Chapter 464

C464. Fragment (3)

The basement of the Guild House.

In that place where the incident once occurred where the king of Colony fell under the control of the new type turned into a puppet,

and where everyone united to recover Colony from the hands of the new type—

now only an awkward silence remained.

A truly embarrassing and bewildering silence.

Alon Palatio looked at Karsem and Lime.

Karsem moved his eyes from side to side, not knowing where to fix his gaze, and Lime stared only at the floor as if it were about to open up at any moment.

‘Yes, and in fact, even when you didn’t come, brother, he used to come to this place at night quite often.’

Remembering Karsem‘s words did nothing but torture Alon Palatio‘s mind again with that scene he never wanted to know.

Suddenly he wondered:

‘…Does it really have to be SO awkward?’

Yes, it was obvious the situation was awkward.

After all, Alon Palatio and Penia had seen them.

That scene a bit… hard to describe (?)….

The truth is, Alon Palatio felt it was unfair: actually, as soon as Penia opened the door, he tried to apologize immediately and leave.

‘W–wait a moment, please. Let me explain…’

But the one who stopped him was Karsem.

He didn’t know what the hell Karsem wanted to explain, but his desperate shout prevented Alon and Penia from escaping.

Thus they ended up trapped in this awkward four-way standoff.

“Ahem—”

Alon cleared his throat.

Karsem and Lime flinched.

Finally Alon spoke first calmly:

“…We have disrespected you.”

At the slight bow of the head, Karsem and Lime opened their eyes in surprise. But Alon‘s apology was perfectly reasonable.

Thinking about it, it was strange that they acted as if they had been caught doing something forbidden.

From the start, Alon Palatio had no right to say anything to them about the relationship they wished to have.

And in reality, if anyone should apologize, it was him and Penia.

After all, they had barged into their intimate moment.

“…No, rather we must apologize for showing you something like that. And on top of that in the sacred guild office…”

Karsem lowered his head, ashamed.

It was then that Alon Palatio understood why they were so nervous.

‘….Right. This is a guild building.’

Although now Alon Palatio and his companions were living there temporarily, as far as he knew, the only one who resided here habitually was Seolrang.

Just as he was nodding, something stopped him.

“…Huh?”

An additional doubt arose.

Why the hell were they doing this here in the guild office?

‘…Didn’t they both have safer and more private places?’

Lime, as Seolrang‘s assistant, had her own house.

And of course, Karsem also had a home.

And not just any home: a huge imperial palace.

Then why him here?

The only explanation was—

“…Ahem. I understand. I understand, yes… tastes are varied.”

Penia, who had reached the same conclusion as Alon, also cleared her throat.

Karsem jumped up immediately:

“T–this has its reasons!”

“Reasons……?”

“Ah…. sure, that kind of—”

“No, it’s not that!”

Karsem, tired of the misunderstanding growing, began to explain:

“…You see, if this relationship were known now, politically it would be complicated. Besides, the imperial palace is connected by a secret passage to this place, so it is safer to meet secretly here.”

“So it was that……”

Alon nodded.

It made sense: with Karsem now being the king of Colony, the “marriage” card could not be played lightly.

Alon Palatio observed him.

It seemed reasonable.

But just when he looked at him, Karsem firmly took Lime‘s hand, with a serious expression:

“But someday I will officially announce it and make her my wife.”

“She is… someone indispensable to me.”

“…Karsem…”

Lime blushed intensely at that sudden romantic declaration.

“…Aha.”

Of course Penia, who was by the side, immediately put on an expression of “utter ridiculousness”.

If they were alone, a second round even more intense than the previous one would probably have started.

Alon Palatio ended up standing up.

“We will keep this a secret, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you very much!”

With that, Alon and Penia left the basement.

Both sighed.

“…We just learned something we really didn’t want to know.”

“Totally. I’m sorry.”

“Why you?”

Penia scratched her head.

“Because… if I hadn’t opened the door, none of this would have happened.”

“It’s okay. Until that moment we were confused.”

