King Pamilono’s awkward smile.

Jenira, with a picture-perfect grin.

Through that two-shot, Alon could grasp the situation in the Principality of Luxibl.

In fact, there was no need to guess.

Anyone could see that King Pamilono had been completely subdued by Jenira.

‘What happened here?’

Alon was curious about the circumstances that led to the current power structure, but he soon stopped thinking about it.

It was intriguing, but ultimately, it meant that the Thunder Serpent tribe, whom he had once shown favor to, had taken control of Luxibl.

That was a situation overwhelmingly favorable to Alon.

Especially now, when he was mistaken as Kalannon, the Lightning Receiver by the Thunder Serpent tribe.

“I am the Marquis of Palatio.”

“I have heard a lot about you— I mean, I have heard many stories.”

King Pamilono hastily changed his words mid-sentence, glancing nervously at Jenira.

A quick scan of the surroundings revealed that the soldiers, seemingly accustomed to this dynamic, showed no reaction.

After exchanging formal greetings, Alon concluded the audience.

Or more precisely,

Alon had intended to show a bit of decorum, but—

“Ahem, since that is done, I believe you may leave now, Marquis Palatio.”

“…Is that so?”

The king’s expression, which clearly seemed to plead, ‘Please, just leave already,’ left Alon with no choice but to step outside.

“As you said, thank you very much for visiting.”

The moment they exited the audience chamber, Syrkal quickly bowed his head deeply.

Alon shook his head awkwardly.

“It’s nothing. I came here because I had business to attend to in the first place.”

“Please tell me what that business is.”

“The lightning— No, my symbol— where is it?”

At Alon’s question, Syrkal tilted his head slightly, then soon realized and let out a small “Ah.”

“It is at the same place as last time.”

“If you mean last time’s place, are you referring to the ruins?”

“Yes. However—”

Syrkal trailed off, then added with an apologetic expression,

“It may be very difficult to go there now.”

“Why?”

“Have you heard the news about the Lonovellia Jungle?”

The rumors Evan had mentioned.

“Are you talking about the black magic?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Because of that magic, it will likely be very inconvenient for you to go there right now.”

“Hmm—”

Alon let out a small sigh.

He had vaguely expected the situation to turn out this way.

But even so, he couldn’t just wait around here idly.

If he didn’t reach that place within a week, Kalannon would disappear.

Though unintentional, he felt a slight sense of responsibility for having taken the divine power.

Moreover, Kalannon’s proposal to teach him how to wield divine power was quite tempting.

He could sense and manipulate the divine essence, but he still didn’t understand the principles or methods of using it.

Besides, if the entity spreading black magic was an Apostle of Sloth, then Alon would have to deal with it anyway.

In the end, there was only one conclusion.

“You’re certain my symbol is inside that ruin?”

“Yes. May I ask if you intend to enter?”

“I suppose I will.”

At that, Syrkal once again bowed deeply.

“…In that case, we shall accompany you.”

Alon shook his head slightly.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“No, we cannot remain here while the one we serve walks into danger. Please, allow us to accompany you.”

But Syrkal showed no sign of backing down.

In truth, if Alon had been his usual self, he would have brought not just her, but as many people as possible.

Unless there was a drastic power imbalance, having more people was always advantageous.

However, the reason Alon hesitated—

‘If that thing really is the “Sin of Sloth” as I suspect, then having more people would be a disadvantage. The more people gather, the stronger it becomes.’

It was due to the nature of the entity spreading black magic.

While contemplating the worst-case scenario, Alon finally spoke.

“Then, I will accept your guidance only up to the range of the black magic.”

But—

“The inside of the black magic zone is where the real danger lies.”

Syrkal still couldn’t conceal her worries.

A typical persuasion wouldn’t work on her at all.

Faced with her resolute stance, Alon hesitated briefly, took a deep breath— and then declared firmly,

“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am?”

Of course, as soon as he said it, he immediately regretted it.

‘Ah, that was embarrassing.’

If he were an undeniably powerful being, there would be no shame in saying it.

But since he didn’t see himself that way, it was nothing more than bravado.

However—

“My apologies.”

To Syrkal, who mistook his identity, it served as the perfect persuasion.

“Lead the way.”

