I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 112 - Truth.. (2)
Chapter 112 – Truth…? (2)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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At the end of the silence that followed, Sirkal finally opened her mouth.
“…Then why did he not tell us that himself?”
As Sirkal muttered in blank incomprehension, the chieftain slowly lowered himself into his chair and shook his head.
“That, too, I do not know. Just as lesser beings cannot understand the actions of the great, we as well cannot fathom his will.”
“But one thing is certain. He has saved our tribe once again. Therefore, should we not do what little we can for him?”
“What little we can do?”
At Sirkal’s question, the chieftain smiled brightly.
“Yes. There is only one thing creatures as insignificant as us can do for one such as him. We offer awe. That is…”
His smile deepened.
“What we, who have received his grace, must do. And it is the duty that you, as his apostle and the chieftain to come, must bear. Can you do that?”
At those words, Swift Sirkal fell silent for a moment.
And at the same time, she recalled it.
The white radiance that had spread through that gray world when Marquis Palladio dealt with Receiver Basiliora.
“…”
When Sirkal thought of that sight, her answer.
“Yes.”
Contained no hesitation.
####
It had taken Alon about two weeks to come from Kaslot to the outskirts of Theria, capital of the Kingdom of Asteria, and now only one more day remained before he would reach his destination.
“Only one day left now, Marquis.”
“Indeed.”
“Once you have your audience with the king, will you return straight to the marquisate?”
“Of course.”
At Evan’s words, Alon, who had been practicing magic near the campsite, let out a quiet sigh.
“But Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“Lately, does it not seem as though your magic is getting stronger?”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Watching you repeat the same spells for two weeks makes it easier to tell.”
Alon looked toward the place where he had just been training.
‘Yes. It does seem stronger.’
Looking at the patch of ground where a large crater had been torn open, Alon wore a strange expression.
He had been using magic constantly for one line of investigation after another, but it did not make sense for the raw power of his spells to suddenly rise.
What he had been investigating was efficiency, not force.
While continuing that train of thought, Alon inferred one possible explanation.
‘If it is growing stronger without any clear sign, it would have to be because of rank… Has my rank increased again without my noticing?’
The hypothesis that the increase in rank had made the magic itself stronger.
Under the current circumstances, it was the most plausible one.
Yet quite apart from that, Alon felt himself sinking even deeper into confusion.
Because he could not tell where in the world that rank had been accumulating.
‘No matter how I think about it, I cannot recall having done anything that should have built rank.’
Rank came from sustained awe.
In other words, even if Alon had saved many people through magic until now, such one-time situations were not enough to create rank.
Rank was something formed through unwavering belief sustained to the point it could be called faith.
‘Where in the world is it coming from?’
The strange situation drew him deeper into thought.
‘…Would what Deus did the last time count as faith?’
He recalled Deus telling a more grandiose version of the truth among the Thunder Serpent tribe and drawing great responses from the tribespeople.
Then he shook his head.
‘No matter what, that could not possibly create faith…’
After entertaining that suspicion for only a moment, he sighed and pushed the matter aside.
In truth, rank was not the most important issue right now.
‘The real problem is this.’
Alon looked at the red ring on his finger, the one carved with a serpent pattern.
Hum.
He fed mana into it just in case.
Yet strangely, the Covenant Ring in which Receiver Basiliora had been bound did not respond.
‘That should not be happening.’
Though his face remained expressionless, inwardly Alon was deeply troubled.
Ordinarily, the being bound within the Covenant Ring of Kalgunias should respond and be summoned the moment mana was fed into it.
Of course, because Alon’s mana was so terribly lacking, there had always been a high chance that it would be summoned only as a spiritual body unable to interfere with reality.
But even that would not have been a major problem.
For in this case, there was a method of summoning that did not depend on his own mana.
So what Alon needed to confirm at this point was simply whether Basiliora could be summoned at all.
Yet strangely, no matter how much mana he poured into the ring, nothing emerged.
‘More precisely, it feels like it keeps almost happening and then failing.’
His mana was clearly being drained away, and for an instant he could feel the mana arrangement trying to shape a spirit body.
So if anything.
‘…Is it refusing to come out on purpose?’
That was the most rational suspicion.
‘…In that case, I will need to go ask Heinkel.’
He thought of the great mage who had originally owned this ring and who, in the setting, knew better than anyone else how to use it.
“Evan.”
“Yes, Marquis?”
“When is the next magic symposium…?”
“Uh, I do not know the details, but if it is held as usual… I think it will be about a month from now.”
Not a short amount of time.
In the end, Alon decided he would ask Riyan for help once more.
Then, this time, he looked toward the Shadow Dragon egg.
‘As for that, I have been feeding it mana for nearly two weeks and there is still not the slightest sign of anything.’
For the full two weeks on the road to Asteria, he had been feeding mana into that black egg, even drinking potions to keep it up, yet even now it showed no reaction.
