Chapter 287 : Treatment (6)
"The scenery is killer."
On the way to the place where Rangban had left his secret.
Evan muttered as he looked around.
Hearing this, Penia nodded in agreement.
"Right? The Eastern Kingdom's scenery is beautiful overall."
"Hahaha, thank you so much for the compliment."
Perhaps pleased by the praise, the fox-eared girl who was guiding them swayed her fluffy tail.
A proud smile appeared on her face.
"I always get sentimental when I see scenery like this."
Evan joked as he brushed his hair back.
"Isn't it more like you're acting on instinct rather than sentiment?"
Penia shot back without missing a beat.
"What makes you say that?"
"Look at you. You're already getting all flirty—your instincts are clearly overactive."
"I used to not be like this, but lately it feels like people are treating me worse."
[Of course they are, considering your behavior has become excessively predictable. Honestly, it's kind of pathetic.]
As Evan looked flustered, Basiliora chimed in without missing the opportunity.
"Shut it, you pet snake head."
[Tsk tsk. Even when presented with the cause, you refuse to face it. You're the textbook definition of a foolish human.]
While the three of them got caught up in their spirited bickering, Radan calmly watched on, clearly used to it by now.
Alon turned his gaze from the group toward the fox beastkin girl who was guiding the way.
"If you don't mind, may I ask you something?"
"Of course you may. How could I refuse a request from His Majesty's guests?"
The fox girl politely bowed her head.
Wearing traditional clothing resembling a hanbok and swaying her fox tail, she looked very much like a gumiho.
"This might be a sensitive question, but I heard the Eastern Kingdom is not in a great situation right now."
"Ah…"
At Alon's careful words, the fox girl hesitated for a moment before smiling awkwardly.
"Yes. You may have heard already, but the Eastern Kingdom is currently going through a very difficult time due to General Cheonga's rebellion."
"Cheonga… you say?"
"Yes."
The fox girl remained silent for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, and then began explaining the situation in the Eastern Kingdom in detail to Alon.
To summarize her words—
"So, General Cheonga staged a rebellion."
"Yes, along with other generals, he has taken over the eastern region and continues the war."
Alon paused for a moment, recalling Historia's face, and spoke.
"I heard that Historia had been requested to help. If that's the case, won't the war end soon?"
Alon didn't know the exact strength of the Eastern Kingdom.
He could only speculate based on the DLC information, which suggested that the recommended entry point into the Eastern Kingdom was around the mid-to-late part of the storyline when the sins start appearing more actively.
However, Historia was strong.
Possibly even much stronger than what Alon knew through Psychedelia.
Even just glimpsing a fragment of her power was enough to understand her overwhelming strength.
"As far as I know, Great Race is providing assistance, but even for such beings, I imagine it won't be easy."
"Their forces are that powerful?"
"They have tens of thousands of soldiers, and the generals, including General Cheonga, have all reached the state of 'Doknyeom.'"
"Doknyeom…?"
"Oh, my apologies. I believe it's called 'Derivation' in the West."
"You mean Unique Abilities."
"Yes."
A shadow passed over the beastkin girl's face as she nodded.
"And recently, I've heard that General Cheonga and the others have grown even stronger."
"…Do you mean they're giving off a dark aura?"
"Yes, exactly. How did you know?"
"We're facing the same issue on our side."
Images of the Eastern Kingdom's current state began to form in Alon's mind.
It was clear now—
'They were already in a tough spot because of the rebellion, and now it seems some fanatics have stolen Abyssal Beings and scattered them here. But where do those Abyssal Beings keep coming from?'
The Abyssal Beings were originally created by Duke Komalon, and according to Alon's assumptions, the Apostle of Sloth who resumed their production had already been dealt with.
And yet, the Abyssal Beings continued to appear.
As Alon sank further into thought—
"I see… In any case, if possible, I truly hope Great Race can help resolve this matter."
Nodding in agreement with the fox girl's heartfelt words, Alon shared her sincerity.
***
While Alon was heading to the place Rangban had led him to, in the eastern part of the kingdom—
A man in splendid attire, the king's son and current acting ruler of the Eastern Kingdom, was speaking to another man.
"Did you send the letter?"
"Yes."
"And the arrangements?"
"They said they will definitely get it done. I heard they've already made extensive preparations to deal with Great Race."
"Are you certain?"
"They assured me not to worry."
Satisfied with the servant's report, Birang nodded.
"Anything else we need?"
"All internal personnel have been handled. We've secured everyone we can, so the only thing left is for you to ascend the throne tomorrow once everything is over."
"Excellent."
Birang responded to the servant's flattery with a deeply satisfied smile and looked out the window.
A massive palace came into view.
After staring at it for a while, he muttered quietly.
