After several weeks of hardship, Keremenia, where they had finally arrived, looked fairly decent to Alon’s group.
The massive wall they had seen first from far away looked as high and solid as an impregnable fortress.
And the cityscape inside it, along with the enormous castle in the middle of the capital, seemed to prove that this world dyed red had not completely perished.
However, before Alon’s group could even take in the full view of Keremenia, they had already taken their eyes off that scenery.
No, they had no choice but to.
Because the “sage” of Keremenia, whom Reber had mentioned, looked to anyone—
“......That’s Yutia, right?”
“Uh......”
—like Yutia.
Leaving behind Evan, who asked cautiously, and Penia, who trailed off, Alon continued looking at her.
‘......Her hair color is different, though.’
The “sage” before him looked so similar to Yutia that one could call them sisters.
If there was one difference, it was that her hair was not brilliantly shining silver like Yutia’s, but a dull ash-gray.
However, aside from that hair color, she truly looked exactly like Yutia, and Alon, who had been staring at her blankly—
“Welcome to Keremenia.”
—only came to his senses after receiving her greeting, realizing then that they had arrived in front of the sage.
“Greetings, Sage. We are—”
“I know. Lord Reber, who once followed the Twilight.”
Before Reber could even finish speaking, she guessed his origin at once.
Toward Reber, whose expression turned shocked, she lightly moved her head.
“My name is Sia, the sage currently {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} leading Keremenia, inadequate though I may be.”
After introducing herself that way, she soon looked over Alon’s group and the migrants behind them.
“First, would you all come inside? Somehow, this does not seem like the best place to exchange greetings...... and it looks as though there are many people in urgent need as well.”
At her invitation, Reber nodded, and at last, they entered Keremenia.
####
As soon as the group entered the castle, they saw soldiers begin guiding the migrants as though they had been waiting, and at the same time, they were able to look at the scenery within the city.
“......For a world that’s supposedly ending, this place still looks pretty intact.”
“I think so too.”
At Evan’s words, Alon nodded.
The scenery Alon had seen since coming here had been almost nothing except landscapes where organs floated in the sky and flesh masses eroded the ground.
At best, they had passed through territories or capitals that were mostly destroyed, or only recently had they seen something resembling an ordinary forest.
Even that had not felt particularly peaceful, since the world still maintained its red light, but this place felt a little different.
‘Certainly, this place looks peaceful.’
Of course, the atmosphere within the castle was not lively, but that did not mean a gloomy mood hung over it either.
“Mm—first, since it is late today, how about resting well and speaking tomorrow? Would that be all right?”
At the words of Yutia—no, of the sage who had introduced herself as Sia—who seemed to have finished speaking with Reber, Alon remained silent for a moment before nodding.
“Let us do that.”
“Then would you follow me? I will show you where you can rest.”
Sia immediately turned around.
At that, Alon’s group and Reber followed her into the castle.
And when they arrived at the castle, Alon was guided by a soldier and was given a separate room to stay in.
“Hmm—”
As soon as he entered the room, Evan stroked his chin as though something felt strange.
“What is it?”
“No, how should I put this...... it feels a little odd?”
“Odd?”
“Uh—right?”
“In what way?”
“How should I say this...... No, it’s a little hard to point out exactly, but it feels kind of natural.”
As Evan rubbed his chin with an expression that seemed to say, Ah...... what is the source of this sense of wrongness? Penia, who was beside him, spoke this time.
“Isn’t it because that sage did not find us strange? It did not seem like she particularly questioned Reber about who we were either, but she still called only us separately into the castle and prepared rooms for us.”
“Ah, that’s it! That sage acted too naturally even after seeing us, didn’t she? Like Penia said, it’s strange that she somehow knew what sort of people we were and gave us rooms inside the castle.”
At Evan’s strong agreement, Alon also nodded.
“......It certainly is a little strange.”
As far as Alon knew, at least in this world, “humans” did not exist.
People like Reber, the “Lotusfolk,” were similar to humans, but strictly speaking, humans and Lotusfolk were different.
He recalled how, while they traveled, the migrants had looked at Alon’s group with curiosity.
“......Well, if she’s a sage who knows everything, then if it’s some sage ability, there isn’t much to say about it.”
Evan continued that way.
“By the way, Lord Alon.”
“Speak.”
“No matter how I look at her, that sage...... doesn’t she look like Yutia?”
“......I think so too.”
Penia nodded at Evan’s words.
Naturally, Alon nodded as well.
When Alon first saw the sage, he had been startled because he thought she was Yutia.
“......A distant ancestor of Yutia’s?”
“Is she...... the type who can have...... ancestors?”
