I Became the Patron of Villains

111. Truth…? (1)

The feast that started from the night was not bad at all, beyond Alon’s imagination.

First of all, the feast held between the ruins and the giant tree under the night sky’s Milky Way was atmospheric in itself.

Moreover, the food was delicious.

The second thing was that the food was delicious…!

‘…Delicious.’

He looked down at the meat he was eating with a surprised expression.

Unlike typical meat, the food, which tasted like crab with a very savory and subtle sweetness, surprisingly suited Alon’s taste very well.

“Wow, this is delicious, isn’t it?”

Evan, who was sitting next to him, exclaimed as if agreeing with that thought.

“Indeed.”

As Alon nodded, a woman who had been enjoying the banquet with the tribe members, holding her two daughters in her arms, smiled and spoke.

“Wow – it’s an honor to hear that from the hero of our tribe. I made that dish.”

“Is that so? It’s really delicious.”

“It’s because the ingredients are good.”

“What is this food made of?”

“It’s made from Stormbee.”

For a moment, Alon involuntarily stopped chewing.

“Storm… bee?”

“Yes.”

“That… Stormbee… you mean?”

“Yes. That Stormbee.”

Upon confirmation, Alon now wanted to spit out the food in his mouth.

In this jungle, ‘Stormbee’ referred to a bug that looked similar to a giant cockroach.

“I see.”

“Oh, aren’t you going to eat more?”

“…I ate a bit too much.”

Alon carefully put down the Stormbee meat he was holding and looked to the side.

Evan, as if determined to eat all the Stormbee meat at the banquet, was now burying his head in it.

Should he say something or not. He hesitated for a moment but chose to remain silent.

Once again, Alon realized anew the lesson of life that sometimes it’s better not to know certain things, and he sat near the ruins, gazing at the night sky.

The Milky Way spread across the night sky was beautiful.

It looked even more splendid than the moonlight shining down on the dark earth.

In the midst of that.

“……Marquis Pallatio.”

“Hmm?”

As he turned his gaze towards the voice, he saw Reinhardt slowly approaching, now seemingly able to move around to some extent.

……He too was chewing on Stormby meat as if it were very delicious.

“Is it tasty?”

“Oh, this? Yes, it’s very tasty. It’s a flavor I’ve never experienced in the kingdom.”

Of course, he wouldn’t have tasted it……

No, rather, if he had been able to taste it, that would be more of a problem.

“Um…… may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Reinhardt scratched his head in silence for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Do you know anything about the Hyakki (Hundred Ghosts)?”

“The Hyakki, you mean the northern region?”

“Yes.”

“Well- I know of it.”

Alon answered lightly.

“Do you just know of it? You don’t have any connection to it?”

“Connection? Unfortunately, this is my first time in the jungle.”

At Alon’s words, Reinhardt made a face that said, “I thought so,” and nodded.

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

“No reason. I just had a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Reinhardt said this and turned away as if he had nothing more to say.

Even though he left after saying only what he wanted to say, it matched Reinhardt’s character perfectly, so Alon nodded expressionlessly for a moment.

As he walked away, he glanced at Reinhardt, who had started tearing into the Stormby meat again.

……It wasn’t that it was disgusting, but just looking at it made him feel a bit uneasy.

A little while later.

When his stomach had settled down after a while, Alon returned to the banquet to eat other food and noticed people gathered in one place, so he walked over there.

“Yes, the Marquis did not take a single step back in front of that giant god. Instead, he climbed up in front of the god and stabbed a spear into its head.”

““oooh……””

And there, Deus, with an even more serious expression than usual, was recounting to the gathered Thunder Serpent tribe the battle he had fought a few days ago with ‘Vasiliora the Receiver.’

“The Marquis looked down at the fallen god—no, beast—with indifferent eyes. As if it were only natural, without a shred of emotion.”

“oooh—”

Watching the tribe members marvel at Deus’s every word, Alon felt a strange sense of embarrassment.

He didn’t dislike being praised, but he wasn’t thick-skinned enough to listen to such heroic tales about himself in front of so many people.

Of course, he had no intention of spoiling the story that everyone was so focused on, so he began to slowly distance himself.

“The creature ascended the altar several times to kill the Marquis, but not once did its attacks reach him. Each time it climbed, it was struck down by the Marquis’s magic.”

“…?”

Alon felt that the story, which should have been based on facts, was veering off in a different direction.

It was you who stopped Vasiliora… he wanted to correct, but only for a moment.

“At that moment, the Marquis Palatio created a brilliant light in the ashen sky as he looked at the serpent coiled around the altar. His appearance then was—”

Deus’s words, which were so grandiose that they seemed to preach some kind of scripture, made Alon look at him suspiciously.

If he were just telling it like it was, that would be one thing, but it felt like he was exaggerating a friend’s story to the point of boasting, making Alon feel as if he were being teased.

‘…Is he really doing this to tease me…?’

…It was a night when the Milky Way shone brightly.

####

The next day.

Alon decided to leave the Thunder Serpent tribe.

There was no reason to stay once Reinhardt and Deus had fully recovered.

Therefore.

“I look forward to meeting you again, noble one.”

“I shall look forward to it as well.”

