Chapter 611: Hol (6)

As a result of Alon and Deus riding Basiliora without rest, they were able to set foot on the Allied Kingdoms’ land in about two weeks.

After that, it took exactly five days to arrive at Rosario.

No, more precisely—

“......This is Rosario?”

[It feels like the place, but it has simply become barren land.]

They arrived at “the place that had been Rosario.”

“This is horrific.”

When Deus let out a low groan, Alon agreed with him and lowered his gaze.

What he saw was barren land.

Land perhaps similar to what he had seen in the Empire.

And before long, Alon found him.

A man was standing in the middle of Rosario’s desolated land.

Alon descended just like that.

Soon, there—

“Alon.”

“Reinysius.”

He faced Reinysius.

“It has been a long time.”

“Yes.”

The two exchanged an ordinary greeting.

Normally, Alon should have wondered why Reinysius was here, but he was calm.

Because he had already known Reinysius was here.

No, to begin with, the reason Alon had come to Rosario, where nothing remained, was to meet him.

“Let’s go inside first.”

Reinysius moved his head slightly, pointing toward a temporarily built structure in the distance.

Unlike an ordinary tent, it was a small mansion built in the middle °• N ?? v ?? l i g h t •° of the bleak land.

Alon nodded faintly.

And so, they moved toward the temporary headquarters Reinysius had made.

A short while later.

“......So, how is the research?”

Alon asked after entering the mansion.

Because he knew the reason Reinysius was in Rosario was to study the power of the Karma seat that the Wanderer had used.

“There have been no results.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I was already aware that the Wanderer’s power was different from the mana we generally use, since I had seen Divine blood before...... but it seems there are even more differences than I expected.”

Reinysius let out a faint sigh, then continued.

“To explain it simply, in the case of Divine blood, it felt as if nature and mana were combined. For example, mana that has the nature of flame. However, the ratio is not very high.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just as I said, it is a matter of ratio. It would be around eight parts mana and two parts nature. However, starting from the Karma seats, that ratio changes.”

“......The nature goes up a little more, then.”

“Yes. It has a ratio of around five parts nature and five parts mana.”

Reinysius cleared his throat with a hem-hem and continued speaking.

“In any case, this is all I have discovered so far, so there is nothing I can really call a harvest. If I investigate a little more, something might come out, but for now, that is how it is. More importantly—”

Reinysius looked at Alon and naturally brought up the main subject Alon wanted first.

“—did you not say you had something to ask of me?”

The reason Alon had come here.

“That’s right.”

Alon nodded and carefully took Blackie out from inside his chest.

Then he told Reinysius everything that had happened so far.

And.

“......I see. So that is what happened.”

Reinysius, who grasped the situation without difficulty, nodded.

“So, you want me to check where Blackie’s other alter is and tell you where she is.”

“That’s right.”

“That is not difficult.”

Reinysius answered immediately.

“......Truly?”

“Yes. To begin with, I have divided Blackie before. If Blackie is still maintaining a connection with that alter right now, there will be no problem at all.”

He soon looked at Blackie and asked.

“Are you still connected to the alter?”

[Kkyu?]

Blackie tilted its head slightly, then nodded.

At that, as if there was no need to wait, Reinysius immediately used magic.

With a resonant wooong, dozens of magic circles appeared on the floor of the desk where Blackie was.

Five magic circles were drawn and vanished in an instant, and ten magic circles merged into seven before increasing to fifteen.

Alon watched the sight.

Woooooo—

He confirmed that the light was slowly fading.

“Hmm—”

At that moment, Reinysius let out a low sound.

“......What is it?”

At Alon’s cautious question, Reinysius quickly answered him.

“Do not worry too much. It seems this one’s alter has remained near Penia this entire time.”

“Does that mean it succeeded?”

“I roughly know where she is, but—the place is a little strange.”

“......Strange?”

“Of course, I have not understood it precisely. I have never seen coordinates like this before either. However, this seems to be coordinates from a past time period.”

“......The past?”

When Alon asked back, Reinysius thought for a moment before answering.

“First, one thing is certain. She is continuing to move.”

“Move?”

“At first, she was in imaginary space. But now, it seems she is headed somewhere else. I do not know the details, but it appears to be a past time period. It is not strange text or an entirely empty imaginary space.”

“......How do you know that?”

“It is simple. Blackie’s alter is providing information to the main body. Of course, I can only look into it to some extent if Blackie remembers it. But it is possible to see. And—”

“.......”

“The reason I am certain she is not in imaginary space or strange text is because she once gave me coordinates that could be used in strange text before.”

Reinysius added that he had not pieced all of it together, but the coordinates of those places were not like this, then let out a short sigh.

“This is as far as I can determine.”

“I’m asking just in case, but can you also cause something like a strange text phenomenon?”

When Alon asked the next question, an immediate answer came back.

