Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 241

Chapter 241

The atmosphere was quite different from when they first crossed paths in this place.

Dressed in immaculate attire, Magrina lowered her head in a gesture of polite respect.

Alon, observing her with a blank stare, questioned her with evident confusion.

“An elf?”

“Yes. I apologize for the necessity of concealing my true nature, my lord. The circumstances left me with no alternative…”

Magrina offered a sorrowful, faint smile.

However, Alon still failed to grasp the reasoning.

He could not understand why she had chosen to disguise herself as a human.

He was well aware that humans were not treated favorably within the Allied Races.

He had already witnessed that reality with his own eyes on several occasions.

“I do not mind that you hid your identity, but wouldn’t disguising yourself as a human actually pose a greater risk to your safety?”

Alon voiced his curiosity directly.

It was Kalanda who provided the answer.

“Under normal circumstances, that would be true, but the current situation is somewhat unique. My daughter is the only one who did not receive the curse.”

“……The curse?”

“Correct. It is impossible to tell simply by looking, but every elf is currently under a curse. It is an affliction that slashes their lifespan in half.”

“Their lifespan has been halved?”

Kalanda sighed deeply and gently patted Magrina’s head.

“High elves such as myself, who typically live well beyond a thousand years, have had our time cut in half due to this curse.”

“Is this a hex laid by Baarma?”

“No. While Baarma is certainly a powerful enough entity to shatter our alliance, he is not omnipotent to that degree.”

“Then who—?”

“Our time was stolen by a True Mage.”

“……A True Mage?”

“Yes, a True Mage who aligned themselves with the black beings. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that the True Mage was one of them all along.”

Kalanda murmured the words, speaking half to himself as he replied.

“If that is true, didn’t this event occur prior to the war with Baarma?”

In response to Alon’s query, Kalanda paused his hand, stopping his stroking of Magrina’s hair.

“Go back to your room. I will come to see you shortly.”

“……Yes, Father.”

He dismissed Magrina from the room.

Only after the door clicked shut with a heavy thud did he resume speaking.

“You are correct. That is certainly the truth of the matter. However, unfortunately, the world is not always concerned with the truth.”

“Which means—”

“To put it plainly, the elves view Magrina with suspicion. They perceive her as a traitor who sold her own people to the black beings to ensure her own survival.”

“… …”

Alon was left speechless, falling into silence.

Although Magrina was not as young as Ryanga or Nangwon, she had not yet reached adulthood.

In other words, any elf hearing such accusations would immediately recognize how unreasonable they were.

Perhaps noticing the troubled look on Alon’s face, Kalanda smiled bitterly.

“I am aware, as well. I know how absurd those suspicions are.”

“And yet—”

“But as I mentioned, the world does not always care for the truth.”

A heavy silence settled between the two men.

Alon spoke up cautiously.

“……A scapegoat?”

“Precisely. Even though they know the suspicion is irrational and cannot possibly be true, they require someone to blame. They need a vessel into which they can pour their anxiety and rage.”

Kalanda exhaled a heavy breath.

“Of course, not everyone behaves this way. But undeniably, such individuals do exist.”

“……Hence, the disguise.”

“Exactly. Even her own kin are targeting my daughter.”

“Why is it that Magrina alone was unaffected by the curse?”

“The fact that no one knows the reason—that is precisely what makes their irrational suspicion appear reasonable to them.”

He let out a hollow laugh and bowed his head toward Alon once more.

“In any event, I am truly grateful. I never dreamed I would see the daughter I lost during the last war ever again.”

Straightening his posture, he looked wistfully toward the door through which Magrina had departed.

“To some, she may be a scapegoat for venting their anger. But to me, she is my one and only precious daughter.”

Immediately after concluding his conversation with Kalanda, Alon returned to his quarters to organize his thoughts.

“So ultimately, does this mean we have two months—or perhaps only one remaining? Once that time passes, we will have no choice but to confront Baarma. Godfather.”

“……It would appear so.”

Alon sighed and called out to Rine.

“Rine.”

“Yes, Godfather.”

“Is there any chance the library holds any documents regarding this specific era?”

At his question, Rine made a subtle, conflicted expression.

“I have actually already checked, and while records do exist—they likely will not be of much assistance right now, Godfather.”

“Is that the case?”

“Yes. They merely state things such as ‘The Allied Races fought a battle against Baarma.’ That is essentially the extent of it.”

“Hmm.”

“Aside from that, detailed records are………….”

Rine’s expression became increasingly gloomy.

Alon gently patted her on the shoulder.

“It is alright.”

“…Yes.”

However, the shadow cast over Rine’s face showed no sign of lifting.

Just then, the door opened with a click, and Penia entered the room.

“Penia?”

“Y-Yes, Marquess.”

She was clutching a mountain of books that stood taller than she did.

“……What is with all those books?”

Penia shuffled over awkwardly and dumped the pile onto the desk.

Only then did Alon ask his question, causing Penia to roll her eyes for no apparent reason before raising a finger.

“Ahem. We are going to have to deal with Baarma regardless, correct? That dragon god is already dead, after all.”

“True.”

“So I had a thought—perhaps one of these books might mention a weakness of Baarma.”

At that moment, Rine stepped up to the desk and began scanning the titles of the books.

