I Became the Patron of Villains

141. Exploration (1)

Right after Yuman warned and left.

Alon returned to his room to take a short break.

“So, that guy, Rikrakka… something, was he big?”

“…Suddenly?”

“I kept hearing the soldiers who returned from the expedition talking about him a lot.”

Evan’s question.

[Hmph, he was just a giant thing.]

But it was not Alon who answered, but Basiliora.

“Huh? How is he out here?”

[Don’t point your finger at me! You human!]

Basiliora snapped at the finger pointing at him.

“He said it was too boring to be trapped in the ring all the time. So I made it so he could come out freely.”

“…That was possible?”

“As he told me, I slightly connected magic to the groove of the ring, and he comes out and goes in as he pleases.”

[Kahahahaha!! Yes, now I am a free spirit!!]

Basiliora curled up and opened his mouth.

…As always, he was just cute, not even 30cm in size.

“…Anyway, Rikrakka was bigger than Basiliora.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then this snakehead could have been killed in one blow?”

Evan chuckled as if teasing.

The small snake was furious at that.

[What are you talking about! If I had manifested, I could have slaughtered that guy!]

“Yeah, yeah.”

[Don’t underestimate me, human!! You lost to me in a card game!!]

“What nonsense are you talking about, you got lucky and won one out of thirty games!”

[Hmph! In the end, the final winner is the winner!]

The two started bickering again as soon as they met.

‘…Are they on good terms or bad terms?’

Meanwhile, the little black cat on his chest suddenly came out of his coat and looked at Basiliora with a curious expression.

[Huh?]

Basiliora noticed the gaze.

[Hmph, where does a snot-nosed brat like you get off looking up at me!!!]

He shouted with a feeling of “Go!!!”

However, the black cat just tilted its head once.

Smack-!

[Ugh?!]

It struck Basiliora’s ethereal body and sent him flying.

Basiliora tumbled to the ground like a toy.

“Oh. Ohhh!!! Finally, I have a means of attack!”

Evan lifted the black cat as if he had found a good weapon.

Screeeech!!!!

But the small cat immediately revealed its red eyes in all directions and let out a monstrous scream, forcing Evan to put it down with the same smiling face.

Alon, who had been watching all this, simply defined the triangular relationship.

“…It’s a mess.”

####

While Alon’s party was having a somewhat pleasant time.

In a room at the border.

“……”

“……”

Two people were facing each other.

One was Yutia, the cardinal of the Holy Kingdom.

The other was Yuman, the saint of the Holy Kingdom.

“Saint, you said you had something to discuss with me, what is it?”

Yutia smiled lightly, but Yuman, with a stern face, got straight to the point.

“Cardinal Yutia. Did you visit the border a month ago?”

A dry, interrogative question without any embellishment.

But Yutia did not lose his smile.

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“I heard that the Cardinal was seen in the northern canyon region about a month ago.”

It was merely a rumor.

However, Yuman had not come to find Euthia relying solely on rumors.

“Cardinal Euthia, you were in Caliban about a month ago, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I was supposed to attend the royal banquet.”

“No, that’s incorrect. Originally, Cardinal Sergius was supposed to attend the banquet, but you suddenly changed the schedule and went, didn’t you?”

“……”

Euthia did not answer.

She just looked at Yuman with a faint smile, as if to say, “Go on.”

Yuman continued calmly.

“I heard that after you arrived in Caliban, you disappeared for about three days.”

“I told the priests that I was going to spread the word of Sironia in another village.”

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“I know. The village you went to is called ‘Pigani,’ which is a day’s journey from Caliban. It’s known for its cheese. It’s a hospitable village that always makes sure visitors taste their cheese.”

“Is that so?”

“Did you have the cheese?”

“Yes.”

Euthia answered with a smile.

However, Yuman’s expression grew colder.

“That’s unfortunate. What I said was a lie.”

“……”

“Pigani’s specialty is indeed cheese. However, unfortunately, no cheese was made this year. There is also no stored cheese. Pigani’s food storage burned down in an accident a few months ago.”

In other words, Cardinal Euthia could not have eaten the cheese.

Yuman stared at Cardinal Euthia and then threw out his words.

“……Cardinal Euthia, you were in the canyon, weren’t you?”

“Perhaps.”

Despite the pointed question, Euthia continued to smile.

She showed no sign of being flustered.

Rather, her smile deepened, as if she found the situation amusing.

It was enough to make Yuman feel awkward.

His voice grew even colder.

“If you have no intention of answering, I will change the question. What are you planning to do to Marquis Palatio? What scheme are you plotting?”

“Are you curious about that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“…Even as it is, he is a brother who has endured countless hardships. He is not someone you can recklessly toy with.”

For the first time, a strange doubt flickered in Yutia’s eyes.

A very brief moment.

