Raising Villains the Right Way Novel - Chapter 299

Chapter 299. Divine Land (2)

To be honest…

Hidan hadn’t foreseen even 1% that today’s meeting would have this atmosphere.

It was the first meeting since Green Moon, whose whereabouts had been uncertain for a while, had returned.

That was why he had thought the meeting would proceed with a slightly softer atmosphere than usual, but—

[It’s been a while, Rine. I’m glad you returned without major issues.]

[Yes. A long time, Yutia.]

The atmosphere of the meeting was cold.

So cold that Hidan felt that if by chance Red Moon or Green Moon’s gaze landed on him, he would freeze on the spot.

‘What the hell… why is the atmosphere like this…?’

Hidan harbored his doubts amidst that frigid air.

But they didn’t last long.

[So, Rine, why did you do something like that?]

[Which part are you referring to?]

[I am referring to the brooch.]

[The brooch? Ah, do you mean that thing that was on the Marquis’s chest?]

[Exactly, that one. Why did you take precisely that off and put it in your pocket?]

Yutia was smiling, but her voice didn’t have even the slightest variation. In contrast, Rine, speaking softly, let out an “Ah.”

[That? You see—]

She smiled faintly.

[If I hugged my Godfather, I felt I might hit my head.]

As if she wanted to provoke her.

[Eeh— what? Rine! You put the brooch away because you hugged the Master?!]

The one who reacted scandalously was not Yutia, but Seolrang.

Seolrang looked at Rine with an expression full of betrayal, but Rine didn’t even pay her a second of attention, keeping her gaze fixed on Yutia.

Yutia, showing a smile even more marked than before, said:

[Rine, you shouldn’t take that off so lightly. It is there to protect Great Moon.]

[Ah, that brooch? Did it have some special effect?]

Rine opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with her hand.

[…You knew it did, right?]

[I didn’t know.]

“Not at all,” she added while shaking her head gently.

Seolrang, who a moment ago had looked at her as if she were a traitor, rolled her eyes to the side.

Not just her.

Everyone present began to avert their gaze.

Because they knew.

They knew the situation had worsened much more than it appeared.

Radan, uncomfortable, decided to intervene.

[Ahem, uh… Deus?]

[What is it?]

[You said last time you were with Big Brother, right? Did something happen then?]

He deliberately diverted the topic toward Deus.

Seolrang showed a sparkle in her eyes, as if saying “Good idea!”, catching the intention: using Deus’s clumsy devotion toward Alon Palatio to soften the atmosphere.

[Yes! I want to know too!]

Seolrang responded immediately.

She threw out a question she normally never would have asked, just to support Radan.

[Ah, now that you mention it, I think I didn’t tell that story—]

Deus bit instantly, lighting up as if remembering a nostalgic past.

‘It’s really impressive…’

Hidan was also impressed by the maneuver.

But—

[Deus.]

[Can’t you see we are talking?]

At the cold voices of Rine and Yutia, Deus froze with his mouth half-open.

[Ahem— wow, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to do.]

He said that suddenly.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to withdraw from the Great Moon meeting with the excuse of “something urgent.”

Everyone knew it, and no one had ever left like that.

[I-I’m leaving.]

Deus, thinking that Rine and Yutia’s gaze was a hundred times colder than when Silly, his sister, got angry, turned off his spirit sphere.

[Now that I think about it, I also must return to the training room—]

[If we think about it, we’ll have to meet again soon anyway… shall we leave it for then?]

As if Deus had activated a detonator, the others also began to disappear with similar excuses.

Finally, only Yutia, Rine, and…

[…]

Hidan remained.

Although the others might not have known, Hidan did: he had no way to deal with what might happen, so he stayed trapped in that suffocating atmosphere.

While he tried to control even his breathing to survive, he heard:

[Rine.]

It was Yutia’s voice.

[Wouldn’t it be better to be satisfied with the place you already have?]

She spoke with a smile on her lips. But her eyes weren’t laughing. Not only that, she looked somewhat threatening.

… At this point, the conversation should have ended.

No matter how much Green Moon sometimes had strange friction with Red Moon, Hidan knew that in the end, Green Moon always acted by measuring Red Moon’s reaction.

But—

[Hmm, it’s not as if I wanted anything else.]

[Are you serious?]

[Yes. Godfather is Godfather. But—]

The Green Moon who had returned was different.

[If Godfather thinks differently, then that’s another story.]

She said that directly to Red Moon, who wore a threatening smile.

Red Moon stopped smiling for an instant.

But—

[There is no way Godfather sees me any differently. I am Godfather’s precious daughter.]

Red Moon soon returned to smiling.

But this time it was Rine who slightly hardened her expression.

[Even so, I am closer than you.]

She responded naturally, as if stating an obvious truth.

Red Moon’s smile cracked again.

But Rine didn’t seem to care.

[Then, see you.]

She left a radiant smile and disappeared.

Hidan watched her instinctively, and then looked at Yutia.

Curiously, Yutia’s expression, which until recently seemed enraged, now showed tranquility.

Hidan felt doubts, but he didn’t have time to ask.

[……Hidan.]

“Y-Yes!”

[We will hold the meeting another day.]

“Eh? Ah, understood.”

As if nothing had happened, Yutia left the meeting. Hidan, bewildered, also turned off his sphere.

And the next day—

“…Is that serious?”

“Yes. I heard the temple where Red Moon was collapsed entirely all of a sudden.”

Hidan received that news from Yuna, with whom he met after some time to exchange information.

… Hidan began to fear the meeting that would take place that night.

---

A few more days passed.

Alon Palatio, who was already thinking about leaving Fildegreen and returning to the Marquis’s house—

“Allow me to dress you.”

