Chapter 33: Chapter 33

On the early morning when Alon received the letter that Yutia had become a cardinal, the regular meeting of the Blue Moon began.

The Blue Moon meetings usually occur every six months.

Given the distance between them, they mostly communicate through a crystal orb rather than meeting in person.

…However, even though the meetings were held every six months, they didn’t last long.

The meetings, conducted through the crystal orb made by Rine, rarely lasted more than 10 minutes.

Most of the time was taken up by Yutia, who led the discussions, or Seolrang, who interjected with her innocent remarks.

In short, apart from these two, the other members would only say “yes” or “no” or give brief opinions when necessary; otherwise, they wouldn’t speak at all.

Of course, Radan or Rine would occasionally exchange trivial everyday stories, but Deus mostly remained silent during the meetings.

This was not only because Deus had nothing to say, but also because he was naturally a quiet person.

Thus, no one expected it.

When Seolrang innocently remarked, “Oh, I heard a rumor that the Great Moon has left. How was it to see him in person?” none of them anticipated that this would extend their usual 10-minute meeting to over 30 minutes.

Up to that point, the five great sins attending the meeting were quite intrigued.

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Not because Deus was delivering a praise-filled speech about the Great Moon, but because they were surprised that Deus could even speak that much.

However…

[The Great Moon stood before the otherworldly entity, Ulthultus.

When everyone was consumed by despair and fear, and even the Vice-tower master of the Blue Tower was blinded by terror, the Great Moon nonchalantly stepped forward and challenged the entity to a duel.

Thinking back, it seemed like the Great Moon had been preparing magic since then.

But that’s not the important part.

The moment when the entity faced the Great Moon—]

As Deus’s speech surpassed the 30-minute mark, and almost an hour had passed, the others started feeling a growing sense of bewilderment.

No one had imagined that this story could go on for so long.

[Now that I think about it, when the Great Moon departed—]

[Wait, you’re getting off track—]

Rine tried to interrupt Deus, but…

[Just listen to this part. I’m telling a story about the Great Moon, aren’t I?

So, where was I?

Ah, yes, with Ulthultus—]

Deus, completely absorbed in the story of the Great Moon, rewound the narrative to an earlier point, continuing his long speech.

Rine and Seolrang, both pleading with their eyes and magic through the vision, glanced at Yutia, hoping she would intervene—since she was the only one capable of stopping Deus.

However…

[Indeed, the Great Moon is truly exceptional.]

Yutia, rather than stopping him, seemed completely taken with the story herself, nodding and smiling with admiration.

Realizing this, the others understood that the story would not be ending anytime soon.

As expected, Deus’s speech finally ended—an additional hour and thirty minutes later.

[[……]]

At that moment, Rine, Radan, and Seolrang engraved in their minds the lesson that they should never ask Deus about the Great Moon again.

And with that, the meeting came to an end.

It was late into the dawn.

***

The next day…

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“Count, it seems that Yutia really has become a cardinal.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the Information Guild has also confirmed that Yutia is now one of the eight cardinals of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.”

Hearing Evan’s voice, Alon murmured to himself, a flood of question marks swirling in his head.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Being a cardinal is a very high position in the Holy Kingdom, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. As I mentioned before, cardinals are ranked just below the Pope. And they also have the authority to declare an ‘Out Call,’ which is quite significant.”

“An ‘Out Call’…?”

“To put it simply, they have the legal right to declare a holy war.

Of course, there are some conditions that need to be met.”

At Evan’s words, Alon let out a small gasp and, after a moment of silence, spoke again.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Is it possible to become a cardinal that easily?”

“…… Are you seriously asking that?”

Looking at Alon with an expression that clearly questioned what kind of absurd question this was, Evan replied.

“I was just wondering, that’s all.”

“……Of course, it’s not something that comes easily. Aside from saints chosen directly by God, there are only eight cardinals in the entire Holy Kingdom. Do you really think it would be easy?”

Alon nodded but tilted his head slightly in confusion.

“How on earth did she manage it…?”

It was Alon who had sent Yutia to the Holy Kingdom, knowing she had the talent of a devout believer.

However, he never imagined that Yutia would become a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom in less than two years.

He knew very well that the position of cardinal wasn’t something one could achieve through piety alone.

Thus, although Alon was perplexed by Yutia’s current situation, he quickly dismissed the thought.

After all, when he thought about it rationally, Yutia’s success in the Holy Kingdom wasn’t a loss for him at all.

In fact, it might even turn out to be quite a good thing.

“Could I finally have some real backing…?”@@novelbin@@

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There were already rumors spreading within Caliban that Count Pallatio was a benefactor to Deus, one of the Master Knights of Caliban, but this situation was different.

With Deus, he had barely exchanged a word once a day, and even sending a single letter was a rare event.

On the other hand, Yutia was someone with whom he regularly exchanged letters every month and could easily ask for favors if necessary.

The difference was substantial.

Thus, while Alon outwardly remained expressionless, he inwardly felt quite satisfied, nodding to himself several times.

‘Maybe, some benefits will fall into my lap?’

He held onto a small sense of anticipation.

***

About a week passed after that.

As Alon originally planned, he returned to the Count’s estate and enjoyed a peaceful life.

Sleeping in late, toasting bread in the morning, and enjoying steak for dinner – this leisurely lifestyle brought him the most precious kind of happiness.

However, that didn’t mean he had spent the entire week doing nothing.

Though he wished he could stop thinking entirely, Alon couldn’t afford to be complacent, knowing that otherworldly beings had already descended once.

If one had appeared, there was a possibility that others could also descend.

In other words, the situation had become one where otherworldly beings might appear now that the five great sins had been sealed.

Alon, rather than resisting, accepted the situation humbly.

Though it had been a struggle, in a way, it wasn’t all bad.