"If only Father had just handed the throne over to me peacefully…"
The reason Birang had joined hands with the rebellious General Cheonga—
It was because of his father.
More precisely, because he realized that King Urang, the current ruler of the Eastern Kingdom, intended to name the second prince as his heir rather than Birang, the first prince.
The truth was that this decision wasn't due to favoritism, but rather because Birang himself was wholly unfit to lead the Eastern Kingdom.
His shortcomings were obvious to everyone.
But Birang alone refused to acknowledge that.
The only thing he accepted was this:
That he must depose the current king and claim the throne as his rightful inheritance.
In other words, he would rule as king.
To do that, allying with the great general was Birang's best opportunity.
So while the general caused chaos externally—
Birang plotted rebellion from within.
And as of yesterday, all preparations were complete.
'The appearance of Great Race was unexpected, but…'
Birang decided not to concern himself with such beings.
If the general he knew was as capable as he remembered, then dealing with some old fox shouldn't be difficult.
Of course, even aside from that, there were still variables.
After all, just yesterday, guests of the king had arrived.
'Of all times…'
Birang's brow furrowed.
He had even received help from 'that person' to block the sea route, and yet they still forced their way through.
The unexpected intruders brought him nothing but discomfort.
But only for a moment.
He soon took a deep breath and calmed his restless mind.
He had never believed that a plan like this could be undone by just a few outsiders in the first place.
Therefore—
"I look forward to tomorrow."
With a sly smile on his face, Birang imagined the day when a grand cause would rise.
***
"Is this the place?"
"Yes."
It was in the late afternoon, with the sun slowly sinking to one side.
Alon had arrived at a mysterious location.
Though, visually, there was nothing particularly special about the scenery.
Four towering sarasu trees stood at the center of the landscape.
And in the middle of the space was a staircase leading underground.
Still, Alon felt an eerie sense of familiarity with the sight.
A strange, déjà vu-like sensation.
Because of that, he paused and watched for a moment.
"Then, I'll head down now."
"Take care."
"We'll be waiting, brother."
"Me too."
Alon moved forward alone, leaving the group behind.
The king had specifically instructed that he must go down by himself.
Thud—thud—thud—
The sound of his footsteps on the underground stairs echoed through the silence.
As his footsteps accumulated, the light from the surface slowly faded, and darkness consumed his vision.
Before long, just as the echoes of his steps began to scatter—
Alon found himself staring blankly at the underground chamber that had appeared before his eyes.
It was because the underground chamber was massive beyond belief.
"…?"
"…?"
Alon felt a strange sense of dissonance.
It was a completely natural reaction.
He had come down a staircase, yes—but not one so deep that he would need to look up just to see where he came from.
At most, he had only descended about twenty steps.
And yet—
…The ceiling wasn't visible?
The ceiling of the underground chamber was so high it couldn't be seen.
It defied spatial logic.
But Alon didn't bother cross-checking.
Instead, he cautiously stepped further into the massive underground chamber.
The chamber was bizarre.
Logically, it should've been filled with pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.
However, it was so brightly lit that Alon could see the surroundings clearly.
As he continued walking inward, he began to understand why the chamber was so bright.
Lotuses.
Unusual lotuses were floating in a pond within the chamber, glowing with light.
At the center of that pond stood a pavilion.
…
A dreamlike and mystical scene.
Alon, mesmerized, climbed onto the bridge that led to the pavilion.
And just as he arrived—
A faint light leaked from within his robes.
He quickly reached inside to check the light's source.
It was the white magatama he had received from the king, glowing with white light.
He lifted his eyes and looked toward the pavilion.
At its center, he found a slot shaped perfectly to fit the magatama.
Click—
As though it belonged there from the beginning, the magatama fit precisely into place.
Alon let out a quiet sound of amazement, but only briefly.
The lotuses that had been glowing gently were suddenly swept toward the pavilion by a gust of wind.
With perfect coordination, the fluttering lotuses began to converge.
Before long, they had taken on the form of a human being.
Startled by the sudden transformation, Alon's eyes widened.
He rubbed his eyes carefully.
The figure was clearly in front of him.
But—
He couldn't "recognize" it.
Just like when he had faced Yongrin before becoming divine— even though the figure stood before him, he couldn't comprehend who or what it was.
It made no sense.
In the past, maybe, but not now—
Alon possessed many divine authorities.
He could even control a few of them properly now, and in Yongrin's case, he could perceive her quite clearly.
In other words, Alon's level had risen significantly.
And yet, he couldn't see this being clearly?
Tension built within Alon without him realizing as he gazed ahead.
At that moment—
[I've been waiting, mage—or rather,]
A noble voice echoed in his ear.
[Star-Eater.]
A voice that called his name.