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It has been a month since Alon returned from the Blue Tower.

“Hoo-“

Having acquired the Insignia of the Impure, Alon could now use magic three times a day, and by carefully managing his mana, he could even use it up to four times. Today, he realized one of the new rules about phrases.

‘Even if the same phrase doesn’t overlap, using a similar phrase can produce an effect similar to overlapping.’

However, he hadn’t yet fully figured out that to overlap phrases, certain specific phrases had to precede each spell.

‘It seems to have something to do with arrangement.’

Alon pondered briefly.

“Your magic is getting stronger the more I look at it, my lord.”

But before Alon could fully address his thoughts, he was interrupted by Evan’s voice, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Is that so?”

“It’s not just ‘is that so,’ look over there.”

Following Evan’s words, Alon turned his gaze, and there, in the middle of the training ground, was a deep, wide depression in the ground.

“A second-tier spell shouldn’t be this powerful, right? Well, you’ve always used spells that don’t seem like second-tier spells, but there’s a noticeable difference between now and a few months ago.”

Alon glanced at the sunken ground.

‘Indeed, for some reason, I’ve felt that my magic has been growing stronger.’

The spell Alon had been experimenting with was “Gravity,” a second-tier gravity-based spell. However, even gravity magic at the second-tier level shouldn’t be powerful enough to crush a person or carve out the ground like that, even if the power is focused.

In other words, it was impossible for “Gravity” to create such a depression in the ground.

‘It’s not just an increase in proficiency…’

Of course, Alon had been diligently refining his magical abilities, and his mastery had been improving rapidly, but proficiency only improved accuracy and the ability to perform the spell, not the raw power of it.

‘The increase in power from the phrases… well, that does exist, but it’s not that either.’

For the past four months, Alon had been consistently using similar phrases in his spells, and for the last two weeks, he’d been using almost identical phrases in rotation.

Alon had a reference to compare with, and when he did, he could tell his magic had been steadily growing stronger.

It was subtle, but like a graph showing a gradual upward trend, his magic was improving little by little.

‘It can’t just be that I’ve become more familiar with the phrases and that’s made them stronger, right?’

One of the conclusions Alon had reached after years of studying phrases was that they were closer to incantations than spells themselves.

The more a phrase was recited, the more it served as a trigger to alter or add a special characteristic to a spell, not something that made the spell stronger through mastery.

So, his increasing proficiency in the phrases couldn’t explain the growing power of his magic. This led him to consider various possibilities.

‘In this world, there are only two reasons why someone’s power would suddenly increase… either through divine favor or by gaining compensation from a curse. I’ll rule out the former.’

Even though he was a count, Alon was just a noble from a small kingdom, and at this point in time, he was even being subtly disregarded by the underworld, so receiving divine favor didn’t seem plausible.

‘So that leaves… gaining compensation from a curse by suffering some kind of loss.’

At this thought, Alon’s expression grew uneasy, but he quickly shook his head.

In this world, gaining compensation from a curse meant either receiving a curse from someone who sacrifices themselves or placing a curse on oneself.

Even the curse was a ritual used only in the East, and at that time, no one Alon was connected to had any ties to the East.

In short, neither the former nor the latter applied to him… Alon repeatedly reminded himself of that.

Thus, the conclusion he arrived at was:

“I guess I’m just in good condition today.”

“…Is that it?”

“That’s it. There’s no reason for my magic to get stronger.”

It was denial.

“…I heard a letter from Yutia arrived today. I should go and read it.”

With that, he decided to stop his magical research and headed to his office to read Yutia’s letter.

***

The Holy Kingdom of Rosario.

Unlike the Holy Empire of Bartiakan, which lies beyond the empire and worships the sun as its primary deity, Rosario venerates Sironia, the goddess symbolizing the moon and peace.

In front of the convent located to the east of its capital, the city known as the White City due to all its buildings being pure white, stood a holy knight.

His name was Roque, and he was clad in platinum armor symbolizing purity, matching the city’s namesake.

Cautiously, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Not long after, he saw a nun with white hair standing before the statue of Sironia outside the convent.

Dressed in a neatly arranged habit with a gentle smile on her lips, she didn’t seem to be of a particularly high rank.

In Rosario, those of higher ranks always wore the sash of divine grace over their shoulders, but this nun did not.

In other words, the nun standing in front of Roque was clearly of a lower rank than the holy knight.

“Greetings, Sister.”

However, upon seeing the nun, Roque immediately bowed and spoke.

“Hello, Sir Roque. Have you been well?”

The nun smiled as she accepted the knight’s greeting.

It was an unusual situation.

Yet, neither Roque nor the nun expressed any doubt about the situation.

Instead, it seemed entirely natural to them.

“Yes, thanks to you, Sister, I was able to save eight children and twenty-five lives in a small village to the east.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Sister.”

“Not at all, it was you who saved them, Sir Roque.”

Her voice was soft, but Roque, maintaining a resolute expression as if determined to keep his conviction, spoke again.

“Yes, I was the one who saved them, but it was you who showed me the way and gave me the strength when I had nothing.”

In truth, Roque had not always been a holy knight.

Despite being a devout follower of Sironia and aspiring to become a holy knight, he couldn’t wield the divine power that every holy knight was required to master.

