Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 469: Fragment (8)

The day following the mercenaries' grand festival in Shu, Alon resumed his journey towards the Empire once more.

"Ah— here we go again—" Evan drawled, gazing out at the dense forest.

"Looks like it." Penia offered no questions regarding Seollang's previous night's activities.

"Wow! Master! Look at that! That tree looks weird!" Seollang, as if the events of the prior night were entirely erased from her memory, exclaimed with her usual exuberance.

"I see."

"Right—?"

Seeing Seollang's smile, as bright and clear as the autumn sky, stir a peculiar feeling within Alon, he followed her gaze upwards.

...The autumn sky was a piercing, brilliant blue.

"It'll still take about two more months, right?" Evan inquired while Alon remained lost in contemplating the heavens.

Alon simply nodded.

"Probably."

"Haa— that'll be tiring."

"Haven't you gotten used to it by now?" Alon questioned.

Evan responded with a prolonged sound.

"I mean, sure, but still... you know how it is, right?"

"How what is?"

"Well, there are way more days in a year when I'm riding in a carriage than days when I'm not, so at this point, it just feels like I'm sick of it."

Unintentionally, Alon found himself agreeing.

It was precisely as Evan had described.

In recent times, the number of days spent within a carriage had significantly outnumbered those spent outside of one.

This was especially true since their travels back and forth to the Empire had become routine.

Thus—

"...Maybe we should think about a new means of transportation." Alon stroked his chin thoughtfully.

At this juncture, whether he was inside a carriage or sleeping under the stars, he had grown accustomed enough that it no longer bothered him significantly. However, upon reflection, the sheer amount of time dedicated to travel was considerable.

"A new means of transportation?"

"Yes. We've had a lot more cases lately where travel alone ends up eating up our time."

"Hm— it was already like that before... but it's definitely gotten worse since we started going back and forth to the Empire." Penia interjected.

"In a situation like this, realistically, the only method faster than what we have now would be an airship."

"...An airship? You mean like the one Radan uses?"

"Radan?" Penia tilted her head, a flicker of confusion crossing her features before she let out an "Ah."

"No, not anything that impressive. Of course, if you wanted one, Alon, we could make it, but to begin with, something like that can only be used if you have mana to spare in excess."

"Because the mana consumption is absurdly high?"

"Yes. It's already been more than thirty years since airships were developed, but even so, there still isn't anywhere that operates them in practice, right?"

That was indeed accurate.

Even during his time playing Psychedelia, he had never encountered an airship.

"If a storage unit capable of holding near-limitless amounts of mana ever appeared, that would change the story."

"Then yes, that would definitely work. No matter how much mana it consumed, if you just used Reverse Heavens, Marquis, you'd at least be able to keep it filled enough for travel." Penia added, though she noted that efficiency would still need some improvement.

Alon looked at Penia—

"...?"

—a sudden thought sparked in his mind.

Something he had glimpsed in Calypsophobia.

'Or would it already have been used by now...?'

A considerable time ago—without ever directly experiencing it, merely piecing together fragmented information from the community—Alon began to mentally connect these scattered pieces of knowledge.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

"Alon, what are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing."

'Well, I know where the place itself is, so I can just go see it for myself.'

Alon lightly dismissed Penia's follow-up question.

Then, abruptly, a forgotten detail resurfaced.

'...Wait. Come to think of it, where is Calypsophobia's protagonist?'

He had overlooked it amidst the chaos of falling Divine blood and the Empire's swift disintegration. However, the protagonist of Calypsophobia should undoubtedly have been somewhere within the Empire.

Furthermore, according to the established lore, that protagonist was even more formidable than Elivan.

Yet, up to this point, across all the information gathered during their movements, not a single word had surfaced about the protagonist, intensifying the question.

"Evan."

"Yes?"

"Once we get to the next town, look into rumors about a certain person."

"...Rumors about a person?"

"Yes."

"...? Alright, for now."

Alon resolved to seek a lead through Evan, at least initially.

####

Another month elapsed.

Alon's party traversed desolate borderlands, drawing ever closer to the imperial frontier under Serdea's jurisdiction.

Traveling freely would have been more straightforward if their destination was the Northern Empire's border. However, Alon had calculated that such a route would consume too much precious time.

By the time they could reach the border—

"What should we do?"

"Hmm..."

Alon found himself deep in thought.

'...Will this go smoothly?'

The memory of Serdea Polanticia's previous visit surfaced in Alon's mind.

'I have a feeling we might be able to pass through without issue.'

Despite the interruptions from Airinna Polanticia, Serdea had clearly intended to seek peace.

"For now, let's proceed."

"Yes."

After careful consideration, Alon made the decision to move forward.

The very instant they advanced—

Boom—! Rrrrrumble—!!

As the gates swung open—

"Welcome!"

Commander Falkindas, the same man Alon had encountered during his previous border crossing, greeted him with an exceptionally cheerful expression.

Then—

"In the name of Commander Falkindas, I hereby grant you passage across the border!"

Without engaging in any substantial conversation with Alon, he announced this declaration.

Alon and his companions were momentarily stunned.

