Chapter 587: The Thing Called the Karma Seat (8)

“......Monster blood?”

“Yes.”

At Alon’s repeated question, as though confirming it once more, Reinysius calmly nodded.

“As I already said, at first I was not certain. The other side world was tangled with numerous uncertain elements as far as I could determine. However, once only Evan’s location changed more than twice, I became certain.”

“That the one interfering with Evan is Monster blood?”

“Yes.”

Reinysius affirmed it.

“You said it yourself last time, did you not? That the power obtained from that other side world was the power of Monster blood.”

“And that led you to this conclusion?”

“As you already know, the only thing capable of controlling that other side world is the incomprehensible power of Monster blood. And if only Evan’s location changed in such a place, then there is only one thing that implies.”

“......”

Alon let out a quiet groan.

Because there was certainly nothing wrong with Reinysius’s logic.

However, the problem was—

“......Then everyone possessing the power of Monster blood becomes a suspect.”

There were quite a few people Alon knew who possessed the power of Monster blood.

Right now alone, there were kings in this world who had received the power of Monster blood from the Seeker.

However, Reinysius firmly shook his head.

“If the ones you are worried about are those who received the power of Monster blood from that Seeker, then there is no need to concern yourself with them.”

“......? Why?”

“Because they do not possess enough power to manipulate that other side world.”

For a moment, Alon revealed a puzzled expression before quietly letting out an “Ah.”

Come to think of it, he had already seen the two imperial princesses who came from the Empire before.

“Then—”

“Yes. The one interfering with Evan’s tracking is most likely not people like them, but the person who designed that other side world.”

After a moment of thought, Reinysius added,

“Of course, there is also the possibility that Evan himself is avoiding the tracking. After all, even the Foot That Runs Through the Past could only trace his location and never actually catch him. However—”

“There is no reason for Evan to deliberately avoid the tracking.”

“Yes. Which naturally leaves only one remaining conclusion.”

“The designer......”

Murmuring quietly, Alon continued.

“Is it possible to determine who created that other side world?”

“Unfortunately, no. It already takes this much effort simply to track each individual inside the other side world. Under such circumstances, tracking someone capable of freely moving throughout that world would be impossible.”

Alon unconsciously let out a sigh from sheer exhaustion.

“Then there is no method?”

“For now, no...... but wait a little longer. I am currently conducting a new experiment.”

“What kind of experiment?”

“I have actually been creating a new artifact using the structure of the Foot That Runs Through the Past.”

“A new artifact?”

“Exactly as it sounds. As you know, the Foot That Runs Through the Past is essentially a transmitter. However, from our perspective as trackers, there is no real need to establish a connection with the other side.”

In short, he was creating a specialized artifact intended purely for tracking.

“If it is completed, then one way or another, we will obtain results. The tracking speed will be on a completely different level from the Foot That Runs Through the Past. So I would appreciate it if you waited a little longer.”

Reinysius shrugged lightly.

Alon nodded.

“......Understood. You always have my thanks.”

“It is nothing.”

Smiling faintly, Reinysius added,

“In any case, I will make sure the artifact you requested is delivered by tomorrow.”

####

The following day.

As promised, Reinysius handed the artifact over to Alon after only a single day.

And shortly afterward, Alon climbed onto Basiliora.

“Be careful, my liege!”

“Godfather!”

“Master! If things become dangerous, you know what to do, right!?”

The others greeted Alon enthusiastically as though they had been waiting for this moment, and he nodded once toward each of them.

“Everyone, move according to the plan.”

“Okay.”

“Got it!”

Leaving those final words behind, Alon rose into the sky together with Basiliora and once again began heading toward Rosario.

Because there was something he needed to do before crossing into the Empire.

And on the first night after departing for Rosario—

“......Ughhh—”

“......”

“......”

Alon and Penia stared with rather strange expressions at Deus, who sat in one corner of the campsite with his head hanging low.

His face completely pale blue as he pressed his forehead against a tree root.

“......Are you alright?”

“Of course I’m alri— urghhh—!”

The moment Alon asked, Deus tried to answer, only to immediately lower his head again while retching violently.

Alon and Penia exchanged strange looks.

“......Uh...... I honestly never expected this.”

“Indeed.”

“Motionsickness......” Penia murmured.

Hearing that, Deus slowly lifted his head.

“I-I’m perfectly fine! Something like this is no—”

However, before he could even finish a few words, he immediately slammed his face back against the tree root again.

Watching him with worried expressions—

[Hahahaha— Well now— I suppose I’ll have to fly a bit slower starting tomorrow.]

For some reason, Basiliora sounded strangely proud of the situation as it laughed loudly.

Meanwhile, Blackie seemed completely uninterested in either Basiliora or Deus and had already fallen asleep atop the bedding Alon had laid out earlier.

“Urghhh—!”

Watching Deus bury his face into the tree root once more—

“......Penia.”

“Yes, Lord Alon.”

