Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 146

Chapter 146

“Ahem—”

Alon cleared his throat and came straight to the point, seeing that Perion was visibly ill at ease.

“To be blunt, I require ‘Lemiel’s Oath.’”

“…You mean Lemiel’s Oath?”

Perion, who had seemed downcast moments before, now looked at him with a measure of astonishment.

This was a natural reaction.

‘Lemiel’s Oath’ was counted among the thirty-two great treasures of the Elf race, and he had concealed his identity as a human, never revealing its existence to anyone.

Therefore, from Perion’s point of view, it was inevitable to conclude that Alon was aware of his true nature.

“Wait a moment, I need to ask someone to step out. Rine, would you mind waiting outside?”

“Of course.”

Rine inclined her head and promptly left the room.

Once Alon verified that the mercenaries accompanying Perion had also departed, he spoke again.

“Now that it’s just us, we can speak plainly.”

“…I’m not certain I follow your meaning.”

“There’s no need for such strong denial.”

In a negotiation, it is usually unwise to apply too much pressure.

Yet Alon was deliberately applying it for two reasons.

The first was that, without this approach, securing ‘Lemiel’s Oath’ would take an exceedingly long time.

If he proceeded as a game player would, he would need to remain in Lartania for at least a full year.

The second was his certainty that, despite the pressure, Perion would ultimately accept his proposal.

Alon observed Perion, whose demeanor had grown grave after Rine’s departure.

“Naturally, I do not ask for Lemiel’s Oath without offering something in return.”

“…Just who are you?”

Perion’s voice was thick with mistrust.

Alon replied with composure.

“My identity is of little importance here. All that matters is the clarity of our exchange.”

“……”

“One thing I can promise you is that I will not reveal your true identity.”

“…Let’s hear your proposal.”

After a moment of hesitation, Perion gave a slow nod.

Alon confidently laid out his terms.

“Give me Lemiel’s Oath, and I will tell you the location of the item you seek.”

“…The item I seek? What do you mean?”

“The Blessing of Raguernie.”

Perion’s eyes widened in shock, and his body gave an involuntary jerk.

Witnessing this reaction, Alon felt a flicker of confusion.

It was understandable for Perion to be startled by the mention of ‘The Blessing of Raguernie.’

The fact that he was searching for it was knowledge that should have been confined to him and the Queen alone.

‘Even so, his reaction is quite intense. Well, I suppose it is an item considered extremely precious in the game.’

Regardless,

In the original storyline, Perion spent a great deal of time searching for the ‘Blessing of Raguernie’ before ultimately giving up and returning.

The reason Alon knew the location of this elusive item was simple.

It was inside a secret chamber on the 42nd floor.

It was an item players could acquire by entering that room, a staple stop during maze farming.

Of course, in the game, Alon had never actually given the blessing to Perion.

Even if Perion hurried to the maze to initiate the quest, he would depart from Lartania before the player could clear the 40th floor.

“Yes, I know its value…”

Alon watched Perion, whose hands were now trembling, and continued.

“…Informing you of its location seems a fair trade. What is your opinion?”

“You claim to know where this artifact is?”

“I do. If you agree to the deal, I will provide the location.”

“…You expect me to trust you without any evidence?”

“Let us be clear. If I give you the location of the Blessing, will you agree to the terms?”

A short silence ensued.

Then, Perion nodded.

“…If the information proves true, then I agree.”

As anticipated, the negotiation was a success.

Alon smiled to himself.

“The location is at the easternmost part of the 42nd floor. There is only one path, so you should find it easily. Once inside, search for the switch when you reach the dead end.”

“The dead end… and a switch?”

“Correct. The Blessing of Raguernie will be there. I will collect Lemiel’s Oath after you have retrieved it.”

Perion’s face showed confusion for a time.

“…What if, even assuming your information is correct, I simply take the item and flee?”

It was a predictable question, so Alon had a ready answer.

“I do not believe you would break the oath of Paggade.”

“…! How do you know of Paggade?”

“Well…”

Perion was once again profoundly startled.

Alon deliberately gave a vague reply.

How he knew was simple; he had heard it directly while playing the game.

Though he considered using a more trusting phrase instead of being ambiguous,

He recalled how proud Perion was of Paggade in the game, and so he chose this method.

It was a way of telling him not to do anything unwise.

‘Besides, even without saying anything, judging by his in-game character, he isn’t the type to break a promise.’

Perion had nearly died once to keep a promise to the protagonist.

Remembering that episode, Alon felt a slight puzzlement.

—Why is he reacting like this?

It shouldn’t be so strange that he knew about the hidden treasure, the Blessing of Raguernie, and also about Paggade.

“…It will take approximately a week to verify.”

Hearing Perion’s words, Alon stood.

“I will wait.”

With that, he turned to leave.

A moment later.

“Did everything go smoothly?”

“Yes. But, Rine.”

“What is it, Master?”

“Just asking to be sure, but I heard you are the only senior member remaining…”

Alon let his words trail off subtly, but Rine answered without hesitation.

“That is correct.”

“Could it be… that you… orchestrated this?”

“No? I did not.”

“…Truly? …Really?”

“Yes. Why would I go to such trouble?”