In fact, he couldn’t even sense it.

As a result, while all of his peers mastered divine power and became holy knights, Roque remained a trainee for many years.

That number stretched beyond eight years, and just when he was about to give up on becoming a holy knight due to his inability to harness divine power, he met her.

She, who always wore a serene smile, with eyes that seemed to burn like flames, was the first to say these words to the despairing Roque:

“Believe in the moon.”

At first, Roque didn’t understand what she meant.

He couldn’t see the difference between believing in Sironia, the goddess of the moon, and simply believing in the moon.

But at that time, Roque was desperate, and he held onto those words as though grasping at straws.

He believed in the moon because, at that moment, he was beyond desperate.

And after several days of continuous prayer, Roque, who had never once been able to harness divine power in the past 20 years, was able to use it for the first time that day, finally becoming a holy knight.

Although Roque was overjoyed at suddenly being able to wield the divine power he thought he could never attain, his joy was short-lived as he began to doubt the nun.

At least, for someone like Roque, who was born and raised in Rosario and had devoted his life to Sironia, gaining the ability to use divine power was truly something to be happy about.

But on the other hand, he began to wonder if he had strayed into the path of heresy.

After all, the reason he had gained divine power was not because he had worshipped Sironia, but because he had placed his faith in the ‘moon.’

However, amusingly, as time passed, Roque’s doubts gradually faded.

The reason was simple: the divine power he had gained by believing in the ‘moon’ was no different from the divine power that came from worshiping Sironia.

All the powers granted through faith in a deity worked exactly the same, without a single discrepancy.

The sacred tools permitted under the name of the goddess also gleamed brilliantly in Roque’s hands, further proving that his divine power was genuine.

Even so, the lingering doubts in his heart persisted, and eventually, Roque asked the nun why she had told him to believe in the ‘moon.’

Her answer, however, had nothing to do with heresy, religion, or complex theology.

“Faith comes from invisible belief, but that takes too long. It’s much easier for most people to find belief in something that they can see.”

“That’s why I suggested it. The goddess in the heavens may not always be visible, but the moon is always by our side… and after all, the goddess Sironia *is* the moon.”

It was simply a story about faith.

It was a way for people, who always carried doubts in their hearts, to believe more firmly in the divine.

With that answer, Roque erased the doubt from his heart.

And he thanked the nun.

He sincerely felt gratitude toward her, for helping someone like him, who was full of doubts, to believe in the divine.

“Ah, if you’d like to express your gratitude, would you join us in prayer? It’s almost time for the prayer session, and many others have already gathered.”

“I would gladly do so.”

With a nod from Roque, the nun smiled softly and opened the door to the prayer room.

Inside, many people were already seated.

Believers, children, trainees, pilgrims, and holy knights.

Each one assumed their own posture.

Some stood still in place.

Others sat in chairs.

Some knelt on the ground, while others simply bowed their heads, hands clasped with those beside them.

Yet, there was one thing they all had in common: everyone in the prayer hall remained reverently still.

Without making a sound, they simply bowed their heads and closed their eyes in prayer.

And as the nun made her way through the rows of worshippers, reaching the front of the hall—

No.

“Now then—”

With a gentle smile on her face, she spoke.

“Let us all pray.”

Yutia Bludia, her crimson eyes faintly gleaming, spoke as she stood with her back to the moonlight streaming through the stained glass.

“To the great moon.”

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Alon had already achieved all of his objectives at the Blue Tower. His goal was to obtain the artifact hidden in the underground chamber of the tower, and now that he had it, there was no reason for him to stay any longer. He decided to leave the Blue Tower immediately, partly because there was no reason to linger, but also because Penia, who was already annoyed, might cause trouble if he stayed. Although he knew she wasn’t an entirely irrational person, there was always a chance that something unexpected could happen.

He thought this way just after he dealt with the artifact and let out a secret sigh of relief.

But then…

“What is… this?”

“It’s a potion I made.”

Alon glanced at her, forcing a smile despite his sharp gaze, and then picked up the potion bottle from the table. The liquid inside was a deep blue, and it emitted a white glow when shaken slightly.

‘…This is… a magic recovery potion. And a highly valuable one at that…’

In this world, magic potions don’t work immediately like in other games; instead, their effects appear gradually. Therefore, it would be more accurate to call them “Magic Recovery Enhancement Potions” rather than just “Magic Recovery Potions.”

However, among all the potions, the five bottles Penia placed before Alon were the only ones here that truly lived up to the name “Magic Recovery Potion.” The highest-grade potion he held could restore some magic power almost instantly, just by drinking it.

These potions, which were called Magic Recovery Potions but were actually Magic Recovery Enhancement Potions, were incredibly expensive. Alon had once tried to buy a magic potion when he felt inconvenienced by only being able to use magic once a day, but the price had almost made him faint.

‘I think the cost of these two bottles alone could buy a small villa…’

As he stared at the potion for a while, he turned his gaze to Penia. Her awkward smile revealed a hint of nervousness, and as soon as he looked at her, she spoke.

“Do you like it?”

“I understand it’s a high-grade potion, but why are you showing this to me?”

“I’m giving it to you.”

“You’re giving me this potion?”

