I Became the Patron of Villains

104. Is That So? (1)

The day after Alon returned from the Malaka ruins.

“It’s really black.”

“Yes.”

“Is the dragon or whatever it is inside here?”

“Yes.”

“Then when will it hatch?”

“Hmm…….”

Alon closed his mouth at Evan’s question.

Naturally, he didn’t know when the dragon would be born.

‘How could I even guess if it never appeared in the game?’

Even though Alon had played Psychedelia for an incredibly long time and wandered through every corner, he had never heard or seen the name “dragon.”

In other words, he had no knowledge of this dragon.

“……Do you think the information guild would tell us if we asked?”

“Well……. I doubt they’re confident in this field.”

“Really?”

“Well, they collect and sell stories about the world, not ancient information like this. Unless it’s a rumor that’s actually circulating.”

At Evan’s words, Alon pondered for a moment before exclaiming.

“Ah.”

“Did you think of a good method?”

Alon nodded.

“Yes. I thought of someone to ask.”

“Who?”

“Rine.”

“……Rine?”

Evan looked puzzled.

But Alon, knowing that she had the Eternal Library.

‘Could Rine know?’

Knowing that most of the ‘information’ was in her head, except for what she wasn’t supposed to know by setting.

‘I should go see her.’

He soon stood up.

“? Marquis? Where are you going?”

“I’m moving to the next destination right away.”

“What? We just returned from the ruins yesterday. Wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit?”

It was understandable, given how much energy he had expended.

But Alon was resolute.

“No, I plan to finish the schedule as quickly as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to rest. It’s too humid here.”

“Ah…”

Evan nodded as if in agreement.

“Indeed, the Marquis dislikes humidity.”

“Yes. It’s uncomfortable to rest here.”

Evan looked at Alon with a “Really?” expression, but Alon was sincere.

‘I can’t rest here at all.’

Alon wasn’t particularly picky about sleeping arrangements.

Even during carriage travels, before switching to the current carriage, he had always camped out, and he had no complaints even in the desert.

It was the same in port cities.

But humidity was truly unbearable.

‘I need to finish this as quickly as possible and get out of the jungle.’

With that resolve, Alon stood up.

Around that time.

“Marquis, are you there?”

“…Rian?”

“Ah, yes.”

Rian had come to find Alon.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Alon, watching Rian awkwardly turn his gaze and smile, spoke.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Ah, well, actually, we’re heading back now.”

“…Already heading back?”

“Yes. Considering what happened yesterday, it’s inevitable.”

Indeed, it was unreasonable to continue the exploration.

Alon nodded as if he understood.

“…That makes sense.”

“Moreover, something strange happened near the Magic Tower this time.”

“Something strange?”

“Yes, so we need to join the Magic Tower quickly because of that.”

“Alright. Then, let’s meet again next time.”

At the promise of another meeting, Riyan’s face lit up.

“Yes, I hope to see you again next time. Ah, and when we meet again, would you like to have a meal together?”

“A meal?”

“Yes, you saved my life this time, so I want to treat you.”

Alon thought for a moment and then nodded as if he understood.

“If that’s the case, I understand.”

“Then please make sure to visit the Red Tower sometime…!”

“I will.”

Hearing the answer, Riyan bowed deeply once and then turned to leave. Evan, who had been watching, spoke up.

“He’s definitely more friendly than before.”

“Is he?”

“Yes. Maybe it’s because the magic was impressive.”

“That topic again?”

“Rather than the topic, it’s more like it had a definite impact, something like that.”

At the reaction based on personal taste, Alon quietly smirked behind his expressionless face.

“Let’s leave it at that.”

Alon began to prepare to leave.

‘…Was it really that impressive?’

…He thought of such things for no reason.

####

Having finished his preparations, Alon headed alone to the hermit’s hideout, leaving Evan behind.

It was to protect the dragon egg that had appeared this time.

“……”

Evan, who had been told to stay and guard the dragon egg, naturally raised the corners of his mouth and nodded enthusiastically.

With a quiet laugh, he then began to walk towards the northeast, where the Selvanus district was located.

The Selvanus district.

Among the areas explored by people, it was by far the most dangerous, filled with all sorts of mutated monsters. It was a place where Alon would never have dared to enter alone.

However, the reason Alon was not worried was because of the blessing.

‘The blessing of Imariana.’

Alon gazed northeast,

at the colossal statue marking the boundary of the Selvanus region.

Like other ruins, the statue, seemingly modeled after an unnamed goddess, was covered in moss. However, this did not bother Alon much. He approached the statue, clasped his hands together, and bowed his head.

After about five seconds,

“Oh great goddess Imarianasi, if you grant me the vision to see this region, I will find and offer your belongings.”

Then, the statue, which had been covered in moss until a moment ago, began to emit a faint light that started to seep into Alon.

He smiled with satisfaction.

From the moment he received the ‘Blessing of Imarianasi,’ the Selvanus region was no longer a dangerous area for Alon, but an ordinary forest.

