“Is that… really true?”

Magrina’s question.

“!”

Perion was shocked.

The elven queen, Magrina, was benevolent and a wise ruler who smiled upon all, but she never showed her personal emotions openly.

That was the role of a monarch.

A being who must protect the people and always lead for their sake.

They could never reveal weakness.

Thus, for hundreds of years as queen, she had never displayed emotions other than benevolence and anger before her subordinates.

But now, Magrina, who had strictly upheld that rule for so long, was showing emotions other than joy or anger in front of her subordinates for the first time.

Confusion and hope.

“Please, tell me more.”

At Magrina’s urging, Philde broke her silence.

“First, let me reiterate, Your Majesty. What I am about to say is purely speculation.”

“Even so, you believe that the marquis, the primordial elf, my brother, is him, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then explain why.”

An anxious demand.

Philde recounted everything that happened at the Marquis Palatio’s estate.

The time when she used magic to observe the marquis from the outskirts of the estate.

How she had glimpsed the marquis’s soul through her spiritual sight.

And finally, the black pupils at the end.

“…Haa—”

After finishing the tale, Philde took a moment to catch her breath before summarizing the key points.

“In conclusion, the soul of Marquis Palatio did not match his body. In other words, someone else’s soul resides in his body.”

“As Your Majesty knows, it’s inconceivable for a mere human to possess such a golden soul. Just as a sage cannot become a god, and a hero cannot ascend to godhood.”

Philde stared at the queen intently.

“……This is why I suspect that Marquis Palatio may be the primordial elf.”

“Then the reason my brother cannot return is—”

“As I mentioned, the person presumed to be the primordial elf has something strange attached to him.”

Recalling the scene, Philde involuntarily gagged, though she quickly regained composure.

“I couldn’t confirm it completely, but based on my assessment, this strange entity is entangled with him.”

“Entangled?”

“Yes. To an extent where they cannot be separated—complexly and chaotically intertwined. I suspect this may be why the primordial elf cannot come here.”

Magrina fell silent.

Her eyes trembled more than ever before.

A mixture of hope and confusion consumed her gaze.

“Then—”

Her lips quivered as she bit them, her head bowed low.

“Couldn’t he at least tell me?!”

A tearful voice escaped.

“Couldn’t he at least say… that he’s alive, that he has returned…?!”

How long had she searched? How long had she waited?

To her murmurs, Philde responded.

“That was also puzzling to me, but I believe it may be due to a ‘restriction.'”

“A restriction?”

Philde nodded.

“This, too, is purely speculation, but as Your Majesty knows, a dead soul occupying a living body is abnormal. It shouldn’t happen. A dead soul disrupts the order of humanity.”

“Continue.”

“In my opinion, the primordial elf may have made a contract involving ‘restrictions’ with that strange entity. His soul is intertwined with it to such an extent. The restriction likely prevents him from engaging with ties from his previous life.”

“Why would he accept such a restriction?”

This time, Philde shook her head.

“I cannot imagine. It’s merely my guess, based on the fact that he transferred blessings instead of directly involving himself.”

“……”

“Once again, this is purely my speculation. I have no way to know the truth. But despite that, I say this because—”

Philde glanced at Perion, who stepped forward after a long silence.

“Your Majesty, may I continue?”

“Go ahead.”

“……Marquis Palatio uses ‘words’ and ‘symbols.'”

“!! That means—”

“……Yes, just like the primordial elf, he is a mage. Furthermore, upon personal investigation, it became clear that the marquis has achieved feats impossible for an ordinary human.”

After a pause, Perion added,

“He has defeated not one but two Outer gods, numerous artificial gods, and recently handled a monstrous entity. All of this—done by a mere human.”

“……”

“This is why we suspect he is the primordial elf.”

Though Perion finished speaking, the queen remained silent.

Her heart pounded violently.

Memories from centuries ago, memories she could never forget, resurfaced in her mind.

—You’re the only one.

—You must do it.

—You must lead the elves well.

—Please, I beg of you.

Even though he foresaw his death, he smiled as he stroked her hair.

After a long silence, the queen finally spoke.

“……Perion.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare yourself.”

“……What?”

“I must meet him in person. I must confirm whether he is truly who I believe he is.”

With eyes full of resolve, she looked at Perion.

***

Alon managed to clear the Iron-Blood Citadel without any harm, thanks to Eliban’s help.

“Is this what you need?”

“Indeed.”

“I’ll give it to you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

And thus, he obtained the item he desired.

It felt almost too easy, but there was no reason to refuse.

Alon accepted the item Eliban handed him with a bright smile.