“Impossible.”

“......Is that so?”

“Yes. That is not something that can be opened with mana alone. Perhaps if the power of a True Mage were mixed in to some degree. And even assuming that, it would not be easy to open.”

“Why?”

“What you want is to create a distortion in space, temporarily manipulate the coordinates, and head into the past, correct?”

“Yes.”

When Alon nodded, Reinysius continued his explanation.

“Fundamentally, magic is made to operate within the laws. In other words, you cannot twist the laws and artificially distort space.”

“.......”

“Even so, the reason I say there is hope is because a True Mage’s magic has the power to twist the laws. If we learn how that power works—”

“We can artificially create strange text?”

“However—in my opinion, tearing space in that manner from now on will be limited to two more times at most.”

“Limited?”

“Not for you. For this world.”

Reinysius soon looked up at the ceiling and murmured.

“The Wanderer wounded it quite severely, it seems.”

####

After finishing his conversation with Reinysius, Alon immediately climbed onto Basiliora’s back again and moved.

After several more days, the place he headed to was not Palantia—

“Deus.”

“Yes, Lord Alon.”

—but the Central Mage Tower.

Alon landed at the Mage Tower, where there still were not many mages, then suddenly looked at Deus.

“We have reached the Allied Kingdoms now, so you may move freely. I am sorry I failed to tell you earlier.”

At Alon’s brief apology, Deus smiled faintly and shook his head.

“No. I was planning to remain by your side for a while anyway, Lord Alon.”

“......Why?”

“Would you not need at least one conversation partner?”

Deus answered calmly.

Alon’s eyes widened for an instant.

Of course, he knew Deus was changing little by little.

There had not been much conversation during their journey, but he could tell that much.

But seeing him like this now, Alon felt anew just how much had changed.

After a brief silence, Alon said,

“......Thank you.”

He thanked Deus, then moved inside the Mage Tower.

“You’re here?”

“Lady Heinkel.”

Then they encountered Heinkel.

The conversation proceeded quickly.

Alon immediately told her, one by one, about what had happened in the Empire.

“......So, you want to raise your level of magic to Penia’s level?”

“That’s correct.”

Heinkel was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“All right. I’ll help as much as my power allows.”

“Thank you. Then shall we prepare immediately?”

“......You’re starting right away?”

“We have no time.”

At Alon’s immediate answer, Heinkel looked at him for a moment.

“Hey, Alon.”

“Yes?”

“......Penia is currently in the past, right?”

“That’s correct.”

At Alon’s nod, Heinkel moved her lips for a moment.

As if she was about to say something.

Quietly.

But only for a moment.

“Is there something you are curious about?”

At Alon’s question that followed, Heinkel flinched slightly.

“No, it’s nothing—”

After denying it with a slight delay, she soon spoke while erasing the strange emotion from moments before.

“Prepare immediately. First, I’ll beat every bit of knowledge I have into you.”

“......? Understood.”

Alon felt slightly puzzled, but soon nodded.

Because the most important thing for him right now was improving his magic.

####

That night.

A dark night with not a single star, only the moon floating in the sky.

In the abandoned castle near the Central Mage Tower, a girl—no, Yutia was standing there, staring intently at the Central Mage Tower.

More precisely, at Alon’s figure visible through a window of the Central Mage Tower.

How much time passed like that?

“What are you doing there?”

Yutia turned her gaze at the voice coming from behind her.

“Elivan.”

She found Elivan walking out with a smile.

“What about you? It’s late. Why are you here?”

“Ahaha—well, there were all sorts of things, and after I dealt with them, it ended up being this hour. I originally meant to see him today.”

Elivan murmured while briefly casting his gaze, like Yutia, toward the window where Alon could be seen, then looked back at her.

“More importantly, why are you here, Yutia?”

“I finished all my work, so I’m taking a little rest.”

“You won’t go see him?”

“I’m considering it.”

At Yutia’s smiling answer, Elivan also smiled and asked,

“That is unexpected. I thought you would go see him immediately.”

“Why?”

“I thought you might be a little jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Yes, jealous.”

“Jealous......”

Yutia rolled Elivan’s words around in her mouth.

“It is true that I feel jealous. But—”

She soon stared intently at Alon in the distance and smiled softly.

“I think it might actually be good.”

Her lips moved.

“......Good?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Elivan asked in genuine incomprehension.

At that, Yutia looked at the sky for a moment.

“You know, Elivan.”

“Yes.”

“Have you heard of a pincushion flower?”

Then she turned back to Elivan and asked.

“......A pincushion flower?”

At Elivan’s puzzled reaction, Yutia smiled softly.

“It is not strange if you do not know it. Alon only told me about it.”

“......Is that so?”

“Yes. In fact, I have never seen one either. But still, I liked it.”

Because somehow, it seemed a little like me.

She whispered quietly.