Chapter 60 - It Was There, Though (1)

Yutia’s repeated assertions had played a part, but Rine had long recognized that the Great Moon was fundamentally different from them. He had been a friend of the great Palaon, who lived in the forgotten age of the gods. He freely wielded the phrases and sentences of that forgotten age, which could only be used with an understanding of them. And upon recognizing that she possessed a “library,” he had bestowed the Eye of the Stalker upon her.

Above all, however, what made Rine sense that the Great Moon was different was the eye behind his back. That thing, unrecorded even in his library, distorted perception merely by being seen. More clearly than anything else, it impressed upon her that the Great Moon was a different kind of being from them.

That was why Rine had faith in the Great Moon, and why she saw nothing strange about it. She believed there was nothing at all strange about worshipping someone fundamentally different from them. With that faith, she had never doubted that the Great Moon would win this battle, either. In her heart, he was already a being who merely wore a human guise, the one who would fulfill her sole cherished wish.

"..."

Rine continued her thoughts as she gazed at the labyrinth city’s lord’s castle beyond her office.

'... Family.'

In truth, the moment the Outer God used its magic on her, she had known she was going to die. At that instant, there had been no way to evade its magic. Of course, she had survived thanks to the Great Moon, who saved her from death even at the cost of opening up a possibility that he might lose to the Outer God. But she could not understand his actions.

She did not believe her life was worth enough for the Great Moon to risk defeat. At least in her own estimation, she was nothing more or less than a useful tool he had cultivated to dispose of the black things. That was why she could not understand. Certainly, she had not yet completed the Eye of the Stalker and thus still had some usefulness left, but even so, his actions seemed utterly irrational to her.

After pondering it alone for a long time, Rine had finally asked him. And that was when she had heard that word.

“Family.”

"Family..."

Rine murmured flatly. The word held little meaning for her. Born into this world with a library, she had never had a family to begin with.

"Family... huh."

Yet even so, at least for now, things were different. Of course, she still attached no great significance to “family” itself. That simple word evoked nothing in her, intellectually or emotionally. Nevertheless, its definition had changed for Rine because the one who had spoken it was the Great Moon.

She admired him without reservation, and precisely for that reason had revered the Great Moon from a step removed. To her, the word “family” from his lips sounded incredibly sweet.

Was it because the Great Moon had called her family?

No.

Because she was bound to the Great Moon she so admired by the title of family?

That was not it, either.

The reason Rine found that word so sweet was—

'I can draw a little closer to him.'

—because he himself had acknowledged a legitimate path for her to draw closer to the Great Moon.

'A little closer. No... if possible, closer than anyone else. And then—'

And so...

'If the Great Moon—no, Godfather—needs me more than anyone... more than the Red Moon—'

As she reflected on this new goal that belonged to her alone, she turned her gaze from the labyrinth city’s lands toward a spot in the room. A full-length mirror stood there, reflecting Rine.

"..."

Her reflection was smiling. It was no faint smile. She stood with a light flush on her cheeks and a smile so radiant that her fangs were plainly visible—a smile she herself had never seen before.

A smile she had never shown even to the members of the Blue Moon. One that was unfamiliar even to Rine herself.

Staring blankly at it, she grinned even more broadly and murmured,

"... Godfather."

At first, it had merely been a hastily improvised term to address the Great Moon with greater reverence. Yet in this moment, that improvised word had become more precious to Rine than anything else. To her, it had already become the very embodiment of her bond with the Great Moon.

After murmuring the word over and over, she said,

"I like it."

With that murmur, she closed her eyes, then opened them again. When she did, fanaticism filled them. A mad faith, clear and unmistakable to anyone who might see it.

####

A man stood along the forest road that anyone traveling from the Kingdom of Asteria to the desert city of Coloni had to pass through. With a massive kama strapped to either side of his back, he looked down at another man’s corpse.

It was a gruesome sight: a quill still clutched in its right hand, its neck twisted through two full turns. The man had been killed without even properly realizing what had killed him.

Despite a full month having passed since his death, the corpse showed no sign of decay, as though some spell had been cast on it.

"Hah—"

The man studying it—

'I came to check because I hadn’t heard from him in a while. I never imagined he’d actually be dead.'

—or rather, the Proxy, just like the dead man before him, gave a hollow laugh, crouched, and touched the corpse.

The lingering mana immediately dispersed. From that alone, the Proxy realized that a preservation spell had been placed on the corpse, and unconsciously licked his lips. There was really only one reason to cast a spell against decay like this on an already dead—and already decayed—body.

'A threat.'

It was as good as a threat telling them not to come looking unless they wanted to end up the same way.

'Did this happen while he was trying to take care of Count Pallatio?'

Recalling the commission the dead man had accepted about two months earlier, he began to ponder for a while. When and how would he take revenge?

The Proxies did not feel any great camaraderie toward one another. The only reason he was considering revenge was their reputation. Their one-hundred-percent mission success rate, which could be called their very identity, had to be maintained at all costs.

