Malon, a guard working in the capital of Caliban, Kirdam, loves rumors. The reason is simple: spending all day on duty at the city walls can be boring, and gossip is one of the ways to make his shifts more enjoyable.

For that reason, Malon had been waiting for this day—or more precisely, for the day Count Palatio would arrive. He had heard a secret rumor that the troublemaker, who ran wild under the shadow of his master, had asked to be summoned as soon as Count Palatio arrived. 

Malon didn’t know why that troublemaker was seeking out a count from another country, but he knew what would happen next. After all, there was only one reason that troublemaker ever sought someone out. Thanks to this, Malon was expecting a highly entertaining spectacle once Count Palatio arrived.

However, what he saw was far from what he had expected. It wasn’t Count Palatio who was being beaten, but Vilan, and the one assaulting him was none other than Deus. 

Deus, one of the Master Knights of Caliban, had risen to the top of the knightly order in less than a year with unmatched talent, earning the title of “Muken” (Swordless). It was Deus who had struck Vilan. 

Even that was enough to shock everyone in the capital, where rumors spread like wildfire in a single day. But Malon was even more stunned by what happened next.

‘The Swordless… bowed his head…?’ 

Malon stared, mouth agape, at Deus bowing his head as he spoke.

“Did… Sir Swordless just bow his head?”

“The Swordless…?”

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The guards around him were equally shocked. The reason for their disbelief was simple: until now, Deus had never bowed to anyone in Caliban, except for the current king. 

There was even an incident where he slapped the second prince three times for harassing his only sister, an event still talked about in the capital. Deus’s reputation soared after that, even though the second prince was known as a troublemaker abandoned by the royal family. Despite committing an offense against royalty, Deus wasn’t punished, further elevating his status. 

It essentially meant that the entire Kingdom of Caliban regarded Deus Macallian as more important than the second prince, and his reputation only grew stronger. 

Yet here he was, bowing his head to a mere count from another country.

“Please, get in.” 

Seeing Deus bowing to Count Palatio was enough to shock anyone familiar with the rumors. 

Soon, all eyes were on the Count, who walked without expression, escorted by the Master Knight, as if this situation didn’t faze him at all.

And then—

‘Who exactly is this Count Palatio, that the Swordless would bow to him?’

Malon and everyone who saw the Count’s face had the same question on their minds, their mouths hanging open in astonishment. 

‘This situation is strange, but why are they looking at me like that?’

Alon, the one receiving these shocked stares, felt puzzled by the situation.

“Please, get in.”

He then turned his gaze at Deus’s words and noticed the carriage waiting for him.

‘It stands out…’

Unlike other carriages, it was painted entirely in black, making it impossible to miss. And—

Thud!

—surrounded by knights as if they were guarding it like a fortress, Alon started to understand why people were staring at him this way. 

Even he thought this was a bit too much.

“Got it.”

However, it would be ridiculous to refuse to ride the carriage at this point, so Alon quietly got in.

“I will take care of the carriage then,” said Evan, ending the conversation as Alon, now in the carriage with Deus, headed toward the mansion under the escort of the black knights.

***

A short while later…

‘Is this… a mansion?’

Seeing Deus’s mansion for the first time, Alon was visibly surprised. He had heard that Caliban’s capital was large compared to other kingdoms, but this was the first time he’d seen a mansion of such immense size.

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‘Is this what success looks like…?’

Alon briefly mused as he followed Deus, who led the way from the carriage through the vast mansion towards the office.

Once inside the office…

“Please, have a seat.”

“Hmm?”

Alon looked slightly puzzled as Deus offered him the seat of honor without hesitation. 

Even though Alon had little knowledge of formal etiquette, he knew the basics.

‘Isn’t the owner supposed to sit in the seat of honor?’

Of course, if Alon were of a higher rank, things might be different, but he was only a count— and not even a noble of Caliban, but from the Kingdom of Asteria. 

In short, there was no need for Deus to treat him with such excessive courtesy.

From Alon’s perspective, Deus’s treatment made him feel like a proud father whose son had made a great success. He felt pleased but also slightly concerned.

He had quite a few favors to ask Deus.

“Hmm…”

Clearing his throat, Alon sat in the seat of honor, and Deus naturally sat beside him.

…

A heavy silence followed.

‘What should I talk about?’

Of course, there were many things Alon needed to ask for, but he knew that communication doesn’t work that way. 

First, he needed to make some small talk.

But having never spoken to Deus face-to-face, let alone exchanged letters, Alon felt awkward. Just as he was struggling with the silence…

Creak—

“I’m a bit late.”

Evan, guided in by the knights, cautiously entered the room, and Alon realized that Evan had brought a gift.

“Evan, the gift.”

“Understood.”

At Alon’s command, Evan placed the gift on Deus’s desk.

“This is…?”

“A gift.”

At Deus’s response, Alon let out a small sigh. He had been wondering how to start the conversation, and now the gift had given him a way in.

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“Thank you.”

Deus bowed his head slightly to Alon.

And then… silence.

‘Alright, isn’t this the part where the conversation naturally follows?’ 

The thought passed through Alon’s mind, and he finally opened his mouth.

“Aren’t you going to open the gift?”

“It would be improper to open it now; I’ll do so later.”

Alon understood that it was indeed rude to open a gift in front of a high-ranking person with too much excitement. 

