Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 303 : Knight Order...? (3)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Blue Ghost—the blue-skinned right-hand man of Ryanga—had been letting out a constant stream of sighs lately.
“Sigh—”
Was he burdened by some deep anxiety?
Hardly.
Blue Ghost was never the type of man to dwell on worries.
If a problem arose, he was the sort of person who would simply act to resolve it.
Was he facing a particularly difficult ordeal then?
Indeed, that was the case.
Currently, Blue Ghost was dealing with a very irritating situation.
The irony, however, was that he wasn't the source of the trouble.
“Boss, is it safe to enter yet?”
“How should I know? Why don’t you give it a shot?”
“I was the one who went in last time! It’s your turn now!”
“No way! I’m not looking to get beaten into a pulp!”
Blue Ghost shifted his attention toward the source of the noise.
He observed a group of subordinates whispering to one another with terrified looks on their faces.
In truth, it wasn't just them—every member who was supposed to be stationed inside the hideout had retreated outdoors.
The sight only made him sigh even deeper.
The reason the Hyakki subordinates were loitering outside was simple.
It was all because of Historia, who had paid Ryanga a visit the previous day.
To be more precise...
Ever since Historia delivered a specific message to Hyakki, the woman had been in a foul, explosive mood.
She was on such a hair-trigger that if anyone dared to say the wrong thing, she would instantly smash their head into the ground.
Consequently, the subordinates had all scrambled outside to avoid her wrath.
Why couldn’t she just go see him herself?
From Blue Ghost’s perspective, Hyakki’s behavior was utterly baffling.
He didn't fully grasp the history between Marquis Palatio—the man the boss referred to as “Chief”—and Hyakki.
However, if she missed him that much, he couldn't see why she didn't just go visit him.
The fact that she refused to do something so simple was beyond him.
The voices of the nearby subordinates reached Blue Ghost’s ears once more.
“Seriously though, if the boss misses him, shouldn’t she just go pay him a visit?”
“Ugh, you moron, didn’t you hear her yesterday? She said it only counts if he comes to her!”
“Does it really make a difference who goes where?”
“I guess it’s like some sort of fairy tale princess complex?”
“Ew— our boss?”
A subordinate with horns snorted in disbelief.
The comparison clearly clashed with their image of the boss, and he shook his head with a mocking laugh.
Then, as if a memory had suddenly surfaced—
“Oh right, I think I caught the boss talking to herself on the cliff the other day... What was it? ‘I’m a prin—’”
He was about to finish the thought—
BOOOOOM—!!!
—but the opportunity was violently cut short.
The two who had been gossiping stared wide-eyed in one direction.
There, a man lay twitching, his head driven deep into the side of the cliff.
“...Well, I suppose it’s natural to want that, definitely, definitely.”
“Yeah, it’s perfectly understandable when it involves someone important.”
Ryanga shot a sharp look at the subordinates, who had instantly changed their tune to survive the moment.
Hmph.
With a lingering pout, she vanished from their sight as quickly as she had appeared.
Only after she was completely gone did the two subordinates let out massive sighs of relief, though they quickly clamped their hands over their mouths and checked their surroundings in a panic.
Watching them desperately try to remain silent, Blue Ghost shook his head and pondered.
Just what kind of man was this Chief?
Ever since the news broke that Chief had returned from the dead, Hyakki would lose her composure at the mere mention of his name.
And following Historia’s visit, her temper had only become more volatile.
“Man, we’re finished. I can feel it coming again today...”
“Another beatdown session?”
“Ughhhhh—”
The sounds of despair from the subordinates filled the air.
A “beatdown session.”
That was the name they gave to the moments when the boss decided to fight the entire Hundred Ghosts group alone under the guise of a training exercise.
In reality, it was just a way for the boss to vent her frustrations by using her men as human punching bags.
“Should we just go and drag him here ourselves?”
“If this goes on for a few more days, we’re actually going to die...”
“Let’s just kidnap him~”
“Are you insane? That’ll get us all executed.”
Listening to their desperate complaints, Blue Ghost finally stood up with a heavy sigh, as if he had no other choice.
“Sigh~”
The subordinates all turned their attention to him immediately.
“Huh?”
“Where are you headed?”
“Wait... you aren't abandoning us, are you?”
As waves of anxiety spread through the group—
“I’ll go bring him here,” Blue Ghost announced his intent.
“Whoa, for real...!?”
“But keep your mouths shut. There’s no telling what the boss will do if she finds out I brought him on my own.”
Waving them off, he gazed into the distance.
After roughly calculating the path toward the Marquis’ estate—
“Please, you have to bring him back!”
“We’re counting on you...!”
“Our faith is in you, Vice Boss...!”
Amidst the cheers of his subordinates—who were busy striking quiet victory poses now that the boss wasn't looking—Blue Ghost silently departed from the territory.
He let out one more secret sigh.
He offered a silent prayer for the men who would have to act as punching bags while he was gone.
Then, he set off toward the estate of Marquis Palatio.
***
Once the interviews for the applicants concluded, the process moved forward.
Although several more tests were held to finalize the selection of knights, Alon himself was no longer deeply involved.
The reason was Deus.
Because Deus had unexpectedly offered to assist with the selection examinations, Alon found himself with a sudden abundance of leisure time.