‘…I suspect that is because my mana is pitifully low… Still, perhaps if I go to the king, I will learn something.’
It was Siyan who had sent him to the Malaka Ruins in the first place, after all.
So he found himself thinking that.
Then.
“Marquis. Have a sweet potato. Maybe because the weather is chilly here, unlike in the jungle, the sweet potatoes taste especially good.”
“…Is that so?”
Alon, who had rather taken to sweet potatoes by now.
‘Tomorrow will tell me something, at least.’
Quickly sat down beside Evan and bit into the well-roasted sweet potato.
“…It is good.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, maybe I should have brought some of that stormbee meat too.”
“…I think sweet potatoes are dozens of times better.”
Sweet potatoes eaten on an autumn evening still tasted good.
####
And on the evening of the next day.
“Marquis, we have arrived.”
“Good.”
Now that the familiar sight of Theria could be seen in the distance, Alon said.
“Let us go straight to the royal castle.”
“Yes.”
And the carriage started toward where Critenia Siyan awaited.
Not long after that.
“Oh, so you have come?”
He was able to seek an audience with the king of Asteria, who still received him in her office with the same leisurely expression as ever.
####
Shili Macalian, the younger sister of Deus Makalian, was in an extremely good mood today.
There were, in fact, two reasons for it.
First, her elder brother Deus Makalian, who had recently left on business, was returning today and would be able to eat dinner with her.
And second, on this very day, Shili Macalian had reached the first circle as a mage.
“Hehe.”
Without meaning to, she let out a happy laugh.
The words her magic teacher had spoken in surprise over the past year rose into her mind.
‘You have talent.’
You have talent.
Coming from a magic teacher who never spoke empty flattery, those words were immensely sweet to Shili.
After all, her one and only family, Deus Makalian, possessed sword talent more brilliant than anyone else’s.
Of course, she had never done anything foolish like envy him.
But it was also true that she had admired him.
So now that she had been recognized as having real potential as a mage, she could not conceal her joy.
On top of that, among the eight elements, she showed strong affinities for fully four of them: fire, ice, lightning, and wind.
‘I have to brag to my brother…’
Shili was looking forward to the evening dinner with Deus.
Because he was the one person who would be happiest to hear the news.
It had been because Deus himself suggested that she try learning magic that she began dreaming of becoming a mage in the first place.
‘Of course, the reason my brother told me to try magic was probably because of that person.’
Shili knew why he was so obsessed with magic.
There was no way she would not.
If the subject of that person came up while they were together, what should have been a thirty-minute dinner often stretched late into the night.
On top of that, Shili even knew that, from time to time, Deus secretly mimicked the way Marquis Palladio used magic.
‘I am going to surprise him today.’
Full of anticipation, she waited for the evening dinner.
And when she finally met Deus that evening.
“Brother, I became a mage.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Just as she expected, a gentle smile spread over Deus’s lips.
Smiling back at him, Shili continued.
“I am at the first circle now.”
“That is wonderful.”
“And Teacher said I have talent too.”
“Is that so?”
As she had expected, Deus was genuinely delighted, as though it were his own accomplishment.
So Shili excitedly told him everything her teacher had said that day.
“…And anyway, because of that, I think I am going to focus on fire and wind among the four elements…”
Deus nodded several times, looking at his younger sister warmly.
Then the instant Shili was about to open her mouth again, still excited.
“Wait.”
“Teacher said fire-element spells are easier to learn too… huh?”
She immediately noticed that something was wrong.
“…Brother?”
The face of Deus, which had clearly been wearing a warm smile until only moments ago, had turned very solemn and strict.
“??”
Shili was bewildered by the sudden change.
Even so.
“Shili.”
“Yes…?”
“As you know, the Macalian bloodline has inherited the elements of lightning and ice.”
“…Uh… what?”
She understood even less now.
Naturally so.
As far as she knew, no mage had ever emerged from the Macalian family.
And their parents had been nothing more than an ordinary woodcutter and a herb gatherer.
Yet.
“Um… Brother? There are no mages in our bloodline…”
The moment Shili tried to object.
“Shili, this is important. We must be clear. Fire and wind, or ice and lightning. Decide here and now.”
Deus cut her off and spoke with greater seriousness than anyone else in the room.
As if the Macalian bloodline had truly been passing down ice and lightning magic from generation to generation.
“…”
Shili looked at Deus.
His expression was more solemn than ever.
Watching his mood carefully, Shili finally opened her mouth.
“I think maybe fire and wind…”
“Ice and lightning.”
“But…”
“Ice and lightning.”
And at that, she lost the rest of her words.
“…”
“…”
After a short silence.
“Uh… ice and lightning?”
She glanced at his face and softly repeated the two words he wanted.
Only then did Deus nod over and over in satisfaction, wearing an almost pleased smile.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“…”
“That is what the Macalian bloodline is.”
…The Macalian bloodline. There is no such thing.
Shili thought that briefly.
But she did not say it aloud.
…It was a very strange dinner.