Alon, having supposedly buried over seven nobles—an accusation he hadn’t even heard before—wore a bewildered expression for only a moment. Unsure how to clear up the misunderstanding, he eventually decided not to respond at all. While misunderstandings about who killed whom should be promptly resolved in ordinary human relationships, he was currently conversing with one of the key players in Asteria’s dark schemes.

“Is that the only reason you contacted me?”

As Alon neither affirmed nor denied, the Duke of Altia nodded.

[Yes, I’ve reported everything to you.]

Having received a report about Kalpha before this conversation, Alon nodded in agreement.

[Then, I’ll see you at the upcoming coronation.]

Watching the Duke of Altia bow, Alon let out a small sigh and thought, “Come to think of it, there’s a coronation coming up.”

Recalling this, Alon began sorting through the pile of letters stacked in one corner of his office desk. Soon, he found one bearing the royal family’s seal and a paper beneath it. It was from the royal secretary, containing various trivial formalities, but essentially stated that Count Palatio was away for an extended period, so he had only left the letter behind.

“The coronation… is in four months, right?”

Four months.

Alon considered this period, which could be seen as either long or short, and then remembered something else.

“In about four months, it will be just under a year before the original story begins.”

The approaching timeline, which he had experienced countless times in the game, was a strange mix of emotions for Alon, but only for a moment.

“…By then, there will be a whole truckload of enemies to deal with.”

He recalled the enemies that would emerge as the original storyline began.

“While the Proxy was dealt with, the Ghost Castle hasn’t been handled yet.”

Remembering the situation he had checked before going to the Colony, Alon let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair. There was more to deal with than he initially thought.

“I have to take care of the current troublemakers, as well as the hidden Outer Gods.”

In fact, handling the current troublemakers was not that difficult. In Psychedelia, apart from the Outer Gods or the five great sins, the entities that could truly plunge the entire United Kingdom into chaos and conflict only became active when the original story started.

Of course, Alon’s goal was to lead a leisurely life by the time such chaos descended upon the United Kingdom. To that end, he had supported Eliban, the main protagonist of the original story.

“When the original story begins, I’ll need to support him once again.”

Thinking about Eliban, who would secure his peaceful future, Alon then shifted his focus back to the Outer Gods, letting out another sigh. Unlike the future entities, the Outer Gods were Alon’s responsibility to handle.

“The problem is that I don’t know where this one is located… Even finding it will be a challenge.”

Alon’s victories against the Outer Gods so far were only possible because they had not yet fully materialized in the world. It wasn’t just that—his wins were also thanks to knowing certain characteristics, or rather, weaknesses, of the Outer Gods.

If he were to face a hidden Outer God, it would likely be a completely different kind of battle.

“Well, as long as I can find out who the Outer God is, I can prepare accordingly. But the real problem is its complete manifestation.”

If the Outer God was indeed hiding on the continent, there was a high likelihood that it was already fully manifested. After descending to the ground, an Outer God becomes fully established as a sage-like entity in a few months.

A fully manifested Outer God would undoubtedly be much stronger than those Alon had faced before. In other words, even if Alon managed to locate an Outer God now, his chances of winning would be slim.

No, not just slim—zero.

While Alon’s magic was powerful enough to affect an Outer God, it still fell short of confronting a fully manifested one. There were clear limitations on how many times he could use magic, and the time it took to cast spells was also significantly long. The only advantage was that once cast, his magic worked effectively against enemies.

“I need to prepare. I should start gathering information on the hidden Outer God.”

Realizing the need to prepare for the battle with the Outer God, Alon looked at the letter from the royal family.

Despite having four months, the time felt surprisingly short.

As Alon sorted out his tasks along with the letter from the royal family, he let out a quiet sigh.

####

It’s been over three weeks since Count Palatio left, yet Penia Crysinne and Felin Crysinne were still traveling alongside Radan.

Of course, Penia’s reason for continuing to accompany Radan was simply for convenience.

Most of what she needed to investigate in Raksas involved the illegal distribution of materials or finished products from the Magic Tower.

And since Alon had made a request before he left, Radan treated Penia and Felin quite well.

Thanks to this, Penia was able to accomplish her tasks faster than planned, with the help of the pirates.

Today, she found herself within the royal castle of Raksas, accompanied by Radan.

