“……Have we lost contact with the subjects?”

“…Yes.”

In the office of Duke Komalon.

Upon the report from the dark elf, he calmly asked, “What was the last report before the communication was cut off?”

“The last was about locating the whereabouts of Marquis Palatio.”

“Couldn’t even make a proper assessment?”

“I apologize.”

The dark elf bowed deeply.

Though Duke Komalon was aware that the current situation was not the fault of the one before him, he,

“..Hmm-“

suddenly remembered what a man dressed in a black sanctified robe had said.

To be wary of Marquis Palatio, that warning,

Duke Komalon kept looking at the bowed dark elf in silence for a while before breaking the quiet,

“Well, it’s alright. It was only meant to gauge the forces using those whose lifespans aren’t long anyway.”

“…Is that alright?”

“Our goal is not to deal with Marquis Palatio. We only intended to handle him because he has been continuously obstructing our cause. However-“

The cost shouldn’t exceed the benefit,

“Losing the dragon’s egg delayed our cause, but it doesn’t mean our plans have fallen apart.”

“I will bear that in mind.”

Unable to delay further due to the bothersome thorn, “How much longer until the masquerade?”

“Only two weeks left.”

“Start preparing the organizations for externalization, timed for the masquerade in two weeks.”

“I will obey.”

The dark elf bowed once more and then vanished,

leaving Duke Komalon alone in his office.

“The cause must be fulfilled, by any means necessary-” Muttering to himself, “It must be accomplished. It is the only way-” to save this world, he affirmed quietly to himself.

With a breath held tight, a clear madness shone in his eyes once again raised.

***

Alon returned to Palatio’s residence about a week later.

After his arrival, his most important task was to rest. Despite not neglecting his magical studies even then, the break at the mansion was genuinely sweet relief after months of hectic travel.

However, he couldn’t purely enjoy leisure throughout that week.

“…This seems tougher than expected?”

“Indeed.”

Evan, who had started assisting in his tasks, remarked.

What they were looking at was a document about the current state of Marquis Palatio’s fief.

“…The financial situation isn’t bad, but it’s not good either.”

“That’s true.”

The financial state of the fief was mediocre.

In fact, strictly speaking, it was more on the poor side.

“But maybe that’s to be expected? Our fief hardly has a source of income, except when it thrived on underworld money even at its best. It’s still the same now, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s essentially being covered by money coming in from the faction.”

Evan pointed to a part of the document.

“That’s true.”

Alon inwardly felt extremely troubled. Because he was just about managing to balance the entire fief with the finances of the Ducal estate.

On the contrary, if limited to the Ducal estate’s financial status, it was quite affluent.

This was because of the many treasures he had received as compensation while wandering outside his domain.

However, that was not a steady income.

“…It seems necessary to create some safe revenue mechanisms.”

Realizing the need to brainstorm further. Even though the finances of the Ducal house are currently stable, without a steady source of income, the end is inevitable, and it will eventually run out.

“Should I create some local product when money comes in, like a specialty item?”

Alon was lost in thought for a while, then soon closed the thick paper documents and asked,

“Do we have any specialty products in our territory?”

“A specialty product?”

“Yes.”

“…Drugs?”

Why is that coming up…?

“…Suddenly?”

“No, drugs used to be the specialty product of the Count house.”

“Was it that significant…?”

“There was nothing else besides that…”

Alon nodded with a peculiar expression.

Yes, the Palatio family had long been deeply involved in the underworld of Asteria, one of its dark secrets.

“Is there really nothing else?”

“…I suppose not? There really isn’t anything around here that could be called a specialty.”

Isn’t having nothing a bit concerning? Briefly pondering.

“Should I handle other matters first?”

Deciding to prioritize other piled-up work and think about the development of the territory,

“And I should reply to the letters.”

Starting to open and read one by one the three letters from Yutia that had accumulated during his absence.

The first letter was a light greeting, mentioning the recent situations of Rine and Seolrang.

The second letter was similar to the first, a light greeting with stories about Radan.

Thanks to Evan’s regular updates, Alon was somewhat aware of Radan’s news.

‘Discovered an amazing artifact… Come to think of it, I haven’t heard rumors about Radan from outside recently.’

