Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 264

“……‘Hands off, he belongs to me,’ was that really her phrasing?”

“Yes. Those were her exact words.”

A strange look crossed Alon’s face.

The scenario Siyan had depicted was simply beyond conception.

‘Yutia, displaying her feelings so nakedly…’

Alon conjured an image of Yutia in his mind.

Typically, a soft smile graced her lips.

Actually—that was always the case.

Yet, in this vision, she was humming a tune and bobbing her head side to side?

She revealed her inner state so unreservedly?

Try as he might, the image refused to form properly.

Alon shifted his focus to Siyan.

“So, this is the information you intended to convey previously.”

“Correct. A narrative I withheld to ensure your swift arrival. Although, it appears it didn’t stir you as much as I expected.”

Siyan had a knack for poking at his conscience whenever the opportunity arose.

Momentarily speechless, Alon subtly averted his eyes and inquired,

“Just for clarification, how was Cardinal Yutia attired in this recollection?”

“Come to think of it, she wasn’t clad in her usual clerical vestments.”

“In that case…?”

Siyan pondered briefly before replying.

“……She was dressed in a robe.”

“A robe?”

“Yes, an older style, colored in black and red.”

Observing Siyan gaze upward as if sifting through the archives of her mind, Alon sank into deep contemplation.

‘What exactly is unfolding here?’

He had been perplexed enough upon hearing that Yutia featured in Siyan’s memories.

The enigma lay specifically with Siyan’s golden eyes.

To Alon’s knowledge, the golden eyes represented a hereditary power.

It was a force that succeeded the abilities and memory fragments of the preceding monarch.

A power that grew more potent with each generation it traversed.

However, by definition—

The memories transmitted through the golden eyes ought to originate from the past.

Why, then, was Yutia present in them?

Alon continued his deliberation.

Frankly, the situation had been odd from the start.

Not only did he himself appear in Siyan’s memory,

But the ancient tales she relayed, events someone must have witnessed eras ago, were somehow beneficial to his current circumstances.

He hadn’t pried too deeply before.

There was no necessity to scrutinize every facet of ancient history.

Yet, now Yutia was making an appearance?

Granted, even if she showed up in these inherited memories—

There was no pressing need to decipher the context immediately.

It wasn’t causing an active crisis.

Nonetheless, the doubts sprouting in his heart were genuine.

Furthermore, the behavior displayed by both him and Yutia in that memory was somewhat… distinct, to say the least.

‘…Is it possible that I travel back to the past with Yutia?’

The theory that abruptly surfaced in Alon’s mind carried a strange weight of plausibility.

After all, he had traversed to the past once already.

Moreover, he possessed the knowledge of how to access it.

……Naturally, he couldn’t predict which era he might land in.

Regardless, the crux of the matter was—

Alon had the capacity to journey to the past and return to the present.

Following this logic—

If Yutia and Alon had traveled backward for a specific purpose, and deliberately implanted those memories in the mind of the King of Asteria out of necessity—

Then the existence of Siyan’s memory wasn’t entirely irrational.

After all, Alon had previously left his mark on history.

‘Even the insights she has provided thus far, derived from those visions, have all proven advantageous to me.’

He considered that perhaps his future self had orchestrated these events in advance.

……Of course, the notion of him having such a carefree expression, and Yutia being so emotionally demonstrative, remained bizarre.

Yet, he concluded it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

The future remains unpredictable.

Perhaps one day, Alon would regain those expressions, and Yutia would grow intimate enough to expose such feelings.

Having structured his hypothesis, Alon addressed Siyan.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“Might I offer my perspective?”

Alon proceeded to elucidate the hidden mechanics of the current situation—details that, barring a select few, remained unknown to the world.

After listening with rapt attention for some time,

“……If your deduction is correct, then this may indeed be an event that occurs when you travel to the past at some future point.”

“It is not definitive, but I believe it is a possibility.”

“Hmm~”

Siyan rubbed her chin and shut her eyes, appearing to weigh Alon’s statement.

How much time drifted by?

When her eyes fluttered open, Siyan fixed her gaze on Alon.

“So, you are suggesting that the ‘you’ within my inherited memory is potentially your future self?”

“As I mentioned, it isn’t certain, but it is plausible.”

After nodding briefly, Siyan offered a light shrug.

“Well, that is a discussion for another time. Let us address the primary issue.”

She leaned her body forward.

“Are you able to travel to the Holy Kingdom?”

“The Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes, it appears there is a task requiring your attention there.”

“……A task for me?”

