"“.......”"

An awkward silence.

In that, Alon—Alon, who had been contemplating—went, "Ahem," cleared his throat, and opened his mouth.

"Anyway, thank you very much for gathering like this."

"“.......”"

The princes and the princesses still stayed silent.

"...Everyone?"

When Alon looked at those gathered one more time—

"Ah, yes."

"Hahaha......"

"O- okay."

"Yes......"

"Ahem- understood."

Only then did the princes and the princesses answer awkwardly.

He wondered what exactly they were saying they understood, but Alon, relieved inside, said,

"Yes, I’m very glad to meet you. While you are here, I will take good care of you."

"I will keep that in mind."

Maybe emphasizing it made them loosen up a little.

People’s faces softened, at least a bit.

'But I can’t relax because of just this.'

Of course, Alon also knew very well that those gathered here wouldn’t be able to put their minds at ease so easily.

For that, Divine Land had already grown far too big.

How could the people here come to trust Divine Land completely?

As Alon pondered it, he parted his lips as if something had occurred to him.

"Outside, is someone there?"

"Yes."

The moment Alon called, a knight immediately entered the tent.

'It’s Seamus.'

After confirming who it was, Alon, as if thinking it was fortunate, gave an order.

"Give the people here a tour of Divine Land."

"Understood."

"And also share your insight regarding the shortcomings of Divine Land as it stands now."

"I will also obey that. Then please follow me."

At Alon’s command, Seamus bowed his head deeply.

He led those gathered and moved outside.

As soon as they left, Evan, who had been outside and came back in, asked.

"Did the conversation end well?"

"Well— more or less?"

"But where are all those people going?"

"They’re going to tour Divine Land."

"...A tour?"

"Yeah."

"Did they want to go?"

"No, I ordered it."

"...You went that far?"

Alon nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Of course, since he hadn’t asked for their opinions, they could be displeased, but—this choice couldn’t be helped.

Since they had arrived at Divine Land, he wanted to shed all the invisible suspicions hanging over him.

"Even if I make them suffer a bit, it can’t be helped. Aren’t we the ones who have to prove it?"

"That’s true, but—"

"I told him to point out the shortcomings of Divine Land too, so by the time they make a round of Divine Land, even if it won’t be perfect, their doubts will loosen to some degree, right?"

"Shortcomings?"

"Yeah. If I really intended to start a war, I would’ve tried to hide the shortcomings."

"In other words, you intend to reassure them by showing the shortcomings without holding anything back?"

"That’s exactly it."

Only then did Evan nod.

Now that he heard it, it wasn’t a wrong choice at all.

'However—'

Evan recalled the expressions of the honored guests leaving the tent earlier.

All of them had faces where a lot of the tension had faded.

From the outside, it definitely looked like Alon’s intent was working as-is.

From the outside, that is.

'......There definitely wasn’t any change in their expressions.'

In that fleeting moment, Evan caught that there had been no change at all in the guests’ expressions.

Meaning, the expression the guests were making—was a fabricated face.

And so—

'Will it... work out......'

Looking at Alon nodding as if satisfied, Evan thought quietly.

####

The one wearing black sacred robes was in the forest.

In that place where the Sin of Sloth had been born not long ago.

"Hmm-"

Every time it turned its eyes, the chain hanging from the waist of the black sacred robe clinked as it swayed.

Turning its gaze at the presence from behind, it—soon smiled and greeted.

The smile on its face grew even deeper.

"It’s been a long time. Have you been well in the meantime?"

Where the black sacred robe looked, there stood a man with blue eyes—no—

Elivan.

As always, wearing that cool smile.

"Yeah."

A short answer.

But as if satisfied with just that, it smiled, and when it fully turned its body—

Elivan took something out from his chest and threw it to it.

Thud-

It caught what flew over so naturally, and checked what had entered its hand.

It was a strange-text stone.

Emitting a light of various colors, as if seducing a human.

After looking at Elivan quietly, it said as if amused,

"This is... a fragment."

"Yeah. They call it a strange-text stone."

"Hmm- strange-text stone...... Not a very tasteful name. If you put it in a way that fits a bit more—"

With a soft scoff of wind, it calmly looked up at the sky.

"—Wouldn’t it fit better to call it a fragment of a star. Don’t you think?"

At the question, Elivan maintained the same smile and simply turned away.

As if there was nothing more to say.

Staring fixedly at Elivan’s back like that, it said,

"How much is left now, Elivan?"

It asked while waving its hand.

And Elivan, without stopping his steps, answered.

"About a month and a half now."

A plain answer.

Soon, Elivan vanished as if he had not existed there from the start.

The man in black sacred robes, with curved eyes, stared for a while at the place Elivan had disappeared, then lowered his gaze, rolling the strange-text stone in his hand.

"Whether we’ll be able to reach it or not—"

Moving his body toward the opposite side of where Elivan had walked—

"—I’m looking forward to it."

he murmured.

