The territory of the Luxibl Principality, Caslot.

“Ha—still the same.”

Reinhardt, one of Caliban’s Five Swords, murmured as he observed the ever-bustling scenery of Caslot.

“Captain, we must move quickly.”

“Ah, right.”

A woman who stood about two heads shorter than Reinhardt, Elise, who also served as the vice-captain of Reinhardt’s knights, the Sioran Order, spoke sharply.

“Please, don’t run away again.”

“I told you I wouldn’t run.”

“You said the same last time and still ran off, didn’t you?”

“That was due to circumstances—”

“Regardless, this time, it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Despite her small stature, she exuded an intimidating aura, firing off words rapidly.

Reinhardt scratched his head and replied.

“Don’t worry. No matter how reckless I may seem, I wouldn’t disgrace myself as an envoy of Caliban.”

“At least you still have some sense left, thankfully.”

“…What do you think I am?”

“If you run off again, I’ll have to ask the Solar Knights’ captain for help.”

The Solar Knights.

At those words, Reinhardt involuntarily frowned.

“That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Judging by your expression, that seems accurate.”

“Ha—”

A deep sigh escaped him.

Just thinking about that man made Reinhardt’s head spin.

“You know how insane it gets being around him, don’t you?”

“…Hmm.”

“If you even mention magic, it’s Marquis Palatio this, magic items, Marquis Palatio that, or anything remotely magical—he’ll invoke his name and spend an hour extolling his virtues!”

“Please stop talking.”

“I can’t help but get more annoyed! That guy has gotten even stronger, and now sparring with him is nearly impossible!”

As if he were about to burst, Reinhardt pounded his chest.

Watching him, Elise nodded.

“True, even when we were just talking about statues, he suddenly started praising Marquis Palatio—it was shocking.”

“Exactly! I nearly lost my mind, too.”

“Still, that’s why it’s better to send you. If I put it like this, you definitely won’t run away.”

“…You’re really too much.”

“Let’s go already.”

Elise turned on her small heels and walked briskly ahead.

Watching her retreating figure, Reinhardt shook his head in resignation and followed her toward the royal castle.

“It’s surprising, though. I didn’t expect the king to eliminate those corrupt factions and restore royal authority.”

“I feel the same. I thought he was just an idealistic figurehead. But I heard he struck a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes, thanks to that, Luxibl no longer venerates the Holy Kingdom of Rosario as its state religion. Instead, they worship another deity.”

“Another deity?”

Reinhardt was puzzled.

“Well, I don’t pray to gods myself, but is that even allowed?”

“Rosario hardly cared about Luxibl anyway, so they probably won’t do much. Though they might feel offended.”

“So, which deity are they worshiping now?”

After a brief silence, Elise replied to Reinhardt’s question.

“Um, I think it’s someone called ‘Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver.'”

“Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver?”

“Yes. Oh, look over there. That’s their statue.”

As they passed through the square, Elise pointed to the center.

Following her gaze, Reinhardt saw a towering statue.

“Huh?”

The statue looked oddly familiar to Reinhardt.

“They say they now worship that deity.”

“…That’s Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver?”

“Yes, apparently so.”

He stopped in his tracks and stared blankly at the statue.

The statue depicted a man in a dark coat, grasping lightning. Though the face was featureless,

Reinhardt instinctively associated it with someone he knew.

No, it wasn’t just a resemblance—the face was erased, but the figure unmistakably resembled that person.

It was Marquis Palatio.

And there was only one person who could orchestrate something like this.

“…Elise.”

“Yes?”

“Was the one who made the deal with Luxibl… Deus Macalian?”

It could only be that man—

“No? Why would you think that?”

Wait, no?

“Then why did you bring it up all of a sudden?”

Leaving Elise’s puzzled expression behind, Reinhardt could only stare at the statue with a perplexed look.

“…What in the world is this…?”

***

At that moment.

“Luxibl changed its state religion?”

“Yes, to Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver, apparently.”

“…Can a state religion be changed so easily?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but that’s what I heard.”

On the first night of their desert crossing with the caravan,

Alon heard the news from Evan.

“…But I’ve never heard of a god named Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver. What kind of deity is that?”

“I’ve never heard of it either.”

[Hmm, I think I might have heard of it before.]

“You have?”

When Alon asked, the small snake nodded.

[Though it was a long time ago, so I don’t remember well. Still, the name isn’t entirely unfamiliar.]

“So, you don’t really know either. Typical snake brain.”

Evan seized the chance to mock Basiliora.

[You insolent human!]

“Well, you’re just a snake.”

[I am a god!]

“Then why can’t you beat me?”

[Th-that’s because yesterday, luck wasn’t on my side!]

As their conversation shifted to the peculiar board game they’d played the previous night, their voices naturally grew louder.

“Life sure has gotten noisier these days.”

Alon mused, feeling oddly nostalgic for the silence of the past.

Still, he shrugged—it was better to have some liveliness than to dwell in solitude.

Just then—

“Godfather.”

“Yes?”

“Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver, seems to be a native deity of the Thunder Serpent Tribe.”

“Of the Thunder Serpent Tribe?”

“Yes.”

While riding in the carriage, Rine shared new information.

“So, does that mean the Luxibl Principality now worships the Thunder Serpent Tribe’s native god?”

“Hmm, based on the story, that seems to be the case?”

“…What a strange turn of events.”

Alon wore a curious expression.

“Would you like me to look into it further, Godfather?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Alon shook his head.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Regardless of why Luxibl Principality started believing in Kalanon, it wasn’t particularly important to him.

“Understood, Godfather.”

Rine immediately accepted his response and handed him something.

“Here, have this.”

“A sweet potato?”

“Yes. I prepared it in advance for you, Godfather.”

It was a perfectly cooked sweet potato, peeled just enough at the top for easy eating.

“…Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Rine smiled sweetly, clearly pleased.

As Alon accepted the sweet potato, he couldn’t help but feel slightly burdened despite his neutral expression.

After all, during their week-long journey, Rine had been taking care of him with remarkable diligence.

…Perhaps excessively so.

‘From preparing water for me to wash with as soon as I wake up, to personally making breakfast, lunch, and dinner… and even answering any questions I have immediately.’

Not to mention, if Alon mentioned feeling hot, she would bring out a cooling magic tool. She even managed to cook sweet potatoes over the fire without burning a single spot.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Thank you, Godfather. I’m happy you like it.”

Rine smiled again, her demeanor warm and cheerful.

Yet, despite her calling him ‘Godfather,’ Alon felt as if he were being doted on by an older sister.

“Please don’t hesitate to ask me for anything, Godfather. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“…Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. You’re my one and only Godfather, after all.”

As Rine’s voice, melodic like a song, flowed, Alon chewed on the sweet potato.

It was still as sweet as ever.

***

A few days later, as Alon continued his desert crossing, he halted the carriage in response to the blaring of an alarm and stepped outside.

“That’s a lot of them.”

“Indeed, there are many.”

They had encountered a group of desert bandits.

It seemed like a substantial number.

“Looks like a new bandit gang has formed?”

“Bandit gangs naturally form over time, after all.”

“…Still, they seem more numerous than the Crimson Sand Bandits.”

Alon scanned the horizon.

The cloud of sand forming in the distance didn’t bode well.

“…There must be at least several hundred of them.”

“Indeed.”

Even if they eliminated the Crimson Sand Bandits, the idea of completely eradicating banditry in such a place was impossible.

That thought lingered for only a moment.

“Why don’t you show them, Marquis?”

“Shouldn’t you, as the escort, handle this?”

“Come on, how could I take on all of them by myself?”

“…You’re really doubting yourself now?”

“Well, I’m more of the ‘support type,’ you know.”

As Alon pondered what that even meant, he reluctantly prepared to step forward.

However—

“Godfather, I’ll handle this.”

“…You?”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Rine, blocking his way with her usual smile, stepped forward.

As the bandits came into clearer view—

Kiiiiiing!

Rine’s voice resonated faintly, and above her head, a massive golden eye resembling a hologram appeared.

A haloed, radiant eye.

And then—

Pfft!

A short, piercing sound accompanied a golden cylindrical beam shooting out.

The beam split into dozens of strands, piercing through the approaching bandits in an instant.

It all took less than a minute.

The once-expanding cloud of dust on the horizon was now gone.

The bandits, pierced by the golden beams, were left tangled in a massive jungle-gym-like formation.

The previously tense merchants and mercenaries fell silent in shock.

Amidst the stunned silence, Rine calmly retrieved the golden beam and turned back.

“I’ve taken care of it, Godfather.”

She smiled her usual serene smile, her eyes twinkling playfully.

“…I see. But—what.”

“Yes?”

“…How did you do that?”

Alon, who had witnessed the entire process alongside Evan, couldn’t help but ask.

Though he knew from their past battles with Kylas that Rine had combat abilities,

…he hadn’t imagined anything like this.

“It’s all thanks to the artifact you gave me, Godfather.”

“…Something I gave you?”

“Yes.”

“…The Traveler’s Eye?”

“Yes. Though I’m still not fully accustomed to it, I’m starting to get the hang of it, Godfather.”

Alon slowly raised his head to look at the massive eye hovering behind Rine.

“That’s… the Traveler’s Eye?”

It looked completely different from what he had imagined.

‘What… is that…?’

A strange sense of fear crept over Alon’s entire body.

***

A week later, Alon and his party finally arrived at the colony.

And—

“Master!”

The moment they arrived, they were greeted by Seolrang, who ran straight to Alon.

“It’s been a while!”

“…Indeed, it has.”

Seolrang clung to him like a snake, wrapping her legs around his waist as she greeted him enthusiastically.

“Now, will you give me an answer!?”

“…Answer?”

With a radiant smile, she asked—

“It’s been two years! Are we getting married now?!”

“Ah.”

Faced with her pure and direct question, Alon could only let out a groan of exasperation.