“Is that really a rumor going around?”“Yes. There was a meeting of the United Kingdoms not long ago, right?”“Was there?”“…Honestly, it seems like you really have no interest in what’s going on around you, Count.”“That’s true.”Evan answered quickly at Alon’s nod.“Anyway, that kind of story came up there. People are ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ saying Penia Crysinne and Count Palatio might end up together.”“Was that so?”“Was Penia Crysinne even there?”“Of course not. The event was just for the royals to build rapport and maintain the alliance of the United Kingdoms.”“Then why did a rumor like that start?”“I don’t know. I only heard it secondhand.”When Evan shrugged, Alon looked genuinely puzzled. It made sense—there wasn’t any plausible basis for rumors to form between Penia and him. If anything, remembering Penia’s behavior not long ago made it even stranger that the rumor had started at all.‘What… is this?’Still perplexed, Alon decided to ignore it. Gossip always warped as it spread, especially among nobles, and he figured it would die out on its own. Most baseless rumors he’d heard had vanished quickly.“It’s just a rumor that doesn’t need much attention.”So Alon brushed it off lightly—at least until a few days later, right before they reached Terea.At the simple banquet held for the nobles attending the title-bestowal ceremony—“Congratulations, Count!”“For what, exactly?”“I heard a rumor that you and Penia Crysinne are in a certain kind of relationship.”Inside, Alon was piling up question marks. He’d already heard the same rumor five times, and he’d only just arrived.“Thank you for the congratulations, but unfortunately, that’s a false rumor.”After dismissing the noble, Alon retreated to a corner of the banquet hall to eat an egg tart. Before long, Duke Altia came over.“It’s been a while, Count.”Alon gave a brief nod to her smiling bow.“It has.”“Is there any truth to that rumor, by any chance?”“What rumor are you referring to?”“The one I heard recently about you being in a relationship with Penia Crysinne, the Master of the Blue Tower.”That made six times. Baseless rumors might fade quickly, but before they did, they certainly burned bright.With a sigh, Alon said, “I’ve already said it multiple times. That rumor is nonsense.”“Is that so?”“Yes. Not even remotely true.”“I thought it was real.”“…Why?”“Well… marrying the Master of the Blue Tower would have a very positive impact on your household and our faction. For example—”As Altia started listing the advantages of marrying Penia Crysinne, Alon felt his weariness mounting. Her thorough breakdown of every possible benefit and drawback—from major to trivial—reminded him that she really was one of Asteria’s three major strategists.‘…Not that anything has really changed.’Just as he was thinking that—“Given all these positives, I assumed you would seriously consider marriage, Count. Am I wrong? Besides, I thought you were the one who spread the rumor.”“…Me?”“Rumors can be quite powerful. Spread like this, even if the other party dislikes it, they might be forced to consider it for the collective interest of the factions involved.”Her casual remark, which painted him as a scheming manipulator, made Alon answer,“Even I wouldn’t go that far.”“Really…?”Seeing Altia’s genuine surprise, Alon couldn’t help wondering how these people saw him. While he was mulling that over, Altia, lost in thought, suddenly said,“Maybe you’re a bit romantic about things like this, Count.”With that comment and a soft smile, she left after a few more words. By the end of the day, Alon had been congratulated nine times.‘It wasn’t as easy as I thought.’ ****The next day, the title-bestowal ceremony began.Before the gathered nobles, the 8th Monarch of Cretinia, Siyan, declared that Count Palatio had been promoted to Marquess. The ceremony itself ended quickly. Even so, Alon was still technically a Count. The reason was simple: to officially use the title of Marquess, he had to receive a blessing from the Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.With that in mind, Alon began preparing to head to Rosario immediately after the ceremony.“Well then, have a safe trip.”“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”As Siyan watched Alon bow in response to her well wishes, she suddenly stepped closer with a thoughtful look. Then, just like before, she gently lifted the corners of his mouth with her index finger.“Didn’t I tell you that you look better when you smile?”“I apologize, Your Majesty,” Alon said, bowing again.“Well, that’s enough. Once you receive the blessing, come back. Let’s have a proper talk face-to-face.”With a faint smile, Siyan waved and turned away. Left staring blankly at her unexpected behavior, Alon began preparing for his journey to the Holy Kingdom. ****The trip from Asteria to Rosario took about two to three weeks—a fairly long journey. Still, it was more comfortable than his earlier trip to Raksas, since there were more villages and territories along the way where they could rest. Because of that, the travel felt smoother than before.About a week into the trip, Alon was resting at an inn in the village of Nenda.