Alon was only out of it for a moment after witnessing the cosmic-horror spectacle of the venom-swallowing one’s head instantly changing into Blackie’s head.

[Kyuu?]

When the venom-swallowing one’s—no, Blackie’s head tilted slightly as if in confusion, Alon cautiously opened his mouth.

“......Blackie?”

He called out, just in case.

And—

the Blackie that had been wearing the venom-swallowing one’s shape until a moment ago let out a low little kyuu— and, without Alon even realizing it, started shrinking that body.

[Kyuu!]

Soon, it returned to its original size.

......While still keeping the venom-swallowing one’s form.

“.......”

When Alon stared, it tilted its head again, and only then seemed to realize it still hadn’t changed back from the venom-swallowing one. Blackie finally twisted its body back to normal.

Thud—

As spider legs slipped out and vanished again and again—

“Uh...... what is even happening °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° right now?”

Penia, who had followed after Alon a beat late, stared at Blackie and asked in a daze.

“......I don’t know either.”

Watching Blackie stroll up like nothing had happened and rub its body against Alon’s leg, he couldn’t answer anything else.

####

A little later.

“So you’re saying Blackie absorbed the venom-swallowing one?”

“I think that’s what happened.”

Alon nodded.

Penia asked like she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“How?”

“......I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Why do you think I would?”

“You’re Blackie’s owner.”

Penia was right.

But it was also true that Alon didn’t know much about Blackie.

In the first place, the only thing he did know was that Blackie’s true identity was a Shadow Dragon.

Alon looked at Blackie, which was repeating the cycle of changing into the venom-swallowing one and changing back in front of Basiliora.

[Tsk. It’s hideous beyond belief.]

Basiliora clicked its tongue.

Maybe that comment irritated Blackie—something seeped out of Blackie’s body.

[Huh? KRAAAAAAAH! What is this! Kiiiyaaaaaahk—!]

The instant Basiliora touched that leaking mist, Basiliora thrashed around in agony like a fish hooked on a line.

Watching that scene, Penia slowly opened her mouth.

“That’s something the venom-swallowing one used, isn’t it?”

“......I think so. The power looks a lot lower, though.”

Alon was staring in disbelief when—

Creeeak, the door opened, and Evan came in.

“Marquis, like you told me, I checked, and they say the swallowing one’s corpse and even its traces disappeared without a trace.”

“So it really did absorb it.”

Alon had realized the corpse that should’ve been where Blackie had been earlier was gone, so he’d had Evan look into it just in case—and sure enough.

‘Last time, I saw it absorb a monster too, so I figured absorption itself was possible, but I didn’t think it would be able to absorb Divine blood.......’

Alon, who had been quietly sinking into thought, called to Blackie.

“Blackie.”

[Kyuu?]

“Can you turn into the swallowing one too? You don’t have to become the original form, of course.”

At Alon’s command, Blackie tilted its head a couple times like it was no big deal, then—

in an instant, it morphed into the swallowing one.

An obscenely huge head, and dozens of legs with webbed, paddle-like growths—like they were made to swim through the ground.

“......Whoa.”

“Okay, that’s even grosser than I thought......?”

Penia blurted out in awe, and Evan started looking pale at the tentacle-like legs that had to be dozens—

[Kyuuu—]

But Blackie, still holding the swallowing one’s exterior, quickly returned its body to normal, then slumped like it didn’t have any strength left. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Blackie looked completely drained as it started to melt across the desk.

Penia, who had been observing it with fascinated intensity, exclaimed.

“It looks like it needs stored mana to transform.”

“Stored mana?”

“Yes. Up until now, I think it was transforming using the mana it got from you in the last battle, Marquis.”

Alon nodded at her analysis—only for a moment.

Glurp—

“?”

The sprawled-out Blackie made a suspicious noise, then spat something out.

“......This is?”

“What is that......?”

Stones.

Two black stones that looked like they wouldn’t allow even a single ray of light.

Alon checked them, then turned back to Blackie, but—

[Kyuuu—]

Like it was utterly exhausted, it let out a small whine and crawled straight into Alon’s coat pocket.

“......It’ll be a strong asset, but it looks like we’ll need some research.”

Following Penia’s gaze, glittering with curiosity as she chased after Blackie—

“I agree.”

Alon nodded as well.

####

A few days passed, and once Alon had recovered to a degree—

after researching Blackie with Penia, Alon learned two interesting facts.

First: if Blackie had enough mana, it could transform into the Divine blood it had absorbed at any time—

and even if not perfectly, it could use their abilities in a weakened form.

Second: even though it could transform into Divine blood, it couldn’t transform into the monsters it had absorbed so far.

The second point wasn’t a major problem.

For Alon, what mattered was that Blackie had gained a new ability, and that it would be meaningful support to his fighting strength.

