Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 300 : Divine Land (3)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Roughly fourteen days had passed since Alon departed from Greynif.
“Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“Do you intend to take a more extended leave of absence this time?”
The two were currently traveling back toward the marquis' estate.
Alon, who had been idly soaking in the sunlight, blinked at Evan’s inquiry and cleared his throat.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure.”
He did feel the urge to rest after venturing all the way to the East.
However, the reason for his hesitation was the Sin.
He had received word regarding the Sin's appearance.
He had even engaged in a direct confrontation with it.
Furthermore, three more Sins remained for him to deal with.
To put it simply, relaxation was a luxury he couldn't quite afford.
Alon shifted his gaze toward the distant mountain range.
When he thought about it, his only true desire had been to lead the peaceful life of a quiet noble.
“What’s with the sudden sighing?”
“It’s nothing; I was just reflecting on how I wanted a life of simply baking toast, yet things have somehow spiraled into this.”
“?”
Evan tilted his head, a literal question mark almost visible above him.
“?”
[?]
[?]
Similarly, Penia, Blackie, and Basiliora—who was currently resting atop Blackie—all stared at Alon with bewildered expressions.
“Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
Alon felt quite perplexed by their collective reaction.
“No, it’s just...”
[That is simply too preposterous...]
“I tend to agree...”
A brief, heavy silence settled over the group.
Alon cleared his throat once more and spoke up.
“Regardless, I do believe I’m getting closer to that dream.”
“You are currently battling monsters capable of leveling half a territory in a single strike—how does that equate to a peaceful noble’s life?”
“Well—”
Alon started to explain that once the Sins were eradicated, he could finally live without threats, but he chose to swallow those words.
Vocalizing it would only result in a long-winded explanation that wasn't necessary right now.
Instead, he said, “No, never mind.”
“What was that? You were right on the verge of saying something.”
Ignoring Evan’s grumbling, Alon thought back to a conversation he had with Rine.
“Half-finished, was it...?”
That was the phrasing Rine had used.
She explained that divine powers and incantations functioned like puzzle pieces—they worked alone, but were only complete when joined together.
Up to this point, Alon had utilized both magic and divine power.
Yet, he had never considered them to be related.
They were, after all, fundamentally different energies.
Magic was fueled by mana, whereas divine power was drawn from divinity—their origins were entirely separate.
Because these core energies differed so much, he couldn't quite grasp Rine's logic.
Technically, she had only instructed him on the first step without explaining the actual synergy between divine power and magic.
It was a vague and somewhat confusing situation.
Nevertheless, Alon decided to trust Rine’s guidance for two primary reasons.
First, he was aware that the library within Rine’s mind was a repository of absolute truth, devoid of any deception.
Second, Alon himself suspected that merging divine power into his arsenal would be immensely beneficial.
Recalling the divine-magic puzzle that had eluded even Kylrus and Sparrow, Alon began to organize his future plans.
The primary objective was the establishment of the Divine Land, just as Rine had suggested.
There were other responsibilities, of course, such as rescuing his followers or forming a knight order.
However, the creation of the Divine Land took precedence.
The secondary objective was to locate the Observer, following the information he gathered in the East.
Declaring a Divine Land wasn't inherently difficult.
Technically, he could do it right this moment.
The true obstacle was finding the right territory for it.
While Alon held the rank of marquis within the Kingdom of Asteria, establishing a Divine Land on local soil would necessitate the Queen’s consent.
While he could likely proceed without it without facing major repercussions, it was wiser to seek formal authorization.
Alon finished mentalizing his strategy.
“But Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“Now that I’m looking at it—what is that?”
Alon followed Evan’s eyes down to his own chest.
A badge featuring a green gemstone was pinned there.
“Oh, this. Rine gave it to me.”
“Really?”
“She mentioned it was a gift.”
Rine had insisted he wear it at all times before he departed from Fildagreen.
As Alon stared at the green jewel and remembered that moment,
“Hmm, is that so?”
Evan examined the gem with fascination for a moment before shrugging it off.
After traveling for several weeks, Alon finally arrived back at the Palatio estate for the first time in quite a while.
“M-Marquis~!”
“Alexion?”
The moment he entered the grounds, he was greeted by a pale, out-of-breath Alexion.
“Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you...!”
“What?”
Still gasping for air, Alexion delivered the startling news.
***
“It is becoming quite difficult to even catch a glimpse of you lately.”
“I have no excuse, Your Majesty.”
Upon entering the office and seeing Siyan, Alon immediately offered a deep bow.
In truth, Alon should have reported to Teria immediately after his visit to Rosario.
“Were you occupied with something important?”
Standing before the Queen who had arrived in person, Alon cleared his throat nervously.
“...Yes, to some extent—”
“Hmmm~”
Siyan gave him a long, searching look.
However—
“Very well. It feels a bit excessive to demand that a man as busy as you always come to me.”
“I am grateful for your understanding.”
As Siyan settled back into her chair casually, Alon bowed once more and inquired,
“But, Your Majesty, what brings you all the way to this distant region...?”
He maintained a calm exterior, but Alon was genuinely baffled.
