Chapter 299 : Divine Land (2)
To be honest.
Hidan hadn't anticipated this kind of atmosphere at today's meeting at all.
This was the first meeting since Green Moon, whose whereabouts had been unknown, finally returned.
So he thought the meeting would proceed with a slightly softer tone than usual—
[It's been a while, Rine. I'm glad you returned without any major issues.]
[Yes. It's been a while, Yutia.]
But the atmosphere of the meeting was cold.
So cold, in fact, that Hidan thought he might freeze on the spot if the gazes of Red Moon or Green Moon happened to fall on him.
'Why is it so tense in here…?'
Hidan wondered amidst the frigid air.
But that curiosity didn't last long.
[So, Rine, why did you do that?]
[Which part are you referring to?]
[I'm talking about the brooch.]
[The brooch? Oh, you mean the one on the Marquis's chest?]
[Yes, that one. You deliberately took it off and put it in your pocket, didn't you?]
Yutia's mouth was smiling, but her voice held absolutely no emotion.
In contrast, Rine, who had been speaking kindly until now, let out a small exclamation.
[That? Well—]
She gave a sweet smile.
[I thought it might hit my head when I hugged my godfather.]
As if to provoke.
[Eh—wait, what? Rine! You hugged Great Moon and slipped the brooch into the pocket?!]
The one who reacted with a loud voice wasn't Yutia but Seolrang.
Seolrang looked at Rine with a face full of betrayal, but Rine didn't even glance at her and continued to look at Yutia.
Yutia smiled even more deeply and spoke.
[Rine, you shouldn't remove that without permission, okay? It's to protect the Great Moon.]
[Oh, that brooch? Did it have some kind of effect or something?]
Rine was startled, covering her mouth with her hand.
[…You already knew that, didn't you?]
[I didn't know.]
She added, "Not at all," and gently shook her head.
Seeing that, Seolrang, who just moments ago was glaring at her as if she were a traitor, rolled her eyes.
And it wasn't just Seolrang.
Everyone present began shifting their gazes awkwardly.
Because they all knew.
They all realized the situation had gotten much worse than before.
Trying to read the room, Radan spoke up.
[Ahem, uh, Deus?]
[What is it?]
[Didn't you say you were with Brother the other day? Did anything happen then?]
He deliberately tried to steer the topic toward Deus.
And soon, Seolrang's eyes lit up with admiration as she looked at Radan.
She had immediately realized his intention—to use Deus's clueless praise of Alon to smooth over this cold atmosphere.
[Yeah, I was wondering too!]
Seolrang quickly chimed in.
To help Radan, she asked a question she normally never would have.
Then—
[Aah—come to think of it, I haven't told that story yet—]
Deus, who took the bait right away, started reminiscing as if recalling fond memories.
'Amazing…!?'
Even Hidan was impressed by the strategy.
[Deus.]
[Can't you see we're having a conversation right now?]
But then Rine and Yutia's icy voices cut in.
Just as Deus was about to speak, he froze in place.
[Ahem, well, I'm terribly sorry, but something urgent just came up.]
He suddenly said that.
Of course, just saying you suddenly have something to do isn't a valid excuse to leave a Blue Moon meeting.
Everyone knew that, and no one had ever dared use that excuse before.
[B-But I must be going.]
Deus thought that Rine and Yutia's stares were at least a hundred times colder than when his sister, Silly, got mad—and immediately turned off his orb.
[Now that I think about it, I need to get back to training—]
[Come to think of it, we'll all be gathering again soon anyway… Why not just talk then?]
As if triggered by Deus, the other Moons also left with similar excuses.
And thus, the only ones remaining were Rine and Yutia—along with Hidan.
Even if the others could handle it, Hidan knew he couldn't.
And so, he had no choice but to remain in this suffocating space alone.
While trying to regulate his breathing just to stay alive—
[Rine.]
Yutia spoke up.
