I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 60 - It Was There, Though (1)

Chapter 60 – It Was There, Though (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Yutia had made repeated remarks, but Rine had recognized for some time that the Great Moon was fundamentally different from the rest of them.

He had been a close friend of the great Palaon who existed in the age of the forgotten gods.

He freely used phrases and sentences from that forgotten age, phrases and sentences that could only be used through understanding.

After noticing that she possessed the Library, he had given her the Watcher’s Eye.

But more than anything, what made Rine feel that the Great Moon was different was the eye behind his back.

That thing, which was not recorded even in her Library and which distorted perception merely by being seen, made it clearer to Rine than anything else that the Great Moon was a different kind of being from them.

That was why Rine had faith in the Great Moon, and she did not think that was strange.

Because she believed there was nothing strange at all about offering faith to someone fundamentally different from them.

Because she held that belief, Rine never doubted for a moment that the Great Moon would win this battle as well.

In her heart he was already not merely a man wearing human skin, but the being who would fulfill her one and only long-cherished wish.

“……”

Rine continued her thoughts as she looked at the lord’s castle of the labyrinth city beyond her office.

Family.

In truth, the moment the Outer God used magic on her, she sensed her own death.

There was no way to avoid that magic.

Of course, she survived because the Great Moon saved her, even though doing so created a possible route for him to lose to the Outer God.

But she could not understand his action.

She did not think the value of her life was high enough for the Great Moon to accept a possible route to defeat.

At least in her own understanding of herself, she was no more and no less than a useful tool the Great Moon had raised to deal with the black things.

So she could not understand.

Of course, since the Watcher’s Eye was not yet complete, she still had some use left.

Even so, the Great Moon’s action looked endlessly irrational to her.

That was why, after agonizing alone for a long time, Rine had finally asked him a question, and heard that word.

Family.

Rine muttered the word bluntly.

To her, the word family had never carried much meaning.

From the beginning, because she had been born into this world with the Library, there had never been anything like family for her in the first place.

Family.

But even so, at least now it was different.

Of course, she still did not place much meaning in family itself.

That simple word stirred nothing in her, either ideologically or psychologically.

Nevertheless, the definition of family changed for Rine because the person who had spoken that word was the Great Moon.

To her, who respected the Great Moon so deeply that she had instead chosen to stand one step back and worship him, the word family from his lips sounded terribly sweet.

Because the Great Moon had called her family?

No.

Because she had been tied to the Great Moon by the title of family?

That was not it either.

The reason Rine found sweetness in the word family was this.

I can get a little closer to him.

The Great Moon had personally acknowledged a legitimate path by which she could approach him even more closely.

A little closer. No.

If possible, closer than anyone else.

And if.

If the Great Moon, no, if Godfather, needed me more than anyone else, more than Red Moon.

By the time she recalled the new purpose that had somehow become hers alone, the girl who had been looking toward the domain of the labyrinth city turned her gaze and looked in one direction.

There stood a full-length mirror, reflecting Rine’s figure.

“……”

The Rine in the mirror was smiling.

It was not a faint smile.

It was a bright smile unlike any she had ever seen on her own face before, bright enough to bare her fangs, and a faint flush tinged her cheeks.

It was a smile she had never shown even to the members of Blue Moon.

A smile unfamiliar even to Rine herself.

Staring blankly at it.

Rine smiled even more brightly and murmured.

“…Godfather.”

At first, that word had only been an improvised title she created in order to address the Great Moon with reverence.

But the word she had hastily made up had, in this moment, become more precious to her than anything else.

Because to her, that word had already become the relationship itself, the very connection that symbolized her bond with the Great Moon.

So after repeating that word again and again.

“I like it.”

She finally murmured those words and closed her eyes before opening them again.

And when Rine opened them once more, madness was contained in her eyes.

A clear and unmistakable fanatical faith that anyone could see.

* * *

On the forest road that one had to pass through to travel from the Kingdom of Asteria to the desert city of Colony, there was a man.

On his back he carried a pair of giant kama, and where his gaze rested lay a man’s corpse.

A cruel corpse whose right hand still held a quill, who had been killed before he could even properly recognize what had killed him, his neck twisted around twice.

And although it had clearly been over a month since he had died, there was not a trace of decay on the corpse, as though magic had been cast on it.

“Huh.”

The man looking at that sight.

No, the Proxy, another being like the corpse, gave a dry laugh and crouched to touch the dead man’s body.

The residual traces of mana broke apart the moment he did.

From that alone, the Proxy realized that preservation magic had been placed on the corpse, and he unconsciously licked his lips.

There was effectively only one reason to put anti-decay magic on an already dead, even decomposing, corpse like this.

A threat.

It was no different from a warning that said, if you do not want to end up like this, do not come looking.

Was this what happened while trying to deal with Count Palladio?

Recalling the request the dead man had received about two months earlier, the man began thinking for some time.

When, how, and in what manner he would take revenge.

The Proxies did not feel particularly strong camaraderie toward one another.

