“Suddenly? Wait, more importantly, in Caliban…?”

Evan, wearing a deeply confused expression, spoke while thinking for a moment. 

Then, as if realizing something, he hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to go to the North?”

Evan spoke, recalling that Caliban was the closest country to where the northern barbarians resided.

“I’ll explain on the way. Just prepare first. The information I mentioned earlier, it’s accurate, right?”

“…If you’re talking about the person we discussed last time, yes. The information guild confirmed they’re in that village.”

Evan, speaking with an anxious expression.

“Then we’ll stop there before heading straight to Caliban.”

But at Alon’s firm statement, Evan, with a mixture of curiosity and resignation in his eyes, looked at him for a moment before leaving the room to follow orders.

“Haah…”

Alon let out a deep sigh, covering his face with his hand as if just thinking about it was exhausting. 

It was because the descent of an Outer God was akin to a massive disaster that he desperately wished would never happen.

An Outer God.

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These beings, known by various names across the continent of Psychedelia, were evils that, much like the Five Great Sins, merely descending into the world brought calamity. 

For Alon, their descent alone was enough to shatter his future plans completely. 

Once they began rampaging in earnest, they could easily destroy entire kingdoms.

Of course, with six kingdoms on the continent, the odds of being affected were about one-third. 

But still, even thinking rationally, there was a 33.3% chance that he would lose his noble title and end up living as a beggar.

…In fact, by that point, living as a beggar might even be fortunate. 

If an Outer God attacked Asteria, his chances of surviving were slim to none.

If, by some small chance, the Outer God destroyed two other kingdoms instead of Asteria, the situation might improve slightly, but it wouldn’t be ideal. 

The collapse of two kingdoms would lead to the rapid fall of the United Kingdoms, and the surviving kingdoms would fight each other madly over worthless land tainted by the powers of the otherworld. 

With tens of thousands of casualties and over a dozen heroes already lost to the Outer Gods, the remaining kingdoms would naturally weaken, and in the end, the Empire would devour them all.

In short, no matter how you looked at it, if an Outer God descended upon the United Kingdoms, Alon would have to give up his noble title. 

And in some ways, the latter scenario might be even worse. 

While the former would end quickly, the latter would drag him into a full-scale war.

Sure, some might suggest the United Kingdoms could band together in unity during such a crisis. 

But having played this game long enough and having seen hundreds of scenarios, Alon could confidently shake his head.

In every scenario where an Outer God or one of the Five Great Sins destroyed even a single kingdom, the dissolution of the United Kingdoms was inevitable. 

Other small details might change, but the collapse of the Union never did.

In other words, for Alon, to prevent his life plans from crumbling, he had to stop the Outer God before it reached the kingdom.

“…Hmph.”

As soon as Alon heard that an Outer God had descended, he knew he had to act immediately. 

He had a plan.

“I have to resolve this within two months.”

When an Outer God first descends to the mortal world, it cannot fully wield its power as an avatar and requires a two-month stabilization period before it can awaken as a Saged God and fully access its abilities. 

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Thus, there was a small window of time before it became a Saged God, during which stopping it would be somewhat easier.

…Though, even before becoming a Saged God, it wasn’t exactly weak.

He quietly recalled a part of his mind, where all the game-related information, except for what was necessary, had gathered dust.

‘If it’s the North, then it would be the God of Duels, Ultultus. Before becoming a Saged God, he wouldn’t be able to use formation attacks, so that’s a bit of a relief. But normally, to purely suppress him with force, you’d absolutely need at least five Sword Masters and one Archmage…’

Alon silently shook his head.

Of course, gathering that kind of power was impossible in the current situation.

However, despite this, Alon’s expression didn’t falter.

Ever since the moment the monsters were possessed by a god, he had half-expected this situation to come. He already had a plan to eliminate the Outer God.

‘I’m not sure if it will go according to plan, but…’

There was no time to dwell on such things. After thinking this far, Alon opened a drawer in the inn where he was staying, took out some stationery, and immediately began writing a letter.

Ten minutes later.

‘…I guess I should prepare a gift as well.’

After finishing the letter, which was addressed to Master Knight Deus Makalian in Caliban, Alon stood up.

That late afternoon, two days before the banquet, Count Palatio left Duke Rotegre’s castle.

***

That night.

At Duke Altia’s rarely visited residence, which Duke Rotegre had kindly offered for her use, she finally arrived and was having a conversation with a man.

“You’re saying Count Palatio has already left?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

When the man, Marquis Mardarnio, nodded, Duke Altia, or Loria, spoke again.

“So, how did it go?”

“Fortunately, he accepted the gift well.”

At the marquis’s words, Altia smiled.

“That’s a relief.”

For nobles, gifts are generally ceremonial and don’t hold much significance.

However, that only applies to trivial gifts. Expensive items, like relics, always carry deeper meanings.

In Marquis Mardarnio’s case, the gift he presented to the head of a new faction held a single message: ‘May I join your faction?’

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Of course, directly asking would be more straightforward, but noble society is all about appearances.

For example, if someone were to ask directly and be rejected, it would be a blow to their dignity.

That’s why both the giver and the receiver communicate symbolically through what could essentially be called a bribe, making it easier for both parties to handle.

Accepting the gift means approval; rejecting it means refusal.

