Chapter 86

Chapter 86
“Is that actually a story people are telling?”

“It is. There was a gathering for the United Kingdoms recently, wasn’t there?”

“Was there?”

“…To be honest, it appears the Count pays no mind to the affairs around him.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Evan swiftly agreed with Alon’s nod.

“In any case, a story like that seems to have surfaced there. People are saying that Penia Crysinne and Count Palatio might form a union.”

“Was that discussed?”

“Was Penia Crysinne even in attendance?”

“Naturally not. The occasion was simply for the royals to foster goodwill and uphold the United Kingdoms’ alliance.”

“Then how did a rumor like that begin?”

“I have no idea. I only heard it from someone else.”

As Evan shrugged, Alon looked genuinely confused. This was reasonable, as there was no logical foundation for such gossip to link Penia and Alon. In fact, recalling Penia’s demeanor recently, it was puzzling how the rumor had started at all.

‘What… is going on?’

Alon, still appearing baffled, soon chose to pay the rumors no mind. Gossip often warps as it travels, particularly among the nobility, and he assumed it would die out on its own. Most unfounded rumors Alon had come across before had dissipated swiftly.

“It’s merely a rumor that doesn’t deserve any real attention.”

And so, Alon brushed it off casually—at least until a few days later, just before reaching Terea.

At the modest banquet arranged for the nobles attending the title-bestowal ceremony:

“My congratulations, Count!”

“For what, precisely?”

“I heard a story that you and Penia Crysinne share a particular connection.”

Alon found himself mentally repeating question marks. This was now the fifth time he had encountered this exact rumor, despite having only just entered the venue.

“Thank you for the congratulations, but that is simply an untrue piece of gossip.”

After deflecting the noble’s remark, Alon withdrew to a corner of the banquet hall to savor an egg tart. Soon, Duke Altia approached him.

“It’s been some time, Count.”

Alon acknowledged her smiling, respectful bow, but it was fleeting.

“It has been a while.”

“Is there any validity to that rumor, perhaps?”

“Which rumor are you speaking of?”

“The one I’ve recently heard about you having a specific relationship with Penia Crysinne, the Master of the Blue Tower.”

This was the sixth instance. Baseless rumors might vanish quickly, but before they did, they certainly burned brightly.

Letting out a sigh, Alon answered, “I’ve already stated this several times, but that rumor is completely false.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There is not a shred of truth to it.”

“I assumed it was real.”

“…Why?”

“Well… marrying the Master of the Blue Tower would be extremely beneficial for your house and our faction, you understand. For instance—”

As Altia started listing the merits of a marriage to Penia Crysinne, Alon felt a growing sense of fatigue. Her detailed breakdown of all potential advantages and disadvantages, from the significant to the trivial, reminded him that she was truly one of Asteria’s three great strategists.

‘…Not that anything is different now.’

Just as Alon was thinking this:

“Considering all these benefits, I thought you would be seriously contemplating marriage, Count. Am I mistaken? Besides, I believed you were the one who started the rumor.”

“…Me?”

“Rumors can be quite influential, you know. When spread in this manner, even if the other party is displeased, they might feel pressured to consider it due to the combined interests of the involved factions.”

Altia’s offhand comment, which painted him as a cunning schemer, prompted Alon to reply:

“Even I would not resort to that.”

“Truly…?”

Seeing Altia’s genuinely astonished expression, Alon couldn’t help but question how these people perceived him. As he reflected on this, Altia, lost in thought, suddenly said:

“Perhaps you are something of a romantic when it comes to these matters, Count.”

With that remark and a gentle smile, she left after exchanging a few more words. By the conclusion of that day, Alon had been congratulated nine times.

‘It wasn’t as simple as I expected.’

###

The following day, the title-bestowal ceremony commenced.

Before the assembled nobles, the 8th Monarch Cretinia, Siyan, proclaimed that Count Palatio had been elevated to the rank of Marquess. In reality, the title-bestowal ceremony concluded very rapidly. However, even though the ceremony was over, Alon was still technically a Count. The reason was straightforward: to officially use the title of Marquess, he needed to receive a blessing from the Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.

With this in mind, Alon started making preparations to depart for Rosario immediately after the ceremony.

“Well then, have a safe journey.”

“Thank you for your kind wishes, Your Majesty.”

Siyan, who was watching Alon bow in response to her farewell, suddenly approached him with a contemplative look. Then, just as she had done previously, she softly lifted the corners of his mouth with her index finger.

“Didn’t I tell you that you look better when you smile?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Alon replied, bowing his head once more.

“Well, that’s sufficient. Once you receive the blessing, return. Let’s have a proper conversation in person.”

With a slight smile, Siyan waved her hand and turned to leave. Alon, left staring blankly at Siyan’s unexpected action, began preparing for his trip to the Holy Kingdom.

###

The journey from Asteria to Rosario took approximately two to three weeks—a relatively lengthy trip. However, it was more comfortable than his prior journey to Raksas, as there were more villages and territories along the route where he could rest. Because of this, Alon experienced a relatively smoother trip compared to before.

