Alon, having supposedly buried over seven nobles—an accusation he hadn’t even heard before—wore a bewildered expression for only a moment. Unsure how to clear up the misunderstanding, he eventually decided not to respond at all. While misunderstandings about who killed whom should be promptly resolved in ordinary human relationships, he was currently speaking with one of the key players in Asteria’s dark schemes.“Is that the only reason you contacted me?”Since Alon neither affirmed nor denied it, the Duke of Altia nodded.[Yes. I’ve reported everything to you.]Having already received a report about Kalpha before this conversation, Alon nodded in agreement.[Then I’ll see you at the upcoming coronation.]Watching the Duke of Altia bow, Alon let out a small sigh and thought, Come to think of it, there’s a coronation coming up.With that in mind, Alon began sorting through the pile of letters stacked in one corner of his desk. Soon, he found one bearing the royal family’s seal, with another paper beneath it. It was from the royal secretary. It listed various trivial formalities, but the gist was that Count Palatio had been away for an extended period, so the secretary had left the letter behind.“The coronation… is in four months, right?”Four months.Alon weighed the span, something that could feel either long or short, and then remembered something else.“In about four months, it will be just under a year before the original story begins.”He had experienced that timeline countless times in the game, and the proximity stirred a strange mix of emotions in him—though only briefly.“…By then, there will be a whole truckload of enemies to deal with.”He recalled the enemies that would emerge once the original storyline began.“While the Proxy was dealt with, the Ghost Castle hasn’t been handled yet.”Thinking back to what he’d checked before going to the Colony, Alon let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair. There was more to deal with than he’d expected.“I have to take care of the current troublemakers, as well as the hidden Outer Gods.”In truth, dealing with the current troublemakers wasn’t that difficult. In Psychedelia, aside from the Outer Gods or the Five Great Sins, the entities that could truly plunge the entire United Kingdom into chaos and conflict only became active when the original story started.Alon’s goal was to be living a leisurely life by the time that chaos descended on the United Kingdom. To that end, he had supported Eliban, the main protagonist of the original story.“When the original story begins, I’ll need to support him again.”Thinking about Eliban, who would secure his peaceful future, Alon shifted his focus back to the Outer Gods and let out another sigh. Unlike the future entities, the Outer Gods were his responsibility to handle.“The problem is I don’t know where this one is… Even finding it will be a challenge.”Alon’s victories against the Outer Gods so far had only been possible because they hadn’t fully materialized in the world yet. And it wasn’t just that—he’d also been able to win because he knew certain traits, or rather weaknesses, of the Outer Gods.If he had to face a hidden Outer God, it would likely be a completely different kind of battle.“Well, as long as I can find out who the Outer God is, I can prepare accordingly. But the real problem is its complete manifestation.”If the Outer God was truly hiding on the continent, there was a strong chance it was already fully manifested. After descending to the ground, an Outer God becomes fully established as a sage-like entity within a few months.A fully manifested Outer God would be far stronger than any he’d faced before. In other words, even if Alon managed to locate one now, his odds of winning would be slim.No—more than slim. Zero.Alon’s magic was powerful enough to affect an Outer God, but it still fell short of confronting a fully manifested one. There were clear limits on how many times he could use magic, and his casting time was also significantly long. His only advantage was that once cast, his magic was effective against enemies.