After bowing politely to the chief of the Thunder Serpent tribe.

“If you ever need help, please call for me.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll come to help too, definitely—!”

“Thank you.”

After responding to the quick-witted Sirkal and his younger brother, he immediately set off.

Alon’s party, which had set out early in the morning, arrived at the camp before noon, and after a quick meal, continued on their way, reaching the estate before evening.

“Wow, so this is the air of civilization.”

Evan, making a fuss.

Of course, beside him, Alon also had a satisfied expression.

Even though it was bordering the jungle, the humidity felt different.

In the jungle, just standing still made your clothes stick to you unpleasantly, but the estate wasn’t that bad.

No matter how accustomed one became to the murderous dampness and humidity, it could never be liked.

‘I should avoid the jungle as much as possible from now on.’

Alon was able to spend a cozy night after a long time.

The next day.

“So, we part ways here.”

“Yes.”

In front of Caslot, he bid farewell to Deus.

Unlike Alon, who had to head east to the Kingdom of Asteria, Deus had to go west to Caliburn.

“Then, let’s meet again next time.”

Alon greeted lightly.

Deus, bowing his head in response, suddenly asked.

“Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“Have I become stronger?”

A sudden question.

Alon hesitated but soon nodded.

“Yes, anyone would think so. You are steadily becoming stronger.”

In fact, he was strong enough to be considered at the level of a Grand Sword Master.

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

A gentle smile appeared on Deus’s face.

It was the first time he had shown that smile during this meeting.

‘What is he relieved about?’

Alon soon bid his final farewell to Deus and parted ways at Caslot.

“Shall we head to Teria now?”

“Yes. As much as I’d like to go to the Marquis’ house, I must report. And-“

He mumbled, thinking of the face of Crittenia Cyan.

The carriage began to head towards Teria.

####

At the time when Alon was heading to Teria.

Inside the tent of the temple at the center of the Thunder Serpent tribe.

“What is it, Chief?”

Swift Sirkal, who had entered the tent at the call of the wise Ashgul, asked.

“Sirkal.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Can you recall and repeat what the noble said?”

From noble mtl dot com

At the chief’s request, Sirkal nodded.

“I will come to the lowlands under the sky, so you who greet the dawn, welcome me with joy- that’s what he said. Just like I told you before. But why all of a sudden?”

The chief, who had been looking at the scroll, raised his gaze.

“Sirkal. As you know, our Thunder Serpent tribe reveals the secret words to our benefactors. So that the noble can receive our help whenever needed.”

“Yes, of course I know. Additionally, the phrase we reveal depends on the grace received, and the secret word we place in front to prevent leakage is different.”

At Sirkal’s answer, the chief nodded.

“Yes. Most of our Thunder Serpent tribe knows only the part ‘welcome me with joy, you who greet the dawn,’ but the secret word revealed to that benefactor is written only in this scroll.”

Chief Ashgul handed the scroll to Sirkal.

“Look.”

“What? But I-“

“You are ready to become the chief and fulfill the constraints. So don’t worry.”

“Ah-“

Letting out a low exclamation, Sirkal accepted the scroll.

“Check it. The phrase the noble recited.”

Following the chief’s words, she carefully unfolded it.

As she slowly checked the record, which only the chief was allowed to read, and which had accompanied the history of the Thunder Serpent, from the bottom up.

“!”

The moment she reached the first line of the scroll, she unconsciously held her breath.

What was written on the very first line of the scroll was not just the secret word recited by the noble.

The name engraved next to the poem.

“The One Who Receives Lightning, Kalanon…?”

What she muttered unconsciously.

It was a very familiar title.

No, it was impossible not to know.

The One Who Receives Lightning, Kalanon, was the guardian deity who first protected the Thunder Serpent tribe.

Therefore, Sirkal immediately raised her head.

“Chieftain, then that person is…?”

“Yes.”

“…But, to think of that person as a god just because of a poem…”

Sirkal raised a question.

To that, Ashigal burst into a hearty laugh.

“Yes, you are right. No matter how much we change the poem, there is always a possibility of leakage.”

“Then why-“

“But, that poem- it is a poem that no one else would know.”

“…Why?”

“Sirkal, think carefully. The story of Kalanon you have heard since long ago, the story passed down as an undeniable fact on the sacred stone tablet from ancient times.”

The sacred stone tablet.

As a holy relic passed down from ancient times, it automatically inscribed the saga of the Thunder Serpent every ten years, even without anyone writing on it. Sirkal, lost in thought, recalled it.

“…Ah.”

She let out a low exclamation.

The ‘One Who Receives Lightning, Kalanon’ she read on the sacred stone tablet, met his end while protecting the Thunder Serpent tribe from the dark ones.

The Thunder Serpent tribe, in gratitude to such a god, left the first poem as a promise.

Immediately after, Kalanon truly closed his eyes.

In other words.

“…The first poem (詩語) that only Kalanon- no, that person knows, can never be leaked…?”

“Yes. The chieftains, who have the sole authority to see the scroll, are bound by a restriction that prevents them from leaking the poem (詩語). In other words, the only person who can know that poem is.”

-Except for himself, no one else.

At the chieftain’s quietly resonating voice.

Sirkal silently opened her mouth.