Swallowing his embarrassment, Alon decided to push forward.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat out of embarrassment, Alon climbed into the carriage.

Surrounding him were the Thunder Serpent tribe members and soldiers.

As Alon looked outside the carriage, his gaze shifted to Evan, who was seated across from him.

“Aren’t you going to ask this time?”

“Huh? About what?”

Instead of answering, Alon gestured out the window.

Evan had always asked questions whenever something didn’t make sense.

But this time, he was oddly quiet, so Alon asked first.

“Ah—”

Evan shrugged lightly.

“Well, I more or less understand now.”

“…What exactly do you understand?”

“That you’re Kalannon, the Lightning Receiver.”

“……”

“I thought about it.”

“About what?”

“It would be kind of weird if I, who travel with you all the time, kept asking, ‘Is this real?’ every single time, wouldn’t it?”

Well, if it were me, I’d keep being curious—

Alon thought to himself.

But Evan, as if he had already given up, leaned comfortably against the backrest.

“So, I’ve just decided to accept everything.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. At this point, even if you told me, ‘I am actually the god of Sironia!!’ I would believe you.”

“The god of Sironia is a goddess, isn’t she?”

“I’d believe it even if you told me you were a woman.”

He exuded a sense of detachment, as if he had transcended worldly concerns.

As if responding to this, Blackie peeked out from Evan’s pocket and looked up at Alon.

“I see.”

“Well, yeah.”

Silence settled inside the carriage once more.

After a while—

“We have arrived.”

A voice announced their destination.

Alon’s vision was soon filled with the sight of a jungle—no, a domain—where black magic swirled ominously.

“…Is the entire territory in this state?”

“No, not entirely, but about half of it has been consumed, so everyone has already evacuated.”

As if to confirm Syrkal’s words—

“It’s completely desolate.”

Kaslot, which had once been bustling with people, was now empty.

After taking in the bleak sight for a moment,

Alon noticed the tents set up near the boundary where the black magic churned.

“…What’s that?”

“They belong to the knights of Caliban.”

“The knights of Caliban? What are they doing here?”

“I heard they came looking for someone.”

“…Looking for someone?”

As he pondered the unexpected answer—

“…Huh?”

“Hm?”

Familiar faces emerged from inside the tents.

“…Reinhardt? And—”

It was Reinhardt, one of Caliban’s swords, whom he had briefly worked with in the jungle before.

And—

“Deus?”

“…Marquis.”

Anyone could see that Deus looked utterly exhausted.

Yet, his eyes still burned with rage.

At that moment, Alon realized why Deus looked the way he did.

“Deus, what are you doing here?”

Deus clenched both fists tightly.

“…My little sister—”

Biting his lip, he barely managed to utter the next words.

“She’s been kidnapped.”

Alon had no words to say.

***

Inside the tent, Alon listened as Deus explained the situation in detail.

“To summarize, the one who kidnapped Sili lured you here?”

“That’s right. But—”

“You can’t do anything because of the black magic?”

“That bastard—”

Gritting his teeth, Deus lowered his head.

“The deeper I went in, the more I saw the thread around Sili’s neck tighten before my eyes.”

His hands, resting on his knees, trembled slightly.

“…Any other demands?”

“As long as I don’t step into the black magic, Sili’s throat won’t be squeezed.”

“So, they’re forcing someone else to go rescue her instead?”

“Yes. But anyone who enters immediately turns into a puppet.”

Reinhardt added from the side.

“If you don’t constantly cut the threads that form, you’ll lose control of your body in an instant.”

He frowned deeply, as if recalling an unpleasant experience.

After listening to both of them, Alon grasped the situation.

‘They’re deliberately forcing someone other than Deus to go after Sili. By making others die in the process, they’re trying to break Deus’s spirit.’

It wasn’t hard to figure out the Apostle’s true goal either.

Rather than simply killing Deus, they aimed to shatter his mind.

They were deliberately using Sili’s life as bait, manipulating the knights to make Deus suffer mentally.

In the end, they would likely finish it all off in the most traumatic way possible, completely breaking him.

‘…No.’

At this point, Sili might already be—

Alon looked at the burning rage in Deus’s eyes and couldn’t bring himself to ask the question.

