“Sorry! I went somewhere else for a bit.”

“I’m sorry, My Lord.”

“It’s fine.”

Sili and Deus naturally joined in while Alon was talking with Ryang-a and Historia.

Alon waved a hand like it was fine, and then—

“Ah, before we talk, let’s move somewhere first.”

“Hm? Is there a reason we need to?”

“Yes, I have something to show you!”

Sili suggested it.

Alon made a doubtful expression, then nodded, and—

after finishing his talk with Ryang-a and Historia, he followed the siblings.

Not long after they started walking.

“This is the place.”

“This is—”

“It’s your quarters, My Lord! Even if you’re not here most of the time, you come once in a while!”

Alon faced a gigantic tent erected in the center of Divine Land.

‘No...... should I even call this a tent? This is—’

“......Isn’t this just a palace? No, what do you even call this......?”

“A tent-palace......?”

Evan muttered something like that blankly. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Just like Evan said, what was in front of them wasn’t a simple tent so much as a palace made of cloth, and the two of them just stood there looking lost.

“Let’s go in!”

Following the very excited Sili, they ended up going inside without really meaning to.

Soon, an office appeared.

And there, they could finally talk properly.

“......”

Sili looked at Alon with sparkling eyes.

Alon fell into thought for a moment.

There really were so many things he wanted to ask, but—

when she was right in front of him, he couldn’t decide what to bring up first.

After a brief silence, Alon slowly opened his mouth.

“I heard from Ryang-a and Historia earlier that you made a position called the Four Knights.”

“Ah, those are literally your escort knights, My Lord!”

“Escort knights?”

“Yes. There are always people who escort a god! So I made it first, temporarily! I’m going to pick only people who are capable enough to protect you no matter what!”

Adding that two seats were still empty, Sili continued.

“Ah, and I also reorganized the soldiers by splitting their ranks a bit!”

“The soldiers too?”

“Yes, in broad terms it’s five ranks—”

And then she began reporting the reorganized situation of the soldiers to Alon, one by one.

For about thirty minutes.

......And during those thirty minutes, Alon learned two things.

That the rank system, which had only consisted of knights and soldiers, had been split into as many as fifteen categories.

And that the time when Alon’s little “Divine Land Tycoon” had existed had already become the distant past.

“Of course, Brother gave me a lot of help!”

At Sili’s addition, Deus straightened his shoulders with a blank face, like he was proud.

......What was he so confident about?

Even while thinking that, Alon continued the conversation.

“Then is there a reason you split the ranks up that much?”

“Ah, yes, since the number of people has increased......!”

“......It did look like there were a lot of soldiers.”

Alon recalled what he’d seen.

There were so many soldiers gathered that he couldn’t even feel like this was the same Divine Land as before, and he couldn’t help tilting his head.

“Ah, a lot of the mercenaries who came last time settled down!”

“......Hm?”

As if she noticed his doubt, Sili explained, and Alon grew even more puzzled.

“Yes!”

“I thought they were trending toward leaving?”

“Mm— there were some who left, but most of them came to trust you, My Lord!”

Sili shrugged, like she was saying, See? I did well, didn’t I?

Looking at her wearing that confident, very-girl-like expression, Alon felt even more doubtful.

Mercenaries had only flowed into Divine Land because of distorted rumors in the first place.

Meaning, once they arrived and learned the reality, they should’ve naturally left.

So why in the world had they stayed and settled down?

“......Is there a reason they didn’t leave?”

“I preached to them!”

“......Preached?”

“Yes!”

Even with Sili’s bold answer, the doubt didn’t clear.

To begin with, Psychedelia’s mercenaries were people who cared more about practical gain than faith.

“......Did the mercenaries believe in me that easily?”

So when Alon asked back, still unable to resolve it, Sili smiled.

“Not at first.”

“Then?”

“I made them believe in you. That’s what I, as a Saintess, should do.”

Ahem, Sili said, smiling proudly.

“May I ask...... how you preached to them?”

As Alon asked, even more puzzled, Sili nodded like it was obvious, then—

“First, I started by giving strength to a weak knight.”

She began speaking clearly.

And about thirty minutes later.

“—And that’s how, whether it was a weak mercenary or a strong mercenary, I was able to give everyone faith!”

The number of scriptures isn’t small, you know? So now there are even people desperately waiting for scripture!