‘If Blackie can transform into all the Divine blood it absorbed.......’

A question suddenly rose in Alon’s mind.

About Blackie’s true nature—something he’d already thought about again and again while researching it.

‘......If I go ask Kylrus, I’ll know for sure.’

Alon smacked his lips in regret.

If it was Kylrus, maybe Kylrus could tell him something—anything.

Kylrus was a mage who used dragon spirits, too.

But unfortunately, Alon couldn’t meet Kylrus.

“.......”

For some reason, the ‘Feet That Run Through the Past’ he’d been using to meet with Kylrus hadn’t worked properly ever since the battle with Divine blood.

Like it was broken.

‘......I should show it to Alexion.’

Remembering that Alexion had a knack for handling artifacts, Alon tucked the Feet That Run Through the Past into his chest.

‘If even Alexion doesn’t have a real solution...... do I have to go find Linethius, at least?’

The golden dragon Linethius.

Just as Alon’s thoughts reached the dragon he’d met the first time he went to the borderlands—

“Marquis, you’re planning to leave soon, right?”

Evan asked, and Alon nodded.

“Soon, yes.”

“Where will you go?”

“......Hmm.”

Alon hesitated.

To be honest, if things went as planned, Alon’s next destination should’ve been Fildagreen, or the mage tower—or if not that, then Teria.

No, not just that. If he wanted to dig into Blackie properly, he needed to stop by the marquis’s estate first, too.

......Come to think of it, he had to consider Divine Land as well.

So he thought for only a moment.

Then he made a decision.

“......First, we go to Caliban.”

“Caliban?”

“Yes. We’ll head there, then I think we can return to the marquis’s estate.”

“......Ah, right. You do have work that needs to be handled at the marquis’s estate. Then I’ll assume we’re leaving tomorrow and make preparations in advance.”

Alon nodded, ending the conversation.

And so, the next day—after telling Karsemm he would be leaving Colony—

Alon was moving to board the carriage that, miraculously, hadn’t taken any damage despite the city being smashed to pieces, when—

“Thank you so much, Marquis!”

“Thank you!”

he ran into the people of Colony, bowing deeply to him.

Everyone was thanking him.

“.......”

It wasn’t like he’d done it to receive thanks—

but still, Alon scratched his cheek, embarrassed, accepting the greetings while also feeling a question rise up.

He had helped, but in the end, Seollang was the one who dealt with the Divine blood.

“Marquis, why do you look so sulky?”

“......Because Seollang killed the Divine blood......?”

“That’s true, but you weren’t exactly nothing either, Marquis.”

Evan didn’t seem to see it that way, at least.

“We’ll definitely repay this debt.”

Anyway, talking like that, Alon reached the carriage.

He exchanged final farewells with Karsemm.

“Teacher! If anything happens, call me anytime!”

“Okay.”

He also said goodbye to Seollang, who was smiling brightly.

“If you need me, call for me too.”

“Yeah, got it! And if you need me, Teacher, you have to tell me too! I’ll be waiting anytime!”

Seollang nodded while being petted by Alon.

Alon stared straight into Seollang’s eyes.

Then he boarded the carriage.

Soon, the carriage left Colony.

And after some time passed.

[Kyuu—]

[KRAAAAAAAH! You crazy bastard! Let me go! Hey! Don’t just watch—help me!!]

“Oh, right, Marquis. Come to think of it, there was something I still hadn’t told you.”

Alon, who had been watching Blackie turn into the swallowing one (small) and gulp Basiliora down, turned his gaze to Evan.

“More news?”

“In a lot of ways, yes.”

“What is it?”

“Yesterday, they say Divine blood appeared in Teria as well.”

“......In Teria?”

When Alon looked startled, Evan answered right away.

“But I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

“......Don’t tell me a friendly Divine blood appeared in Teria too.”

“No, not that....... Just to give you the conclusion first, they say Teria succeeded in dealing with the Divine blood.”

“Teria dealt with Divine blood?”

“Yes.”

At Evan’s answer, a question rose in Alon.

‘......Is there someone in Teria who can face Divine blood?’

But then Alon shook his head.

As far as he knew, there was no one in Teria who could stop Divine blood.

No—at this point, it was more accurate to say there was no country and no individual that could withstand Divine blood.

The Divine blood Alon had faced was so strong that even he—fully prepared and not letting his guard down—had been forced to click his tongue.

“......Who?”

So Alon asked, and—

“Well, honestly, I can’t say I believe it that much either, but.......”

Evan scratched his head, drew it out, then spoke.

“According to what the information guild passed along, it seems the king handled the Divine blood.”

“......The king?”

“Yes. At least, according to the information.”

It was the kind of news that could only turn his mind completely white.