It was an artifact obtained from the Iron-Blood Citadel.

To be precise, an artifact disguised as an “object.”

‘The Footsteps of the Past.’

Alon, staring at the object shaped like feet running on the ground and forged from dark steel, spoke to Eliban.

“…Thank you.”

“No, don’t mention it! After all, you came here to help me at my request! Is there anything else you need?”

Alon shook his head.

From the beginning, the only thing he needed from the Iron-Blood Citadel was the ‘Footsteps of the Past.’

Most of the items from this place were warrior-class weapons, and even the rare mage-class items weren’t particularly useful to him.

“No, this is enough.”

Alon carefully stowed away the ‘Footsteps of the Past.’

The eerie gate, which had been open, began to fade away.

After watching the scene, Alon and his group headed to the nearest territory, the Duchy of Zenonia.

By the time they arrived at the Zenonia Duchy’s lands, it was already dusk.

“I suppose we’ll meet again next time.”

“Yes, understood! If I need your help again, may I request it?”

“Sure, as long as it’s not too demanding.”

“Thank you!”

Eliban bowed deeply before moving on with his companion toward the territory.

“Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been feeling something odd for a while now. May I share it?”

“Speak.”

Left alone, Evan, as if waiting for this moment, began to voice his thoughts.

“I’ve been thinking, this Eliban guy… He came to us for help because he felt there was danger, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But doesn’t it seem strange? He has skills far beyond what he let on. Why would he come to you for help at all?”

“That’s true.”

The inconsistency Evan pointed out had also been bothering Alon.

Eliban’s words and actions didn’t quite align.

Alon, with a neutral expression masking his thoughts, quietly gazed at the place where Eliban had disappeared.

‘What is it, really?’

He considered multiple possibilities.

A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Of those, he identified a few plausible ones.

He narrowed it down to three hypotheses.

Eliban may have summoned him here for a specific purpose.

Or he may have intended to harm him.

…Or perhaps, he was acting on someone else’s request.

However, Alon quickly shook his head.

It didn’t seem like Eliban intended to harm him.

If that had been his goal, he would have had plenty of opportunities, both before entering the eerie gate and within it.

‘If anything, he was overprotective.’

Eliban’s behavior in the Iron-Blood Citadel didn’t match that of someone with malicious intent.

So the remaining possibilities were either that he summoned Alon for a specific purpose or acted at someone else’s behest.

But neither explanation felt quite right.

If he had suffered any harm, he could have used that as a basis for speculation. But instead, he easily acquired what he needed without any losses.

For that reason—

‘What could it be?’

Alon’s confusion only deepened as he absentmindedly stroked the head of Blackie, who had popped out at some point.

***

“Eliban.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“…Why did you hide it all this time?”

The Inn at Zenonia Territory

In the quiet inn, Yan hesitated before speaking, her voice wavering. Eliban looked at her.

“Hmm? About what?”

“…Your strength.”

“Ah—”

He scratched his cheek awkwardly, as if unsure of how to respond.

“Sorry? I meant to tell you eventually, but I thought it was still too early.”

Eliban replied with a sheepish smile.

But Yan’s expression didn’t soften.

“…If you had that level of power, couldn’t you have helped in the last situation? Or the one before that?”

She couldn’t let it go.

Eliban’s party had been through life-and-death situations multiple times.

“When Ralph was about to be crushed to death by the Giant Wood, or when I almost had my soul devoured by the witch—never once did you use that power.”

It wasn’t just about him hiding his strength that angered her.

It was the fact that, despite having such immense power, he didn’t use it in situations where his party members’ lives were on the line.

It implied that their deaths weren’t important enough for him to reveal his strength.

“But for Marquis Palatio—”

Yan’s brows furrowed even deeper.

To her, the threat facing Marquis Palatio seemed trivial compared to the brushes with death they had endured as a party.

Yet Eliban had revealed his secret without hesitation to protect him.

The secret he had kept even when their lives were at stake.

However, Eliban remained calm.

“…Yan, I know what you’re trying to say.”

“Then—!”

“But this was unavoidable. How do I put it… it’s like a ‘habit.'”

“…A habit?”

“Yeah. I’m not lying. It’s really a ‘habit.'”

His serene blue eyes glimmered softly as he took a step closer.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he spoke.

“And in time, you’ll understand.”

“…Understand what?”

“The reason I acted this way.”

He enunciated every word deliberately, almost as if weighing each syllable.

“He is an incredibly important person.”

There was an unsettling fervor in his blue eyes.

“More important than anyone else.”

“…”

Under the rising blue moon, Yan met his gaze, and a peculiar chill ran down her spine.