Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 167

Chapter 167
Alon studied the statue of ‘Kalannon, the bearer of Lightning’ in Siyan’s grasp with focused attention.

“I suppose there is a vague similarity.”

Naturally, with the statue lacking a face, any likeness in appearance was impossible to judge.

Even so, the reason for Alon’s thought was that the attire worn by Kalannon was strikingly close to his own, no matter the angle.

“Well, the coat I have on now was a gift from the Red Tower Master, so it’s different, but if I consider my previous one… there do appear to be several points of resemblance.”

After a short period of reflection with a strange look on his face, Alon finally answered.

“…I guess the clothing is a bit alike.”

“The clothing, is it… Hmm.”

Siyan looked Alon over before giving a shrug and setting the statue down on the desk.

“Well, it’s obvious that you, an Asteria Kingdom marquis, couldn’t possibly be the ‘Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning’ newly worshipped in the Luxible Principality. Just treat it as a casual remark and forget about it.”

“Understood.”

Pleased with Alon’s direct response, Siyan gave a few nods before shifting the conversation.

“So, I understand you’ve been involved in several incidents lately. Would you tell me what you’ve been doing?”

“Understood.”

Why was she inquiring about this?

Though slightly confused, Alon gave a thorough account.

And then…

“…The Chosen, you say.”

“Yes.”

Having finished his report, Alon asked a question of his own.

“Might I ask you something as well?”

“Proceed.”

“Did you summon me because you remembered something?”

During their last meeting in this office, Siyan had indeed stated:

“If I think of anything else, I will call for you.”

“No, nothing like that.”

“…I see.”

“This time, I merely wanted to see you, so I called you here. It has been some time, after all.”

It was an answer he hadn’t anticipated.
“I see.”

“Is that an issue?”

“No, not at all.”

Siyan gazed directly at Alon, who denied it without any particular emotion.

“Fufu~”

“…?”

She let out a quiet, amused laugh.

Alon’s face showed his bewilderment.

“I’m only joking.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m telling you I didn’t call you here without a purpose.”

“Ah.”

“Your response is a little disappointing, though.”

“My apologies.”

As Alon inclined his head, he briefly considered whether Siyan had always been this way.

“There’s no need to apologize for that.”

Amused by her own teasing, Siyan smiled, propping her chin on her hand as she spoke.

“As you suspected, something else did occur to me.”

“What would that be?”

“In the inherited memories, it was mentioned that you visited the World Tree of Greynifra and acquired something you needed there.”

“The World Tree of Greynifra…?”

When Alon repeated the name, Siyan nodded.

“Yes. Are you unfamiliar with it? The realm of the elves, found in the southern lands, is called Greynifra.”

“Ah.”

It was only then that Alon understood why the name ‘Greynifra’ had sounded strange to him.

“…The elven lands. It stands to reason I wouldn’t know much about them.”

Of course, it wasn’t his first time hearing of it.
Yet Greynifra felt distant because the elven territory was part of the ‘DLC area’ in the game ‘Psychedelia’.

He had never bought the DLC.

In other words, while he’d heard the name ‘Greynifra’ in passing during the game, he had never set foot in the lands of the other races.

Furthermore, the relationship between the Allied Kingdom and the other races is strained, though not as openly hostile as the Empire’s. Consequently, it is scarcely ever discussed.

This left Alon with even less knowledge on the subject.

“Something I need is there… I see.”

As Alon fell into quiet contemplation, Siyan added,

“Of course, there’s no urgency to go immediately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, to be more accurate, you aren’t obliged to go at all. It’s ironic for me to say this after raising the topic, but that place isn’t particularly welcoming to humans.”

“…Yes, I had heard that.”

Remembering the difficult relations between the Allied Kingdom and the other races, Alon nodded. Siyan leaned back in her chair with a shrug.

“So, consider it in your own time. But should you decide to go, I would like a report.”

“Understood.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Alon departed from the office.

Once he had vanished completely from sight,

Siyan, looking at the door, stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment.

“Well, that should be enough.”

She stood up soon after, a mysterious smile lingering on her lips.

***

At the ball, Alon felt inwardly drained by the crowd, which was far larger than the previous occasion.

However,

“Greetings, Marquis!”

“Hello!”

“I am—”

Before he could even survey the room, he was met with a relentless wave of greetings from the nobles.

It took more than half an hour of acknowledging introductions from the Kalpha nobles, with Duke Zenonia and Count Altia at the forefront, before Alon finally gained a moment of peace.

He released a soft sigh, thinking to himself,

“As I thought, these events are draining.”

Moving to a secluded part of the ballroom, Alon picked up an egg tart from a side table and had just begun to eat when—

“It’s been some time, Marquis Palatio.”

“…Hmm?”

A man approached him.

His face wasn’t instantly recognizable, yet it felt distantly familiar.

After a brief moment of thought, Alon identified the man.

“…Duke Merkiliane?”

He finally recalled the man’s identity.

The second brother of Filian and the current head of the Merkiliane family. Duke Merkiliane offered a slight smile and a respectful bow.

“I’m honored you remember me.”

“…It would be difficult to forget.”

It wasn’t merely a polite reply.

Though it had taken him a moment, Alon could not forget the Merkiliane family.

