Recently recognized for his skills, the rookie Onel had joined the Solar Eclipse Knights and felt immense pride in belonging to this order.

That pride was well-founded.

Caliban had countless knight orders.

However, none could compare to the ones led by Caliban’s Five Swords.

Among them, the Solar Eclipse Knights, led by Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallian, were overwhelmingly admired and revered.

Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallian.

Since he led the Solar Eclipse Knights, they were naturally considered Caliban’s First Knight Order.

That was why Onel took great pride in becoming a member of the Solar Eclipse Knights.

Yes, he certainly had felt that pride.

Even though it had become a thing of the past, it did not mean he had suddenly abandoned his admiration for the order.

He still wanted to be a part of the Solar Eclipse Knights.

Yet, the reason Onel found himself questioning things was— because of his seniors.

No, to be precise, all of his seniors.

“…Senior.”

“Hm? Onel, what is it?”

Responding immediately to Onel’s call was his senior, Vidin.

Vidin had a robust, knightly build, yet his face bore an oddly gentle and kind expression.

“Uh… may I ask something?”

“You don’t have to be so formal. Just ask whatever you’re curious about.”

Vidin let out a hearty laugh.

Onel hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

“Why… why are you praying?”

Praying.

In truth, prayer itself was not such an unusual act in Onel’s understanding.

There had always been seniors in the Solar Eclipse Knights who prayed before meals or training.

However, the reason Onel asked now was simple.

‘No, but why is every single one of them… ?’

Every member who had returned from the jungle with the commander— since yesterday, they had all been devoutly praying.

And not just casually, but with such fervor that even the priests of Sironia would pale in comparison.

When Onel returned from his mission and saw the sight before him, he had been in a daze all night.

And since the atmosphere persisted today, he finally decided to ask.

Vidin answered as if the question required no thought.

“Of course, it’s a prayer to the divine.”

He laughed cheerfully once more.

‘A prayer to the divine…’

Onel knew exactly who his seniors were praying to.

It wasn’t something he could be ignorant of.

After all, since yesterday, they had been speaking about one name incessantly.

“You mean the divine… is Marquis Palatio?”

“Yes, we offer our prayers to him.”

“…”

At the unhesitating and absolute response, Onel was left speechless.

To be honest, he couldn’t fully understand Vidin’s words.

If all these people had been praying to the Goddess of Sironia, it wouldn’t have been strange.

But the object of their worship—this so-called “divine being”—was a human, Marquis Palatio.

Of course, Onel knew well about Marquis Palatio.

He was certainly worthy of great respect.

He had taken down not one, but two Outer Gods.

He was the one who had effectively prevented the artificial Outer Gods crisis that had nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Stalian.

And beyond that, there were countless other rumors, great and small.

Even Onel had sometimes wondered, ‘Is it really possible for a single human to accomplish all of this alone?’

Moreover, he had shown extraordinary feats in the jungle as well.

And after that, his seniors had begun to worship him.

Onel had heard about it from his peers.

He could understand how it had started, to some extent.

But even so, worshiping a living human as a god…

It didn’t sit right with Onel.

“Um, senior.”

“Go ahead.”

“No matter what, he is still a living human being—”

Just as he was about to cautiously voice his concern—

BANG!

“Emergency! The Libirian Knights insulted the Marquis as a heretic god!”

A knight suddenly burst through the dining hall doors, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Until that moment, the dining hall had been filled with quiet conversation.

And then—

Silence.

In an instant, a cold silence descended.

Then—

“Those bastards.”

“Where are they?”

“Take us to them immediately.”

Before Onel could even process what was happening, every knight in the hall bolted out in unison.

Onel stood frozen, watching the scene unfold.

‘…I’m so glad I didn’t ask any further.’

He quietly shut his half-open mouth and let out a slow breath.

‘I really, really made the right choice not to say anything.’

Vidin, the senior widely known as the kindest in the order, had charged out with his sword drawn, looking as if he would commit divine punishment himself.

‘…At this point, isn’t this more of a holy knight order than a regular knight order?’

Perhaps if he had experienced what had happened in the jungle, he would understand.

But for Onel, who knew nothing of the details, his seniors’ actions only became more incomprehensible.

For a moment, he hesitated.

‘Should I… discreetly report this to the commander?’

That thought crossed his mind as he stood up.

Onel knew this much—

The First Sword of Caliban, the man he revered— was incredibly close to Marquis Palatio.

However, he also knew one other thing.

Deus Macallian was a man who strictly separated public duty from personal matters.

Of course, this was something the knights said because Deus never voiced any complaints about the kingdom’s budget allocation and remained indifferent even when he could have gained more benefits.

But for Onel, who had been recognized for his talent and accepted into the order without prior experience, he could only perceive Deus as someone who strictly separated public duty from personal matters in every situation.

And just as he stepped out of the dining hall to report the current situation to the commander—

“Ah, Commander!”

By sheer luck, he spotted Deus Macallian heading somewhere.

“How dare they insult the Marquis—!”

With eyes burning in fury, his sword already drawn, violet mana flickering around him as he walked with an ominous presence—

Onel fell silent once again.

It was early winter.

***

On his way to the Magic Academy to pick up Penia before heading to the Marquis’ estate,

Alon muttered,

“…It’s here too.”

“Indeed.”

“So, what’s the score this time, Marquis?”

“If I had to rate it… a nine out of ten.”

