Chapter 291 : Sin of Greed (2)
A drowsy Seolrang rose with a strange noise not long after waking up.
"So, you came because you missed me?"
"Yeah, I just got here! Master!"
Alon, staring blankly at Seolrang who nodded eagerly, grew curious.
"But how did you know I was here?"
It was safe to say that no one knew Alon had gone to the Eastern Kingdom.
Because he had left the Marquis' house without informing anyone.
"Hmmm~"
Seolrang turned her eyes sideways without answering.
[Kyuuuu~!]
As she stretched and squished the body of the caught Blackie who couldn't escape in time, Alon nodded for now.
He also needed to rescue the screaming Blackie.
"Alright, fine."
"Yay!"
As Alon gave in, Seolrang's complexion brightened immediately and she nodded enthusiastically.
Then she turned her eyes with a strange expression.
Toward where Historia was.
"?"
Historia tilted her head slightly, giving Seolrang her signature blank look.
Seolrang, unbothered by the reaction, stared at—
To be exact, at the white tail wrapped around Alon.
"Why are you doing that?"
She asked.
A natural question, really.
Historia blinked, mouth slightly open, and then—
"Because I wanted to."
She replied briefly.
At that answer, Seolrang stared intently at Historia's face.
Just silently.
Historia did the same in return.
Outwardly, it looked like a meaningless exchange of glances.
But Alon was beginning to feel a bit awkward.
'Are they… not on good terms?'
Since Seolrang had woken up earlier and met Historia, her expression had been weird.
He didn't know why, but the two didn't seem very compatible.
"Hey, I think Master is feeling uncomfortable?"
Seolrang's voice rang out amidst the silence.
There was no particular emotion in it, which somehow made it even more pressuring.
Even her face was slightly stiff.
'Can she even make a face like that?'
Alon thought, a bit taken aback since Seolrang had always been cheerful around him.
"I don't think that's true."
Historia finally spoke.
Seolrang didn't back down and retorted.
"How would you know?"
"I just do."
"And why is that?"
"Because Divine One never said anything like that before."
"He didn't say anything because he's being considerate of you."
At Seolrang's final remark, Historia turned to Alon.
"Is that true?"
She asked with a slight tilt of her head.
While Alon awkwardly hesitated on how to answer—
"There's no way he'd say something like that. Master is too kind!"
Seolrang declared.
Historia's gaze shifted back to Seolrang.
Again.
Their silent stare resumed.
It still wasn't exactly hostile, but it definitely looked like there was a lot to be said.
Then, Seolrang, with a mischievous smile, said,
"Master must be having a hard time since someone clueless keeps bothering him."
She continued.
"Master doesn't like people who are a hassle~"
The words were clearly a jab at Historia.
Yet Historia only stared blankly at Seolrang without a reply.
When Seolrang looked at her curiously,
"Okay."
Historia simply nodded dryly.
Still not letting go of the tail wrapped around Alon's waist.
"You! I'm talking about you!"
Frustrated by her indifferent response, Seolrang furrowed her brows.
Still, Historia just looked back at her with a face saying, "Me? What about me?"
"Ugh—!"
Seolrang's eyes flared with frustration as she clenched her fists and trembled.
Watching the standoff between the two, Alon had a strong feeling this trip would be a bit chaotic.
And the next day.
"Marquis."
"What is it?"
"Aren't you tired?"
Alon slightly turned his gaze to the sides at Evan's words.
On either side of him, Historia and Seolrang were asleep, their heads resting against the window.
And wrapped around Alon's waist—
Were tails, one white and one golden.
"I'm not tired, though."
"Really?"
"...I kind of wish I could lean against the window too."
He muttered quietly and leaned further into the backrest.
This was in stark contrast to yesterday when he had argued about how uncomfortable tails around his waist would be.
Chuk—
Today, Seolrang wrapped her tail around his waist as if to show off.
It was fine when there was only one of them, but now that there were two, he couldn't even lean on the window.
"My neck kind of hurts."
Alon muttered while massaging his stiff neck.
To which Evan—
"...Uh, Marquis? The thing is—"
"What is it?"
"No, well... I mean, of course your neck would hurt if you can't lean against the window. That's why your head keeps wobbling side to side."
He started to say something else but quickly fumbled and changed the subject.
"...?"
Sensing something odd, Alon turned to gaze at the sunlight streaming into the carriage and slowly closed his eyes.
By the time Alon's breathing began to settle into a steady rhythm—
Seolrang's eyes, which had been closed just a moment ago, quietly fluttered open.
She seemed to think no one noticed her waking, but to Evan and Penia sitting across from her, it was clearly visible.
In other words, she was being obvious.
Unaware that Evan and Penia had noticed, Seolrang slowly unwrapped her tail from Alon's waist.
Swoosh—
She gently wrapped her arm around Alon's and tugged it toward herself, which naturally caused Alon to lean against her body.
Seolrang gave a satisfied grin and closed her eyes again.