For the last few days, he had simply relaxed and done nothing at all.
“The exams have finished.”
“To be honest, I was a little concerned, so I appreciate the help.”
He was currently speaking with Deus, who had just returned from the testing grounds.
“It was my pleasure. I am honored to aid your objectives, Lord Marquis.”
“Will you be heading back to Caliban now?”
“I don’t intend to leave just yet. I still have tasks to complete.”
“...Tasks?”
When Alon questioned him, Deus gave a matter-of-fact nod.
“Since they will form the core of your territory’s knights, they require rigorous training. I intend to oversee their development to a certain degree before I depart.”
“Territory?”
Alon looked confused for a moment, but then he nodded as he understood.
It made sense, considering these knights were meant to be stationed in the Divine Land.
Well, when he thought about it that way, it was logical.
“Yes, I will ensure their training is thorough—enough to easily overcome a knight squad of Caliban’s caliber.”
“Enough to overcome, huh?”
Having a powerful order of knights was certainly a positive thing.
But did the forces guarding an empty Divine Land really need to be that formidable?
The thought crossed Alon's mind briefly.
However, since Deus was volunteering to provide top-tier training, there was no reason to turn him down.
“I’ll leave it in your hands then.”
Alon gave his approval.
Deus responded,
“Yes, and I shall remain prepared at all times.”
With a look of absolute confidence, he gave a firm nod and exited the office before Alon could say another word.
Alon remained where he was, watching Deus leave with a bewildered expression.
“I’ve arrived, my lord.”
“You’re here?”
Evan entered the room just as Deus departed, and Alon pushed his confusion aside to greet him.
“You seem to be in high spirits.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Evan paused to think for a second and then shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, honestly, I haven't had much to do lately, have I? Regardless of where I was.”
“That’s true.”
“But now that I finally have real work again, I’m feeling quite driven. I was a mercenary captain once, after all.”
“And I’m actually quite skilled at this kind of management,” Evan added, which caused Alon to nod instinctively.
He realized that Evan might have felt a bit sidelined until now.
“Well, I’m glad to see you’re enjoying the work.”
“By the way, have you received the full briefing?”
“I heard that Deus intends to put them through more training.”
“In that case, let me provide you with the specific details.”
With that, Evan began his report.
As Alon listened quietly—
“We completed three rounds of testing and have chosen 50 knights along with roughly 600 soldiers.”
...What?
Hearing those numbers, Alon’s face twisted into a look of shock.
“Huh?”
Seeing Alon’s stunned reaction, Evan tilted his head in confusion.
“...Wait, how many did you just say?”
“50 knights and 600 soldiers, sir.”
Isn’t that an excessive amount?
“This? If anything, it’s not enough.”
“Not enough... you say...?”
“Yes, consider the scale. To properly defend the Divine Land, you would need at least this many men.”
“Hmm...”
Upon reflection, Evan’s logic seemed sound.
However, there was one point Alon wanted to contest—
He hadn't planned on defending the Divine Land immediately.
Since there was currently nothing in the region they had declared as Divine Land, he had intended to start on a small scale by picking about ten knights, just to see if Rine’s suggestions would work.
In other words, his plan was a modest beginning with a dozen men.
But now that the selections were finalized, it wasn't as if he could simply fire everyone.
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Alon nodded in resignation.
“Right? Furthermore, if you want to execute any of the plans you've been considering, you’ll require a force of at least this size.”
“Plans...?”
In reality, his only plan was a small pilot project.
But admitting he had no grand strategy at this stage would have been humiliating.
“Well, yes, you’re right.”
He gave Evan a vague answer for the time being.
However—
Hiring such a massive troop count to guard a vacant Divine Land seemed like overkill, no matter how one looked at it.
But after pondering it for a moment, Alon pushed the concerns regarding the knights' order to the back of his mind.
“Oh, and one more thing, my lord—Yutia stopped by earlier.”
“Huh? Yutia?”
Evan soon passed on the new information.
Immediately after hearing from Evan, Alon took action.
“Yutia?”
“Hello, my Lord. Have you been faring well?”
He found Yutia, who greeted him with her usual faint, gentle smile.
“I’ve been fine, but what brings you here so suddenly?”
Though he was pleased to see her, Alon inquired about her purpose first.
Yutia stepped closer to him.
“I happened to be nearby, and I also wished to discuss something with you.”
Then, her eyes naturally drifted to the green badge on Alon’s chest, and she reached out toward it.
“Oh, my Lord. You really should fasten this properly.”
“...Fasten it?”
“Yes, it appears the clasp has come undone.”
Without pausing, Yutia detached the green badge and placed it into Alon’s palm.
“Huh?”
Alon stared at the badge, confused.
He was certain it had been secured correctly this morning.
Since the clasp was indeed missing now, Alon tilted his head in bewilderment.
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Pushing his doubts aside, he slid the badge into his pocket.
He remained unaware that Yutia’s eyes were lingering on his hand.
“By the way, where were you going, my Lord?”
“I was just heading to the garden.”
“Then why don't we have our talk there?”
“Let’s do that.”
Perhaps it was merely his imagination, but Yutia seemed to be in an exceptionally cheerful mood today.
He could almost swear he heard her humming a tune.