"...Uh."

Naturally, Alon was the most taken aback.

This turn of events was completely unexpected.

'I did think I probably wouldn't be treated like complete leftovers...'

Yet, this reception exceeded all expectations, proving even more favorable than his last visit.

While everyone stood in bewildered silence,

Falkindas offered Alon a formal bow without further explanation.

"Ahem—ahem— please remember the name Falkindas!"

The commander let out a hearty laugh, as if preemptively solidifying his allegiance.

Watching him, Alon felt a strong urge to question the situation but restrained himself.

Although the specifics remained unclear, one thing was certain: Falkindas held a favorable disposition towards Alon and had willingly opened the border gates.

Consequently, their passage across the border was remarkably smooth.

However, the surface-level ease did not diminish the lingering questions.

Suppressing his insistent curiosity, Alon passed Falkindas and stepped onto the other side of the border.

"Evan."

"Yes."

"...Just in case—what are the odds that man still hasn't heard the rumor...?"

"Hm— probably none, right? We already got turned away once."

"...Then the misunderstanding he had last time should've already been cleared up too, right?"

"From a common-sense standpoint, yes."

As Alon posed the question to Evan—

"What about the odds that a new rumor started circulating?"

Penia proposed an alternative possibility.

After a moment's thought, Evan glanced back at the border where Falkindas stood and replied,

"If he's showing that obvious a desire to line himself up with you, then unless the rumor spreading this time was something like, 'Alon is confirmed to marry that little imperial princess!'—"

"...That is true. But realistically, I don't think such a ridiculous trash rumor would have spread."

There seemed to be a subtly harsh word embedded, yet Penia maintained her composure.

Seollang appeared curious about their discussion and looked at Penia with a strange expression following the abrupt shift in conversation.

Nevertheless, Penia's logic held.

With matters largely settled, it seemed improbable for such a rumor to gain traction.

Therefore—

"Evan, can you look into it?"

"Yes, once we reach the next town, I'll check right away. The information guild has started settling in on the imperial side too, so we should be able to get the answer pretty quickly."

Following this instruction to Evan, Alon concluded the discussion.

Three days elapsed after they resumed their journey toward the Eastern Empire.

"Alon."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember? The thing you told me to look into before—the rumor."

"You found something?"

"Yes, but something a little surprising happened."

"What is it?"

"What we expected was correct."

"...Correct?"

Alon learned the truth behind the circulated rumor.

"Yes. Apparently, a rumor has been spreading among the nobles that you and Princess Serdea are to be married."

"???"

Question marks materialized over Alon's expressionless face,

and—

"Hah...??"

Penia frowned, finding the entire notion absurd.

However, her reaction was fleeting.

"Anyway, it seems the rumor that had spread around the border was caused by the one circulating among the nobility... and there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I heard that Yutia is in the Empire."

"...Yutia...?"

"Yes. Apparently, she has departed to confer with Serdea regarding Goddess Sironia."

Yutia's countenance, which had been rigidly serious only moments before, transformed as if shedding a mask upon hearing Evan's subsequent statement.

"Truly?"

"Hm? Which aspect are you referring to?"

"That Lady Yutia proceeded to meet with her."

"As per the intelligence gathered by the information guild, that is correct."

Evan offered a casual shrug in response to Penia's inquiry.

With that definitive confirmation, a smile graced Penia's lips, and she even emitted a brief, satisfied hum.

"I understand."

She then settled back into her seat, her features radiating a palpable sense of relief.

"Master— that person, is she perhaps...?"

Observing Seollang gesturing towards Penia, whose expression had shifted from sternness to evident pleasure so swiftly, Alon found himself enveloped in a moment of awkward quietude.

####

As Alon traversed the imperial boundary, en route to join the impending subjugation efforts, which were drawing ever nearer,

within the palace grounds where Serdea Polanticia resided—

"Hmm— so it is you who has sought permission to erect a temple in this locale as well."

"That would indeed be me."

"Do you genuinely believe I would sanction such an undertaking?"

Serdea Polanticia was engaged in a discussion with the young woman known as Yutia Bloodia, identified by Serdea's intelligence as a cardinal of Goddess Sironia.

"Oh my, would such a thing be considered impossible?"

Yutia's audacious question elicited a look of utter disbelief on Serdea's face.

While she hadn't recognized it immediately upon their meeting, Serdea realized the girl before her was someone whose acquaintance she had already made.

And this prior encounter had certainly not been a pleasant one.

Quite the contrary, it had been deeply unfavorable.

Serdea was on the verge of formulating her response when—

"Well— in truth, that is of little consequence."

Yutia continued speaking without awaiting Serdea's reply, causing further bewilderment to cloud Serdea's features.

"My objective in visiting was not merely to increase the number of temples."

The instant Yutia concluded her statement,

Serdea perceived it.

"Pardon me, Princess."

Against the backdrop of the sun-drenched sky, a crimson moon materialized with startling rapidity.

And before any observation could even be voiced—

"...Do you harbor a desire for oblivion?"

Yutia's voice, imbued with a chilling resonance, pierced Serdea's hearing.