An awkward silence.

In that silence, Alon, deep in thought, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“Anyway, I sincerely thank you all for gathering here.”

The princes and princesses remained silent.

“Everyone?”

When Alon looked around at them once more.

“Ah, yes.”

“Hahaha…”

“Al… right.”

“Yes…”

“Ahem, I understand.”

At last, the princes and princesses responded awkwardly.

He wondered what exactly they understood, but for now, Alon felt relieved inside.

“Yes, I’m very glad to meet you. I’ll make sure you’re well cared for during your stay.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

Perhaps because he emphasized it, the tension seemed to ease a little. Faces softened slightly.

‘But this isn’t enough to let my guard down.’

Of course, Alon knew very well that those gathered here wouldn’t be able to feel at ease so easily.

Divine Land had already grown too big for that.

How could he make these people fully trust Divine Land?

As he pondered, Alon suddenly parted his lips, as if an idea had come to him.

“Anyone outside?”

“Yes.”

As soon as he called, a knight stepped into the tent.

‘Seamus.’

Recognizing him, Alon gave a firm order.

“Guide these guests around Divine Land.”

“As you command.”

“And also share your insights on Divine Land’s shortcomings.”

“I’ll obey that as well. Now, please follow me.”

At Alon’s command, Seamus bowed deeply.

He then led the gathered guests outside.

The moment they left, Evan returned from outside and asked.

“Did the conversation go well?”

“Well, more or less.”

“Then where are they all going?”

“They’re going to tour Divine Land.”

“…A tour?”

“Yes.”

“Was that their choice?”

“No, I ordered it.”

“…Did you really have to go that far?”

Alon nodded without hesitation.

Of course, there might be complaints since he hadn’t asked their opinions.

But this choice was unavoidable.

Since they had already arrived in Divine Land, he wanted to strip away every invisible suspicion hanging over him.

“Even if it makes them suffer a little, there’s no helping it. We have to prove ourselves, don’t we?”

“That’s true, but—”

“I also told him to point out Divine Land’s flaws, so by the time they finish the tour, their doubts should be eased, if not completely gone.”

“Flaws?”

“Yes. If I really intended to start a war, wouldn’t I try to hide them?”

“So, instead, you’re reassuring them by openly showing weaknesses?”

“Exactly.”

At that, Evan finally nodded.

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t a wrong choice at all.

‘But—’

Evan recalled the faces of the guests who had just left the tent.

They all looked much less tense.

On the surface, it seemed Alon’s plan was working.

On the surface, at least.

‘…But there was no real change in their expressions.’

In that brief moment, Evan noticed that the guests’ expressions hadn’t shifted at all.

In other words, their faces were fabricated.

And so—

‘Will this really work…?’

He thought quietly as he looked at Alon, who was nodding in satisfaction.

***

The figure in a black sacred robe stood in the forest.

The same place where the Sin of Sloth had been born not long ago.

“Heh~”

Every time it turned its head, the chain at its waist jingled noisily.

Sensing movement behind, it turned its gaze.

Then it smiled and greeted warmly.

The childish smile on its face deepened.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

In its eyes stood a man with blue eyes, or rather—

Eliban.

As always, he wore a calm smile.

“Yeah.”

A short reply.

But that alone made the robed figure smile with satisfaction.

As it fully turned, Eliban pulled something from his robes and tossed it.

Thud—

Catching it effortlessly, the figure confirmed what had landed in its hand.

A Demonic Gate Stone.

It glowed in many colors, as if trying to tempt humanity.

Looking at Eliban, the figure spoke with delight.

“This is a fragment, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. They call it a Demonic Gate Stone.”

“Heh— Demonic Gate Stone… Not the most creative name. If you put it more fittingly—”

With a soft chuckle, it looked up at the sky.

“Wouldn’t ‘Shard of the Stars’ be a better name? Don’t you think so?”

To that question, Eliban maintained his calm smile and simply turned away.

As if he had nothing more to say.

The black-robed figure stared intently at Eliban’s back.

“How much time is left now, Eliban?”

He waved his hand as he asked.

Without stopping his steps, Eliban replied.

“About a month and a half.”

A plain answer.

And then, as if he had never been there in the first place, Eliban vanished.

The man in the black sacred robe kept his eyes on the spot where Eliban had disappeared, his gaze curling with a sly smile.

Then he lowered his eyes, rolling the Demonic Gate Stone in his palm.

