I Became the Patron of Villains

91. Artificial (2)

Two days later.

With only about two days left until the Chief Cardinal was to appear at the two-week-long prayer meeting within the temple.

Alon, who was eating at a restaurant near the temple, opened his mouth.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“You used to go out often whenever you had the chance, but this time you haven’t.”

At that question, Evan shrugged and spoke.

“I did go out.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but there wasn’t much to see or enjoy. If you go out to the outskirts, it’s similar to other territories, but it doesn’t seem to have any particular characteristics.”

Alon nodded and thought.

‘The Holy Kingdom does feel a bit like that.’

The view of the capital from outside the castle is very beautiful.

Even if you don’t know the outskirts, the white buildings lined up inside the castle make anyone realize that this is the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.

But other than that, unless you are a traveler who believes in Sironia, there wasn’t much to enjoy in the Holy Kingdom.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“Just asking, but is there something behind me?”

“Behind you, my lord?”

“Yes.”

At that question, Evan showed a puzzled expression and opened his mouth.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but you’ve been asking the same question since yesterday. Did something happen?”

Evan asked with a bewildered expression.

Since actually entering the Holy Spirit’s room, the reactions of the goddess and Heinkel had been remarkably similar.

Realizing he had asked Evan the same question yesterday, Alon lightly shook his head.

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Still, there’s something behind it.”

“? What’s there?”

“The Saint.”

“The Saint…?”

As Alon turned his gaze with such a question, there was Saint Yuman, staring at him with very serious eyes.

“…?”

Yuman averted his gaze slightly when their eyes met.

It was an extremely unnatural movement.

‘…Why is he doing that?’

Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t guess the reason.

He must have been displeased that he, who was not even a priest of Rosario, had entered the saints’ room through Yutia, where he originally couldn’t enter.

But the reason he was currently puzzled, despite guessing the reason, was because of the attitude he was showing.

“Count, did something really happen with the Saint?”

“Nothing but a single encounter.”

“For that, he’s been following you too much, hasn’t he? He’s been practically glued to you for two days since yesterday, hasn’t he?”

At Evan’s words, Alon made a strange expression inwardly.

The reason he felt Yuman’s attitude was strange was exactly because of that.

Since entering the saint’s room two evenings ago, Yuman, who should have had no contact with him, had been following him for two days.

And it was clear to anyone who saw it.

But he was just following him without speaking.

‘Did he catch me taking the necklace of the Eye Eater from the room? No, that can’t be, there wasn’t even a tracking spell on it, and it was hidden…’

Just as Alon was deducing other intentions.

Suddenly-!

Yuman, who had been sitting until a moment ago, as if he had made a decision, soon walked up to him and stood in front of him.

“May I borrow your ear for a moment?”

He said.

“…Your ear?”

“Yes.”

As Alon nodded in confusion, he subtly looked around and whispered quietly.

“Cardinal Yutia, you should be careful, Count Palatio.”

“…Yes?”

“She is not a believer like us.”

“…?”

He said it seriously.

Alon looked at Yuman with a puzzled expression, becoming even more bewildered.

Yuman, who seemed to have already made up his mind, looked at Alon with eyes burning with a great sense of mission.

“Then, let’s go.”

He bowed his head once and turned around to leave.

And then.

“…What is it, Count?”

Evan, who was just as bewildered, asked after seeing that scene.

“…I don’t know either.”

He was also in a perplexed situation.

####

While Alon was flustered by Yuman’s sudden change in attitude.

At the Blue Tower.

“No, you b*stards!!!!!!!!”

An unexpected shout was heard.

“Get lost!!!”

“Yes, yes!!”

The wizards, startled by the scream-like expulsion order, ran out like arrows.

Watching them, she sighed deeply as if her head was throbbing and sat down in her place.

‘Why am I in this situation…!’

Penia grabbed her dizzy head and sighed deeply once again.

It was because she had been in a very overwhelming situation recently.

Because of the rumor that had spread this time.

The rumor that Penia Crysinne was in love with Count Palatio, a rumor with as much credibility as a dog’s bone, was causing her great distress.

It was just like that.

One of the wizards, who had been holed up inside the tower for over ten months, brought a cake saying, “Congratulations on your marriage, Deputy Tower Master!”

“Sigh-“

From Fenia’s perspective, she could have laughed it off with a bit of annoyance, even if it happened a hundred times.

However, the reason she was overreacting was because of the nature of these wizards.

Wizards typically spend months, if not years, locked up in their laboratories, so they don’t hear the rumors and come to congratulate her on her marriage every other day.

Is that all?