Not just because Filian could become a companion for the protagonist, but more importantly—

Because it was the location of a statue of Alon.

A statue of Alon that wasn’t even present in his own Marquisate of Palatio.

“…That’s true.”

Duke Merkiliane responded with an awkward look, while Alon scanned the room and reflected,

“They mentioned there would be numerous foreign nobles, and it seems they were correct.”

Initially, he had been too occupied with the Kalpha nobles, but now, looking around, he saw many unfamiliar faces at the ball.

Among them—

‘…King Shtalian V?’
The King of Ashtalon was also in attendance, and standing near him was a knight who drew the eye.

Even at a glance, the knight’s immense frame was over 2 meters tall. His formidable presence seemed incongruous with the ball’s elegance, though nobody could identify him.

After all, the knight wore a helmet that covered even his eyes.

But Alon recognized him instantly.

Zakurak the Scarred.

A lizardman who had come from the very lands of the other races Siyan had mentioned. In Psychedelia, Zakurak was a crucial figure who became a major asset when confronting the Five Great Sins.

“On top of that, he’s a character designed to encourage players to purchase the DLC.”

In Psychedelia, when facing the Five Great Sins, NPCs form the core of the party.

Depending on the nation where the Sin appears or the player’s previous actions, relevant NPCs join to help.

Zakurak was one such NPC, offering aid if the Five Great Sins emerged in Ashtalon, and he stood out among the cast for his unique characteristics.

The brutal difficulty of the Five Great Sins, which could make one want to throw a controller, is slightly mitigated by Zakurak’s power.

…Though it only lessens the challenge from Hellish to something akin to Extremely Hard, even that is a major relief in Psychedelia, where no other difficulty options exist.

Furthermore, Psychedelia’s DLC allows players to summon Zakurak, who otherwise only helps during the Ashtalon chapter, to fight the Five Great Sins.

Additionally, completing the DLC storyline unlocks other powerful non-human allies, on par with Zakurak, who can also assist in those battles.

For this reason, most players seeking a less arduous experience bought the DLC.

…Except for players like Alon, who held onto their pride in the original game.

“I didn’t expect him to be so imposing.”

Zakurak had been looking forward, but then he turned his head.

Though his helmet hid his expression, his gaze was unmistakably fixed on Alon.

For a moment, Alon wondered if he should try to form a connection, but unfortunately, he knew very little about Zakurak.

His reasons for helping the protagonist against the Five Great Sins, his motives, his goals—none of it was revealed in the base game.

In short, there was not a single lead Alon could use to build a rapport.

Just as he decided to abandon the idea and looked away,

He flinched!
“…?”

Alon saw it.

The massive, armor-clad form of Zakurak shifted slightly.

Before he could ponder it further,

“…Marquis?”

Merkiliane’s voice brought Alon back to the present, and he offered a slight nod of apology.

“Ah, my apologies.”

“Not at all. Actually, might I ask a small favor of you?”

“…A favor?”

“Yes. It’s nothing especially difficult, but…”

Alon tilted his head slightly, his expression neutral, and replied,

“Please, go ahead.”

“It’s regarding my brother… Would you be willing to write him a letter?”

“Your brother… You mean Filian?”

“Yes. The situation is…”

Merkiliane hesitated uncomfortably before explaining the circumstances. After hearing him out, Alon summarized the story.

“So, you’re saying he wants to take down the current statue and erect a new one of me, but the expenses are too high.”

“Yes, precisely. My brother doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of finances and even proposed making it from solid gold this time… But he won’t listen to me.”

Muttering, “I suspect he gave the current statue to Deus Maccalian of Caliban as a pretext for building a new one,” Merkiliane let out a deep, weary sigh.

Alon was speechless.

“…Why is he so determined to build a statue of me?”

Of course, Alon had assisted Filian, but he couldn’t comprehend why they would go to such extremes.

…And he doubted he ever would.

Still, Alon nodded to show his understanding.

“Thank you. I am grateful.”

Merkiliane breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Alon couldn’t shake a faint sense of guilt, even though he had done nothing wrong.

***

Late that night, as the first day of the ball concluded, Alon began preparing to return to his rooms.

…To be honest, he had wished to leave much earlier.

However, he had been constantly engaged with the nobles, unable to pause, and now felt he had spoken more in half a day than in the past six months.

Finally free, Alon moved toward the hallway leading to his assigned quarters.

“?”

There, he came across two very familiar faces.

“…Syrkal?”

It was Syrkal and her younger sister, Jenira.

Alon tilted his head in momentary confusion but soon remembered why they might be present.

‘The Thunder Serpent Tribe formed an alliance with the Principality of Luxible, didn’t they?’
Recalling the rumor he had heard from Evan, Alon watched as Syrkal and Jenira approached him.

“Long—”

Before Alon could complete his greeting,

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

The sisters spoke in perfect unison.

They bowed deeply and with great reverence.

“Um…?”

An endless stream of question marks seemed to form above Alon’s head.

Meanwhile, from behind a pillar in the corridor—

“…What was that?”

Carmaxes III, who had discreetly followed Alon to make a private proposal meant for no other ears, stood frozen in place.

Marquis Palatio… is a deity?

His jaw went slack as he tried to comprehend the incredible “truth” he had just witnessed.