A little over two weeks had passed. Although progress was slower than expected due to the wounded soldiers, they finally arrived at Kirdam, the capital of Caliban, to be met with the citizens’ enthusiastic cheers. Wherever he looked, Alon saw people with bright expressions, proudly cheering. Led by Deus, the knights and soldiers were welcomed into the royal palace, where they reported the subjugation of the Outer God, marking the end of the expedition.

Alon, without hesitation, prepared to leave once again. For him, there was no longer any reason to stay in Caliban after the Outer God had been eradicated. 

“I’ve received plenty of gifts,” he thought with a satisfied expression as he glanced at the carriage. The carriage was loaded with numerous gifts, courtesy of the quick-witted king of Caliban, who sought to strengthen their friendship. Alon, gazing contentedly at the slightly excessive gifts, soon spoke to Deus.

“Well, see you next time.”

As he turned to leave, offering a typical Korean farewell akin to “Let’s have a meal sometime,” Deus, for the first time, suddenly asked a question.

“May I ask you something?”

Alon, who was about to turn away, paused. “What is it?”

Having spent about a month with Deus, from the northern expedition to their return to the capital, Alon had never heard such a direct question from him before. Usually, Deus only expressed his deepening respect without much inquiry. Alon patiently waited for him to speak.

After a moment of silence, Deus finally asked, “Can I become stronger too?”

Alon was briefly taken aback by the unexpected question, especially since Deus was already quite strong. Alon pondered what could have prompted such a question, then reached a conclusion. 

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‘Perhaps it’s because the magic I used in battle against the Outer God left a strong impression, increasing his respect for me.’

After concluding his thoughts, Alon spoke. “Of course, you can become stronger.”

“Really?”

“Yes, as long as you put in the effort, you can achieve anything you desire.”

“! Is that true?”

“…Yes, it’s true,” Alon replied, puzzled by Deus’s sudden eagerness. He wasn’t lying. In fact, Deus, like the rest of the Five Sins, already had extraordinary innate abilities even before the descent of the gods. In Deus’s case, even without using his unique abilities, he could become a swordmaster with sheer skill. Given that he’d reached this level in just one year, it was only a matter of time before he became even stronger.

Reflecting on these facts made Alon feel a tinge of envy for the sheer talent standing before him. 

‘Ah, it would’ve been nice if I could’ve been reborn with a more talented body,’ Alon thought briefly before continuing.

“So don’t worry,” he added.

“Understood,” Deus replied.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“…Wait, may I ask you one more thing?”

“…What is it now?” Alon asked, hesitating mid-turn.

“Why do you always ask instead of command?”

“…?” 

Alon, momentarily confused by the question, tried to piece together what Deus might be getting at. “Does he think there’s some hidden motive behind my support?”

Though there was indeed a reason—preventing the descent of the Five Sins—Alon’s financial and material support for them had been primarily out of goodwill, aside from the larger threat of the Five Sins. 

While there was some tension related to the Five Sins, his actions were still rooted in genuine goodwill. However, Deus’s suspicion seemed to undermine the sincerity of his intentions, which made Alon feel slightly wronged.

“Who would issue orders to family?” Alon replied, hoping to convey his sincerity with his parting words.

With that, he said his final farewell to Deus and departed for Asteria in his carriage.

***

That night…

Deus sat in the office of the mansion, staring blankly at the moon hanging in the sky, maintaining a silent vigil.

“Hah—”

A quiet sigh escaped him. But the reason for his sigh was not the various tasks on his desk or the work he had to handle in the future. Instead, it was because he had come face-to-face with his own ignorance during the recent expedition.

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Deus had always believed he was strong enough. His innate ability, passed down through his lineage, was so powerful that even Yutia had praised it. Moreover, his talent with the sword, a gift bestowed upon him by the Great Moon, surpassed even Caliban’s greatest swordmaster, Reinhardt. Deus was fully aware of this. In fact, he couldn’t not know. The countless praises and reverence he received as he swiftly rose to become a Master Knight made it impossible for him to be unaware of his own strength.

Thus, he had vaguely assumed that the strength he possessed was enough to exact revenge on the “Black Ones.” Even if that strength was slightly lacking, he believed his talent with the sword would eventually be sufficient to elevate him to that level.

At least, until he encountered the Outer God.

“… …”

To Deus, the very presence of the Outer God—and its overwhelming strength—was a profound shock. Merely standing before it, he felt his throat tighten, as if gripped by fear. It made him realize, in the most painful way, that he was just a frog in a well, ignorant of the vast world beyond.

This realization hit him even harder when he witnessed the power of the Great Moon.

He couldn’t help but recall that moment. The image of the Great Moon using magic against the Outer God, with the sunset as a backdrop. And the two eyes that appeared behind him.

Of course, Deus had no idea what those eyes were. All he could discern was that each eye represented a different entity, and the Great Moon was utilizing their power. However, Deus instinctively understood one crucial thing just from looking at those eyes: “That” was something that shouldn’t be perceived, and even the mere attempt to understand it was forbidden.

Though it was the first time he’d seen it, this understanding was imprinted in his mind as naturally as if it had always been there. Just like the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, or that all life born eventually dies, the notion that this knowledge should not be pursued became an undeniable truth in his mind.

