Chapter 54

Chapter 54
Lavalde Greystone was truly a person whose life was a poison to the world.

In the roster of characters one could meet throughout ‘Psychedelia’, he stood as one of the most infamous villains ever conceived.

The slaughter at the mercenary encampment on the 30th floor.

The incident where the monster abyss was drained.

His horrific experiments with chimeras.

Almost every dark event that plagued Lartania in the game’s storyline could be traced back to him.

Therefore, for the future prosperity of Lartania, the city was undoubtedly better off without him alive.

Yet, Lavalde Greystone had remained untouched because he was the labyrinth city lord’s son.

This position granted him nearly absolute authority within the city walls.

It was a status that allowed him to rule as a de facto king inside the city.

Essentially, by killing Lavalde, Rine had performed an act equivalent to assassinating a monarch, which prompted a stunned and disbelieving Alon to ask in a haze.

“Is that right.”

“You killed him?”

“Lavalde Greystone…?”

“Yes.”

Rine answered with the same nonchalance as if she were mentioning what she ate for breakfast, and Alon felt his head spin from her reply.

“Are you serious…?”

“Yes, godfather. Was that wrong?”

“…What was your reason for killing him?”

“Well… because you said he was a nuisance?”

“…?”

“…??”

Alon and Rine stared at each other, their expressions mutually bewildered.

“Still, isn’t killing him too extreme?”

“But if he lived, wouldn’t he keep causing trouble for you, godfather…?”

While talking with Rine, Alon was suddenly struck by a crucial realization.

‘Ah, that’s right… she is one of the five great sins.’

He had briefly forgotten, lulled by her image as a well-raised daughter who required little looking after, but Alon now remembered that Rine was fated to become one of the seeds of the five great sins in the future.

A cold sweat ran down his spine without him noticing.

‘But before that… how in the world did she kill him?’

Lavalde Greystone himself wasn’t particularly powerful.

However, the mercenaries who accompanied him everywhere were, to Alon’s knowledge, not individuals who could be easily overcome.

They were mercenaries of at least A-rank quality.

That was why Alon found it confusing that Rine, who was not a combatant but merely an appraiser by trade, had managed to handle them.

As Alon wore a troubled expression, Rine spoke cautiously.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Perhaps because of his repeated questions, Rine now seemed to be wondering if she had made an error without realizing it, her face showing a hint of dejection.

“It’s not so much wrong… more like… are you sure this is alright?”

“In what way?”

“Primarily regarding your own safety.”

“If that’s your concern, you needn’t worry, godfather.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. I took care to disguise myself as another person.”

Though her expression was still neutral, Rine gave a confident nod.

Watching her, Alon couldn’t help but remember a phrase he’d once seen on an old forum.

‘So this is what they call a different way of thinking…’

Clearing his throat, Alon spoke again.

“Anyway, thank you for your consideration. Please don’t feel too upset about it.”

“I am not upset, godfather.”

‘But she looked a little down just a moment ago…’

“Truly, I’m not.”

‘How can she carry out a regicide so effortlessly, yet be self-conscious about something like this?’

Alon gazed at Rine with a blend of astonishment and curiosity as he continued.

“Regardless, please try not to place yourself in harm’s way if it can be avoided.”

“…Why, godfather?”

“Well, various problems could occur.

For one, you could be endangered, and all the effort you’ve invested could collapse in a moment, right?”

“…?”

“…?”

Rine made a confused face at Alon’s words, as if she didn’t comprehend his meaning.

Though it shouldn’t have been a complex statement, she tilted her head slightly, seeming unable to fully grasp it.

After a moment of serious thought, she suddenly said, “Ah,” as if she had understood, and gave a small nod.
“Please don’t worry too much, godfather. I am well aware of my responsibilities,” she added, before continuing her meal.

Alon was left somewhat speechless watching her.

Even though they were conversing, it felt like their communication was slightly misaligned.

However, prolonging the discussion didn’t seem wise, so Alon chose to remain silent.

After all, regardless of the circumstances, she had eliminated Lavalde for his benefit.

It was a bit… no, actually, extremely excessive, but since she had acted on his behalf, Alon decided not to question it further.

‘But even if she sees me as her godfather, was this level of action really required…?’

As Alon distractedly ate his sausage, lost in such thoughts, Rine suddenly spoke up.

“Ah, I’ve been meaning to show you the Eye of the Tracker, godfather. Will you accompany me?”

“The Eye of the Tracker?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded at Rine’s words, and shortly after they finished their meal, he followed her into a room.

Inside, Alon saw it—a golden eye hovering in the center of the small room.

Encircled by a halo of blue light, anyone who saw it would instantly recognize it as an extraordinary object.

As Alon stared at it, Rine’s earlier words came back to him.

She had said she would show him the Eye of the Tracker.

‘This is the Eye of the Tracker…?’

Alon could not help but look utterly astonished.

***

Originally, the Eye of the Tracker that Alon had given Rine was merely an artifact—a spherical object with a small eye-shaped jewel set into it.