“Yes.”

“…?”

A question mark appeared in Alon’s mind. He could somewhat understand why her attitude had changed immediately after he closed the artifact. She might have felt a bit of gratitude or awe since the method to close the artifact was unknown until now.

But to Alon, Penia’s current behavior didn’t seem to stem from gratitude or awe at all.

‘Does she misunderstand me like that wizard who came with Lady Zenonia last time?’

With this thought in mind, Alon spoke.

“…Just to clarify, I’m a Second Rank Wizard.”

“Yes, I know. Of course, you’re a Second Rank Wizard.”

When he opened his mouth, suspecting that she might be mistaken, Penia nodded eagerly as if she had been waiting for him to say that, leaving him even more confused.

Seeing her nod so earnestly, Alon couldn’t help but wonder if she was just trying to flatter him.

However, Penia’s expression did not seem playful at all. In other words, it was clear that Penia wasn’t mistaken about anything, which only made Alon more confused.

“I swear I’ll keep what I saw earlier a secret. Absolutely, without a doubt,” Penia continued.

Alon replied, “There’s no need to make such a promise—”

“No, please! Make me promise. I want to promise. If necessary, I can even swear on my magic. I’ll do it right here and now!”

“Wait, hold—”

Before Alon could finish speaking, Penia quickly began gathering her magic power. The sudden surge of intense magic filled the office, making Alon’s heart skip a beat, and before he could say anything, Penia had already sworn a magical oath.

‘Is she really going this far just to keep the method for closing the artifact a secret? Sure, the artifact is a mystery to them at this point, but…’

On the outside, Alon remained expressionless, but internally, he was utterly bewildered. He realized that Penia was clearly misunderstanding something.

“You see? I’m good at keeping promises. I’ll keep this secret, absolutely…!”

“…Alright.”

Seeing Penia speak so desperately after making her oath, Alon could only nod calmly in response. There was no sign that her misunderstanding would clear up anytime soon.

Thus, Alon left the Blue Tower with five bottles of magic recovery potion and the artifact he had sought.

***

Riding in the carriage back to the count’s estate from the Blue Tower, Alon naturally glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. This bracelet, which he had received permission from Penia to take after closing the artifact, was the very item he had aimed to acquire on his trip to the Blue Tower.

‘The Bracelet of the Impure.’

The design of the bracelet wasn’t particularly refined. To compare it, it looked like a cheap bracelet that could be bought for less than 10,000 won at a local market. The only unique feature was the black gemstones embedded in it, which seemed to absorb all light. Other than that, it didn’t have any remarkable appearance.

But despite its plain and unimpressive look, the bracelet had the ability to compensate for Alon’s small mana pool.

Alon subtly rotated his wrist to examine the black gemstones. Although they were not visible at first glance, a faint blue energy could be seen rippling through the stones if one looked closely.

‘It’s working well.’

The bracelet’s ability was to absorb and store ambient magic, allowing the user to utilize it when needed. While the amount of magic the bracelet could store was limited, and not particularly large, it amusingly held more magic than Alon’s own mana pool.

“…”

For a brief moment, Alon experienced a strange sense of realization as he compared his own body’s capacity to store magic with that of an item designed merely to assist wizards, like something out of Psychedelia. But that feeling soon passed.

“Sigh.”

He took a deep breath, calming his thoughts.

‘This is sufficient. I’m not going into battle, after all.’

After all, the reason he sought out the Insignia of the Impure was to enhance his magical studies more efficiently and to protect himself in case of unforeseen danger.

In this sense, the amount of magic provided by the Insignia of the Impure was more than enough—it wasn’t an overwhelming surplus, but neither was it insufficient.

Of course, having more is always better than having less. 

“There seemed to be a technique among the artifacts to forcibly regulate power and reduce mana consumption, so I should study that,” Alon thought as he lightened his mood and concluded his musings. He then looked out of the carriage. As he gazed outside, he suddenly recalled Penia, who had bowed respectfully to him just before he got into the carriage.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Thinking about Penia’s odd behavior that started right after he closed the artifact, Alon shrugged his shoulders. After all, he had no further business with her.

He briefly watched the forest outside, bathed in the soft sunlight, swaying gently in a subtle green hue. It was a warm spring day.

***

While Alon was on his way back to the Palatio Count’s estate, two women were sitting across from each other in the office of the Duke of Altia’s residence. One was Roria, the head of the duke’s household, who had completely absorbed the power of the Altia family and taken on the authority of the former duke. The other was Kalia, the lady of the Zenonia Count’s family—or more precisely, the de facto ruler of the Zenonia household.

“It’s been a while,” Kalia greeted.

“Indeed,” Roria responded.

The two exchanged casual greetings. Under normal circumstances, this would have been unthinkable. Roria had already inherited the noble title and was a duchess, while Kalia was still a countess and had not even officially taken over her family’s title. However, despite this, Roria did not seem at all displeased by the lack of formal respect. 

The reason was that Roria knew Kalia held full control over the Zenonia household. Moreover, in the underworld, the name of the Zenonia Count was slightly more prominent than that of the Altia Duke.

But above all, Roria allowed Kalia to speak informally because they both served the same person—the Palatio Count. 

