Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 467: Fragment (6)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
The gauntlet, now colored a deep black.
Emerging from it was a black dragon, a manifestation of undeniable power.
While Alon, Penia, and even Evan, who had been at the reins of the carriage, stared in astonishment at the sudden appearance of the Sin of Pride—
"It worked—!"
Seollang exclaimed with a triumphant and relaxed smile, completely disregarding the Sin's presence.
Alon, still lost in a daze, called out her name.
"...Seollang?"
"Hm? What is it, Master?"
"How did this happen?"
"Hm—"
The situation was utterly unexpected for everyone present.
Each face held an expression of one awaiting a crucial explanation.
Seollang pondered for a moment before finally speaking.
"As for how it happened—"
—she began her explanation, and as Alon absorbed her words, his gaze slowly drifted forward.
More accurately, it focused on the black dragon, resembling a wraith, that flowed from the black gauntlet Seollang held—
no, upon the Sin of Pride itself.
"......"
He seemed to lose track of time, gazing intently at the dragon.
"So then... I didn’t mishear that, right? The Sin of Pride was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} already attached to you a long time ago...?"
"Yeah. But what about it?"
Much like Alon, Penia questioned with surprise, and Seollang responded with an air suggesting it was a trivial matter.
While her explanation lacked a clear chain of cause and effect, Alon’s attention was currently fixed on the Sin.
"Would you, by any chance, be willing to talk?"
It was a tentative question, yet the black dragon merely met Alon’s gaze without any notable change in its demeanor.
[I don’t mind.]
"...It’s unexpectedly friendly."
As Penia murmured this observation, the Sin of Pride tilted its head.
[We were always friendly toward humans.]
"...Are you seriously saying that?"
[It’s better for humanity to continue living than to be destroyed, isn’t it?]
Penia was left utterly dumbfounded by Pride’s candid response.
After a brief pause, Alon steered the conversation to the core issue.
"I’d like an explanation."
[There’s nothing much to explain. I moved in order to carry out my objective, and in the middle of that, you returned, so I failed. As a result, Divine blood fell from above. And—]
Pride’s brow furrowed, and its gaze shifted to Seollang.
[-do you have any idea how much power I’ve lent you up to now? How can you treat me like that!? Apologize!]
Its voice resonated with a deep sense of grievance, as if its feelings had been profoundly wounded.
"Did you, by any chance, do something to it?"
Penia's curiosity piqued at Alon’s question, while Seollang calmly offered a shrug.
"Hm— before I got the power, it couldn’t really be separated out, so I left it alone. But after I got the power, it became possible for it to exist separately, so I split it off."
[You didn’t split me off, you shoved me into a dark little closet!]
"Hmm— did I?"
[Kraaaaaagh—!!!]
For reasons unknown, the Sin of Pride emitted a scream that strangely echoed Basiliora’s own.
The scene was peculiar, yet—
"...Uh, anyway, since we did place the Sin into the vessel, I think we’ve gotten halfway there."
Leaving Seollang, who inadvertently provoked the Sin with a casual, "You’re noisy~," and Pride, which was in a true uproar, Penia took it upon herself to summarize the current state of affairs.
Alon concurred with a nod.
"That's... true. It seems the next part will have to proceed later, though."
"...I think so too. To begin with, you said that— rapport matters at least a little."
"That’s right."
"...Well, in a way, the two of them do look close."
"Do they?"
"Yes, and besides—"
Penia’s words trailed off as she quietly redirected her gaze toward Seollang.
Alon, too, turned his eyes to Seollang’s face.
Their gazes were simple, silent, and expectant.
####
Shortly after, Alon and his companions reached Shu, a modest village situated on the fringes of the labyrinth city of Lartania, beyond the desolate ruins of Ashtalon.
"They’re having a festival?"
"They are."
A vibrant festival was in full swing throughout the village.
Despite its small size, the village teemed with a considerable number of people, and the festival's scale was quite impressive.
Though briefly taken aback, Evan, who had quickly scouted the vicinity, soon remarked,
"Well— this is definitely the season for a festival like this."
"You knew about it?"
"No matter what, this place is pretty famous among mercenaries."
"Among mercenaries?"
In response to Alon’s query, Evan nodded affirmatively.
"...It doesn’t look especially remarkable."
Alon turned his head, observing the scene.
Currently, the place was bustling with festival-goers, but evaluated purely as a village, its small scale felt somewhat incongruous.
Evan offered a shrug and elaborated,
"It looks that way on the outside, but first of all, this village is famous for its beer."
He gestured with his thumb toward the expansive farmlands stretching out before them.
"And second, this is the village where the Mercenary King was born."
"...The Mercenary King?"
"Yes. It's been over twenty years since that old man passed, but back when the Mercenary King was still alive, the village always held a festival. It was passed down as a tradition."
"So, it's not the village's festival, but a mercenary's festival?"
"You could say that. It's like a holiday that every mercenary makes a point to observe."
"That's truly fascinating."
Not only Alon but Penia as well nodded in agreement, finding it intriguing, as Evan finished his explanation.
"Are we staying here tonight?"
"The sun will be setting soon, so it would be best to do so."
Before they realized it, the sun was indeed drawing close to the horizon.
It seemed more prudent to stay for the night and depart in the morning.
"That's good. We can enjoy the festival then."
"Hmm— this is my first time experiencing a mercenary festival too, so I'm curious."