“Whether he’ll reach it or not~”

He turned in the opposite direction of Eliban’s path.

“This should be interesting.”

He muttered.

After the figure in the black robe left, the forest was empty, with nothing but three Demonic Gate Stones scattered on the ground, glowing brightly.

As if tempting humanity.

***

‘It’s a financial matter. Originally, I intended to start small, but unforeseen events piled up, and more and more people gathered. It’s been quite a troublesome situation.’

‘I’ve been running it without external support as best I can.’

The moment Tolenis heard the words of Marquis Palatio, he already understood his intent.

It was the kind of statement anyone but a fool would recognize.

The Marquis was delivering a very polite threat.

Of course, the conversation that followed was smooth enough, but that was mere courtesy.

While being guided through Divine Land by the knight in front of them, everyone present clearly grasped the Marquis’s intentions.

It couldn’t have been otherwise.

“This place is a barracks, but when conditions allow, a castle will be built here. The cost is high, but not unachievable~”

“This too is a barracks for now, but with enough funds it will serve as a hall. It’s been a financial strain, but manageable~”

“This one as well, currently a barracks, but with the money we’ll turn it into a grand plaza. The estimated cost is—”

If the Marquis’s words weren’t meant as a threat, then the knight couldn’t have spoken so casually before their eyes.

Naturally, this wasn’t Alon’s intention.

He had never given Seamus a single order about this.

In fact, since Seamus’s interview, Alon hadn’t exchanged any real conversation with him at all.

Yet Seamus interpreted Alon’s command that way.

It wasn’t entirely his fault.

‘Surely this must be the King’s will…!’

The real blame lay with Deus, who had trained the knights.

Deus had told every knight the same thing—

That Alon Palatio would become the great Heaven.

And that the knights here would be the guards protecting that Heaven.

Alon himself had never even dreamed of such a thing.

But the knights, already steeped in Deus’s teaching, believed it without doubt.

That Alon was preparing to ascend as Heaven itself.

Seamus was no different.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“So in Divine Land, there’s nothing but barracks?”

“That’s right. Nothing but barracks.”

“Yes, just barracks.”

“Nothing else to do, but barracks.”

“…!”

“There’s nothing else, really.”

Seamus obeyed the order from “Heaven” with absolute loyalty.

The command to “share insights on Divine Land’s shortcomings” could only be interpreted that way by him.

If Alon, in the middle of training his magic, had overheard, he would have been dumbfounded—“What? Me? When?”—but unfortunately he was unaware of this entire situation.

Anyway, after Seamus zealously delivered his grand Divine Land “tour video,”

“Have you received a good introduction?”

Alon tilted his head, noticing the guests looked less pleased than before.

He glanced at Seamus with a questioning look.

Nod!

Seamus, nodding firmly with eyes full of conviction, only made Alon more bewildered.

And then—

“We’ve seen enough of Divine Land.”

Tolenis, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

“I see. There are many shortcomings, but how was it?”

Alon smiled lightly as he asked.

At that, Tolenis frowned faintly, almost as if in frustration.

It was brief.

But Alon caught the change and felt uneasy inside.

Then Tolenis spoke again.

“…I would like to sponsor Divine Land.”

“A sponsorship?”

“Yes, in this amount—”

Tolenis offered a sum.

Alon was once again stunned.

Not only was the offer sudden, but the amount was enormous from his perspective.

Far too large a sum to be casually called a “sponsorship.”

So—

“Thank you for the sentiment, but it’s not necessary.”

Alon refused.

He didn’t know what Tolenis intended with the offer, but the sheer size made it feel like taking on a heavy debt.

But then—

“Ghh~!”

The moment Alon refused, the atmosphere in the chamber plummeted.

Everyone wore the same look of “this is bad.”

Alon was dumbfounded when—

“One point five…”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll give one point five times more.”

Tolenis said firmly, as if making a grave decision.

His expression hardened, as if he could go no further.

But of course, clueless Alon politely declined again.

“As I said, you don’t need to sponsor us. It would only be a burden.”

“Urghh~”

“No, why all of a sudden—”

“Two times. I’ll give twice as much.”

Tolenis raised the number with an even firmer face.

“No, calm down and listen to me—”

“Two and a half—”

“…? No, really, it’s unnecessary—”

“Three! Three times! No more than that!”

“???”

And so began the struggle between the one desperate to sponsor, and the one refusing at all costs.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep