I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 127 - Are You a Heretic (2)
Chapter 127 – Are You a Heretic? (2)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Yuman’s sudden appearance.
And yet,
the kings attending the meeting showed no special reaction,
so Alon immediately understood.
…So it had already been decided that Yuman would come.
Thinking about it,
there was nothing especially strange in that.
This affair had effectively spread across the whole Allied Kingdoms,
and the Holy Kingdom had also been involved.
While Alon was looking at Yuman,
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
Shutalian V broke the silence.
He looked as though he could not understand what Yuman had just said.
Yuman then naturally moved to Alon’s side.
“I mean exactly what I said. Do not ask him why he goes around hunting Outer Gods.”
“Then why should it not be asked?”
Shutalian V wore a somewhat displeased expression.
Alon was also inwardly puzzled,
but Yuman answered calmly.
“I cannot tell you the reason.”
“What?”
“But one thing is certain. He is currently contributing to the peace of the world.”
At Yuman’s assurance,
the kings who had stayed silent until then all let out small sounds of surprise.
The Holy Kingdom,
whatever its internal state,
had always maintained outward neutrality.
So for it to take someone’s side in a way like this
was extremely unusual.
All of the kings looked at Yuman with expressions of astonishment.
Still,
“Then are you saying we should believe only the saint’s word and ask the marquis nothing further?”
Shutalian V still kept his brow furrowed.
Once Yuman had spoken,
it might have been wiser not to argue further and simply let the matter pass.
The saint’s rank was not above that of a king,
but to set oneself against the Holy Kingdom was to create a very exhausting problem with one’s own hands.
And yet,
knowing that,
Shutalian still openly expressed dissatisfaction.
He did have grounds to show that dissatisfaction.
Yuman was only saying that they should not ask about Alon,
but he was not offering any reasonable explanation that would let the situation be understood.
Then Yuman looked at Shutalian V for a moment,
and curled up the corner of his mouth.
“…Then, is Your Majesty saying that you do not trust the will of our Holy Kingdom at all?”
“…Hm? No, wait, I did not say it like-”
“That is how it sounds to me.”
Shutalian V was taken aback.
Certainly,
he had expressed dissatisfaction toward the saint,
but in an instant it had become as though he were expressing dissatisfaction toward the whole Holy Kingdom.
“Wait a moment. That is far too great a leap-”
he hurriedly began to explain.
But,
“A leap? I am not only the saint. At present I am the Holy Kingdom’s representative. If you express such dissatisfaction toward my words… does that not mean you are going against the will with which the Holy Kingdom sent me?”
The shallow smile vanished from Yuman’s face,
and he spoke coldly.
At that,
Shutalian became speechless.
Though phrased smoothly,
what Yuman was effectively saying was,
So you do not trust us? Then that makes you a heretic, does it not?
And so,
“Ahem. That is not what I meant.”
Shutalian V hurriedly tucked in his tail.
One had to be careful even about setting oneself against the saint,
but drawing the dislike of the entire Holy Kingdom
was a problem on a completely different level for a nation,
especially one belonging to the Allied Kingdoms.
And because Ashtalon had suffered far more heavily than any other kingdom in this incident,
and desperately needed priests and Holy Kingdom support,
it was even more important not to offend them.
“…My apologies, then.”
Shutalian V apologized,
but Yuman calmly shook his head.
“No. The one to whom you should apologize is not me. It should be Brother Alon.”
Hm? Me?
No, I am fine though?
Alon quietly denied it inwardly,
having only just managed to follow what was unfolding before him.
But whether he knew that or not,
Yuman remained composed.
“Brother Alon was merely contributing to the sake of the world, and yet he was made an object of suspicion, was he not?”
“No, rather than suspicion, it was only that there were a few unclear points-”
But Shutalian V soon shut his mouth.
Yuman had not said anything further,
and yet the meaning in his expression was perfectly clear.
Seeing the face that seemed to say,
So you really are a heretic,
Shutalian V finally lowered his head once again.
“Marquis, I apologize.”
“…It is all right.”
Alon accepted the apology awkwardly,
though to everyone else he likely looked quite calm.
And then,
“Brother.”
looking at Yuman,
who seemed to be signaling with his eyes,
Trust me,
Alon felt something strange.
…I am grateful, certainly,
but is this not a bit much?
That thought crossed Alon’s mind and passed on.
Outside the window,
early evening had arrived.
####
The meeting did not end until late that night.
“Is your body a little better?”
“It is all right.”
“Still, remarkable. When did you build a connection with the saint?”
Asked by Siyan,
who seemed genuinely curious,
Alon fell silent without meaning to.
Not because he did not want to answer,
but because Alon himself did not know at what point Yuman had come to feel this degree of closeness toward him.
“Well, if it is not something you wish to voice, I will not ask. In any case, there will be no more reason to call for you after today, so go back and rest. Your condition does not look especially good.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“It is nothing. I will see you next time.”
Critenia Siyan left with a light farewell.
As Alon watched her departing back,
“Master. What happened?”
“It was nothing serious.”
“Really? That is good!”
Seollang approached him with a bright smile,
and Alon stroked her head.
“Mm. Then is Master going back now?”
“Probably. I need to rest a little.”
“Ehh-”
Seollang made no effort to hide how disappointed she was.
“Master. Want to come to Colony with me?”
“…I will go to Colony next time. I have reason to stop by there eventually anyway.”
