I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 149 - Secret (2)
Chapter 149 – Secret (2)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“A being from the age of the forgotten gods… one even higher than the five high gods?”
[That is so. If it can intervene in longing, then it must be a being above them without question. And even I cannot begin to guess what sort of being it is.]
A being so exalted that even the dragonkin could not estimate it.
“…Then could Ultultus know this being? If anything, he was the one who spoke of it first.”
[No. He likely does not know either. Ultultus most likely made a misunderstanding similar to mine.]
“Then about that black thing…”
[At the present point in time, I do not know.]
At the dragonkin’s firm answer, Alon fell silent for a moment, then shrugged.
“Whenever I come here to resolve a question, I only end up with even more questions.”
[Well, from your position, that would be unavoidable.]
Alon let out a sigh and pushed that subject aside for the moment.
There was still a great deal left to ask.
“For now, let me tell you the rest of it as well.”
After that, Alon began taking the matters in his head out one by one.
A little later.
[…It seems more happened than I expected.]
“As you heard.”
Over the course of roughly thirty minutes, he told the dragonkin everything he needed to say.
First, that he had met Duke Komalon, and the magecraft that man had mentioned.
Second, the information that the black things would rise before long.
And last, the story of the golden dragon Rainisius.
The dragonkin stayed silent in place, flicking its long tail several times as it sorted through the story.
A little later, after it had finished organizing its thoughts, it began.
[First of all, just as that sealed dragon said, I knew nothing about those beings.]
“Is that so?”
[Yes. In the first place, what I understood was different. Well, if they truly rise through that sort of process, then even if the gods remain silent, it means nothing now.]
“Can you reveal it now?”
[I can only tell you the beginning of the tale as far as I know it. But if you need it, I will.]
As soon as Alon nodded, the dragonkin remained silent for a while, then began to speak slowly.
[It is not an entertaining story. From your point of view, it is nothing more than an old tale.]
Its voice sounded like it was reaching into the far end of memory.
[Long ago, in what you call the age of the forgotten gods, the world truly was one where gods and humans existed together. Humans worshiped the gods, and the gods received faith from humans and bestowed blessings in return.]
“…”
[Many things were different from now. Instead of dividing the world by nations, territories were split beneath the names of gods. Wizards were called magi. And among the humans, there was only a single realm. Let me see… yes, though I no longer remember the name of the country, it was a nation created by one called Palaon.]
The dragonkin gazed straight at Alon.
[In any case, that was the kind of world it was. A world where gods existed, where humans and other races offered them faith, and where magi like you could engrave their own laws into the world.]
That, the dragonkin murmured as if recalling a distant memory, was what people called the age of the forgotten gods.
[To be honest, that world could not be called peaceful even in empty words. Something happened every day. Even so, it was not yet an age of total war. Not until they rose.]
“…The black things.”
[Yes. Them.]
The dragonkin’s blue eyes creased.
[They appeared without warning and began slaughtering every living thing they saw. Gods, humans, other races, magi. All of them. Every last one.]
“…Did they have a purpose?”
[No. They had none. Or perhaps they did, but there was no way for us to know. Those things never had any intention of speaking to us.]
The air around him shifted at once.
[Countless gods rose. Some alone, some in alliance. They took up arms to kill those things that had appeared from nowhere. And the result is what you now see.]
“…They were defeated?”
[They were not merely defeated. Most of the gods that rose to deal with the black things were extinguished.]
“…”
A powerless voice settled over the air.
[A god does not vanish easily by nature. Even if struck down, the difference is only in time. As long as faith remains, one may revive after days, or after decades. But most of the gods struck down then were truly extinguished.]
“…Was there a reason?”
[It is simple. Their names were stolen.]
The loss of a name.
[A name is important to a god. No, not just the name. Every element that composes a god is important. But if even one of those is taken, a god can no longer maintain its form.]
“…”
[One lost a name. Another lost a body. Another lost a mind. Another lost honor. That is how they were extinguished. I was no different.]
A self-mocking smile appeared on its face.
[I lost my name, and in my final moment, I escaped extinction only by sealing myself inside my own shrine.]
That must have been its final struggle.
An incomplete one, but still a struggle to continue living.
“…Then did the other gods preserve their lives the same way?”
[I do not know even that. I sealed myself while the war was still raging. But most of the gods who remain alive at this time were beings of tremendous strength even in the old age.]
“Why is that?”
[Because surviving even after losing one’s name is no ordinary thing.]
In any case.
[In conclusion, the gods were defeated by them. They even had their positions as gods usurped.]
“…Usurped.”
That was.
[Yes. Usurped. We, who were once the gods of this continent, are now called Outer Gods, while they came to be called, with awe and fear, the Five Great Sins.]
That was the birth history of the Five Great Sins.
####
“I have a question.”
[What is it?]
Alon had only listened for a long while.
Now a doubt rose in his mind.
“Why did the Five Great Sins steal your names and even seize the seat of gods?”
[Who can say? I only learned that fact after awakening from my seal. Hm. If I had to guess, it would be because they wished to make us forgotten.]
“…To make you forgotten?”
[It is no more than a guess.]
“Even so, let me hear it.”
[When I awoke again, the original gods had vanished, the line of the magi had been severed, and as for the dragons you mentioned, if your words are true, they had all been killed until they became creatures of fantasy.]
The dragonkin’s voice continued calmly.