Evan stroked his chin, and beside him, Penia muttered without realizing it.
“Then maybe she came over with us?”
“......Her hair color is different. No, actually, even setting the hair color aside, if she came over with us, there would be no reason for her to pretend not to know us, would there?”
“That’s true.”
Evan nodded.
Alon also quietly nodded.
The sage had opened her mouth as though seeing them was only natural, but there had not been any particular joy or familiarity in her eyes.
And so, after thinking for only a short while—
“For now, rest today. If there is anything we are curious about, we can ask tomorrow.”
Alon decided to rest for the day.
Fortunately, for now, there was still tomorrow.
####
The next morning.
After resting for about a day, Alon was able to meet the sage.
“Were you able to rest well last night?”
“......Thanks to you, I rested well.”
“That is a relief.”
The sage smiled and nodded.
She looked over Alon, Penia, and Evan one by one, cleared her throat briefly, and then—
“You came to find the Seat of War, did you not?”
—spoke directly, going straight to the point.
“!”
“How did you......?”
The group was shocked.
Among them, Alon opened his mouth blankly.
They had not provided the sage before them with any information at all.
Moreover, since the Seat of War was an existence that had fallen together with them, there was no way she could know about it.
......Even if the Seat of War had founded one of the countless kingdoms, that fact remained the same.
And so, when he stared at her, unable to continue speaking from shock, Sia, still wearing a calm smile, said,
“There is no need to be so surprised. This is my ‘power,’ you see.”
“......Power, you say?”
“Yes. I possess power in several different directions. For example, seeing the future—”
She spoke while looking at the group.
“Or seeing what all of you desire. Things like that. Of course, not perfectly.”
“If it had been perfect, the world would not have ended up like this,” Sia said with a sigh, then cleared her throat again and continued.
“In any case, the reason you came to me is to ask where the Seat of War is, correct?”
At the sage’s question, smiling as though she knew everything, Alon found himself with many things he wanted to ask, but for now, he nodded.
“That is right.”
“Then you came to the right place.”
“......You know where the Seat of War is?”
“Mm—would you like to hear the good news first, or the bad news?”
At Sia’s question.
For a moment, that calm smile unique to her reminded him of Yutia, but Alon answered,
“Either is fine.”
“Mm—then shall I tell you the good news first? The good news is, just as you guessed, and as Mr. Reber told you, I know where the Seat of War is. On the other hand, the bad news is—”
Sia went, “Mmm—” and tapped her own finger with her index finger before speaking.
“The Seat of War has joined hands with Al-Akulakka.”
“If you mean Al-Akulakka—”
“Yes. That thing in the sky.”
“Hah......”
At Sia’s words, Evan, who had been listening until just a moment ago, let out a sigh without realizing it.
The Seat of War had joined hands with Akulakka.
That meant their return would become extremely difficult.
“......Is that true?”
“It is true, assuming my power has not broken. Al-Akulakka has joined hands with the Seat of War. It even handed over a certain proportion of its power to him. In other words—”
“To fight the Seat of War, we have to fight Al-Akulakka as well.”
“—That is right. Strictly speaking, you need to go to Akulakka.”
“Why?”
“Because the Seat of War you are looking for is attached to Al-Akulakka’s side. Even strengthened by receiving its power, at that.”
At Sia’s explanation, Alon let out a low groan.
“......”
In truth, he had considered it inwardly.
That perhaps, in the truly worst-case scenario, things might turn out this way.
But that had only been a thought made under the assumption of the absolute worst possible situation. He had never quite imagined it would truly happen.
“To return, we have to fight Al-Akulakka......”
As Alon muttered that, Sia, who had been listening quietly, soon gave a small smile.
“Mm—since I am the one who gave you this information while calling it bad news, saying this may seem a little strange, but you do not need to worry that much. In truth, it is not as though there is no method.”
“......A method?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, it is a method by which all of us can win.”
After saying that, Sia tapped the desk with her finger.
Along with that, shielding magic formed.
“......What is this?”
“It is shielding magic. What you and I are about to discuss must not spread outside under any circumstances.”
After saying that, Sia looked at Alon.
“To tell you first, I know Al-Akulakka’s weakness.”
“......Al-Akulakka’s weakness?”
“Yes, and a ve-ry fatal weakness at that. Originally, I was troubled because it had disappeared from this world, though.”
“It disappeared from this world?”
“Yes. Ah, it is all right. It exists now.”
An obscure statement.
“What is it?”
Alon asked, tilting his head.
At that, Sia—
“Humans.”
“......What?”
“Al-Akulakka’s weakness is ‘humans.’”
Pure humans.
That was how she answered.
