Chapter 33 - The Leader...? Me...? (1)

In the early hours of the day Alon received Yutia’s letter announcing that she had become a cardinal, Blue Moon’s regular meeting began.

Blue Moon generally met once every six months. Since the distances between them made meeting in person impossible, they usually spoke through crystal orbs.

... Even so, these semiannual meetings were never particularly long.

Most of their meetings using the crystal orbs Rine had made lasted no more than ten minutes. Even then, almost all the talking came from Yutia, who chaired the meetings, and Seollang, who offered innocent little remarks.

In other words, aside from those two, no one said anything beyond “yes,” “no,” or a brief opinion.

Of course, Radan and Rine occasionally contributed by exchanging trivial snippets of their daily lives. Deus, however, usually said absolutely nothing during the meetings.

Partly, he genuinely had nothing to say, but he was also taciturn by nature.

That was why none of them anticipated that a meeting averaging less than ten minutes would stretch past thirty, all because Seollang innocently asked, “Oh, I heard a rumor that the Great Moon visited you. What was it like seeing him in person?”

... Up to that point, the Five Great Sins attending the meeting looked quite intrigued.

It was less because Deus was showering the Great Moon with praise than because they were wondering whether he had always been capable of talking at such length.

But...

["The Great Moon stood before that Outer God—Ultultus. While everyone was gripped by despair and terror, and even the Blue Magic Tower’s deputy tower master was blinded by fear, he stepped forward without a care and challenged the Outer God to a duel. Looking back, I believe the Great Moon was already preparing his magic then. But that is not actually the important part. The Outer God, the Great Moon—"]

Once Deus’s account passed the thirty-minute mark and approached an hour, bewilderment began creeping into their hearts.

... For all their expectations, none of them had imagined he would keep talking for an entire hour.

["Come to think of it, when the Great Moon departed—"]

["Wait, you’re getting way off—"]

Rine tried to stop him.

["Just listen to this. We are discussing the Great Moon, are we not? Now, where was I? Ah, yes, Ultultus and—"]

But Deus was already so absorbed in his account of the Great Moon that he continued, even winding the story back to earlier events.

Through the magical images, Rine and Seollang looked toward Yutia, silently pleading for her to stop him. She was the only person who could properly cut Deus off.

["The Great Moon truly is exceptional."]

But Yutia seemed to be enjoying his story too. Her eyes shone as she nodded repeatedly with a satisfied smile.

["..."] ["..."]

They realized this story would not end anytime soon.

And just as they expected...

["Ahem... I have talked rather too long."]

Deus’s story only ended another hour and a half later.

["..."] ["..."]

The meeting ended with a lesson firmly etched into Rine’s, Radan’s, and Seollang’s minds: never ask Deus about the Great Moon.

... Dawn was well advanced.

####

The next day.

“My lord, it seems Yutia really has become a cardinal.”

“... Really?”

“Yes. The Information Guild says she has become one of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario’s eight cardinals.”

A multitude of questions filled Alon’s head as he listened to Evan.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“... Isn’t a cardinal an extremely high-ranking figure in the Holy Kingdom?”

“Indeed. As I mentioned last time, I understand that cardinals rank immediately below the pope. They also have the authority to issue an ‘Out Call.’”

“An Out Call...”

“Put simply, she is now one of the people who can legally declare a holy war. There are various restrictions, of course.”

“Ah,” Alon breathed. He fell silent briefly before speaking again.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“It wouldn’t happen to be easy to become a cardinal, would it?”

“... Are you seriously asking me that?”

Evan stared at him with an expression that plainly asked what sort of absurd question that was.

“I thought I should check.”

“... Of course it isn’t easy. Aside from saints chosen directly by God, there are only eight in that enormous Holy Kingdom. How could it possibly be easy?”

Alon nodded, then tilted his head at the question that arose.

'How on earth did she manage it...?'

Of course, he was the one who had sent Yutia to the Holy Kingdom, knowing she had the makings of a devout believer.

But he had never imagined she would become a cardinal there in less than two years. He knew very well that devout faith alone was not enough to attain that office.

Although Yutia’s current situation puzzled him, Alon soon dismissed the thought.

Looking at it objectively, her success in the Holy Kingdom could not possibly hurt him. In fact, it might be a very good thing.

'Am I finally getting some proper backing...?'

Rumors that Count Pallatio was the benefactor of Deus, one of Callivan’s Master Knights, were already gradually spreading through Callivan. But this was different.

He and Deus had never managed to exchange even a single letter properly. Even when they met, exchanging one remark apiece in a day counted as a great deal of communication.

Yutia, on the other hand, corresponded with him regularly every month. If something happened, he could ask her for help quite naturally. That was a considerable difference.

So Alon nodded several times, his expression blank but his heart content.

'Maybe a few little benefits will trickle my way?'

He allowed himself a modest hope.

####

About a week later.

Just as he had planned, Alon had settled into a peaceful routine as soon as he returned to his estate.

Waking late in the morning, making himself toast, and eating steak for dinner gave him the most precious happiness life could offer: leisure.

That did not mean he had spent the entire week idling without a thought, however.

... He would have liked to stop thinking altogether, but knowing an Outer God had already descended once, he could not simply sit around eating and enjoying himself.

For one thing, if one Outer God had descended, others could descend too.

In short, having prevented the Five Great Sins from descending, he now faced the possibility of Outer Gods appearing instead. Yet Alon accepted that situation with equanimity.

He had been through hell, but part of him thought it was not such a bad outcome.

