Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Having thought it over for a full day, Alon made the choice to go back to the Marquisate first.

This route was preferable since he could stop at the Marquisate and then journey on to the Colony, with a visit to Lartania along the way.

“Are you departing, my lord?”

“Indeed.”

The moment Alon started his preparations to leave, Yutia appeared, as if she had been anticipating this, and posed her question.

“You aren’t exiting the Holy Kingdom just yet?”

“No. Even though we have handled that abomination, the fallen walls require further attention.”

Alon gave a nod, his eyes on the makeshift repairs visible on the walls behind her.

“Ah, my lord.”

“Yes?”

“Might I have that object you retrieved last time?”

“The object from last time…”

“The one you took from within Rikrakamur. Would you be willing to part with it?”

Alon paused for a brief moment at Yutia’s appeal.

“…I could let you have it, yet what is your intention for it?”

“I aim to cleanse it.”

“Cleanse it?”

“Yes. As it originated from inside a monstrosity, it seems wise to conduct a purification rite at the cathedral, even if it appears safe.”

Yutia stopped, considering for a second, then continued,

“If you are reluctant to do so now, that is acceptable, but you must promise to come to the Holy Kingdom later for the purification ritual. Objects of that nature frequently seem innocuous but harbor hidden dangers.”

“Such items can influence the mind of whoever possesses them,” she explained, lifting her index finger in a scholarly manner.

Watching her gesture, Alon comprehended her motivation for wanting the relic and experienced a slight feeling of reassurance.

If it were another person, their motives might be unclear.

But Alon was aware of the truth.

Ultimately, she was fated to become one of the Five Great Sins.

“Not that there is any cause for concern at present.”

The artifacts of the Five Great Sins only realize their complete power if they stay within the guardians that house them.

In other words, the artifact lost its significance as a relic the instant Alon took it from Rikrakamur.

“Evan.”

“Here.”

“Retrieve it.”

Evan promptly went to the carriage and started searching through its contents.

“Erm, Marquis? This is the item, but… its color appears different from before.”

“Wasn’t it gradually changing?”

“But it never became this dark, did it?”

Evan passed over the object, which was now a deep black instead of its former red hue.

Alon remembered a moment from the game.

When a player managed to secure an artifact from a monstrosity before a Sin could claim it, the Sin of Pride would become furious.

‘It certainly seems entirely inert now.’
Alon gazed at the transformed artifact for a second before passing it to Yutia.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you, my lord. I will bring this to the Holy Kingdom, have the purification rite performed, and give it back to you as soon as possible.”

“That would be helpful.”

“It is no trouble.”

Yutia beamed with a radiant smile.

And then.

“Marquis.”

“Yes, Saint?”

“I shall defend you against any threat.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

Before he knew it, Evan had drawn near, his face filled with holy determination as he gave a firm nod.

Alon discreetly moved a step backward, remaining silent.

‘His sentiment is appreciated, but…’
Feeling a little pressured, he made a swift departure.

***

Approximately one week had gone by since they left the border.

“Victory is mine, you snake-brained fool!”

[You impudent child! How dare you employ such deceit!]

“Deceit? No, it is merely your own intellect that is lacking!”

On a somewhat cold dusk, Alon’s group had assembled around the campfire they had built for the evening.

Alon, letting a hot sweet potato cool before eating it, observed Evan and the small serpent partaking in their daily custom of inventing new contests to battle over.

Then, his eyes wandered upward.

He gazed absently at the stars.

—Do you find it beautiful?

The Observer’s voice resonated softly in his head.

Lately, her words frequently came to mind whenever he looked at the stars.

Chew, chew—
But he hurriedly finished the sweet potato, dismissing the recollection, and started to concentrate on future plans.

‘Eliban will manage that, so I need not be concerned. My next step is to confront the other monstrosities holding artifacts and fortify the required magic for that endeavor.’
He remembered the statements of the golden dragon, Lainisius.

More precisely, what Lainisius had said about magic before Alon departed the dragon’s sanctuary.

‘I am sorry to say my knowledge of mages’ magic is limited. The little I recall is that your magic… what is the term for it? The tongue of the material world?’

