Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 210

🧝‍♀️ Chapter 210: The World Tree in Greynifra

 

The immense royal palace situated beneath Greynifra, the World Tree in the land of the elves, was currently permeated with profound tension.

---

The cause was straightforward.

Not even the elves, who had dwelled for centuries, had ever laid eyes upon the lizardmen’s deity, Hazad, who had now arrived at the keep.

It had not always been this way, of course.

In fact, Hazad, known as the Sage God, had initially come to see the queen without causing any disturbance.

Magrina, for her part, received Hazad’s visit without any particular anxiety.

Furthermore, despite the potential for awkwardness in what seemed like their long-awaited reunion, the two conversed in a surprisingly relaxed manner.

They spoke with an air of familiarity, rather than displaying the commanding presence expected of the leaders of their respective peoples.

Naturally, as figures of high stature, they maintained a fundamental professional manner.

Even so, as the easy-going discussion continued, the elves were perplexed yet relieved.

---

Yes, this state persisted—until the moment when Hazad, whose face was mostly obscured, uttered these words:

“The elven guards protecting my dear companion should be dismissed now. They are far too feeble to properly safeguard him anyway. Wouldn’t it be better if we lizardmen assumed his protection?”

“……Ha, what foolishness are you speaking?”

In an instant, the atmosphere in the audience hall began to freeze.

“Hmph, am I incorrect? Lizardmen possess far greater strength than elves.”

Even facing Magrina’s cold stare, Hazad’s tone remained unaltered.

In response, Magrina’s lips twisted into a scornful grin.

“Oh? Is that so? The same lowly race that would have been completely wiped out had the Primordial Elf not intervened?”

“That applies to the elves as well. And to be precise, I did offer my assistance, too.”

“Assistance? It was you who benefited from all the help.”

The queen’s mocking laughter resonated throughout the room.

For a brief second, Hazad became silent, scratching his head awkwardly.

“Well, I won’t deny that I’ve received a great deal from my dear companion.”

“‘Dear companion’? You’ve done nothing but take advantage.”

“Hmph.”

Groaning at her relentless barbs, Hazad asserted his point once more.

“In any case, from now on, we will be responsible for the safeguarding.”

“And what if I decline?”

“Then you must wish to place my dear companion in jeopardy.”

“You are remarkably bold. Besides, your people cannot guard as discreetly as mine can, can you?”

“Hmph—safety is of greater importance than subtlety.”

Hazad glared intensely at Magrina.

She glared back in kind.

All witnesses held their breath at the steadfast confrontation.

After a lengthy, glacial silence:

“Then why don’t we just consult him directly? Let’s find out whose protection he favors.”

With a smile suggesting she had devised a clever plan, Magrina made the suggestion.

“Agreed.”

As if he had been anticipating this very statement, Hazad nodded.

Both wore expressions of triumph.

Watching them, the elves and the lizardmen…

……

Silently looked away, sensing the unseen tension sparking between the pair.

---

🧭 Journey Preparations in Caliban

 

It had been approximately a week since Alon reached Caliban.

During this time, which could be considered either short or long, Alon dedicated himself entirely to the complete restoration of his physique.

In the process, he gained one realization and learned of two rumors.

The first rumor, conveyed by Evan, was that Eliban was eliminating the unusual beasts at an unexpectedly rapid pace.

The second concerned something that had worried Alon for a while—the fact that most of the organizations which typically went into a frenzy once Psychedelia commenced had vanished on their own.

“Evan.”

“Yes, sir?”

“The organizations you mentioned yesterday, have they truly all disappeared?”

“Yes. Just to be certain, I even had the information guild verify it. Apart from a few exceptions, they are all gone.”

“What led to their collapse?”

“Hmm—if I recall from our earlier talk, most dissolved due to attacks from rival groups or external assaults. Otherwise, they were eradicated in a single night.”

After a moment of thought, Evan added, as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh! Now that I consider it, it appears one individual took down several of them. If I remember correctly, the Blood Sword, the Shadow Ghosts, and the Flute Clan… and, uh, what was the last one? The Dark Wood?”

“……You mean the Dark Veil?”

“Ah, yes, that’s it. Apparently, a single person dealt with them.”

“How?”

“The manner of execution was identical across all cases. Their necks were said to have been twisted twice around.”

Alon stroked his chin with a peculiar expression.