If this was a butterfly effect caused by his rescue of the Five Great Sins, Outer Gods appearing was dozens of times better than changing nothing and letting all five Sins descend to devastate the kingdoms.

At least Outer Gods gave a warning before descending. When the Five Great Sins descended, all anyone could do was treat it like a nuclear bomb had dropped and pray to the heavens.

...

At any rate, fully aware that another Outer God might appear, Alon had spent the past week gathering information while also studying magic.

“Phew...”

He let out a long sigh and looked down at the ground.

Unlike the firm earth elsewhere in the training grounds, the patch beneath him was wet mud that dirtied his shoes.

'Did I finally succeed?'

Just as he realized that the spell he had been steadily researching since the return journey from Callivan had finally worked...

“My lord... Hmm? It feels strangely chilly here.”

At Evan’s puzzled voice as he entered the training grounds, Alon naturally turned toward him.

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

“What about the information? Did you find anything?”

There was a hint of anticipation in his question. He had asked about all sorts of things, from Ultultus’s true name to the black one and the blue one, so he had hoped for at least an answer or two.

“Nothing at all?”

“No. At least, they said they knew absolutely nothing about the God of Strange Powers and Untamed Spirits, or the black one and the blue one.”

Alon smacked his lips at Evan’s answer.

'So I really do have to go to Coloni to learn anything.'

He recalled the inscription on the ornament.

Normally, with a clue in hand, Alon would have preferred to go investigate himself rather than ask the Information Guild.

But he could not set out because the location of Kahara, the city of the old gods, had not yet been discovered at this point in time.

'In the game, I could always enter once I reached Coloni, so I never thought about that.'

He smacked his lips in disappointment, then shrugged.

According to the faint memories of Psychedelia that remained beyond what he had written in his notebook for fear of forgetting, Kahara’s location would probably be discovered before long.

'The description said it was discovered three years before the protagonist left his village. That makes it this year in the timeline.'

Remembering that this year was three years before the original story began, Alon concluded that he would have to wait until then regardless, and nodded.

“Understood.”

“I’ll tell them to keep looking for now, just in case.”

Watching Alon give a brief nod, Evan suddenly let out an “Ah,” then spoke.

“Oh, and my lord. A gift arrived.”

“... A gift?”

“Yes. I put it in your office, so you should take a look.”

####

After hearing Evan’s news, Alon returned to his office and found the gift waiting there. When he checked its contents...

“... Oh.”

An exclamation escaped him before he knew it.

Small wonder: inside the gift box was a solid-gold goblet studded with dazzling jewels.

“... You could easily buy a mansion or two just by selling this.”

As Evan murmured in astonishment, Alon checked the sender’s name on the wrapping.

In the space for the recipient, the name “Baron Pirima” was written large enough for anyone to recognize.

'... But why send this to me?'

Naturally, Alon had no real idea who Baron Pirima was, so he tilted his head.

But Evan offered a suggestion.

“Perhaps the rumor has finally spread everywhere?”

“Rumor?”

“Yes. Word was already spreading that you’re the benefactor of Deus, one of Callivan’s Master Knights.”

“... They would send a gift like this over a single connection?”

Alon sounded bewildered.

A little later, however...

“... It’s true.”

The words slipped out as Alon read the letter enclosed with the gift.

Alongside a brief greeting introducing the sender, it contained blatant flattery praising Alon as Deus’s benefactor.

'... Master Knights are certainly famous, but that famous...?'

He looked puzzled.

'Of course, even in the game, Master Knights received applause wherever they went, in any country...'

He remembered the overtly flattering scenes that had played whenever he briefly traveled with Reinhardt, one of Callivan’s Master Knights, for a quest.

'Well, I suppose there could be one or two people like that.'

With that thought, he nodded in considerable satisfaction and claimed the golden goblet.

His house was not short of funds, but the more wealth he had, the better.

His previous life had given him plenty of experience with just how much more comfortable life became depending on how much money remained.

'I’ll keep it as a private stash.'

Alon gazed at the golden goblet, outwardly expressionless but inwardly wearing a satisfied smile.

The next day.

“My lord.”

“What is it?”

“More gifts have arrived. Two this time.”

“... Two?”

Once again, Alon received gifts from nobles he did not know. Two precious artifacts, at that—each worth about as much as the golden goblet from the day before.

“Wow, this is an artifact from the deep levels of a labyrinth. It must be incredibly expensive.”

Evan marveled at the artifact in Alon’s hand.

Despite his blank expression, Alon was positively beaming inside once again.

'So this is what connections do?'

Reading the letter’s praise of Deus and of himself as Deus’s benefactor, he gazed at the artifacts with pleasure.

Selling the gifts he had received so far would instantly bring in enough money to make his already comfortable life even more luxurious.

Alon had long since forgotten the bitterness he had felt when Deus stopped contacting him.

'Deus... You really are a dutiful son.'

In its place, Deus had become a dutiful son in his eyes.

“My lord, this would be enough to replace your carriage with a magitech carriage. You’ll need to ride one to the ‘Grand Council Session’ in a few months anyway, so why not upgrade?”

“... That might not be a bad idea.”

With the artifacts in hand, Evan and Alon discussed it with satisfied smiles.

But that lasted only a moment.

The next day.

“Another gift, my lord!”

“Oh.”

The day after that.

“A gift!”

“Oh.”

Three days later.

“My lord, a gift has arrived.”

“Hmm.”

Another week later.

“My lord, another gift.”

“... Hmm?”

... And when exactly one month had passed since then...

“My lord, another gift... has arrived??”

“...???”

Alon began to think that something very strange was going on.