Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 383 : Magic (3)

“I suppose it’s my turn to have a little fun.”

As soon as Rine finished speaking, a cold silence filled the room.

But only for a moment.

Yutia, who had been slightly startled, slowly began to compose herself.

Her face calmed with surprising speed.

As if what had just happened was a lie, she quickly regained her smile and opened her mouth—

“Wh-what is that?”

—but couldn’t finish her sentence.

Even Hidan, who was standing right next to her, could clearly hear the tremor in her voice.

It was a sign of Yutia’s agitation.

As if she had expected this reaction, Rine smiled faintly.

“You already know this, Yutia, but I’ve been doing my best to protect the Marquis.”

A short statement.

But that alone was enough for Yutia to easily understand how that magic orb had been made.

Forcing a smile, she stepped closer to Rine.

“R-right.”

“Yes. Don’t you have anything to say, Yutia?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I just remembered that you once told me spying on someone wasn’t a good idea.”

At Rine’s reply, Yutia froze for an instant.

Still smiling, she naturally reached toward the orb in Rine’s hand.

“But of course not. I know how much you care for the Lord, Rine.”

Whoosh!

Unfortunately, Yutia’s hand grasped only empty air.

The two exchanged smiles that didn’t quite reach their eyes.

“Hic—”

Hidden in the shadows, Hidan hiccupped involuntarily.

At the same time, Yutia’s hand darted toward Rine again—

Whoosh!

Once more, her hand caught nothing.

Refusing to give up, Yutia moved again.

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Yet she never managed to grab the nearly damaged orb.

“This prank’s going a little too far, don’t you think, Rine?”

“Is it? I don’t think I’m moving that fast, Yutia. You could easily catch it if you wanted.”

Rine winked teasingly.

And she was right.

If Yutia truly wanted to, she could have snatched the orb from Rine’s hands in an instant.

But she didn’t—because Rine had already tampered with it.

Of course, she hadn’t completely destroyed it.

The orb was still functioning properly even now.

However, if Yutia exerted even a little strength to take it by force, it would almost certainly shatter beyond repair.

“So you’re saying you want to test me?”

Yutia glared sharply without realizing it.

“Me? Oh, no way. If you took my little prank that way, I apologize. I guess I should stop now.”

“Wait—!”

Rine’s motion to crush the orb made Yutia cry out in panic.

“Why? You told me to stop, didn’t you? That’s all I’m doing.”

Rine’s calm tone only deepened Yutia’s strained smile—the kind worn by someone barely holding back anger.

“What is it you want?”

“What I want?”

“Yes, you must want something.”

“You’re suddenly asking what I want?”

“Sure. I might’ve taken things a little too far myself.”

Yutia’s expression said, 'Let’s settle this peacefully, shall we?'

Rine smiled mysteriously.

“Thirty days.”

“...Thirty days?”

“Let me spend thirty days alone with Marquis.”

“That’s... not exactly something I can decide.”

“Maybe not decide, but you could make it happen, couldn’t you? Oh, and I don’t mean completely alone—just mostly.”

Her words hinted that she already understood Yutia quite well.

Yutia remained silent for a moment.

“Ten days.”

And so the bargaining began.

“Twenty-five.”

Rine countered immediately.

“Twelve.”

“Twenty-three.”

“Fifteen.”

“Twenty.”

“Sixteen.”

“Nineteen.”

Their fake smiles vanished.

Only the chill in their eyes remained as they locked gazes and exchanged numbers.

“Sixteen.”

“Nineteen.”

“Sixteen.”

“Nineteen.”

The situation reached a stalemate.

'W-what on earth is happening?'

Hidan stared blankly, unable to follow their sudden haggling match.

“Seventeen days. I won’t go any lower.”

“...Fine.”

At Yutia’s concession, the orb that had been trapped in Rine’s grasp dropped to the floor.

Thud.

As if she’d been waiting for it, Yutia caught it at once and tucked it into her chest like a precious treasure.

“That was a good deal, Yutia.”

“...Yeah. I suppose it was.”

Forcing a smile, she folded her arms and watched Rine’s sly grin.

And just like that, the tense battle of nerves between them came to an end.

'I have no idea what just happened anymore...'

Hidan let out a sigh of relief.

####

That night, after Alon discovered a new possibility with a bit of Yutia’s help, he suddenly opened his eyes and realized something.

'My memory’s back.'

He sat there blankly for a moment, feeling a flood of memories rushing into his mind.

But soon, as he looked at the view before him, he realized this wasn’t reality.

'A dream?'

A dream.

There was no better word to describe what Alon was seeing.

It was as if dozens of gray pastel shades were constantly sketching something and fading away, over and over, in a world otherwise painted entirely in black and white.

[Hello.]

“...Predecessor—no, wait, you’re... the Blue Eyes?”

He came face to face with Blue Eyes in the form of Predecessor.

[Correct. I like that you catch on quickly.]

Blue Eyes answered with satisfaction.

In truth, Alon had only guessed that it was Blue Eyes.

