Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 133

Chapter 133
Following the conclusion of the Blue Moon’s standard assembly.

“So, how did it go?”

The magic orb, which had been displaying the video conference just moments before, dimmed.

As Yuna remained standing with a bewildered look, Hidan entered from the adjoining room to check on her.

Yuna’s mouth opened and closed several times, as if she was struggling to find the right words, before she finally managed to speak.

“…That… was a meeting, correct?”

“It was a meeting.”

“…This? Truly?”

“Yes.”

“…Conversations about framing the second prince to rationalize erecting a Blue Moon statue… That counts as a meeting?”

“Well, the second prince did attempt to defame the Blue Moon once in the past.”

“…I suppose he had it coming, but even so—”

“But up to that point, the discussions were relatively ordinary, weren’t they?”

“Still—”

Yuna could not hold back her exasperation.

“Red Moon and Gold Moon were having a dispute over… wedding the Great Moon. Green Moon spent more than half an hour boasting about a present the Great Moon gave them, and Silver Moon… shattered a window and left in a rage before the meeting was even over, just because he heard someone was spreading rumors about him. Does that not strike you as a little… strange?”

“Hm…”

“And First Moon? Was he always that chatty? I was certain he was the quiet type before, but today he spoke for more than two hours, and only about the Great Moon…”

Their dispositions were completely different from her memories.

The transformations were far too severe.

As Yuna’s face became more and more troubled, Hidan also went quiet.

…He shared her sentiments exactly.

In truth, the recent assemblies had grown progressively more intense.

The fervor had deepened significantly compared to when he had first begun attending.

‘Did the Great Moon… acquire some form of mind control?’

Hidan found himself recalling a suspicion Radan had once voiced, all the while observing Yuna.

Yuna’s expression clearly communicated, ‘This is not the sort of meeting I expected to be part of!’

And then.

“Hidan.”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe the Great Moon… could possess some ability to influence thoughts or induce hypnosis? When I observed him from a distance last time, I didn’t sense it, but now…”

Seeing that Yuna had arrived at the same suspicion as himself,

“…Perhaps.”

Hidan saw no reason to contradict her.

***

The border region of the Allied Kingdom was far removed from the Marquisate of Palatio, requiring roughly a month of travel.

This was to be expected.

The Kingdom of Asteria was situated in the east, while the border was located on the extreme western side of the Allied Kingdom, past Caliban.

Because of this, Alon had been on the road in his carriage for more than a fortnight.

Yet, he had not experienced a single moment of tedium.

The cause was none other than Blackie—the Shadow Spirit Dragon—and the phrase he had obtained with it: <Unity with Shadows.>

“Lord Marquis, what has you so deep in thought?”

Alon, who had been observing Blackie contentedly eating roasted sweet potatoes by the campfire, slowly responded to Evan’s query.

“I simply cannot grasp it.”

“Oh, the magic?”

Alon gave a nod.

‘The magic refuses to activate at all.’

Throughout the carriage journey to the border, Alon had attempted repeatedly to employ <Unity with Shadows,> but he still had not discovered the correct technique.

‘What is the issue…?’

Naturally, he was aware that there could be multiple possible explanations.

As the Dragonkin had previously explained, magic involving phrases and sentences demanded precise and accurate terminology to produce the intended outcome.

Still, Alon found it confusing based on his own history.

Even when his understanding of phrases and sentences was incomplete, he had at least been able to achieve partial manifestations of his magic.

However, with <Unity with Shadows,> not even a partial effect occurred—only his mana was drained, with no visible result.

‘…Is this a unique type of magic that demands a special method? Or is it a spell designed solely for the Spirit Dragon, rendering it unusable in its current form as a Shadow Spirit Dragon?’

The uncertainties in his mind continued to multiply.

“Lord Marquis, there is something I have yet to report.”

“What is it?”

Just then, Evan’s voice cut through the quiet.

Alon set aside his musings and focused on Evan.

