Chapter 33

Chapter 33
On the dawn that Alon learned of Yutia’s promotion to cardinal, the regular assembly of the Blue Moon was commencing.

These gatherings of the Blue Moon were scheduled every half-year.

Because of the vast distances separating the members, they typically connected using a crystal orb crafted by Rine rather than convening physically.

…Yet, even though these meetings occurred twice a year, they were always brief.

The discussions held via Rine’s crystal orb seldom stretched beyond ten minutes.

Yutia, as the leader, usually occupied the most time, with Seolrang occasionally adding her own naive observations.

In essence, aside from those two, the other participants would only offer monosyllabic responses or short opinions when called upon; for the most part, they stayed silent.

Of course, Radan or Rine would sometimes share minor anecdotes from their daily lives, but Deus typically maintained his quietness throughout these sessions.

This was partly because Deus had little to contribute, but also due to his naturally reserved character.

Because of this, what happened next was entirely unexpected.

When Seolrang innocently commented, “Oh, I heard a story that the Great Moon has departed. What was it like to see him yourself?” nobody could have predicted that this simple question would cause their standard ten-minute meeting to extend to over half an hour.

Initially, the five great sins in attendance were fascinated.

Not because Deus was launching into a speech glorifying the Great Moon, but because they were stunned that Deus was capable of speaking at such length.

However…

[The Great Moon positioned himself before the otherworldly being, Ulthultus.

At a time when everyone was swallowed by despair and dread, and even the Vice-tower master of the Blue Tower was paralyzed with fright, the Great Moon calmly advanced and issued a challenge to the entity.

In hindsight, it appeared the Great Moon had already begun weaving his magic by that point.

But that is not the crucial detail.

The instant the entity turned to confront the Great Moon—]

As Deus’s account passed the thirty-minute mark and approached a full hour, the others started to feel a deepening sense of unease.

No one had ever thought this story could possess such length.

[Now that I recall, when the Great Moon was leaving—]

[Wait, you are straying from the point—]

Rine attempted to cut in, but…

[Just hear this section. I am relaying a tale about the Great Moon, am I not?

So, where had I reached?

Ah, yes, it was with Ulthultus—]

Completely engrossed in his narrative about the Great Moon, Deus looped back to an earlier part of the story and continued his lengthy oration.

Both Rine and Seolrang, pleading with their eyes and through magical signals sent via the vision, looked to Yutia, believing she was the sole person who could rein Deus in.

But…

[Truly, the Great Moon is magnificent.]

Instead of stopping him, Yutia seemed utterly captivated by the tale, nodding along with an appreciative smile.

Seeing this, the others knew the story was far from its conclusion.

As anticipated, Deus’s speech finally drew to a close—one hour and thirty minutes later.

[[……]]

In that moment, Rine, Radan, and Seolrang seared a firm resolution into their memories: never again ask Deus about the Great Moon.

With that, the meeting concluded.

Dawn was already fading into morning.

***

The following day…

“My lord, it appears the news is true. Yutia has indeed been appointed a cardinal.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The Information Guild has also verified that Yutia is now one of the eight cardinals serving the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.”

Hearing Evan’s report, Alon muttered to himself, his mind crowded with confusion.
“Evan.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“The rank of cardinal is an exceedingly high office within the Holy Kingdom, correct?”
“It is. As I explained previously, cardinals are second only to the Pope. They also hold the power to issue an ‘Out Call,’ which carries great weight.”
“An ‘Out Call’…?”
“To put it plainly, it grants them the lawful authority to proclaim a holy war.
Naturally, certain conditions must be satisfied first.”

Upon hearing Evan’s words, Alon let out a soft sigh, paused for a moment in silence, and then spoke again.
“Evan.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Is it really so simple to become a cardinal?”
“…… Are you asking that in earnest?”

Evan looked at Alon with a face that clearly questioned the absurdity of the query.
“I was merely curious.”
“……It is, without a doubt, not a simple matter. Aside from saints selected directly by a deity, there exist only eight cardinals in the whole of the Holy Kingdom. Do you genuinely believe it is easily achieved?”

Alon gave a nod, but a slight tilt of his head betrayed his lingering puzzlement.
“How in the world did she pull it off…?”

It was Alon who had dispatched Yutia to the Holy Kingdom, aware of her gift for devout faith.
However, he never expected that Yutia would rise to the position of cardinal in under two years.
He was fully aware that cardinal was not a title earned through piety alone.

Thus, while Alon was baffled by Yutia’s current circumstance, he soon set the thought aside.
After all, when he considered it logically, Yutia’s success in the Holy Kingdom was no disadvantage to him.
In fact, it promised to be a very favorable development.

“Could it be that I have finally gained a powerful patron…?”

There were already whispers throughout Caliban that Count Pallatio was a patron to Deus, one of the Master Knights, but this new situation was on another level.
With Deus, he was lucky to exchange a single word per day, and sending a letter was a noteworthy event.
Yutia, in contrast, was someone with whom he corresponded monthly and from whom he could request favors without hesitation.
The distinction was significant.

And so, while Alon’s face remained a mask of neutrality, inwardly he felt a deep sense of gratification, nodding to himself several times.

‘Perhaps some advantages will come my way now?’
He clung to a faint thread of hope.

***

Roughly a week passed after that.

Following his original plan, Alon returned to his estate and settled into a tranquil routine.
Waking late, toasting bread for breakfast, and savoring steak for dinner—this unhurried way of life provided him with a profound sense of contentment.

That is not to say he idled away the entire week.
Though he wished he could quiet his mind completely, Alon knew he could not afford to be careless, having witnessed the descent of an otherworldly entity.
If one had appeared, it was possible more could follow.
In other words, with the five great sins now sealed, the world had entered a state where such beings might manifest at any time.