After the one wearing black sacred robes left like that, in the empty forest, there were only three strange-text stones dropped on the ground, shining brilliantly.

As if seducing a human.

####

'It’s a financial problem. I originally meant to start small, but somehow unfortunate things piled up and the number of people increased. It’s a very troublesome situation.'

'I’m doing my best to operate it without sponsorship.'

The moment Tolenis heard Marquis Palatio’s words, he had already grasped his intent to a certain extent.

Unless someone was a fool, it was something they couldn’t help but realize.

Marquis Palatio was making a very polite threat.

Of course, after that, a smooth conversation continued, but that was only polite small talk to the end.

In reality, while being introduced to Divine Land by the knight before their eyes, everyone here clearly perceived the marquis’s intention.

......They had no choice but to.

"This is a barracks, but later, once circumstances are in place, it’s where we will build a castle. The projected cost is a bit high, but it’s not like it’s an amount we can’t fill—"

"This is also a barracks, but if we gather the funds, it’s a place we will use as a hall. We are having a bit of strain in terms of money, but this much is somehow—"

"This place too is likewise a barracks, but if we gather the funds, we plan to make it a gigantic plaza. For reference, the projected cost is—"

If the marquis’s words weren’t a threat, there was no way the knight before their eyes could speak like this in front of them without batting an eye.

Of course.

This wasn’t Alon’s intention.

To begin with, Alon hadn’t given Seamus a single word of instruction about anything related to this.

No, not a single word—Alon hadn’t even really had a proper conversation with Seamus after the interview.

And yet Seamus took Alon’s order like that.

That wasn’t entirely Seamus’s fault so much as—

'This must surely be what the king commanded......!'

the fault lay greatly with Deus, who had taught the knights.

Because Deus had told every knight that.

That Palatio Alon would become the great sky.

And that the knights gathered here would become the escorts who protected the great sky.

Thoughts Alon hadn’t even had in a dream, but the knights already steeped in Deus’s teaching believed without doubt.

That Alon was preparing in order to become the sky.

Seamus was the same, so—

"...Um."

"What is it?"

"...So in the end, does this Divine Land have nothing but barracks?"

"That is correct. It has nothing but barracks."

"......"

"Yes, it has nothing but barracks."

"......"

"There’s nothing to do, but it has nothing but barracks."

"......!"

"There is nothing to do, but."

Seamus carried out the command he had received from the sky with absolute obedience.

The words, 'Also share your insight regarding the shortcomings of Divine Land as it stands now,' could only be interpreted that way to Seamus.

If Alon, who was diligently training in magic right now, heard it, he would be dumbfounded and go, 'What? Me? When?' but unfortunately, he didn’t know about this situation.

Anyway, after Seamus’s flashy Divine Land mad movie—born from enthusiastically accepting the command—ended,

"Did you receive the introduction well?"

Alon tilted his head while looking at the people whose complexions were worse than before.

He looked at Seamus with eyes full of questions, but—

Nod-!

Seamus nodded with eyes brimming with faith as if he had definitely completed the mission, and Alon grew even more bewildered.

And then.

"...We toured Divine Land well."

Tolenis, who had kept silent the entire time until now, opened his mouth.

"I see. There are many lacking parts, but what did you think?"

Alon asked with a smile, as if nothing was wrong.

At that, Tolenis frowned as if somehow resentful.

It was a very brief moment.

But as Alon alone panicked inside after noticing that change of expression, Tolenis opened his mouth again.

"......I would like to give some sponsorship to Divine Land."

"Sponsorship?"

"Yes, this much—"

Tolenis proposed a sponsorship amount.

And Alon, once again, couldn’t help but be shocked inside.

Saying he would sponsor was sudden enough, but the amount Tolenis suggested was enormous from Alon’s perspective.

A sum that made no sense to hand over readily under the name of sponsorship.

And so.

"Th-thank you for the thought, but— it’s fine."

Alon refused.

He didn’t know what intent Tolenis had in saying he would sponsor, but the amount was huge, and he didn’t want to accept it because it felt like he would owe something.

However.

"...Kgh-!"

The instant Alon refused the sponsorship, the atmosphere in the reception room sank in a flash.

Everyone’s expressions turned into 'We’re screwed.'

As Alon’s mind went blank at that,

"1.5... times."

"Yes...?"

"I will give you 1.5 times."

As if making a difficult decision, Tolenis said resolutely.

As if it couldn’t go on any longer. With a stiff expression.

But of course, since Alon still couldn’t grasp the situation, he politely declined again.

"No, I told you it doesn’t matter if you don’t sponsor— rather, it burdens me."

"Kuuhhk-"

"No, why all of ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ a sudden—"

"2 times...... I will give you 2 times."

Even as his expression stiffened further, Tolenis raised the number.

"No, first calm down and listen to what I’m saying—"

"2.5 times-"

"...??? No, I really don’t need it—"

"3, 3 times! Anything beyond this is absolutely not possible!"

"???????"

...And so the fight began between the one trying to sponsor, and the one stopping it.