“It’s news I received from the estate we visited this morning. It seems there has been a sudden rise in the emergence of Dimensional Rifts lately.”

“Dimensional Rifts?”

“Yes. Previously, they only manifested close to the Mage Tower, but now they have begun to appear at the same time in numerous locations.”

This was not entirely unexpected news.

‘Well, the main story is scheduled to begin in under half a year, so it’s logical for them to become more frequent.’

Alon had already foreseen that the rate of Dimensional Rift appearances would increase from this point forward.

‘In Psychedelia, the hero Eliban’s journey started due to an event where a more severe phenomenon, a Chaotic Rift, emerged in his village, threatening its safety.’

Since Alon had been focused on the imminent danger of the Five Great Sins, which were directly linked to the world’s possible annihilation, he hadn’t devoted much attention to the rifts. Nevertheless, they were a central element driving the narrative in ‘Psychedelia’.

Some incidents involving Dimensional Rifts had even put the entire kingdom at risk.

Even so, Alon was not especially concerned.

That was because of the protagonist.

Precisely.

There was no requirement for Alon to get involved, since Eliban, the protagonist, would follow the original plot and journey across the land, sealing the Dimensional Rifts.

‘…He will manage perfectly well on his own.’

Unlike the Five Great Sins, which could erase whole countries upon their descent, Dimensional Rifts would not lead to major catastrophes if they were addressed promptly. That is why Alon was not overly anxious about them.

‘Perhaps when Eliban starts his initial adventure, I should provide some assistance. Supply him with extra provisions… and if he proves weaker than anticipated, maybe I should keep him in Lartania for a time to train him up?’

Imagining Eliban facing hardships, Alon started to form a tentative plan in his head and absently ate a cool sweet potato.

“…Delicious.”

“Lord Marquis, you’ve been having sweet potatoes by the campfire each evening. Aren’t you growing weary of them?”

“No, they remain fresh and tasty every time.”

“…Is that so?”

Evan, who had himself grown sick of sweet potatoes, was now consuming regular potatoes instead.

‘…I didn’t realize I liked sweet potatoes this much. Why are they so satisfying?’

Alon pondered this briefly, but then shrugged and put another sweet potato into his mouth.

The chill of the night air and the heat from the campfire made the sweet potatoes taste just as wonderful as always.

***

After approximately two additional weeks of travel, Alon finally arrived in the vicinity of the border.

“Wow, from here, it looks utterly desolate.”

He stared at the imposing border wall and the sandy expanse stretching out behind it, deep in contemplation.

‘…What is the best way to get across?’

The wasteland lying between the Allied Kingdom and the Empire, known to players as the ‘Badlands’, was strictly patrolled by the Allied Army, making access challenging.

In fact, common nobles were not permitted to enter the wasteland at all. Even in ‘Psychedelia’, players could only gain entry a handful of times via special quests.

‘…It wasn’t solely because of the Empire. It was also to prevent waking the Curseborn, correct?’

The Curseborn.

Although they had not yet emerged, in the future they would become one of the Four Major Powers, alongside the White Ghosts of the Jungle.

Their stronghold was situated somewhere within that wasteland.

There were also various minor reasons for the border’s tight security, but the chief concern was the Curseborn.

‘Should I resort to the secret tunnel after all?’

He briefly contemplated the hidden tunnel within the wall, which was secured by dozens, if not hundreds, of magic circles, but soon frowned.

‘…I would rather not use it if there is another option.’

The tunnel would certainly grant him entry, but if any other methods existed, he would prefer to avoid it.

That was because traversing the tunnel was more challenging than it appeared.

‘…Though I am not entirely certain why it was so draining.’

Whenever Alon used the secret tunnel during his gameplay for leveling, a message would appear stating, ‘You’ve consumed too much stamina!’ and his party’s health would be reduced by half.

While he was immersed in his thoughts, Evan asked,

“Should we head to the village first?”

“Yes.”

