I Became the Patron of Villains - Chapter 217



217. Foreign News and Rebellion (1)

About a week had passed since they headed north.

“……Certainly, handling it that way might increase our strength.”

“Right? The miracle bestowed by the Marquis is really strong. And if Lord Reinhardt can handle lightning well, we might even gain an advantage in the fight against my brother!”

“……Ho.”

“No, Silly- that’s a bit-“

“What do you think, Lord Reinhardt? Doesn’t it sound very intriguing?”

“Hmm, it certainly does. But I’ve never believed in a god that way-“

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you how. Now, shall we give it a try? First, open one hand, make a fist, and extend your index and middle fingers-“

From the moment the northern expedition began until now.

Silly had tirelessly persuaded Reinhardt, eventually making him a believer (?).

Alon inwardly marveled at her persistence.

“……It’s beyond my expectations.”

Evan seemed to think similarly, muttering blankly, and Alon nodded in agreement.

Soon, Reinhardt was mimicking the unique prayer posture of the Kalranon Church.

Watching him, Alon made a peculiar expression.

‘That’s not a prayer, it’s forming a seal.’

How did that posture become a prayer-

As Alon pondered for a moment, a cold wind brushed past his face.

“It’s cold.”

Naturally, he recalled what Kylas had said.

‘The heart of the coldest place.’

Not a precise destination, but merely a hint.

Yet, Alon had a rough idea.

‘It must be the horizon.’

The horizon of the snowy mountains.

Players call it simply the horizon.

A place you can see if you penetrate through the barbarians and go inside, the coldest place and considered a sacred site.

…that was all the information Alon had.

Alon had never been there himself.

No, to be more precise, no player in Psychedelia had ever been to the horizon of the snowy mountains.

They only knew it as ‘information.’

In the first place, the horizon of the snowy mountains existed only as a setting, there was no way to actually go there in the game.

Nevertheless, the reason Alon and the players were aware of the horizon of the snowy mountains was because of the ‘strong one.’

From the middle of the game, when sin begins to appear in earnest.

Depending on the player’s choices and actions so far, a strong one appears to help.

One of them was the being at the horizon of the snowy mountains.

‘The Millennium Ice, right?’

A name that doesn’t quite fit with the barbarians, with the ability to freeze anything around him.

When with the player, he always mentioned the horizon of the snowy mountains.

Thanks to that, most players knew about it even though they had never been there.

‘I think I heard it was unlocked in the DLC.’

Alon, who was pondering, soon shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts.

Whether the horizon was included in the DLC or not was not important at this point.

‘It would be nice if I could enter easily, but that would be difficult.’

Alon glanced at Deus and the expedition guarding the carriage on horseback.

Even if Alon went alone without forming an expedition, he couldn’t avoid fighting the barbarians.

The barbarians were hostile to anyone who didn’t live in the north like them.

Therefore, Alon had to fight the barbarians to reach the horizon.

‘…I hope it won’t be too much trouble.’

Alon sighed deeply.

As if to remind him that he had come up to the north, his breath scattered into white steam.

Recalling that, he felt cold for no reason and put his hands into his coat.

He suddenly remembered what he had seen at the roots of the World Tree.

‘The technique is against the heavens.’

Then, looking at the sunset hanging below the mountain-

‘I wonder what could be there.’

Again, curiosity about what might be at the center of the horizon slowly began to rise.

As his thoughts continued to follow one after another.

…He suddenly craved sweet potatoes.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s eat sweet potatoes today.”

“…? Yes… sure.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just… you had them two days ago, so it’s a bit sudden.”

“…”

The end of his thoughts was a well-roasted sweet potato.

Evening.

Marc, who is called the third sword in Caliburn and also known by the other name, Shadow Sword, with quite a few rumors.

He looked at the carriage parked far away with a strange expression.

The carriage where Marquis Palatio was.

“……”

The first scene that caught his eye was.

Marquis Palatio and a cat licking a sweet potato at his feet.

Next to that was his bodyguard, absentmindedly peeling a sweet potato.

And beside him…

Deus Macallian, the first sword of Caliburn, was poking at the strange pet snake accompanying the Marquis.

Additionally.

Sitting next to the bullied snake, chattering away, was Silly, recently called the Saint of Calanon.

Reinhardt, who was making incomprehensible hand gestures, was also visible.

In fact, there was nothing particularly strange at first glance.

It wasn’t like a snake appeared blurry as if it had become a spirit.

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Or the cat next to Marquis Palatio subtly watching him, then suddenly revealing teeth from under its belly to eat a sweet potato.

…Well, it was a bit irrational.

Anyway, that combination didn’t seem particularly dangerous.

It was a scene that could fit within the category of an ordinary dinner.

Even around him, there were knights eating in a huddle, just without a carriage.

But the reason Marc couldn’t take his eyes off that place, feeling a sense of oddity, was because-

‘…Why is everyone praying to Marquis Palatio?’

It was because of the knights surrounding that group.

The Solar Knights led by Deus Macalian.

They were sitting in a circle behind the Marquis’s group.

That alone wasn’t particularly strange.

But they.

They looked like they were praying to Marquis Palatio.

No, it wasn’t just ‘looking like it.’

It was certain.

The Solar Knights were praying to Marquis Palatio.

And very devoutly at that.

As if they were really praying to a god.

Though their posture was slightly different from an ordinary prayer.

The sight of humans praying to another human was… extremely bizarre.

‘What are they doing?’