But Alon wasn’t a high-ranking noble himself.

‘…What exactly does he think of me?’

Alon’s confusion was apparent, but his bewilderment didn’t last long. 

Because—

Creak—!

“B-Brother…?”

Before he could gather his thoughts, a young girl entered Deus’s office. Like Deus, she had striking purple eyes. She glanced around the room before her gaze settled on Evan.

“Oh! Brother Evan!”

Recognizing him, she greeted him with a familiar smile.

“Oh, Silly!”

Evan also smiled warmly as he stood up, and Alon quickly realized that the girl was Deus’s younger sister, whom Evan had been sent to rescue.

‘They do look alike.’

In the game <Psychedelia>, only the tragic circumstances of her death were described, so Alon had never seen her appearance. Yet, now that he saw her in person, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement at the strong resemblance. As he turned his gaze to Deus, Alon was startled.

Deus had a distinctly displeased expression on his face. When Silly grabbed Evan’s hand, his eyes grew even sharper. 

“Silly, Evan is not your brother. He’s an old man,” Deus remarked.

Watching this, Alon quickly realized how protective Deus was of his sister. In short, it was safe to call him a *siscon*.

Though Alon understood Deus’s attachment, knowing from the game that he had suffered a great sense of loss and lack of family, it was still amusing.

As Alon was thinking about this, Silly, who had been playing with Evan moments before, suddenly came over to Alon and spoke cheerfully.

“You’re Count Palatio, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“I heard from Evan. You gave the order to save me.”

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Hearing this, Alon glanced at Deus, then nodded quietly.

“I just did my duty.”

‘If you died, your brother could have turned into a continental killing machine.’

“Thank you so much,” Silly said, bowing deeply. 

Seeing her heartfelt gratitude warmed Alon’s heart. Even though his actions had been motivated by other intentions, receiving sincere thanks for his good deeds felt rewarding.

Alon smiled slightly.

***

After Silly left, the atmosphere relaxed a little. Alon cleared his throat, glancing at Deus, who still wore a subtly hostile expression toward Evan after his sister’s departure.

“Deus, the reason I’ve come to see you is that I need a favor.”

“A favor…?” Deus asked, looking slightly confused.

“Yes. Is there something strange about that?”

Alon responded with equal confusion.

“No, nothing. Please, go ahead.”

Though Deus’s words seemed a little odd, Alon paused for a moment. He found it hard to speak now that it was time to make his request. He had two favors to ask of Deus, and both were likely to be somewhat difficult.

After hesitating, Alon finally spoke up with the first request.

“I need to go to the North. Could you accompany me?”

“Of course.”

Alon blinked, surprised at how easily Deus agreed.

“Is it really that simple?”

“Yes, I was planning a northern expedition anyway.”

Hearing this, Alon felt relieved. The first request, at least, turned out to be relatively easy.

Taking a deep breath of relief, Alon made his second request.

“Could I borrow the ‘Ring of the Arrogant One’ from the Caliban royal treasury?”

As he made this request, Alon watched Deus carefully. After all, asking to borrow something from the royal treasury was essentially like indebting oneself to the royal family, and it could be quite a tricky matter for Deus.

No matter how powerful Deus was, he was still bound by the political interests of the Kingdom of Caliban.

However, the ‘Ring of the Arrogant One’ was essential for Alon’s plan, and he had to ask, even if it put Deus in an awkward position.

“Of course, I don’t want this to cause you any trouble—” Alon began, trying to soften the request and offer compensation, but—

“Understood,” Deus interrupted.

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“…What?”

“I will retrieve the ‘Ring of the Arrogant One’ right away.”

Deus bowed slightly as he spoke, leaving Alon bewildered once again.

‘Wait, this is good… but… is it really okay?’

With a slightly dazed expression, Alon asked, “You know where it is, right?”

“I’ve heard it’s in the royal treasury of Caliban.”

“And isn’t it a bit difficult to get it?”

“It usually takes about a week by normal means, but if you wish, I can retrieve it immediately.”

“…Is there a way to do that?”

Curious about Deus’s bold claim, Alon inquired.

Deus paused for a moment, seeming to consider something, then replied.

“The king might be a bit troublesome, but I can handle about 50 people, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“…Huh?”

Evan, who was nearby, was visibly taken aback, and though Alon didn’t show it as openly, he was just as baffled by Deus’s unwavering determination.

‘Is this his way of showing how far he’s willing to go for me?’

Interpreting Deus’s words as a sign of his loyalty, Alon hesitated before saying, “No, there’s no need to go that far.”

“Understood… I will retrieve the ring as quickly as possible.”

Deus looked somewhat disappointed as he agreed. Alon, for a brief moment, thought, ‘I just wanted you to borrow it…’, but he quickly nodded in response.

‘He really cares about me, but isn’t this a bit much…?’

And with that thought, Alon spent a day at the mansion while waiting for the ring to be retrieved.

“I’ve brought it.”

“…What?”

Alon stared at the precious jewel-encrusted box containing the ‘Ring of the Arrogant One.’

And then—

“What?”

“Count, did you hear? Yesterday, Deus apparently caused a ruckus at the royal palace demanding the treasure. I also heard he slapped the second prince again.”

“…??”

At Evan’s report, Alon was left utterly speechless.

‘What is going on?!’

Alon began to realize something was off about Deus.

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