Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 298 : Divine Land (1)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
The day following Alon’s reunion with Rine arrived.
“Master!”
“Big brother!”
“Seolrang, Radan.”
Alon paid a visit to Seolrang and Radan, who had recovered sufficiently to leave their sickbeds.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah, thanks to you. It would have been a total catastrophe if you hadn't warned me!”
“Warned you? Ah—you mean that.”
“Yeah, about using magic!”
A small realization escaped Alon’s lips as Seolrang spoke.
Indeed, he had given her a brief explanation regarding the sin of Greed when Mother Greed first manifested.
“Regardless, I’m just glad you’re out of danger.”
“Were you worried about me?”
“Isn't it only natural that I would be?”
Alon countered her question with one of his own.
Seolrang let out a playful giggle before leaning in close.
“Master, my ear~!”
She tilted her head toward him. Alon instinctively reached out to gently stroke Seolrang’s ear, prompting her to cling to his side while humming a happy tune.
Watching her, Alon couldn't help but smile—
“Hm? Big brother.”
“What is it?”
“Where did your brooch go?”
“Brooch?”
It was only after Radan’s inquiry that Alon noticed the accessory was missing from his chest.
He quickly searched his memory for the events of the previous day.
“Oh, come to think of it, I tucked it inside my clothes.”
“I see.”
“But why the sudden curiosity?”
Radan paused for a second, seemingly searching for the right words.
Just as Alon began to find the silence unusual—
“It’s just that it suited you so well, so I was curious when I saw it was gone. Hahaha.”
Radan answered smoothly.
“Yeah, yeah! It looked amazing on you, Master.”
Seolrang, who had been listening intently, nodded her head with great enthusiasm.
“......?”
Alon looked at them with a bewildered expression. Seolrang had been beaming just a moment ago, but now her eyes seemed to be flickering with unease.
“I suppose I should put it back on then.”
Attributing nothing to their strange behavior, Alon pinned the crimson brooch back onto his chest.
Secretly, Seolrang and Radan both exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
“Have you two seen Rine yet?”
The pair’s expressions shifted back to normal at Alon’s question.
“Oh, yeah! We met her!”
“Yes, we did, big brother.”
“She seemed to be doing quite well, which was a relief,” Radan added.
Recalling his conversation with Evan earlier that morning, Alon asked, “By the way, I heard you both are preparing to depart soon—is that true?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Something urgent came up.”
“Yes, big brother. It’s the same for me.”
“......Aren't you pushing yourselves too hard without enough rest?”
“That might be so, but there is something I absolutely must take care of, so it can't be helped.”
“It’s the same for me, Master. I really wanted to spend more time with you, too.”
Expressing their shared regret, Radan and Seolrang bid Alon a brief farewell.
“Are you leaving this very moment?”
“Yeah, see you later, Master!”
“I’ll see you soon as well.”
“Of course.”
Their departure was so abrupt it could be described as instantaneous.
“......Just like the wind.”
Despite their lingering regrets, their rapid disappearance left Alon looking stunned—though only for a brief second.
“Lord.”
“Ria.”
This time, Historia manifested before him. She looked significantly healthier than when Alon had last seen her.
“I’m happy to see you looking better.”
“Yeah.”
As they spoke, Alon’s gaze fell upon the small travel pack on her back.
“Are you... going somewhere as well?”
Historia gave a nod.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t you need more time to recover?”
“I’m fine. I’ll return shortly.”
“You’ll be back soon?”
“Yeah.”
With a curt "See you next time," she vanished.
“......?”
Watching three people vanish in such short order left Alon increasingly perplexed.
At that same moment—
On the outskirts of Fildagreen—or rather, Greynifra.
While they had appeared energetic when leaving Fildagreen, the expressions on Seolrang and Radan's faces were now grim.
They walked in a heavy, wordless silence.
As they approached the border of Greynifra—
“We weren't really of any use, were we?”
Seolrang spoke in a low murmur, her voice tinged with a sense of defeat.
Radan, who had also been brooding, replied simply.
“Yeah.”
His voice was flat and calm. Continuing their silent trek, the two finally reached the edge of Greynifra.
“I’m heading out now.”
Seolrang made the first move.
“...Are you going back to the colony?”
“I’m going back to prepare for what comes next.”
“What comes next?”
“Yeah. In case a situation like this happens again—”
So I can properly protect Master, she whispered while staring down at the gauntlet on her arm.
“Until next time, then.”
She disappeared from Radan's sight in a flash.
Radan stood staring at the empty space she had occupied and let out a heavy sigh. Memories of his recent failure surfaced vividly in his mind. He felt he had been even more useless than Seolrang.
“......What am I even supposed to do?”
Radan’s whisper was as light as a breeze, but his fists were clenched with white-knuckled force.
And at that exact time—
“.......”
Historia was also traveling. She was making her way toward the Ronobeli Jungle, her footsteps leaving deep indentations in the earth with every stride.
Shortly after the departure of the three—
“Brother, are you certain you don't need more rest?”
“I’m fine. More importantly, what is the status of the territory?”
Alon, who had received a visit from Magrina the previous night, walked through Fildagreen with her to assess the damage. He reached a conclusion quickly.
The reality was grim.
Fildagreen was in a dire state. The Sin’s assault had effectively erased nearly half of the territory.
Although the soldiers and residents had been evacuated safely—
Restoring the town would likely take over a year, even if every available mage was put to work.