If the butterfly effect of him saving the five great sins had led to this, then having a few otherworldly beings show up was far better than the alternative of not stopping them and letting them destroy the kingdoms.

At least the otherworldly beings would give some warning when they appeared, whereas the five great sins would descend like a bomb, leaving people no choice but to pray.

In any case, fully aware that otherworldly beings could show up again, Alon spent the past week gathering information and studying magic.

“Haah—”

Alon let out a long sigh as he looked down at the ground.

Unlike the solid parts of the training field, there was sticky mud dirtying his shoes.

“Did I finally succeed?”

Just as Alon realized that the magic he had been researching since returning from Caliban had finally worked…

“Count, hmm? It’s oddly cold in here, isn’t it?”

Hearing Evan’s bewildered voice as he entered the training field, Alon naturally turned his gaze toward him and spoke.

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“Did you return?”

“Yes.”

“Did you find anything? Any useful information?”

Alon asked with a hint of expectation, hoping for some answers about Ulthultus, the black and blue ones, or any other information.

“Nothing at all?”

“Yes. They said they don’t know anything about strange powers, the black or the blue ones.”

Hearing Evan’s response, Alon clicked his tongue in disappointment and thought to himself.

“Looks like I’ll need to go to Colony for information.”

Recalling what was written on the artifact, Alon considered.

Normally, it was more his style to search for clues on his own rather than ask the Information Guild.

However, he hadn’t moved because the location of the old god’s city, Kahara, still hadn’t been revealed at this point.

‘I didn’t consider this since you could always access it in the game after going to Colony.’

Clicking his tongue again in frustration, Alon shrugged his shoulders.

If his faint memory of playing Psychedelia was correct, the location of Kahara would likely be discovered soon.

‘If the lore is right, it should be this year, since it was discovered three years before the protagonist left the village.’

Recalling that this year was three years before the start of the original story, Alon concluded that he had no choice but to wait until then and nodded.

“Understood.”

“I’ll tell them to keep looking, just in case.”

Watching Alon nod briefly, Evan suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, by the way, my lord. You’ve received a gift.”

“…A gift?”

“Yes, it’s been placed in your office. You should check it out.”

***

After hearing Evan’s words, Alon returned to his office and found the gift waiting for him. Upon checking its contents, Alon couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation.

“…Oh.”

Without meaning to, he voiced his admiration.

The reason for his surprise was that inside the gift box was a solid gold goblet encrusted with dazzling jewels.

“…If I sold just this one, I could easily buy a mansion or two,” Evan muttered in shock, staring at the goblet.

Alon, still processing the surprise, checked the name of the sender on the wrapping. The recipient’s name was written in large, unmistakable letters: “Baron Pirima.”

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“Why would he send this to me?”

Naturally, Alon didn’t know who Baron Pirima was, so he tilted his head in confusion.

However…

“Perhaps the rumors have finally spread?” Evan suggested.

“Rumors?”

“Yes. After all, the rumor that you’re the benefactor of Deus, one of the Master Knights of Caliban, has been circulating for a while.”

“…A gift this grand just for a connection?”

Alon asked, bewildered.

But shortly after, he realized the truth.

“…It’s true?”

Upon checking the letter that came with the gift, Alon mumbled in surprise.

The letter contained a brief introduction from Baron Pirima and flattering words praising Alon as Deus’s benefactor.

“…The Master Knights are quite famous, but to this extent…?”

Alon still wore a perplexed expression.

‘Sure, in the game, the Master Knights were always celebrated no matter where they appeared, but…?’

Recalling a scene from the game where he had briefly traveled with Reinhardt, one of the Master Knights of Caliban, during a quest, Alon thought to himself.

‘Well, I suppose there could be a few people like this.’

With that thought in mind, and feeling quite satisfied, he nodded as he took the golden goblet.

While the Count’s estate wasn’t in financial trouble, the more wealth, the better.

Alon had plenty of experiences in his past life where the amount of money you had could significantly impact the quality of your life.

‘I’ll keep this as a secret stash.’

Though Alon remained expressionless on the outside, inside he was smiling with satisfaction as he gazed at the golden goblet.

And the next day…

“My lord,” Evan called out.

“What is it?”

“Another gift has arrived, and this time, there are two of them.”

“…Two?”

Once again, Alon received gifts from a noble he didn’t know.

This time, two rare artifacts, both just as valuable as the golden goblet he received the previous day.

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“Wow, these artifacts come from the deep levels of the labyrinth. They must be incredibly expensive,” Evan said in amazement, admiring the artifacts in Alon’s hands.

Though Alon appeared expressionless, internally, he was beaming.

‘Is this… networking?’

As he looked at the letter praising both Deus and himself as Deus’s benefactor, Alon smiled with satisfaction while gazing at the artifacts.

With the wealth accumulated from these gifts, Alon realized that he could further elevate his already prosperous lifestyle in no time.

The bitter memory of Deus not contacting him in the past was long forgotten.

‘Deus… you’re quite the dutiful one, aren’t you?’

In Alon’s mind, Deus had now become a model of filial piety.

“My lord, with all these gifts, we could even replace your carriage with a magic-engineered one. You’ll need it for the upcoming Grand Council Tournament in a few months, right?” Evan suggested.

“That might not be a bad idea,” Alon replied, smiling contentedly while holding the artifact.

However, that was only temporary.

The next day…

“My lord, another gift has arrived!”

“Oh.”

The day after that…

“A gift, my lord!”

“Oh.”

Three days later…

“My lord, a gift has arrived.”

“Hmm.”

Another week later…

“My lord, yet another gift.”

“…Hmm?”

And then, exactly one month later…

“My lord, another gift has… arrived??”

“…???”

Alon began to feel that something strange was going on.