Chapter 297 : Sin of Greed (8)
In a silence heavy with gravity, everyone stares at the god visible within the rift.
The elves didn't even recognize its existence.
The members of the Shadow Leaves only sensed that something lay within the rift.
Alon, too, couldn't quite identify exactly what he was seeing.
The only thing certain was this—the green light emanating from the grotesquely massive rift, enough to give one goosebumps.
[How… How is that possible? That wasn't even in the library—]
As Alon stood there, staring blankly, he heard Greed mumble.
Greed couldn't even finish the sentence, as if unable to comprehend the situation.
And then—
Grgggggggggh—
The entity that had been watching motionlessly from beyond the rift began to move.
Just by raising its arm, the entire earth trembled violently.
And upon the massive hand it extended—a small sphere appeared.
A very small sphere.
But only for a moment.
In an instant, the sphere grew rapidly, as if devouring everything around it—so large it could engulf the entire kingdom.
Realizing what was happening, Greed immediately formed hand signs.
A magic circle spread out in front of Greed.
One.
Two.
Four.
Eight.
So many magic circles appeared in front of Greed that Alon lost count.
What was formed was the Fortress of Iron and Blood.
A magical barrier so solid it seemed nothing could break through it.
And just as that barrier protected Greed's body—
"Judgment."
With Rine's whisper, a massive beam of light shot out from the rift.
And just before the world turned pure white, Alon saw it.
The Fortress of Iron and Blood that Greed had created— being swallowed up and disintegrated by the green light.
And then—
!!!!!
A moment later, after the blinding white light had devoured sight and sound, the first thing visible was the dust cloud filling the air.
Next came the sticky heat and the smell of burning that clung to the skin.
And finally, after the dust settled, what was revealed—was a massive hole.
So enormous that even the entire western region of Fildagreen couldn't fill it.
And at the edge of that hole—
[-]
stood Greed.
Perhaps the monstrous transformation had been undone—
Greed had returned to the human form shown during the first phase.
But he didn't look well.
Its lower body had vanished, as if it was never there to begin with.
The countless sheets of paper that had once fluttered from its wings were now all gone.
To the Sin of Greed, this meant only one thing—
Death.
Greed's remaining body began to crumble slowly into dust.
Its eyes, the only part left intact, moved slightly.
Alon met its gaze.
[So you've taken it on, huh?]
Greed seemed to be looking at Alon with an expression of understanding—
No.
No, that wasn't it.
Greed wasn't looking at Alon.
Behind...?
He was looking above Alon's head.
Realizing this, Alon quickly turned around—but nothing was there.
As confusion flickered across Alon's face—
[The remnant we dismissed.]
Greed, now nearly gone, called out to Alon.
Alon turned to face it again.
Its expression had returned to the blank, emotionless state from earlier.
[We'll see if your choice was the right one.]
With those final words, Greed vanished before Alon could ask anything.
Alon watched silently.
"…Is it over?"
He murmured without thinking.
He turned his head to look around.
Aside from Greed disappearing, nothing else had changed.
The sky remained gloomy.
A massive hole remained in the ground.
Fildagreen had suffered more damage than it did during the Rosario incident.
Still, the fact that Greed had been defeated was enough for Alon to sigh in relief.
'First, I need to rescue Radan, Seolrang, and Historia… No, I also need to finish what I started with Rine—'
As Alon tried to gather his thoughts—
Thud—
"Huh?"
He realized that his elevated point of view had suddenly dropped.
The next thing he felt—was something warm trickling down his face.
Alon raised a hand to wipe it carefully— but before he could, his body slumped forward.
"You did well, godfather. Now, please rest a little."
With Rine's soft voice echoing in his ears, Alon closed his eyes.
***
"Marquis, are you awake?"
As Alon regained consciousness, he heard Penia's voice.
His head felt hazy.
Alon stared blankly into the air for a moment, and slowly, the memories of what happened right before he collapsed began returning.
"How many days has it been?"
"It's been five days since then."
Alon pressed his hand to his throbbing head.
"What happened to me?"
He gently lifted himself up.
"You don't remember clearly?"
"I remember defeating Greed and turning around afterward."
"Then you basically remember everything, don't you?"
"That might be true, but what I'm asking is why I collapsed."
Alon looked down to check his body.
It was clean, not a single wound.
"There are no injuries, though."
As he murmured in confusion, Penia explained.
"It was probably due to overload."
"...Overload?"
"Your head's pounding, right?"
"'Pounding' doesn't even begin to describe it. Feels like someone smashed my skull with a hammer."
"Then that's likely the cause of your collapse."
Penia offered her hypothesis.
"Your divine regeneration probably healed everything..."
"But the brain, even when healed, doesn't seem to be immune to overload... By the way, didn't that person named Kylrus also tell you that?"
"He did mention it, but I didn't realize divine regeneration would be that useless."
At Alon's response, Penia's jaw dropped slightly.
