Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Alon felt a wave of disorientation wash over him due to the entirely reversed circumstances.

As a nobleman from a foreign land, he was positioned on the royal chair, while King Pamilono, the rightful sovereign, was kneeling in a deep bow below him.

If someone were to inquire, “Is this a typical scenario?”, he would immediately and firmly dismiss the notion.

Naturally, Alon held no ambition to occupy the throne.

There was nothing he stood to gain, and his purpose was to make a request—so why would he consider overthrowing the monarch?

If anything, he desperately wanted this absurd situation to cease.

Yet, the sole reason he remained seated there was the relentless insistence of King Pamilono.

“……I am quite alright where I am.”

“I am also quite alright. Please, I implore you to take the seat.”

“No, I mean, is there truly any need for me to sit—”

“There is. Marquis, you absolutely must be seated.”

To be precise, the coercion seemed to stem more from Jenira and Syrkal, who stood directly behind him.

“Hoo—”

Alon cast his gaze downward.

Standing next to the king, Evan released a small chuckle, as if already accustomed to the ridiculousness of the moment.

Ignoring the gesture, Alon addressed the ruler.

“……I have a petition to make first.”

“Kindly speak of anything you wish.”

The king inclined his head with profound deference.

Alon was struck by an awkward feeling once more.

A foreign noble seated upon the throne.

A king humbling himself below.

No matter the perspective, this was utterly irregular.

But having a general understanding of the situation, Alon decided to voice his request without delay.

“Ahem.”

“Yes?”

“That is, concerning the monument…”

“The monument? Are you referring to the one depicting Kalannon, the lightning receiver?”

“Indeed.”

“Ah, yes. Is there an issue with the monument of the Marquis—no, the lightning receiver Kalannon?”

“No, there’s no problem. It’s simply—”

Alon abruptly silenced himself mid-sentence.

He knew, of course.

The moment he made a request, the king would unquestionably agree.

This meant he shouldn’t feel any inhibition about asking.

And yet, his hesitation stemmed from—

‘It’s harder to articulate than I imagined.’

It felt incredibly awkward.

To specifically ask for horns to be affixed to Kalannon’s statue…

If the lightning receiver Kalannon had no connection to him, it wouldn’t have mattered, but—

“Please, do not hesitate to speak.”

He didn’t need to look hard to know.

Just by meeting their eyes, he could tell their belief.

To them, Alon was Kalannon.

Even though it wasn’t his intent, asking for horns to be added to the monument was practically like a child throwing a fit and demanding his own statue be made cooler.

‘……This is mortifying.’

He couldn’t bring himself to utter the words.

“If the representation of Kalannon’s physical form is inaccurate, we shall reconstruct it properly.”

“……I would be grateful. That—”

“Yes, we shall rebuild it and guarantee that even the majestic horns are correctly included!”

Thanks to Syrkal’s swift intervention, the matter of the horns was resolved seamlessly.

Feeling an unspoken gratitude toward her, Alon nodded with as much nonchalance as he could muster.

Finally, he was able to vacate the royal seat.

---

Two days later—

Alon made his way to Caliban in preparation for his journey toward the Snowy Mountains.

In truth, he would have preferred to rest for several more days.

But he felt compelled to depart the Luxibl Duchy as quickly as possible.

Ever since his triumph over the Apostle of Sloth, everyone who saw him would immediately drop to their knees…

The constant prostration made remaining there unbearably suffocating.

Although he managed to escape the duchy, regrettably, he hadn’t fully escaped the discomfort.

The knights of Caliban were the next source of his unease.

The moment he stepped out of the carriage, every single one of them bowed their heads profoundly.

A fresh wave of burden descended upon him.

No, he had simply stepped out for his evening meal, yet the instant he appeared, everyone dining abruptly stood up, adopting solemn expressions, and bowed deeply.

…It was far more awkward than he anticipated.

But above all—

“Marquis, would you care to sample this?”

“…….”

“Thank you.”

“It is nothing at all. If there is anything else you require, please do not hesitate to ask.”

The final element contributing to his discomfort was the Macallian siblings, who checked on him by visiting his carriage every sixty minutes.

Deus had always behaved this way, so Alon had become somewhat accustomed to it.

The real challenge was his younger sister, Sili.

Since he had saved her life, she hadn’t missed a day checking on his comfort and personally preparing his meals three times daily.

As if coordinating their efforts, they even visited separately.

Consequently, Alon received a greeting from one of the Macallian siblings practically every thirty minutes.

“……Aren’t you exhausting yourself?”

“Exhausting myself? Not in the least. Thanks to you, Marquis, I am even alive today.”

Sili offered a bright, genuine smile.

Looking at her, Alon spoke.

“Even so, it is still a considerable amount of work. If there is something you need, simply ask me. If it is within my abilities, I will assist.”

“Is that truly alright?”

Sili’s eyes widened at the casual offer Alon had made out of concern that she was overworking herself.

“It is.”

When he nodded, she nervously looked around and started fidgeting with her hands.

Alon was momentarily perplexed.

What sort of request was she preparing to make…?

Contrary to his worries, Sili’s request was unexpectedly straightforward.

“Would it be possible to have… your inscription?”

“……An inscription?”

“Yes.”

“……You mean a signed piece of writing?”

“Yes…!”

The thought of why on earth she would want that flashed through his mind only briefly.

Alon accepted a sheet of paper from Evan and signed it.

“Will this suffice?”

“………! Yes, yes! This is more than adequate, Marquis!”

“But… why did you ask for my inscription?”

It was a valid question.

This world didn’t truly possess a culture of requesting signatures.

Even in the modern era, unless one was a prominent public figure, exchanging autographs wasn’t common.

