Two weeks had passed since Alon started heading for Marquis Palatio’s estate.

If he counted the time from when he’d departed Ashtalon, it had been a full month.

The time when, originally, he should have arrived at the marquis’s estate.

However, this time, Alon was heading for Divine Land before the marquis’s estate.

Because going to Divine Land was a little faster than going down from Ashtalon to the marquis’s estate.

Anyway, Divine Land was on the way to the marquis’s estate, so he planned to stop by there first and check the situation.

Arriving at a village about a day away from Divine Land, Alon soon ran into something strange.

“......Evan.”

“......Yes.”

“What’s that?”

“......Well.”

“Well?”

“I don’t know either.”

It was a statue of himself installed in the middle of the village.

No, it was a statue of “Kalannon.”

And when he even spotted the villagers kneeling in front of the statue, diligently bowing their heads, Alon turned his head and looked at Evan.

“No, why are you looking at me?”

“......Do you really not know anything?”

“My Lord, do you think I’m pretending not to know?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“......Riiight. Getting a definite answer makes me feel kind of lonely, though......”

Alon knew Evan’s position, too.

In truth, Evan’s status was a bit subtle.

Right now, the one who was, in practice, managing Divine Land while following Alon’s words was Evan.

So Evan had liked it before, when Divine Land and the knight order first appeared.

But he’d also heard that now there were many things that would get started and handled first without even reporting to Evan.

When Alon nodded without resistance, Evan let out a sigh.

“Whether it’s Sili or Deus, they just do good things first and think later. Sometimes it’s really brutal.”

“Have you ever had to clean it up?”

“Hmm...... Not really.”

......So what’s hard for you, then? That thought flashed through Alon’s mind only for a moment.

“Wah— It’s a benefactor statue! They made it well?”

[Kyuu—]

While holding onto Blackie—who had sneakily come out while Seollang was sleeping in the carriage and got caught—Seollang, who’d been taking a nap, sprang up and started looking around the statue.

And before long, Alon was able to grasp the situation.

“They say volunteers come out from Divine Land every time.”

“......Volunteers?”

“Yes, well— they give out food and spread the faith and things like that.”

“Did I ever give an order like that?”

“No, you never did, right?”

“I see......”

Evan, who’d asked a villager and found an answer, replied idly, and Alon, thinking again, ‘Just how far is this even running off to?’ suddenly remembered Yuman.

‘Come to think of it...... Yuman definitely would’ve heard that Divine Land was made, but there was absolutely no mention of it.’

In a way, the biggest reaction should’ve come from Yuman, but it had been brushed past so smoothly that Alon had been tilting his head—and then.

[Kyuuuu—!]

From far away, Alon spotted Seollang holding Blackie up high and flying around here and there like some kind of airplane game.

Blackie looked like it was screaming, Save me—!!!

Those eyes were nothing but pitiful.

......But even more concerning than that—

were the villagers.

No matter how much of a show Seollang put on nearby, the villagers were still diligently bowing to the statue.

It wasn’t one or two people, either. There were quite a lot.

That many people, offering prayers to a statue.

“......Evan.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“You said someone came here, right?”

“I heard it was Sili.”

“......Sili.”

That was why.

“......Does Sili have hypnosis techniques or something.”

“......Pardon?”

“No.”

Alon muttered without meaning to.

The next day.

Alon, who woke up a little earlier than usual and started moving toward Divine Land, didn’t reach the cliff where Divine Land came into view until around lunchtime.

And.

“......Evan.”

“Yes.”

“......It looks bigger than last time.”

“It’s not just that, My Lord.”

“Wah— This is Divine Land!”

Alon looked at Divine Land, which was very different from before.

Not just bigger, either......

“......Isn’t this just a huge encampment?”

“......”

Divine Land had outright turned into a huge encampment.

“......Wouldn’t it be better to just build a village?”

Looking at the tents stretching out endlessly, Evan added that, and Alon thought,

‘My divinity had swelled to an absurd extent, so I expected it, but...... I didn’t think it would be this much—’

Then he pressed his lips shut and started walking toward Divine Land.

As he drew closer, knights came running from far away just like before, as if they’d already been waiting.

“We will escort you!”

The knight at the front bowed at a crisp angle and shouted.

“Right.”

Nodding, Alon soon entered the inside of the now-giant Divine Land, and—

before long, he could see knights and soldiers waiting there in orderly ranks.

“......”

That wasn’t really something to be surprised about.

It was a sight he’d already grown used to.

Knights and soldiers had been here from the start.

But the reason Alon couldn’t help staring blankly at it was—

‘Even so, this is too...... many, isn’t it?’

If someone saw this scene,

it felt like they’d think, ‘This guy really plans to wage war!’

“......My Lord.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“What is it.”

“I didn’t realize, but are you secretly preparing for war or something?”

As if that could be true.

He wanted to answer right away, but since they were in front of the knights and soldiers, he swallowed it down.

Alon decided to move first.

Then.

“......?”

He found a very familiar face.

No.

“......Ryang-a? And—”

Ryang-a, wearing armor that didn’t fit properly, and.

“Historia?”

Historia, with that characteristic blank expression, was standing there.

“Ahaha...... Hi, boss.”

“Hi, god.”

Ryang-a subtly rolled one eye to the side.

Historia just kept standing there with the same vacant expression.

......What in the world is going on?

####

Ryang-a’s original purpose in leaving the Ronobelli Jungle was to bring Blue-Eared One along.

......Of course, that was just an excuse, and in reality, it was to go meet Alon.