A monarch is typically the one who summons others, rather than traveling to them.
Unless a meeting of extreme importance was taking place, she rarely moved personally.
As Alon watched her curiously, Siyan gave a casual shrug.
“It’s a combination of things. As you are aware, the Allied Kingdom has been quite restless recently.”
“You are referring to the Abyssal Beings.”
Siyan nodded in affirmation.
“Precisely. We convened a meeting because of them. I’m not sure how grave you consider the matter, but the situation is actually quite serious.”
Alon began to grasp the scale of the destruction caused by the Abyssal Beings.
If the monarchs of various nations were gathering for a summit, the crisis was indeed severe.
While Alon was preoccupied with these thoughts—
“So, when did you plan on telling me the full story?”
Siyan shifted the subject.
“I traveled all this way to hear the details of what occurred in Rosario. Did you intend to keep me in the dark?”
She spoke with a light, teasing grin.
“I shall begin the report now.”
Clearing his throat, Alon began to detail the events that had transpired in Rosario.
After she had listened in silence,
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“Actually, I had already received a report on the events in Rosario.”
She revealed this quite suddenly.
“Oh, I see...”
To be honest, Alon had expected that Siyan might already know.
He simply nodded awkwardly, which caused Siyan’s cheerful expression to sour slightly.
“You are surprisingly dense.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“When someone tells you they already know the story, you are supposed to ask why they still wanted to hear it from you.”
She let out a sudden, small grumble.
“If I had asked that, how would you have responded?”
Alon tried to mend the situation by playing along.
“I would have said—it was merely a pretext to see you.”
Siyan twirled her finger, replying with a mischievous smirk.
Alon’s mind went momentarily blank.
Under normal circumstances, he would have ignored such a comment.
But having recently heard similar sentiments from Rine, Alon found himself overthinking the intent behind her words.
Seeing Alon frozen, Siyan laughed with genuine amusement.
“What is the matter?”
“Pardon?”
“This conversation, I mean.”
Alon hesitated at Siyan’s follow-up question.
He wasn't sure how he should react.
“......”
“Don't worry—you may speak your mind.”
Ultimately, Alon decided to be honest.
“Forgive me, but... it felt as though you were hoping I would take the hint more seriously, or... something to that effect.”
Still smiling, Siyan replied, “Did it?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, allow me to remind you—those were your own words.”
She leaned forward and added, “Pardon? My words?”
“Yes.”
“That can't be—”
Alon’s jaw dropped.
“Something I said within your memory?”
“Exactly. And you said it with a very cunning grin, I might add.”
Alon felt his face begin to flush for some reason.
...He wondered briefly what sort of nonsense his past self had been up to in Siyan’s memories.
“?”
It was then he noticed Siyan, who had been smiling just a moment ago, was now lost in thought.
She seemed to be deep in contemplation, as if a specific memory had surfaced.
Observing this, Alon asked, “Your Majesty?”
“!”
When Alon spoke softly, she quickly snapped back to reality and cleared her throat.
“Ahem. At any rate, I came to see you for several reasons, as I mentioned. To attend the summit, and to share some of these returning memories with you.”
With that, she stood up from her chair.
“I shall take my leave now. Truthfully, I would have enjoyed staying to chat or seeing what interesting things are happening in your lands, but if I linger, I’ll be late for the meeting.”
However, Alon quickly stopped her.
“Your Majesty, if it is not too much trouble... might I borrow a moment more of your time?”
He then began to explain his proposal for the Divine Land.
***
In the end, Alon was successful in securing a grant for a plot of empty land from Siyan to establish the Divine Land.
The location was roughly a day’s journey from the Palatio Marquisate.
“Whew—”
Back in his private office, Alon exhaled a long, tired sigh.
The sudden visit and the spontaneous royal audience had been more mentally taxing than he had anticipated.
He collapsed into his chair to let himself recover.
The following day—
“Has Penia already departed for the academic society?”
“Yes, she has.”
“I see.”
Alon sighed softly and took a bite of the toast Evan had prepared.
It was a long-overdue moment of tranquility.
While some might view this as a luxury, he had been far too busy until now.
He decided to take things slowly—at least for today.
“...?”
Suddenly, he noticed a much greater level of noise than usual and looked out the window.
“??”
A bizarre sight met his eyes.
It was—
An enormous crowd that didn't just fill the inner courtyard of the Palatio estate, but extended far beyond the outer walls.
Actually, it wasn't just a crowd of humans.
“Elves... and lizardmen...??”
A massive assembly of various races was currently swarming the Marquisate.
“Evan?”
“Yes, Marquis?”
“What... is the meaning of all that?”
Evan followed Alon’s pointing finger and looked down, appearing equally startled.
“Oh.”
He suddenly remembered a conversation he had with Alexion the day before.
“Ah... I believe they are all here for the Holy Knight Order entrance exam. That is scheduled for today.”
“Knight Order...?”
“Yes, do you not recall, Marquis? You instructed us to post the announcement in advance.”
“Well, yes, but—”
Alon looked once more at the staggering crowd that seemed ready to burst through the gates.
He couldn't find the words to finish his sentence.