Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 341 : This Wasn't in the Plan (4)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Alon spent roughly a week in Divine Land.
Naturally, it wasn't due to any pressing matters for Alon.
Actually, he had intended to travel straight to the Marquisate.
Yet he found himself unable.
The reason lay with Sili.
During Alon's absence, Sili had diligently expanded Divine Land and now demanded to display all the progress to him, pulling him from place to place.
This led to an additional two days slipping by.
What stood out was how intensely filled those two days turned out to be.
It was only the day before that he wrapped up the introductions to every group within Divine Land.
Alon reflected on Sili's words from yesterday.
"Now, this is the Holy Knights!"
"I see—"
"This is the Blue Knights!"
"...?"
"This is the Order of Anguish!"
"Uh... is there some difference between all these knight orders?"
"Well, first of all, the Holy Knights are—"
With their armors looking so alike, his inquiry sparked almost an hour of detailed breakdowns for each order.
"Hmm—"
While Alon mulled over it briefly, a sound caught his attention, drawing his gaze downward.
[Meoww–!!]
Smack!
[Meow–?!]
Blackie delivered a soft, pawed swat to Kalannon, who had sneakily attempted to cozy up beside Alon.
Without hesitation, Blackie widened his eyes and boldly took over Alon's lap.
Injustice etched across Kalannon's features.
Her expression seemed to protest, “That’s my spot.”
However, Blackie haughtily turned away, showing no signs of giving ground.
As Alon remembered Blackie's repeated head-smacks on Kalannon during the last couple of days—
“Marquis, the preparations for departure are ready.”
"Really?"
“Yes.”
Evan's voice reached him.
Alon nodded right away and rose, cradling Blackie.
With Divine Land's affairs settled, the moment had come to head back.
Without fail, Alon slipped Blackie into his chest pocket.
As he stood, Kalannon swiftly leaped into the empty chair, like she had anticipated the chance.
Alon offered her a soft pat on the head.
Hisss–!
Kalannon hissed in objection.
She appeared to voice her frustration over his lack of reprimand toward Blackie.
[Meoww–!]
Smack!
Yet Blackie emerged from the pocket and landed a strike that quickly cowed Kalannon, making her shrink away.
A wry smile crossed Alon's face at the duo's antics as he proceeded to the carriage.
"Ah, Marquis! May I accompany you this time?"
"You have something to do?"
"Yes! Something came up briefly!"
"I'm going too."
"...Well, I don't mind."
Sili and Deus both volunteered to travel along.
Though confused, Alon agreed with a nod.
After all, they weren't the sole companions joining him to the Palatio Marquisate.
"Shouldn’t you stay behind to guard Divine Land?"
"Nope."
"Why do you get to decide what I do?"
"You’re both knights, aren’t you?"
"Hmph—we’re escort knights."
"Agreed. If anyone should be returning, it’s you."
"Right, that Colo—what was it? Anyway, go back to the desert."
"No thanks. I’m on an official journey with Master, unlike you guys who just tagged along with excuses.”
“!? This is a legit mission!"
Seolrang, Historia, and Ryanga were already quarreling beside Alon’s carriage by then.
Since vanishing after their initial appearance on day one, the trio had kept up their endless spats.
Alon observed their routine bickering.
Historia abruptly noticed Alon's approach and glided to his side like a shadow.
Swoosh—
Her tail naturally coiled around his waist.
Sway—
The tail's end quivered faintly, as if delighted.
A beat later, spotting it, Seolrang rushed forward and encircled Alon’s waist with her own tail from the opposite direction.
Suddenly, two tails ensnared Alon.
Ryanga, sidelined, dashed up with a hurt look and yelled,
"What are you guys doing?! You’re annoying Chief!"
"Hmph! Master doesn’t mind stuff like this!"
Seolrang retorted with smugness.
...Briefly, it seemed their positions had swapped from the prior exchange between Historia and Seolrang.
Ultimately, with the crowd too large, they divided into several carriages.
Only then did Alon get to tranquilly view Divine Land receding into the horizon.
“No matter how I think about it, this has all gotten too big.”
“I think so too,” Evan concurred, eyes also fixed on Divine Land.
“At this point, aren’t we being blatantly checked?”
"Hmm~"
Alon nodded before he knew it.
Truly, Divine Land's forces had grown to an undeniable scale, even in his eyes.
Should Siyan contact him tomorrow with a query like, “What kind of scheme are you pulling?” it wouldn't shock him.
As Alon pondered his next steps—
“Should I just invite the kings?”
“Invite them?”
“Yeah, just to say something like ‘Don’t worry, nothing dangerous will happen.’”
A basic idea formed in his mind.
Admittedly, it lacked perfection.
Still, it served as a superficial measure to quash absurd gossip such as “he’s preparing for war.”
If it cleared up misconceptions, that sufficed.
In truth, Divine Land's creation stemmed solely from his pursuit of divine power.
Lost in contemplation, Alon heard Evan, who had been quietly considering, finally voice his thoughts.
“I understand your reasoning, but… would the kings actually come if invited?”
“Of course not.”
“…? Then what’s the point of inviting them?”
