Chapter 72

Chapter 72
“We’ve arrived.”

Maxim, a member of the King’s royal guard, spoke with a hard intensity. Alon watched the door as it swung open.

“Once you are inside, you may take a single item of your choosing. But if you are discovered trying to remove more than one…”

Maxim’s eyes shifted to Alon.
“…it would lead to a most unfortunate outcome, so I advise you to be careful.”

It was a warning that carried an unpleasant implication, but Alon gave a slight nod.

He could see things from Maxim’s point of view.

‘There will always be those who try to deceive their way through a task like this.’

Naturally, very few would dare attempt such a trick in the royal treasury, but such people did exist.

“You may proceed.”

Showing little emotion, Alon stepped across the threshold.

“Incredible—”

An exclamation escaped him despite himself.

True to its name, the treasury’s interior was packed with a vast assortment of items.

Weapons like swords, axes, and spears were displayed alongside ornaments and jewelry, with objects covering every table and much of the floor.

It was a sight worthy of being called a treasure hoard.

Alon, however, ignored the weapons and decorations entirely. He moved without hesitation toward a specific corner and began his search.

He already knew exactly what he had come for.

After nearly half an hour,

Alon, having sorted through a disorderly pile, finally located his objective.

“Hmm—”

What he pulled from a heap of ornaments and accessories was a small dagger.

Or, to be more precise, it was too awkward to be properly called a dagger. It resembled a long sword scaled down for a dwarf to wield.

While it could technically function as a dagger, its handle was impossibly slender, making it useless for real combat and seemingly fit only for decoration.

Alon, unconcerned, took it.

‘The Seal of the Blind One’s Contract.’

He recalled the name of the artifact in his hand.

It wasn’t something he needed immediately.

It would only become useful after he passed through Raksas with the ring given to him by Heinkel.

…Now that he had secured all he required, his only remaining tasks were to meet the Dragonkin, hear their explanation, and then depart for Raksas.

With that, he left the treasury and rejoined Maxim, who had been waiting outside, to return to the King’s chambers.

Though he wanted to leave the oppressive palace as quickly as possible, courtesy demanded he express his gratitude to the King.

Because of this,

‘What is the most polite way to refuse his offer concerning his daughter?’

He was mulling this over when they reached the King.

“…?”
“…?”

The atmosphere felt distinctly strange.

Carmaxes was still smiling, but the hearty laughter he’d shown before Alon went to the treasury was gone, replaced by a subtle stiffness.

“Ah, Master!”

In contrast, Seolrang, who had been talking with the King moments before, was beaming as usual.

“Ahem, ahem— Have you selected your item?”

To Carmaxes’s oddly stilted question, Alon bowed.

“Yes. Thank you for your generosity.”

“Good, then we should be going— Oh, and regarding what I mentioned earlier, please disregard it. It was merely a jest.”
“…? Ah, understood.”

After a forced, hearty laugh, Carmaxes added,
“Then, I hope to see you again on your next visit.”

With those words, he dismissed Alon, and
“…?”

The audience concluded without even the simple formality of presenting the retrieved item to the King and offering thanks. Alon was simply confused.

“Seolrang.”
“Huh? What is it, Master?”

Suddenly curious about something else, Alon asked the still-grinning Seolrang.
“When we met the King, it didn’t seem like you showed him any formal respect. Is that acceptable?”
“Huh? It’s fine.”
“…So, the King has permitted it.”
“That’s right, it’s fine.”

Seeing Seolrang nod as if it were nothing, Alon felt another wave of curiosity.
‘No matter how informal the relationship, shouldn’t she still show some deference to the King?’
Of course, since such fine details weren’t thoroughly described in Psychedelia, Alon couldn’t be sure, so he let the matter drop.

“By the way, what did you and the King talk about?”
“Hmm— Just ordinary things?”
“Ordinary…?”
“You know, the usual? Topics like food, points of caution… that sort of thing.”
“I see.”
“Yep!”

With Seolrang’s cheerful reply, Alon shrugged and climbed into the carriage.
‘Well… if her behavior is the same as before, then it probably wasn’t because of Seolrang… I suppose the strange feeling in the air was just my imagination.’

***

Instead of going to Seolrang’s guild, the carriage carried Alon directly to the ruins outside the colony.
Having gathered all the necessary items, the time had come to meet the Dragonkin and hear the story he had missed previously.
So, bypassing the guild, Alon traveled with Seolrang to their destination, arriving in the afternoon.

“Alright, I’ll return soon.”
“Okay! I’ll be waiting, Master!”

Seolrang waved both hands energetically as she saw him off.
With her enthusiastic farewell and the pleading voice of Sparrow, who continued to beg Alon to become his successor, he reached the central tower.

[You have arrived? I have been waiting for you.]

Once again, as soon as he ascended to the upper floor, he found it there, surrounded by towering bookshelves.
“Is your manifestation time-limited this time as well?”
[You need not worry about that. We have ample time to converse.]
“I see. Then why did you break your promise?”
[…Promise?]
“You aren’t going to pretend you don’t remember, are you?”

When Alon challenged its feigned ignorance, it made a sound like a trapped creature caught in a lie, then muttered quietly.
[…Master, is this acceptable now!?]
“I’ll overlook it this once.”
[Why did I ever make such an idiotic promise~!]

Sighing at Alon’s words, it glanced at Sparrow’s staff and replied.
[But you are more competent than I anticipated. I did not expect you to already possess the staff. Have you attempted to use magic with it?]
“Yes.”
[What about Self-Summoning?]
“I succeeded, though it was more perilous than it needed to be.”

Alon spoke calmly.
Hearing this, the Dragonkin seemed momentarily stunned.
[To think you actually managed it… I am speechless.]
It gave a soft, incredulous laugh.
Then,
[Mage, you tell me. Did the wizard truly accomplish Self-Summoning?]