“Naturally, I was not given specific details. Only hazy impressions linger in my mind.”

Siyan tapped her temple a few times.

“……Understood, for the time being.”

Thinking of the Holy Kingdom, Alon accepted the directive.

Following some trivial conversation, just as Alon prepared to rise—

“Oh, one more thing.”

He awkwardly resumed his seat at Siyan’s interjection.

“What is the matter?”

“You have been the recipient of numerous gifts recently, have you not?”

“……Gifts?”

“Yes.”

Alon gave a cautious nod.

While there had always been a steady stream, lately, an even greater volume of presents had been arriving at the Marquisate of Palatio under various justifications.

“Indeed, the intake has been substantial of late.”

“Ah, I do not refer to that sort of tribute. I am speaking of gifts sent by figures from other nations.”

At Siyan’s clarification, Alon let out a soft “ah” of understanding.

‘Come to think of it, I truly have accumulated a significant amount of items.’

The quantity was so vast he hadn’t opened them all.

However, he made it a priority to verify the senders.

Even if Alon held little interest in noble social protocols—

He knew that receiving without reciprocating invited trouble.

Consequently, he had begun compiling a list of nobles to repay in kind.

Recently, names of royalty had started appearing more often on that roster.

“I have received them, but……”

When he responded in that manner, Siyan looked straight at Alon.

It was a stare that seemed to require something.

Alon swiftly grasped what Siyan desired.

“Please rest easy, Your Majesty. I possess no intention of defecting to another nation.”

He offered a deep bow, adhering to proper etiquette.

In reality, he had no desire to depart for another kingdom.

Perhaps in the past—but now, the Marquisate of Palatio was an inextricable part of his identity.

The effort he had poured in, the time he had invested—it ran too deep.

“Is that so……”

Perhaps she detected Alon’s genuineness.

“Your response brings peace to my mind.”

Siyan displayed a rare, almost satisfied smile.

Once the audience concluded, Alon exited the palace and departed for Rosario without hesitation.

He had already intended to visit the Holy Kingdom, so he decided this was an opportune moment.

‘I also need to rendezvous with Yutia and Yuman while I am there.’

He had managed to meet everyone else, but Yutia had been preoccupied, limiting their interaction to correspondence.

Eager to offer a proper greeting, Alon commenced his journey to Rosario—when Evan approached him with peculiar intelligence.

“Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“Regarding the Holy Kingdom, it brought something to mind—

Apparently, the situation over there has been somewhat… volatile recently.”

“Volatile?”

“Yes.”

“Did an incident occur?”

“It isn’t that a fresh incident occurred.

Rather, something destined to erupt has finally done so.”

“Something destined to erupt?”

“Yes.”

Evan proceeded to elaborate.

“……So, in essence, no new clergy in Rosario have succeeded in receiving blessings for a significant period.

Is that the gist of it?”

“Correct. Initially, everyone kept it hushed, but as time elapsed, the problem began to surface.”

Had such a phenomenon ever transpired in Psychedelia?

Alon contemplated briefly but shook his head.

There was no need for prolonged thought.

To his knowledge, such a situation had never arisen in the Holy Kingdom’s history.

Which implied—

‘……What exactly is happening now?’

Alon’s expression grew complicated, but he resolved to uncover the truth upon reaching Rosario.

And a few weeks later, after traversing several villages, Alon arrived in Rosario.

However—

“……It truly is chaotic here.”

The atmosphere within Rosario was far more turbulent than in times past.

---

At the precise moment Alon reached Rosario, within the palace of Asteria, Queen Siyan sat in solitude in her office, having completed her official duties. She stroked her chin gently, wearing a peculiar expression.

The cause was the dialogue she had shared with Alon weeks prior.

The hypothesis Alon submitted was quite reasonable.

He had, undeniably, traveled to the past before.

Thus, it was a credible theory born of logical deduction.

“……The future observed from the past, indeed.”

A faint murmur drifted through the room.

And yet—

A strange uncertainty lingered within Siyan’s eyes.

From her vantage point, a question remained unanswered.

To be precise—

A doubt that no one else could even begin to assess, save for Siyan herself, who possessed the fragments of that memory.

Clearly, it was a discrepancy that only struck her after Alon had departed.

‘The Yutia in that memory… she appeared somewhat younger, did she not……?’

Siyan recalled the Yutia from her vision—her expressive countenance, certainly—

But she also appeared even more youthful than her current self, making it difficult to accept that she hailed from the future.

With that image fixed in her mind, Siyan tilted her head slightly in contemplation.