Alon accepted this reality with resignation rather than resistance.
While it had been a challenge, in a certain light, it was not entirely negative.
If the butterfly effect of his rescue of the five great sins had led to this, then facing a few otherworldly beings was vastly preferable to the alternative of not having stopped them and allowing them to ravage the kingdoms.
At least the otherworldly entities provided some forewarning, whereas the five great sins would arrive like sudden explosions, leaving people with only prayers.

In any case, fully conscious that otherworldly beings could emerge again, Alon spent the past week collecting intelligence and practicing magic.

“Haah—”

Alon released a long breath as he looked down at the ground.
Unlike the firm sections of the training field, a patch of sticky mud now clung to his boots.

“Did I actually manage it?”

Just as Alon recognized that the magic he had been developing since his return from Caliban had finally taken effect…

“My lord, hmm? It’s unusually chilly in here, isn’t it?”

Hearing Evan’s confused voice as he entered the training grounds, Alon instinctively turned to face him.

“You are back.”
“Yes.”
“Did you discover anything? Any valuable intelligence?”

Alon asked with a trace of hope, wanting information on Ulthultus, the black and blue forces, or anything else pertinent.

“Nothing at all?”
“Correct. They claimed to know nothing of strange powers, or anything related to the black or blue ones.”

Hearing Evan’s reply, Alon clicked his tongue in disappointment and thought to himself.

‘It seems a trip to Colony will be necessary for answers.’

He contemplated the words inscribed on the artifact.
Normally, he preferred to hunt for clues himself rather than depend on the Information Guild.
However, he had held off because the location of the old god’s city, Kahara, remained unknown at this time.

‘I didn’t account for this, since in the game you could always access it after reaching Colony.’

Clicking his tongue again in mild frustration, Alon shrugged.
If his hazy memory of playing Psychedelia was accurate, the location of Kahara was likely to be uncovered soon.

‘If the lore holds true, it should be discovered this very year, as it was found three years before the protagonist departed his village.’

Recalling that this year marked three years before the original story’s beginning, Alon decided his only option was to wait until then, and he nodded.

“I understand.”
“I will instruct them to continue the search, regardless.”

Watching Alon’s brief nod, Evan suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, my lord, I nearly forgot. A gift has arrived for you.”
“…A gift?”
“Yes, it has been delivered to your office. You should go and see it.”

***

After hearing Evan, Alon went to his office and found the present. Upon opening it, he could not suppress a soft gasp of surprise.

“…Oh.”

The exclamation escaped him unintentionally.

The cause of his astonishment was a solid gold chalice, lavishly decorated with glittering gemstones.

“…If we sold this alone, we could purchase a couple of mansions with ease,” Evan muttered, stunned, as he stared at the goblet.

Still processing his surprise, Alon checked the sender’s name on the packaging. The recipient’s name was clearly written in large letters: “Baron Pirima.”

“Why is he sending this to me?”

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

However…
“Perhaps the rumors have finally reached him?” Evan proposed.
“Rumors?”
“Yes. The talk that you are the patron of Deus, one of Caliban’s Master Knights, has been spreading for some time now.”
“…A gift this extravagant, just for an association?”

Alon asked, perplexed.
But a moment later, the truth dawned on him.
“…Is that it?”

After reading the accompanying letter, Alon murmured in surprise.
The letter contained a short introduction from Baron Pirima, along with flattering words praising Alon as the benefactor of Deus.

“…The Master Knights are renowned, but to this degree…?”

Alon’s expression remained baffled.

‘Certainly, in the game, the Master Knights were always received with acclaim wherever they went, but…?’

Remembering a quest from the game where he had briefly journeyed with Reinhardt, one of Caliban’s Master Knights, Alon pondered.

‘Well, I suppose there are bound to be a few individuals like this.’

With that thought, and feeling rather pleased, he nodded as he held the golden chalice.
While the Count’s estate was not facing financial difficulty, one could never have too much wealth.
Alon had numerous experiences from his previous life where the amount of money available directly influenced one’s quality of living.

‘I will set this aside as a private reserve.’

Though his face showed no emotion, inside Alon was smiling with satisfaction as he gazed upon the golden goblet.

And then the next day…

“My lord,” Evan called.
“What is it?”
“Another gift has been delivered, and this time there are two.”
“…Two?”

Once again, Alon received presents from a noble he did not recognize.
This time, it was two rare artifacts, each seemingly as valuable as the golden goblet from the day before.

“Wow, artifacts from the labyrinth’s deeper strata. These must be worth a fortune,” Evan said in awe, admiring the artifacts in Alon’s hands.

Though Alon’s face was impassive, internally he was glowing.

‘Is this… the power of connections?’

As he read the letter praising both Deus and himself as Deus’s patron, Alon smiled with contentment while examining the artifacts.
With the wealth accumulating from these gifts, Alon realized he could swiftly enhance his already comfortable standard of living.

The old, bitter memory of Deus’s past silence was now entirely forgotten.

‘Deus… you are turning out to be quite the devoted subordinate, aren’t you?’

In Alon’s mind, Deus had now been recast as a paragon of loyalty.

“My lord, with all these gifts, we could even trade your carriage for a magi-engine model. You will need it for the Grand Council Tournament in a few months, won’t you?” Evan suggested.
“That is not a bad idea,” Alon replied, smiling contentedly as he held the artifact.

However, that feeling was short-lived.

The next day…
“My lord, another gift has arrived!”
“Oh.”

The day after that…
“A gift, my lord!”
“Oh.”

Three days later…
“My lord, a gift has arrived.”
“Hmm.”

Another week later…
“My lord, yet another gift.”
“…Hmm?”

And then, precisely one month later…
“My lord, another gift has… arrived??”
“…???”

Alon started to sense that something was amiss.