And once more, the steady rhythm of breathing returned—and shortly after—
This time, Historia opened her eyes, glanced at Alon and Seolrang, and immediately pulled him toward her.
Thunk—
Alon's head tilted instantly toward Historia.
Seeing that, she quietly closed her eyes again.
And then—
Alon, unknowingly being passed back and forth, furrowed his brow in discomfort without realizing it.
Watching this unfold, Evan and Penia turned to look at each other in silence.
After a moment of wordless exchange, it became clear that they both shared the same thought.
That during this journey, Alon was likely to get a little—or maybe very—exhausted.
About two weeks later.
While traveling straight across Lizardman territory toward Fildagreen,
"Ah, Marquis!"
"Eliban?"
Alon ran into Eliban.
"It's been so long!"
Eliban ran over with a bright expression the moment he saw Alon.
Alon looked puzzled for a moment but quickly nodded in understanding.
'Come to think of it, there's no reason Eliban couldn't be here.'
The only reason Eliban hadn't set foot here during Alon's playthrough was because he hadn't purchased the DLC.
In other words, in Psychedelia where there were no such restrictions, Eliban could easily show up here.
Alon turned his gaze to look behind him.
"I greet the noble."
"Greetings."
There, Eliban's companions Yan, Bina, and Ralph offered respectful greetings.
"It's been a while."
Alon felt a wave of nostalgia.
The reason being, the gear worn by Yan, Bina, and Ralph was on a completely different level compared to when they had first met.
'They really did some top-tier farming.'
And it wasn't just any ordinary farming—these were items that only seasoned veterans, who knew the game thoroughly and acted at just the right times, could acquire.
Impressed, Alon silently marveled.
"...?"
But suddenly, a question formed in his mind.
'...Is that even possible?'
Alon studied Bina, Yan, and Ralph's equipment closely.
The gear they wore—exclusive to certain dungeons—could only be obtained by a player who knew exactly which dungeon yielded what.
And only by plotting an optimal route through the game.
But this so-called optimal route only made sense to someone who already knew where everything was.
From a general player's perspective, it was an extremely strange path.
To get all that gear, one would have to clear the dungeon in Caliban, ignore all others, rush straight to the Colony, and then immediately head for Asteria—
Which meant, to an average player, it was a completely irrational route.
Still, he only pondered for a moment before—
"I was actually planning to visit you a few times, but I'm glad we met like this!"
Eliban's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts, and Alon responded.
"You were planning to come see me?"
"Yes! Ever since I heard you were revived last time, I really wanted to visit!"
"...That time, huh."
Come to think of it, it had already been well over half a year.
Recalling the moment, Alon snapped back to the present and asked, "By the way, why are you here?"
"Oh, I have some business in Fildagreen."
"A dungeon?"
"That's right. I heard one opened up here. That's why I came."
"...Do you know Magrina?"
"No, not really. I just came because an elf I happened to be connected with asked me to."
Since their destinations matched, Alon suggested,
"If you're heading to Fildagreen, let's go together."
"Oh, can I really?"
Eliban looked up at Alon with sparkling eyes.
Alon gave a slight nod.
And just as they were about to set off together—
"...Ah."
Alon suddenly recalled something he'd heard in the East and asked, "Eliban, just wondering—have you ever heard of the 'Martyrs'?"
"The Martyrs?"
"Yeah."
Eliban tilted his head for a moment.
"Hmm… no, I've never heard of them. Is it some new group that's popped up recently?"
He shrugged like he had no clue.
"More or less."
"Are they a threat to you, Marquis?"
"It's nothing like that. I was just curious. Don't worry about it."
"Hmm, got it. But if anyone's been giving you trouble lately, please tell me."
"Even saying that is appreciated."
With that, Alon and Eliban resumed their journey to Greynifra.
Meanwhile, Historia, who had been sticking close to Alon the whole time—
"…?"
Silently watched Eliban begin moving naturally toward Alon's carriage, with a puzzled look on her face.
Just quietly.
It didn't take long for them to reach Fildagreen.
They were practically already at Greynifra when they met Eliban.
By the time the sun dipped near the mountains, Alon's party had arrived and immediately went to meet Magrina.
"Magrina."
"Welcome, brother. You've returned. And it's been so long since I've seen that dear friend of yours again. Ah, and there are some new faces too."
"Hello."
After greeting Alon, Magrina welcomed Historia and Seolrang, who were clinging to either side of him.
But then, she caught sight of the two tails wrapped around Alon's waist and paused for a second.
"Ahem—"
She cleared her throat as if nothing had happened.
"But… who might these be?"
She turned her gaze to Eliban and his group standing beside Alon.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."
Stepping forward as if he'd been waiting for this moment, Eliban greeted her with a pleasant smile.
And just like that—
Magrina's expression froze.
As though she had suddenly realized something.
Then—
"I'm Eliban."
Her gaze locked onto Eliban's face.
On—
Those impeccably pure blue eyes.
With a look no one could quite decipher.
Without even blinking once.