Its function was simply to appraise lower-level artifacts with slightly more detail.

In other words, it wasn’t a particularly remarkable item.

Even in the artifact’s own lore, there was no special description, much like the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.

Thus, Alon had never imagined that the Eye of the Tracker could be concealing such a secret.

“The engravings are accumulating steadily,” Rine said.

It didn’t take long for Alon to infer that this Eye of the Tracker could enhance certain relics by inscribing them with engravings, but he didn’t bother to verify it.

He had already realized why Rine had shown him such kindness.

‘Was it because of this…?’

The reason Rine’s company, Merde, had achieved widespread renown was due to her ability to create engravings.

It turned out that her success was, to a degree, enabled by the Eye of the Tracker, so it was only natural for her to feel grateful to Alon.

Of course, Alon had never envisioned the Eye possessing such a capability.

Still, since Rine felt indebted to him, it would have been awkward if Alon remained unaware of this fact.

“I see. You’re making good use of it,” Alon said, nodding as if he had always known the true nature of the Eye of the Tracker.

“Yes, although the rate of engraving accumulation has slowed a bit after reaching 400, they are still gathering. I believe I will complete the collection within a few years.”

“I see.”

Alon felt a growing curiosity about what, exactly, was being gathered, but he didn’t ask, fearing it might make Rine suspicious.

So, he simply nodded slightly, and a little more time passed.

“Then let’s proceed there immediately, godfather,” Rine said.

Alon, together with Evan, followed Rine to the site of the scheduled meeting.

***

Alon had two primary reasons for wanting to join the extermination of the Outer God.

The first was his certainty that the current assembly of mercenaries would be utterly incapable of defeating the Outer God.

Of course, the mercenaries gathered from the five major guilds to combat the Outer God possessed superhuman prowess, like Baba Yaga or the Master Knights.

However, Alon knew that even their combined strength would be insufficient to overcome the Outer God.

The second reason was that, to successfully exterminate the Outer God, Alon absolutely required the power of strong mercenaries who would follow his commands. This was why he was resolved to join the Outer God Extermination Squad.

However, the problem was—

“Tch.”

“You’re bringing this feeble-looking fellow along?”

“Ha, he seems like the type to coast on his reputation. Are you here to leech credit?”

—the mercenaries showed no sign of being willing to follow Alon’s orders at all.

In the meeting room Alon had entered, four men and women were glaring at him with deeply displeased expressions.

Maverick, the guild master of the Terranomad Guild, clicked his tongue in irritation as he toyed with his sword.

Himan, the guild master of the Arcadia Guild, adjusted his pointed hat with a sneer and spoke with open contempt.

Myaon, a beastwoman and the guild master of the Ancient Trackers, spun a dagger on the table before her, letting out a mocking laugh, her slitted feline eyes glinting.

And among them, the strongest of the mercenary guild leaders, Argonia, the guild master of the Kalimadra Guild and a half-dragon descended from a long-vanished dragon ancestor, simply watched him in silence.

Naturally, her gaze was not exactly welcoming either.

‘I anticipated some resistance, but this is more severe than I imagined.’

The moment he entered the meeting room, Alon quickly evaluated the situation, noting the overt hostility and scornful stares from the guild leaders.

He had partly expected this.

The individuals present were powerful enough to assess Alon’s magical capabilities, and more importantly, they were all mercenaries.

Mercenaries, who valued strength above all else.

Alon knew that if he wanted to communicate with them, let alone earn their respect, he first had to avoid being dismissed and instead win their recognition.

“Noble lord, I’ve heard rumors you’ve been meddling where you don’t belong. But seeing you in person, you don’t seem worth the conversation. Why don’t you just leave?”

“Ha—”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Alon raised his left hand, clad in its gauntlet, and formed a seal.

In that instant—

Crackle!

Without any warning, the previously ordinary meeting room became filled with ice.

Myaon, who had begun to rise in surprise at the sudden event, was caught completely off guard.

“Concentration.”

As soon as Alon spoke, the surrounding atmosphere and magical energy converged around Myaon.

“Freeze.”

At his next word, the air and magic gathered around Myaon reacted instantly, forming frost. It rapidly multiplied and—

Crackle!

—encased her completely in ice.

Myaon, bewildered and unaware of how she had been attacked, was frozen solid within the ice.

There was no particular reason for choosing to freeze her.

Based on the lore Alon knew, Myaon was the weakest in combat prowess among the present mercenaries, not having reached a superhuman level.

That was why she failed to react to the sudden assault and was immobilized.

After a brief glance at the frozen Myaon, Alon calmly walked past the other mercenaries who had rushed into the room upon sensing the disturbance.

Step, step.

Not too quickly, but not too slowly either, he moved at a measured pace, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

He soon took a seat in a chair opposite Argonia and—

“I believe we are now on a level where we can hold a conversation.”

—crossed his legs.

“What is your opinion?”

A weighty silence fell over the meeting room.