Chapter 314

C314. Something is Strange (1)

It has already been two weeks since Alon Palatio returned from the Divine Land to the Marquis’s house.

A time that, depending on how you look at it, could be long or short, but within that span, Alon rested enough.

Normally, even if Alexion did most of the work, the final plan always had to pass through Alon, so he had to work some days, and now it wasn’t much different.

However, one thing had changed: time.

Thanks to Penia, who was helping with the work in hopes of keeping the artifacts that Nangwon had left piled up without limit, Alon managed to finish in just two days tasks that would normally take him at least a week.

Thanks to that, the Marquis was able to spend the last two weeks—except for those two days—largely enjoying the study of magic.

While he was enjoying territory management and his magic training for a while, Alon said:

“Hmm…”

“Why do you say that, Lord Marquis?”

Lately, he was feeling something strange.

“No, it’s just that there’s something on my mind.”

“Which part? Magic? Well… it is a bit complicated. It turns out to be harder than expected.”

Alon, seeing Penia shake her head, also shook his and corrected:

“No, I’m referring to the divine power part.”

“Divine power?”

Alon nodded at Penia’s question, and she asked curiously:

“What about divine power?”

Alon fell silent for a moment and then spoke slowly:

“It increased.”

“The divine power?”

“Yes.”

“Uh… isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is.”

“Then… what’s strange about it?”

“…Originally, this shouldn’t increase like this.”

Of course, an increase in divine power is positive.

The problem was what was increasing.

At that moment, the divine power that had grown within Alon was that of the Divine Land.

‘…Why?’

If it were the divine power of Kalanon’s divinity or the Primordial Elf’s divinity, Alon would have thought it was simply accumulating more than usual. He could understand that.

But what was growing now was the divinity he himself created when he proclaimed the Divine Land.

And that… didn’t have an easy explanation.

The last time he saw it before leaving the place, the visitors were mostly people attracted by distorted rumors, not real devotees, and it seemed they would leave soon.

“Hmm… according to your explanation, it is indeed a bit strange,” Penia said, touching her chin as if agreeing.

Alon nodded quickly.

“Right?”

“But… ultimately, if it increases, it’s a good thing.”

“Not if I don’t know the reason.”

“Well… that’s true. Unless the rumor suddenly became reality… did the divine power rise that much?”

“Hmm… not that much.”

Alon examined his insides. His divine power had certainly increased, but not to a massive level.

“Couldn’t it just be something temporary? Even though everything was a bit chaotic, there were a lot of people entering.”

“That’s true.”

Sure, even though the rumors had been proven false, under normal conditions everyone should have left…

Alon cleared his head.

It made no sense to keep mulling it over alone.

‘I’ll have to ask Evan to investigate how the situation in the Divine Land is going.’

He made that decision, but as soon as he did, Penia changed the subject:

“Ah, by the way, Lord Marquis. Have you thought a bit more about magic?”

Alon denied.

“I did think about it. But… I still can’t understand how to store it.”

“You guessed so?”

What Alon and Penia were investigating recently was the “storage” of magic.

‘Or rather, it should be called a simplified form of magic.’

Basically, when Alon used formulas, he couldn’t correctly use most of the magic he had mastered.

Even when he used Awakening to temporarily obtain Blackie’s computation ability, although he could use magic for a moment, it wasn’t the same magic formula he normally used.

That’s why this research sought an improvement: that he could use magic even when his calculation capacity was at its limit.

For that, they had to store in advance the formulas he usually used.

But…

“…Difficult.”

“Yes. We already failed trying to store it in an artifact.”

“Even if we put it in Ho-gap-tu (Gauntlets?), it doesn’t connect…”

Alon looked at Ho-gap-tu.

Penia’s first proposal had been to store magic in Ho-gap-tu to use it from there.

But the idea failed immediately:

the magic stored in Ho-gap-tu activated independently, without Alon being able to control it.

And so, in the last two weeks, they had tried many more things, but without result.

There was a brief silence.

“Ah, well. We’ll be going to see Lady Heinkel soon anyway, right? We could ask her for a little help.”

Alon agreed with Penia’s suggestion.

At that moment, the office door opened and Evan entered.

“Here you are.”

“Did you finish the matter?”

“Yes, I already received the answers regarding the search for the items.”

“And?”

Evan seemed to review the information and then said:

“Of the two, we already know for sure where they are.

The Mask of the One Who Walks Ahead is in the Ronovelli Jungle,

and the Howling Blessing is in the royal treasury of the Caliban family.”

Alon nodded; both were within his expectations.

“And was there information about the Gem of The One with Closed Eyes?”

Evan denied.

“No, not for now.”

“I see…”

“But they say they will keep investigating, that we should have a little more patience.”

Alon nodded and spoke again:

“Ah, by the way. Did you hear anything recent regarding the Divine Land?”

“The Divine Land?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm~ not recently… Ah, well, one thing, yes.

Do you remember Silly said she would come? Well, she arrived shortly after we left.

Aside from that, I didn’t hear that anything important happened.”

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Although he nodded, Alon couldn’t help but think:

‘Could Silly have done something?’

“And why do you ask?”

Evan returned the question without letting him think much.

