I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 160 - Why Are You So Strong (4)

Chapter 160 – Why Are You So Strong? (4)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Alon had expected Elivan to be somewhat stronger than he originally should have been.

When Ultultus first appeared in the north, Alon met Elivan years earlier than the original story and provided him with all kinds of rare items so he could grow more comfortably.

Those items had not been easy to obtain.

So it was only natural that Elivan’s growth would be above average.

Even so.

This was beyond Alon’s expectations.

No matter how he looked at it, this was not level ten.

He lowered his gaze slightly and looked at the crumpled Living Armors lying in front of Elivan.

For a warrior, Living Armors were troublesome monsters.

Less so for mages or priests, perhaps.

But definitely troublesome for warriors.

A slight dent in the armor would not stop them moving.

Because the armor itself was the body.

To end them properly, one had to utterly destroy it.

That was why players who raised Elivan as a warrior normally pushed the fights in Ironblood Fortress toward Yan and used another character as the frontline tank instead.

That was how the battle should have gone.

And yet Elivan had single-handedly smashed apart that entire mass of Living Armors.

Only afterward did Elivan seem to realize something himself and let out a quiet sound.

Watching him, Alon naturally began estimating his level.

Thirty.

No.

If he could erase hundreds in a single blow, then at least forty.

Given Elivan’s talent and the blessing he had received, that sort of number would make sense.

He probably had not reached Sword Master yet, so fifty still felt too high.

While Alon thought through those numbers, Elivan returned with his usual awkward laugh and asked whether he was all right.

Alon answered that he was.

Elivan immediately looked relieved.

Then Alon asked the obvious question.

At this level of strength, had support from him really been necessary in the first place?

Elivan scratched his cheek and answered that he had still heard it would be dangerous.

So he wanted to be ready in case something happened.

Then, before Alon could pursue the point any further, Elivan hurried ahead again through the wreckage of the Living Armors.

Alon followed, but the sense of inconsistency remained.

If Elivan was really this strong, he should not have needed to be that anxious.

Not unless he were the sort of person who tested every stepping stone before crossing, and Elivan had never really shown that sort of safety-first temperament before.

Then Alon noticed something else.

Elivan’s companions had not moved from where they were standing.

He turned to look.

And found all of them staring with their mouths hanging open.

They looked genuinely shocked.

####

There was much to gain inside a gate.

The setting text only said that gates appeared in relation to the Five Great Sins.

But in the game, gates were where Elivan’s party obtained weapons and artifacts.

And Ironblood Fortress in particular contained a great many useful items for Elivan’s warrior route.

The problem was that one normally had to grind for them.

If the player did not rush to Lartania early and grind levels there, then Elivan’s level on reaching Ironblood Fortress was only about ten.

At that level, he could not defeat Living Armors easily.

The only practical method was to carefully lure them one by one into individual rooms and defeat them there.

…Of course, none of that was necessary now.

Several hours into the exploration, Alon looked along the corridors of the fortress.

Scattered everywhere were things that had once been Living Armors.

They did not look like they had simply been cut.

They looked as though someone had smashed them apart with a hammer.

Silently watching the carnage, Alon turned his gaze toward Elivan.

Elivan answered with the same awkward laugh as always.

Beside Alon, Evan leaned close and whispered that honestly it no longer looked like they had needed help at all.

Alon had to admit he felt the same.

He came because Elivan asked.

Yet after entering Ironblood Fortress, he had not managed to cast a meaningful spell even once.

Or rather, he had tried.

But every single time he prepared to cast.

Elivan rushed forward and smashed apart all the Living Armors before the spell could matter.

As though he were overprotecting a child left too close to the water.

Naturally, that was a little troublesome for Alon as well.

There were things he wanted from Ironblood Fortress.

Which meant he needed to contribute to the party to some degree.

Elivan’s own companions might overlook it because they were already bound together as a group.

But if Alon later wanted to ask for artifacts, he needed to have visibly helped rather than simply tagging along.

For a moment he wondered whether Elivan might be trying to monopolize things.

Then he dismissed the thought.

Neither the game settings nor the Elivan he had actually met suggested that kind of personality.