Right now—

Any question about Sili would only shatter Deus’s already fragile psyche.

So instead, Alon quietly shifted his gaze toward the forest visible outside the tent.

“Where is that bastard hiding?”

“Here.”

Deus immediately pointed to a spot on the map.

Even with his exhausted face, his movements were sharp.

At that moment—

“…This place.”

Syrkal joined the conversation.

“You recognize it?”

Alon asked, and she nodded.

“This is where the symbol is.”

“Then this place is—”

“Yes. It’s the ruins where our tribe used to reside.”

Alon fell into thought for a moment before asking Deus and Reinhardt,

“So, what was your plan moving forward?”

“I originally intended to go in myself and attempt a rescue, but I was completely outmatched. I barely managed to escape.”

“Did the knights go in with you?”

“Yes. As soon as we got deep enough, the attacks started.”

“The knights…”

Before Alon could finish his question,

Reinhardt’s expression turned grim.

“They’re all… dead.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. At first, when we realized they were being controlled, we planned to knock them out and carry them back.

But the moment their bodies went limp, their necks were snapped instantly, and they died on the spot.”

“……”

“But we did manage to learn one thing.”

“What is it?”

“It seems that the black threads can’t control more than three people at a time.”

“They can’t control more than three?”

Alon repeated the statement, and Reinhardt nodded.

“Yes. Out of the fifteen knights, only three were controlled at a time.”

“…And the rest weren’t affected?”

“That’s right.”

Reinhardt continued his explanation.

“Because of that, I was devising a strategy. If it can only control three people at a time, we can split into pairs and counter it.”

“…So your plan is to have everyone enter together and reach the target at once?”

“Yes. If we divide the knights into six groups, we can take turns activating our magic to conserve energy while advancing. That way, it won’t be difficult.”

After listening to the entire explanation, Alon remained silent for a moment.

From what he knew, Sins had no limits when it came to controlling people.

‘Is it because it’s just an Apostle?’

As he pondered this new information, he soon arrived at a conclusion.

And then, without realizing it, he let out a quiet chuckle.

If his guess was correct—

“That plan… you should abandon it.”

“Why?”

“It’s a trap.”

“…A trap?”

It was undoubtedly a trap.

“The one who kidnapped Sili isn’t limited to controlling just three people at a time.”

“…Not three? Then why did it seem like—”

It was a nasty, cunning trap.

“They want to lure you in. Once you go deep enough, past the point of escape, they’ll wipe you out all at once.”

“Then—”

“They deliberately set the bait.”

Reinhardt, about to argue, suddenly closed his mouth as if something clicked.

Deus clenched his teeth even harder.

So hard that blood seeped from his lips.

It was a clear manifestation of his uncontrollable rage.

As aura tinged with violet faintly radiated from Deus, his anxious, furious gaze fixated on the black forest ahead.

“What should we do—”

His voice barely escaped as a mutter.

“Don’t worry.”

“…Marquis?”

Alon spoke in a firm voice.

“I have a plan.”

***

At that moment.

“Boss—”

“Whyy—”

Deep within the Lonovellia Jungle.

Perched atop a rock formation carved into the cliffs, a girl with an utterly bored expression slowly turned her head.

“Why are you calling meee?”

She looked down at the blue-skinned man addressing her.

“It’s about that black guy you told me to keep an eye on.”

“Mmm? What’d he dooo?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Did he cross the boundary?”

“No, not that either.”

“Then whyyy?”

The girl’s tone sharpened slightly.

Since she was naturally edgier during the day, the blue-skinned man scratched his head before hesitating.

“Well, uh… What was it again?”

“If it’s nothing, I’ll kill you.”

“No, geez, threatening me is making me forget even more!”

“Hurry up and talk.”

“Ah, ah— You know that legitimacy thing you were talking about?”

“Mmm.”

“Well, that legitimacy person seems to be heading toward the black guy. And from the looks of it, I’d say… things won’t end well for them.”

As the message was relayed,

“…What? Wait, he is coming here? No, more importantly—”

The girl, who had been expressing clear annoyance, no—one of the rulers of the Four Great Powers— suddenly froze.

“…That bastard is about to mess with my legitimacy?”

A deep, unforgiving expression settled on Hyakki’s face.