As Marc harbored such doubts.

“…Why are they doing that?”

“I don’t know. I heard something about Marquis Palatio being a god or something.”

“A god?”

“You know that rumor, right? Didn’t you hear? They say Marquis Palatio manifested as a god in Ronovellia.”

“Oh, that?”

“Yeah, that one.”

Hearing the voices of the subordinate knights, Mark unconsciously pricked up his ears.

“But isn’t that just a rumor blown out of proportion?”

“Probably, right? I heard that in the Principality of Luxible, they worship Kalannon, the one who receives lightning, as a god, and because the statue looks similar, those rumors spread even more.”

“…Well, seeing how Lady Silly, who is called the Saint of Kalannon, treats the Marquis, it seems like it might be true-“

“But for a rumor, the Solar Knights seem dead serious about it?”

“…That’s why it gives me the creeps.”

Then one of them whispered, “Could it be that they’ve all gone mad? This?” while twirling his finger around his head, and a colleague quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it down.

“You crazy b*stard, why are you suddenly trying to commit suicide?”

“Suicide? What did I do?”

“If you get caught doing that, you’re in big trouble. Don’t you know that a knight from the Fifth Sword Order got beaten to death by a Solar Knight just for making a joke about the Marquis of Palatio?”

“…Wasn’t that just because he was being cheeky?”

“No.”

“No- that’s scary.”

“So anyway, just shut up and eat your food.”

The knights, who had been whispering, soon averted their gaze and started eating.

Mark then subtly turned his gaze to the Solar Knights.

They were praying so devoutly that it made one suspect they were practically holy knights.

And.

Seeing the Marquis eating sweet potatoes nonchalantly with his back to them.

‘…Isn’t this practically heresy?’

He thought without realizing it.

‘But for something like that, the Rosarios don’t seem to react that strongly.’

Then he turned his gaze to the holy knights accompanying Cardinal Utia.

Of course, the Rosarios don’t become hostile just because someone believes in another god.

Even though the Principality of Luxible changed its state religion, they aren’t checked by the Rosarios because of that.

However, that doesn’t mean they have no ‘feelings’ about it, so Mark, who was making a puzzled expression.

‘Come to think of it, they were always together, but today, Cardinal Utia is nowhere to be seen.’

He then recalled that Cardinal Utia hadn’t shown any particular reaction and tried to continue eating his meal.

Well, it wasn’t something that concerned him anyway.

Surely, it was like that…

“Hello.”

“…!”

Mark almost spat out the food he was chewing.

‘When did she…?’

Just a moment ago, she had been talking with Reinhardt, but now she was right in front of him.

Silly spoke to the bewildered Mark.

“You kept looking this way.”

Only then did Mark realize his mistake.

He had been staring too intently in that direction.

“…I made a mistake.”

“No, I didn’t come to receive an apology.”

“In that case-“

“I was wondering if you might be interested in lightning.”

Silly smiled brightly.

Mark scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

In fact, Mark had no interest in Kalanon.

No, to be precise, he had no particular interest in gods themselves.

But even so, it was true that he had committed a slight discourtesy.

“…Well, I’m curious.”

He said that to go along with Silly’s words.

“Oh, really?”

With that, Silly’s eyes sparkled as she began to speak.

The next day.

And the evening of the day after that.

“Kalanon’s lightning is very clear and bright. Just like the blue sky of this world. That means Kalanon’s lightning is no different from this sky-“

‘…Save me.’

Mark realized.

That he had made an absurd mistake.

A few weeks later.

Alon arrived in the north without any special events, except for a few times when he made eye contact with Mark, who was looking at him with a strange expression.

Soon, he was able to meet a truly unexpected face at the base camp.

“Marquis-!”

“…Elivan?”

It was none other than Elivan, the protagonist of the original work.

The one who was rumored to be successfully dealing with the Siwen and Gwaemun in the Duchy of Shtalian-

“Hello!”

For some reason, he was in the north.

####

The capital of Caliban.

“…This is unexpected.”

Hidan, who came to Caliban to deliver the information of the Blue Moon to Deus on time as usual, scratched his head at the news of Deus’s expedition.

‘I’m sure there wasn’t an expedition last time. It can’t be helped.’

After a moment of contemplation, Hidan took out a piece of paper from his bosom and began to write a letter with magic on the spot.

Normally, he would have waited here, but since the order of the Red Moon had come down, time was tight.

Hidan, who was about to leave the letter at Deus’s mansion-

“…?”

He discovered a strange statue.

A statue with huge antlers on its head, like those of a deer.

A statue with a coat tail that was a bit too long fluttering in the wind.

Of course, from Hidan’s perspective, who had seen all sorts of statues until now, the statue in front of him couldn’t be said to be strange in itself.

Nevertheless, the reason Hidan felt so was because he knew that this statue was of the Great Moon.

‘…Was it always like this?’

Hidan immediately shook his head.

No matter how indifferent he was to his surroundings, he could notice such a drastic change.

The statue he had seen before had no antlers, the coat wasn’t that long, and above all-

‘…It’s too handsome.’

It wasn’t that handsome before.

“…….”

A face carved to perfection, the epitome of an ideal handsome man.

If that statue were alive, it would be so meticulously crafted that stars might pour from its eyes.

Hidan stared blankly at the upgraded(?) statue of the Great Moon-

‘Isn’t that a bit… too much…?’

He left that impression.

……Alon was too embarrassed to even look at the statue properly.