Chapter 45

Chapter 45
Five days had passed.

Word that the Baba Yagas, Kalman and Malian, had conspired to assassinate Seolrang swept through the entire colony like a wildfire.

With the account from Liyan Aguileras, the daughter of the Red Tower Lord, and the surviving mercenaries who had endured the assault, the tale became widely known and accepted.

There was a public outcry over the cowardice of two Baba Yagas joining forces to eliminate a third.

This fury led the people to tear down and demolish the statues of Kalman and Malian standing in the colony’s eastern district.

In the same vein, the guilds linked to the two Baba Yagas dissolved almost overnight, and within a few days, every remnant of Malian and Kalman had been erased from the colony.

Seolrang rose to fill the void they left.

Though ambushed by Malian and Kalman, Seolrang had not only survived but had handled the threat and returned to find massive public approval.

As the testimonies from the Red Tower Lord’s daughter and the mercenaries were verified and spread, Seolrang’s fame reached levels never seen before.

The public even began to refer to Seolrang as the “First Baba Yaga,” a title that had belonged to Kalman for the longest period.

Furthermore, Count Palatio, who was recognized as having played a major role in assisting Seolrang against the two Baba Yagas, was also receiving significant public interest.

At present, he was back in the forgotten city of Kahara, examining something at the far eastern border he had missed on his last visit.

His focus was on the engraving on the eastern stone tablet.

“Hmm.”

After reading all the text on the tablet in what felt like both a long and short time, Alon was struck by a sudden question.

‘Hold on? How is it that I can understand this?’

The script on the stone tablet was not written in the continent’s common tongue, yet despite its unfamiliarity, Alon found he could interpret it naturally.

It felt as if the knowledge had always been within him.

Wearing a confused look, Alon decided he would stop by the central tower to inquire about this before heading back.

As he turned and started to walk, the contents of the tablet replayed in his mind.

‘…… Concerning foreign gods and gods.’

The eastern tablet, which someone had hinted might give him a general understanding of the situation, contained narratives about foreign gods and gods.

What caught his attention, however, was that some details slightly contradicted the information he had acquired from his time in Psychedelia.

“……Why are the roles of foreign gods and gods reversed here?”

In Psychedelia, foreign gods and gods were clearly defined.

Foreign gods denoted deities not native to the continent, instead born from mortal beliefs or other dimensions.

Gods, in contrast, were primordial beings that had existed since the dawn of time on the continent.

To Alon’s knowledge, the five great sins were classified as gods in Psychedelia, while the monstrous deity he met in the north was labeled a foreign god.

But on this stone tablet, the terms were swapped—the entities he knew as “foreign gods” were named “gods,” and the five great sins were called “foreign gods.”

Naturally, the tablet didn’t explicitly name the five great sins or the foreign gods.

Instead, the gods were depicted through metaphors such as “the honor-keepers,” “the seekers of forgotten death,” or “those who have plunged too far into magical secrets.”

Having experienced Psychedelia repeatedly, Alon could easily identify the references behind these metaphors.

He also recognized that descriptions like “the being of many hands” and “the one consumed by greed and envy” pointed to the five great sins.

“Hmm-”

Alon pondered for a moment before neatly tucking that information away in a corner of his thoughts.

Aside from the swapped labels for “foreign gods” and “gods,” the information from the stone tablet did not clash with his existing knowledge.

This was largely because the stories central to ‘Psychedelia’ were set in the future, not the past.

‘I wish I could inquire about this, too.’

Alon mentally sorted the tablet’s contents as he walked in the direction of the central tower.

***

In the end, Alon was unable to meet ‘it’ again.

The door that had once stood in the tower’s center when he first arrived in the city was gone, as if it had never existed.

He contemplated forcing his way up, but he doubted that would lead him to ‘it’, so he ultimately chose to depart.

“Master!”

The moment he stepped outside, he was met with an energetic greeting from none other than Seolrang.

Seolrang, who had been waiting with a bored expression, instantly brightened the second Alon emerged.

Now seated with her in the carriage, Alon was met with her words:

“Shall we get married?”

It was her nineteenth proposal in these past five days, and Alon could only respond with a look of helplessness.

Confronted by Seolrang, who had placed both hands on his knees, Alon noted that the space between them had gradually diminished over the days.

Naturally, Alon hadn’t moved—Seolrang had been the one to inch closer.

“Hm?”

Seolrang perked up her ears and tilted her head slightly.

Watching her tail sway behind her, Alon released a soft, weary breath.

Initially, it had been endearing, like a darling daughter declaring, “I want to marry daddy!” Now, however, it was becoming somewhat burdensome.

“…………As I’ve told you before, I see you as family.”

This was his nineteenth reply.

“But we aren’t *actually* family!”

And this was her nineteenth counter-argument.

“If we get married, it will solve everything!”

“Solve what?”

“Then we’ll be real family!”

Seeing the triumphant look on Seolrang’s face that seemed to say, ‘What a brilliant idea!’, Alon felt stuck in a conversational loop, much like a repetitive game script.

“Do you truly understand what marriage entails?”

Alon, deciding to push the discussion a step further, posed this question after they had reached the same impasse eighteen times before.

“Of course! I’m absolutely sure I can make Master happy!”

Realizing that continuing this dialogue would only lead in circles, he sighed again.

