Alon doesn’t know much about ‘Zukurak, the Scarred.’

From the beginning, Zukurak was a character created for DLC promotion, possessing ridiculously overpowered abilities.

For Alon, who took pride in clearing Psychedelia without relying on DLC, there was no need to know about him.

Naturally, his knowledge about Zukurak was very shallow.

‘At best, I only know that the one inside that black armor is a Lizardman and that he’s strong.’

That was it—just those two facts.

Because he knew nothing more, Alon could only be more confused.

Why was Zukurak bowing his head to him like that?

He couldn’t even begin to guess the reason.

So, he turned to Duke Merkiliane, hoping to find some clue.

“???”

…………But the Duke was staring at him and Zukurak with wide eyes, clearly at a loss.

In the end—

“……What do you mean by that?”

“Just as I said. I can’t believe the great one’s friend has truly reincarnated!”

“R-Reincarnated?”

Even though Alon asked, Zukurak kept repeating the same words as if he were satisfied with his own assumptions.

And then, there was Duke Merkiliane, who had started forming his own strange misunderstanding.

Seeing the two of them, Alon hurriedly spoke.

“Sorry, but I think there’s a misunderstanding. Not only do I have no idea who this ‘great one’ you’re talking about is, but I also don’t even know you.”

Alon spoke plainly.

“…?”

Zukurak tilted his head slightly and studied Alon.

As if wondering, ‘Did I really make a mistake?’

But only for a moment.

“Haha—”

Zukurak suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“You do not need to test me, my lord! Even though I am but a mere mortal, I have received power from the great one, allowing me to recognize and discern your aura.”

“……Ah.”

Only then did Alon realize what Zukurak was seeing.

Because, in reality, he did possess an aura.

However, Alon never considered that his aura had any connection to the Lizardmen.

Their lands were beyond Greynifra, the domain of the Elves.

Yes, that should be the case…

‘But then again, I thought I had nothing to do with the Primordial Elf, yet I ended up being connected to them. Could it be possible I have ties to the Lizardmen as well?’

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant.

But before he could fully process it—

“Anyway, since I’ve confirmed it, I shall take my leave! The great one will surely be pleased!”

Before Alon could organize his thoughts, Zukurak bid him farewell.

Alon considered asking something but remained silent.

By now, he had started to realize something.

No matter what he said, Zukurak, with his cheerful laughter, would never believe him.

Moreover—

There was no need to go into detail about his trip to Greynifra or how he acquired his aura.

Even though Siyan had made a request and Alon had traveled there with ease, the Allied Kingdom and the Allied Races never had a particularly good relationship.

If Zukurak were the only one present, it wouldn’t matter. But with Duke Merkiliane around, there was no reason to explain everything in detail.

Thus—

“Then, I shall return once more with a letter from the great one!”

“Ah, well, go ahead then. Marquis.”

Alon didn’t stop Zukurak or Duke Merkiliane from leaving.

Shortly after they departed from the territory—

“Marquis.”

“What.”

“How does it feel to be considered the friend of someone incredibly great, even though you don’t know who it is?”

“……It’s complicated.”

Alon pretended to ask himself the question, but—

“I figured as much. But what if it’s someone like Basiliora?”

[? Why are you suddenly picking a fight with me?]

“I’m not picking a fight. I’m just stating facts.”

[You brat—! I should’ve swallowed you whole when I first descended—!!]

Watching Evan naturally bicker with Basiliora, Alon shook his head.

***

The next day.

Alon, preparing to deal with the mountain of work that had piled up at the Marquis’ estate, was in for a surprise.

There was far less paperwork than he had expected.

For a moment, he was confused, but he quickly found out why.

“Radan took charge of the work?”

“Y-Yes.”

Unlike the last time he saw him, Alexion now looked utterly exhausted.

Seeing him, Alon let out a quiet sigh.

‘Come to think of it, he did mention something like that on his birthday.’

Radan had confidently declared, “I know people who will do a great job!”

And as if to prove his words,

Alexion had neatly processed all the documents, leaving Alon with only the final approvals.

‘He does seem competent… though he looks incredibly worn out.’

Though his expression remained indifferent, Alon felt a slight pang of sympathy.

His appearance was quite pitiful.

‘Hmm, where have I seen that kind of face before? Ah—Penia looked like that too.’

Well, regardless.

Since he had no intention of returning to the hellish workload he had endured before—

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

He couldn’t afford to let go of such a useful worker who had come rolling in on his own.

Alexion nodded with a strange expression—one that could neither be classified as a smile nor a frown.

Still, Alon knew he had to compensate him properly.

“Since you’re handling such a tough job, I’ll make sure you’re paid fairly. How about this?”

Alon casually handed him a sheet of paper.

Alexion, still looking weary, checked its contents.

“I’ll do my absolute best~!!”

He saluted with an almost explosive enthusiasm.

Even though he had just said the same words, this time, his voice was overflowing with sincerity.

‘As expected, money is king.’

Alon once again felt the power of wealth.

After parting ways with the now jubilant Alexion—

‘Should I head to see Penia right away now that the work is done?’

Alon was about to set off to see Penia when he suddenly turned his gaze toward the window.

There it was.

Still standing tall in the center of his territory ever since his birthday.

—To be honest, it was still a little, no, very embarrassing—

A massive statue.