“Should I call you Marquess now instead of Count? It’s hard to get used to,” Evan said.“I’m not a Marquess yet, so just call me Count.”“All right, Count. I found one of the pieces of information you asked me to look into.”“…Here?” Alon asked, surprised.“Yes. There’s an information broker in this village, too, so I stopped by.”“So what’s the information?”“It’s nothing major, but Abyss Stones and Abyssal Entities have been showing up more often on the black market lately.”“…Does that mean they’re being widely distributed?”“No. It doesn’t seem like large quantities, but they’ve been appearing frequently.”“Hmm…”Alon sank into thought, realizing this wasn’t good news. The spread of Abyss Stones and Abyssal Entities was never a positive sign. Abyssal Entities granted divine power to the strong, making them even stronger, and their emergence in the underworld sharply increased the odds of the world falling into chaos. On top of that, the original text had only said Abyssal Entities were being distributed “somewhere,” without naming the channels. That meant Alon couldn’t use his knowledge to stop the spread.“Have you found the source of the distribution?” he asked anyway.Evan shook his head.“No. I couldn’t find the source, but I did learn where most of it is going.”“Where?”“The Holy Kingdom.”“…The Holy Kingdom?” Alon’s expression turned puzzled.The Holy Kingdom was the last place he would have expected to be involved with Abyssal Entities.‘Sure, the Holy Kingdom isn’t free of corruption, but I didn’t think they’d go so far as dealing with Abyssal Entities.’Tilting his head, Alon thought it through.‘I should probably ask Yutia about this, too… That’ll make two requests for her. Should I get her a gift as well?’He was already planning to ask Yutia a favor once he arrived in the Holy Kingdom.‘I should stop somewhere along the way and pick up at least one gift,’ he decided. ****A little while later—“It’s about time for dinner. Let’s go down and eat.”“All right.”As they went down to the first floor of the inn, Alon noticed that the once-empty room was now packed with boisterous noise, almost loud enough to hurt his ears.“Are those mercenaries?”“Looks like it.”“…This inn has surprisingly good soundproofing.”“I was surprised, too.”Alon walked to an empty table in the corner. Noisy or not, he still had to eat.But just as he was about to sit—“Hold up!”“Huh?”A mercenary dropped into the seat first, leaving Alon staring.“What are you looking at? This is my seat!” the mercenary snapped, even though he’d been laughing with his comrades moments earlier.Both Alon and Evan looked incredulous.Even for a mercenary who didn’t know the ways of the world, provoking someone who clearly looked like a noble was absurd.“You telling me to sit somewhere else? Huh?”The mercenary reeked of alcohol. Alon realized right away that he was so drunk he’d barely lost his mind, and he weighed how to handle it.“…?”Then Alon noticed the room had gone quiet. The other mercenaries were still there, but their chatter had stopped. They were staring at him and the drunk, faces stiff with shock, mouths shut tight.As Alon wondered what caused the change—“Didn’t you hear me?! Just leave—”Before the troublemaker could finish, someone appeared behind him.Crash!A bottle shattered over his head. With a thud, the mercenary collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.Startled by how fast things escalated, Alon saw a female beastkin standing there. She held the broken bottle and bowed deeply.“M-My apologies, Count Palatio!”The moment he saw her, Alon recognized who she was.“…Myaon?”“I’m 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.Normally, only the five executive members attended, but this time Hidan was allowed in as an exception because he’d recently uncovered information about the faction opposing the Great Moon.He was here to report that information, but Hidan couldn’t help feeling a little excited. Deep down, he respected the Great Moon and the other Moons—beings whose strength was fundamentally different from his own.With anticipation, Hidan stepped into the meeting room.“I’m getting married!”“No way!”“I’m getting married!!”“No way!!”“I’m getting married!!!”“No way!!!”“I’ve said this before, but this is too unfair. It’s about time you let us send letters too—”“I think that’s fair enough!”“Looking up at the Moon like this reminds me of those days… It’s been years, but the memory is still vivid. The way the Great Moon dealt with the Outer God was truly impressive. Oh, by the way, Hidan, have you heard about it? If not, let me explain in detail.”Hidan could only feel dizzy amid the chaos.

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