“I need to prepare. I should start gathering information on the hidden Outer God.”Recognizing how much preparation he needed, Alon looked back at the letter from the royal family.Even with four months, the time felt surprisingly short.As he organized his tasks alongside the letter from the royal family, Alon let out a quiet sigh. ****It had been over three weeks since Count Palatio left, yet Penia Crysinne and Felin Crysinne were still traveling with Radan.Penia’s reason for continuing to accompany him was simple convenience.Most of what she needed to investigate in Raksas involved the illegal distribution of materials or finished products from the Magic Tower.And since Alon had made a request before he left, Radan treated Penia and Felin well.Thanks to that, and with the pirates’ help, Penia was able to finish her work faster than planned.Today, she found herself inside the Royal Castle of Raksas, accompanied by Radan.Their purposes and arrival times were different, though. And Penia, who didn’t care much about public opinion, had no intention of letting it be known that she was traveling with the Pirate King.So Radan was there publicly as an envoy, aiming to adjust the future relationship between Raksas and the Pirate King who had unified the Seven Archipelagos.Penia, on the other hand, was there to confront the kingdom about the secret leaks of certain illegally distributed magical items.Having finished her work, Penia was approached by someone she knew.“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Penia?”“Last time I saw you was during the envoy visit… about four years ago?”“Wow, has it really been that long?”“Yeah, I guess so.”Penia was meeting Serena Raksasia, the princess of Raksas.Serena was quite close to Penia, largely because of the current Blue Tower Master, Celaime.As a former disciple of Celaime, Penia had trained in magic alongside Serena, who had also come to the Blue Tower thanks to her talent.Though Serena eventually returned to Raksas after realizing her limits, the two had formed a strong bond in their younger years.“So, how’s your progress in magic lately?”“Hmm… I think I’m about to reach the next level.”“Wow, really? That’s amazing.”“Isn’t it?”Despite being a princess and a vice-tower master, Serena and Penia chatted in a relaxed, friendly way, like old friends.After a while, Serena suddenly remembered something odd.“Oh, by the way, I heard some strange news.”“Strange news?”“Yeah. I heard you’re being kept by a man.”“…What? Me?”Serena nodded at Penia’s baffled expression.“Yeah. Who was it again? Hmm… Oh, Count Palatio. Some noble like that. Is it true?”“What? Kept by someone? Absolutely not!”Serena grinned and teased her.“Come on, the rumor’s everywhere! They say the always fiery you suddenly turns demure in front of Count Palatio.”Penia frowned, trying to find a rebuttal, but fell silent.When she thought about it, Serena wasn’t entirely wrong.Still, she didn’t want to concede so easily.“No, really. It’s not like that.”Seeing Penia’s weak denial, Serena’s eyes brightened as if she’d found something entertaining.“…You actually like him, don’t you?”“What? Who?”“Count Palatio, of course.”Penia shot Serena an exasperated look as Serena kept the playful tone.“No, I don’t!”“Really?”Penia struggled to answer clearly while trying to keep her composure.“Absolutely not. Even if the sky falls, that won’t happen!”Remembering Felin’s earlier nonsense, Penia saw Serena watching her with a curious expression.“Really?”“Really! I have no idea why everyone keeps misunderstanding this. I honestly don’t like him!”“Hmm~.”“It’s true! Who could even like such a stoic person? All he does is put on a stern face and—”“?”“…I mean.”“Palatio is… quite an impressive person. He’s also very… impressive… and, well, impressive.”“…Wasn’t that three times already?”Penia, trying hard to keep the conversation going, said,“You know, when you see his magic, there’s just something captivating about it. Count Palatio’s magic is very unique.”“…Then you like him, right?”“That’s absolutely—”“Absolutely?”“—possible, maybe.”Serena grinned as Penia bowed her head and spoke with a hint of resignation.“So you like him, huh?”“Yeah… I ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) guess so.”With her head lowered, Penia glanced sideways and caught sight of Radan.Nodding with satisfaction, Radan slipped out of view beyond the window.“Sigh.”Penia let out a sigh of relief, but Serena, watching her friend’s reaction, thought to herself,It seems like her personality makes it hard for her to make a move.Feeling a sudden burst of goodwill toward her dear friend, Serena decided to lend a hand.Penia was met with an unexpected gesture of goodwill.“Hehe~.”Having made up her mind, Serena let out a faint smile—an insidious smile, completely unaware of her own misconception. ****Four months later.After a busy stretch of gathering information to uncover the Outer God’s identity, increasing the capacity of his mana core, and researching magic, Alon finally boarded a carriage headed for the capital, Terea, just in time for the coronation.“Count.”“What is it?”“Did you hear about this?”“…What is it this time?”“There’s a rumor going around about you.”“…A rumor about me?”“Yes.”From Evan, Alon heard a rather strange rumor.“It seems there’s a rumor that Penia Crysinne is in love with Count Palatio.”“What?”“Penia Crysinne. The vice-tower master of the Blue Tower.”“…What a ridiculous, strange rumor.”

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