In other words, they had no need to engage in a power struggle. Whether they liked it or not, they were both bound to forge an alliance under the orders of the Palatio Count, even if they didn’t fully understand why.

While they only realized that the phrase “meet the Altia Duke” meant forming an alliance after their conversation revealed they were both under the Palatio Count, they understood that determining the hierarchy beneath an absolute number one was meaningless.

“So, why did you come today? The meeting is next month, isn’t it?” Roria asked.

Kalia cautiously took out a letter from her pocket and placed it on the desk.

“He sent a letter, so I came.”

“…This?” 

“Yes,” Kalia nodded.

Roria picked up the letter and began reading its contents silently. The letter was far from a secretive document; it was an exceedingly ordinary letter. It contained a brief greeting, followed by discussions on noble families, with a few examples mentioned. It concluded with the remark, “There aren’t many nobles who get along well with me.”

This was indeed a letter Alon had sent about a month ago, filled with somewhat reasonable explanations after feeling guilty for treating Kalia dismissively. The gist of Alon’s message was, “I’m not just being difficult with you—I’m a bit curt with other nobles too. You weren’t the only one.”

For an ordinary noble who received such treatment and then received this letter, they might have deduced Alon’s true intentions as intended.

However, Alon had overlooked three critical points. 

First, the individuals reading this letter were influential figures in the underworld. Second, they viewed the Palatio Count as an undefeatable force. Third, because of the second point, they naturally assumed that this ordinary letter must contain some hidden command.

And, true to her sharp mind, Kalia began to piece together an impossible puzzle, as expected of a major player in the underworld.

“Kenia Baron is part of the aristocratic faction… and Marantino Marquis is one of the key figures in the royalist faction.”

“Viscount Vilanda is with the royalists, and likewise, Duke Paldion is a prominent member of the aristocratic faction.”

As they began to classify the noble families that Alon had mentioned meeting and speaking with at the ball, it didn’t take long before they started piecing together the puzzle.

“In summary, it seems he doesn’t favor either the aristocratic or the royalist factions.”

For a brief moment, they both thought of the idea, “Does he want to kill them all?” But they shook their heads in unison, as if they had agreed beforehand. It was too irrational.

Naturally, the alternative that came to mind was:

“Does he want to push out the existing nobles and create a new regime?”

After saying this, the two fell silent. Normally, this would be an impossible scenario. Changing an already established system isn’t something that can be achieved by just a handful of nobles gathering together.

But for these two, who breathed politics like air and constantly weighed the scales of power, the story was entirely different. It would require various preparations and time, but ultimately, the answer they arrived at was: “It’s possible.”

“Aha,” Roria let out a low exclamation. 

To be honest, until now, she hadn’t been able to guess what Alon was aiming for, nor did she understand why he had made her a duchess. But if this was truly his goal, then everything made sense.

If he was indeed planning what she thought, then the “notoriety” of the Altia Duke was absolutely necessary. Moreover, if they allied with the Zenonia Count, the dominant force in the west, the scales of success would undoubtedly tip in their favor.

“…It seems that must be the case,” Roria said, shuddering as she realized the true intent behind the Count’s actions.

And so, late in the afternoon, as the sun set and the twilight descended, they began to draft their plans in a room where not even a magical lamp was lit.

…A strange puzzle had been pieced together and was now beginning to move on its own.

At that very moment, Alon…

“Hmm. Hmm…?”

In a forest where the early sunset brought a drop in temperature, he was eating a sweet potato.

“Tasty.”

Completely unaware of anything, his small remark as he took a bite of the sweet potato faded into the forest.

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The status of a wizard on this continent has a rather peculiar structure.

Like in many other fantasy worlds, wizards generally hold a high status, but when a wizard belongs to a “Tower,” their rank eventually reaches a point where they hold a status comparable to that of nobility.

This isn’t just because of the difference in skill between wizards who are part of the Tower and those who aren’t, but fundamentally because of the Tower itself.

There are only six Towers in this world, and they monopolize the production of various essential goods for the United Kingdom, including high-ranking nobles.

In other words, the combination of a wizard’s combat prowess and the exclusive production of necessary goods elevates the Tower’s power to the level of noble authority.

Moreover, the authority of the Vice Tower Master, who can be considered the deputy master of such a Tower, is said to pierce the heavens.

Despite knowing all of this.

“Isn’t this treatment a bit much?”

Alon looked at the Vice Tower Master with a bemused expression, though his face remained impassive.

She, draped in a blue cloak symbolic of the Blue Tower and with long blue hair cascading down to her waist, leaned her head on one hand, as if bothered by everything in the world, while holding a pen in the other.

Her name was Penia Crysinne.

In Psychedelia, she appears once or twice in the main story as a wizard who, at the young age of 22, had reached the 7th Rank—a ridiculous talent.

She was also a powerful wizard with an Origin.

However, at this point before the original story begins, she has not yet become the Tower Master and seems to be at the 6th Rank rather than the 7th.

“…As I mentioned before we met, I’ve come to talk about the Shimon.”

“What about it?”

Alon continued, watching Penia wrestle with a stack of papers without even looking at him.

“I can get rid of the Shimon.”

At Alon’s words, Penia’s gaze suddenly shifted, her eyes hysterically staring at his face.