“Is there perhaps some sort of anti-motionsickness spell?”

“There isn’t really a spell like that......”

“I expected as much.”

“Yes......”

For some reason, Alon had begun feeling that the journey ahead would not be an easy one.

However, one more day later—

Alon could not help feeling stunned when he saw Deus.

Because the same Deus who had spent all of yesterday vomiting while flying atop Basiliora had now tightly wrapped his own body in purple threads and secured himself directly onto Basiliora.

“......What exactly are you doing, Deus?”

“Seriously...... what is this......?”

Just like Alon, Penia also stared blankly in bewilderment.

However, unconcerned by their reactions, Deus continued wrapping the threads around himself before soon speaking with an incomparably proud expression.

“You may now move as quickly as you wish, Lord Alon!”

He spoke as though he had just made the discovery of the century.

“......You’re alright now?”

“Yes!”

“......That solves the motionsickness?”

“Yes!”

......How? Both of them thought simultaneously.

But at that exact moment—

“Then I shall see you shortly!”

Smack—!

The instant he finished speaking, Deus struck the back of his own neck with the arm he had intentionally left unwrapped.

Thunk—!

And just like that, Deus went limp.

“......”

“......”

“......”

Even though he had clearly knocked himself unconscious, Deus still wore a triumphant smile as though he had achieved some historic breakthrough.

Watching him silently, Penia and Alon slowly turned to look at each other once more.

“What exactly are we supposed to call that?”

“No idea......”

“......An idiot?”

“......Hm.”

Leaving behind those rather strange impressions, they rose into the sky once more.

And after another full day of flying, when Alon finally arrived in Rosario—

“It has been a while.”

He was able to meet Yan once again.

“......”

Inside a private room within the temple, Yan looked at Alon with an extremely complicated expression before quietly speaking.

“......I don’t know anything.”

“What......?”

“I heard it from the Saint. That you wished to ask me something regarding Elivan......”

“......”

“But there is nothing I can tell you. To begin with, from now until then, there is not a single thing I know.”

Yan spoke somewhat calmly.

Yet at the same time, there was bitterness hidden beneath her voice.

At her words, Alon remained silent briefly before slowly speaking.

“I know.”

“......Pardon?”

“More importantly, what I originally intended to ask you about was Elivan’s past.”

“......His past?”

At Yan’s question, Alon nodded and began speaking.

####

The old library of the Central Mage Tower.

Most of the mages had gathered within Divine Land, leaving behind only the bare minimum number necessary to maintain security at the Central Mage Tower.

And within that place—

“......”

Floating motionlessly in midair, Heinkel blankly stared at the clock tower standing in the center of the old library.

The clock tower that had stopped functioning ever since Heinkel emerged from it.

Even though neither the hour hand nor minute hand moved anymore, Heinkel continued staring at it absentmindedly before finally—

“......Huu.”

Letting out a sigh and descending from the air to sit down.

The emotion carried within that sigh was deep exhaustion.

As though proving that exhaustion, dark circles heavily shadowed beneath her eyes.

And in truth, lately Heinkel had not been able to fall asleep easily.

Because of new magic?

No.

Because of the abnormal learning speed Alon had displayed?

That was not it either.

The reason Heinkel had been unable to sleep recently—

Was Penia.

More precisely—

“......”

The Origin Penia had shown her previously.

“Haa......”

With a tired expression, Heinkel closed her eyes.

However, what came was not sleepiness.

Instead, only that scene from back then continued replaying in her mind.

The moment Penia used her Origin before Heinkel’s eyes.

“......”

There had only ever been one reason Heinkel remained sealed within the Central Mage Tower, continuing to exist as a ghost all this time.

To search for magic.

No—more precisely, to manifest the magic she had been searching for.

That alone.

That was the reason Heinkel had clung to this world even while remaining in the form of a ghost.

And recently, Heinkel had finally seen that magic.

She had seen it within Penia.

“......”

Of course, the Origin Penia displayed was not the perfect magic Heinkel had been searching for.

If anything, it was far rougher and far less refined than the magic she sought.

......Yes. If she had to define it precisely, then the Origin Penia showed Heinkel back then resembled an early prototype of the magic Heinkel had been searching for.

And yet, despite that—

The reason Heinkel could not stop thinking about Penia’s magic to this extent—

Was because Penia’s magic had been an Origin.

At its core, an Origin was something close to a mage’s personal system.

Meaning that the possibility of two mages possessing identical Origins was extraordinarily low.

The only situation where even a similar Origin could appear—

Was when a mage received direct instruction from someone who already possessed that Origin.

And even then, it was exceedingly rare for a mage to fully inherit the Origin of their teacher.

Yes. That should have been true.

It absolutely should have been true.

‘......Why— Master’s Origin—’

Why was Penia capable of using her Master’s Origin?

Thinking over whether the conclusion she had reached truly meant what she feared it meant, Heinkel slowly closed her eyes.

......But sleep still refused to come.