Suddenly such a thought occurred,

‘…Well, actually, no news from a pirate is good news.’

It was almost certain that if news updated, it would likely be about a bounty increase.

So, Alon felt a small satisfaction with Radan’s lack of news (?) as he unfolded the last letter.

Fortunately, after confirming it was also a greeting letter, he soon started writing a reply.

Having finished, it was about a page long.

However,

‘…Considering the frequency of incoming letters compared to my replies, maybe I should write a bit longer.’

Aiming to balance things out a bit more than usual, he started writing a longer content.

Soon after recounting his recent visit to the jungle and pondering what specialty product to determine for the Marquis house’s small daily matters,

“Phew-“

Checking the three-page-long letter, he smiled proudly to himself.

After entrusting the letter to Evan, he turned his gaze outside the window.

Unlike the perennially humid climate of the jungle, Asteria was now approaching winter, with red maple leaves gradually falling.

Late autumn was already passing.

As time passed, the maples disappeared and full winter arrived.

“It’s time to move.”

“The Magic Academy?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Alon had the chance to participate in the Magic Academy again through Siyan, he immediately began preparations to head there.

“But, my lord. Are you moving already? I understand there’s still quite some time until the Magic Academy starts? Even if we start leisurely from now, we’ll have plenty of time.”

Evan asked while preparing,

Of course, he was right.

However, Alon’s purpose in attending this academy was actually to meet Heinkel.

“There’s no problem in going early, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Evan agreed and naturally turned his gaze to one side and asked,

“Are you taking this black egg?”

The black egg placed on one side of the office.

There had been no particular change, but it had grown a bit bigger than before.

Alon pondered for a moment and then nodded,

“Let’s take it.”

They immediately started heading to the Magic Academy.

It was about two weeks after leaving the Ducal estate that Alon arrived at the central tower where the Magic Academy was being held.

“Every time I see this, I can only marvel. Especially coming in the evening seems to make it feel even more so.”

“I think so too.”

Evan and Alon both nodded in admiration, looking at the central tower.

Actually, the tower, rising high into the sky with its back turned to the blue moon, looked even more majestic at night than during the day. It was a scene that seemed as if it came straight out of a fantasy illustration.

“Indeed, the sight is more impressive at night.”

With that thought, Alon couldn’t take his eyes off the tower for a while, until they finally arrived at the central tower. They parked the carriage to one side and walked inside.

There,

“Ah, Marquis Palatio?”

He naturally heard someone calling his name. Alon looked at the man with a puzzled expression, but it was brief.

“Uh, you might not remember, but we met once before at a conference.”

“Ah.”

He nodded slightly, recalling the memory.

“…Milan, was it?”

“It’s an honor that you remember my name.”

“An honor? Well, anyway, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has been.”

While Milan greeted him, Alon looked around. Despite it being before the start of the magic conference, quite a few magicians were already there.

“It seems there are many magicians here, even though the conference hasn’t started yet.”

Understanding Alon’s query, Milan explained,

“Ah, that’s because the tower masters are participating this time.”

“The tower masters?”

“Yes. Both the Blue Tower Master and the Red Tower Master are participating in this conference. I heard they will even give a brief lecture tomorrow.”

It made sense now why so many magicians had gathered already—if the tower masters were participating, their lectures would be immensely beneficial for the magicians.

“Actually, I came to attend the lecture, too.”

Alon also had the intention not only to ask Heinkel about the ring but also to gain some knowledge from him. Although he was dealing with challenges using the Babylonian syntax, self-imposed restrictions, and feats of great strength, he was, frankly speaking, only a fourth-tier magician by now.

“Ah, by the way, congratulations.”

Suddenly, Milan offered his congratulations.

“…Congratulations?”

“Yes.”

“What are you congratulating me for?”

Alon asked with a puzzled expression, but Milan smiled knowingly,

“There’s no need to pretend. Most of the magicians here already know.”

“…???”

‘No, really, what are you talking about?’

Alon looked at him blankly, but Milan kept smiling,

“I’ve already heard the rumor that the Blue Tower Master has officially approved your engagement with the Deputy Tower Master. Congratulations, Marquis.”

And with that,

“What??”

For a brief moment, the usually unchanging face of Alon showed a flicker of surprise, his eyes widening in disbelief.