There was a hint of curiosity in her expression.

But soon after, she made a blatantly disappointed face and clicked her tongue.

“Well, if you’re done, you can leave.”

“…I haven’t heard your answer.”

“What answer?”

“I said I could get rid of the Shimon.”

“Ha.”

At Alon’s words, Penia looked at him with a ridiculous smile.

“Excuse me. Who are you again?”

“Count Palatio, Alon.”

“So our Count Palatio says he can get rid of the Shimon?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see~ Our Count Palatio can get rid of the Shimon, huh?”

“…Why are you acting like this?”

Alon asked in response to her blatant sarcasm.

“Do you think you’re the first person to say that? Do you think you’re the only one who has come here seeking the treasure you can get by eliminating the Shimon? Hmm?”

Seeing Penia shake her head as if she were completely fed up, Alon spoke up.

“I’m not lying. If you guide me to the Shimon, I’ll show you right away.”

“How many people do you think have said that in front of me?”

“I can definitely get rid of it.”

Alon’s words made Penia suddenly drop the pen she had been holding and frown openly, releasing her magic power abruptly.

Snap!

This wasn’t the implementation of a spell.

It was merely a surge of magical energy.

The waveform, which was blatantly scattered based on her emotional state, instantly began to cause abnormalities within the office.

The entire room trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and scrolls and parchments on the shelves fell to the ground in an instant.

In the midst of all that.

“Excuse me.”

“It’s starting to come to light that you only became an Count because a bunch of trash conveniently died, and now you’re desperate for a move to turn things around, but you shouldn’t be causing trouble here, right?”

As Penia lowered her voice, filled with hysteria, Alon realized two things anew.

The first was that, despite seeming to be consumed by work, she was surprisingly well-informed about the outside world.

In fact, just as she said, since becoming a Count, he had lived quietly without interfering with the underworld, and rumors about him had started to spread.

The other realization was that the anger that had surged within him, unable to tolerate the way she treated him earlier, had strangely subsided, as if it had been cured.

‘She’s terrifying.’

Alon thought, realizing that despite not having reached the 7th Rank, Penia was clearly a superhuman who had transcended the realm of ordinary humans, as evidenced by the strange phenomena she created with just a scattering of magical energy.

‘I shouldn’t push my luck, or I’ll end up snapped in half.’

Even though he was a 2nd Rank wizard, Alon fully understood that if Penia chose to use her magic, his life would be in danger, so he spoke.

“If you don’t trust me, I’ll stake my entire fortune.”

“What?”

Despite feeling fear, Alon’s expression remained as impassive as ever.

“I mean it. If I can’t get rid of the Shimon, I’ll donate my entire fortune to the Blue Tower. No, since this is a private deal, I’ll hand it all over to you personally.”

“…What nonsense.”

“Of course, you don’t have to stake anything. I’ll be the only one to do so, and I’m willing to swear an oath if necessary.”

“…”

Penia frowned at Alon’s words, but he continued with the same impassive expression.

“This seems like a fairly good deal for you, considering you’d only be wasting a little time. What do you think?”

After a moment of silence, Penia responded.

“Write up a contract.”

***

Penia Crysinne.

A prodigy who reached the 6th Rank at the mere age of 21, and the current Vice Tower Master of the Blue Tower, following her master, the Tower Master.

She led Alon down to the underground, stopping in front of the door where the Shimon was kept.

“It’s here. Once you open this door, the Shimon will be inside.”

Without hesitation, Alon moved his body to grab the door handle at her words.

“Remember, since we’ve already written up a contract, I won’t go easy on you. If you fail, the entire fortune of the Palatio family will be mine. Got it?”

Despite Penia’s warning, Alon calmly turned his head to look at her.

His emotionless eyes, revealing nothing, glanced at her as he spoke.

“There’s no chance of that happening.”

Creak—

With those words, he opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside, and as Penia watched his retreating figure, she recalled the rumors about him.

Once, he was known as the hidden figure behind the Palatio family, who killed all the other heirs to become the Count.

But over the past three years, his reputation had changed significantly.

Now, people thought it was all just a coincidence, that he was simply a lucky fool who became a Count because the other heirs died.

Of course, some still believed he had reasons for not being active, but after meeting him in person, Penia thought the rumors leaned more toward the latter.

‘Judging by his demeanor, he might look first-rate, but it’s already over the moment he decided to close the Shimon looking like that.’

Penia was also aware that Alon’s atmosphere was unusual.

His inorganic eyes.

A face so thoroughly devoid of emotion that it was hard to believe he was an ordinary human.

For a moment, even she was silenced by his presence, but it was only an atmosphere. Having assessed his talent, Penia couldn’t help but laugh.

He has talent, but it’s only slightly better than most.

His mana core is excessively small, and even at best, his rank is just at the edge of the 2nd Rank.

He doesn’t even possess the “Eyes,” which are essential for reaching the 6th Rank.

The Count of Palatio astonishingly lacked any significant talent.

He didn’t have the “Eyes,” a necessary trait for becoming a high-ranking wizard, nor did he have a vast amount of mana.

His magical rank was only at the 2nd Rank, and while his sensory perception was decent, that was all.

