Two days after Alon’s group decided to head toward Keremenia, where the sage supposedly resided, together with Reber.
With Reber saying that it would take roughly three weeks if they continued moving like this, the group began their journey toward Keremenia.
And during those two days, Alon learned two things.
The first concerned Blackie.
The reason Blackie had been able to meet the hornfolk first before Alon’s group.
‘......It fell into the past earlier than us.’
Alon recalled Penia’s words and nodded.
It certainly was not impossible.
From the moment the strange text twisted space itself, the time axis for falling into the past was generally fixed, but not perfectly precise.
In other words, if there had been even a slight gap in timing when they fell, a certain amount of time difference could occur.
‘Five days. At most, about a week earlier.’
Alon stroked Blackie, who was sticking only its head out from the pocket on his chest and looking around at its surroundings, while recalling the story that Blackie had begun saving the hornfolk exactly five days earlier.
‘Though I still do not know why it saved them.’
Alon looked at Blackie.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Blackie looked back at Alon and tilted its head.
Even now, Alon still could not easily grasp why Blackie had saved the hornfolk, so if it were up to him, he would have liked to ask.
But naturally, that was impossible.
Blackie could not speak for itself.
Of course, it was frustrating, but it was not a major problem.
Because right now, Alon was focusing far more on the second fact than the first.
No—
He could not help but focus on it.
Because—
‘Unable to use spell phrases.......’
After returning to the past, Alon had become unable to use spell phrases.
It was an extremely serious issue.
However, already having guessed the reason, Alon looked ahead.
The corpses of the flesh masses.
Even today alone, they had already suffered five attacks, so the morale of most of the refugees had sunk terribly low.
“Ugh— I’m dying here, seriously.”
“Tell me about it......”
The same was true for Penia and Evan.
Watching the flesh masses crumble apart while releasing poisonous black-red smoke the moment they lost their lives, they let out exhausted sighs.
Of course, the same was true for Alon.
Even if he could not use [N O V E L I G H T] spell phrases, it was not as though Alon could not fight at all, so whenever flesh masses appeared, he fought alongside the others.
“Are you all right?”
As Alon looked at the trees being eroded by the flesh masses, Reber approached from ahead.
Holding an antique-looking spear that appeared to be his weapon, Reber spoke with a deeply tired expression.
When Alon nodded, Reber nodded back in relief.
“We will move just a little further. There is a massive cave ahead, so let us camp there.”
Watching Reber quickly head forward again, Alon silently followed him.
After that, the group suffered three more attacks before finally reaching the cave.
And during the journey there, fifteen hornfolk were killed by the flesh masses.
“Ugh— finally, I can live again.”
“I’m dying......”
The moment they arrived at the cave, Evan and Penia groaned.
In truth, the flesh masses were not particularly strong.
Their patterns were irregular, but they were nowhere near the abnormal entities previously created by Divine blood.
Even so, the reason Penia and Evan were complaining of exhaustion was because of the overwhelmingly endless numbers.
Every single attack brought nearly hundreds of flesh masses.
Even now, they were only managing because Blackie, who could transform into Astarotte’s Descended, was actively helping.
Receiving ten attacks a day while also protecting the refugees—it was only natural they would become exhausted.
“Hoo—”
Even Alon, who was currently replenishing the magic power Blackie had consumed, was equally tired.
No—
In truth, the reason Alon was tired was not because of Blackie, but—
“......Lord Alon?”
“......Hm? Did you call me?”
“Yes. You are not perhaps feeling unwell, are you?”
A beat late, Alon stopped thinking and looked toward Penia.
Seeing Penia staring at him with eyes full of concern, Alon shook his head.
“......No. I simply have something to think about.”
“Spell phrases......?”
Alon did not answer and merely nodded.
Penia stayed silent for a moment before speaking again.
“So it really is as you expected?”
“That is probably the case.”
Alon nodded.
The moment he realized he could no longer use spell phrases, he had already understood why.
‘......The absence of laws.’
That was right.
To begin with, the fundamental reason Alon had been able to use spell phrases and hand seals until now was simple.
In the beginning, the god of Babiloia had bestowed laws upon the True Mages.
By its own power, it had inscribed laws for each individual True Mage into this world itself, and had engraved spell phrases and hand seals into the world as well.
That was why he had been able to use them.
But this past world was different.
This era was not the time when Babiloia had been born.
Nor was it the time when the god of Babiloia had engraved the laws.
In other words, spell phrases, hand seals, and the script engraved by that god did not yet exist in this world.
In truth, being unable to use spell phrases was not an enormous problem for the current Alon.
No matter how much Alon was a True Mage, it was not as though he could not use a mage’s magic.
However, that only meant it was not a problem right now.
When considering the Seat of War, the story changed completely.
Alon absolutely had to fight the Seat of War.
