Chapter 104

Chapter 104
The following day after Alon came back from the ruins of Malacca.

“It’s completely black.”
“Yes.”
“And inside this is that dragon creature, right?”
“Yes.”
“So when will it hatch?”
“Hmm…”

Evan’s question made Alon pause. Of course, he himself had no idea when the Shadow Dragon would emerge.

‘If it had appeared in the game, I might have had a reference.’

Even after spending an extraordinary amount of time in <Psychedelia> and uncovering nearly all its secrets, Alon had never encountered or heard any mention of the Shadow Dragon. Essentially, he knew nothing about it.

“…Do you think the information guild would know something?”
“Hmm… I don’t believe so. That’s not really their specialty.”
“Is that so?”
“They handle recent gossip and worldly matters, not ancient history like this. Unless it’s connected to current rumors somehow.”

Alon thought over Evan’s words, then made a soft sound of realization.
“Ah.”
“Did you remember something?”
Alon gave a nod.
“Yes. Someone occurred to me.”
“Who?”
“R…ine.”
“…Rine?”

Evan seemed confused, but Alon, familiar with the Eternal Library, pondered internally.

‘Is it possible Rine knows something?’

He was fully aware that nearly all “information” not blocked by her restrictions was held within her memory.

‘I should go see her.’

He stood up shortly after.
“Um… Marquess? Where are you going?”
“To our next stop.”
“What? We only returned from the ruins yesterday! Shouldn’t we rest a little?”

Evan’s surprise was understandable, having witnessed Alon push himself to exhaustion. But Alon was resolute.
“No, I intend to complete our schedule as soon as possible.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to rest. This area is far too damp.”
“Ah…”

Evan nodded in sympathy.
“That’s true. You really can’t stand humid places, can you?”
“Yes. It’s too unpleasant to relax here.”

Evan looked at him with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Is it really that serious?’ But Alon was entirely earnest.

‘I can’t get any proper rest here.’

Alon wasn’t usually fussy about where he stayed. In his earlier wandering days, he had slept outdoors often and never complained about enduring deserts or busy port cities. However, humidity was his weakness.

‘I need to finish this quickly and get out of the jungle.’

Determined to depart at the earliest opportunity, Alon got up from his seat. Right around that time—

“Marquess, are you here?”
“…Liyan?”
“Yes, sir.”

Liyan had come to find Alon.
“Did you rest well?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”

Liyan averted her gaze with an awkward smile. Alon inquired:
“So, what brings you here?”
“Well, uh… I just came to inform you that I’m returning.”
“…So soon?”
“Yes. Given the events of yesterday, it seems best to depart now.”

Indeed, continuing the expedition would have been too much. Alon nodded, showing his understanding.
“…That’s reasonable.”
“There’s also been some unusual movement reported near the Magic Tower recently.”
“Unusual movement?”
“Yes, which is another reason I need to get back to the tower quickly.”
“Understood. Then, let’s see each other again sometime.”

At Alon’s farewell words, Liyan’s expression grew cheerful.
“Yes, I would like that very much. Oh, and next time, would you care to share a meal?”
“A meal?”
“Yes, since you saved my life, I would like to repay you with a meal.”

After a moment’s consideration, Alon agreed with a nod.
“If that’s your wish, then alright.”
“Then please be sure to visit the Red Tower when you can!”
“I will.”

Liyan bowed deeply, then turned and walked away. Watching her leave, Evan commented.
“She seems much more approachable than she was before.”
“Does she?”
“Yes. It’s likely because of your remarkable magic.”
“Are we back on that subject?”
“It’s not just a subject—it truly made an impression. That’s all I’m saying.”

A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched Alon’s usually impassive face at Evan’s comment.
“We’ll say that’s the reason.”

With that, Alon returned to his preparations to leave, a random thought drifting through his mind:

‘Was it truly that remarkable?’

Once his preparations were complete, Alon left Evan behind and set off alone for the Hermit’s Hideout to safeguard the newly acquired dragon egg. Evan, assigned to guard the egg, nodded enthusiastically with a broad grin, clearly prepared for the duty. Alon gave a soft chuckle at the sight before turning northeast toward the Selvanus Zone.

The Selvanus Zone was famous for its peril, filled with all sorts of mutated monsters. Under normal circumstances, Alon would never consider entering such a place alone. However, he felt safe due to a special protection: Imariana’s Blessing.

Arriving at the huge statue marking the zone’s boundary, Alon studied the moss-covered form that looked like a nameless goddess. He approached the statue, pressed his palms together, and lowered his head.

After roughly five seconds, he spoke:

“Great goddess Imariana, grant me the vision to travel through this zone. In exchange, I will return what is rightfully yours.”

As he finished speaking, a soft glow emerged from the moss-clad statue, slowly seeping into Alon. A contented smile appeared on his face.

With Imariana’s Blessing, the Selvanus Zone held no more threats for him. Unless he initiated an attack, the monsters would not sense his presence, permitting him to roam the woods at will. The blessing had one requirement, however: he had to gather dispersed relics within the forest and present them as an offering.

‘It’s not a hard condition. I can just retrieve a few artifacts from the Hermit’s Hideout.’

As the stories went, every object in the Selvanus Zone was regarded as a lost belonging of the goddess. Feeling at ease, Alon started his trek into the zone, though a brief concern about Deus flickered in his thoughts.

‘Now that I consider it, Deus didn’t come back yesterday. I hope he’s safe.’

He shook his head, dismissing the anxiety.

‘Deus wouldn’t be killed here—not in a location like this. He can defeat a Swordmaster as if it were nothing, after all.’

The only real danger would be if Deus had entered the domain of the Hundred Ghosts, and Alon was sure he hadn’t gone that far.

Feeling reassured, Alon pressed on northeast. After some time, he spotted an exceptionally large tree within the Selvanus Zone, its two trunks twisted around each other to create a colossal shape.

‘From this point, go straight to the right.’

Guided by his mental directions, he turned right and walked at a relaxed pace for a while. Eventually, he sensed he was approaching his goal. But the scene that met his eyes left him utterly shocked.

Heaps of monster corpses, piled as high as the giant trees, surrounded the Hermit’s Hideout.

These were not common beasts; among them were massive lizard-like creatures able to destroy whole villages and other rare, extremely hazardous mutants.

As Alon stood there in stunned silence, a voice called out.
“Ah?”

Turning toward the sound, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a strikingly bright blue robe that seemed entirely out of place in the jungle.

The man smiled, his face showing no malice as he spoke to Alon.
“Walking into a forest like this by yourself? You must be very sure of your abilities.”
“…Did you do all this?” Alon asked warily.
“I did,” the man answered offhandedly. “I wanted to investigate peacefully, but these mutated creatures wouldn’t stop pestering me.”

The middle-aged man cast a casual look at the mountain of bodies.
“Arranging it like this keeps everything away—except for the insects.”

Alon immediately sensed that this man was no ordinary person and spoke up.
“Might I ask your name?”
“Celaime Mikardo.”
“…Celaime Mikardo…?”

Repeating the name quietly, Alon soon let his neutral expression fall, his lips parting slightly in surprise.
“…The Tower Master of the Blue Tower…?”
“That is my title, though my disciple handles most of the duties now,” Celaime said, laughing heartily with a vigor that seemed too youthful for his years.

He then focused his gaze on Alon.
“And you are?”
“Please excuse my delayed introduction. I am Alon Palatio.”
“…Alon Palatio? …The Marquess of Palatio?”
“Yes, that is correct.”

Hearing this, Celaime’s smile widened further—like a child who has found a fascinating new plaything.

Alon, for some undefined reason, felt a cold shiver trace his spine.

Shortly after, in a strangely genial mood, their discussion proceeded.
“Incidentally, what brings you here?”
“I have some business in that location,” Alon answered, gesturing.
“…That location? The Hermit’s Hideout?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating.”

Celaime appeared intrigued and asked another question.
“So, you’re here to conduct research?”
“…Not precisely. I’m here for an item inside.”
“An item inside?”

Alon’s reply left Celaime somewhat confused.
“So you mean you aren’t here to study the hideout, but to retrieve something from within?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”

After a short period of reflection, Celaime finally spoke again.
“Well, given that you command primal-level magic, it’s no surprise you’d be curious about the contents. May I give you a suggestion?”
“Please.”
“Turn around now. It will save you a great deal of difficulty,” Celaime stated decisively.

His tone wasn’t patronizing. Celaime respected all mages as a rule. His caution came from personal experience of just how insanely well-protected the Hermit’s Hideout was.

‘The foundational enchantment is a triple-layered spell, and to even get inside, you must decipher all the magical seals. And that’s just the first obstacle.’

It had taken Celaime a full year merely to open the first gate and reach the second. That was why he felt the need to warn Alon.
“It took me a year to open just the first gate,” Celaime added.
“Even so, I would like to attempt it.”
“Well, I won’t stand in your way.”

Though slightly irritated that his earnest advice was ignored, Celaime couldn’t suppress a certain affection for Alon.

To Celaime, a real mage was one who ventured out and pursued understanding.

Those who depended solely on academic groups and others’ findings were not true mages in his view.

‘He isn’t like the mages of recent years.’

Seeing things this way, Celaime decided to encourage Alon, as if watching a capable junior tackle a trial he himself had barely conquered.

Approximately thirty seconds later…

RRRRRRUMBLE!!!

Accompanied by a loud, grating sound, the first gate of the Hermit’s Hideout started to swing open.

“…What?”

Celaime’s mouth hung open in pure disbelief.