Sensing ability, among the many talents a wizard must possess, doesn’t rank particularly high.

In the end, the very fact that he came here confidently claiming he could eliminate the Shimon with such a mediocre talent only confirmed to Penia that the rumors about him leaned more towards the latter.

She made a pitiful expression as she watched him, then turned her gaze to the ‘rift’ in the center of the room, glowing with a purple light.

The rift, which wizards refer to as the Shimon (Time Gate), is literally connected to some unknown subspace, making it an extremely troublesome phenomenon.

Shimon, which appears primarily in places where magic is heavily used, causes considerable damage to its surroundings.

For example, beings from another dimension might cross over through the rift, or it might suddenly absorb all the surrounding magical energy, creating a mana vacuum in the entire area.

‘I heard they tried various methods to erase the Shimon in the early days because of this.’

As far as Penia knew, no wizard had ever succeeded in erasing a Shimon.

‘If research on Shimon had continued for a long time, there might have been a chance to find a way to eliminate it eventually.’

But for now, that method did not exist.

In the first place, even if a Shimon appeared suddenly, it would naturally disappear after about one to three months, leaving behind a relic.

Although the principle behind this was still not understood, wizards did not bother to spend time and resources researching methods that showed no promise.

…However, in the case of the Blue Tower, the Shimon that was expected to disappear in a few months had already been causing trouble in the tower’s basement for over two years, without any sign of disappearing.

Penia, lost in these thoughts, watched Alon, who had approached the Shimon without taking any action.

Despite the passage of time, Alon remained motionless.

Just as Penia clicked her tongue and was about to speak—

Tap—

Alon formed a hand seal.

“? “

Penia was slightly intrigued as she watched him suddenly raise his hand to form the Wisdom Fist Seal.

Instead of using a staff as a medium, he used his own hand, employing a method that was considered ‘primitive’ even in ancient magical texts—methods rarely studied, even in academic circles.

“Just come out.”

However, Penia was only mildly curious; she had no intention of giving Alon any more time.

She never imagined that someone using such an outdated method from a strange book could close the Shimon.

But—

The moment he softly muttered something—

“Ah, just come ou—”

Penia’s irritated words stopped abruptly.

No, not just her words.

Everything stopped.

Her half-open mouth.

Her furrowed, irritated eyes.

Her body.

Even her breathing.

Everything stopped.

And then—

She saw it.

The thing that emerged before the Count.

Screeech—

In front of Penia’s focused gaze, something that was once purely black made an unpleasant sound as it opened its ‘eyes.’

Upon realizing it, she saw that it was an eyeball.

An eyeball with two red rings.

It simply stared at her.

If it had ended there, it would have been fine.

But—

Penia’s ‘Eyes,’ the talent she needed to advance beyond the 6th Rank, instinctively discerned the essence of what was before her.

She didn’t know what it was.

But she understood.

This allowed Penia to grasp one piece of information.

That thing was a concept so simple it could be encapsulated in a single word.

It was—

“Ghh—!”

The moment she began to realize it, Penia forcefully halted her thoughts.

Her magic, which had stopped even her breathing, moved instinctively to cut off her thoughts.

Because she knew.

That thing in front of the Count was something she must never comprehend.

Understanding it would be akin to drinking from a poisoned chalice that would inevitably lead to destruction.

So, at the very moment she stopped thinking, barely remembering to breathe—

Heh—

The eyeball, which had been staring at her until now, smiled.

Then, with a black hand that had formed at some point, it gently raised its index and middle fingers to her lips.

An absolute command of silence.

Understanding that this was Alon’s demand, Penia, filled with sudden fear, blinked her eyes, and as the eyeball disappeared, the magic ended.

The place where the purple rift had disappeared was now calm, and Alon let out a small sigh.

“It’s done.”

For Alon, who had closed the Shimon countless times in the game and knew how to do it, closing the Shimon wasn’t particularly difficult.

After all, Shimon wasn’t closed with magic, but with a special—

“I—I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

“…? Well, I appreciate that, but there’s no need to—”

“I—I mean it, I swear, I won’t tell a soul. I’m actually very tight-lipped.”

Despite suddenly breathing heavily and even tearing up as she nodded fervently, speaking in formal language, Alon—

“…?”

‘Why is she suddenly acting like this…?’

—could only tilt his head in confusion.

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In the Kingdom of Asteria, there are three major clandestine families.

One is the Ducal House of Altia in the north.

Another is the Count’s House of Zenonia in the west.

And lastly, the Count’s House of Palatio in the east.

These three families, originally, divided the underworld of the Kingdom of Asteria into three parts, forming a massive shadow organization. By the time the original story begins, these families have grown powerful enough to subtly manipulate the kingdom from the shadows.

The House of Palatio, however, had long since fallen from power after the assassination of Leo, which led to the complete disintegration of their organization. Thus, only the Ducal House of Altia and the Count’s House of Zenonia remain as shadowy forces within the kingdom.

…At first glance, the alliance between the two doesn’t seem to be a major issue.

“Is that true?”

“Have you ever seen me lie, Count?”

“…That’s true.”

“Of course, since the agreement was made in the underworld, there might not be any obvious signs on the surface, but it appears that the alliance is genuine.”