As if seeking confirmation, the question was directed not at Alon, but at the staff.
[Y-Yes, that is correct.]
“…?”

Alon’s expression became puzzled.
Just before entering the tower, Sparrow had been chattering incessantly, but now he answered with a tense formality.
Alon briefly wondered at this starkly different demeanor, like a mouse before a cat, compared to the attitude he had witnessed over the last few days.

[Good. Very good.]
It smiled, appearing deeply pleased, and nodded repeatedly.
[There is something I wish to tell you immediately, and other things you must know. But everything must proceed in its proper order. Since we have delayed matters already, let us address those first.]

Looking at Alon, it continued,
[What do you wish to know? I will tell you everything that can be discussed at this stage.]

Alon considered the question.
There were many things he wanted to ask, but now that the moment was here, he was uncertain where to begin.
After a brief period of hesitation, Alon finally spoke.

“Last time, you said I would need ‘Mind Resonance’ to hear this story.”
[That is correct,] it replied.
“What exactly is this ‘Mind Resonance’?”

Alon’s first question concerned ‘Mind Resonance.’
[Hm? That, of course,]

The being wore a curious smile, as if the answer were obvious, and responded,
[–is Divine Status]

***

While Alon was engaged in his conversation, Carmaxes III was in his office at the Colony Royal Palace, sighing deeply as he reflected on the earlier events.
‘I have never witnessed such a varied spectrum of reactions before.’

Carmaxes thought about Seolrang.
Until now, he had never seen *that* Seolrang wearing a bright smile.
Her expression had always been neutral whenever he saw her, whether in the Colosseum or the royal palace.
Therefore, Seolrang’s shift in expression was a peculiar sight for Carmaxes, though he did not show it.

That wasn’t all.
‘Enough.’

Carmaxes recalled Seolrang’s voice.
The moment Count Palatio left, she had dropped her casual demeanor and delivered a cold declaration in a severe tone.
He remembered feeling a shortness of breath in that instant and let out a soft, bitter laugh.

Seolrang’s conduct was undeniably rebellious by any measure.
Even though she was recognized as the First Baba Yaga and permitted to use informal speech, displaying hostility toward the king—to the point of emitting a palpable killing intent—was clearly an act of defiance.

Yet, despite Seolrang’s actions, Carmaxes did not dare say a word to her.
There were two reasons for this.

First, Carmaxes was acutely aware of Seolrang’s strength.
Not just her widely known power as the First Baba Yaga, the “Golden Flash,” but her true, underlying might.
In Colony, which still had two vacant Baba Yaga positions, Seolrang’s overwhelming power was absolutely essential.

The second reason was that Carmaxes had tried to use his royal authority to take advantage of Count Palatio, despite knowing full well that Palatio was Seolrang’s Master.

Marriage, among the upper class, is typically a political instrument.
Thus, Carmaxes’s initial proposal to ‘gift’ his daughter to Count Palatio was intended as a mutually beneficial arrangement.
If Palatio refused, Carmaxes could create an informal ‘debt,’ and if he accepted, the King could leverage the Count’s growing fame and promising future.
Count Palatio’s renown had been spreading significantly throughout Colony recently.

However, the true reason Carmaxes wanted to recruit Palatio was his connection to Seolrang.
If he could bring Palatio to his side, he would gain better control over the unpredictable First Baba Yaga.
Furthermore, he had learned that Palatio was linked to Yutia Bloodia, an influential figure currently wielding great power in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, which was why Carmaxes made such a bold proposal.

“…I didn’t expect her to be that defiant.”

Carmaxes thought of Seolrang once more.
He knew her attitude toward him was not typical.
However, despite her informal speech, Seolrang had never previously crossed any serious boundaries.
That’s why…
‘…Just who *is* he?’

As Carmaxes found himself puzzled yet again by Alon and tilted his head in curiosity—
“Your Majesty, the Cardinal requests an audience.”
“Allow her to enter.”

The voice from outside interrupted Carmaxes’s thoughts.
Normally, he might have continued his pondering, but given the Kingdom’s need for support from the Holy Kingdom, he was in no position to refuse the Cardinal’s request.
That was why, even before, he had been compelled to break the kingdom’s tradition and grant one of the treasury’s treasures to her instead of a warrior.

“Your Majesty.”

Yutia, the Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, entered and offered a light bow of greeting.
As Carmaxes prepared to return the courtesy—
“…?”

He sensed that something was wrong.
Yutia, who had never lost her smile during their many discussions about ‘support,’ now wore a blank expression, her mouth a flat line as if all emotion had been drained from her face.
‘Has something happened?’

Carmaxes was momentarily disoriented.
Yutia, expressionless, walked into the office and approached him directly.
“Your Majesty, I have heard something I wish to ask you about, if I may?”
“What is your question?”
“Well, I heard that you attempted to give Count Palatio—no, my Lord—a troublesome gift. Is this true?”

She began,
And then Carmaxes saw them.
Her red eyes.
Carmaxes could read no emotion within them.
They were completely empty.
In one sense, they seemed calm; in another, utterly indifferent.
“Will you answer me?”
“…”

Despite her lack of visible emotion, Carmaxes suddenly felt a cold sweat trickle down the hand holding his pen.
His body reacted instinctively, even though no discernible feeling radiated from her—as if he were facing a being he should never encounter.

Carmaxes, gripped by confusion and uncertainty, instinctively recalled one crucial fact: this change in her was connected to Count Palatio.
That’s why…
‘Just who is that man… what is his true nature…?’

The King of Colony, Carmaxes, felt the weight of his growing confusion, once again certain that Count Palatio’s identity could not possibly be ordinary.