Of course, Count Palatio, or Alon, knew nothing of this.

He had only attended a ball once in his life, had no friends, and his father, who died of an overdose, left him ignorant of such matters.

As a result, Alon simply thought, ‘Even if they realize later, it’s not like I’ll see them often, and it’d be awkward to ask for it back after accepting, right?’ With that in mind, he readily took the gift, fully intending to keep it.

“Now we can officially align our interests.”

“It’s an honor.”

“How did the others fare?”

“Those who pledged their allegiance also accepted the gifts.”

Thanks to Alon’s ignorance and his willingness to keep the gifts, Altia was able to gain the support of the nobles she had given prior notice to.

“…Then we can start making serious moves now.”

With a small smile, she began preparing for the true formation of her faction.

***

Exactly one week after Alon left Duke Rotegre’s estate.

He arrived in Parkran, a small village in the northern part of the Kingdom of Ashtalon, located some distance from the Rotegre estate. Alon had come here for one reason.

“Hello!”

It was to meet the protagonist of this dark fantasy roguelike game, <Psychedelia>.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Uh, no?”

The reason Alon wanted to meet Eliban, the protagonist of the game, even though the Five Great Sins had already been eliminated and the protagonist was no longer essential, was simple. 

Even without the Five Great Sins, the protagonist would still become famous, and Alon judged that it wouldn’t hurt to win his favor early on. 

Especially now, with an Outer God having descended, Alon wanted the protagonist to grow quickly. So he came loaded with items to aid Eliban’s early growth.

“…Eliban, right?”

“Yes, that’s me!”

As Alon watched the boy speak with a bright smile, so cheerful that anyone might find it refreshing, he thought to himself, ‘He’s almost too good-looking for a guy… but, well, he looks just like the illustration.’

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In <Psychedelia>, the player’s choices allowed them to freely adjust the protagonist’s gender. That thought briefly crossed Alon’s mind, but then he felt a strange sense of dissonance.

‘Was the protagonist always like this?’

Since <Psychedelia> was a dark fantasy game, he remembered that while Eliban’s personality was lively compared to other dark fantasy characters, he didn’t recall him being ‘this’ bright. He felt a bit puzzled.

But that feeling passed quickly.

“Take this.”

Alon naturally pulled out a few gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the boy.

“Huh? For me?”

Eliban’s eyes widened in disbelief as he received the gold coins, which were enough to support a typical household for two months.

But Alon didn’t stop there. He soon began handing over one item after another, explaining the gifts he had prepared for Eliban over the past week.

After a lengthy explanation and handing over all the items he had collected, Eliban, with a puzzled look, asked, “But… why are you giving me all this?”

Seeing Eliban’s confused expression, Alon hesitated for a moment before replying, “It’s an investment.”

“An investment?”

“Yeah. You’re going to be big one day.”

In truth, Alon was hoping that Eliban might deal with any future Outer Gods for him, but he didn’t voice that part.

“I’m Count Palatio,” Alon added, letting Eliban know the name of the benefactor he should be grateful to when he succeeded, before climbing into his carriage without hesitation.

“Thank you, Count… no, Sir Count!”

Eliban, looking bewildered by the sudden meeting and parting, soon watched the departing carriage and gave a respectful farewell.

Shortly afterward…

“…I can roughly guess what you’re trying to do, but isn’t this all a bit rushed?” Evan remarked, watching how quickly Alon had passed all the gifts to the protagonist.

“We don’t have time. Besides, he’s smart enough to figure it out.”

Alon spoke while recalling Eliban’s backstory. He had considered staying in the village for a few days to build rapport with Eliban, but unfortunately, time wasn’t on his side. So he made this choice, and Evan nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, well, he does seem incredibly talented. I mean, for a kid, his magic power is really strong.”

“…Huh? Magic power?”

“Yeah, you didn’t notice? It looked like his magic was oozing out of him. Plus, even though he’s dressed like a village boy, it seemed like he had an artifact with him too.”

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Hearing Evan’s words, Alon recalled his memory of Eliban.

‘Come to think of it, I did sense a bit of magic power… But wasn’t Eliban supposed to be just a random village boy before starting his adventure?’

Recalling the game’s starting setup, Alon tilted his head in confusion. 

It seemed odd for Eliban to have magic power and an artifact at this stage, but Alon brushed it off.

‘Well, he’s the protagonist, so I guess he can have a bit more talent than usual.’

With that thought, Alon stopped worrying about Eliban.

He had given everything he could, and if the protagonist became stronger, it would only benefit him.

After all, Eliban was one of the few characters with a kind heart in this cruel dark fantasy world.

Because of that…

“How long will it take to reach Caliban from here?”

“Hmm… about another week. Ten days at most if we’re delayed.”

“I wish I could get some help.”

Alon listened to Evan’s words as he headed toward Caliban.

Meanwhile, at the large mansion in the south of Caliban, Deus, who had returned from the northern expedition and was resting, was preparing to leave for the north again the next day because of “foreign news.”

“!”

After reading the letter,  

“Vice-captain.”

“Yes.”

“The northern expedition is postponed for two weeks.”

He immediately gave the order.

“May I ask the reason for the postponement?”

At the vice-captain’s question, Deus fell silent for a moment.

“…Soon, a benefactor will arrive.”

He muttered those words.