By the time the sun was setting, Alon arrived at the Zenonia Duke’s residence within the inner castle.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Palatio.”

“It has indeed been a while.”

“Have you been well during this time?”

“Yes.”

“First, let us have dinner.”

Having met the Duke of Zenonia, whom he had only encountered through the crystal sphere for over a year, Alon decided to share a meal with her.

‘It’s massive.’

Following the Duke of Zenonia, Alon glanced around.

He had felt it when entering the inner castle, but stepping into the mansion solidified his impression.

The Zenonia Duke’s residence was enormous, almost comparable to a castle.

‘The Zenonia Duke’s residence was vast in the game too.’

Briefly recalling how he had often gotten lost in the residence before getting used to the game, they soon arrived at the dining room.

“Wow.”

Alon let out an involuntary exclamation.

A large dining table was filled to the brim with dishes that left his jaw dropping in amazement.

“This is—”

“I prepared this, knowing you would come.”

“……Thank you.”

“Please, let’s start with the meal.”

Thanks to the Duke’s hospitality, Alon sat down and began eating.

As he neared the end of his meal, he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“Now that I think about it, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you happen to know anything about the ‘Chosen’?”

Alon recalled the elegant face of Eliban.

The Duke of Zenonia nodded at his question.

“Yes, I know. I’ve even conducted some personal investigations.”

“Personal investigations?”

“I heard rumors about them coming to block the strange gates near my territory, so I wanted to see if he could bring meaningful changes to the current political structure.”

“And what did you find out?”

“Not much that stands out. If I had to point out one thing—”

The Duke paused briefly before replying.

“They might have a connection with Cardinal Yutia, perhaps?”

“……Yutia?”

“Yes. I heard that during the process of being appointed as the Chosen, he seemed to act as if he knew Yutia. Or rather—he tried not to show it, but he slipped up.”

“Hmm—”

Alon tilted his head in thought, recalling Eliban and Yutia.

It seemed strange that the two would know each other based on what he knew.

‘……Though it’s possible they formed a connection without me knowing.’

Alon knew that Yutia frequently went out for voluntary service.

Where could their paths have crossed? He pondered briefly.

“Could something have happened? If you’d like, I can try sounding out the Chosen tomorrow.”

“……You’re meeting them tomorrow?”

“Yes, as he dealt with the strange gates near the territory, I should offer some form of reward.”

Alon shook his head at the Duke’s proposal.

Unless there was a clear justification, it didn’t seem necessary for now.

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Understood.”

The conversation shifted to other topics, primarily about Kalpha.

“By the way, will you be attending the upcoming ball, Marquis?”

“Perhaps. I think I will.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Why do you say so?”

“I heard that kings and nobles from other kingdoms might participate in this ball.”

“……Kings and nobles from other kingdoms?”

“Yes. I thought it would be a good opportunity to build connections with nobles from other countries.”

The Duke of Zenonia added, “Though you already seem to have many connections, Marquis.”

“Moreover, the Duchy of Luxible will also participate this time.”

“The Duchy of Luxible?”

“They recently purged the corrupt forces and restored power to the royal family.”

“……I’ve heard about that. I also heard they changed their state religion.”

“Yes, and—”

The Duke placed a finger on her lips, then spoke as if recalling something.

“They now worship the ‘One Who Commands Lightning,’ Kalannon, I believe.”

“I’ve heard the same, but does their attendance matter that much?”

“Not exactly. But if the conversations go well—Marquis, as you might guess, there could be various benefits for our faction.”

Alon, however, was clueless.

The Duchy of Luxible was a separate nation from the Kingdom of Asteria, and it was quite distant.

In other words, he couldn’t grasp how they could benefit from their relationship with the Duchy.

Still, it felt awkward to ask directly.

“……I see.”

He could only feign indifference.

***

The next day.

“I’ll see you at the ball.”

“Sure.”

After a brief farewell with the Duke of Zenonia, Alon left the estate. However, instead of heading to the marquisate, he set off northward.

[Weren’t you going home?]

Basiliora, who rarely left the ring, asked as he exchanged an odd staring contest with Blackie.

“There’s somewhere I need to stop by.”

[Somewhere to stop by?]

“Yes. Why are you suddenly so curious?”

[Hmph, it’s nothing.]

Twisting its coils needlessly, Basiliora avoided Alon’s gaze.

“This snake head, are you hiding something?”

[What!? I’m not hiding anything!]

“You say that, but the way you’re acting is just like a squirrel hoarding nuts.”

[Don’t be ridiculous, human! I’m better than you who was fooling around with the maid yesterday!!]

“What!? I wasn’t fooling around with any maid!”

[Hah! Did you think no one noticed? I saw everything yesterday, you lowly human!]

“Ridiculous! We were just taking a short walk in the garden!”

[Hah! Didn’t you brag about things that didn’t happen at the strange gate?]

