Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 314 : Something Feels Off (1)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Two weeks had already passed since Alon's return from Divine Land to the Marquisate.
Whether that duration was considered long or short, Alon had utilized the time to get plenty of rest.
Under normal circumstances, Alon still had to oversee final decisions even if Alexion managed the bulk of the responsibilities, requiring a few days of labor—a situation that remained largely consistent.
However, a single factor had shifted the dynamic.
Penia had been assisting with the paperwork, driven by her desire to obtain the mountain of artifacts left behind by Nangwon.
With her help, Alon was able to complete a week's worth of administrative tasks in a mere two days.
Consequently, for the remainder of those two weeks, Alon had been free to immerse himself in magical research and leisure.
He had been finding peace in managing the estate and his magic training for a while, until—
“Hmmm~”
“Is something the matter, my lord?”
A strange sensation had been nagging at him recently.
“Well, there is a particular issue that has been on my mind.”
“Regarding what? Is it the magic? True, progress has been slow. It is proving more difficult than we anticipated.”
Alon mirrored Penia's head shake and clarified his thoughts.
“No, it concerns divine power.”
“Divine power?”
As Alon nodded to confirm, she followed up with a curious look.
“What is happening with your divine power?”
Alon hesitated for a moment before he spoke slowly.
“It has increased.”
“Your divine power has?”
“Yes.”
“Uh... isn't that a positive development?”
“It is.”
“Then why do you find it strange?”
“Under normal conditions, it should not be growing at this rate.”
Naturally, gaining more divine power was beneficial.
The issue, however, was that the power currently expanding was specifically tied to Divine Land.
He might have ignored it if the divinity belonging to Kalannon or the ancient elf was accumulating faster than usual—that would have been logical.
But the fact that the divinity Alon established when he proclaimed Divine Land was the one growing was genuinely baffling.
The last time he checked before departing Divine Land, the population consisted mostly of people drawn in by distorted rumors rather than true believers, and they seemed ready to depart at any moment.
“Hmm~ if your assessment is accurate, then that is indeed a bit peculiar,”
Penia conceded, resting a thoughtful finger beneath her chin.
Alon nodded quickly in agreement.
“Exactly.”
“But regardless, isn't an increase still a good thing?”
“It would be, provided I understood the cause behind it.”
“That's true. Unless those rumors somehow became reality or something……… has your divine power really grown that significantly?”
“Hmm…… not by an enormous amount.”
Alon looked inward to inspect his state.
While his divine power had definitely risen, it wasn't to an overwhelming degree.
“Perhaps it's just a fleeting occurrence? Things were quite hectic for a while, and a massive influx of people arrived, didn't they?”
“That is true.”
Logically, if the rumors were proven false, the crowd should have dispersed—yet Alon shook his head.
He realized there was no use dwelling on it by himself for now.
He reached a quick conclusion.
“Oh, by the way, my lord, have you made any further progress on the magic?”
As Penia steered the conversation toward a new topic, Alon shook his head negatively.
“I’ve thought about it, but I still haven't figured out the method for storing it.”
“I expected as much.”
Recently, Alon and Penia had been investigating the concept of "storing" magic.
Essentially, Alon found himself unable to properly utilize most of his magic when employing his specific techniques.
This remained true even when he used awakening to temporarily call upon Blackie’s powers.
Even if he could manifest magic for a split second, it didn't follow the formulas he typically used.
The goal of this research was to overcome that specific limitation.
They wanted to make magic accessible even when he reached his computational ceiling.
To achieve this, they were attempting to prepare usable magical formulas in advance—however…
“……It is difficult.”
“It really is. Attempting to store them within artifacts was a failure as well.”
“And the Magatama fails to maintain a connection even when we do manage to place something inside it.”
Alon shifted his gaze to the Magatama.
Penia had originally proposed using the Magatama as a vessel for magic to be drawn from later.
However, that theory fell apart before testing could truly begin.
Any magic placed in the Magatama would only trigger on its own, leaving Alon with no control over it.
Despite exploring various methods over the last two weeks, they had come up empty-handed.
Following a short silence,
“Oh, since we are traveling to see Heinkel soon anyway, why don't we ask for his assistance?”
Alon nodded at Penia's idea.
At that moment, the door to the secondary office swung open and Evan entered.
“There you are.”
“Was the mission successful?”
“Yes. Regarding the search for those items, I have obtained the locations.”
“What did you discover?”
Evan took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.
“To start, we have verified the sites of two objects. The ‘Mask of the One Who Walks Ahead’ is located in the Ronovelli Jungle, while the ‘Crying Blessing’ is held within the Caliban royal treasury.”
Alon gave a nod.
Both locations matched what he had anticipated.
“Is there any news regarding the ‘Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One’?”
Evan shook his head in the negative.
“No, not as of now.”
“I see……?”
“The scouts mentioned they are still searching and requested a bit more time.”
Alon nodded and then asked another question.
“By the way, have any reports come in regarding Divine Land lately?”
“Divine Land?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm~ nothing specific… ah, wait, there is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Remember how Sili mentioned she was heading there? It seems she arrived shortly after our departure. Aside from that, I haven't heard of any major events.”
“Is that so……?”
“Yes.”
Though he nodded, Alon felt a faint suspicion. ‘Did Sili do something?’
“But why do you ask?”
Evan questioned him immediately, leaving Alon no time to ponder.
Alon gave a short summary of the discussion he’d just had with Penia.
“Well, perhaps it really is just a temporary thing? Like Penia suggested.”
