After the Blue Moon’s regular meeting ended.

“How was it?”

The magic orb that had been projecting the video conference just moments ago powered down.

While Yuna stood there with a dazed expression, Hidan, who had been in the next room, came to find her.

Yuna opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if unsure what to say, before finally speaking.

“…This was… a meeting, right?”

“It was a meeting.”

“…This? Really?”

“Yes.”

“…Discussions about turning the second prince into a scapegoat to justify building a statue of the Blue Moon… That’s considered a meeting?”

“Well, the second prince did try to slander the Blue Moon once before.”

“…I suppose he deserved it, but still—”

“But until that point, it was a fairly normal meeting, wasn’t it?”

“Even so—”

Yuna couldn’t contain her frustration.

“Red Moon and Gold Moon were arguing about… marrying the Great Moon. Green Moon spent over thirty minutes bragging about a gift they received from him, and Silver Moon… broke a window and stormed out before the meeting even ended after hearing that someone else was trying to slander him. Doesn’t that seem a bit… off?”

“Hm…”

“And what about First Moon? Was he always so talkative? I could’ve sworn he was the silent type before, but today he went on for over two hours, talking only about the Great Moon…”

Their personalities were nothing like what she remembered.

The changes were too drastic.

As Yuna’s expression grew increasingly complicated, Hidan also fell silent.

…He felt much the same way as she did.

In fact, recent meetings had become increasingly extreme.

The fanaticism had intensified even more compared to when he had first started attending.

‘Did the Great Moon… learn some kind of hypnosis?’

Hidan couldn’t help but recall a thought Radan had once voiced, all while watching Yuna.

Yuna, whose expression clearly said, ‘This isn’t the kind of meeting I wanted to attend!’

And then.

“Hidan.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think the Great Moon… might have some kind of mind-altering or hypnotic ability? When I saw him from afar last time, I didn’t get that impression, but now…”

Seeing that Yuna had reached the same conclusion as him,

“…Maybe.”

Hidan didn’t bother denying her words.

***

The border zone of the Allied Kingdom was a long distance from the Marquisate of Palatio, taking about a month’s journey.

It was only natural.

The Kingdom of Asteria was located in the east, while the border lay on the far western edge of the Allied Kingdom, beyond Caliban.

As a result, Alon had been traveling by carriage for over two weeks.

However, he hadn’t felt bored for even a moment.

The reason was none other than Blackie—or rather, the Shadow Spirit Dragon—and the phrase he had acquired along with it: Unity with Shadows.

“Lord Marquis, what are you thinking so hard about?”

Alon, who had been watching Blackie diligently munching on roasted sweet potatoes by the campfire, slowly answered Evan’s question.

“I just can’t figure it out.”

“Oh, the magic?”

Alon nodded.

‘I can’t get the magic to manifest at all.’

During the carriage ride to the border, Alon had repeatedly tried to use Unity with Shadows, but he still hadn’t figured out the proper method.

‘What’s the problem…?’

Of course, he understood that there could be several potential issues.

As the Dragonkin had mentioned before, magic that involved phrases and sentences required precise and correct terminology to achieve the desired effects.

Yet, Alon found it puzzling because of past experiences.

Even when he hadn’t fully understood the use of phrases and sentences, he had at least managed to produce partial manifestations of magic.

However, with Unity with Shadows, it wasn’t even partially working—only mana was being consumed without any tangible results.

‘…Is this magic something special that requires a unique approach? Or is it a spell that only works with the Spirit Dragon, making it impossible in its current state as a Shadow Spirit Dragon?’

The questions in his mind continued to grow.

“Lord Marquis, by the way, there’s something I haven’t mentioned yet.”

“What is it?”

At that moment, Evan’s voice broke the silence.

Alon organized his thoughts and turned his attention to Evan.

“It’s news I heard from the estate we visited this morning. Apparently, there’s been a sudden increase in the appearance of Dimensional Rifts recently.”