About a week into the journey to Rosario, Alon was resting at an inn in the village of Nenda.

“Should I address you as Marquess now, instead of Count? It’s difficult to adjust,” Evan commented.

“I am not yet a Marquess, so just call me Count.”

“Very well, Count. I located one of the pieces of information you asked me to investigate.”

“…Here?” Alon asked, taken aback.

“Yes, there is an information broker in this village as well. So, I paid a visit.”

“So, what is the information?” Alon inquired.

“It’s nothing too significant, but it appears that Abyss Stones and Abyssal Entities have been turning up more frequently on the black market lately.”

“…Does that mean they are being circulated widely?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be in large volumes, but they have been appearing often,” Evan replied.

“Hmm…”

Alon pondered deeply, recognizing this was not good news. The dissemination of Abyss Stones and Abyssal Entities was never a positive sign. Abyssal Entities bestowed divine powers upon the strong, making them even more powerful, and their emergence in the underworld greatly increased the chances of the world falling into chaos. Moreover, the original text only mentioned that Abyssal Entities were being distributed “somewhere,” without pinpointing the exact channels. This meant Alon could not use his foreknowledge to halt their spread.

“Were you able to find the source of the distribution?” Alon asked, just in case.

Regrettably, Evan shook his head.

“No, I couldn’t locate the source, but I did discover where most of it has been headed.”

“Where is that?”

“The Holy Kingdom,” Evan answered.

“…The Holy Kingdom?” Alon’s expression became confused.

The Holy Kingdom seemed the most unlikely place to be associated with Abyssal Entities.

‘Of course, the Holy Kingdom isn’t entirely free from corruption, but I didn’t think they would go so far as to traffic in Abyssal Entities,’ Alon thought, tilting his head.

‘I should probably ask Yutia about this as well… Now I’ll have two requests for her. Should I bring a gift for her too?’ Alon considered. He was already planning to ask Yutia for a favor once he arrived in the Holy Kingdom.

‘I should try to stop somewhere along the way and acquire at least one gift,’ he decided.

###

A short while later.

“It’s nearly time for dinner. Let’s go downstairs and eat.”

“Alright,” Evan agreed.

As they went down to the first floor of the inn to have dinner, Alon noticed that the previously vacant room was now filled with boisterous noise, almost to the point of being deafening.

“Are those mercenaries?” Alon asked.

“It appears so,” Evan replied.

“…This inn has surprisingly effective soundproofing.”

“I was also surprised,” Evan added.

Alon then moved toward an empty table in the corner of the inn. Despite the commotion, he still needed to eat.

However, just as Alon was about to sit down—

“Hold it!”

“Huh?”

A mercenary suddenly took the seat, leaving Alon bewildered.

“What are you staring at? This is my spot!” the mercenary, who had been socializing with his comrades moments earlier, snapped at Alon.

Both Alon and Evan wore expressions of disbelief.

Even for a mercenary unaccustomed to formalities, it seemed outrageous for someone to provoke a person who was clearly a noble.

“Are you telling me to find another seat? Huh?”

He caught a strong whiff of the mercenary’s overwhelming alcohol odor and quickly realized that his intoxicated state had left him nearly senseless. He considered how to manage the situation.

“…?”

Alon suddenly noticed that the surroundings had gone quiet and glanced around. The other mercenaries were still present, but the rowdy chatter had ceased. They were now staring at Alon and the drunken mercenary, their faces frozen in shock and their mouths tightly shut.

Just as Alon was wondering what had caused the change—

“Didn’t you hear me?! Just get lost—”

Before the troublesome mercenary could finish, someone appeared behind him.

Crash!

A bottle broke over his head. With a thud, the mercenary collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Alon, startled by the sudden escalation, saw a female beastkin standing there. She was holding the shattered bottle and bowing her head deeply.

“M-My sincerest apologies, Count Palatio!”

Upon seeing her, Alon quickly recognized who she was.

“…Myaon?”

“I am truly sorry…!”

It was Myaon, the guildmaster of the Ancient Trackers Guild, one of the five major guilds in Lartania. She kept her head bowed.

###

At the Blue Moon’s regular meeting.

Typically, only the five executive members of the Blue Moon took part in these meetings, but this time, Hidan was granted an exception due to his recent uncovering of information about the faction that opposed the Great Moon.

While the meeting was mainly for him to report this information, Hidan couldn’t help but feel a little thrilled. Deep down, he held a sense of reverence for the Great Moon and the other Moons, beings with fundamentally different strengths from his own.

With anticipation, Hidan entered the meeting room.

“I’m getting married!”

“No, you’re not!”

“I’m getting married!!”

“No, you’re not!!”

“I’m getting married!!!”

“No, you’re not!!!”

“I’ve mentioned this before, but this is too unjust. It’s about time you permitted us to send letters as well—”

“I believe that’s reasonable!”

“Gazing up at the Moon like this brings back memories of those times… It’s been years, but the recollection remains sharp. The way the Great Moon handled the Outer God was truly remarkable. Oh, by the way, Hidan, have you heard about it? If not, allow me to explain in detail.”

Hidan could only feel lightheaded amid the tumult.