‘Beyond that, if anything could assist your magic, it is one concept.’

‘Seals. Although I do not grasp their workings entirely, an ally once told me that layering seals could amplify magic. I did not pay close attention then, so my memory is hazy, but it seems that with deep knowledge of seals, one can overlap their powers and functions.’

That is the extent of my understanding, the golden dragon had finished.

‘….’
During the fight with Rikrakamur, Alon recognized he needed a more profound comprehension of how magic operates.

While he had succeeded in vanquishing Rikrakamur using game knowledge and tactics, many of the remaining abominations lacked such exploitable weaknesses.

This implied that coming conflicts would probably not offer him the same decisive edge.

Therefore, Alon resolved that he must transcend simple reliance on materialization magic and begin investigating the nature of magic itself to ready himself for more diverse situations.

The initial phase was examining seals, something he had never properly studied before.

As he was reflecting on this,

“Marquis.”

“Hmm?”

Evan passed him another sweet potato.

It seemed the dispute masquerading as a game with Basiliora had concluded, given Evan’s contented look.

“My thanks.”

“You are welcome.”

[I demand one as well!]

“No sustenance for the defeated!”

[This is absurd, human!! I could not possibly be bested by a mere human!!]

Basiliora lamented, executing a frantic dance of agony on the earth.

“So,”

“Yes?”

“What was the contest this evening?”

Observing Basiliora’s exaggerated response, Alon inquired casually of Evan, who was serenely eating a corn cob.

“Marbles.”

“…Marbles?”

“Yes.”

“…The game where you strike marbles to claim them?”

“Precisely.”

Alon looked down at Basiliora.

[I, a being of such magnificence, was defeated by a human!! A lowly human!!!!!!]

…Over a trivial marble game…?

His reaction was… excessively theatrical.

Alon started to see the appeal these games held for Evan and Basiliora.

As he distractedly moved to eat the sweet potato once more,

[Mrreow?]

the tiny black being resting on his shoulder reached out.

He gave it a piece of his sweet potato.

Munch, munch—
The creature ate greedily, as if it had been anticipating this.

Watching Blackie narrow its eyes cutely in pleasure at the flavor, Alon found himself thinking:

‘…At least it refrains from growing a mouth on its stomach like that previous occasion.’
He recalled his shock when the being had abruptly manifested a mouth on its abdomen.

[Nooo! Cease, I say! Stop this!!]

Apparently annoyed by Basiliora’s persistent cries, Blackie had already tapped him a few times with its small paw.

[S-so unjust…]

Finally, Basiliora shrunk down, pouting as night completely fell.

…It was an agreeably cool evening.

***

Several weeks afterward,

Alon at last reached the Marquisate of Palatio after an absence of nearly two months.

The estate appeared much altered during his time away, and with that came a vast quantity of duties demanding his attention.

He also discovered that Radan had called while he was gone.

But he did not get the opportunity to learn the specifics.

Or rather, he was unable to.

For as soon as he arrived—

“I offer my most profound apologies!!!”

Thud!

Penia dropped to her knees and struck her forehead forcefully on the ground before him.

***

Inside a study overrun with documents,

Alon found himself in a strange state of mind.

Before him, Penia Crysinne sat fidgeting anxiously, as if she had perpetrated a grave transgression.

She could not hold his gaze, her body twisting uneasily in the seat.

“…Did you arrive alone?”

“Oh, no… I… came with… my brother…”

Her words faded as her head sank lower, resembling a malfunctioning mechanical doll.

Alon chose to address the matter directly.

“Would you care to elaborate on the nature of your error?”

“Well, you see, it is…”

Penia looked up warily at Alon but averted her eyes instantly, her head bowing even deeper.

Alon started to feel like a childhood bully—though in this scenario, Penia seemed entirely the wronged party.

Just as he began to sense the injustice of the situation,

“You see, the situation is…”

Penia stammered and started her account.

After listening for some time, Alon finally grasped the circumstances.

“So that is what occurred.”

“Yes…”

“To summarize: Heinkel believed you and I shared a particular connection, and in return for instructing you in magic, you consented to maintain that deception at the Tower of Magic?”