Indeed, the organizations Evan had named shared a common trait.

‘They all became infamous through the assassination of prominent individuals. Later, they infiltrated various kingdoms, acting like internal corrupting parasites.’

From a player’s perspective, regardless of which kingdom one started in, these organizations offered quests that allowed a degree of access to the king.

However, beyond that, there was no obvious link between them, which left Alon pondering.

‘Well, if their elimination was due to a butterfly effect, that’s not a bad outcome. If they had survived, I would have had to address them myself anyway.’

He chose to focus on the fact that the troublesome organizations had been taken care of.

‘…… Of course, by the middle stage of the game, there would always be others who emerged when the time was right.’

Naturally, more powerful adversaries, commensurate with Psychedelia’s balance, would surface later.

Still, for the present, the removal of those nuisances was beneficial.

---

As he let out a breath and leaned comfortably into the chair’s backrest—

[Meow?]

The small black creature, which had been casually swatting a ball on the floor moments before, now sat perched on Alon’s thigh, tilting its head inquisitively.

As if to console him, the creature nestled against him affectionately.

After gently stroking the affectionate small being, Alon closed his eyes.

He could now observe the divine essences within him much more rapidly.

He gazed at the floating divinities before concentrating on Kalannon’s essence.

As soon as he touched it, it expanded naturally—like a distant celestial body being abruptly pulled closer.

And within the enlarged divine essence…

Just as Alon had observed previously, there were radiant stars and faint blue dots gently emitting light outward.

This was the new realization Alon had achieved over the past week while exploring the divine essences.

By expanding an essence, he had uncovered a method to perceive the believers who followed that essence.

First, the white starlight denoted those to whom Alon had imparted his strength.

The dark-colored to slightly more vivid blue dots surrounding the divine essence—so subtle they were difficult to notice without close scrutiny—indicated how many individuals believed in the essence and to what degree.

‘Rather than discovering it on my own, it was thanks to Kalannon briefly appearing and explaining it to me.’

Recalling Kalannon, who had suddenly materialized a few days prior for a short discussion before vanishing, Alon shifted his attention to inspect the other divine essences one by one.

The Primordial Elf’s divine essence contained a large number of vibrant green dots, though not overwhelmingly abundant.

Kalannon’s divine essence also had many blue dots, yet not an excessive quantity.

The red divine essence had two distinctively glowing red dots.

Unexpectedly, the white divine essence had an overwhelming count of white dots compared to the others.

However, the white divine essence possessed a distinct peculiarity that differentiated it from the rest.

When enlarged, its originally white radiance appeared as a faded, grayish tint.

And finally, the black divine essence, resembling a black hole—

“……Ah.”

The moment he attempted to expand the black divine essence, Alon felt his meditation shattered and opened his eyes.

Regardless of the other divine essences, every time he tried to examine the black one, his vision was interrupted in this fashion.

A persistent, repeated phenomenon with no clear explanation.

As he adopted a puzzled expression—

[Meow?]

The small black creature, sensing that Alon had stopped petting it, tilted its head in protest.

Smiling faintly, Alon resumed stroking the creature and then spoke.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“It is time to depart for the North.”

And so, arrangements for their northern journey commenced.

---

🏔️ The Great Collapse

 

The following day, Alon received unexpected news from Deus.

“……The ‘Great Collapse’ has happened?”

“Yes. We received a report from the outpost yesterday.”

Alon lapsed into silence.

The Great Collapse was a geological event where the accumulated snow on the glacial mountains crashed down, covering the paths below and rendering the terrain extremely hazardous.

The immediate difficulty was, of course, that the fallen snow made progress difficult.

But the true danger lay elsewhere.

The fallen snow concealed the treacherous crevasses that had to be avoided in the glacial mountains.

Consequently, when the Great Collapse occurred, unless the snow was cleared by the ‘Tremors’ unique to the glacial mountains, the region would remain perilous for months.

From what Alon remembered, this feature had been included in the game’s early-to-mid stages to stop players from heading directly to Caliban and then to the glacial mountains too soon.

But one thing puzzled him.

……Why had the Great Collapse happened at this specific time?

‘In Psychedelia, it was scheduled to occur much later than this.’

The unexpected timing of the Great Collapse raised questions.

But only briefly.

“The expedition won’t proceed either, then.”