[Wouldn't it be best to be content with the position you currently hold?]
She raised the corners of her mouth as she said it.
But her eyes still weren't smiling.
No—more than just not smiling, they looked slightly menacing.
By now, the conversation should've been wrapping up.
Even if Green Moon sometimes clashed subtly with Red Moon, Hidan believed that in the end, Green Moon still watched Red Moon's reactions closely.
But—
[Mmm— I never really wanted anything more, you know?]
[…Are you being serious?]
[Yes. Because Godfather is my Godfather. But—]
The returned Green Moon was different somehow.
[If Godfather sees it differently, then that's another matter.]
She said that to the threatening figure with a chilling smile.
At that, Red Moon briefly stopped smiling.
However—
[There's no way he would think differently of you. You're his precious daughter.]
Red Moon soon smiled again.
This time, Green Moon's expression briefly stiffened.
[Still, I'm closer than you.]
She responded plainly, as if stating the obvious.
A crack formed in Red Moon's smile once more.
But Green Moon paid no mind—
[Well then, I'll see you again.]
She left with a bright smile.
Hidan instinctively glanced at Yutia.
But strangely, the furious expression she had just moments ago—
"…?"
Had somehow turned relaxed.
Just as Hidan was wondering why—
[…Hidan.]
"Yes!"
[Let's postpone the meeting.]
"…? Oh, understood."
Yutia left the meeting as if nothing had happened.
Still puzzled, Hidan also ended his orb connection.
And the next day.
"Is that really true?"
"Yeah, I heard the entire temple where Red Moon was staying suddenly collapsed."
Hidan heard that news from Yuna, whom he'd met for the first time in a while to exchange information.
Hidan began to dread the meeting scheduled for tonight.
***
A few days later.
Just as Alon was about to leave Fildagreen and return to the Marquis' estate—
"I'll help you dress."
"…As I said last time, I'm fine."
Lately, he'd been feeling oddly uncomfortable with the elves' excessive kindness.
Their devotion had started when he became royalty, but until recently it hadn't really bothered him.
Because whenever Alon declined politely, they would back off without pushing further.
But ever since he dealt with Sin—
"I really want to do this for you, may I?"
"…If you insist, then go ahead."
Even when he declined, more and more people were insistent on showing him their "kindness."
So lately, that discomfort had only grown stronger.
And that wasn't all.
"I greet the Primordial Elf."
Now, every time he encountered someone, they'd immediately kneel before him.
Of course, Alon was still human, so he didn't completely hate being revered.
But still, it all felt a bit excessive.
"Godfather."
"Rine."
On his way to see Rine, Alon had already been greeted reverently by elves over five times.
He let out a sigh and sat across from her.
"Did you sleep well?"
When Alon asked, Rine hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.
"No."
"…Is something wrong?"
"Hmm— I'm just having trouble adjusting to a new bed. I think I could sleep well if you helped a little, godfather…"
As Rine trailed off, Alon readily responded.
"I'll help."
"Really?"
"Yes."
When Alon confirmed once more, Rine gave a faint smile.
"Then, could you maybe stay next to me while I fall asleep?"
She leaned slightly toward him.
"…What?"
Alon was flustered.
But Rine gave a teasing smile.
"Just kidding, godfather. I've been sleeping just fine."
She giggled as if amused.
"…So, didn't you say you had something to tell me today?"
Looking at her playfully smiling face, Alon cleared his throat and changed the subject.
The reason he had come to see Rine was because she said she had something important to tell him.
At that, Rine stopped giggling and said, "The reason I asked to see you today is about your power, godfather."
She got to the point.
"…My power?"
"Yes. It's about fully making your divinity your own."
"Fully making my divinity mine?"
"Of course, I know you handle your divine power well. But right now, it's like you're borrowing another god's divinity, isn't it?"
"Borrowing another god's divinity…"
"To be precise, even if you're the core of that god's being, you're still using a name that isn't yours."
