The blue-eyed goddess, Dowon.

She silently gazed at Alon.

Alon’s expression hadn’t changed much, but he was clearly flustered.

[Hmmm—]

Dowon seemed to ponder deeply with a subtle expression.

[Even when I first sensed your presence, I found it mysterious, but now that I see you, it’s even more fascinating.]

She observed Alon closely, as if intrigued.

“……May I ask what exactly you find so fascinating?”

Alon, who had silently endured her gaze for a while, finally asked.

She answered without hesitation.

[Every part of you is fascinating.]

“……Every part, you say?”

[Yes. It’s fascinating that a ‘Mage,’ who shouldn’t exist, is standing before me. I’m curious how a ‘god’ I’ve never seen before could have formed a ‘pact’ with our Kalgunias. And I also wonder why that being is attached to you.]

Alon grew more puzzled at the goddess’s words.

The only thing he could understand was the ring’s pact.

Other than that, everything else was too abstract for him to comprehend.

“Why do you say a Mage shouldn’t exist?”

He asked the most pressing question first.

Dowon smiled.

[Isn’t it obvious? That’s simply the rule engraved by the black beings from the start.]

“……A rule?”

At Alon’s follow-up question, the goddess stared at him intently.

It was as if she was trying to figure something out.

Just as Alon began to wonder, ‘Did I ask something wrong?’—

[Ah, I see—]

As if something had clicked, the goddess let out a soft exclamation.

A gentle smile returned to her lips.

[So that’s how it is.]

“……?”

Alon was about to question her repeated nodding of realization—

[You look like you have a lot of questions. Well, of course you do. Isn’t that right?]

As Dowon continued, Alon nodded.

“To be honest, yes.”

[I thought so. You must be full of questions. But unfortunately, it’s impossible for you to learn the truth here.]

“Is that so?”

[Explaining something with words isn’t all that difficult. In fact, I could tell you right now if I wanted.]

“……Then why don’t you?”

[Because I was asked not to.]

“A request, you say?”

[Yes, a request. One I absolutely cannot refuse.]

Alon felt momentarily confused.

It was as if she had already anticipated he would come here.

“……Then the reason you wanted to see me—”

[That, too, was because of a request.]

At her response, Alon instinctively furrowed his brow.

He had never once met this deity before.

In fact, he hadn’t even known a god named Dowon existed.

And more importantly, this place was the past.

A time when the Kingdom of Asteria didn’t exist.

When the House of Marquis Palatio didn’t exist.

When Alon Palatio didn’t exist.

And so—

“You’re saying you knew I would come?”

Alon barely managed to ask.

Dowon answered lightly.

[I expected it.]

“How?”

[Like I said before, I can’t tell you that. Because I was asked not to.]

The more their conversation continued, the more confused Alon felt.

He couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

He took a calm breath and tried to collect his thoughts.

“Are you saying no matter what I ask, you won’t answer?”

[Most of what you’re curious about, probably not. Unless it’s something already known to the world.]

After hearing her words, Alon came to a conclusion.

He didn’t know what the goddess was hiding.

However—

‘Asking questions won’t get me any answers.’

There was no point in asking.

“I understand.”

[Don’t be too disappointed. While there are things I cannot say, there are also things I must tell you.]

“……Is that part of the request as well?”

[Yes.]

As the cryptic conversation continued, Alon’s curiosity only deepened.

Who was the one who made a request to the goddess, Dowon?

Just what kind of being were they?

Alon waited for Dowon to speak.

After a brief silence—

[The request I received was to give you a hint regarding your spell technique.]

“A hint……?”

[Yes, so listen carefully.]

Dowon began to recite her message.

[First, do not cling to the technique called Reversal of Heaven, and instead, reflect on what you truly need.]

[Second, do not seek out the laws.]

[Third, engrave it at the moment of birth.]

[Fourth, the divinity of green, is regeneration.]

[That is all.]

Her calm voice reached Alon’s ears.

But it was rather difficult to digest.

“……May I ask for a more detailed explanation about what you just said—”

Alon was about to request clarification, but suddenly recalled what Kylrus had said.

“No, never mind.”

He corrected himself mid-sentence.

Dowon nodded in satisfaction.

[You understand well.]

“If I may ask—who was the one that made the request?”

[That, I’m afraid, I cannot tell you.]

“……I apologize for the inappropriate question.”

Seeing how quickly Alon accepted her answer, Dowon gave him a smile with a hint of mystery.