At that moment—

“Marquis, what are you doing?”

“Hm? Oh, I was just looking at the statue.”

“Ah, do you know? I heard an interesting rumor when I returned to the estate.”

Evan, who had approached before he realized it, whispered in a hushed voice.

“They say the statue’s eyes sometimes move.”

“……The eyes move?”

“Yes.”

“Is it a ghost story?”

“It spread like one, but it seems like more people have been claiming to see it recently.”

The eyes.

Alon looked at the statue’s two eyes.

‘If those things actually moved, that would be terrifying.’

No matter how many times he looked at it, the diamond eyes were somewhat overwhelming.

“Well, since it appeared so suddenly, I suppose a few ghost stories are bound to pop up.”

“That’s true.”

“……Ah, now that I think about it, what happened to that creature? The one Radan brought back.”

“Oh, that one? We released it into the pond in the garden.”

“……The pond?”

“Yes, you should be able to see it if you head that way.”

Following Evan, Alon moved toward the window overlooking the garden.

“Kyah— So cute!”

“Why does it look like a snake but not seem creepy at all?”

“Look at those bright, sparkling eyes!”

There, he saw the Sea Deity being showered with affection by the maids.

It didn’t seem to dislike the attention, either.

As if enjoying the entire situation, it wiggled around in the pond while accepting the snacks the maids offered.

Alon and Evan were left speechless.

“By the way, isn’t that a freshwater pond?”

“……Can a creature that lived in the sea survive in fresh water?”

“Well, since it seems to be doing just fine, I guess it’s not a problem?”

“……I suppose so. Ah—”

“Did something come to mind?”

“I was thinking it’s about time to open my gift.”

“……Gift? Oh, you mean the one Yutia gave you?”

Nodding, Alon returned to his desk and took out the box Yutia had given him.

She had told him to open it a month later.

Now, after all this time, Alon quietly stared at the unopened box.

Then, carefully, he unwrapped it.

“……Hm?”

Inside was a brooch.

A brooch embedded with a dazzling red gemstone.

“A brooch, huh?”

“Indeed.”

Alon took it out and nodded.

“Hmm~”

Evan, observing from the side, commented.

“Well, a gift is ultimately about the sentiment, but after waiting a whole month, don’t you think it’s a bit underwhelming from your perspective, Marquis?”

At first glance, Yutia’s brooch didn’t seem as grand or powerful as some of the other gifts.

However—

“It’s not disappointing at all.”

Alon wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed.

“Really?”

“Yes. As you said, gifts are about the thought behind them.”

Gently running his fingers over the brooch,

Alon then placed it into the breast pocket of his coat.

“This is more than enough.”

Before he realized it—

“Uh……?”

A soft smile had spread across his face.

A clear and unmistakable smile that anyone could recognize.

Seeing that expression,

‘Lately, he changes his expressions so easily when it involves those kids.’

Evan couldn’t help but have that thought.

***

Duke Merkiliane had been traveling for about an hour since leaving the Marquis’ estate.

He turned to glance at Zukurak beside him.

“Hm-hmm~”

Zukurak was even humming a little tune, clearly in a good mood.

Meanwhile, Duke Merkiliane had absolutely no idea what was going on.

They hadn’t even had a proper conversation.

Zukurak had simply declared that he had confirmed something and that they should leave.

—Not that he could have easily inserted himself into their discussion to ask questions, anyway.

In any case, since he hadn’t been able to grasp anything properly—

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Duke Merkiliane questioned Zukurak.

“Before, you said you came to confirm whether the Marquis Palatio was a god, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“……And did you finish your confirmation?”

“Of course.”

“You judged that just by looking at him?”

“Yes.”

Duke Merkiliane’s frown deepened.

“As I recall, you had already seen the Marquis before. Isn’t that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“……Then, if you could tell just by looking, why couldn’t you confirm it back then?”

A reasonable question.

Zukurak smirked.

“Because, at that time, I was overwhelmed by something else.”

“Something else?”

“……No, thinking about it now, perhaps the great one deliberately hid his power. I can sense it so clearly now, yet back then, I only felt that.”

Zukurak trailed off, lost in his own musings.

Naturally—

Duke Merkiliane found no answers in this conversation.

From what he could see, Marquis Palatio was just a noble.

……Of course, not an ordinary noble.

Regardless, even if he was special, claiming he was a god was an entirely different matter.

“In the end, this is too absurd to believe so easily.”

That was the only conclusion the Duke could come to.

Hearing this, Zukurak let out a chuckle.

“You don’t need to force yourself to believe it.”

“……What do you mean?”

“Because you’ll soon be convinced by those who are about to catch up to us.”

Zukurak threw out another cryptic remark.

“??”

Just as Duke Merkiliane’s expression twisted in confusion—

“Hmm— They’re finally here.”

Muttering to himself, Zukurak turned his gaze forward.

And there, emerging from the shadows of the forest under the setting sun—

“……Elves?!”

—A group of elves.

And then—

“Hahaha! These pointy-eared bastards. I was wondering when they’d finally show themselves, after lurking around the Primordial One’s domain for so long.”

Following Zukurak’s boisterous laughter, Duke Merkiliane heard it.

A chilling voice carried through the air—

“Do not approach the Primordial Elf, lizard.”