And he had to win against it.
But having most of the True Mage spell phrases and hand seals sealed away was the worst possible situation for Alon.
Because if spell phrases and hand seals were removed from Alon, all that remained was magic hovering somewhere between the sixth and seventh tiers.
Alon closed his eyes.
The situation was clearly not good.
However, Alon was not despairing over the situation itself.
From the moment he realized laws were absent, he had continuously been searching for a breakthrough.
No—
Strictly speaking, he had already found one.
‘......A system.’
That was it.
Creating his own system.
Even though Alon used magic, until now he had used it in far too disorganized a manner.
A mage’s magic as a mage’s magic.
A True Mage’s magic as a True Mage’s magic.
Divine power as divine power.
Without ever properly thinking about combining them, he had used everything separately.
And it was not only that.
During the battle against the Seat, he had realized that even the True Mage’s magic itself—including the magic that followed established systems—had all merely been used haphazardly.
In reality, by implementing magic through countless deaths and rapidly raising his understanding to a level suited specifically for himself, Alon had undeniably become stronger.
......Perhaps even enough to stand equal with the Seat.
That was why Alon had decided.
To understand his own power more deeply.
And to systemize it.
Not borrowing and using someone else’s.
But creating a system that belonged solely to him.
“......Systemization.”
After Alon explained those thoughts, Penia nodded.
“I do not think you are wrong either...... To begin with, the things you mainly used in battle against enemies were preparation, intuition, and overwhelming firepower. If you systemize magic and divine power, you will probably become far stronger than you are now. And besides—”
“You have data as well.”
At Penia’s added words, Alon nodded.
Just as she said, Alon had data.
Countless pieces of information gained from the battle against the Seat, enough to create magic perfectly suited to himself.
“That is right.”
Alon nodded.
However, only briefly.
“But if there is one thing I am worried about......”
Penia spoke in a somewhat concerned voice.
“The laws?”
“......Yes.”
Penia nodded at Alon’s words.
Certainly, she was not wrong.
No matter how much Alon systemized his magic, if laws themselves were absent, his power would naturally be lacking.
But despite Penia’s concern—
“Do not worry.”
—that was how Alon answered.
“I already have an idea prepared for this issue as well.”
Wearing an oddly confident smile.
The journey toward Keremenia continued, and before they realized it, more than two weeks had already passed.
During that time, Alon’s group and the refugees crossed forests into plains, plains into deserts, and deserts back into forests once more.
However, despite moving through so many places, one thing never changed.
The flesh masses.
No matter where the group moved, the flesh masses attacked them relentlessly.
And that gigantic thing in the sky, like a colossal organ staining the heavens red, continued overlooking them while emitting those sickening vibrations into the world.
As though watching over the entire world itself.
......In any case, because of that, Alon’s group had no choice but to sacrifice dozens of refugees during the journey here.
But separate from that, the atmosphere within the group gradually improved with each passing day.
Because the more time passed, and the more they moved, the closer they came to Keremenia—the final bastion.
That was why, although sorrow certainly existed among the refugees, hope also lingered among them.
......At least until today.
No—
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me—”
“......Ha......”
“Haa......”
At least until just moments ago.
Evan’s curse rang out.
What followed next were Evan’s continued groans and Reber’s sigh.
Naturally so.
Because what they and Alon were currently facing—
“......It seems this is the end.”
—was an enormous horde of flesh masses.
A horde so vast that it completely filled every horizon they could see.
Alon turned his gaze.
All he could see were flesh masses.
He looked here.
But everywhere his eyes reached, there were only flesh masses and land being eroded by them.
Could they even count their numbers?
Alon briefly wondered that before shaking his head.
Once flesh masses themselves had become the landscape, such an act had no meaning.
“Ah......”
“What do we do—”
“We cannot return like this—”
Behind him, the refugees stared at the flesh masses below the hill and let out despairing groans.
The only fortunate thing was that there was still some distance between them, so the horrifyingly numerous flesh masses were not reacting to the refugees yet.
“......At this rate, I do not think we can even find a path back. They stretch on endlessly.”
“If we truly want to cross through here, realistically we would have no choice but to force our way through......”
However, that did not change the situation.
If they wanted to escape this place, they had to push through that horrifying horde.
A horde that looked impossible to break through even alone.
And they had to do it while bringing countless refugees with them.
In other words, crossing the horde at this point was impossible.
Perhaps because they had realized that, Reber clenched his fist tightly in frustration.
Having continued fighting for the past several weeks, his face had become noticeably more gaunt, and now even grief could be felt from it.
The same was true for the others.
For them, Keremenia had been the hope they clung to.
Now that hope had disappeared, the refugees were filled with gloom and despair.
“This is impossible.”
Even Evan and Penia shook their heads.
And Alon, who had quietly been watching them—
“I will try.”

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