Chapter 472

C472. Astarotte (3)

The strange glance Evan cast at Alon lasted only an instant.

Alon soon exited the carriage and looked at the Divine Bloods who were waiting as if they had anticipated it.

At a glance, there were more than several dozen.

The simple fact of seeing so many bearers of Divine Blood gathered was a spectacle.

Alon, who had been staring straight ahead blankly, silently averted his gaze.

He sought to check if any of the Divine Bloods he had seen in the past were among them.

Once, Alon moved his eyes.

Then twice.

Then three times.

…and just in case, even four times.

But, unfortunately, he didn’t find any familiar face.

Alon closed his eyes. And organized his thoughts.

In front of him was the Divine Blood group that served the Star Eater: the organization “Star Group”, also known as “Star Roots”.

But the Star Eater himself, that is to say he himself, had never seen them.

How on earth had this situation come to this?

Of course, Alon couldn’t know.

He could affirm with total certainty that he had never had any relationship with Star Group.

That’s why he wanted to ask them. He wanted to know exactly what was going on.

But he didn’t dare ask such a question.

Was it because of the intense devotion burning in the eyes of all those Divine Bloods?

No.

Although that made him uncomfortable, he could well ignore it.

But the reason he couldn’t ask recklessly was different.

He knew perfectly well that a hasty question could worsen the situation disastrously.

Yes, for example, if the Divine Bloods before his eyes weren’t recruited because Alon was sleepwalking, but were actually organized by their own ‘delusion’…

…Although, to be honest, he had no idea what kind of misunderstanding could have grown to this extreme.

‘…Now I understand why the Sculptor was so bewildered.’

Alon recalled the Sculptor he had met earlier, albeit only for a moment, before looking back at the Divine Bloods.

If that crowd had really organized due to an absurd misunderstanding…

Then, if that misunderstanding collapsed, Alon didn’t know how they would react.

Thinking about that, he looked at the two Divine Bloods standing firm before him.

One had his entire body wrapped in flames.

The other was observing him from above with countless skulls hanging from him.

Looking at them one by one, and hiding his confusion as best he could, Alon finally gave an order:

“…For now, everyone disperse. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

In that instant, Alon felt that perhaps he shouldn’t have said that.

But, as if such a mistake had no importance whatsoever—

[Understood!]

The two Divine Bloods shouted in unison, and the whole crowd began to disperse instantly.

That was also a spectacle.

Alon returned to the carriage with a sigh.

“…Alon-nim, what exactly is happening?”

Evan, Basiliora, and everyone in the carriage were staring at him.

It was time to explain.

After a while…

“In short, you say you’ve never seen those Divine Bloods, not even once, but they follow you, right?”

“Yes.”

Evan silently looked at the retreating Divine Bloods and then at Alon, alternately.

“Hm… I see.”

“…Have you discovered something?”

“No.”

“?”

“…Didn’t you nod a moment ago as if you had understood something?”

“No, I only nodded because I understood.”

“Understood…?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“That the Divine Bloods follow you.”

“And how did you understand that…?”

“Ah.”

Evan let out a slight sigh, because he had just realized the conversation had taken a different turn.

“I mean it literally. I simply accepted it.”

“…You accepted it?”

“In this world, there are things a normal human cannot comprehend. When that happens, you accept it. Don’t try to understand it. Accepting it is easier.”

“Ah, I think I understand.”

“Right?”

Penia, who suddenly joined the conversation, nodded along with Evan.

“…That makes me feel a bit weird.”

“It happens to us too every time something happens around you, Alon-nim.”

“…Has it happened that many times?”

“Think about it for a moment.”

Alon fell silent and changed the topic.

“In any case, that’s how things are. What should we do now?”

“Hm… honestly, since we don’t know exactly what is happening, I can’t think of a clear plan. But maybe… keep the situation as it is?”

“We can’t do that forever.”

This time Penia spoke.

“…I suppose we must first figure out the situation.”

“The situation?”

“Yes. We need to know what those people think of Alon-nim to know how to act.”

