This is a continuation of the digest. (Narration continues to be by Sharl — please enjoy with whatever ikemen voice comes to mind.)
• After performing one of his rare good deeds — dismantling the Huge Turquoise and burying the pieces where they'd be easy to mine at Ganbard's magic stone quarry — he raided the Grandul estate, slapped a collar of servitude on everyone, and forced them into indefinite volunteer work.
• He further expanded into the personnel-placement business by poaching three people from the Information Guild and lending them to Ganbard Trading.
• Alan was targeted by the kingdom's largest information guild, "Green Eyes." He started by storming in and seizing control of the guild.
During this, he tickled someone to death, immediately revived them with a straight face, had himself escorted to the owner Osero, and put a collar of servitude on him — his usual brand of demonic cruelty on full display.
• Alan infiltrated Marquis Hannibal's estate — the noble who had placed the commission with "Green Eyes" — by pretending to have been captured.
The bounty apparently vanished into the coffee maker.
• In the arena within the marquis's estate, he freed the combat slaves, then gender-swapped the marquis and sold "her" off to the Slave Guild.
The former marquis apparently still struggles with cleaning.
• Alan accepted Randy's commission — "Find the Star Blue so I can confess to my beloved" — purely because it sounded fun.
Up in the northern mountains, he found a fellow failure-skill user and nearly became a shut-in, but he successfully obtained the Star Blue and handed it to Randy. Commission complete.
• Unfortunately, the flower was spotted by the eldest son of House Galm — the young master who was obsessed with the kingdom's most beautiful woman — and it was snatched away along with his right arm.
When Alan learned of this, he was furious and stormed the marquis's estate. That was the first time I realized Alan actually had human emotions. Also, it was terrifying.
• At the marquis's estate, Alan achieved a triple crown: after condemning the mercenary trio "Hungry Wolves," he broke the young master's spine, severed his right arm, and cursed him.
The young master was forcibly admitted to a healing clinic and later died of illness, but reportedly with his face still twisted in agony.
• After Alan's sweet tooth was discovered, before he could enjoy even a moment of peace, news arrived that Grandul had been assassinated.
Alan revived him, but since he kept getting assassinated over and over, Alan lost his temper at the sheer hassle, stormed Count Merita's estate, and took care of things.
• A string of young women disappearing led to a search request finally reaching my handy-man service, "Sea Sky."
When Alan learned that even Randy's girlfriend Elize had gone missing, he immediately tracked down the mastermind and teleported straight there. A detective would weep with envy.
• The empress of kidnappers, Leticia, activated "Iron Maiden" to maintain her youth and beauty, but Alan's skill kicked in at the last split second.
With its effect reversed, the hissing hag immediately died from accelerated aging.
• Alan rescued Elize and, as a bonus, scored a lifetime free juice coupon.
He also tried to ask about the progress of his relationship with his girlfriend, but was dodged — whether premarital relations had occurred remained unconfirmed (he tried to look into it later, but the collar's effect triggered and sent searing pain through him, so he gave up).
• While Alan was busy losing himself at the hot springs, King Julian Radius unleashed his skill [Royal Spite], executed the last of the Electors, and revealed his pathetic true nature by declaring himself the True King.
• The True King then began doing whatever he pleased — tripling taxes, building pyramids, you name it. Thugs armed with flame magic started roaming the streets, and the kingdom took on an end-of-the-world atmosphere.
• Back in reality at last, Alan hypnotized the pyramid's construction-site supervisor and got him talking.
Next, at Prince Harold's estate, he grasped the full scope of the situation that was tearing the country in two.
• He stormed the pyramid's underground and rescued the people trapped in white cocoons that dredged up traumatic memories. (Another rare good-deed point.)
• He defeated the True King's elite direct-report magicians who had been crafting the white cocoons, then destroyed the giant obsidian that had been channeling energy to the True King.
After that, he ignored the warning from the king's special agency "Shadow of the King" and rescued the ikemen who had already been kidnapped in the meantime.
• Alan was apparently a bit irritated. He obtained a list of nobles from Prince Harold, peered at a distant mansion from afar, saw through Lady Katarina's transparent collar of servitude, and rescued her.
I'd rather no one know that I secretly thought Alan was good at transparent collars of servitude too.
• By rescuing Lady Katarina, Alan won over Marquis Round — the True King faction's most powerful noble — to his side.
However, getting Katarina back made "Shadow of the King" get serious, and they dealt damage with their [Chain Self-Destruction], which they activated at the cost of their own lives.
Incidentally, that was when my guild's hideout and the coffee maker were destroyed.
• Alan charged into "Shadow of the King"'s headquarters and wiped out the rest. After that, the True King held an audience and declared he would invade the Raging Kingdom.
That night, Marquis Yarut, Marquis Round, and Prince Harold staged a coup d'état, but it was crushed in the blink of an eye.
• Just when the three thought all was lost, Alan appeared and cowardly attempted a sneak attack from behind — but the assassination failed.
After that, Alan fought hard and, with Prince Harold's help, defeated the True King.
Happy ending, right?
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Alan: "Sharl, get to the back of the gym."