If anything, Elivan was a straightforward righteous protagonist.

Just then Elivan approached again and asked if the Marquis was all right.

Alon answered that he was visibly unharmed, so Elivan did not need to worry that much.

Then he added that Elivan also did not need to handle everything alone.

Alon had more than enough power to handle enemies like these himself.

Elivan admitted awkwardly that he understood.

It was simply a habit.

When Alon asked what sort of habit, Elivan answered that he worried.

Only then did the picture start to make more sense.

Perhaps he simply could not bear to watch his companions get hurt.

That would suit Elivan’s nature well enough.

Even so, another question occurred to Alon.

If that were all, then why were Elivan’s companions so shocked while watching him?

Elivan hesitated.

Then, looking embarrassed, scratched his cheek and told the truth.

He had been deliberately pretending to be somewhat weaker.

Alon repeated the words.

Pretending to be weak?

Elivan nodded.

The goddess had advised him that his companions also needed to grow.

So until now, he had intentionally concealed part of his strength.

This was the first time they had seen him fight seriously.

That explained why they had all looked so stunned earlier.

And it also explained why the first wave of enemies had forced him to reveal more than he originally meant to.

Alon nodded.

Then Elivan added that he was always grateful to the Marquis.

Without the help Alon gave him before, he could never have become this strong.

Alon answered that it was good the support had truly helped.

Seeing Elivan grow even more than expected was satisfying in its own way.

Even so, Alon repeated that Elivan could relax more.

There was no need to protect him so excessively.

Elivan responded with an energetic promise that he would remember that.

In any case, by this point there were no monsters left except the boss.

At least against a boss, Alon ought to be able to use magic properly.

With that expectation in mind, they continued walking through the violet-lit interior of the fortress.

Before long they reached the end.

And there.

Something rose before them.

A dark knight.

Unlike the other Living Armors, which floated as separate armor plates and blades, this one was encased in full black armor from head to toe.

As if welcoming the intruders, it rose from where it had been seated.

Then it swept an enormous greatsword in a broad arc.

At the same time a black coat fluttered behind it.

The Left Seat of Ironblood.

Konkan.

The moment Alon recognized it, he formed a seal.

And true to the nature of Living Armors, Konkan immediately locked onto the first person attempting an attack and charged madly in that direction.

At that exact critical moment.

Elivan burst forward and smashed its head apart.

Both Alon, who lost his opening, and Elivan, who seemed to realize his mistake immediately afterward, let out the same small sound.

####

Above the elven lands of Greynif stood the kingdom of Fildagreen.

A new report was brought to Queen Magrina.

The things rising from beneath the roots were steadily increasing.

The knight of Pagade making the report explained that the trend had recently begun to feel ominous.

The numbers were not yet high enough that Pagade could no longer hold them back.

But something that had remained unchanged for nearly a thousand years was now changing.

For the moment things were still manageable.

But no one could say what kind of situation that change might lead to later.

After a short silence, Magrina answered that she understood.

For now, they were to continue watching the situation closely.

The knight accepted the order, and Magrina praised the work being done.

After dismissing the knight, she remained in thought for a while.

Then new visitors arrived.

Perion.

And Filde.

Magrina ordered that they be brought in.

Once they bowed their greetings, Magrina immediately remarked that Filde’s complexion looked poor.

Had something happened at House Palladio?

Filde answered that she was fine.

But there was something she needed to report first.

Magrina asked if they had gone to confirm Marquis Palladio.

Perion answered yes.

Then Magrina asked what they had found.

Though the queen herself did not seem to notice it, Filde saw that her fist had already clenched slightly.

Filde remained silent for a while.

Then began carefully.

What she was about to say still relied heavily on speculation.

She had not gone and directly spoken with Marquis Palladio.

At that, Magrina answered in a voice tinged with disappointment that then perhaps he truly was not the first elf after all.

But Filde immediately shook her head.

No.

In her opinion, Marquis Palladio was very likely the first elf.

Which meant.

Very likely the queen’s elder brother.

At that firm statement, entirely devoid of laughter, Magrina’s eyes widened farther than ever.