"…Is that a problem?"
"There's nothing inherently wrong with it. But it does have clear limits. A divinity that wasn't created by you won't truly suit you."
After pondering her words briefly, Alon asked, "So what you're saying is—I need to create a divinity that fits me. Is that right?"
"Exactly. More specifically, it's a process of unifying the divided aspects of your divinity."
"A process of unifying divided divinity?"
Rine nodded.
"Yes, if you'll allow me, I'd like to show you the method.
From what I've gathered, if you create and use a divinity that's purely your own, it'll definitely be more beneficial than your current state. For example—"
She added, "In your current spells, godfather."
"…My spells?"
"Yes. From what I've 'read,' spells and divinity are like puzzle pieces."
"Puzzle pieces, huh."
"Each piece can function on its own, but together they create a far greater power."
"You got this knowledge from the forbidden section of the library, didn't you?"
"Yes. Though I didn't unlock everything. The price for accessing the forbidden section last time was paid entirely by Agui's body, after all."
Alon nodded.
That was the same answer she'd given when he asked her about the forbidden knowledge she had acquired.
After stroking his chin for a moment, Alon looked Rine straight in the eyes.
"Then what do I need to do to truly obtain my own divinity? Do I have to gather faith in a crisis like before?"
"No, there's no need for that. You already have more than enough faith. What you need now is something else."
Something else.
As Alon looked at her, Rine raised three fingers.
"You'll need three things: divine land, divine people, and a knight order."
Alon's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected answer.
"To put it simply, think of it like forming a Rosario."
"…That sounds a little too large-scale."
"There's no need to overthink it. If you just follow my guidance, it won't be that hard to build."
At her continued reassurance, Alon nodded and listened carefully.
And a little later—
"Evan."
"Yes, Marquis?"
"Send a letter to the estate."
"All of a sudden…? Aren't you going back to the territory soon anyway?"
"I am, but there's something I need to pass on ahead of time."
Though surprised by the sudden order, Evan quickly pulled out a pen.
"What should I write?"
"Write that we're recruiting a Holy Knight Order."
"A Holy Knight Order?"
"Yes."
"…Hmm, alright. Got it."
Evan nodded without questioning further.
Seeing that, Alon gave him a hesitant look and asked, "Does it sound… weird to you?"
"Sorry? What does?"
"The part about recruiting a Holy Knight Order."
"Oh—well—Considering you're already using divine power and elves kneel the moment they see you, this isn't all that surprising."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes. Anyway, it just so happens that Penia is in contact with the Magic Tower, so I'll include this along with that communication.
Do you want to include any specific conditions?"
At Evan's question, Alon shook his head.
"No, no need to be too detailed. Even though it's a knight order, we're just gathering people on a trial basis for now."
"Understood."
Surprisingly, the letter was sent to the estate without issue.
And then, a few days later—
"Hm? Recruiting a Holy Knight Order?"
A letter written by Evan was in Alexion's hands.
'…What is this?'
He stared at the letter again with a puzzled expression.
But the content was just one line.
That Marquis Palatio was recruiting a Holy Knight Order.
"…What is this even supposed to mean?"
Alexion's expression subtly twisted.
Naturally.
The letter contained nothing beyond that statement.
No mention of how many recruits, no criteria, no explanation of what kind of knight order this was.
No specifics whatsoever.
Still, having received the letter, he couldn't exactly ignore it.
"…Well, I guess I'll just post a notice?"
Following Alon's letter, Alexion decided to post a recruitment notice for the Holy Knight Order, setting a two-month application window.
He had no idea that this small task—
Would become something much bigger.
And exactly ten days later—
"…Now this is fascinating."
"We have to leave immediately."
"Master's knight order!?"
"Marquis is forming a knight order—"
A single rumor began to spread across the entire Allied Kingdoms.
Marquis Palatio—
Was forming a Holy Knight Order.