“Yes… Since she was constantly roaming in her spirit form…”

“And now that you have acquired some magical skill, you confessed, assuming discovery was inevitable?”

“Yes…”

Penia nodded anxiously, stealing looks at Alon.

‘So that explains the persistence of the gossip.’
Now Alon understood why the rumors had continued. Watching Penia’s discomfort, he considered his options.

‘How should I address this?’
He did not feel particularly motivated to punish her.

While irritating, it had not inflicted any actual damage on him.

After some reflection, a notion came to him. A slight smile touched his lips as he spoke.

“Very well, this is what we shall do.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your objective was to learn magic from Heinkel, correct?”

“Well… I could manage without it, but acquiring more magic would bring me great joy…”

Penia’s voice faded uncertainly.

Leaning back in his seat, Alon presented his offer.

“What if, instead of perpetuating this awkward rumor, I meet with Heinkel personally? Would that not be more convenient for us both?”

“What? Truly…!?”

Penia’s eyes widened in real astonishment, shining like those of a guileless child.

She nodded quickly, appearing delighted.

“Yes, yes, that would be excellent! The rumors have been rather uncomfortable, after all…”

Witnessing her such jubilance left Alon with a peculiar sense of conflict.

The rumors had been a bother, but seeing her react so enthusiastically made him feel as though he were the one to blame.

“However, I require a favor in return.”

Suppressing his ambiguous feelings, Alon came to the main point.

“A favor…? What sort of favor?”

Answering her query, Alon smiled and declared his aim.

“I would like your assistance with my magical research.”

“Magical research?”

“Yes, it may be somewhat unfamiliar, but can you manage it?”

The timing was ideal.

‘She will be immensely helpful for the investigation.’
Penia Crysinne was undoubtedly peculiar, but her magical skill was authentic. Even now, she was progressively advancing from the 7th Circle to the 8th.

“If it is something like that… I will do it…!”

Penia agreed with zeal, and both appeared content with the arrangement.

However, Penia was completely oblivious.

She had no notion that this so-called “research” would involve exhausting, ceaseless toil under the pretense of experimentation…

It would take a full week for her to uncover the reality.

***

Meanwhile, Hidan was at Deus’s mansion in Caliban to talk about issues connected to the recent imperial decree.

However, the subject he introduced first was unrelated.

It had to be.

The cause was—

“…Lord First Moon.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“That…”

Hidan pointed at the enormous statue standing in the middle of Deus’s garden, visible through the window.

It was remarkably similar—no, exactly the same—as the one at the Merkiliane estate.

As Hidan looked at Deus, the latter, wearing a deeply solemn expression, stated:

“…Well, you see.”

“Yes?”

“I traveled to the Merkiliane estate and encountered Fillian.”

“I understand.”

“He is a splendid individual. We shared such captivating discussions about him—almost three full days.”

“I am pleased to hear it.”

“Yes.”

“…But what connection does that have with the statue outside?”

At Hidan’s direct question, Deus shifted his gaze slightly.

“Well… Fillian proposed gifting me the statue.”

“Are you certain you did not buy it?”

“…It seemed somewhat inappropriate to simply take it.”

“From my sources, you expended a considerable amount of money, however.”

“I—”

Deus faltered, struggling for words, before finally confessing,

“It was to maintain narrative coherence.”

“Narrative coherence?”

“Yes… Yutia spoke of the need for consistency, so I believed forming a kind of territorial pact with the Merkiliane estate would—”

“You do not possess a territory.”

With that one remark, Hidan completely shattered Deus’s justification—or absence thereof.

“Regardless, that is the essence of it.”

“I see… that is the essence.”

“Yes.”

Hidan thought to himself.

Ah, this is ridiculous.

“…I shall inform Lord Red Moon of this.”

To which Deus replied,

“Might you… refrain from reporting it?”

“The truth will emerge eventually…”

“If you report it, I have three months. If you do not, I have six months.”

Observing Deus’s juvenile expression as he clung to the hope of keeping his “cherished possession” for just three more months,

Hidan chose to remain silent.