“Dimensional Rifts?”

“Yes. Originally, they only appeared near the Mage Tower, but now they’ve started popping up simultaneously in various places.”

This wasn’t exactly surprising news.

‘Well, the main storyline is set to start in less than half a year, so it makes sense for them to start appearing more frequently.’

Alon had already anticipated that the frequency of Dimensional Rifts would increase from now on.

‘In Psychedelia, the protagonist Eliban’s adventure began because of an incident where a higher-level phenomenon called a Chaotic Rift appeared in his village, putting it in danger.’

Since Alon had been preoccupied with the looming threat of the Five Great Sins, which were directly tied to the world’s potential destruction, he hadn’t paid much attention to the rifts. However, they were one of the main plot points driving the storyline in ‘Psychedelia’.

Some Dimensional Rift incidents had even endangered the entire kingdom.

Still, Alon wasn’t particularly concerned.

That was because of the protagonist.

Exactly.

There was no need for Alon to intervene since Eliban, the protagonist, would follow the original storyline and travel around closing the Dimensional Rifts.

‘…He’ll handle it just fine on his own.’

Unlike the Five Great Sins, which could annihilate entire nations if they descended, Dimensional Rifts wouldn’t cause major problems as long as they were dealt with in time. That’s why Alon wasn’t too worried about them.

‘Maybe when Eliban starts his first adventure, I should offer him a bit of help. Give him some extra supplies… and if he turns out to be weaker than expected, should I keep him in Lartania for a while to train him?’

As he envisioned Eliban struggling, Alon began to draft a rough plan in his mind and casually popped a cold sweet potato into his mouth.

“…Tasty.”

“Lord Marquis, you’ve been eating sweet potatoes by the campfire every night. Aren’t you getting tired of them?”

“No, they’re always fresh and delicious.”

“…Is that so?”

Evan, who had grown tired of sweet potatoes, was now eating potatoes instead.

‘…I didn’t think I liked sweet potatoes this much. Why do they taste so good?’

Alon briefly wondered about this, but soon shrugged and pushed another sweet potato into his mouth.

The cool night breeze and the warmth of the campfire made the sweet potatoes taste as good as ever.

***

After about two more weeks of travel, Alon finally reached the area near the border.

“Wow, from this distance, it’s completely barren.”

He gazed at the towering border wall and the sandy wasteland stretching beyond it, lost in thought.

‘…How should I get across?’

The wasteland between the Allied Kingdom and the Empire, known to players as the ‘Badlands’, was heavily guarded by the Allied Army, making entry difficult.

In fact, ordinary nobles weren’t even allowed to set foot in the wasteland. Even in ‘Psychedelia’, players could only access it a few times through special quests.

‘…It wasn’t just because of the Empire. It was to avoid awakening the Curseborn, wasn’t it?’

The Curseborn.

Though they hadn’t appeared yet, in the future, they would become one of the Four Major Powers alongside the White Ghosts of the Jungle.

Their base was located somewhere in that wasteland.

There were also several minor reasons for the border’s strict security, but the primary concern was the Curseborn.

‘Should I use the secret tunnel after all?’

He briefly considered the secret tunnel hidden in the wall, which was protected by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of magic circles, but soon grimaced.

‘…I’d prefer not to use it if I can help it.’

The tunnel would certainly allow him to enter, but if there were any alternative methods, he’d rather avoid using it.

That was because navigating through the tunnel was more difficult than it seemed.

‘…Though I’m not exactly sure why it was so exhausting.’

Whenever Alon used the secret tunnel during his playthroughs to level up, a notification would pop up saying, ‘You’ve consumed too much stamina!’ and his party’s HP would drop by 50%.

While he was lost in thought, Evan asked,

“Shall we stop by the village first?”

“Yes.”

Since the sun was already setting, they decided to spend the night in a village near the border.