Rine offered a faint smile.

…Did she mean she was aware of what happened but didn’t intervene, or was she unaware from the beginning?

Alon considered probing further but decided against it.

He simply thought it would be wise to keep a closer eye on Rine from now on.

***

Five days after Alon’s meeting with Perion.

“…Thank you.”

“It seems you found it.”

“Yes. I was able to recover the Blessing of Raguernie.”

Alon met with Perion again, sooner than he had anticipated.

Perion, who now bowed his head with a degree of respect greater than before.

“I am deeply grateful.”

Seeming to want to express his thanks, Perion gave a deep bow from the waist, then retrieved a ring from his possession and handed it to Alon.

The ring appeared to be woven from a plant stem, yet it did not seem fragile in the least.

As Alon accepted the ring, he immediately recognized it as Lemiel’s Oath and thanked Perion.

“My thanks.”

“…Might I ask you a question?”

Perion posed the question with caution.

“What is it?”

After a brief pause, Perion looked intently at Alon.

“…How did you know the location of the Blessing of Raguernie?”

His voice held a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

Alon hesitated and glanced at Perion’s hand.

In it, Perion held the dagger known as the ‘Blessing of Raguernie.’

“That…”

He couldn’t reveal that he knew from encountering it numerous times in the game.

“Let’s leave that to your imagination.”

That was the only response Alon could give.

“To my imagination, you say?”

“……”

“Very well. I understand.”

Without further inquiry, Perion bowed his head. After a brief exchange of farewells, Alon left the room.

“Hm…? Now that I think of it, I don’t recall ever seeing Perion bow to anyone before.”

For a fleeting moment, Alon recalled a tenet of Paggade’s laws that forbade bowing to anyone other than the Queen.

“It seems the Blessing of Raguernie is truly that precious.”

Reaching this conclusion without dwelling on it, he began preparing to depart with the ring.

All his business in Lartania was complete.

[Hahahahaha! All the wealth in this world belongs to me!!!]

“This is truly infuriating!!”

[Never mind that, just give me the money! 5,500 gold coins!!]

Upon returning to Merd, Alon informed Basiliora and Evan—who had been engrossed for over three days in a psychedelic board game, laughing and despairing over fake currency—that he would be departing soon.

“Master.”

Rine’s call made him turn.

“What is it?”

“If you are heading for the Colony, may I accompany you?”

“…Is it necessary for you to go there?”

“Yes, there is something I must verify.”

Alon considered for a moment before nodding.

His reasons for traveling to the Colony were twofold.

He wished to meet the Dragonkin at the ruins, but there was another matter.

A cursed artifact in the desert required handling. If Rine could assist, it would be beneficial.

The plan for disposing of the cursed object.

Having Rine along would certainly be a help.

“If you are willing, then let us travel together.”

“Then I shall make the preparations.”

Two hours later.

Alon and his party left Lartania and set out for the Colony.

***

At that very moment.

Perion, still disguised as a mercenary, gazed silently at the ‘Blessing of Raguernie’ in his hand.

Under normal circumstances, Perion should have been overjoyed.

The ‘Blessing of Raguernie’ was the object he had sought ever since coming to the human world,

And above all, it was an item of immense value to the Elves.

Especially to Paggade.

However, the reason for his stern expression was Marquis Palatio.

…What exactly was that man?

Perion thought of the Marquis.

The man who had so casually revealed the blessing’s location.

The Marquis was peculiar in several respects.

First, it was strange that Marquis Palatio knew of ‘Paggade’ at all.

Paggade was a secret organization formed by the Elves through bloodline rituals, existing solely to protect the World Tree.

Only high-ranking nobles of High Elf status and above, the members of Paggade themselves, and the Queen were aware of the organization’s name.

That name should never have passed the lips of an outsider.

‘…With one exception.’

The original founder of the group and the first Elf, Altima,

Only he could speak of Paggade freely.

The first Elf, protector of the World Tree, who wielded the Blessing of Raguernie as his weapon.

Only he could mention it.

That was not the only oddity.

The location the Marquis had described was a place constructed by the Elves.

The reason Perion could tell was simple.

The space itself was fashioned using the magic circles employed by Elves and spirit magic—

Or more precisely, it was identical to the magic circle used in the Paggade hideout, which allowed Perion to check who had been there upon his arrival.

The magic circle stored the user’s magical energy,

And it maintained a record of their visit, like a guestbook, until the circle dissipated.

Perion had checked there.

No one but himself had been present.

And then…

[I hope this reaches my younger sibling well.]

Written in a language only Paggade could understand, as if sending a message directly to him.

In other words, Marquis Palatio knew Perion was an Elf, knew he belonged to Paggade,

And also knew the Blessing of Raguernie was in that space without ever having entered it.

…This was an impossibility, no matter how he considered it.

Unless the first Elf, who had perished in the battle against the Black Ones, had returned to life,

It was utterly inconceivable.

Bewildered and unable to find an explanation, Perion thought…

“…I must report this.”

He decided to suspend his judgment.

Instead, he would report everything to the one who watched over all the Elves.

And, simultaneously, to the greatest existence closest to the World Tree, the Great Queen.