[I’m so sorry……………!]

Alon couldn’t say anything as he looked at Tovette, who had her head hung low with a tearful expression. To be fair, even Alon hadn’t anticipated this situation at all.

“Is this… even possible?”

Alon stared blankly at Seolrang, who was beaming with a radiant smile, as if seeking praise, completely different from the menacing golden eyes she’d shown earlier.

‘No, but seriously, how did she catch him?’

Alon couldn’t stop marveling at the scene in front of him. It was an utterly unbelievable feat—capturing Tovette was, in essence, an impossible task. After all, Tovette was akin to a game character capable of moving over 100 spaces in a single turn.

“How… how did you catch him?”

The question slipped out before he even realized it. Seolrang, tilting her head innocently, replied without hesitation.

“I just caught him.”

Her answer was far too casual.

“…Oh.”

“Well, it’s technically true,” Alon thought, “but a lot of details are missing…”

‘No, seriously, what on earth?’

Sure, Alon had already learned from prior experience that Seolrang was fast, but this was beyond his imagination.

‘At this rate… she could probably cross the desert in less than two days. No, more than that… she’s already way past ordinary levels, just like Deus.’

He found himself marveling once again at the talents of the Five Great Sins.

‘Now that I think about it, she wasn’t strong because a god descended upon her. She was just born like this, wasn’t she?’

As he pondered this, Alon couldn’t help but feel a bit pathetic about his own small, powerless body. But he quickly shook off his gloom and turned his attention back to Tovette. After all, the current situation was still unfolding.

Tovette, whose neck had been grabbed in an instant and who had been threatened by Seolrang, seemed utterly shaken with fear.

Seeing her terrified expression, Alon asked,

“Does this count as capturing you?”

[It counts……….]

“…”

[It counts.]

With a furtive glance at the smiling Seolrang, Tovette hung her head in resignation.

“So, now we’re the ones who need to run, right?”

[Huh? Oh, yes.]

Tovette nodded hesitantly, her movements awkward and uncertain.

“Seolrang, can you handle it?”

“Of course, Master! I’m super fast!”

Seolrang puffed up with confidence, placing her hands on her hips. Alon glanced at Tovette, who looked nervous.

“Then let’s begin.”

[Yes. When the hourglass above my head flips, we’ll start. You have one minute to run.]

Despite Tovette’s timid demeanor, Alon felt a rising tension. On the surface, Tovette looked like a young girl who hadn’t fully grown, but in truth, she was a fairy who had lived for hundreds of years.

And as fairies could resurrect even after death, threats to her life didn’t intimidate her.

Alon, knowing this, suspected Tovette’s fear was merely an act to catch them off guard. He carefully observed the fairy, whose hourglass, placed at the center of the arena, began to flip and count down.

“As expected…”

Alon noticed the subtle upward curve at the corner of Tovette’s lips, belying her frightened eyes. It was a wicked, sly smile.

Seolrang, who had been watching Tovette intently, suddenly called out,

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“If I get caught, can we try again?”

“Try again?”

Alon glanced at the hourglass, now turned 90 degrees, and replied,

“Hmm, probably.”

“Ha! So we can try again?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded, recalling the rule that fairies must always accept challenges from humans.

And the moment the hourglass completed its rotation and the trial officially began—

“?”

Tovette didn’t move.

Neither did Seolrang.

‘…Are they moving too fast for my eyes to follow?’

Without realizing it, Alon had briefly entertained a peculiar thought but, of course, it wasn’t true.

The two of them—Tovette and Seolrang—truly hadn’t moved at all.

“?”

Confused, Alon could only furrow his brow in disbelief. Yet even as they stood still, the sand in the hourglass continued to fall steadily.

One minute later—

“Wow! I won!”

“…”

Alon turned to see Seolrang raising both arms in triumph, shouting gleefully. Beside her, Tovette hung her head low, her face slightly pale as though still reeling from whatever had just transpired.

That day, Alon obtained the artifact known as the Hand of the Wandering One.

“Thanks to you,” he said to Seolrang.

“For Master? I’d do anything!”

Radiating confidence and pride, Seolrang’s demeanor made Alon feel a warm sense of gratitude.

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll grant it.”

“Really!?”

“Of course. Well, within reason. If it’s too difficult, I’ll have to think about it.”

“Hmm~ Then can I take some time to think it over?”

“Go ahead.”

They exchanged light-hearted banter as they left the arena. As they approached the entrance to the underground prison, a question popped into Alon’s mind.

“By the way, why were both of you standing still earlier?”

“Hm? Earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm~ I don’t know. She wasn’t moving, so I just stood still too. I thought I’d move when she did.”

Her nonchalant response left Alon staring at her in disbelief.

“What? Why?”

Seolrang’s innocent expression made Alon shrug and continue walking out of the cave. The incident passed in the stillness of the early morning, with not a single soul around to witness it.

***

The three days spent in Tern flew by in a blur. By the fourth day, the conference had officially ended, transitioning into a period of camaraderie without any formal meetings.

For Alon, this meant: ‘If I’m going to act, I need to act quickly.’

Having already gained everything he needed, Alon decided to leave without hesitation.

“Master, you’re leaving already!?”

“I’ve got things to do.”

“…Oh…”

Hearing this, Seolrang’s tail drooped dramatically. While not as if her world was crumbling, her disappointment was plain for anyone to see. It reminded Alon of a child’s endearing pout, prompting him to add:

“I’ll come visit again sometime.”

“Really!?”

“Sure.”