“Are you some kind of stalker!?”

Evan, startled, shouted in disbelief while Basiliora mocked him mercilessly.

…Frankly, in Alon’s view, there wasn’t much difference between Evan bragging to the maid and Basiliora secretly stalking him.

[Hah, now I see. You’re no better than a monkey pretending to be human.]

“Shut it, you snake head! I told you, it was just a walk!”

[Hmph—]

Basiliora scoffed dismissively, then suddenly flashed a mischievous smile and began:

[‘Oh, Orlé, your eyes are as clear as the violet sky I saw beyond the strange gate.’]

[‘Ah, Sir Evan!’]

Adjusting its tone dramatically, Basiliora mimicked voices, as if performing a play.

Evan’s face turned beet red, and he screamed, “Waaaaah—!!!”

“Hey, Blackie, can you please shut this snake head up?! I’m begging you!”

But Blackie merely looked at Evan with a mix of pity and disdain.

In the end, after enduring a barrage of humiliation, Evan, now exhausted, turned to Alon.

“……So, Marquis, we’re heading north as you instructed, but where exactly are we going?”

“We’ll probably need to travel for about two more days.”

“Two days? If we go that far north—”

Evan thought for a moment before asking, “Isn’t there a village called Parsley? Are we headed there?”

“Not exactly. We’re heading to the ruins near Parsley.”

“Ah,” Evan nodded in understanding.

“You’re looking for something in the ruins, I see.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, I’ve been traveling with you for a year or two now, Marquis. This much is easy to figure out.”

“Then shouldn’t you already know when I say we’re heading north?”

“Well, I was just asking formally.”

Evan smirked playfully, and Alon chuckled slightly before turning his gaze to the scenery outside.

But then.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“Marquis, you smiled just now.”

Evan’s eyes widened.

“Did I?”

“You’ve gone back to your usual expression now, but you definitely smiled just now.”

Alon touched the corner of his lips slightly.

‘Hmm, it feels like I’m showing a bit more emotion than before.’

He recalled something Seolrang had once said but merely shrugged.

Showing emotions on his face wasn’t something worth overthinking.

“By the way, Marquis, after visiting the ruins, will we return to the marquisate?”

“Unless something significant comes up, I suppose so.”

“Understood.”

For some reason, Evan seemed slightly more cheerful as he drove the carriage, making Alon wear a puzzled expression.

Like Basiliora, Evan seemed eager to return to the marquisate quickly.

Alon briefly considered asking why, but he decided against it and looked out the window instead.

The afternoon sun was blazing hot.

***

Three days later.

After arriving in Parsley, Alon wandered for about a day before finally reaching his desired destination.

“……Is this a ruin?”

Evan stared at the supposed ruin in front of Alon with a puzzled expression.

It was understandable.

The so-called ruin was embarrassingly small—just a single, narrow door barely worthy of the term.

“Yes, it is.”

“But it’s so small. It looks like even a single person would struggle to enter.”

He wasn’t wrong.

The door was so narrow that even one person would have difficulty squeezing through. Nevertheless, Alon shrugged and pulled out Lemiel’s Oath.

“……That’s the item you received from the elf last time, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Don’t tell me—you’re going to use that to open it?”

“Exactly.”

Alon lifted Lemiel’s Oath and began examining the ruin.

It didn’t take long before he found what he was looking for.

“Here it is.”

At the lower right corner of the ruin, he discovered a slot where Lemiel’s Oath could be inserted.

He placed the ring into the slot.

Then—

Krrrrrrrggggggggg!!!

A tremendous noise echoed as the small door before them began to slowly open.

“……How do you always seem to know these things?”

Evan’s face was full of awe and curiosity as he asked.

Of course, it was simply because Alon had acquired artifacts using Lemiel’s Oath numerous times in the game. Beyond that, he didn’t actually know much.

The only additional piece of information Alon had about this particular ruin was one thing:

“This is where the staff used by the Primordial Elf is stored, I believe.”

He had no idea who the Primordial Elf was or what status they held.

The game never delved into the subject of the Primordial Elf at all.

‘……I think there might have been one other ruin connected to them.’

Beyond that, Alon knew nothing about the Primordial Elf.

The only conclusion he could draw was that they must have been a remarkable magician—no, a sorcerer of the highest caliber.

‘The artifact itself is proof enough.’

The door, which had been gradually opening, finally swung fully ajar.

And there, inside the ruin—

“I’ve found it.”

With a faint smile hidden behind his neutral expression, Alon laid eyes on the artifact left by the Primordial Elf:

The Staff of the Sacred One

—an artifact in the form of a pair of gloves.

At that moment—

“……Let’s move out.”

“Do you truly intend to go yourself, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. I want to see it with my own eyes.”

In Greynifra—

“To confirm if he is truly the Primordial Elf.”

—the queen began her journey.