“You believe so?”
“Sure…? I mean, even Sili can't perform miracles, right?”
Alon conceded that point.
With the talk concluded, about a week passed before—
“It is time to leave.”
“I will prepare myself.”
Alon finally began his journey toward the Magic Academy.
He departed with that single, unresolved question still lingering in his mind…
***Deus Maccalian didn't think much of the mercenaries and knights who had assembled this time.
Admittedly, soldiers and knights were useful for the Great Moon's objectives.
With a force of this magnitude, it was undeniably helpful.
For the Great Moon to ascend into the sky, it required those who could provide support from the ground.
Nevertheless, Deus Maccalian expected nothing from this group for a simple reason.
He was well aware of their motivations for coming to Divine Land.
It was all based on false rumors.
The claim that training within Divine Land would allow one to wield Kalannon’s power.
If they were here for such reasons, no amount of training would ever yield results.
Because of this, Deus largely ignored them.
That was the case until Sili made her appearance.
“R-Really…!”
Deus observed a crowd gathered around a single figure in the distance.
These were the same knights and mercenaries who had been grumbling only moments ago.
Sili stood before them, her smile perfectly radiant.
“I… I can feel the power—”
A hesitant knight stared at his blade in sheer shock.
“I told you, didn't I? That it was possible for you.”
“Y-Yes…!”
The knight whispered, his eyes locked onto his sword as if under Sili's spell.
However, the moment was fleeting.
Zzap—!
The electrical current dancing along the knight’s blade flickered out, leaving only a tiny spark behind.
“Ah—”
The knight let out a disappointed breath.
But—
“Do not be discouraged. The start is always the most difficult phase. The power residing within you will answer your dedication.”
Sili’s comforting words caused the knight to nod with delight, and he pulled the book she had provided close to his chest.
“Thank you…! Truly, I am so grateful…!”
He bowed over and over again.
Sili watched him with a kind smile before shifting her attention.
“L-Lady Saint, could I also have your guidance?”
“Me as well—”
“Please, I wish to learn too!”
“And me, don't forget me!”
In an instant, she was surrounded by even more soldiers and knights.
Every face reflected a sense of desperation.
Maintaining her serene expression, Sili spoke,
“Do not worry, everyone. Divine power is not a gift meant only for a select few—”
She opened the blue-covered book.
“—it is granted to all who have faith.”
She offered a sweet smile.
Shortly thereafter, the same men who had once scoffed at the scriptures were now scrambling for the few blue books available.
Watching the scene play out, Deus spoke up.
“Sigh.”
“You have done quite well.”
He exhaled softly as he approached Sili, who was just leaving the crowd.
“Oh, Brother.”
Sili walked toward him, smiling.
“Wouldn't it be better to distribute more of the scriptures? I believe there are many left in the stock.”
The crate Sili had brought was indeed packed with books.
However—
“No. We should not do that yet, Brother.”
“And why is that?”
“Because the timing isn't right.”
“…Not the right time?”
“Yes.”
Sili declined, her words sounding somewhat cryptic.
“Brother, do you recall what I told you?”
“…About how people will cling to even the tiniest shred of hope?”
“Yes.”
When Deus nodded, Sili gave a soft smile and went on.
“The people gathered here just witnessed with their own eyes that even a small hope can be realized.”
“…………Then isn't that sufficient? They have seen that hope can turn into reality.”
“No. That isn't how it works, Brother. Despite my efforts, a tiny hope is as fragile as a candle's flame.”
Sili remarked that a single puff of air could extinguish it, then turned her head to look aside.
“That is why, to others, the light of that candle doesn't appear very bright.”
Deus looked where she was pointing.
Just as she noted, there were still several individuals standing apart with sour expressions, unlike those fighting for books.
“Shouldn't we just give up on those people?”
“Of course not. They will all eventually become valued soldiers of the Divine.”
“But even after seeing hope, they remain skeptical.”
Sili answered without losing her pleasant demeanor.
“Brother, do you understand the distinction between those two groups?”
“…The distinction?”
“Yes. Those who chase the Divine’s power immediately are the relatively weak, while those who continue to doubt are the stronger ones.”
“…I understand.”
Deus nodded in realization.
It was exactly as she described.
“From now on, I will provide those people with power. In private, naturally.”
“You are going to give them power?”
“No, it will only be a temporary gift.”
“Then what is the point of it?”
“Everything has a purpose.”
Sili looked back and forth between the skeptics and those clutching the scriptures.
“One group will realize that the Divine’s power is not just a flickering candle, but something truly exceptional. The other will believe that such power is exactly what they, as weak individuals, truly require.”
“…But isn't the power you're providing only for a moment?”
In response to Deus’s question, Sili’s eyes fixed on one specific person.
“It matters not if it is temporary. As long as it paves the way to faith.”
She was looking at the timid knight who had successfully summoned lightning earlier.
He was now chanting the scriptures as if he were possessed.
“…No way.”
“Do not worry. The faith I have sown will certainly be robust enough to stir a response from the Divine.”
Sili smiled.
“That is why… it is not yet the moment to hand out the scriptures.”
“Then how will you determine when the time is right?”
“When people begin to spread faith to one another—and through that process, the Divine becomes someone special to these lowly wanderers, rather than just words in a book.”
With a profound, deep smile, she added,
“Then, everyone shall receive grace.”
The grace granted by the Divine.
Sili’s eyes glowed with an unsettling, dangerous intensity.
Observing her in that state,
“…Is this truly the sister I once knew?”
Deus wondered silently.