Anyway, because of that, Ryang-a headed for Marquis Palatio’s estate, and—

before long, arrived at Divine Land.

However, there was something Ryang-a hadn’t expected.

That Alon still hadn’t arrived yet.

And that Historia was there.

Of course, that itself wasn’t a big problem.

To begin with, Ryang-a and Historia had a fairly good relationship.

So Ryang-a planned to talk with Historia for about a day, then go back.

In truth, even if it was only nominally, now that Blue-Eared One—who didn’t want to go back—had already been found, there was no longer any reason to stay here.

So Ryang-a, who planned to leave Divine Land the very next day—

ended up deciding to do a simple spar after Blue-Eared One, who suspiciously urged a duel with Historia before going back.

And that was the starting point.

After the spar, Ryang-a was immediately encouraged by Deus to join the knight order.

Of course Ryang-a tried ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to refuse, but Blue-Eared One quietly whispered.

How about experiencing it once, in a kind of trial(?) way.

It was nonsense, of course, but it did spark a bit of interest.

If that happened, wouldn’t it give proper shape to the excuse Ryang-a lacked for meeting Alon?

So Ryang-a, who intended to just dip a toe into the knight order solely to meet Alon—

before long became Kalannon—no, more precisely, one of the four knights who escorted Kalannon......

That was why Ryang-a ended up staying here as a knight commander.

But of course, Ryang-a couldn’t tell Alon the truth.

“J-just? I was interested—”

In a separate place set aside to explain the situation, Ryang-a answered like that and smiled awkwardly.

“......You were interested in something like this?”

“Mm— Yeah.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yeah.”

At that clumsy answer, Alon tilted his head, but he let it pass lightly.

‘Well, Blue-Eared One had that kind of vibe too.’

Alon didn’t know why, but he looked at Blue-Eared One in the distance within his line of sight, striking a victory pose.

Then he turned his gaze and asked Historia.

“So, Ria is here?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Just... I came to where I should be.”

“......Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Ears pricking up, then tail swishing as if proud of having done something commendable—Ria.

Alon nodded without objection, accepted it, and then recalled his earlier question.

“By the way, what are these ‘four knights’?”

Alon knew the knight commanders were categorized separately, but this was his first time hearing about “four knights,” so he asked.

“They’re the knights who escort only god.”

Ria answered simply.

“......Escort knights...... Is that what it is?”

“Yeah.”

“Then who are the other two?”

“Those two seats are still vacant.”

“Then why call it four knights already....... No, who made that ‘four knights’ thing?”

“The Saintess.”

......What is that Saintess doing without me knowing......?

The moment that thought flickered briefly through Alon’s head—

“My Lord! Welcome!”

“......Sili.”

That Saintess showed up with a bright face.

####

Around the time Alon was inside Divine Land.

“Um, Alexion?”

“What is it?”

“Well, um...... A guest has arrived.”

“A guest? I thought today’s schedule was finished.”

At Marquis Palatio’s estate, Alexion heard from a secretary that a guest had come.

“Do you remember last time? Um, about finding a partner for the marquis.”

“......Someone already arrived?”

“Uh...... Yes.”

The secretary looked like they wanted to say something, then pressed their lips shut and nodded.

A question mark popped up over Alexion’s head.

A few weeks had passed, but still—someone coming this quickly.

He’d never even imagined it.

‘......More than half of them probably haven’t even arrived yet?’

After thinking for a moment, Alexion said,

“......Well, bring them in for now.”

“Yes, understood.”

‘It’s not like I can just send them back.’

After giving the order, Alexion shrugged on his own.

‘But who is it? Count Zenonia? Or is it Duke Altia?’

Of course, aside from those, he’d also sent invitations to more than ten young ladies, so—

in the short time, Alexion lined up countless candidates in his head, then soon dropped it.

In truth, no matter who came, his eyes had to be sharp.

He had to pick a suitable partner for Marquis Palatio.

Even if the candidate was some great noble.

Alexion steeled himself.

He controlled his breathing for a cold evaluation.

But only for a moment.

Alexion’s resolve crumbled right away.

Because the person who opened Alexion’s door and walked in was—

“......??”

“Hello?”

Cardinal Yutia.

Alexion’s entire body went rigid on the spot.

He had never sent a letter to Cardinal Yutia.

“W-what brings you—”

So when Alexion asked back awkwardly—

“I heard you were looking for a partner for teacher, so I came to interview?”

“How did you—”

Yutia’s gentle, measured voice continued.

“Oh, right. Since you ‘accidentally’ didn’t send me a letter, if I hadn’t ‘coincidentally’ found out...... I almost wouldn’t have been able to come, you know? Huh—”

Her sentences were far too sloppy.

He hadn’t even sent her a letter in the first place.

And he still hadn’t managed to contact many of the partner candidates yet.

How did Yutia ‘coincidentally’ find out, then even realize that Alexion had ‘accidentally’ failed to send a letter—

and arrive here this early?

However.

Alexion couldn’t refute her words.

“-Was it not an accident, perhaps?”

The moment Yutia’s lips moved, her red eyes gleaming—

a certain epithet surfaced in Alexion’s mind.

Yutia Bloodia.

The absolute being currently holding Rosario’s regime.

And the moment someone went against Yutia—

no matter who it was, they would vanish without a trace, and that pure-white epithet she was given.

That was why.

“Th-”

“Th-?”

“I... I think I m-made a mistake.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes...... That’s right......”

Alexion chose survival.