As the sun was already descending, they decided to rest for the night in a village near the border.

Upon reaching the village,

“My Lord?”

“…Yutia?”

“Brother.”

“…Saint, you are here as well.”

They came across a rather unexpected party.

“What brings you here?”

Startled by the unforeseen meeting, Alon had little time to process it before Yutia, who was walking toward him quickly with a serene smile, inquired,

“…We have matters to attend to at the border.”

“The border?”

“Yes, but why are you here?”

When Alon asked about their presence, Yutia replied,

“A problem has recently arisen at the border, so we are heading there to fix the main gate. Brother.”

Yuman interjected with the answer.

Yutia looked at him with a slightly rigid smile, probably because her conversation had been interrupted.

However, Yuman disregarded her gaze and added with a soft smile, “If you also have business at the border, Brother, why not join us?”

While his face showed no sign of it, Alon was pleased by the unforeseen proposal.

If he went with them, he would not need to utilize the secret tunnel to cross the border.

“…Would that be acceptable to you?”

“Certainly.”

Thanks to this sudden turn of good fortune, Alon found he had a simple path into the border zone.

***

The ‘Allied Army’ guarding the border was composed of soldiers and knights conscripted from the five nations that constituted the Allied Kingdom.

Currently, the commander of the border defense was Kiriana, who, several years prior, had been recognized as the Second Sword among Caliban’s Five Swords.

Despite the unannounced arrival of a saint and a cardinal, Kiriana was not perturbed.

She had already been briefed by her superiors.

Instead, what captured her interest was the unanticipated presence of the Marquis Palatio, who had come with them.

Not only was he unmentioned in the report, but she also recalled being indebted to him for an event in the northern territories—though they had never had an opportunity to exchange formal greetings since.

But that moment of reflection was brief, as Kiriana soon found herself in a difficult position.

In truth, it was a rather absurd situation.

The matter at hand was…

“…I will be the one to sign as the guarantor.”

“No, please allow me to provide my name instead.”

A trivial squabble over who would act as Alon’s guarantor.

While the saint and the cardinal did not require a guarantor to enter the border zone, the Marquis Palatio needed a guarantor to officially accompany them.

Only one guarantor was necessary.

In other words, either one of the two individuals before her could sign the document, and it would be sufficient.

Yet, over something as minor as writing a single name,

“Saint, please allow me to be the Lord’s guarantor. You need not trouble yourself.”

“No, Cardinal Yutia, I will take care of it. I heard you find such tasks rather tedious.”

“Not at all. Even if they are tedious with others, it is completely different when it concerns my Lord. This is no trouble for me, since it involves my Lord and myself.”

“I feel the same. Such matters are insignificant between us, Brother, so you need not trouble yourself.”

For more than ten minutes, they had been locked in a subtle but escalating contest of wills.

“…”

Kiriana observed Yutia and Yuman.

Both wore placid smiles, but their eyes were not smiling.

In fact, there was something disconcerting about their expressions.

‘It’s strangely threatening.’

“Saint, wouldn’t it be better to yield? My Lord appears to be growing somewhat uneasy.”

“Cardinal, wouldn’t it be better if you yielded?”

…Why were they behaving this way over something so insignificant?

As the two clerics began using increasingly confrontational language, even Kiriana felt uneasy.

“Please, stop being obstinate.”

“Cardinal, I must insist. Allow me to manage it. There is no need for you to strain yourself just because Brother is present, particularly since you did nothing during the earlier royal conference when Brother was under criticism.”

“I already dispatched a letter before the saint was even aware of the situation, so do not concern yourself. I am considering my Lord’s interests far more than you are.”

The mood became so charged it seemed they might truly come to blows. Kiriana barely suppressed the impulse to cradle her head in her hands.

‘Just what kind of person is the Marquis Palatio…?’

She glanced over at Alon, the source of the disagreement.

But Alon, too, was equally perplexed.

‘…What is wrong with them?’

He was just as clueless about what was happening.