delivered.

####

A few weeks later, in the basement of the eastern orphanage.

For once, Alon had sent each of the five an individual letter. They read them, and Deus, who finished first, spoke.

“... The Great Moon commands me to go to Callevan, the land of knights.”

“Mine says Coloni, in the desert... Ugh, I don’t like deserts...”

“... I’m to go to the labyrinth city of Lartania.”

“I’m going to Laxas, the city of entertainment.”

Following his lead, Seollang, Rine, and Radan murmured over the contents of their letters.

Then came Yutia.

“... The Holy Kingdom of Rosario...”

As Yutia murmured over her letter, Deus spoke with a slightly puzzled expression.

“What is his purpose in sending us away?”

“Huh? Doesn’t yours say, Deus?”

“... He did tell me to go to Callevan and become a knight... But honestly, I don’t understand why he wants me to become one.”

Deus muttered in bewilderment at Seollang’s innocent question.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I, Deus? We don’t need to judge. We need only obey.”

He nodded at Yutia’s words.

“Besides, we’ll understand why once we get there. It’s written in all your letters, isn’t it? What you need to do first when you arrive.”

At her words, they all looked at their letters.

Just as she said, besides specifying the professions they should enter and assuring them that their financial support would continue, the letters gave the locations of the Great Moon’s “gifts.”

And so Yutia said,

“You’ll understand once you go there yourselves.”

She left them with one final instruction.

“And remember, all of you: never speak of the Blue Moon, wherever you may be. Not unless he speaks of it first.”

The five who should have become the Five Great Sins, but were now members of the Blue Moon, left to carry out the orders in Alon’s letters.

Three months later.

“My lord, have you heard? Deus has been knighted in Callivan.”

“Really?”

While studying Babiloia’s phrases, Alon heard from Evan about Deus, the first of the five whose news had spread.

Another three months later.

“My lord.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Apparently, Deus has founded a knightly order.”

“... A knightly order?”

“Yes.”

“... Wasn’t he knighted only two months ago? And don’t you have to be at least an Expert to found a knightly order?”

“That’s right.”

“... He certainly has talent to spare.”

“I think so too. If word has spread all the way here so quickly, he must be causing quite a stir in Callivan. Everyone’s saying that at this rate, they might have their fifth Master Knight within ten years.”

Alon nodded in admiration as he listened to Evan.

Six months after that.

“... My lord?”

“What is it?”

“... Apparently, Deus has become one of Callivan’s only five Master Knights???”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

“???”

Alon stared blankly at Evan’s words.

This had happened just one year after the Five Great Sins left the orphanage...