“Oh, that’s one point higher than yesterday. What made it better?”

“…The trees are standing straight?”

“Hmm, I see? Now that you mention it, they do seem perfectly aligned.”

As he spoke with Evan, they both looked at the trees ahead.

Or rather, the artificially landscaped trees—

lush and verdant, completely out of place in the early winter season.

Alon’s expression grew peculiar as he observed them.

“So, how many days has it been?”

“Hmm—technically, about two weeks? These trees started appearing the day after we left Caliban.”

Evan looked up at the beautifully arranged trees in awe.

“By the way, who on earth is placing these here? No matter how I think about it, it feels like someone is deliberately setting them up along our path.”

“I think so too.”

Alon nodded.

Honestly, the first couple of times he had seen the trees, he had thought nothing of it.

Perhaps someone had decided to place decorative trees along these paths.

But even after two weeks— no matter where he went, new landscaping would appear, perfectly arranged, every single day.

‘What the hell is this?’

Alon tried to recall if something like this had ever happened back when he had dealt with Psychedelia.

But he soon shook his head.

Even though his memories of that time were faint, he was certain that nothing like this had ever happened before.

So, he pondered for a moment.

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like a major problem, so I suppose it’s fine.’

But Alon knew all too well how every little thing in this world had to be approached with caution.

“Are we arriving today?”

“Looks like it.”

Alon decided that as soon as he met Penia, he would ask her about these trees.

And just as he took the reins and set out toward the Mage Tower—

“Khrrr…!”

“This is… unfair…”

Beyond the meticulously arranged trees, he could hear the sorrowful voices of elves— and— a short, triumphant chuckle from Draim, who nodded repeatedly with a smug smile.

***

A few hours later, they finally arrived at the Mage Tower.

Penia joined Alon, looking a little sullen.

“Seriously, sister—why do I have to go?”

“I’m going. Are you not coming?”

“I have tasks assigned by the Tower Master…!”

“You can hand them off to someone else.”

Despite Felin’s reluctance,

“Wait, no—”

“Shut up and get in!”

BANG!

Penia kicked Felin’s back, sending him flying into the carriage.

Watching this, Alon was once again reminded of her personality and greeted her.

“It’s been a while.”

“Ah, yes!”

The moment Alon spoke, Penia instantly dropped her menacing aura.

Meanwhile, Felin, who had just been unceremoniously launched into the carriage, stared in disbelief, his face a mixture of resentment and shock.

But Penia merely nudged the carriage door shut with her foot.

“Apologies. If it were up to me, I would’ve left you in the Tower for a while longer, but I have something I need help with.”

“Help?”

“Yes.”

As Alon spoke, he casually pulled out Kalannon’s Divinity in front of Penia.

Crackle—!

The moment she saw the crackling lightning in Alon’s palm,

Penia’s eyes went wide with surprise.

It was as if she had instantly recognized something, as if she had just witnessed proof of her own genius.

“This… no way—!”

“It’s Divinity.”

“…Wow.”

Upon hearing Alon’s confirmation, Penia—who had just moments ago been dramatically lamenting about how she didn’t want to go—suddenly brightened, her eyes sparkling.

Like a graduate student who had just found the perfect research topic, she became filled with enthusiasm and grabbed Alon’s hand.

“Show me again…!”

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, Alon activated his divinity once more.

Truthfully, his current divinity was still at a stage where even summoning a few sparks required effort.

But it didn’t matter.

After all, the whole reason he was taking Penia to the Marquis’ estate in the first place— was to show her the divinity and have her assist in researching magic.

Thus, as Alon continued to display Kalannon’s Divinity as many times as Penia wished, he suddenly realized that she was much closer to him than he had expected.

Her hands and eyes were fixated on Alon’s hand, but from an outside perspective, it looked as if she was practically nestled against him.

“Marquis—again, again!”

But Penia seemed completely oblivious to their close proximity as she urged him on.

“Alright.”

Just as Alon was about to activate his divinity once more—

Snap!

Penia, who had been bouncing in excitement just moments ago, suddenly froze.

Step, step—

Then, without a word, she took exactly two steps back.

Alon looked at her with a puzzled expression, unable to comprehend her abrupt reaction.

But Penia took another two steps back, increasing the distance between them.

“…Show me.”

She spoke in a quiet voice.

Her earlier excitement had vanished entirely.

Her large eyes shimmered as if holding back tears.

“Is something wrong?”

Alon asked.

“N-no, of course not…”

Penia gave a small shake of her head, forcing an awkward smile.

Still bewildered, Alon activated his divinity again.

But Penia’s gaze was no longer fixed on his hand.

Instead, her eyes were locked onto the brooch Alon was wearing.

…It was the first snowfall of the year.

***

Several weeks later— bringing along the strangely subdued Penia,

Alon arrived at Marquis Palatio’s estate.

“I greet the friend of the Great One!”

“Greetings, oh Primordial—no, Marquis! I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but we have come to discuss matters of protection.”

Just like before, he was welcomed by Zukurak.

And alongside him was Rim, the guide he had met in Greynifra.

“…Protection?”

“Yes, regarding who will be granted the honor of guarding the Primordial Elf—no, the Marquis. Between the elves and the lizardmen, we must determine who shall serve as your escort.”

As the discussion continued—

“…???”

You? Guard me?? Why???

Alon could only stare at them with that exact expression.

—It was quite the lively return.