Alon summarized the conversation he had with Penia.

“Well… I guess it’s just something temporary, right? Just like Penia said.”

“You think so too?”

“Of course… right? No matter how ‘Silly’ she is, she can’t make the impossible possible.”

Alon agreed.

Thus, the conversation ended, and about one more week passed.

“It is time to depart.”

“I will prepare everything.”

Alon began his journey toward the Magic Association.

‘…The divine power seems to have increased even more since the last time.’

With that doubt he still couldn’t resolve…

---

Deus Makalian didn’t give much importance to the knights and mercenaries who had arrived this time.

Of course, knights and soldiers could help the Great Moon’s plan.

Especially if they came in such quantities:

it was obvious they would be useful.

For the Great Moon to rise in the heavens, there had to be those who supported it from below.

But even so, Deus didn’t expect much from all those people.

Because he knew perfectly well why they had come to the Divine Land.

Distorted rumors.

They said that training in the Divine Land allowed one to use Kalanon’s power.

If they had come just for that, then no training would make sense.

That’s why Deus paid them no mind.

At least until Silly arrived.

“I— really…!?”

Deus saw in the distance how a crowd surrounded a person.

Mercenaries and knights who complained not long ago,

were now in front of Silly, who was smiling without a single blemish on her face.

“I-I am… my sword…”

A frail-looking knight looked at his sword in disbelief.

“I told you, didn’t I? That you could achieve it.”

“Y-Yes… yes…!”

Hypnotized by Silly’s words, the knight couldn’t take his eyes off the sword.

But it was only an instant.

Pachik—

The lightning that had emerged from the knight’s sword disappeared, leaving barely a few sparks.

“Ah…”

The knight let out a dull sigh. But then:

“Do not be discouraged. The beginning is the hardest part. The strength you have received will respond to your effort.”

At those words, the knight nodded with an expression full of joy, hugging the blue book Silly had given him.

“Thank you… thank you very much…!”

He bowed again and again.

Silly, watching him with an affectionate smile, soon heard:

“L-Lady Saint… could you teach me too…?”

“Me too…”

“Me too, I beg you!”

“Me, me too!”

Suddenly, a multitude of knights and soldiers were pleading before her with desperate faces.

With the same serene countenance, Silly replied:

“Do not worry. His power is not an exclusive privilege for a few…”

She opened the blue book.

“…but a gift for all those who believe in Him.”

And she smiled softly.

Moments later…

The knights and soldiers, who before didn’t even look at the scriptures, threw themselves desperately towards the few blue books available.

Deus, seeing that scene, sighed.

“Haa…”

“…Good job.”

He spoke to Silly, who was walking away from the place.

“Ah, Brother.”

Silly approached him with a smile.

“Wouldn’t it be better to distribute more scriptures? You still have quite a few left, right?”

In the box Silly had brought, there were certainly many scriptures.

But Silly denied.

“No, we must not do it yet, Brother.”

“Why?”

“Because it is not the time yet.”

“…It’s not the time?”

“Exactly.”

Silly rejected him with mysterious words.

“Brother, do you remember what I said?”

“That everyone harbored a small hope.”

“Exactly.”

Deus nodded, and Silly continued:

“The people present here have just seen with their own eyes that that small hope can become reality.”

“Shouldn’t that be enough? Now they’ve seen it’s possible.”

“No, it isn’t, Brother.

That small hope is like a very weak candle.

A simple puff can extinguish it.”

Silly murmured while turning her head to the side.

“That is why its light is not bright enough for the others.”

Deus followed her gaze.

Just as she said, to one side there were people who didn’t move, who remained with a cold expression, indifferent to what was happening.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to forget about those?”

“By no means. They will also be valuable soldiers of the Lord.”

“But if even after seeing that, they remain like this…”

Silly did not wipe off her smile.

“Brother, do you notice the difference between those two groups?”

“…Difference?”

“Yes.”

Those who seek to use the Lord’s power right now… are relatively weak.

Those who continue to doubt… are strong.

“…I see.”

Deus nodded. It made sense.

“From now on, I will give them strength. In secret, of course.”

“…Give them strength?”

“Temporarily, of course.”

“And does that have any meaning?”

“A lot.”

Silly alternated her gaze between the two groups.

“One side will learn that this power is not a fragile hope like a candle, but a truly special strength.

And the other side will come to believe that it is a power the weak desperately need.”

“…But that power you give is temporary.”

Silly’s gaze stopped on a knight:

the very one who had managed to manifest the lightning.

“Even temporary is enough.

If with that I can sow faith.”

That knight, as if in a trance, murmured the blue scripture endlessly.

“…It can’t be.”

“Do not worry. The faith I sowed is strong enough to receive a reward from Him.”

Silly smiled.

“In any case, it is not yet time to distribute more scriptures.”

“And how will we know when it will be?”

“When everyone sows faith in others,

when He becomes someone special even for these insignificant vagrants…”

A very deep smile appeared on her face.

“Then, everyone will receive His grace.”

The grace the Lord will grant.

Silly’s eyes shone with a dangerous hue.

And seeing her…

‘…Is it really my sister that I am seeing?’

Deus thought in silence.