Its form was so hazy and shifting, like smoke, that no one could have identified it clearly.

The distinctive blue glow of its eyes and the stark black attire were the sole identifiers in this monochrome void, allowing Alon to recognize it.

Unconcerned by Alon's recognition, Blue Eyes spoke with an air of nonchalance.

[So, how was the gift? Did you like it?]

“...Gift?” Alon questioned, confused.

[I made it last a little longer for you, didn’t I?]

“You were the one who did that?”

[Of course. I can help to that extent.]

“...Would’ve been nice if you’d thrown in a hint while you were at it.”

A light chuckle escaped Blue Eyes at Alon’s grumbled complaint.

[Sorry, that’s not my role.]

“Not your role?”

[Anyway, once you wake up, go find that friend of yours.]

“That friend?” Alon echoed.

[What was her name again? Sironia? Yeah, that one.]

With that cryptic clue, Blue Eyes made to depart.

“Wait, what do you mean—”

[All right, that’s enough talk for now. We’ll meet again someday.]

As Blue Eyes waved a hand in farewell, Alon’s eyes snapped open fully.

He found himself gazing at a ceiling that had become painfully familiar.

Blinking rapidly, he brushed a hand across his face and sat up.

'Was that really a dream?' he mused momentarily.

However, he soon dismissed the thought.

The encounter felt far too real and vivid to be merely a dream.

'Said our next meeting would be much later, though... Always doing things their own way.' he thought.

With a soft sigh, Alon reached out to gently stroke Blackie, who remained asleep beside him as usual.

[Meow–?]

The small creature stirred, blinking awake and gazing up at him with wide, inquisitive eyes.

[Meow–!]

As if sensing Alon's regained memories, Blackie began to squirm around him with palpable excitement, a stark contrast to its previous state.

Alon smiled, patting the joyous creature before rising from the bed.

It was time to address the backlog of matters that had accumulated during his amnesia.

####

Despite his memory loss, Alon had strived to manage his responsibilities.

Yet, certain crucial affairs remained unresolved.

These issues primarily pertained to Divine Land.

While simpler matters had been handled, the majority of problems originating from Divine Land were inherently complex and could not be resolved with haste.

This was not to say the problems themselves were malevolent.

“So, what exactly are the things we need to handle first?” Alon inquired.

“Well, to list the main ones—overpopulation, housing shortages, public safety, supply management, civil disputes... oh, and there’s also the matter of proclaiming the kingdom,” Penia responded.

Alon emitted a low groan upon hearing the extensive list.

“That’s... quite a lot.”

“Well, it’s been nearly a month of neglect, after all.”

“Even if we’d dealt with it a month ago, it probably wouldn’t have been much different,”

“That’s true,” Penia readily conceded.

After a brief pause for thought, she added, “Still, I think it’s about time we decide on a proper direction.”

“Direction?”

“Yes. Up to now, we’ve been letting Sili handle things with full authority, but honestly, most of it’s been improvisation.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s grown too big to keep running that way... Though, honestly, the fact we’ve managed to last this long like that is a miracle.”

Alon gave a solemn nod in agreement.

“Then the first thing we need to decide is—”

“I think we should start by deciding whether to declare the kingdom officially. Once we do, we can establish a proper system and—” Penia stated, her voice trailing off as she implied the rest would naturally fall into place.

Alon’s mind became deeply contemplative.

'A kingdom proclamation...'

He harbored no desire whatsoever to assume the role of king.

Without a doubt.

Regardless of his moral alignment, Alon possessed sufficient self-awareness to recognize his unsuitability for leadership.

However, the root of his hesitation stemmed from a different source—the Divine Blood.

His own magical prowess alone was insufficient to confront them.

To contend with the Divine Blood, he required divine power.

Consequently, at this juncture, Divine Land itself had become an indispensable asset for Alon.

Whether he found this prospect agreeable or not.

After a period of reflection, Alon finally spoke, his voice firm.

“We’ll proceed with the proclamation.”

His decision was made.

“Hm. I didn’t want to say it first in case it sounded like personal opinion, but I think that’s the right call too,” Penia concurred.

“Then the first tasks are to decide the date of proclamation, then set up the governing structure, and afterward assign personnel...”

“Just hearing that already makes my head hurt.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure Sili will handle it well.”

“Sili, huh...” Alon murmured.

His thoughts immediately turned to her.

The first image that surfaced was her bright, innocent smile.

Then, he recalled the extensive work she had diligently undertaken thus far.

'Yeah, if it’s Sili, things will definitely move forward.' he affirmed internally.

“The only concern is that she might overdo it,” Penia added, voicing a potential drawback.

“True.”

Following a brief moment of shared appreciation for Sili’s capabilities, the two resumed their work.

“I’ll let her know about the decision right away.”

“Good. And... prepare a gift as well.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. We are declaring a kingdom, after all. We’ll need to be mindful of how neighboring nations see it.” Alon stated, acknowledging the diplomatic necessity.

Alon was acutely aware of Divine Land’s formidable power.