In response to Alon’s query, Sili’s face lit up as she replied.

“I plan to keep it as a precious family heirloom!”

“A… family heirloom?”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

Bowing deeply in thanks, she pressed the signed paper to her chest as though it were an invaluable treasure and hurried away.

A moment later—

“Brother! Look at this! It’s the Marquis’ inscription!”

“Oh my.”

Hearing the commotion outside the carriage, Alon felt another surge of embarrassment wash over him.

“Marquis, you must be pleased. You even have devoted followers now.”

“…Not particularly.”

“Is that so?”

Evan inquired with a knowing smirk.

“If anything, it’s quite embarrassing.”

“Hmm—I think I would enjoy it greatly~”

[Hmph, only rogues like you, who contort yourselves to charm women, would find pleasure in such a thing.]

“……You insignificant wretch, you kept silent the entire time in the duchy, and now that we’ve departed, you suddenly materialize?”

Basiliora, never one to miss a jab, had made his appearance.

[Hmph—I simply had no desire to witness the faces of those individuals.]

“That wasn’t the issue. You just didn’t want to be ridiculed for your diminutive size, correct?”

[Kuh—]

Judging by his reaction, Alon’s observation was spot-on.

[Meow-]

Perhaps drawn by Basiliora’s rare emergence, Blackie soon emerged from Alon’s collar as well.

For a moment, Alon experienced a quiet contentment as he observed them.

“Hmmm~”

His gaze drifted to the meticulously crafted horns displayed on one side of the carriage.

The horns Kalannon had explicitly requested to be attached.

‘…I have so many questions I want to ask. When will we be able to communicate again?’

There was much he longed to know.

He was curious if Kalannon and the Hundred Ghosts shared a connection, and why she had mentioned his need for faith yet cautioned him against gathering it carelessly.

Most importantly, he wanted a detailed understanding of how to employ divinity.

‘…Will we be able to speak once her divine energy has recovered sufficiently?’

By this point, Alon was quite skilled at focusing on his inner self.

He quietly observed the faint, gradually regenerating traces of Kalannon’s divinity, dwelling on her for a long while.

---

A pitch-dark night.

Beneath the silent, inky sky, while everyone was deeply asleep—

Inside the carriage, Deus looked at his slumbering sister.

Sili was clutching Alon’s inscription tight against her chest as if it were the most precious object in the universe.

Deus smiled at the tender scene before shifting his gaze toward another carriage.

The one where Alon was resting.

“……”

Deus’s thoughts returned to the past few days.

That moment when he could have lost everything.

Yet, conversely, the instant everything had been salvaged.

‘…If the Marquis hadn’t intervened then.’

Deus would have seen his entire world crumble.

His soldiers.

His sister.

His standing.

Everything.

But that man—

He had safeguarded everything Deus had nearly forfeited because of that wretched opponent.

On top of that—

He had even left the culprit for Deus to deal with, offering him time and counsel so he could personally exact his retribution.

And yet, in the end…

Deus had been unable to take his revenge.

Because he was still too inadequate.

“Tch—!”

Unconsciously, Deus clenched his hands into tight fists.

He had believed he had achieved strength.

But even now, it was insufficient.

He was still profoundly weak.

He hadn’t been able to properly punish the one who deserved it, and once again, he had been sheltered by that man.

‘I must grow stronger.’

Deus set his jaw firmly.

He had to become powerful—so powerful that he could stand as that man’s weapon.

No, beyond that—strong enough to be his protector.

To repay the one who had embraced him like family.

And to return the immeasurable kindness he had received from him.

“……”

A pitch-dark night.

Beneath the silent, inky sky while everyone was deeply asleep, Deus made a solemn commitment in silence.

The pale blue moon shone upon him.

---

A monumental altar, as ancient as the most revered pyramids.

Deep within this sacred structure, guarded by the formidable Lizardman tribe, Karamble—

“I offer greetings to the great one.”

Zukurak bowed his head in deference.

[Ah, it has been some time.]

Hazad received Zukurak’s respectful salutation with a relaxed and unhurried manner.

Even for Zukurak, Hazad was an entity whose shape and demeanor were almost impossible to fully grasp.

Without any wasted pleasantries, Hazad proceeded directly to the core issue.

[So, did you ascertain the truth?]

“Yes.”

[And what did you discover?]

“As you anticipated, it was indeed him.”

[Is that truly the case?]

Hearing Zukurak’s confirmation, Hazad smiled, clearly expressing his delight.

However—

“But there is an additional matter I must convey.”

[What is it now?]

Hazad’s expression shifted, conveying curiosity.

Zukurak then recounted in detail the events that transpired during his visit to Marquis Palatio.

[So, the divine energy was precisely as expected, but he personally denied it. Is that your summary?]

“Yes.”

Hazad appeared to be contemplating something for a moment before—

[I see—]

He nodded in comprehension.

[I don’t know his reasons for the denial, but it is of no consequence. After all, there are those who would recognize him regardless of his wishes.]

“Are you referring to the elves?”

[Precisely.]

Elves.

Upon hearing Hazad’s reply, Zukurak lowered his head once more and took a step forward.

“Then, should I proceed to confirm the situation with them?”

[There is no need.]

“……Then what is your plan?”

[I will go myself.]

“……You mean, in person?”

[Yes. It is about time I heard directly what is happening with my dear friend.]

As Hazad contemplated the Elf Queen,

[Besides, if I am going to assign a guardian to my friend, I need to negotiate with the elves beforehand.]

He rose from his seat with a slow, deliberate movement.

On his face—

[And I need to ensure that any useless elves unworthy of protecting my friend are dismissed.]

—was a deeply entertained smile.