The Hospitality Hall, Lord Albert's Mansion
"Sir Kristen, answer me now—where is my father?"
In those moments, Kristen did not possess the courage to even look into the face of the young girl standing before him.
Yet, this did not stop Kristen from answering her question, even as he spoke with the weight of shame and disgrace heavy upon his shoulders. "Lord Albert is currently receiving treatment in his chambers."
As soon as he said this, the girl rushed from her spot in a state of shock; her facial expressions hardened while her eyes widened to their limit. Then, she said in a cold voice, "Kristen, what happened to my father?"
Kristen replied, saying, "We were subjected to a sudden attack by a monster. While attempting to save as many recruits as possible, Lord Albert was wounded."
The only parts of the girl that moved were her lips, which she twitched each time she spoke to retort to Kristen, "So, you want me to imagine that there is a monster capable of causing such damage within your ranks?"
For a moment, Kristen felt a suffocating pressure clamp down on the place—a terrifying and wild magical aura that made even well-trained knights like Kristen tremble slightly within the range of this pressure.
Despite the intensity of the pressure, Kristen gritted his teeth and then resumed speaking, "We crossed through the Valley Road. Lord Albert insisted on taking that path because it was a shorter shortcut."
After hearing this, the girl known as Alicia, Albert's only daughter, calmed down. Finally, the pressure eased, and the table, chairs, and everything in the hall began to settle after they had been trembling from the sheer weight of the immense pressure that had gripped them moments ago.
"Are you saying you took the Valley Road? Are you mad? How could you allow yourselves to do that? You know that area is swarming with monsters; in fact, recently, it is said to be swarming with demonic monsters."
Kristen remained in a state of silence despite the shouting of Alicia, who was trying to relieve herself by casting blame on others. However, she stopped mid-way because she realized deep down: if there was someone ready to take the risk and cross with an army through the Valley Road, that person would be her father, Albert.
For a moment, the image of Albert appeared in her mind—the ideal father, the affectionate father, the stern father, and the protective father. All those images Alicia held of her father were there, but she was unable to understand one thing about his character: "Why?"
There were a few droplets scattered on the floor of the hall; they were Alicia's tears as she asked her father's assistant, Kristen, "Why? Why? He has always committed follies when it comes to me, Sir Kristen. Why is he like this? Shouldn't he have acted better?"
For a few moments, the strong Alicia evaporated, replaced by Alicia the sobbing little girl whose tears were streaming down in front of Kristen at this moment.
Upon seeing this, Kristen stepped forward several paces toward her to place his hand on her shoulder as if patting a small child, saying to her, "Lord Albert loved you more than anything else in this life. Therefore, My Lady, excuse this folly of his."
With these words, Kristen was able to contain Alicia's conflicting emotions, and all that remained for him now was to pray for Albert to stand on his feet once again.
Meanwhile, Leon was lying on the bed granted to him inside the room assigned for his stay in this mansion, staring at the ceiling of the room without doing anything.
After the boredom intensified, he decided to resort to the Alternative Assistant, addressing her: "Assistant, may I ask a question?"
[Notice: Yes, I am listening]
"Previously, Helmud was telling a story about demons. But as far as I know, there are no demons in the world of Wonderland that I played in. Is it possible they are just a distinct race of monsters and nothing more?"
[Notice: I will conduct a comprehensive search to verify any currently available information]
[Notice: Operation successful]
[Notice: After scrutinizing the player's memories and the variables that have occurred now, I find that likening these demons to monsters is far-fetched. I have analyzed the remnants of demonic magic on the giant worm, and it appears to me that this magic is as far as can be from monster magic. Therefore, I do not suggest this possibility]
Leon frowned slightly after hearing this answer; he was the one who thought demons were just a race of monsters and nothing more. But now he found himself in a dead end without any logical evidence. While thinking, Leon remembered something: "Ah, Helmud said that the demons came from across the sea. Do you know anything about what is behind that sea?"
[Notice: Unfortunately, I do not possess information regarding this matter. All I have is information I extracted from the player's memories]
Leon sighed as if he had despaired of trying to connect the dots. But before that, a notice came from the Assistant saying:
[Notice: After further re-scrutinizing, I believe there is a slight possibility that might be feasible]
Upon hearing this, Leon jumped from his place and said eagerly, "What is it?"
[Notice: After careful examination, it has become clear to me that the demons use a specific type of magic that differs entirely from the magic of monsters or other creatures. This confirms the validity of my first statement]
"So, what is new in what you're saying?"
[Notice: The composition of this magic has an extremely unique pattern. I could not find anything resembling it in the game memories except for one thing]
Leon's curiosity and excitement reached their peak, and he was longing to uncover this secret.
[Notice: This unique pattern is attributed to the magic of a player famous in the past. After a prolonged search, I see that it is similar to the magic of the player 'Knox']
Leon's jaw dropped completely, and his mouth hung wide open. This was followed by his eyes, which widened significantly, indicating the intensity of Leon's shock and amazement at what he had just heard.
"Knox? He was very eccentric. Also, I only saw him once, even in the Faction War. How can it be that Knox is connected to these demons?"
The Alternative Assistant spoke, saying:
[Notice: I saw that the magic of the player Knox has a type of similarity with the magic of these demons after I analyzed the remnants of magic clinging to the body of the giant worm. Therefore, I hypothesized that the player Knox is connected in one way or another to these creatures]
Leon rubbed his chin slightly while thinking clearly, "So, you're saying it can be assumed that Knox is involved in some way with these demons. But I find it strange. You previously confirmed to me your inability to feel Athena's magic or even the players' magic, so why would Knox be connected to this despite the absence of a single piece of evidence of his existence?"
The Alternative Assistant took a little time to answer this question.
[Notice: I am certain regarding my lack of feeling toward Athena's or the players' magic at this time. However, the matter of the player Knox remains a mere hypothesis based on the existence of a similarity in his magic and the magic of these demons—nothing more. Therefore, there is no need to rush and say that Knox is connected to these demons at the present time]
For a moment, it seemed as if this discussion had ended, but Leon had another opinion as he said, "Okay, okay, let me think for a bit. There is a possibility of a similarity between the demons' magic and Knox's magic, but you say there is no trace of the players' magic or even Athena's at this time. Let me think... this leaves me with one option."
At this moment, Leon was like someone who had finally found the end of the thread, saying based on his assumption, "Is it possible that Knox has lost his magic as well, just like me? Wouldn't this explain your inability to sense his existence?"
The Alternative Assistant immediately answered to respond to this question, saying:
[Notice: This matter is currently unlikely. If this assumption were correct, the matter would be more complicated. When we say that Knox has lost his magic, wouldn't this create another question: how does this similarity exist between his magic and the demons' magic in this case? If his magic were lost, wouldn't he be unable to use it? As is the case with the player Leon, it would not be logical for this to happen alongside the appearance of creatures using magic similar to his at the same time]
With some playfulness, the Alternative Assistant completely destroyed Leon's assumption, as she confirmed the lack of decisive evidence for it; rather, it would be more complicated and less logical if true.
During this conversation, the sound of a knock on Leon's room door interrupted him. Leon replied, saying, "Who's there?"
A steady voice with a distinct and polite tone answered him, saying, "It is time for dinner, Sir Leon. Please accompany me to the Hospitality Hall."