Alon's group made the decision to remain in Shu for one night and partake in the festivities.
"Alright then, let's secure a room first before heading out."
Evan promptly maneuvered the carriage.
Perhaps it was his excitement at the prospect of enjoying the festival, as he even began to softly whistle.
Contrary to their concern that finding lodging might be difficult during festival season, Evan skillfully managed to arrange rooms at an inn.
"Great, then I'm off to have some fun!"
With that, Evan departed without a backward glance.
Peeking through the opening in his pocket, Blackie and Basiliora were visible, having successfully slipped out now that Seollang was present and they were no longer restrained.
Penia, who caught sight of this, rolled her eyes briefly, then—
"Alon, I'm going too."
—she soon followed after Evan, who had already moved some distance ahead.
And then—
"Master! Let's go look around together, just the two of us!"
Once the others had departed, Alon, who had been observing the two of them for a moment, turned towards Seollang.
A familiar smile graced the corner of her lips.
"Let's do that."
Alon accompanied Seollang outside to enjoy the festival together.
"Wow!"
The instant they stepped onto the street, Seollang exclaimed, as if she had been anticipating this moment.
Everything appeared captivating to her, and she was actively turning her head in all directions amidst the throng of people.
Alon watched her as they ambled through the village, immersed in the festival atmosphere.
"Beer! Have some beer before you go!"
"This place is cheaper than over there!"
"Skewers—! Get your skewers here!"
Just as Evan had mentioned, possibly due to its renowned status among mercenaries, the majority of individuals visible on the street were mercenaries.
People milling about with cheerful expressions, all seemingly relishing this period of peace after such a long time.
As Alon observed them, he turned his head and directed his gaze towards Seollang walking beside him.
A smile played on her lips.
Her eyes were actively scanning their surroundings.
Swish, swish.
Her tail swayed incessantly, clearly betraying her joyous mood.
... Still, precisely the same as always.
"Ah, Master! Shall we eat that too?"
"Yes."
Alon shifted his gaze and looked in the direction Seollang was pointing.
A small stall stood there, offering skewers.
"...Let's do that."
"Wow—!"
Thrilled by Alon's agreement, Seollang practically skipped over to the stall.
Alon followed close behind her.
Following that, he continued to enjoy the festival alongside Seollang.
"Master! Look at that!"
They watched a traveling mage perform in the center of the street.
"Hmm— this is delicious, Master!"
"I see."
They sampled various delectable foods from the vendor stalls.
"Fireworks!"
"They are small, but indeed."
And in the central square of the small village, though the display was undeniably modest compared to the fireworks Alon was accustomed to, they watched fireworks nonetheless.
And then, by the time the sky had fully darkened and the Blue Moon had ascended—
"That was so much fun!"
Alon and Seollang returned to their inn.
A tranquil room, a stark contrast to the boisterous clamor outside.
"You had fun too, didn't you, Master?"
In the quietude, Seollang's voice could be heard.
She was smiling.
With the same smile as always.
With the same eyes as always.
As usual, her tail swaying gently, she inquired about his thoughts.
And as Alon quietly observed her—
"Seollang."
—he slowly began to speak.
"Hm? What is it, Master?"
Seollang tilted her head.
Gazing at her, Alon continued,
"...Would you tell me what happened?"
At this, confusion clouded Seollang's expression.
Alon's question was so sudden and out of context that it seemed unrelated to their day's events.
"Hm? What do you mean, Master? What do you mean, 'what happened'? Did something happen to us?"
Muttering to herself, 'Did something happen?' while tilting her head, she bore a striking resemblance to her usual self.
Even the slightest shift of her gaze to the side. The delicate parting of her lips. Even the way she dramatically inclined her body. Everything about her was so familiar. Too eerily familiar. It was so much so that Alon began to question if he himself had made a mistake. ...Yet, even with that doubt, his stare remained fixed. If this were the first time sensing something amiss, he might have hesitated. He might have pondered if he had misread the situation, if he had thought incorrectly. Indeed, he had been wrong before. But a conclusion had already been reached. What started as mere suspicion. Had now solidified into a conclusion he felt quite certain about. That is precisely why— "...Then why—" Alon calmly voiced the undeniable truth. "—are you pretending?" A statement of fact that might prove uncomfortable. "......" "......" Seollang met Alon’s gaze, her expression of bewilderment unchanged. ...Alon, in turn, held her gaze in silence. The quietude, which at other times might have offered peace, now felt oppressively heavy, yet Alon remained silent, his eyes unwavering. They simply exchanged looks, no words spoken. Without uttering a sound. In serene stillness. Alon couldn't quite decipher the fleeting emotion that darted across Seollang's eyes in that moment. For a brief instant, a single feeling seemed to surface, but he couldn't grasp its meaning. Because the emotion that flashed through Seollang’s eyes was too subtle and too swift for Alon to comprehend. After that tension-filled silence eventually passed— "......" Seollang’s demeanor began to subtly shift. Her eyes, which had moments before shone with apparent joy and confusion, now became devoid of all expression, as if her previous display had been nothing but a charade. The lips that had curled upwards, revealing a hint of her fangs, softly pressed together. The tail, which had swayed unceasingly since she first met Alon, gradually stilled. And then— "...How did you know?" A calm voice, entirely unfamiliar to Alon, emanated from Seollang, reaching his ears.