A moment so fleeting that even Yuman couldn’t perceive it.

But only for a moment, Yutia quickly erased that look and brushed her lips.

“Perhaps, you and I are looking at the same place.”

“…What did you say?”

“You said you were curious about what I am plotting against the teacher, right?”

“……”

“It’s simple. I just want to make the teacher a slightly greater being. Yes, that’s all.”

“…A great being?”

“Yes. A great being.”

“He is already great.”

“Well, is that really so?”

A clear laughter echoed through the room.

“I agree with that statement. But it’s still not enough. He will become even greater. No, he must become greater. More, more, much more.”

Yuman shuddered involuntarily.

The person in front of him was indeed Cardinal Yutia.

There was no magic or divine power emanating from her.

There was no change.

Nothing had changed.

Yet, he shuddered all over.

Because in Yutia’s eyes, a vivid madness was embedded.

Looking into those eyes, Yuman was convinced.

There was no way he and Yutia were looking at the same place.

She was dangerous.

“…….”

A thought flashed through Yuman’s mind.

How could he separate her from the Marquis?

No matter how much he thought about it, no solution came to mind.

No, to be precise, he thought of a few ways, but he couldn’t predict how Cardinal Yutia would react in such a situation.

Therefore.

“……I will not let you have your way with Marquis Palatio.”

Yuman declared to Yutia with firm resolve.

Despite those words.

“Please, do so, Saint. The more you do, the more it will help the teacher.”

Yutia responded softly.

Their gazes crossed for a while.

A gaze mixed with unknown emotions and will.

And at that moment.

The one who became the center between them, Alon.

Thud, thud-!

[aaah…… Please, please stop. Spare me……!]

“That’s it, Kamang! Crush that stupid snake head-!”

“…….”

Basiliora and Kamang’s one-sided arena, watching blankly.

‘……Should I eat a sweet potato.’

####

About a day later.

When Alon was slowly contemplating whether to go to Lartania or return to the Marquis’ house.

At an auction house in Marquis Palatio’s estate.

“Ha ha ha-!”

The appraiser Alexion, now the owner of the auction house, burst into a hearty laugh in his office.

Even though he barely got four hours of sleep out of the 24 hours in a day, he was still immensely enjoying his current life.

It was all because of money.

Currently, Alexion was making so much money that he could say he was enjoying another heyday, just like he did in the back alleys of Raxas.

To what extent, you ask? To the extent that, thanks to Satan’s wicked gaze, I had already recovered all the money I had invested, albeit reluctantly.

Is that all?

Just by running an auction house at the Marquis of Palatio, he was able to gain a great deal of favor and connections.

Without any effort at all.

Simply because he opened an auction house at the Marquis’s estate, the simple misconception that he had some connection with the Marquis of Palatio brought him a great deal of favor—

No.

“Hehehe—”

He had received bribes.

Shrrrrk-!

Alexion repeatedly put his hand into and out of the two boxes placed in front of his desk.

The boxes were filled with items that could be turned into money.

They were lifted by Alexion’s touch and fell with a shrrrrk.

Just looking at them made him happy.

The grueling labor of the past few months felt fully rewarded, and a blissful smile naturally spread across his face.

He was even happier because it was money that had rolled in purely thanks to someone else’s status.

It was a windfall, money found without any labor involved.

Just as he was fully immersed in his ecstasy—

Knock, knock-!

Someone knocked on the office door, and he spoke in a cheerful voice.

“Come in.”

However.

As soon as he confirmed who had entered after opening the door, he couldn’t help but freeze.

“Oh my—”

The man who slowly entered the room.

“You’ve been enjoying the bribes, haven’t you?”

“…What?”

A presence that should never have been here.

“…Ladan?”

“Ladan?”

“Sir…?”

“That’s it.”

Radan, the Pirate King of Laxas, looked at him with a deep smile spreading across his face.

Alexion’s mouth hung open in disbelief for a moment.

“So, you’ve been taking a lot of bribes, huh?”

Before he could even ask how he got here, the words fell, and he immediately responded.

“Ah, this is, well… I-I was going to give it to you…!”

“Really?”

“Hahaha- Of course, it’s something I got through the Marquis’s position, so I should share some of it…!”

Alexion subtly left room for negotiation.

But.

“How much?”

“Ah- hahaha, no, I mean, about half-“

“Half?”

“N-no, a little more than half, I should give you! After all, I did put in some effort-“

“…You need the rest?”

At Radan’s continued words.

“…No.”

“Then?”

“…I’ll give it all to you.”

Alexion nodded obediently.

And then.

“That’s right.”

Seeing Radan nodding along.

‘This sea fish b*stard…!’

He burst out in anger inside.

“Can you get me a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll bring it right away.”

He hurriedly lowered his tail and lifted the corners of his mouth.

…It was truly a smile filled with the will to live.