“…As I already said, it is not necessary.”

Lately, the excessive kindness of the elves was becoming uncomfortable for him.

Since becoming a member of royalty, the elves had started treating him with extreme courtesy, but until now it hadn’t been so annoying.

Every time he refused, they backed off.

But since Alon Palatio resolved the “sins”—

“I want to do it myself. Can’t I?”

“…Then do it.”

Even when he refused, they insisted on serving him anyway.

With each day, it became more uncomfortable.

That wasn’t all.

“We greet the Primordial Elf.”

Now, when they encountered him, they knelt immediately.

Alon Palatio, as a human, didn’t entirely hate being venerated.

But this was already too much.

“Godfather.”

“Rine.”

Alon Palatio, who had received more than five exaggerated greetings just on the way to see Rine, sat in front of her with a sigh.

“Did you sleep well?”

When Alon Palatio asked, Rine thought for a moment and shook her head.

“No.”

“…Is there a problem?”

“Well… since I changed beds, I’m still not used to it. I think I could sleep better if Godfather helped me a little…”

While Rine left the sentence in the air, Alon Palatio responded without suspecting anything.

“I will help you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Upon confirming it, Rine smiled.

“Then… could you stay by my side until I fall asleep?”

She leaned toward him gently.

“…What?”

Alon Palatio got nervous.

But Rine showed an ambiguous smile.

“It was a joke, Godfather. I sleep well.”

She laughed softly, as if enjoying the moment.

“…So, didn’t you say you wanted to talk about something?”

Alon Palatio, uncomfortable, changed the subject with a fake cough.

He had come because Rine said she had something to tell him.

Rine, stopping her laughter, spoke seriously.

“The reason I wanted to see you today is because of Godfather’s power.”

She got straight to the point.

“My power…?”

“Yes. It is about having Godfather completely convert his divinity into something of his own.”

“Make the divinity mine… completely?”

“Of course I know Godfather handles divinity well, but right now… in essence, it is as if you were borrowing someone else’s.”

“Borrowing…?”

“To be exact: even though you are the true entity of the god, you are still ‘using the name of something that is not you’.”

“…And can’t I use it like that?”

“It’s not that you can’t. But it has limits. A divinity that you did not create yourself… does not fit you perfectly.”

Alon Palatio reflected for a moment.

“Then what you are saying is that I need to create a divinity that fits me. Is that it?”

“Exactly. More precisely, you must integrate the divided divinities.”

“Integrate them?”

Rine nodded.

“Yes. If Godfather permits, I want to teach you how. If you create and use divinity in its authentic form, it will be of great help. For example—”

‘In your techniques and formulas,’ she added.

“My techniques and formulas…?”

“Yes. According to what I read, techniques and divinity are like pieces of a puzzle.”

“Puzzle?”

“Both work separately, but if they are together, their power increases tremendously.”

“Did you obtain that knowledge from the prohibited section of the library?”

“Yes. Although I couldn’t read it all. After all, Agu’s body is paying the price for having read it last time.”

Alon Palatio nodded.

That had been the explanation when he asked her about the information obtained from the prohibited area.

Alon Palatio stroked his chin, looked at Rine, and asked:

“So, for me to truly obtain divinity, what must I do? Do I need to accumulate faith in an extreme situation, like last time?”

“No, that isn’t necessary. You already have more than enough faith. Now something else is needed.”

Something else?

Rine held up three fingers.

“We need three things: Divine Land, Divine Inhabitants, and an Order of Knights.”

Alon Palatio opened his eyes in surprise.

“In simple terms, it is like creating a Holy Kingdom Rosario.”

“…That sounds like something too big.”

“It doesn’t have to get complicated. If you listen to my advice, you will be able to do it without much difficulty.”

Alon Palatio nodded and listened.

Some time later—

“Evan.”

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

“Send a letter to the Marquis’s house.”

“Now? …Weren’t you going to return to the territory soon?”

“Yes, but there is something I must notify beforehand.”

Evan, though confused, picked up his pen.

“What do I write?”

“……That we will recruit a Holy Order of Knights.”

“A Holy Order?”

“That is correct.”

“…Well, understood.”

Without questioning too much, Evan nodded.

Alon Palatio looked at him with discomfort and asked:

“That… doesn’t it sound weird?”

“Eh? What thing?”

“Well, saying that we are recruiting a Holy Order.”

“Ahhh… well— you already use the power of a God, and the elves kneel as soon as they see you, so… it isn’t that strange.”

“…Seriously?”

“Yes. Besides, Penia is in contact with the Magic Tower, so I will send the letter along with that. No need to set requirements, right?”

Alon Palatio shook his head.

“No need to be so detailed. In the end, even if it is an order of knights, first I just want to gather them as a trial.”

“Understood.”

The letter was sent with surprising ease.

Days later—

“…Eh? Recruitment for a Holy Order?”

Alexion held the letter sent by Evan.

‘What is this…?’

He moved closer to the letter, confused.

But the letter said a single sentence:

Marquis Palatio will recruit a Holy Order.

“What… am I supposed to do with this?”

Alexion’s expression twisted.

It was normal.

The letter said nothing else.

Not how many people, nor requirements, nor purpose, nor criteria.

Nothing.

But even so, he couldn’t simply ignore it.

“…I suppose I’ll just publish it as an announcement.”

Alexion set a deadline of two months, as the letter said, and published the recruitment notice throughout the territory.

… Without even imagining how grave that small act would be.

And exactly ten days later—

“…This is truly interesting.”

“I must leave right now.”

“The Master’s Order?!”

“The Marquis will create an order…?”

A rumor spread throughout the United Kingdom.

Marquis Palatio—

Was creating a Holy Order.