As he understood it, once he received the ‘Blessing of Imarianasi,’ monsters would not recognize Alon unless he attacked them first. Thus, he could comfortably roam the forest.

‘…Well, there is the penalty of having to find and offer items scattered throughout the forest in exchange for the blessing, but that’s not too difficult. I can just take a few items from the Hermit’s Hideout.’

As far as he remembered, everything in the Selvanus region was said to be items the goddess had lost.

Therefore, as he walked into the region with a slightly relaxed mind, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘Come to think of it, Deus didn’t return yesterday. Is he alright?’

He worried for a moment but then shook his head.

Rationally, there was no way Deus could die here.

‘…It’s impossible for someone who can beat a Swordmaster like a dog on a hot day to die in this forest.’

If he had ventured into the territory of the Hundred Ghosts, it might have been a different story, but as long as he hadn’t gone that far, there was no problem.

Putting his worries about Deus aside, Alon continued to move northeast.

At some point, he discovered an unusually large tree among the grotesquely growing trees of the Selvanus region.

Two trees had grown together, intertwining to form a massive structure.

‘From here, to the right.’

Using that as a landmark, Alon began to walk to the right.

How long had he been walking aimlessly?

“!”

Realizing he was nearing his destination, Alon couldn’t help but be surprised.

Near the Hermit’s Hideout, there was a mountain of monster corpses piled up like a hill.

The mountain of corpses, towering higher than the already gigantic trees of the Selvanus region, was filled with numerous mutated species.

From grotesque lizard-like monsters that could easily devastate a village, to other mutated species that were incredibly difficult to capture.

Alon, momentarily lost in thought,

“Huh?”

He turned his gaze to the voice he heard.

There, he found a middle-aged man standing.

A middle-aged man in a blue robe that did not match this jungle.

He smiled at Alon with an expression devoid of any wariness.

“To come into such a forest alone. You must be quite confident in your skills.”

“…Did you do this?”

“Yes. I wanted to investigate leisurely, but the mutants kept bothering me whenever I tried.”

The middle-aged man spoke while looking at the corpse.

“By doing this, nothing but bugs seem to come near.”

Alon instinctively realized that the man was not an ordinary person and opened his mouth.

“May I ask your name?”

“Selheim Mikard.”

“…Selheim Mikard…?”

Alon, who was quietly muttering, soon opened his mouth behind his expressionless face.

“…The Tower Master of the Blue Tower…?”

“That is my position. In fact, my disciple does all the work, though.”

Selheim, who laughed heartily for a middle-aged man, soon looked at Alon and spoke.

“So, who are you?”

“Sorry for the late introduction, I am Alon Palatio.”

“…Alon Palatio? …Marquis Palatio?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

At that introduction, Selheim’s smile grew even brighter.

However, it was a smile as if he had found a toy.

For some reason, Alon felt a chill.

####

Shortly after, in the midst of a conversation that felt strangely friendly.

“Come to think of it, why are you here?”

“I have business over there.”

“…Over there, you mean the Hermit’s Hideout?”

“Yes.”

“Ho.”

Selime continued the conversation as if amused.

“So, have you come here to explore as well?”

“…Well, to be precise, I came because I have some business with the item inside.”

“The item inside?”

“Yes.”

At his answer, Selime showed a slightly puzzled expression.

“So, you’re saying… you didn’t come to explore, but to retrieve the item inside?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm-“

After a moment of contemplation, Selime spoke.

“Well, considering you use primitive magic, it’s understandable that you’d be interested in the item inside. May I give you some cold advice?”

“Please do.”

“Giving up and going back would be better for your mental health.”

Selime was firm.

This wasn’t something he said out of disregard for Alon.

Selime fundamentally respected all wizards.

It was just that he knew how absurdly the hermit’s hideout was sealed with magic.

‘Not only is it based on triple-layered magic, but to get inside, you have to reverse-engineer all the magic. Only then can you pass the first gate.’

It had taken Selime himself a whole year just to open the first gate and reach the second gate, which is why he gave such advice to Alon.

“It took me a year just to open the first gate.”

“…Even so, I’ve come this far, so I’ll give it a try.”

“I won’t stop you.”

In the end, he took a step back.

It wasn’t pleasant to have his sincere advice ignored, but he still had a small fondness for Alon.

To Selime, a true wizard was one who explored.

Conversely, he didn’t consider those who neglected exploration to be wizards.

Compared to other young wizards who only gathered information from the academy without any fieldwork, Alon seemed better.

‘He’s different from the wizards these days.’

Therefore, with a heart that felt like watching a growing junior, Selime cheered for the junior wizard who stood before the same difficult problem that had taken him a year of hard work to solve.

About 30 seconds passed.

Rrrrrrrrrrr-!!!!!

With a rough noise, the first gate of the hideout opened.

“?????”

Celaim’s mouth opened involuntarily.