[Still, I suppose I can give you just one little clue—]

“Yes.”

She offered a small fragment.

“Red eyes, you say?”

[Yes, a truly beautiful person with red eyes.]

Alon was able to learn just a tiny bit about the one who had made the request.

####

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

After the meeting with Dowon ended, Alon followed Ashur and boarded the carriage.

As he stared out the window for a moment, he asked,

“May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“The goddess Dowon whom I met—will she not be participating in the upcoming war?”

As soon as he asked, Ashur’s expression turned a bit complicated.

“I heard you knew nothing, but you really do know nothing. So you’re truly an Outer God?”

“……Outer God?”

“Yes. Ever since Kalgunias, where the gods gathered, collapsed due to the black ones, many minor gods with small divinities have appeared here and there. Just like you.”

“Although, judging by what the Eastern prince said, you don’t seem to be some random nobody.”

Alon said nothing in response to Ashur’s mutterings that praised the great gods of Kalgunias while contrasting them with Outer Gods.

He didn’t feel the need to respond.

An awkward silence fell, and Ashur cleared his throat and continued.

“If you’re a god, you should be able to see Lady Dowon’s condition, shouldn’t you? She used up most of her power in the fight against the black ones. She has no strength left. She’ll likely pass on soon…”

Ashur’s voice carried growing sorrow.

Only then did Alon recall how the goddess had wavered like a mirage.

With a faint sigh, he replayed Dowon’s words in his mind.

[First, do not cling to the technique called Reversal of Heaven, and instead, reflect on what you truly need.]

[Second, do not seek out the laws.]

[Third, engrave it at the moment of birth.]

[Fourth, the divinity of Noksaeng is regeneration.]

To be honest, ever since realizing this place was the past, Alon had thought he might find some hint about his spell.

No, more than just thinking—

He had planned to search for a hint before returning, if possible.

But he had never imagined he’d obtain it so abruptly like this.

As if someone had already predicted Alon would travel to the past and prepared accordingly.

And so—

‘A beautiful person with red eyes…’

As he absentmindedly recalled the information, Alon suddenly looked at the brooch on his chest.

“…?”

He touched it with a strange expression.

He had never paid it much attention before and hadn’t thought about it.

But now, he noticed that the red gem embedded in the center of the brooch had lost its shine.

‘……What is this?’

Alon examined the brooch again.

But just like a light that had gone out, it remained dim and lifeless.

As he tilted his head in confusion—

A commotion came from outside.

Alon turned his gaze to the window.

The scenery outside the carriage, which he hadn’t paid attention to earlier, seemed no different from the day before.

Numerous houses and a large plaza.

And beyond them, the palace Alon was headed toward came into view.

—–

Yes, from this perspective— the capital wasn’t all that different from the capitals of the other territories he’d seen.

However, what Alon saw now was a bit different.

“……”

Beyond the carriage window, he saw hungry children fighting over what looked like a stale piece of bread.

One child with emaciated hands desperately stuffed the bread into their mouth while another reached to snatch it away.

Other children scrambled to pick up fallen crumbs amidst the chaos.

And beyond that— there were homeless people slumped on the roadside in utter destitution.

Beastkin women walking around with wary eyes, scanning their surroundings.

And beasts eyeing them with predatory gazes.

A raw, harsh reality of the united capital that didn’t show on the surface.

As Alon took it all in, his heart grew heavy beneath his expressionless face.

“….?”

He witnessed something very strange.

At the far end of an alleyway, just faintly within Alon’s field of vision,

Two people stood.

One was an elven girl.

The other—a human girl.

And Alon—

He recognized the human girl from afar.

‘……Magrina?’

The girl with plain brown hair was none other than— Magrina Fildagreen, who had revealed her identity to him just yesterday.

He was momentarily puzzled as to why she, who should have been in the royal palace, was here in disguise as a human—

“!”

He saw it happen.

Magrina, who had just been talking with the elf girl, was suddenly surrounded by elves in rags who appeared out of nowhere and was being dragged away.

—You’re right. That’s certainly the truth. But unfortunately, the world doesn’t always care about the truth.

—Even knowing the suspicion is irrational and that it couldn’t possibly be true, they need someone to blame. A place to pour out their anxiety and rage.

Kalanda’s voice echoed through Alon’s mind.

There was no time to think.

“……Stop the carriage, please.”

Without hesitation, Alon rose from his seat.