“Mmm. That is disappointing, but I suppose it cannot be helped.”
Even while looking disappointed,
she nodded.
Watching her,
Alon unconsciously smiled inwardly like some father,
and as he continued to stroke her head more enthusiastically,
“Brother.”
“…Saint.”
Yuman suddenly spoke again.
“Is your body all right?”
“It is not yet in very good shape, but if I rest, I think I can recover sufficiently.”
“That is fortunate.”
“However… is it really all right?”
“What do you mean?”
Yuman asked back brightly.
Alon thought briefly,
then answered.
“You covered for me, did you not?”
“Ah. Please do not worry. I merely did what had to be done.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
The firmness of the answer made a faint sense of crisis rise inside Alon.
He was glad to receive Yuman’s help,
but he could already guess that it was based on some misunderstanding.
I do not know exactly what sort of misunderstanding it is, but…
As Alon wore a slightly odd expression,
Yuman let out a quiet ah,
then continued.
“Have you been speaking often with Cardinal Yutia lately?”
“If you mean letters, then yes, we have exchanged them.”
“Hm.”
At once,
concern appeared on Yuman’s face.
“Brother, as I have told you repeatedly, it is not good to keep close company with Cardinal Yutia.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Trust me.”
Yuman even pressed his lips together firmly.
Alon’s expression grew even stranger.
Thinking about it,
Yuman had been repeatedly warning him about Yutia from the beginning.
And so,
“I say this only in case, but is it possible that there has been some misunderstanding?”
“No.”
Alon pointed that out just in case,
but Yuman instead looked at him with the expression of someone who had set a child beside a river.
“Please keep my words in mind, brother. Yutia is someone who must be treated with great caution. She is a person from whom one never knows what may be hidden. Remember my words.”
He repeated the warning several times,
as though he were truly worried.
At that,
Alon instinctively realized that no matter what he said,
this conversation would only circle back to the same place.
“…All right, then. I will do so.”
“That is fortunate.”
In the end,
Alon could only nod vaguely,
and only then did Yuman wear a gentle smile and turn to leave.
Watching the place where he vanished,
Alon stood blankly for a moment.
Then,
“…He might be smarter than I thought.”
“Hm?”
Seollang’s sudden remark made Alon tilt his head slightly.
The next day,
after hearing all sorts of incomprehensible things,
Alon left Tern and headed back to the marquisate.
####
Around that same time,
in the red-light district of Laxas,
Appraiser Alexion,
who had been trying to live a more interesting life ever since being dragged away once by Radan,
ran into an unexpected disaster.
That disaster was,
“R-Radan… sir?”
“Hey. Have you been well?”
The pirate king of Laxas,
the very person who had overturned Alexion’s life,
stood before him,
wearing a bright smile.
“Y-yes, yes, I have been well… though, what brings you here…?”
Alexion asked with his back already bent in a respectful curve,
nodding repeatedly.
He was a man who bowed to no one,
but when he had been dragged away before,
he had personally seen what happened to those who opposed Radan,
so the response came naturally.
Apparently pleased by that,
Radan nodded and asked,
“So, are you still doing illegal work these days?”
“What!? O-of course not. I quit that sort of thing ages ago-!”
Alexion protested as if wronged.
And in truth,
while still living in the district,
he really had stepped away from illegal business.
The reason was naturally Radan’s words.
Do not do illegal things anymore. Live properly.
From Radan’s side,
it had only been a casual remark,
paired with a few taps to the head,
but for Alexion,
the whole situation had become trauma,
and he had obeyed exactly.
Recently,
he had started legal business ventures.
To begin with,
Alexion’s mind was exceptionally sharp when it came to making money,
and he had even been earning quite a lot.
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. I really am only doing legal business now.”
Alexion nodded repeatedly with glittering eyes in an effort to prove his sincerity.
Then Radan said,
“Then go to my brother’s territory for a while.”
“Pardon…?”
It sounded not merely like a statement,
but like an order.
“Did you not hear me?”
“Ah- yes, no, I heard you, but… your brother means… Marquis Palladio’s territory?”
Alexion asked again,
just in case he had misheard.
“Yes. You heard correctly.”
“Wh-why should I go there?”
“You are good at business, are you not?”
“Y-yes… that is true.”
“Then go there and do some business. Build up, what was it-”
After scratching his head for a moment,
Radan added,
“Specialty products, things like that. Bring in traffic to the territory too. Something along those lines.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. You.”
“…Why me?”
He looked even more unable to understand.
But then,
“You do not want to?”
At Radan’s question,
“…No.”
“If you do not want to, say so.”
“Th-that-”
“Just say it.”
“I will go.”
Alexion had no choice but to submit.
“Good. Good. Wise choice.”
Radan lightly patted his shoulder,
said what he needed to say,
and left.
“…”
After a short pause,
Alexion looked around,
then,
“He is bullying me again!!!”
he shouted,
slamming his desk.
“What?”
At once,
Radan opened the door and came back in.
“Hhk-”
“Were you calling me?”
At that question,
Alexion immediately folded both hands in front of him and shook his head repeatedly.
“Ah. N-no.”
“? Well, all right then. Let us do well, yes?”
“Y-yes…”
Radan shrugged,
then turned and left again.
Alexion squeezed his eyes shut,
then looked around once more.
Ha…
and let out a quiet sigh inside.