"..."

Unfortunately, however, the Proxy had no intention of going to attack Count Pallatio immediately.

'... He does seem to be strong.'

He recalled the rumors about Count Pallatio.

Over the past several years, Count Pallatio had been traveling beyond the Kingdom of Arteria, building a reputation that would sound somewhat preposterous to anyone. First came the rumor that he had made an enormous contribution to defeating the Outer God in the north. Next was the rumor that he had helped deal with Baba Yaga on two occasions in Coloni. And finally, there was even a rumor that he had defeated the Outer God that appeared in the labyrinth city.

'... So they weren’t just baseless rumors?'

To be honest, the Proxy had thought all the renown Count Pallatio had accumulated was exaggerated to some degree. He knew that nobles often resorted to absurd tricks to bolster their reputations. But seeing that one of the Proxies had died without being able to put up a fight, it seemed the count’s strength was not merely a product of empty rumors.

*'...Someone who can easily kill a fighter on the level of a Master Knight, and is skilled enough to defeat Outer Gods that appear only in written accounts...'

'In that case, I’ll need at least five people... But the force I can gather right now is three. And I don’t even know the count’s exact capabilities...' *

After repeatedly weighing Count Pallatio’s strength and considering what to do, he soon reached a decision.

'Since I can’t assemble our full strength at the moment anyway, I need only visit someone who must know Count Pallatio’s abilities in detail and ask him.'

With a broad smile, the Proxy looked toward Callivan. Toward Deus Makalian, one of its Master Knights, who was said to regard Count Pallatio as his benefactor.

'And while I’m at it, I can let Count Pallatio know just who he’s messed with.'

Anyone who could glimpse his thoughts might well have wondered whether he was simply insane. Yet he was smiling with confidence. After all, every Proxy was roughly as strong as a Master Knight.

'One Master Knight will be no trouble at all.'

With that, the man vanished from the spot.

####

After a leisurely journey lasting a little over a week, Alon returned to the count’s estate and settled in for more than three months of rest. In truth, he would have liked to get moving immediately after defeating the Outer God, but unfortunately, his body did not recover easily from mana poisoning. He recovered quickly up to a point, so it was not as though he could use no magic at all, but it took three months before he could wield his mana fully. Only when the sweltering summer had passed and winter’s cold winds began to blow could he say that his body had recovered to some extent.

During those three months—a period both long and short—Alon did three things. One was to attend to the estate’s affairs that he had put off. Another was to catch up on Yutia’s letters and exchange replies. And the last was to study magic.

Unable to use magic properly for roughly three months, he could approach it only academically. Even so, exploring magic had become less a matter of study than of enjoyment for him. In particular, the Manifestation of One’s True Nature that he had briefly attained while facing the Outer God had fueled his interest all the more.

'... Now that I’ve recovered, I ought to head back to Coloni soon... But perhaps I should activate the ring Heinkel gave me first... Or should I rest some more?'

In truth, Alon’s body had not fully recovered. His mana poisoning had improved considerably, but he was still not completely cured. Thus...

'... I’ll have to think of some way to increase my mana.'

Just as Alon was thinking that—

"My lord."

"What is it?"

"A letter has arrived. It’s from the Duchess of Altia."

"Ah."

Alon accepted a letter from Evan, whose head was piled with snow.

"... Come to think of it, that’s right."

His poor health had kept it from his mind, but only upon receiving her letter did Alon recall anew that he was the head of the Sword Faction, a faction formed by masterminds. He opened the letter.

"... Hm?"

Inside was a small crystal ball. The moment he picked it up—

HUM!

Its mana vibrated faintly, allowing him to recognize it as a communication crystal. Before much time had passed, the Duchess of Altia’s face appeared within it.

["It has been a while, Count."]

Though she held the rank of duchess, she bowed her head with great courtesy. Alon briefly wondered how to respond, then gave a small nod.

"It has."

["I contacted you because it is about time I gave my report."]

"Report?"

["Yes."]

Before Alon could even ask why she had contacted him, the Duchess of Altia said that and began earnestly delivering a “report” in the literal sense.

["Ah, I heard the news. That you made a great contribution to defeating the Outer God in the labyrinth city of Lartania."]

... Though before the report began, she did spend about twenty minutes enthusiastically praising Alon, saying she had heard about what happened in Lartania.

["Ah."]

Then, as though realizing her mistake, she cleared her throat and moved on to the matter at hand. The update on the Sword Faction that Alon received from the Duchess of Altia contained no particularly major issues.

... Except for the final report.

["Oh, and we have finished taking care of everything, just as you instructed."]

"... Taking care of everything?"

["Yes. As of yesterday, Asteria’s underworld has come under our Sword Faction’s control."]

"?"

["There is no one left in Asteria’s underworld who can stand in our way now. Congratulations, Count."]

"...???"

At Loria’s words, Alon looked blank for a moment.

... Alon had done nothing but breathe, and now he was king of the underworld.