"...Most people don't do what they're told not to, you know?"
"I didn't have a choice."
"I understand that, but still..."
Penia sighed deeply.
Alon furrowed his brow from the pain, then glanced around.
"What about the others? Are they all okay?"
"Um, everyone is—"
Penia began to explain the situation, but—
"I'll answer that."
Evan suddenly cut in.
Penia frowned at him in annoyance.
But Evan didn't seem to care and walked up to Alon.
"Are you alright, Marquis?"
"As you can see, I'm fine. Except for the headache."
"That's a relief. Oh, and all three of them are doing well. Seolrang and Radan were slightly injured, but they're fine overall. Lady Historia is the same."
"That's good."
Alon let out a breath of relief and asked another question.
"How's Rine?"
"Rine is fine too. But—"
"But?"
"She said she won't be coming to see you."
Alon was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What... what do you mean?"
As he finally got the words out, Evan paused, then answered.
"She said she'd be waiting at the top of the tower every night at midnight."
"The top of the tower...?"
"Yes, she said she'd prefer your first meeting to be there."
Evan added, "That's why she won't be coming to you."
Alon asked quickly.
"What time is it now?"
"Hmm, about two hours until midnight."
Alon turned his gaze to the window.
The sky was already filled with a river of stars.
"...Let's go."
"Excuse me? Right now?"
"Yes."
"But it's not midnight yet. And there's no need to rush—she said she'll wait every night. You should rest first—"
Despite Evan's objections, Alon stood up, lightly pressing his aching head.
"I wanted some fresh air anyway."
Saying that, he stepped out of the room.
"Then let me guide—"
"Oh my god, read the room, will you?"
"What? I just wanted to help since he looked tired."
"Wow... seriously, clueless..."
"What?"
"Ugh... never mind."
Leaving the bickering Penia and Evan behind, Alon made his way to the top of the tower.
When he reached the summit—he was greeted by a cool breeze, the night sky adorned with the Milky Way and the moon.
And then—
Perhaps because he was so close to the sky, he could see the stars shine even more brilliantly than before, and beneath that glow, her figure shimmered even more quietly.
"...Rine."
Alon softly spoke her name aloud.
Rine, who had been staring at the sky just moments ago, turned her eyes to him.
Soon, a gentle smile spread across her lips.
"You've come, godfather."
Her voice was calm.
Alon nodded as he walked toward her, his mind swirling in thought again.
What should he say first?
What feelings should he express first?
What story should he begin with?
Countless thoughts rose and faded in his mind.
Things he never gave much thought to when talking to others now rushed through him.
In the end, he reached Rine without deciding what to say and stood before her.
Just as Alon opened his mouth—
"I'm sorry."
Rine spoke first.
Her words didn't quite make sense, considering they came from her.
"Sorry for what?"
Alon looked puzzled.
Staring at him, Rine gave a faint, self-deprecating smile and replied—
"To be honest, I could've escaped ten months ago."
"...You could have?"
"Yes."
"Then why…?"
Alon couldn't quite understand.
Rine, who had been looking at his face, lowered her gaze slightly.
"To me, it felt like centuries. But for you, it's only been a few months."
Alon was about to ask what she meant—
"Oh."
Then he realized what she was saying.
While Rine had been sealed in the past, she had to endure centuries before seeing Alon again.
In contrast, Alon had returned directly to the present.
To him, meeting Rine again was like no more than a few months later.
"I just… wanted you to think about me a little more."
"..."
"Was that… too selfish of me?"
A quiet question echoed beneath the night sky.
"No."
Alon responded immediately.
"That's not selfish."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"But even if you hadn't done that— I—"
Alon began to speak again.
But his words never finished.
Because—
Rine's finger gently pressed against his lips.
"You don't have to say it. Not yet."
Murmuring to herself, "It doesn't have to be defined yet, does it?"
Rine then brushed Alon's face with the same finger that had just hushed him.
First, the corner of his lips.
Then, his cheek.
Finally, she gently touched the furrow between his brows.
"At least for now… this is enough."
Seeing the clear emotions surfacing on Alon's face, she smiled as brightly as the full moon.
Then, after glancing once at the red brooch on his chest, she spoke.
"Godfather, since we've reunited like this… may I ask one favor?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. I was wondering… if you could give me a light hug."
"That's not difficult."
As Alon nodded to her request—
Tap.
She removed the brooch from his chest and tucked it into his breast pocket.
"?"
"If you hugged me like that, the brooch might catch on my head,"
she explained, noticing Alon's puzzled expression.
Then, without hesitation, she gently wrapped her arms around him.
"I'll be in your care from now on, Godfather."
Tightening her embrace, Rine whispered.
"…Yeah. I'll be in your care too."
Alon replied with an unconscious smile.
The Milky Way above shone down on the two of them.
Flash—
And the brooch in Alon's pocket glowed as well,
casting its light over the pair.