After hearing those unnameably uneasy words from Siyan, Alon glossed over it without giving any real answer.

And then he tried to continue the conversation about the Eyes with Siyan—

"This time, I’m not going to tell you."

"...Pardon?"

—he couldn’t.

Alon looked at Siyan with a bewildered expression, but she was still smiling.

"Looking at me like that won’t change anything. I already decided."

"If it wouldn’t be rude, may I ask the reason?"

"The reason—"

Siyan looked at Alon and thought hard for a moment, then gave an answer.

"I got asked."

"...Asked, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"By who...?"

"Even if I tell you, you won’t be able to find that person."

Because that person isn’t from here.

At Siyan’s playful words, Alon blanked out for a moment.

But it wasn’t hard for him to grasp what she meant.

"Is it a promise you still remember?"

"Like I thought. You’re usually unbelievably dense, but on things like this, you’re pretty sharp."

"...Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Think of it as half compliment, half sarcasm."

Alon considered pressing for more, but soon gave up.

Once she’d made up her mind not to answer, there was no point in asking again.

"Don’t be too disappointed."

Siyan was still smiling brightly.

Alon smacked his lips, then threw out a question.

"...Did it show on my face?"

"No. You’re still expressionless."

"Then how did you know I was disappointed?"

As Alon grumbled for no reason, he immediately realized he’d just said something stupid.

"It’s because normally, you would’ve been."

At Siyan’s next words.

In the end, what Alon got out of his conversation with Siyan was—a sweet potato, and her final words.

'After time passes, I’ll naturally tell you...'

Siyan had worn a playful smile, like she knew something, right up to the end.

Remembering that, Alon tilted his head in curiosity.

'...Normally.'

All the way from Siyan’s office back to his room, he’d thought about it, but he couldn’t understand why Siyan had said that.

"Hmm—"

Why had Siyan suddenly blocked the information she’d been telling him?

Why had Siyan used the word 'normally'?

While Alon was thinking with a # Nоvеlight # strange expression—

"Teacher."

"Yutia."

He ran into Yutia, who had been waiting for him to go to the ballroom.

"Were you waiting?"

"Mm— what answer do you want to hear?"

"...What do you mean, what answer?"

"Between ‘I wasn’t waiting at all’ and ‘I was waiting.’"

The corners of Yutia’s lips curved up smoothly, and Alon answered.

"Honestly, I’d like you to tell me the truth."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Hm, I have to think about it a little."

"...About what?"

"The truth is, I was waiting, but waiting wasn’t hard. But then—"

Yutia leaned forward slightly and whispered.

"—if I say it like that, later I won’t be able to use it as an excuse to go out and play, so I’m debating."

Whether to lie, or not.

Yutia wore a soft smile, and Alon answered.

"You can say that anytime and we can go, though."

"Can I?"

"Like I said last time, I don’t think we’re in a relationship where we can’t say things like that comfortably."

"Mmm— but it’s more comfortable if I have an excuse, isn’t it?"

"...Should I give you something like a wish ticket, then?"

At that, Yutia took a spot next to Alon and started walking toward the ballroom, saying,

"Then it’s two now?"

"Two? Ah."

Alon nodded.

He’d already given Yutia something kind of like a wish ticket once in the north.

"Do you remember?"

"Yeah. Two, then."

"Nice."

Unlike Yutia’s usual laugh, Yutia smiled mischievously, grinning wide.

Following Yutia, Alon smiled without even realizing it.

When Alon entered the ballroom—

"...There are a lot again today."

He was sick of it, looking at the ballroom packed even tighter than yesterday.

"Basically, the ball starts today."

"That’s true—"

Since it was a five-day ball, you could say the real start was from day two.

As Alon looked around the ballroom, his gaze stopped in one place.

The spot where countless nobles had swarmed, just like yesterday.

Elivan was there.

"There are a lot of people around Elivan today too."

"Right. Ah— it might be because of his birthday."

"Birthday?"

"Yes. They say it’s soon, and that he’s inviting nobles for a birthday party."

Yutia told him, putting an index finger to Yutia’s lips.

Alon nodded slowly.

"...A birthday party."

It hadn’t been an event in Psychedelia, but—

"Teacher."

"What is it?"

"Can I go over there for a moment?"

When Yutia pointed to one side, Alon naturally turned his gaze.

The cardinals of Rosario were there.

...They should definitely be able to see this side from over there.

Flinch—

They looked awkward, like they were trying as hard as possible not to make eye contact.

It was strange, but Alon nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Then I’ll go for a moment. I still have to greet them."

Watching Yutia’s back as Yutia headed that way, Alon felt puzzled.

'I thought you needed a partner to get into this ball—how did the cardinals get in...? No, before that. Isn’t it kind of weird for cardinals to be at a party like this?'

While Alon was having those questions—

"Oh, Marquis!"