“And to think that if I had thought a little more, I would have realized the palace was connected… ugh.”

Penia added, somewhat embarrassed:

“By the way… I got curious suddenly: when two people are in love, do things like that sound truly romantic?”

“Things like that?”

“Yes. You know: ‘She is indispensable to me.’ That kind of phrase.”

She didn’t dare say it directly, but to her, it was extremely cheesy.

Alon Palatio stood thinking.

“Hmmm—”

“It’s a bit embarrassing, right?”

“It seems a bit cheesy to me too… but I think it depends on who says it.”

“Depends on who?”

“Yes. It sounds like that to us, but if the person you love says it to you, surely it feels different.”

“Hmmm— I think that even if someone I like said it, it would still be—”

Suddenly she stopped!

“Penia?”

Alon frowned.

But she didn’t answer. She lowered her head and said:

“A–Alon-nim. I’m going outside for a moment.”

“At this time?”

“Yes. A spell came up that I want to test and I can’t do it inside.”

“…Well, alright.”

Although it seemed strange to him that it was now, Alon nodded and kept walking.

That is why he didn’t see how, amidst Penia‘s blue hair, her ears were completely red.

The next morning.

“Alon, they say the Divine Blood has come to see you.”

“Has come?”

“Yes.”

“Here?”

“I am also surprised but… yes.”

Evan brought the news that the Divine Blood had arrived.

Alon Palatio immediately released mana to detect their presence.

But he felt nothing.

Evan asked:

“What do we do?”

“Let’s go. But where are they?”

“According to what they say, in an underground chamber that the Information Guild prepared beforehand.”

“I’m going too!”

Seolrang exclaimed excitedly.

Alon Palatio accepted and they got into the wagon that took them out of Colony.

It didn’t take long to arrive at a small cavern.

“I greet the Great Lord.”

A masked person of the Inverted Eye bowed.

Alon Palatio gestured and asked:

“Is the Divine Blood inside?”

“Yes.”

They followed the guide inside.

A while later…

A soft voice resonated.

In the middle of the large cavern, a woman was sitting.

“……A person?”

Alon Palatio murmured, but immediately noticed it:

The figure sitting there was not human.

‘It has no vitality.’

He felt no life in her. Her skin was pale, almost colorless.

And then—

“Strictly speaking, this is just a puppet I control.”

The woman—no, the puppet—spoke.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter if I show you my true form, but humans feel more closeness when a form resembles theirs. So I did this.”

‘Well, although it didn’t come out perfect.’ She said shrugging her shoulders.

Although she had no life, her movements were surprisingly natural.

Alon Palatio approached with caution.

When he arrived in front of her, the woman stood up.

“First, an introduction.”

“I am the ‘Sculptor’. I would like to introduce myself with my real body, but, as you know, my body stands out too much and it is difficult to move it.”

She was smiling with a certain shamelessness, which seemed strange to Alon Palatio.

Among the Divine Bloods, none showed such human closeness.

Alon Palatio responded:

“Allow me to intro—”

“It is not necessary. I already know who you are.”

“You know me?”

“Of course. Among the Divine Bloods, some perhaps not, but in general you are quite famous.”

The Sculptor added:

“The Star Eater.”

She smiled broadly.

“Famous enough that right now there is no one who does not know you.”

“…That famous?”

Alon Palatio did not understand. But the Sculptor nodded naturally:

“Of course. Who wouldn’t know the leader of Star Group at this moment?”

Alon Palatio was perplexed.

“?”

The Sculptor was also perplexed.

“?”

Evan, to the side, was confused.

“??”

Seolrang and Penia also had the same expression full of question marks.

Alon looked at the Sculptor again.

“….I am not the leader of Star Group.”

“—What?”

“I speak the truth. I am not.”

“Really…?”

“Really.”

“…Are you not the leader of Star Group, the one who violently beats the Divine Bloods and absorbs them as a group?”

“What kind of trash would do something like that?”

“…Huh?”

The Sculptor was completely bewildered. A huge reality collapse formed in her mind.