They even come to congratulate her with the thought, “Since there’s a good event like a marriage, it’s okay to make a sly remark today, right?”

They say nonsense like, “You should tone down your personality now,” or “If the Deputy Tower Master gets angry, the Count will run away too.”

Thanks to this, Fenia was on the verge of going crazy.

“Why on earth do I have to be involved with that-!!!”

Fenia wanted to shout, but she stopped midway and unconsciously turned her gaze to the tower’s window.

It was a height where no one could possibly hang on, but ever since Radan’s performance at Laxas Castle, she had been wary of windows without realizing it.

Click-

After opening the window and checking all directions to confirm that no one was there, Fenia sat down weakly.

“…….”

She wore a tired expression.

In fact, what had been troubling Fenia lately was not just that.

Although not to this extent, she had been strangely unlucky lately.

For example, among the magical items she had ordered from the merchant guild, only hers were ‘missing.’

Or among the magical materials coming from outside, only hers were ‘lost,’ with five such incidents happening in a row recently.

Therefore,

“……Why is my luck so bad these days?”

Fenia muttered weakly with a tearful face,

“This is all because of that-“

She frowned and was about to utter harsh words, but soon closed her mouth when she looked at the window.

……Contrary to Fenia’s gloomy mood, the sky was clear.

####

Inside the temple of Rosario, in the office used by the saint.

“Sigh.”

Just a moment ago, Yuman had been talking with Alon, but now he recalled the emotionless face of Count Palatio from earlier.

From noble mtl dot com

‘…Count Palatio is a saint.’

Of course, Count Palatio had not officially become a saint.

From the beginning, he had received the holy relics unofficially, not through a public ceremony.

But even if it was unofficial, it was certain that he was a saint.

A saint is someone who has received holy relics from the goddess Sironia as a sign of recognition.

Even the goddess Sironia, who had prayed to find an answer, had personally given him the holy relics, acknowledging him as a saint, so it was already an undeniable fact that he was a saint.

The only thing he couldn’t understand was why the goddess Sironia had secretly appointed him as a saint without performing a ceremony, but now that question had been somewhat resolved.

“……”

Yuman carefully lowered his gaze to the book in his hand.

The ancient book, passed down only to the saints, read as follows:

[Even the great nation established by the goddess cannot save everyone, and evil hides in the darkness, fearing the dawn of the goddess.]

[To eradicate the evil that hides before the dawn of the goddess, the hidden saint (Eunsungja) was sent.]

[The hidden saint (Eunsungja) is the blade of dawn, saving those who cannot be reached by the light and eradicating the evil embedded in the darkness.]

[In the undisclosed dawn, they are the ones who bestow the goddess’s grace.]

“Eunsungja…”

Yuman muttered the word ‘Eunsungja’ from the ancient book and thought of Count Palatio.

If he had been appointed as the hidden saint, it made sense why he had received the relics from the goddess without performing a ceremony.

Therefore.

‘If Count Palatio is the hidden saint, he must be kept away from Cardinal Yutia.’

A small sense of duty sprouted in his heart.

He couldn’t understand why the goddess Sironia had chosen Count Palatio as the hidden saint.

But Yuman knew.

What he needed was not doubt, but acceptance.

He must not foolishly question the goddess’s choice.

And.

Now that Alon had been appointed as the hidden saint, he must not be placed alongside Cardinal Yutia.

The woman he knew was no different from a corrupt person who only used power arbitrarily rather than revering the god.

Therefore.

‘I must help the hidden saint walk the right path. I must…!’

He closed the ancient book with resolute eyes.

……A very strange cogwheel began to turn.

####

Two days later, it was finally the day of Alon’s investiture ceremony.

Alon hurriedly began to move towards the temple to participate in the ceremony that would start early in the morning.

“?”

Soon, he wore a puzzled expression.

It was because there were many holy knights escorting Count Palatio on the way to the temple.

Of course, that was not particularly strange.

The ones with black shoulder epaulets on their armor were all holy knights directly under the cardinal – in other words, they were the holy knights escorting Yutia, who was currently walking beside Alon.

However, what puzzled him were the holy knights walking on his left.

Holy knights in white armor with blue epaulets.

They were not directly under the cardinal, but rather the holy knights directly under Saint Yuman, and like Yutia’s holy knights, they were also following Alon.

……To be precise, they were moving along with Yuman, who was beside him.

And they did so very naturally.

“……?”

Alon looked at Yuman questioningly, then turned his gaze back to Yutia.

But.

“……??”

Yutia also looked bewildered – as if to say, ‘What’s with this guy?’

‘……What is this?’

Somehow, he became even more confused…….