“Sigh~ It’s a heavy burden.”
Magrina sighed, her expression clouded with gloom.
After a moment of reflection, Alon spoke up.
“......Magrina.”
“Yes, brother?”
“If you are open to it, would you consider accepting assistance from human mages?”
“Human mages?”
“Yes.”
He was well aware that elves typically held a disdain for humans. However, in this crisis, the rapid restoration of the land had to take precedence.
After a brief internal struggle, she nodded in agreement with Alon’s suggestion.
“If what you say is possible and we can actually recruit mages, I suppose we have no other choice. But—is there even a way to bring them here?”
“If you grant me a few administrative permissions, there is a very straightforward method.”
“Permissions?”
Alon calmly laid out his plan to the inquisitive Magrina.
A few minutes later—
“If that’s all you need, it isn't difficult. But are you sure that will be enough to entice mages to come?”
“Yes.”
After reassuring the skeptical Magrina, Alon went to seek out Penia.
“Gasp—are you saying they will be allowed to hand-copy the contents of the ancient tomes...............?”
“Yes. Not the ones in the restricted underground archives, but those in the outer levels. With that as a condition, the mages—”
“Would come running to work, right!? That is completely doable!! Honestly, if we post a notice, I bet we’d have fifty of them at the gates by tomorrow!”
“......That many?”
“Of course! They all know my thesis was built on information I discovered here.”
“Well, that is excellent news.”
Just like that, they had secured a workforce—or rather, support—with minimal effort.
As Alon nodded, Penia looked at him and spoke tentatively.
“But, um, Lord Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“If I manage to bring the mages in for you... perhaps............ could I receive something in return?”
She toyed with her fingers nervously as she asked.
“I will see about granting you access to the underground archives and the ancient tomes.”
“I’ll start the preparations immediately!!!”
With a single promise from Alon, Penia’s eyes lit up and she sprinted away. Her eyes sparkled like a character from an old idol anime achieving a miracle—or so Alon thought.
Once the matter was settled, Alon sat down to catch his breath.
“Godfather.”
“Rine.”
This time, it was Rine who came to see him.
“Did you manage to get some rest?”
“Not particularly, no.”
In truth, Alon’s day had been anything but restful. He had seen off Seolrang, Radan, and Historia in the morning—
And spent the entire afternoon surveying Fildagreen.
However, since he had been bestowed a title, Alon felt obligated to perform at least the minimum duties. Thus, he had spent the day inspecting the ruins.
“Shouldn't you be resting?”
“Perhaps... Oh, by the way—Rine, what are your plans now?”
“Mine?”
“Yes. Are you returning to Lartania?”
Rine looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, I believe I’ll remain here for the time being.”
“For a while? For what reason?”
“Hmm—”
Rine hesitated, seemingly debating whether to share her secret.
“...The truth is,” she finally began.
And Alon—
“You’re crafting an artifact out of Agui?”
“Yes. It is still located in the underground.”
He was met with a startling revelation.
“So, to clarify, when you were sealed, you used forbidden knowledge to summon the Sin and gave Agui a physical form?”
“Yes.”
“And then, you eliminated the Sin while retaining only its power?”
“Once I had fully suppressed Agui, converting it into an artifact was actually quite simple. It just requires a significant amount of time to fully stabilize.”
“So, you cannot leave the Greynifra region until the artifact is stable?”
“That’s correct, Godfather. If the connection is severed, it will spiral out of control.”
“.........Is that artifact truly that vital?”
“Hmm—without it, I wouldn't have been able to summon that entity last time.”
“That is a remarkably important item then.”
“Yes. I’ve invested 600 years into it, after all. But—”
Rine suddenly flashed a crescent-moon smile.
“If you tell me to abandon it, Godfather, I will.”
“......Where is this coming from?”
“Yes.”
“...That isn't what I meant. Do you really think I would ask that, knowing the effort you’ve put in?”
“No, I figured you wouldn't. So this is—”
She smiled softly.
“A way to... appeal to you, perhaps?”
She added, her words carrying a deeper meaning. She gazed at Alon with emerald eyes shimmering through her lashes.
“........”
Alon instinctively looked away. Rine watched him with a satisfied expression, and a long silence settled between them.
***
A few days passed.
Just as Alon had recovered and was planning his return to his own domain—
Late at night—
The Blue Moon Council was convened once again following Rine’s return.
The meeting, typically held every six months, had been suspended during Rine's absence. However, despite it not being the scheduled time, Yutia had called everyone together.
There were six participants.
Yutia, Seolrang, Rine, Radan, Deus, and Hidan.
Even without Hidan—
The remaining five were such a boisterous group that holding a productive meeting was usually impossible. Especially with Rine back in the mix.
But at this particular gathering—
No one dared to speak.
Seolrang’s golden eyes darted around the room, trying to gauge the mood. Radan did the same. Deus, who had initially tried to boast about his sister with a loud “Ahem,” quickly sensed the tension and awkwardly turned his attention to the distant scenery.
As for Hidan, who was responsible for chairing the meeting—
“Ghhk—”
He let out involuntary, choking sounds of nervousness every few seconds, casting frantic glances at the two primary sources of the suffocating pressure—
Rine and Yutia.
Then he quickly averted his eyes.
‘Please save me...’ everyone thought, with the exception of Rine and Yutia.