Upon arriving at the village,

“My Lord?”

“…Yutia?”

“Brother.”

“…Saint, you’re here too.”

They encountered a rather unusual group.

“What brings you here?”

Surprised by the unexpected reunion, Alon barely had time to react before Yutia, who was walking briskly toward him with a calm smile, asked,

“…We have some business at the border.”

“The border?”

“Yes, but why are you here?”

When Alon inquired about their presence, Yutia responded,

“There’s been a recent issue at the border, so we’re heading there to repair the main gate. Brother.”

Yuman intercepted the answer.

Yutia looked at him with a slightly stiff smile, likely because the conversation had been cut off.

However, Yuman ignored her gaze and added with a gentle smile, “If you have business at the border as well, Brother, why not come with us?”

Although it didn’t show on his face, Alon was delighted by the unexpected offer.

If he accompanied them, there would be no need to use the secret tunnel to cross the border.

“…Is that alright with you?”

“Of course.”

Thanks to this unexpected stroke of luck, Alon found himself with an easy way to enter the border zone.

***

The ‘Allied Army’ defending the border consisted of soldiers and knights drafted from five different countries representing the Allied Kingdom.

At present, the commander of the border defense was Kiriana, who, a few years ago, had been known as the Second Sword of Caliban’s Five Swords.

Despite the sudden arrival of a saint and a cardinal, Kiriana wasn’t fazed.

She had already received a report from her superiors.

Instead, what intrigued her was the unexpected presence of the Marquis Palatio, who had arrived with them.

Not only had he not been mentioned in the report, but she also remembered owing him a favor from a past incident in the northern region—yet, they hadn’t had the chance to formally greet each other since then.

But that moment of reflection didn’t last long, as Kiriana soon found herself in an awkward situation.

Actually, it was quite a ridiculous situation.

The issue at hand was…

“…I believe I’ll be the one signing as the guarantor.”

“No, please use my name instead.”

A petty argument over who should act as Alon’s guarantor.

While the saint and the cardinal didn’t need a guarantor to enter the border zone, the Marquis Palatio required a guarantor to officially accompany them.

Only one guarantor was needed.

In other words, either one of the two standing before her could sign the form, and it would suffice.

Yet, over something as trivial as writing a single name,

“Saint, allow me to be the guarantor for the Lord. You needn’t worry.”

“No, Cardinal Yutia, I’ll handle it. I heard you find these kinds of matters rather bothersome.”

“Of course not. Even if it’s bothersome with others, it’s entirely different when it comes to my Lord. This doesn’t trouble me at all since it’s about my Lord and me.”

“I feel the same. Matters like this are nothing between us, Brother, so there’s no need for you to concern yourself.”

For over ten minutes, they had been engaged in a subtle but escalating war of nerves.

“…”

Kiriana looked at Yutia and Yuman.

Both of them wore calm smiles, but their eyes weren’t smiling.

In fact, there was something unsettling about their expressions.

‘It’s oddly intimidating.’

“Saint, wouldn’t it be better to concede? My Lord seems to be getting a bit uncomfortable.”

“Cardinal, wouldn’t it be better if you conceded?”

…Why are they acting like this over something so trivial?

As the two clerics began using increasingly aggressive wording, even Kiriana felt uncomfortable.

“Please, stop being stubborn.”

“Cardinal, I must insist. Let me handle it. There’s no need for you to exert yourself just because Brother is watching, especially since you did nothing during the previous royal conference when Brother was being criticized.”

“I already sent a letter before the saint even knew about it, so don’t worry. I’m thinking far more about my Lord than you are.”

The atmosphere grew so tense it seemed they might actually start fighting. Kiriana barely resisted the urge to hold her head in her hands.

‘What is the Marquis Palatio, anyway…?’

She looked over at Alon, the cause of the argument.

But Alon, too, was equally baffled.

‘…What’s with them?’

He had no idea what was going on either.