With that last line from Sili, still smiling to the end—

Alon stared blankly with his mouth open, then slowly turned his gaze to the side.

“......”

Evan had his mouth hanging open just like Alon.

Yeah. Of course.

If everything that came out of Sili’s mouth was true—

it didn’t seem like something that girl with that innocent smile could’ve thought up and executed......

Honestly, it was full of sinister craftiness.

“......B-but if you make them believe like that, isn’t there a side effect?”

“Hm, in what way?”

“If they believed because you gave them strength, Sili, then that strength will gradually get weaker, won’t it?”

Evan’s question.

But Sili, still wearing a fresh smile like it was nothing to worry about, replied.

“You don’t need to worry about that part. What they need is hope anyway.”

“......Hope?”

“Hope that if someone who gained strength because of me holds faith devoutly, they’ll be able to put out that much strength once again. And for the others, hope that if they, too, build that kind of firm faith, they’ll be able to use even greater power.”

“......Isn’t that a lie?”

Evan carefully pointed it out.

Sili laughed out loud—“Ahaha—.”

“A lie? In the end, they can handle power, so it’s not a lie.”

Well— maybe there was a bit of exaggeration mixed in—

When Sili added that, Evan answered awkwardly, “O-oh, I see—,” and started glancing at Alon and Deus.

......Fortunately, it seemed like the three of them besides Sili were thinking something similar, so Evan relaxed for a moment, but—

“......Huh? Why are you all looking at each other like that?”

When Sili asked, Alon quickly cleared his throat, “Ahem,” and immediately changed the subject.

“Anyway, where did you go?”

“Ah, I went to preach.”

“......Did you.”

“Yes. Because you told me to gather more believers, My Lord.”

“......I did?”

Me? When? That was how Alon felt.

Of course, the face he showed outwardly was calm as usual.

“Yes, the guardian deity told me.”

Following Sili’s fingertip as she subtly pointed to one side, Alon shifted his gaze.

And there—

Flinch—!

There was Kalannon in the form of a cat, subtly rolling its eyes around.

‘So it was you......’ Alon thought for only a moment.

Kalannon, who’d been watching everyone’s reactions, soon climbed onto Alon’s lap like it was acting cute, and—

[Meo-ow.]

rubbed against him.

Like it was saying, Forgive me— I couldn’t help it~

......What, exactly, couldn’t it help?

Alon’s doubt didn’t clear, but as he looked at the soft fur and unconsciously moved his hand to pet Kalannon—

Pop—!

Blackie, which had been in his chest pocket until just a moment ago, suddenly appeared.

Tap tap tap—

The instant it saw Kalannon on Alon’s lap, it jumped down onto his knees.

And then.

Smack—! Smack—!

[Meow—!?]

It straight-up whacked Kalannon on the head.

A kitty punch strong enough to make a smack sound.

When Kalannon jolted and fled, Blackie—

[Kyuu—]

glared at Kalannon, then sat down proudly and took over Alon’s now-empty lap.

““......””

......That sudden chain of events.

Alon’s hand drifted in midair, not knowing what to do.

####

A little later.

Sili finished the rough explanation, then stepped out for a moment, saying she had something to do.

“Benefactor!”

“God.”

“Boss!”

As if they’d been waiting, Seollang, Historia, and Ryang-a came to see him.

Their eyes were clearly on Alon, but somehow all three of them had their heads pressed together(?).

“......”

What on earth had they been doing for things to end up like that?

“M-move—”

“You move.”

“You rockheads—”

They were all smiling, but their eyes were boiling to the point that their mana was starting to take shape.

Watching them, Alon let out a small sigh.

‘......Yeah. Come to think of it, Seollang and Historia didn’t get along personality-wise.’

Based on the past, he could accept those two being like that, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this with Ryang-a too.

‘If it was just Historia, it seemed like it was fine.’

While Alon continued thinking quietly on his own, he suddenly turned his gaze and looked at Deus.

“......”

Deus was watching them like they were chickens, with absolutely no emotion.

Even if there was a fight right in front of him, he was showing with his whole body, I have no interest whatsoever.

As Alon unconsciously nodded at that—

“Ah, My Lord.”

“What is it?”

“I forgot to tell you earlier. Alexion contacted us around this morning.”

“......Alexion? Why all of a sudden?”

“You know, about your partner.”

At Evan’s mention, Alon let out, “Ah.”

“But why is it Alexion that’s coming up?”