“Seolrang, marriage is a serious commitment. You need to consider it more deeply.”

“I *am* being serious!”

“……Then consider it even more deeply than that.”

With that, he ended the conversation.

At this stage, he had no intention of marrying anyone.

Moreover, even if he hadn’t raised her from infancy, Alon’s feelings toward Seolrang remained those of a fond guardian toward a cherished daughter.

‘She’ll probably stop saying these things in a few years.’

Some time passed, and by the time Seolrang’s pout from the repeated rejections had subsided, they had arrived back at the colony.

Alon immediately began his preparations to depart.

He would have preferred to leave a little later, but given the dangers of crossing the desert, it was safer to travel with the merchant caravan that departed at scheduled times.

And so.

“We’ll see each other next time.”

“Okay! You have to give me an answer then!”

“……Alright.”

Leaving behind a promise that felt more like an evasion, Alon left the colony.

***

Seolrang watched until Alon and the merchant caravan vanished from sight, only turning back toward the guild once the carriage was completely gone.

The guild, now absent of Ralga and the clan members who had betrayed her, remained physically the same.

Ralga’s treachery had incited fury among the clan Seolrang had gathered, and many were genuinely worried for her, deeply shaken by the betrayal.

The guild, which Seolrang had believed was slowly becoming the ideal organization she dreamed of, should have filled her with contentment.

‘It should have.’

“Haa-”

A soft sigh escaped Seolrang’s lips.

Her face, usually adorned with a smile, was now blank.

This was because she had come to a sobering realization from this ordeal.

No matter how much she tried, she could never recapture the pure happiness she had known in her youth.

“I refuse to accept that.”

Seolrang’s dispassionate murmur hung in the quiet of the empty room.

It sounded ordinary, yet her tone carried an undercurrent of shadows.

The understanding that the happiness she thought she could reclaim by building a “family” was just a mirage left her feeling empty.

She had truly believed that by reuniting her clan and restoring the past, she could feel that joy once more.

But even within this emptiness, a smile began to form on her face, all because of one individual.

Alon.

In that moment, Seolrang remembered how, during Kalman’s assault, Alon had trusted her completely, standing firm and channeling his magic without moving an inch.

She also recalled how, when Ralga launched her ambush, Alon had thrown himself in the way without a second thought to protect her.

He had shown her the blueprint of an ideal family not with words, but through his deeds—like a great moon illuminating her path.

Seolrang’s tail wagged with joy.

In the single week she had spent with the great moon, she had caught a glimpse of the path to the “happiness” she had failed to find in the clan she had spent over two years assembling.

The route to the contentment she sought.

Of course, he wasn’t family yet, but that was a minor detail.

If he wasn’t family *yet*, then she simply had to make him family.

“I want to get married~”

Seolrang whispered the phrase she had uttered countless times, a bright smile gracing her features.

Her heart raced with anticipation for the happiness she would secure once the great moon was truly hers.

But, unfortunately, Seolrang was also aware this couldn’t happen right away.

For the moment, she still had the duty of forming a personal guard to protect the great moon and act in his service.

“……”

To be honest, Seolrang hadn’t initially placed much importance on this task.

She had assumed that simply gathering enough of her clan would naturally fulfill the duty given to her by the great moon.

Now, however, her perspective had shifted.

To her, the great moon was no longer just a Master—he had become essential.

Therefore, she had to.

‘Build it.’

Seolrang resolved herself.

‘A personal guard capable of shielding him from any threat, no matter the circumstances.’

Her golden eyes gleamed with fierce determination.

***

On the evening of Alon’s departure from the colony.

“By the way, did you look into it?”

“You mean the people in Seolrang’s guild? I’ve checked them all. Aside from Ralga and the ones we dealt with this time, no one else is acting suspiciously.”

Hearing Evan’s report, Alon gave a nod.

After returning from the ruins, Alon had commissioned the information guild to investigate whether any other suspicious individuals, like Ralga, remained within Seolrang’s guild.

His reason was straightforward: he wanted to prevent Seolrang from being harmed again.

‘I’d prefer to sidestep any further complications.’

One incident was manageable, but he wasn’t confident he could handle another so easily. Thus, Alon planned to preemptively eliminate any potential threats.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“And since we have the funds you provided, I’ve told them to keep us updated on any new developments.”

“Good work.”

After replying to Evan, Alon finally felt that his business in the colony was largely concluded, and he let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the carriage seat.

Although it seemed his tasks were done, he unfortunately wasn’t entirely finished.

‘…There’s still one more foreign god to handle…’

On top of that, the new information he had acquired continued to swirl in his head.

From the inverted definitions of foreign gods and gods, to the mysterious being’s mention of *order*.

But most of all.

”Sulli’ (順理).’

Alon recalled a piece of the world’s hidden truth—something he had never encountered during all his time playing Psychedelia.

‘Is it finally time to head there?’

He continued to reflect, thinking of the destination, filled with innumerable ancient inscriptions, that he had long intended to visit.

Just then.

[Me]

During the mandatory assembly for all members of the Blue Moon, including those from the colony, the previously calm atmosphere abruptly—

[I’m going to marry the great moon!!]

[What-….?]

[…]

—transformed into a maelstrom.

A particularly turbulent one.