“I told you. The invitation itself conveys the message.”
Alon never anticipated the kings' acceptance, naturally.
To summon a ruler and genuinely anticipate their arrival—
All parties would need to be somewhat deranged.
Nevertheless, Alon dubbed it an ‘invitation’ precisely because—
It offered the mildest means to express, “I have no intention of causing any trouble. Feel free to come see for yourself.”
Reaching his own resolution, Alon stated,
"Ah—I get it now.”
He nodded as Evan appeared to grasp the intent.
“Make sure that’s conveyed.”
“Understood.”
Alon cast another glance at the sprawling Divine Land.
“Ah, Marquis. Please take this as well.”
“This is…?”
Evan passed him a book.
“It’s a scripture.”
“Oh, that?”
“Yes, it’s what I received from Sili yesterday.”
A peculiar look crossed Alon's face as he examined the book.
He had ample cause for it.
This particular scripture detailed Kalannon's biography, penned by Sili.
Put simply,
The volume basically chronicled Alon's own life story.
Alon momentarily fretted—or rather, speculated—about the contents within.
He could simply flip it open to verify, yet lacked the boldness to dive in abruptly, pausing briefly.
“You’re not going to open it?”
“...You haven’t looked either?”
“I wanted to see it with you, Marquis.”
In time, Alon gingerly unveiled the scripture.
And then—
“Let there be lightning.”
“...?”
The bold opening line on the initial page stirred an odd sensation in Alon.
He recognized a similar phrasing from somewhere.
He turned a few additional pages.
“The one who receives lightning, Kalannon, spoke thus:
To the one who believes in me, you shall be free from hunger and find a place to rest your feet.
Your life shall shine with glory, for this I promise you.
To the spirit who believes in me, I shall share the lightning of my power.
This is my holy covenant.”
“And also—”
Flip—thud.
Alon softly shut the scripture.
Then he leaned forward a bit.
Embarrassment made his fingers twitch inward.
“Did you really say stuff like that?”
“Do I look like someone who would?”
Evan let out a light laugh nearby.
Alon replied sharply, then eyed the scripture (an obvious fabrication posing as sacred writ) with conflicting feelings.
He couldn't shake the question—what exactly did Sili perceive in him?
A flurry of ideas swirled in Alon's head.
All converging on a single realization:
Concern for Sili began to creep in.
***
One day afterward, the party arrived back at the Palatio Marquisate.
Despite the time away, the Marquisate remained largely unchanged.
Merchants thronged the lands, creating a lively and agreeable vibe.
Even so, a couple of unexpected developments awaited Alon.
The initial one being—
“Yutia?”
“My Lord.”
Yutia had come to the Marquisate.
“It’s been a while.”
“It has. Have you been well?”
“I’ve been fine.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“So what brings you to the Marquisate?”
“Hmm—I had some work to do.”
“Work?”
“Yes. Do you remember? I said I wanted to build a church.”
“Oh, that? So you’re here for that?”
“Hmm—I also just wanted to see you, My Lord.”
“Me?”
Upon Alon's repeated query, Yutia offered a smile.
“Yes. It’s been a while since I saw your face.”
While speaking, she straightened the slightly askew red brooch on his chest.
“I’m glad you seemed to like the gift.”
“...Yes, I do.”
The brooch from her gift long ago.
Her sudden mention piqued his interest—but just for a second.
“Ahem, Brother—”
“Ah, Nangwon.”
“Have you been well?”
“Yes.”
Once the exchange with Yutia concluded, Nangwon smoothly positioned himself next to her.
Yet Nangwon's appearance held little surprise.
Alon had learned of it previously.
The true shock came from—
“Hello, Brother.”
“...Magrina?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Magrina it was.
“And I’m here too, Godfather.”
—Along with Rine.
When exactly had these two reached the Marquisate?
“Rine, are you able to move now?”
“No. This is an artifact projecting my body, Godfather.
It can only be used twice, and after one use, the effect lasts about three months.”
“Was there something important enough to use it for?”
“Yes. Several things.”
Rine replied smilingly.
Did it truly warrant such importance?
As Alon nodded, he instinctively scanned the office.
The room, typically occupied solely by Evan, now brimmed with occupants.
Yutia's group included Seolrang, Rine, and Deus.
Opposite them, beside Magrina, were Nangwon, Nangyeon, Ryanga, and Historia.
No hostile glares passed between them.
Actually, faint smiles adorned everyone's faces.
But somehow—
With the gathering so large, the office—
Seemed eerily hushed.
In this peculiar setting, where smiles only touched lips, Alon's bewilderment grew steadily.
***
Meanwhile, Alexion—
“What’s going on.”
“Lord Alexion. There are many noble ladies visiting today.”
“Already?”
“Yes. There are eight ladies scheduled for interviews this evening.”
“Didn’t we only send six letters?”
“Yes...”
“Then why are there eight?”
The secretary offered no reply to Alexion’s inquiry.
He merely averted his eyes awkwardly—
“But each of those eight letters was delivered by different people. All from different women.”
He merely relayed the details.
And Alexion—
Felt a brief shiver from a chilling wave of unease.