However, their purposes and times of arrival at the castle were different, and Penia, who didn’t particularly care about public opinion, had no intention of making it known that she was traveling with the Pirate King.

Therefore, Radan was present as an envoy, aiming to adjust the future relationship between Raksas and the Pirate King, who had unified the Seven Archipelagos.

Penia, on the other hand, was there to confront the kingdom about the secret leak of certain illegally distributed magical items.

Having completed her tasks, Penia was approached by someone familiar.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Penia?”

“Last time I saw you was during the envoy visit… about four years ago?”

“Wow, has it really been that long?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Penia was meeting Serena Raksasia, the princess of Raksas.

Serena’s relationship with Penia was quite close, largely because of the current Blue Tower Master, Celaime.

As a former disciple of Celaime, Penia had trained in magic alongside Serena, who also came to the Blue Tower due to her talent in magic.

Though Serena eventually returned to Raksas after realizing her limitations, the two had formed a strong bond during their younger years.

“So, how’s your progress in magic lately?”

“Hmm… I think I’m about to reach the next level.”

“Wow, really? That’s amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

Despite being a princess and a vice-master of the tower, Serena and Penia maintained a relaxed, friendly conversation, as if they were old friends.

After chatting for some time, Serena suddenly remembered something unusual.

“Oh, by the way, I heard some strange news.”

“Strange news?”

“Yeah, I heard you’re being kept by a man.”

“…What? Me?”

Serena nodded at Penia’s baffled expression.

“Yeah, who was it again? Hmm… Oh, Count Palatio? I think it was a noble like that. Is it true?”

“What? Kept by someone? Absolutely not!”

Serena teased Penia, grinning mischievously.

“Come on, the rumor’s everywhere! They say the always fiery you suddenly turns demure in front of Count Palatio.”

Penia frowned, trying to come up with a rebuttal but fell silent.

As she thought about it, Serena’s statement wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Still, she didn’t want to concede so easily.

“No, really, it’s not like that.”

Seeing Penia’s weak denial, Serena’s eyes lit up as if she had found something amusing.

“…You actually like him, don’t you?”

“What? Who?”

“Count Palatio, of course.”

Penia gave Serena an exasperated look as Serena continued with her playful tone.

“No, I don’t!”

“Really?”

Penia, trying to maintain her composure, struggled to respond clearly.

“Absolutely not, even if the sky falls, that won’t happen!”

As Penia recalled Felin’s previous nonsense, Serena watched her with a curious expression.

“Really?”

“Really! I have no idea why everyone keeps misunderstanding this. I honestly don’t like him!”

“Hmm~.”

“It’s true! Who could even like such a stoic person? All he does is put on a stern face and—”

“?”

“…I mean.”

“Palatio is… quite an impressive person. He’s also very… impressive… and, well, impressive.”

“…Isn’t that three times already?”

Penia, trying hard to keep the conversation going, said,

“You know, when you see his magic, there’s just something captivating about it. Count Palatio’s magic is very unique.”

“…Then you like him, right?”

“That’s absolutely—”

“Absolutely?”

“—possible, maybe.”

Serena grinned as Penia bowed her head and spoke with a hint of resignation.

“So you like him, huh?”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

With her head lowered, Penia glanced sideways, catching sight of Radan.

Nodding with a satisfied expression, Radan disappeared from view outside the window.

“Sigh.”

Penia let out a sigh of relief, but Serena, observing her friend’s reaction, thought to herself,

‘It seems like her personality makes it hard for her to make a move.’

Feeling a sudden burst of goodwill towards her dear friend, Serena decided to lend a helping hand.

Penia was met with an unexpected gesture of goodwill.

“Hehe~.”

Having made her decision, Serena let out a faint smile—an insidious smile, completely unaware of her own misconception.

####

Four months later.

After a busy schedule of gathering information to uncover the identity of the Outer God, increasing his mana core capacity, and researching magic, Alon finally boarded a carriage headed for the capital, Terea, just in time for the coronation.

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“Did you hear about this?”

“…What is it this time?”

“There’s a rumor going around about you.”

“…A rumor about me?”

“Yes.”

From Evan, Alon heard about a rather strange rumor.

“It seems there’s a rumor that Penia Crysinne is in love with Count Palatio.”

“What?”

“Penia Crysinne. The Vice Master of the Blue Tower.”

“…What a ridiculous, strange rumor.”