“Look forward to the gift.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“…Then I’ll try to expect sothing.”
“Please do.”
Watching Rine smile subtly, Evan, standing next to Alon, whispered softly.
“Marquis, you’re lucky, aren’t you?”
“Ugh?”
“Didn’t you seem a little disappointed last ti when you didn’t get a birthday gift?”
“…I wasn’t, really.”
Alon replied calmly.
…But Evan wasn’t entirely wrong.
In truth, it did sting a little.
‘…If I hadn’t heard about it, I wouldn’t have expected anything in the first place.’
Of course, he didn’t intend to bla Rine for saying she would give him a gift back then.
A birthday gift depends on the giver’s feelings, and it would be ridiculous for the recipient to demand one.
At that mont—
“You were looking forward to it, weren’t you?”
“Don’t mind him. Evan is just talking nonsense.”
Rine let out a small chuckle.
“Don’t worry, Godfather. This year, I’ll definitely give you a gift.”
After a lighthearted exchange, Alon finally got to the real reason he had co.
“Rine, I read the letter you sent… Do you have any additional information about the ‘Shadow Dragon’?”
Rine’s gaze shifted to Blackie, nestled in the breast pocket of Alon’s coat.
“That’s the ‘Shadow Dragon’, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm~”
After pondering for a mont, Rine slowly began to speak.
“After you asked about the ‘Shadow Dragon’, I did so additional research. But honestly, I couldn’t find much more from the resources I had access to.”
“Is that so?”
Rine’s answer left Alon with a peculiar expression.
‘As I suspected from her letter, the ‘Shadow Dragon’ appears to be an even more dangerous existence than I thought.’
The reason he sought Rine’s knowledge on the ‘Shadow Dragon’ since obtaining its egg was simple:
He knew about the library inside Rine’s mind.
That library contained almost all information, excluding things deed ‘unknowable.’
In fact, even information about the ‘unknowable’ existed in the restricted section of her ntal library.
However, those records were sealed, and Rine couldn’t access them due to the constraints of the library’s rules.
Of course, Alon knew how to unlock the restricted section.
But he had no intention of allowing that, for it required accepting the *Five Deadly Sins.*
As Alon recalled this fact, Rine added,
“Still, I did manage to uncover a little information.”
“Really?”
“Yes, though I’m not sure how useful it is.”
She shared the rest of what she had found, and Alon listened silently.
After so ti—
“That’s all.”
“Hmm…”
Unconsciously, Alon nodded.
As she ntioned earlier, not all the information was imdiately useful.
However, two notable details erged:
“‘Shadow Dragons’ can ascend to beco gods if they fulfill certain conditions as they mature…”
“I’m not entirely sure, but the information I found suggested that, unlike other dragons, ‘Shadow Dragons’ can achieve divinity by overcoming their destructive urges and consuming the profane.”
The first revelation: the Blackie he was raising could potentially beco a ‘god.’
The second revelation: Blackie was unlike other ‘Shadow Dragons.’
“Unlike the others?”
“Yes. From what I’ve found, ‘Shadow Dragons’ typically cannot change their forms. This remains true even if they regain their rationality.”
“…So, normally, they wouldn’t be able to take on the shape of a cat, like this.”
“You’re exactly right.”
Blackie was unique.
Alon stared blankly at Blackie.
“ow?”
The little creature tilted its head innocently.
‘…It’s hard to wrap my head around it.’
Of course, he had seen it transform into other forms and attack.
But since Blackie always appeared harmless in his presence, the idea of its ‘original form’ felt foreign.
As he watched the black cat for a while, a mory surfaced.
‘Then, could it be… when it devoured Rikrakamur… was that part of this process?’
The thought lingered briefly before Alon exhaled in relief.
If Rine’s information was accurate, the ‘Shadow Dragon’ simply consud the profane, aning Blackie wasn’t influenced by the nature of the grotesque entity.
‘Even so, it seems a bit different from other ‘Shadow Dragons’. For now, though, I’ll have to be content with what I’ve learned.’
Alon patted Blackie’s head once before turning to Rine.
“Thank you for finding all this information despite the difficulty.”
“Don’t ntion it. It’s a request from you, Godfather.”
Rine smiled warmly, and Alon cleared his throat briefly.
There was one more thing he wanted to ask.
“This might be a bit forward, but can I make another request?”
“Of course, what is it?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Rine’s response gave Alon the courage to proceed.
“Could you arrange a eting with Perion?”
“…Perion? Are you referring to the leader of the *Kalz rcenary Corps* who settled in Lartania two years ago?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Rine tilted her head curiously.