The reason Alon was so alarmed was that he roughly understood the situation of the shadow forces at the beginning of the original story.

When the protagonist arrives in the Kingdom of Asteria, the three families possess immense power but are unable to wield it properly due to their constant checks on each other. However, with the House of Palatio now out of the picture, if the House of Zenonia and the House of Altia were to join forces, there would be no one left in the kingdom capable of stopping them.

In other words, if things continue as they are, the two shadow forces could end up ruling the kingdom as if it were their own playground.

‘Hmm.’

As Alon pondered how the situation had reached this point, he suddenly recalled something he had said to Lady Zenonia a few months prior.

‘Could it be…?’

He wondered if the alliance, which should never have blossomed within the Kingdom of Asteria, had somehow come about because of something he said. But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Even if he didn’t fully understand the character of Roria—the Duke of Altia—he knew Lady Kalia of the House of Zenonia all too well. She was the epitome of a villainess, the type who could not stand being on the same level as others or beneath anyone. She would stop at nothing, including committing the most brutal acts, to climb higher.

“Hmm…”

With that thought, Alon felt a bit more at ease. Knowing Kalia’s personality, the alliance was bound to be temporary.

“Evan.”

“Yes.”

“Bring me some stationery later.”

“Stationery?”

“Yes.”

Still, knowing that nothing in life is 100% certain, Alon decided to take some precautionary measures.

“Speaking of which, Count, I looked into the rumors about Seolrang you asked about earlier. It seems the rumors have been spreading recently.”

“Really?”

At Evan’s words, Alon turned his head.

“What kind of rumors?”

“I heard that he’s been very active recently in the Colony. He’s even earned the nickname ‘Golden Flash.'”

“The Golden Flash…”

With a brief sense of familiarity with the name, Alon sighed in relief. Although he had always believed that Seolrang would never die in obscurity, he had been worried, which is why he had included a note in his last letter to Yutia asking about Seolrang.

“I’m glad he’s doing well.”

“Indeed. In that place, if you gain enough fame as a fighter, you can be treated even better than a noble.”

“If you’re strong enough, you can even stand on equal footing with the king.”

With those brief thoughts, Alon accepted the stationery Evan handed him and spoke.

“Oh, and I’m planning to visit the tower in about a week.”

“The tower?”

“Yes, it might take some time.”

“It’ll only be two weeks, right?”

At Evan’s puzzled question, Alon shook his head.

“It’ll probably take about a month.”

“A month? As far as I know, the Green Tower is only about a week’s journey from the Count’s estate.”

“I’m not going to the Green Tower; I’m going to the Blue Tower.”

“…If it’s the Blue Tower, then it will take a while, but is there a particular reason to go there? The Blue Tower is located between Caliburn and the Labyrinth City, isn’t it?”

As Evan said, the Blue Tower was much farther away, taking more than three weeks to reach.

“I have some business at the Blue Tower.”

Alon gave a brief answer and continued writing his letter, signaling that the conversation was over. Realizing this, Evan clicked his tongue in resignation and said.

“Then I’ll start preparing in advance.”

“Please do.”

With a light bow, Evan left the room.

For a while, Alon wrote a letter to Lady Zenonia in silence. Once he finished sealing the letter, he let out a light sigh.

‘It’s going to be tough living in a carriage for three weeks just to reach the Blue Tower.’

Although Alon inwardly grumbled about how exhausting it would be, he was determined to go to the Blue Tower because there was something there he needed to obtain.

‘I have no choice but to do this for the sake of my magic.’

At the Blue Tower, there was an item that could assist with his half-baked talent, which only allowed him to properly study magic once a day.

As Alon thought about this, he suddenly remembered the Labyrinth City next to the Blue Tower.

‘Labyrinth City…’

Labyrinth City Lartania. In the heart of this city, fitting its name, there lies an endless labyrinth extending underground. It was one of the few places in Psychedelia where players could grind for experience and items without progressing the story.

As the name suggests, the deeper one went into the labyrinth, the more experience and treasures they could obtain. However, no one who played Psychedelia ever reached the end of the labyrinth. Although it allowed players to level up without advancing the story, the game required players to return to the surface every five floors, which caused a day to pass in-game.

Even though the story didn’t progress, time still moved forward. If a player focused on exploring the labyrinth and neglected the story, they might one day emerge to find the world in chaos.

To avoid this outcome, players had to advance the story while exploring the labyrinth. Naturally, as players balanced both, they usually reached the 70th floor of the labyrinth before the game ended. Thus, no one ever reached the end of the labyrinth in Psychedelia.

…There was a rumor that someone using cheats had made it to the 150th floor, but there were more floors beyond that…

As Alon recalled a vaguely remembered post from a community whose name he could barely remember, he switched his thoughts to Rine.

‘I hope she’s doing well.’

Alon had sent Rine to Lartania, not to make her a labyrinth explorer, but to train her as a magic appraiser. In Lartania, countless relics and artifacts were discovered daily in the labyrinth, making appraisers highly sought after. 

Magic appraisers, who could identify even the most detailed abilities of an item, were highly respected professionals. Moreover, by obtaining a certification as a magic appraiser in Lartania, one could live a prosperous life without worrying about money. That’s why Alon had sent her there.