The only reason he considered revenge was the name value of the Proxies.

That near-perfect mission success rate, which could be called their identity, had to be maintained.

“……”

But unfortunately, the Proxy was not planning to go after Count Palladio immediately.

He is definitely strong, then.

He recalled the rumors about Count Palladio.

Over the past few years Count Palladio had already been moving beyond the Kingdom of Asteria, and while doing so he had been building a reputation that sounded somewhat absurd to anyone who heard it.

The first rumor was that he had made an immense contribution to handling the Outer God in the north.

The next was that he had helped deal with the two Baba Yaga in Colony.

And the latest was that he had dealt with the Outer God that appeared in the labyrinth city.

So it was not just nonsense after all.

To be honest, the Proxy had believed the reputation Count Palladio had built was all exaggerated to some degree.

He knew nobles often played ridiculous games to enhance their own prestige.

But seeing that one of the Proxies had died without even being able to put up a fight, it no longer seemed likely that the count’s strength was merely a thing made out of false rumor.

A man who can casually kill someone on the level of a Master Knight, and who is skilled enough to deal with an Outer God that exists only in texts.

Then I would need at least five. But the force I can gather immediately is three at most. And in a situation where I don’t even know the count’s exact capabilities.

After repeatedly considering how to proceed while measuring Count Palladio’s strength, he soon made a decision.

Since I cannot gather maximum force at present anyway, I may as well seek out the man most likely to know Count Palladio’s strength in detail and ask him.

With a deep smile, the Proxy looked toward Caliburn.

Toward Deus Makalian, one of the Master Knights who maintained a relationship of benefaction with Count Palladio.

And while I’m at it, I can also let Count Palladio know exactly whose people he touched.

If someone could read his thoughts, they might think he was simply insane.

Yet the man himself wore a confident smile.

Because every Proxy was roughly as strong as a Master Knight.

Taking down one Master Knight is no difficulty at all.

With that thought, the man vanished from the spot.

* * *

It took a little over a week, but when Alon leisurely returned to the county estate, he spent more than three months there in deep rest.

In truth, if he had followed only his heart, he would have moved his body immediately after dealing with the Outer God, but unfortunately a body suffering from mana intoxication did not recover easily.

Of course, he recovered relatively quickly to the point that he was not completely unable to use magic, but it still took three months before he could fully use mana again.

Only after the hot summer passed and winter winds began to blow could he finally say that his body had more or less recovered.

And during that long yet short span of about three months, Alon did three things.

One was to handle the internal affairs of the territory that he had put off.

Another was exchanging letters with Yutia, who had sent him a backlog of them.

And the last was researching magic.

Although he had not been able to use magic properly for about three months and could only approach it academically, to him magical inquiry had already entered the realm of enjoyment rather than study.

Especially because the self-nature manifestation he had briefly reached while facing the Outer God had stirred even greater interest in him.

Now that I’ve recovered, I do need to go back to Colony soon. But first, maybe it would be better to activate the ring Heinkel handed over. Or should I rest a little longer?

In truth, Alon’s body was not fully recovered.

The symptoms of mana intoxication had improved considerably, but they were not completely gone.

Which was why.

I need to think of some way to increase my mana, somehow.

It was around the time Alon was thinking that.

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“A letter has arrived. It’s from Duke Altia.”

“Ah.”

From Evan, who had snow piled thickly on his head, Alon received a letter.

“…Come to think of it, that was a thing.”

His body had not been in good shape, so he had not been thinking about it, but only after receiving her letter did Alon freshly remember that he was the head of Kalpa, the faction created by the hidden villains.

When he opened the letter.

“…Hm?”

There was a small crystal orb inside.

The moment he lifted it.

Mana vibrated lightly.

That was enough for him to realize it was a communication crystal.

And not long after, Duke Altia’s face appeared beyond the crystal.

It has been a while, Count.

Despite holding the rank of duke, Duke Altia bowed her head very politely, and Alon spent a moment considering how to react before answering.

“It has been a while.”

He gave a small nod.

There was something else. I contacted you because it seemed about time to make a report.

“A report?”

Yes.

Before Alon could even ask what business she had, Duke Altia said that and immediately began what could only literally be called a report in front of him.

Ah, I heard the news. The news that you made a great contribution to dealing with the Outer God in the labyrinth city of Lartania.

Before the actual report even began, there were about twenty minutes of Duke Altia enthusiastically praising Alon after saying she had heard what happened in Lartania.

Ah.

Eventually, as though realizing her own mistake, she cleared her throat and turned to the main point.

The status report on Kalpa that Alon heard from Duke Altia did not contain any issue serious enough to matter.

Except for the last report.

Ah, and as you instructed, we finished taking care of everything.

“…Taking care of what?”

Yes. As of yesterday, the underworld of Asteria has come under Kalpa.

“?”

Now there is no one left in Asteria’s underworld who can stop us. Congratulations, Count.

“……???”

At Roria’s words, Alon wore a blank look for a moment.

Alon had done nothing but breathe, and somehow he had become the king of the underworld.