He heard a voice calling him.

"Elivan?"

"Yes! You came after all!"

At some point, Elivan had slipped out from among the nobles.

Wearing the same refreshing smile as always.

"Yeah, you— you look pretty busy."

Alon glanced behind Elivan.

Even now, nobles were lined up to talk to Elivan.

Elivan laughed like it was awkward, then as if something occurred to him, said,

"Ah. Marquis, do you have time?"

"Time?"

"Yes. If you’re okay with it, I thought we could talk for a moment!"

"...? Well, sure."

At the sudden request to talk, Alon nodded even as he looked confused.

The two of them went outside to the balcony.

Under the sunset that was sinking into dusk, Alon glanced at Elivan.

Elivan, with a calm face, was just looking at the sunset.

"..."

Did he just want to rest a little? That thought crossed Alon’s mind.

Elivan really had been surrounded by nobles since yesterday.

He hadn’t had a moment to breathe at the ball.

Still, he couldn’t just keep staying silent, so Alon was about to say something—

"Seeing it like this, it really has been a long time, Marquis."

"...Hm?"

"Since you suddenly came to me and made sure I had things, too."

Alon brought up the memory.

"That’s right. It’s been a long time."

"Right? The first time we met, in that empty forest, when you put all kinds of things in my hands, I was like, what is this."

Elivan let out a light laugh, and Alon hesitated for no reason.

Back then, he’d been focused only on the goal of ‘giving him things,’ so he hadn’t thought much of it, but thinking about it now, it could definitely look a little strange.

While he was hesitating like that, Alon felt something off.

Something extremely shallow.

But something that kept catching at him.

While looking at the sunset and thinking, Alon realized what the discomfort was.

'...A forest?'

Elivan said he’d met Alon in a forest.

But Alon had met Elivan not in an empty forest, but in a crowded village—

"Marquis."

But at Elivan’s next call, Alon cut off his train of thought.

"What is it?"

"Do you know what the most important virtue is when you become a god?"

"...All of a sudden?"

"All of a sudden."

It was a completely out-of-the-blue question.

Alon couldn’t read Elivan’s intent.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Mm— it’s kind of like a personality test."

It was sudden, but Alon answered anyway.

"...Omnipotence?"

"Mm, but that’s a virtue a god already has, right? What I’m asking is when you ‘become’ a god."

"When you become—"

While Alon was thinking—

"Do you want me to tell you?"

Elivan said quietly.

"What is it?"

"It’s imprinting."

"...Imprinting?"

"It’s what you get recognized as."

Elivan’s low voice.

At that, Alon stared at him.

"Elivan."

"Yes?"

"...Didn’t you say this was a personality test? If you’re saying things like this, it feels like there’s no meaning to it at all."

"No, it’s fine. I already heard your answer."

Heh heh heh— Elivan let out a laugh.

Alon was confused by the conversation he couldn’t make sense of, but he kept it going anyway.

"That reminds me, I heard you’re throwing a birthday party."

"Ah, yes, you heard?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, I’m thinking of inviting a few nobles. In Tern."

"Tern—"

"It’s in the center. Luckily, I got permission to use it."

"If I have time, I’ll go."

Alon said, nodding.

But—

"No? You don’t have to come."

"...Huh, is that so?"

"Yes. Marquis, you’re busy."

Elivan said it with a smile, then stood up.

"Ahem— then I’ll get going first!"

And he left the balcony in one quick motion.

And Alon, left alone—

'...What, was I rejected?'

—stayed there, blankly.

...Of course, going to a birthday party itself was extremely annoying.

If he didn’t have to go, it was better.

And he’d only asked out of politeness, too.

But even so, no matter how you looked at it, it felt like he’d been turned down, and—

"..."

Alon felt a strange sense of betrayal swelling up.

And not long after that.

After leaving the balcony, Alon suddenly realized that the nobles were all looking in one direction.

He wondered if it was Elivan, but—even Elivan was looking that way, so Alon turned his gaze too.

"...?"

He spotted a woman walking toward him.

Just by looking, she seemed extremely high-status, based on how she was dressed.

Stunned, Alon suddenly realized the woman’s face looked familiar.

"It’s been a while."

At the familiar voice, Alon finally realized who the woman in front of him was.

"...Sircal?"

"That’s right."

Sircal answered with a smile.

For a moment, Alon felt the nobles’ attention focus even more, and though he felt awkward, he opened his mouth.

"I heard. They said you became king."

"Yes, that’s right. Something suddenly happened to the former king."

"Something happened?"

"Yes. Something happened."

"Did you get injured or something?"

"Not that, but something did happen. But the king didn’t die."

"...He didn’t pass away?"

"Yes. He didn’t die."

...Does a king usually get replaced when the king isn’t dead...?

Thinking that, Alon looked at Sircal smiling and nodding, and naturally shut his mouth...