Though he didn’t entirely mean it, he knew he’d soon have to travel near her again to meet the Dragonkin. Pacifying her with this promise, Alon bid Seolrang a brief farewell and quickly set off.

***

Shortly afterward, Alon visited Deus to say goodbye.

“Are you talking about Ronavelli?” Deus asked.

“Yes.”

“Then allow me to accompany you.”

Alon blinked. “Together?”

“Yes. I was already planning to go to Ronavelli.”

“…Why?”

At Alon’s question, Deus explained:

“One year ago, Reinhardt entered Ronavelli and hasn’t returned.”

“So… you’re going to find him?”

“Yes. We do have a lead, but none of the knights have been able to bring him back.”

“A lead, but the knights couldn’t bring him back?”

“They suspect he’s in the ‘Selvanus Sector.’”

“Oh.”

Suddenly, everything clicked for Alon. The knights’ inability to retrieve Reinhardt now made perfect sense.

‘Of course… the Selvanus Sector.’

The Selvanus Sector was a vast, unexplored jungle within Ronavelli—one of three charted regions—and home to grotesquely mutated monsters.

The likelihood of an ordinary knight surviving in the Selvanus Sector was slim—once inside, they would likely be reduced to nothing but bones. After all, even in the game Psychedelia, the Selvanus Sector wasn’t accessible until the mid-to-late stages of the storyline.

‘Using the Blessing of the Ruins would work, but there’s no way the knights would know about that.’

Recalling the game’s mechanics, Alon nodded lightly.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“Yes, I’ll accompany you.”

And so, that day, Alon departed for Ronavelli with Deus.

***

Traveling to Ronavelli over several days with Deus turned out to be more enjoyable than Alon had anticipated. When they first boarded the carriage together, Alon had worried it would be an awkward, silent journey, much like their past interactions. However, to his surprise, Deus was unusually talkative this time.

Because of that—

“…Seems like we’re almost there.”

“It appears so.”

As the air grew damp enough to soak through their clothes, Alon realized they were nearing the edge of the jungle. He began mentally organizing the tasks he needed to accomplish during their time in Ronavelli.

First Task: The Ruins of Malacca

Alon nodded lightly to himself. Visiting the ruins of Malacca wouldn’t be too challenging since he already knew their location from a side quest in the game.

Although the game depicted the ruins as being inaccessible due to a collapsed entrance, the real world might be different.

Second Task: Finding the Matching Bracelet

Reaching into his coat, Alon retrieved a bracelet—one he had recently obtained in Tern. By itself, the bracelet had no function or power.

‘…The other half should be in the Hermit’s Sanctuary.’

If he could retrieve the other bracelet from the Hermit’s Sanctuary and combine the two, the resulting artifact would become invaluable to him in his current state.

Third Task: Preparing for the “Forgotten One”

The last and perhaps most critical task was to locate an item capable of countering the “Forgotten One.”

Unlike the other otherworldly beings Alon had faced so far, the Forgotten One was already fully manifested in this world. This made it a much greater threat.

“Phew.”

How much time had passed as Alon exhaled a small sigh and finished his thoughts?

“We’ve arrived.”

Alon soon realized that they had reached a small duchy bordering the jungle: the territory of Luxible, specifically the domain of Caslot. Climbing out of the carriage, he braced himself for the trek into the jungle.

From this point on, they would need to walk to the exploration camp established by mages and adventurers deeper inside the jungle.

The trio—Alon, Deus, and their guide—headed straight for the southern gate leading toward the jungle. As soon as they passed through the gate—

“Sir, it looks like this is your first time here. Do you need a guide? Just tell me your destination, and I’ll take you there right away!”

Hawkers swarmed them, eager to sell their services. It was as if they had been waiting for fresh faces to appear.

‘…I expected there to be a lot, but this is far more than I imagined.’

The area near the exploration camp was a hotbed of relics and ruins, making it a prime location for artifact discoveries. Naturally, this drew a steady stream of adventurers and starry-eyed mercenaries hoping to strike it big.

Alon took a step back from the aggressive hawkers.

“I’m fine. I already know my destination.”

“Oh, come on, sir! This jungle is a maze, and it’s all too easy to get lost!”

“Even so, I’ll manage.”

Alon firmly declined, and only then did the hawker reluctantly give up, turning and disappearing into the crowd.

“There sure are a lot of hawkers here,” Evan commented.

“Indeed,” Alon replied.

Just as they were exchanging observations—

“Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“Should I kill that man just now?”

“…What?”

Alon was baffled by Deus’s sudden suggestion.

“Why?”

“He insulted you.”

“…He did?”

“Yes, I heard it clearly.”

“Well…”

While being insulted wasn’t exactly pleasant, Alon didn’t think it warranted a death sentence. Shaking his head, he dismissed the idea.

“There’s no need for that.”

“As you wish.”

Deus nodded obediently, though his calm demeanor did little to ease Alon’s bewilderment.

“Still,” Alon added, “thank you for considering my feelings.”

Assuming Deus had made the suggestion out of concern for him, Alon nodded appreciatively, albeit with a faint smile.

But exactly five minutes later—

“Marquis.”

“…What is it now?”

“Should I kill the hawker from earlier?”

“…Why this time?”

“He insulted you again after you refused him and walked away.”

“…Don’t.”

“Understood.”

By the time they reached the southern gate that led into the jungle, Deus had made no less than eight offers to kill the hawkers. Each time, he seemed genuinely regretful as he gazed after the offending individuals, his hand absently resting on his sword hilt.

At this point, Alon couldn’t help but wonder:

‘Wait… did he awaken some kind of bloodlust or something?’

A strange unease began to settle in Alon’s chest.