Chapter 356

C356. Masquerade Ball (5)

While countless suspicious lords exchanged promises of secret friendship…

Alon had spent several hours inside the ball receiving greetings.

“It is already getting dark.”

“That is correct.”

The sky, which earlier held a reddish tint from the sunset, had turned completely dark.

Confirming the state of the sky, Alon leaned against the balcony with a tired sigh as he looked inside.

The hall was crowded, as if the ball were just beginning.

On one side, a large number of nobles had gathered.

Just like a short while ago, when everyone had rushed over to greet him.

“Hmm?”

When Alon turned his gaze with belated doubt…

In the center, surrounded by nobles, was Eliban, smiling brightly.

“When did he arrive?”

“Eliban, you mean?”

“Yes. Until a moment ago, I hadn’t seen him.”

“I believe he arrived just as we stepped out onto the balcony, Master.”

Nodding at Yutia‘s words, Alon looked back in Eliban‘s direction.

There were so many nobles around him that it seemed he could be swept away by the crowd at any moment.

Alon muttered in a low voice:

“He is very popular.”

“Are you perhaps jealous?”

With his characteristic emotionless expression, Alon looked at Yutia.

“Impossible.”

“I knew it. You never like crowds of people.”

Yutia laughed to herself, as if she found something amusing.

“The reason for Eliban‘s popularity is, probably, that he is practically a hero now.”

“…Certainly, I have heard he has accomplished many things.”

“Yes. Since he became a Selected, he has done a lot. He stopped the birth of Outer Gods and eliminated countless Gates/Portals by himself. And that was while traversing the entire United Allied Kingdom.”

“Hmm…”

Certainly, Eliban was someone worthy of such popularity.

No matter how intensely a player controlled him in Psychedelia, it was impossible for him to resolve almost all the Strange Texts alone like this.

In other words, Eliban had saved the world more perfectly than those veterans who had researched countless builds.

“It makes sense if one thinks about his achievements.”

“Exactly. Literally, he is a hero who saved the world.”

As he observed Yutia‘s radiant smile, Alon asked:

“But… are you okay?”

“Eh? In what sense?”

“That you have been harassed for hours and yet you look quite normal.”

She let out a small “ah” as if she understood.

“Well… this is something quite common when I attend balls or official gatherings.”

“Really?”

“And it is also something I must do.”

“…Must?”

At Alon’s question, Yutia sketched a slightly mischievous smile and stared fixedly at the bright green insignia on his chest.

“You already repaired it, right?”

She was deflecting the conversation.

Alon tilted his head slightly before replying:

“Rine fixed it.”

“Hmm, really?”

For some reason, that amused her.

Tap-tap—

With her index finger, Yutia touched the green insignia that shone especially bright today.

“Because I must declare something.”

She whispered it while her lips curled upward.

It was a strange smile.

“Declare…?”

Alon asked, but she did not answer. Instead, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked at Alon.

“Master, take this.” “This…?”

She placed a sweet potato in his hand.

“…Sweet potato?”

Suddenly? Here?

Alon looked at her with an expression that said exactly that.

But Yutia kept smiling without saying anything about his thoughts.

“You like it, don’t you?”

“…Well, yes, I do like it.”

“That is why I brought one.”

The sudden appearance of the sweet potato left Alon staring in silence for a moment.

“Eat it.”

At Yutia‘s invitation, Alon shrugged and brought it to his mouth.

Now that he thought about it, he had been greeting people for hours… and then he had escaped to the balcony before the nobles surrounded him again, so he hadn’t eaten anything.

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

Of course; a sweet potato tasted delicious when one was hungry.

At nightfall, the galaxy adorned the sky without fail.

“Does it look beautiful…?”

Upon seeing the starry sky, he automatically remembered the voice of the Observer.

It was strange, but whenever he looked at the galaxy, her words returned to his mind.

“Beautiful… huh?”

Alon contemplated the sky together with Yutia.

Unlike the world he knew…

A galaxy full of glittering stars that covered the black night.

Thus, both looked at the sky in silence for a long while.

At that moment.

In the Elven Kingdom of Fildegreen—

BOOOM!!!!

An explosion shook the royal castle.

A noise so loud it seemed to make the entire palace tremble.

But despite the roar…

“What was dinner today?”

“Marma fruit menu.”

“Again…?”

“Yes.”

“Ah… I don’t like it.”

The elves were…

“I want to go home.”

“Then go.”

“I would get fired.”

“But you want to go.”

“…Better I say nothing.”

Calm.

Why?

Because elves were strong and nothing represented a threat?

Or because their ability to detect danger was terrible?