“I told him to.”

“Again?”

“Don’t worry too much. Like last time, some annoying situation won’t come up.”

“......That’s a relief.”

“Yes. He says interviewees will probably start arriving soon.”

“Interviewees?”

“Alexion said he selected only the young ladies who are interested in you and sent them letters. If they come with those invitation-type letters, he’ll interview them and select candidates roughly matching your standing.”

“......Does it need to go that far?”

“For someone like you, it should’ve started early. Still, actually choosing a partner will probably be a bit later. He says there are places where the letters still haven’t arrived.”

Evan answered unusually firmly, and Alon nodded even while still feeling doubtful, but then—

“?”

He suddenly felt a strange sense of dissonance.

The voices of the people who’d been snarling just a moment ago had stopped at some point.

So when he turned his gaze—

Historia, Seollang, and Ryang-a were staring with their eyes wide open.

“Boss? What do you mean? A partner?”

Ryang-a asked.

Alon casually explained about the ball.

And the three of them, who listened quietly—

“Uh...... Boss! I, something suddenly came up......!”

“Benefactor! I need to go somewhere for a bit!”

“Me too. For a bit.”

As if they’d been waiting, they all vanished like the tide going out.

Not only that.

“My Lord, I’ll step out for a moment too.”

Even Deus.

“......?”

Alon, flustered, looked at Evan.

The two of them only looked at each other and shrugged.

And exactly two days later.

“Um, Alexion.”

“What.”

“About the letters being delivered......?”

“What about them?”

“Th-there are reports that a few of the letters were stolen.”

“......What?”

Alexion was bewildered at the secretary’s report.

They weren’t political letters. Why would partner-suggestion letters get stolen?

“Stolen by who?”

“They say they don’t know. Some people say they lost consciousness and woke up to find them stolen. Others say they checked their pockets and the letters were gone at some point.”

“Hm—”

Tilting his head, thinking, Then didn’t they just lose them? Alexion soon felt goosebumps run over his whole body.

Because a single girl who’d barged into Alexion’s office two days ago came to mind.

‘Oh my— so it’s a point system?’

‘Ah, this is—’

‘Mm— so you evaluate them one by one, and if they get above a certain score, they become candidates to be teacher’s partner?’

‘Th-that is correct.’

‘You really are outstanding. Doing it this way, you can filter out people who don’t suit teacher.’

‘Th-thank you.’

‘I hope my score is as high as possible.’

‘Pardon......?’

‘I hope my score is as high as possible.’

‘......Ah, yes.’

Cardinal Yutia Bloodia of Rosario—smiling at the corners of her mouth, but with eyes that weren’t smiling.

Thinking of her, Alexion wondered if ‘she stole the letters,’ but soon shook his head.

She was staying at the marquis’s estate right now, wasn’t she?

It was impossible to steal letters being sent all over the country in real time, all at once.

And in the first place, if she intended to eliminate every candidate besides herself,

she would have to erase all the letters.

But since she didn’t,

that meant the culprit who stole the letters wasn’t Yutia who’d come last time.

‘Then who is it?’

As Alexion was reasoning, the secretary cautiously brought up a new topic.

“And there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“......What is it?”

“It seems the rumor that you’re looking for a partner for My Lord /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ has spread here and there.”

“......”

Alexion let out a sigh.

He didn’t get angry.

Even if he carefully invited the young ladies by letter, it was impossible for rumors not to spread.

The rumor spreading faster than expected just meant this situation was within what he’d anticipated.

So.

“That’s fine.”

“Then— what should we do?”

“What do you mean what do we do. It’s urgent, so we send them again. Tch— It’d be nice if we could just talk through a crystal ball, but having to handle even official things by letter— noble culture is still inconvenient—”

Alexion passed it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but—

the rumor spread even faster than Alexion expected, and—

“......So you’re saying you’re looking for a partner for Brother, is that right?”

“That is correct.”

“......A partner for my godfather?”

“Yes— a partner for the Primordial elf......”

The rumor even made its way into the land of the elves.

Mu, Magrina’s secretary, who was passing the story to Magrina and Rine as they were enjoying tea, flinched.

Because—

“Sis, something urgent came up, so... can I go first?”

“Right. Something suddenly came up for me too.”

Their eyes were giving off an ominous light.

And seeing the two of them like that—

Mu instinctively felt it.

‘......W-what is this?’

It felt like something was about to happen.