“‘Magic Cast by True Mages.’”

“…….‘The Sorcery Compendium of Marna—’”

“‘The Relationship Between True Mages and Gods, The Nature of True Mages.’”

But then—

“‘The Fiery Romance of a True Mage—’”

“WAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!!!!!”

The recitation of book titles did not last long.

This was because Penia let out a piercing shriek and hastily snatched the book, hiding it behind her back.

Her eyes darted around anxiously, and cold sweat began to trickle down her face.

Rine and Alon stared at Penia with expressions that had turned icy cold.

Penia seemed to be desperately searching for an excuse, eventually raising her index finger.

“W-Well, you see? If we return to the real world, we won’t be able to find any information regarding True Mages, right? So I figured we could conduct some research here, and perhaps assist you with your magical studies, my lord? And maybe even check if some of it could be applied to modern magic?”

…….

“I mean, assisting with your research is the primary goal, but maybe? Just maybe, this could contain something groundbreaking that would earn me recognition from the world, and then I could totally crush my master’s pride? Something along those lines?”

However, all that came out of her mouth was rambling nonsense.

As Penia flailed about trying to justify herself, Alon asked calmly.

“……Setting that aside, isn’t it all meaningless unless we actually return?”

“Well, that is true. But I believe.”

“Believe in what?”

“That you will make it happen, my lord.”

With a face that practically shouted ‘I believe in you!’, she clenched her fist.

Alon felt an odd, prickling sense of discomfort, but inwardly he concluded:

‘Either way, we will have to fight Baarma eventually. First, I should speak with the leaders tomorrow and gather more information.’

That was the decision he reached.

The following day.

Alon appeared once again before the three kings.

“……Are you saying the weapon has been destroyed?”

He realized that the situation was far more serious than he had initially anticipated.

“To be precise, it is not destroyed—but it has been rendered inoperable.”

Surang let out a sigh laced with gloom.

Alon calmly pieced together the information in his mind.

The reason the god Yongrin, who led the alliance, had sacrificed himself to create a barrier and halt Baarma’s advance—was to buy enough time to utilize the weapon known as ‘Agathon.’

Agathon.

A weapon utilized by True Mages to combat the black beings. They required time to restore it in order to deal with Baarma.

Unfortunately, Yongrin’s plan had been flawed from its inception.

To operate Agathon, the World Tree needed to share its overwhelming magical power to serve as a power source.

But as if they had been aware of the plan—at the very moment of Yongrin’s sacrifice, Baarma’s followers invaded.

Because of their attack, the World Tree suffered a critical blow.

Still, even in its ruined state, they attempted everything to make Agathon run on the magical energy of people instead, completing the restoration—but in the end, Agathon could not be used.

In other words, the two months of time that Yongrin had purchased for them could end up being meaningless.

The expressions worn by the kings were grim.

“……”

As Alon rubbed his forehead deep in thought—

“May I see Agathon?”

Rine, who had remained silent until this point, stepped forward.

“That would not be difficult, but based on what we have checked, the weapon can only be handled by a True Mage… wait, are you a True Mage?”

A flicker of hope crossed Surang’s face.

“No, I am not.”

“……Right, of course not. All the True Mages already lost their lives back then.”

He slumped back into a gloomy state.

Meanwhile, Alon recalled Rine’s abilities and asked again.

“Still, just in case—could she at least take a look at it?”

Surang’s expression remained reluctant, but eventually, he nodded.

“……Very well. Let us go right now. There is not much else to discuss in our current situation anyway.”

He rose from his seat.

At that moment—

“Wait a moment.”

Ashur, who had been quietly observing until now, interjected.

“What is it?”

“Would it be acceptable if Alon came with me instead?”

“……Why?”

“Dowon wishes to see him.”

“Alon?”

“Yes.”

Rioch nodded, and Alon looked puzzled.

“Who is this Dowon?”

“I have heard about you from my son, but I did not think you truly knew nothing… Dowon is the god who leads the alliance alongside Yongrin. Also, at present, she is the only remaining god of Kalgunias.”

Upon hearing the name Kalgunias again, Alon asked:

“Do you know why they are looking for me?”

“Unfortunately, I do not. She only told me that she would like to meet you at least once.”

Ashur shrugged lightly.

Alon hesitated briefly but then nodded.

“Very well.”

He accepted the offer.

Now separated from Rine, Alon followed Ashur out of the palace.

‘…Every time I see this place, it feels strangely familiar.’

He had that thought again while walking through the palace grounds.

Time passed as they exited the palace.

And in the distance, a massive temple came into view.

Even from afar, it was enormous and ornate.

A place so grand it seemed it must have been constructed by giants.

When Alon arrived at the temple—

“Then go on in.”

“You are not coming with me?”

“She only wishes to see you.”

Following Ashur’s words, Alon walked toward the temple alone.

The moment he reached the entrance—

RUMBLE—!!

As if welcoming him, the enormous doors opened by themselves.

Alon stepped slowly inside.

He did not need to go far.

Immediately, he saw a giant.

A blue-eyed goddess stared at him as if she were beholding something truly extraordinary.

And then—

[……It is finally time to keep our promise.]

The goddess’s voice echoed all around him.