Of course, she had reason to wonder—
There had never been any connection between Alon and Perion before now.
Despite that, the reason Alon sought a eting with him was that Perion possessed sothing Alon currently needed.
Perion, the leader of the Kalz rcenary Corps.
A character encountered after progressing through several quests in the labyrinth city of Lartania in Psychedelia.
Although he outwardly pretended to be human, he was, in fact, an elf from a southern territory of non-human races.
‘Allegedly… he ca to Lartania to search for sothing.’
Unfortunately, Alon couldn’t recall more details.
Perion was certainly among the ranks of formidable figures, but he hadn’t been central to the player’s story.
‘Perhaps he would’ve beco a key character if the DLC was added.’
However, Alon never played the DLC.
While the DLC added new content, it reportedly diminished the main story’s enjoynt, so he had avoided it.
As a result, Alon’s perception of Perion was quite simple.
Just a character who provided an item essential for playing as a mage.
“I have sothing to negotiate with him about.”
Originally, Alon had intended to et Perion without relying on Rine.
However, he had overlooked one crucial fact: Perion was not soone who could be easily t.
As a player, Alon had naturally encountered Perion while resolving significant events in the labyrinth.
It wasn’t until he arrived in Lartania that he realized how difficult it was to et Perion, who rarely interacted with others despite being a rcenary.
Of course, Rine casually responded,
“If you wish, Godfather, I’ll arrange a eting for tomorrow.”
“Can you?”
With an air of ease, she smiled and replied,
“Of course, if that’s what you want, Godfather.”
***
anwhile, from beyond the window of Rine’s shop, rd, Yuna was perched on a tree branch, hiding as she closely observed Alon’s face.
‘Hmm~ He doesn’t seem particularly extraordinary. Why is Red Moon so fanatically devoted to him?’
She even tilted her head slightly in confusion.
Her observation of Alon from rd’s office window was purely coincidental.
She had co to relay Yutia’s ssage to Rine and had just happened to arrive during Alon’s visit.
As a result, she managed to catch sight of Alon and Rine together.
After observing the two for a while, Yuna recalled Alon’s earlier remark.
‘His… birthday?’
A birthday.
It wasn’t a word that evoked any special emotions for her, but now it seed oddly significant.
This was because she’d overheard that the “Great Moon,” whom Red Moon worshiped, had been slightly downcast about not receiving a birthday gift.
…Of course, according to the knight, the Great Moon had shown no expression whatsoever.
Whether the knight’s jest about their close relationship was true or not, Yuna deliberated briefly.
‘…Should I report this to the other moons as well? I’ll have to visit them all anyway.’
Soon, she decided to inform the other leaders that “the Great Moon might feel slightly disappointed if their birthday isn’t celebrated.”
…Perhaps a risky decision.
***
In Alon’s mind, the image of Perion, leader of the Kalz rcenary Corps, was that of a knight with a strong sense of conviction, despite being a rcenary.
Outwardly, Perion seed like a knight living a carefree life, but no player saw him that way.
Humorously, while his disguise was convincing, his actions didn’t align with his appearance.
This discrepancy made Perion appear as a figure of unwavering conviction, a portrayal not far from the truth.
In reality, Perion was an elf of the “Pagade,” a rank slightly higher than Master Knights in Caliban.
Having so understanding of Perion’s background, Alon planned to acquire the desired item through negotiation.
…Although obtaining the item Perion needed required venturing into the labyrinth, which would take a few days, Alon concluded it was worth the ti for future benefits.
***
The next day, thanks to Rine’s arrangents, Alon moved forward.
“I am Perion of the Kalz rcenary Corps.”
“I am Marquis Palatio of the Kingdom of Asteria.”
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard much about you.”
“I see…”
Finally, Alon t Perion.
Contrary to his known image of a knight filled with conviction, Alon encountered a man who seed visibly timid.
“Yes, yes, please speak.”
Perion repeatedly glanced around nervously and avoided direct eye contact during their conversation.
Noticing this, Alon naturally turned to see where Perion’s gaze was directed.
“Is sothing wrong, Godfather?”
“…Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Feel free to speak, Godfather. Perion has plenty of ti today, right, Perion?”
“Ah, yes, that’s correct. I have a lot of ti today.”
There, Alon saw Rine smiling.
She calmly watched Perion, who was nodding vigorously.
Suddenly, a rumor Evan ntioned a week ago resurfaced in Alon’s mind.
A rumor that all senior council mbers had died, leaving Rine as the sole survivor.
Alon seed to have inadvertently stumbled upon a truth he didn’t necessarily need to know.
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