Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 349 : Voting (4)

A tense hush hung in the air.

Amid that quiet, Alon, lost in contemplation, coughed lightly and spoke up.

“Anyway, I truly appreciate you all coming together here.”

The royal siblings stayed quiet.

“Everyone?”

As Alon scanned them again.

“Ah, yes.”

“Hahaha...”

“Al… right.”

“Yes...”

“Ahem, I understand.”

Finally, the princes and princesses replied in an uneasy manner.

He pondered just what they had grasped, but for the moment, Alon sensed relief within.

“Yes, I’m delighted to encounter you. I’ll ensure your comfort throughout your visit.”

“We’ll remember that.”

Maybe due to his stress on it, the strain appeared to lessen somewhat. Expressions relaxed a bit.

Naturally, Alon realized full well that those assembled couldn’t relax so quickly.

Divine Land had expanded far beyond that possibility.

How could he earn their complete faith in Divine Land?

While musing, Alon abruptly opened his mouth, struck by a sudden thought.

“Anyone outside?”

“Yes.”

His call brought a knight entering the tent right away.

Spotting him, Alon issued a decisive instruction.

“Escort these visitors through Divine Land.”

“Understood.”

“And reveal your views on Divine Land’s weaknesses too.”

“I’ll follow that order too. Come with me now.”

Following Alon’s directive, Seamus inclined his head profoundly.

Afterward, he guided the assembled visitors out.

The instant they departed, Evan came back from outside and inquired.

“How did the talk proceed?”

“Well enough, I suppose.”

“So where are they headed?”

“To explore Divine Land.”

“...A tour?”

“Indeed.”

“Did they decide that?”

“No, I commanded it.”

“...Was that necessary to that extent?”

Alon affirmed with a nod, no doubt in his action.

Surely, there could be grumbles for not consulting them.

Yet this decision proved essential.

With their arrival in Divine Land, he aimed to dispel all lingering unseen doubts about him.

“Even if it causes them some discomfort, it can’t be avoided. We must demonstrate our worth, right?”

“You’re correct, but—”

“I instructed him to highlight Divine Land’s defects as well, so once the tour ends, their suspicions ought to fade, if not vanish entirely.”

“Defects?”

“Yes. If I truly planned war, wouldn’t I conceal them?”

“Thus, you’re building trust by revealing vulnerabilities openly?”

“Precisely.”

With that, Evan nodded at last.

Upon reflection, it didn’t seem like a flawed approach.

Evan remembered the countenances of the visitors who had exited the tent moments ago.

They appeared notably less strained.

Outwardly, Alon’s strategy seemed effective.

Outwardly, that is.

In that fleeting instant, Evan had observed the visitors’ faces remained unchanged.

In essence, their looks were feigned.

And therefore—

He mused silently while gazing at Alon, who nodded contentedly.

***

The silhouette clad in a dark holy robe lingered amid the woods.

The very spot where the Sin of Sloth had emerged shortly before.

“Heh~”

Each twist of its head caused the chain around its waist to clink loudly.

Detecting motion from behind, it shifted its attention.

Then it grinned and offered a cordial welcome.

The boyish grin on its visage intensified.

“Long time no see. How have you fared?”

Before its eyes appeared a blue-eyed man, or more precisely—

Eliban.

As ever, he bore a serene smile.

“Yeah.”

A brief response.

Yet that sufficed to bring a pleased grin to the robed form.

As it pivoted completely, Eliban drew an item from his garments and flung it over.

Thud—

Grasping it smoothly, the form examined the object now in its grasp.

A Demonic Gate Stone.

It shimmered in various hues, as though enticing humankind.

Gazing at Eliban, the form uttered joyfully.

“This is a piece, right?”

“Correct. They term it a Demonic Gate Stone.”

“Heh— Demonic Gate Stone... Quite the uninspired title. If named more aptly—”

With a gentle laugh, it glanced skyward.

“Wouldn’t ‘Shard of the Stars’ suit it better? What do you say?”

To this, Eliban kept his steady smile and merely walked off.

As though no further words were needed.

The dark-robed form fixed its stare on Eliban’s retreating form.

“How much time remains, Eliban?”

He gestured with his hand while posing the query.

Without pausing, Eliban answered.

“Roughly a month and a half.”

A straightforward reply.

And then, as if he’d never appeared, Eliban faded away.

The individual in the black holy robe fixed his sight on the vanishing point, his look twisting into a cunning grin.