It was reasonable.

Alon nodded. Evan, who had been thinking for a while, looked towards the Divine Bloods in the distance and said:

“Then, let’s go spy a little.”

“…Spy?”

“Yes, there are still several Divine Bloods around here.”

“I’ll go!”

Seolrang raised her hand immediately, but Evan shook his head.

“Penia and I will go. Seolrang… you have too much visual impact.”

He opened the carriage door.

“We’ll be back.”

Penia bowed to Alon before leaving.

Alon wondered how they would get information like that… but only for a second. Then he looked at Seolrang.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Master?”

Seolrang smiled with her usual expression.

“It’s nothing.”

“Really~?”

Seolrang tilted her head and then, as if nothing happened, sat next to Alon, wagging her tail happily.

Even after what happened in Myu, she continued to behave the same. It was almost as if that day’s conversation had been a dream.

But Alon knew it wasn’t.

And Seolrang must have known it too.

Then… why did she keep acting like this even when they were alone?

“-”

Alon stroked her head silently.

She smiled, enjoying it.

Seolrang’s hair was soft.

…Like before.

Meanwhile, Evan and Penia were walking towards the Divine Bloods.

“But what do we know exactly?”

“What do you mean?”

“You say we are going to spy. Shouldn’t we know something?”

Evan shrugged.

“We don’t know much, but we do know who to spy on.”

“Who?”

“Them.”

Evan pointed with his chin at the Divine Bloods engulfed in flames and the one full of skulls.

“Them?”

“Yes. Don’t you see they act like leaders? When Alon-nim entered, those two positioned themselves at his sides like wings.”

“……Ah, right.”

Penia remembered that scene and nodded.

“You have a good eye for those things.”

“What idea do you have of me exactly…?”

Evan looked at Penia with disbelief as they approached the two Divine Bloods, listening to their conversation.

“By the way… what must have happened this time?”

At Penia’s question, Evan sighed.

“No idea this time.”

“And the other times you did have an idea?”

“No, but I could imagine something. This time is different.”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

Penia had no choice but to agree.

Although many things had been incomprehensible, they could always attribute it to Alon.

But for a huge organization to have emerged without Alon knowing… even for Alon, that was too much.

“It must be an accumulated misunderstanding or something like that.”

While murmuring that, Evan was already close enough to hear the Divine Bloods.

[And what a pity. The first to receive the grace of the Star Eater will be me.]

[What are you saying? Ah, right, you have no eyes. The Star Eater looked at me first.]

[Nonsense. As soon as the Star Eater turned his gaze, the first thing he saw was me. Besides, he saw me eliminate that rotten worm earlier.]

[Tsk. Do you think that by killing a thing like that the Star Eater will choose you? The first to receive his grace will be ME!]

[No, ME.]

[I said ME!]

A conversation… strange.

Very strange.

Evan, who didn’t need to get any closer to hear everything, murmured:

“…Now that I think about it…”

“Yes?”

“What if Alon-nim really is a sleepwalker?”

He said it without realizing it.

“…Truthfully, I thought about it a bit too.”

Penia admitted it as well.

The next morning.

Evan and Penia returned saying, with tired faces: “They didn’t wake up all night…”.

Alon, confused for just an instant, looked again at the Divine Bloods gathered around the carriage and felt another spell of dizziness.

Yesterday they hadn’t discovered why the Divine Bloods were following him.

But he couldn’t ask them directly either.

“……We move.”

He ordered.

And immediately:

[This side is also ready.]

[Same here.]

The three groups gathered for the subjugation of Astarotte began to march.

Thus the subjugation officially began.

And when dozens of Divine Bloods advanced together through the devastated land…

A woman with a strange pentagram in her eyes was watching them.

No, to be exact, she wasn’t looking at the Divine Bloods.

She was looking at the carriage in the middle of them.

More exactly: at a man inside it.

A man sitting with no expression whatsoever.

“…What exactly have you done…?”

And looking at him—

“Yutia.”

She murmured in a low voice.