Reflecting on this, Deus suddenly felt a sense of shame. Unlike Penia, who only saw Alon’s strength, Deus hadn’t even realized the true power of the Great Moon.

In fact, Deus had thought the Great Moon was weak. In his eyes, the only thing he could sense from the Great Moon was a faint amount of magic power. But that was merely Deus’s ignorance. While Deus had frozen in place, unable to resist the Outer God, the Great Moon had stood calmly in front of it and battled it head-on, eventually annihilating it.

Deus had followed the Great Moon, determined to repay a favor, but instead of repaying that debt, he had only ended up receiving more help. Just like before.

“No, this can’t go on.”

Deus once again recalled the thought that had crossed his mind repeatedly since returning to Caliban after defeating the Outer God.

However, despite having the same thought dozens of times, it had never developed into something more. That was because of doubt—doubt about himself.

Having witnessed the Outer God and now deeply respecting the Great Moon, to whom he owed his life, Deus began to doubt whether he could ever reach that level.

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Despite knowing that his talent was exceptional, the overwhelming power displayed by the Outer God and the Great Moon crushed any confidence he had in his abilities.

And so, until today, Deus had been trapped in a cycle of self-doubt, repeatedly asking himself the same question without arriving at an answer.

But today, Deus was finally able to end the doubt he had been grappling with for weeks.

“Of course, you can become stronger.”

“Yes, as long as you put in the effort, you can achieve anything you desire.”

“Really, it’s true.”

He recalled the words Alon had spoken to him today. There had been no particular emotion in those words, but at the same time, there was no hesitation. Alon had immediately said that Deus had the talent to defeat the Black Ones, that he could reach that level if he worked hard enough.

That statement, uttered without the slightest hesitation, was enough to give Deus an unwavering certainty.

“I must become stronger.”

Deus clenched his fist tightly.

‘More.’

For the first time, his once stagnant thoughts began to advance.

The vague desire for revenge against the Black Ones was now becoming more concrete, spurred by newfound certainty.

Those concrete thoughts quickly multiplied, branching off into dozens of other ideas.

Thus, for the first time, the frog in the well, having gained the conviction to venture into the outside world, began to prepare.

‘Strong enough to become his sword.’

Motivated by a new purpose.

‘Family…’

He clung to the warmth of that single word—the recognition that the Great Moon had last bestowed upon him, which alone, when thought of, filled his heart with warmth.

With this as his talisman, Deus truly began his journey forward.

The blue moonlight shone down on Deus as he sat in the dark office.

A moment later, still silent, Deus recalled that moment and instinctively raised his left hand forward.

‘Back then, it was like this, wasn’t it?’

Just as Alon had done when facing the Outer God, Deus extended his middle and ring fingers, releasing a bit of magic to scan the surroundings for any presence.

“First Line of Silence.”

He quietly muttered the words in the empty room, his left hand twitching slightly.

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Of course, nothing happened.

But even though he was alone in the room, mimicking Alon’s actions, Deus couldn’t help but feel a mixture of slight embarrassment and satisfaction.

He adjusted his posture once again, thinking briefly to himself, ‘It would’ve been nice to have as much talent in magic as he does.’

At that moment:

“My lord.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve noticed you seem to really enjoy sweet potatoes from time to time.”

“They’re delicious.”

Alon responded to Evan’s comment while roasting sweet potatoes by the fire.

“Hmm.”

Indeed, the sweet potatoes were truly delicious.

***

It was late at night, about a month later, when Alon finally arrived at Count Palatio’s estate.

‘That was exhausting.’

It had been about three months since his last return, and Alon couldn’t help but mutter a brief reflection.

Truth be told, nothing significant had occurred since he left Caliban.

The only thing that had been mildly annoying was Evan’s unceasing curiosity about Alon’s powers, resulting in near-daily questions.

Beyond that, the only notable development was the growing rumor among the kingdoms that Count Palatio had played a major role in capturing the Outer God in Caliban.

Having concluded his long journey, Alon was ready to rest.

Although his return to the count’s estate from Caliban had occupied most of his focus, there were now several matters he needed to investigate.

He had to visit Colony and figure out more about the Black Ones and the Blue Ones, and he needed to understand why the Outer God had appeared and why Ultultus possessed a true name.

In other words, he had plenty of work ahead of him.

But despite that, Alon chose to rest.

After all, from the beginning, his goal had always been to enjoy a leisurely life as a noble.

While his study of magic was enjoyable, its primary purpose was self-preservation rather than achieving something grand.

In short, all of this effort was ultimately to ensure a peaceful life, and from Alon’s perspective, it was only fitting to reward himself with some rest after the hardships he had endured.

With that in mind, Alon planned to do nothing for about a week once he returned to the count’s estate.

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But first, he sat down in the office to quickly take care of the piled-up tasks in a single day.

As he opened the letters from Yutia that he had yet to read, Alon suddenly froze.

“…What?”

He muttered in a daze.

And for good reason.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“How high of a rank is a cardinal in Rosario?”

“A cardinal…? Well, technically, they’re just below the pope or the holy saint, why?”

“Yutia has become a cardinal.”

“…What??”

Inside the letter was the shocking news that Yutia had become a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.