Next, he dropped his gaze, toying with the Demonic Gate Stone in his hand.

“Whether he attains it or not~”

He veered in the direction opposite Eliban’s route.

“This ought to prove entertaining.”

He whispered.

Once the black-robed form departed, the woodland stood vacant, save for three Demonic Gate Stones strewn about, radiating vividly.

As if luring humanity.

***

‘It concerns finances. I planned to begin modestly, yet unexpected incidents accumulated, drawing ever more crowds. It’s turned into a real hassle.’

‘I’ve managed it independently, without outside aid, to the best of my ability.’

Upon hearing Marquis Palatio’s words, Tolenis immediately discerned his purpose.

It was the sort of remark no one but an idiot would miss.

The Marquis issued a subtly courteous warning.

Certainly, the ensuing discussion flowed smoothly, yet that was only politeness.

As the knight ahead led them around Divine Land, all those present fully comprehended the Marquis’s aims.

It had to be so.

“This serves as a barracks, though under right circumstances, a fortress will rise here. The expense is steep, yet attainable~”

“This is temporary barracks, but sufficient funding will transform it into a hall. It’s strained the budget, but we’ve coped~”

“Likewise, this is barracks now, but with resources, it’ll become a magnificent square. The projected expense—”

If the Marquis’s statements lacked threat, the knight wouldn’t speak so offhandedly in their presence.

Obviously, this wasn’t Alon’s aim.

He’d issued no such directive to Seamus.

In truth, since Seamus’s interview, Alon hadn’t held any substantial talk with him.

Nevertheless, Seamus construed Alon’s order thusly.

It wasn’t wholly his doing.

The true fault rested with Deus, the knights’ trainer.

Deus had instilled the same belief in all knights—

That Alon Palatio would rise as the supreme Heaven.

And these knights would serve as the protectors of that Heaven.

Alon had never envisioned anything of the sort.

However, the knights, immersed in Deus’s doctrine, accepted it unquestioningly.

That Alon prepared to embody Heaven.

Seamus shared that view.

“Pardon me.”

“Yes, what’s on your mind?”

“Does Divine Land consist solely of barracks?”

“Indeed. Only barracks.”

“Yes, merely barracks.”

“No other features, just barracks.”

“...!”

“Truly, nothing more.”

Seamus adhered to the “Heaven’s” command with unwavering devotion.

The directive to “share insights on Divine Land’s shortcomings” could only mean that to him.

Had Alon, amid his magic practice, caught this, he’d have been astounded—“What? Me? How?”—but sadly, he remained oblivious to it all.

In any case, after Seamus passionately presented his epic Divine Land “tour showcase,”

“Did you get a proper overview?”

Alon cocked his head, seeing the visitors seemed more displeased than earlier.

He shot Seamus a puzzled glance.

Nod!

Seamus’s resolute nod, eyes brimming with certainty, only deepened Alon’s confusion.

And then—

“We’ve viewed plenty of Divine Land.”

Tolenis, silent up to now, at last voiced.

“I understand. It has numerous flaws, but what did you think?”

Alon queried with a gentle smile.

Thereupon, Tolenis’s brow furrowed slightly, nearly in annoyance.

It passed quickly.

Yet Alon noted the shift and grew anxious inwardly.

Then Tolenis continued.

“...I wish to fund Divine Land.”

“A funding offer?”

“Yes, to this extent—”

Tolenis proposed a figure.

Alon found himself shocked anew.

Not just the abruptness, but the sum was vast by his standards.

An amount far too immense to label lightly as “funding.”

Thus—

“I appreciate the thought, but it’s not required.”

Alon turned it down.

He couldn’t fathom Tolenis’s motives, but the scale felt like incurring a massive obligation.

But then—

“Ghh~!”

As Alon rejected it, the room’s mood sank sharply.

All bore expressions of “this is trouble.”

Alon stood baffled when—

“One point five...”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll provide one and a half times as much.”

Tolenis declared resolutely, like sealing a solemn choice.

His face grew stern, suggesting he couldn’t budge further.

Of course, oblivious Alon courteously refused once more.

“As mentioned, no need for funding. It would only burden you.”

“Urghh~”

“No, why suddenly—”

“Two times. Twice the amount.”

Tolenis upped the offer with an even steeler resolve.

“No, please settle and hear me out—”

“Two and a half—”

“...? No, truly, it’s not needed—”

“Three! Three times! That’s my limit!”

“???”

Thus unfolded the clash between the eager funder and the staunch refuser.