Like the other Five Deadly Sins, Rine possessed a unique talent—the “Library of Eternity”—which was well-suited for this role.

‘Well, with the gift I gave her, she should find appraising a bit easier…’

Alon mused with a slightly awkward expression.

‘Come to think of it, the gift I gave Rine seems a bit small compared to what I gave the others.’

Unlike the gifts he had given to the other Five Deadly Sins, Alon had only given Rine an item specialized for equipment appraisals, which made him feel a bit embarrassed now.

‘If it turns out to be insufficient, I’ll have to provide some additional support later.’

Accepting that there was nothing he could do about what had already passed, Alon shrugged his shoulders. It was a leisurely day.

***

Labyrinth City Lartania. In the southern district of this independent city, which had an overwhelmingly large number of explorers and mercenaries compared to other nations, there was an appraisal shop called “Merde.”

The shop, run by a magic appraiser who concealed their identity, wasn’t located in the best area. Even in a labyrinth city where appraisers were highly valued, the central area near the labyrinth was home to numerous appraisal shops.

In other words, there wasn’t much reason for people to visit Merde in the southern district. Yet, despite this, a steady stream of customers visited the shop every day.

Moreover, the types of customers were unique. Most were A-rank explorers who ventured deep into the labyrinth, and among Merde’s customers were nobles from other countries and even the lord of Lartania.

“The appraisals are complete, my lord.”

“Oh, how is this relic?”

“It’s a device that continuously generates flames when infused with magic.”

The lord of Lartania smiled broadly as he received the relic from the masked woman and glanced down, noticing the black eye emblem engraved at the bottom of the relic.

“Oh, could it be that this relic has the ability to be engraved?”

“Yes.”

“How does the engraving affect its power?”

“The efficiency has improved dramatically. Now, even with just a small amount of magic, the flames will last for an hour.”

“That’s truly impressive. I’m always indebted to you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

With that, the masked woman gave a light response to the masked man’s words. The lord, with a delighted expression, vanished from sight as he left the room.

Once the lord had exited, leaving the office in silence, the woman, who was actually Rine, removed her crescent moon-adorned mask with a sigh. She gazed out the window at the engraving the lord now held in his hands.

That very engraving was the reason why the shop Merde, despite being located in the southern district, was earning more money than any other appraiser’s shop.

Rine could do more than just appraise relics brought by high-ranking individuals; she could also engrave certain relics to further enhance their abilities.

However, this was not Rine’s own ability. Her talent lay in using the “Library” to accurately identify the nature of relics and determine which specific relics could be engraved.

The ability to engrave was thanks to the gift from the Great Moon.

As Rine turned her gaze slightly and opened the door to the adjacent office, she entered a small room where a golden eye, surrounded by a blue halo, was operating.

[248/500]

Looking at the display floating above the halo, Rine recalled the first time she had discovered this gift from the Great Moon.

At first, Rine, like the others, didn’t understand why the Great Moon had sent her to the Labyrinth City and made her an appraiser. Although she suspected it was related to dealing with the “Black Ones,” given her knowledge of their forgotten existence, she still couldn’t fully grasp the connection.

At the very least, she knew from her “Library” how powerful the “Black Ones” were, but she couldn’t see how becoming an appraiser was related to fighting them.

But after discovering the gift from the Great Moon, she had no choice but to change her thinking.

The gift was the “Eye of the Wanderer,” an artifact capable of appraising relics that contained a certain level of magic. However, Rine, with her “Library,” instantly recognized that this Eye was far from ordinary.

Even though it initially appeared as nothing more than a simple sphere, Rine unlocked the seals layered upon it—seals that even her “Library” didn’t recognize—and it revealed its true form, unlocking one specific ability.

That ability was “Engraving.”

Engraving allowed her to inscribe certain relics from the upper echelons, thereby enhancing their abilities.

But ironically, the first thing the Eye of the Wanderer unlocked wasn’t an “ability” per se.

Rather than an ability, it was…… a means to offer sacrifices.

With each engraving, the relic’s power would increase, but Rine knew that the golden eye absorbed something unknown in exchange for the engraving, something even she couldn’t comprehend.

She could sense that the Eye was fundamentally changing each time this happened.

‘My task is to awaken this Eye.’

When Rine realized this, she came to two conclusions.

First, only she could awaken this Eye. The Eye only responded to relics with specific patterns from the upper echelons, and if she brought it a relic that didn’t meet these criteria, the accumulated power would diminish.

Second, the Eye would eventually grant her enough power to stand against the “Black Ones.”

Thus, Rine followed the will of the Great Moon, watching as the Eye gradually awakened with each relic it absorbed.

‘Everything is to kill the “Black Wolf.”‘

Muttering this to herself, Rine gently caressed the golden eye floating in the air.

‘And, to follow His will.’

A faint, inexplicable fanaticism gleamed in Rine’s eyes.

***

About three weeks later, as Alon had told Evan, he arrived at the Blue Tower by carriage. Originally, he had planned to meet the tower master as scheduled, but unfortunately, the tower master was absent, so he had to meet with the vice master instead.

But then…

“Come on, hurry up and state your business. I’m busy.”

Faced with this curt and dismissive attitude, Alon wore a bewildered expression.

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