[…I understand that the age ended because gods, magi, and dragons were all slain. But there are too many points that do not sit right if I accept only that.]
“…Are you referring to how the gods had their places usurped?”
[Not only that. The magi’s magecraft as well. Even if they all died, some lineage should have remained. But look around. Other than you, is there a single magus in this world?]
“…No.”
[Exactly. That is the point. Something is wrong. Even if the gods were extinguished, there should still be information about them. Even if the magi died, the laws they left behind, and the research they built, should not have disappeared.]
Even if the magi were unable to leave behind their mind-images, the same remained true.
Its voice rang with certainty.
[This world has lost all information. Everything about dragons, everything about gods, and everything about magi. As if…]
The dragonkin let out a heavy breath.
[As if it had all been manipulated.]
####
On the road back from the ruins.
[Kkyu.]
Watching Kkamangi being swung through the air like a toy airplane in Seollang’s hand, Alon quietly organized the conversation he had with the dragonkin after that.
No, in truth there was not much to organize.
Most of it had been speculation.
“…Well, since it sealed itself midway through the war, that couldn’t be helped.”
In the end, there were only two truths he had clearly gained from this conversation.
First, that though he did not know what they were aiming for, the Five Great Sins had usurped the positions of the gods and had tried thoroughly to erase the traces of the old age.
Second, why Duke Komalon had called himself a half-finished magus.
“Magecraft is engraving a law and a mind-image…”
Alon recalled the dragonkin’s explanation regarding magi.
[Magi each possess their own self-nature manifestation. As I told you before, that self-nature manifestation is only possible when a mind-image exists.]
[Magecraft is the step that comes after self-nature manifestation. One engraves law and mind-image into the mana hole and becomes unified with that very law. Only then do magi call themselves magi without hesitation.]
[Well, ask the rest in three months. Ask when the thing you left behind is ready.]
“…So that is why he called himself half-finished.”
Once he understood what Duke Komalon had meant, a deep sigh escaped Alon without his noticing.
He had learned things.
But unresolved questions still remained.
“…Why are the black things trying to erase the past? And if what the golden dragon said is true, Kailus is clearly a magus, so why did he appear as an Outer God?”
Countless questions complicated his thoughts.
But Alon shoved them aside and reminded himself of his original objective.
“The highest priority right now is stopping the Five Great Sins.”
In the end, to him, the most important thing was one thing alone.
To stop the Five Great Sins and live the peaceful life of a noble.
If there was anything slightly more secondary than that, it was to pursue magic a little more deeply.
At first he had learned magic only to protect himself.
Now it had become an indispensable part of him.
It was the only thing in this world that stirred both curiosity and the desire to rise higher.
Which was why.
“…First I should do the preparation work needed to deal with the monstrosity. Then, around the time the original story begins, I can join the protagonist for a short while and go retrieve that item. Once I have it, I should be able to meet Kailus.”
As he sorted out his plans again, he looked up at the sun climbing steadily toward the middle of the sky.
…He was in the middle of a scorching desert.
####
“Greetings, Marquis. His Majesty requests an audience.”
“Me?”
“Yes. He also asked that Lady Seollang come with you.”
After returning to Colony, Alon received an invitation from the king out of nowhere.
“Master, what will you do?”
Even while wondering why Karmakses III had summoned him, Alon answered.
“When should I go?”
“You may depart immediately if you wish.”
“…Then I will go at once.”
He accepted the king’s invitation.
Of course, he would have liked to take a short rest and sort out his thoughts first, but he still possessed the basic common sense that refusing a king’s invitation was rude.
Riding the carriage prepared for him, he headed toward Colony’s royal castle and soon found himself walking through the same lavish halls as before.
Some time later.
Just before reaching the banquet hall where Karmakses was waiting, he encountered a man.
A man who was staring straight through him.
“…?”
Sensing the gaze, Alon naturally looked back.
Not long after, he realized who it was.
“Karan?”
Colony’s current first prince.
In the story, the sixth king of Colony, the man who would succeed Karmakses V.
Karan was staring at Alon.
With a face that said he found him deeply unpleasant.
“…?”
The moment a question rose in Alon’s mind.
Likewise.
“…”
Seollang, who had also been looking at Karan, narrowed her eyes as well.
But a moment later.
In the end, Alon’s encounter with Karan passed without incident.
Karan, who had looked as though he had been waiting for this very chance, eventually turned his gaze away and walked on.
“Marquis, do you happen to know him?”
“I do not.”
“Then why was he looking at you with such an unpleasant… no, elegant expression?”
Evan glanced around in case someone overheard him, spotted the guards, and hurriedly changed his wording.
“I don’t know either.”
Naturally, Alon did not know either.
He knew Karan through his experience with Psychedelia, but this was their first actual meeting.
Of course, Karan might know Alon through rumors and news.
Even taking that into account, however, the hostility he displayed so openly did feel strange.
Alon tilted his head at it only briefly.
Soon after, he entered the banquet hall.
“Greetings, Marquis.”
“?”
The moment he stepped inside and saw a man bowing to him at a full right angle, Alon was briefly bewildered.
Then admiration slipped out inside him.
“…It has been a while, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
Because the handsome man bowing before him now.
Was the very same second prince Karsem.
Half a year ago, he had been a soot-stained, grotesquely overweight figure who was practically called a walking pig.
“???”
An endless row of question marks rose over Alon’s head.