Neither of the two.

The reason was that, for the elves…

BOOM!

Those kinds of situations were already part of daily life.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

“Hmm, today it seems she is very angry.”

“It seems so.”

“Three more blows than usual… sounds like extreme anger.”

“…Yes. Listening closely, I think you are right.”

“Isn’t Her Majesty also participating?”

At the comment of the elf Rohan, who was on guard at the wall,

Tuman, who was listening beside him, frowned slightly.

“Could be.”

“Tomorrow the handmaidens will be scared to death.”

“Why? Lady Magrina doesn’t do much, does she?”

“That is true.”

“Then, why fear?”

“They say it is terrifying… psychologically!”

“…Psychologically?”

“Yes. They say she doesn’t say a word, doesn’t move, just stands there with her face totally expressionless.”

Tuman thought for a few seconds and then replied:

“Ah… yes. That would be terrifying.”

“Right?”

“Yes.”

“Good thing we work on the wall.”

“I just thought the same thing.”

Both let out a sigh of relief.

BOOM!!

Another roar resonated.

“When tomorrow passes, most will have dead eyes.”

Their gazes turned once again to the source of the blows.

Meanwhile…

Inside the royal castle that both were observing…

Rine and Magrina were looking at a Magic Orb.

With an expression full of anger.

More exactly:

Inside the enormous magic orb that Rine had greatly enlarged to “surveil”—according to her, totally legally for escort purposes—Yutia‘s smiling face appeared frozen.

No, more exactly:

The artifact seemed to have stopped working, remaining on a still image of Yutia‘s face.

“Who is that woman really? She isn’t even a mage. How can she connect directly to an artifact and do something like that…?”

Magrina expressed her disbelief.

Rine was also in total agreement, with an expression of absolute bewilderment.

They knew Yutia was absurdly strong…

But they didn’t imagine she also had such a deep understanding of magic.

That is why…

“Haaa…”

Rine and Magrina could only sigh while looking at the disabled artifact.

---

The day after receiving so many promises of secret friendship from suspicious lords, Alon was finally able to discover the truth behind that “secret friend.”

“Let’s talk calmly. Eat at your leisure.”

“Yes.”

Through Crietenia Siyan, Queen of Asteria.

Chewing another sweet potato, Alon looked at Siyan.

For some reason, Siyan seemed quite entertained watching Alon eat the sweet potato, maintaining a slight smile.

A while passed.

And when Alon finished both sweet potatoes…

“Did you like this one too?”

“…Yes.”

“Excellent.”

Siyan nodded satisfied and cleared her throat slightly.

“The reason I called you is twofold. First, I wanted to see your face after so long. And the second is… you know which one.”

“What you mentioned before?”

“Two reasons…?”

“Yes. That rumor that you are gathering nobles to be part of the kingdom you are going to found.”

Alon let out a sigh.

Yesterday evening all those nobles had approached him precisely because of that rumor.

“First of all, I have no intention of doing anything like that.”

“No?”

“None. I mean it seriously. I have no reason to do so.”

“Hmm…”

Siyan observed him calmly.

But the atmosphere was not heavy.

Siyan continued smiling gently.

“Well… I know that you are not someone who would do something like that.”

“That reassures me.”

“Even so, I would like to know how that confusion arose, just in case.”

“With pleasure.”

Alon patiently explained everything from the beginning regarding his interpretation of the misunderstanding.

And after listening to him for a good while…

“So that was how it happened…”

Siyan nodded slowly.

“Hmm, I see.”

“Yes.”

Alon let out a small relieved sigh.

It seemed that Siyan really believed him.

But only for a moment.

“Well, I more or less understand.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Although the truth is I never thought you planned something like that. The situation is confusing, but as I said, I know who you are.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I have discovered some things, you see.”

“What things…?”

Siyan smiled serenely and pointed to her own eye with her index finger.

“Have you seen something again?”

“That is so. Whether here or there, you are always the same.”

With a quiet smile, Siyan rotated her shoulders slightly as if she had a slight stiffness.

“Anyway, I am glad. Then, the rumor that in the Duchy of Luxible they are preparing an army must also be false.”

“…Pardon?”

Alon was totally bewildered.

“Lately those rumors are circulating. That the duchy that follows you is preparing a sacred army, coinciding with the season of Divine Land.”

“…”

“They even changed kings suddenly, so I sent informants. But it seems it was a false alarm.”

“I understand… But… if I may ask… that new king… who is it?”

And then.

“I believe the name was… Sircal.”

The moment Siyan pronounced that name—

“…I see.”

An indescribable bad feeling ran through Alon.