“With the Great Collapse occurring, I doubt it. The barbarians also won’t be making an appearance during this period.”

Alon decided to postpone his northern journey.

‘This might not be a negative development after all.’

He had wanted to take more time to examine the divine essences he had acquired, including Kalannon’s, alongside his mastery of magic.

With that thought, Alon decisively abandoned the plan to travel north.

“Oh! Then are we heading back home?”

“You sound overjoyed.”

“Well, isn’t it sensible to take a little rest? Especially after everything that occurred in the jungle.”

“You are not wrong.”

With Evan now visibly more cheerful, their destination was quickly switched to the Marquis’ estate.

“Very well then, until our next meeting.”

“Understood, my lord. I will visit you in four months.”

“There’s no need to go to such trouble.”

“No, I insist.”

“Well, if you are certain.”

---

🏡 Sili’s Transformation

 

After a brief farewell, Alon boarded a carriage heading for the Palatio Marquis’ estate, while Deus began the process of dismantling the expedition team.

Some time later—

“It appears everything is concluded.”

“Hmm~”

After listening to his lieutenant’s report, Deus returned to the mansion.

On the way to his office, a small smile inadvertently appeared on his face.

Going to the office usually signified work.

But for Deus, this particular visit held a different meaning—it was a source of pleasure, similar to a relaxing diversion.

‘Just a little while longer, and the statue blueprint will be finished.’

He was putting the final touches on the blueprint for a statue commission.

Before departing on this recent expedition, he had been rushing to organize the project arrangements.

With that thought, his stride became lighter.

The moment he opened the door to his office—

“……?”

“Sili?”

“Hello, brother.”

His younger sister, Sili, was present.

Not just present—she was completely absorbed in scrutinizing the blueprint he had been diligently sketching.

The sight made Deus instinctively flinch.

Because he recalled Sili’s scolding from their last interaction.

She had criticized him for allocating too much money to a mere statue.

Of course, the cost was covered by the money Deus had earned—and the money he would earn, technically already drawn—so it was all within a manageable budget.

Yet, as someone who cared for his younger sister deeply, he couldn’t help but be concerned about her reaction.

So, once again, he found himself cautiously observing her response.

And recalling how, the last time he had tried to create additional statue blueprints and been caught, she had given him an even sterner look.

Now, a cold sweat began to form on Deus’s forehead.

“…This blueprint is excellent.”

“…?”

At these unexpected words, Deus’s face filled with confusion.

Sili’s reaction was completely different from what he had anticipated.

But only for a moment.

“Ah.”

Deus came to a sudden realization.

Sili was no longer the person she had been before.

She had been saved by Him.

Just as he had.

Remembering this, a slow smile spread across Deus’s lips.

In other words, his cherished younger sister now shared his very thoughts.

“Is that so? It’s not fully complete yet, though.”

“Even so, I think it has been very well designed.”

“I see.”

Seeing that Sili now shared the same hobby (?) as him, Deus felt deeply satisfied.

Their conversation flowed easily.

For a brief moment, he was even moved, thinking—‘so this is what a true bond between siblings feels like.’

But that feeling was short-lived.

“Hmm, but this section requires more detail. For example, like this—yes, yes, the coat should be longer.”

“Oh~ I understand.”

“And the eyes need a few adjustments too. It shouldn’t be like a simple diamond shape—you need to convey it more delicately, brother. Since the Marquis has blue eyes, instead of just crafting it like this, the gemstones should be more finely cut—”

“…Sili?”

Deus noticed something was amiss.

“Why? What is the matter?”

“…I am aware of that detail too, but in terms of feasibility—”

“Are you suggesting you would compromise on the statue’s quality for the sake of practical concerns?”

“Uh, well—”

“This section here should be raised higher. The horns should curve upward more prominently. Gold would be the ideal material.”

“…Gold? Hmm—I mean, that would be lovely, but considering the cost, perhaps something else—”

“Gold.”

“Huh?”

“It must be gold.”

“No, but the budget—”

“Gold.”

“…Budget.”

“Gold.”

This was the same sister who had previously criticized him for spending too much on a single statue.

Yet now, with a serious and utterly unyielding expression, she was firmly repeating the word gold over and over.

“…Fine. It will be gold.”

“Yes.”

In that moment, Deus realized something.

Sili had changed.