I Became the Patron of Villains

47. What’s Going On? (3)

Crash-!

Sergius’s hands were shattered into pieces by something invisible, and a terrible scream burst from his mouth.

“aaah!”

It wasn’t just his hands.

His arms,

His shoulders,

His legs, were crushed as if by a press, grotesquely distorted.

The chilling scream echoed throughout the mansion where Yutia was.

But.

Yutia, who was watching the scene, spoke to him with a calm expression, as if delivering a sentence.

“No matter how much you scream, no one will come?”

“S-Save me- P-Please!”

Sergius cried out to Yutia, who was looking at him with a face full of fear in the red world.

Already leaking bodily fluids from his eyes, nose, and mouth due to the excruciating pain, he screamed just to escape this agony, paying no heed to the cardinal’s dignity.

“What are you talking about?”

Yutia, however, fixed her gaze on Sergius, who was writhing on the ground, and opened her mouth as if puzzled.

“Of course, you can’t die, can you?”

With that, a white light began to emanate from Yutia’s hand.

The powerful divine energy started to heal Sergius’s body in an instant.

“No, no! No!!”

Seeing his body beginning to heal, Sergius screamed.

And then, the moment his body was completely restored.

“Guh-ugh-!”

Sergius, his eyes filled with terror, looked up at Yutia, trembling all over.

A disgraceful appearance, hard to believe he was a cardinal of Rosario.

The terrible pain he had experienced several times and the fear that had arisen from it had already devoured what little dignity and faith he had left.

Despite having suffered terrible pain several times already, he couldn’t understand this situation.

The holy knights who never came no matter how much he screamed.

The pressure that prevented him from moving his body as he wished.

Even his body, which crumpled like paper at her mere gesture.

There was nothing he could understand.

As if it were incomprehensible.

Therefore.

“Save me… Please… Save me…”

He just begged for forgiveness.

Even though he didn’t fully understand why he was being treated this way, he just begged for forgiveness.

As if praying for forgiveness from God.

But-

Creak-!!

“aaah-!”

Contrary to Sergius’s wish, his body began to be slowly crushed again. Amidst his mad screams, Yutia’s voice reached his ears.

“I keep telling you, you won’t die. There’s something you need to do.”

A voice sweet enough for anyone to hear.

“But-“

He groaned.

“The crime of attempting to harm him, must be punished, right?”

A chilling voice was heard.

“Ahhh-!!!!”

Sergius’s scream echoed once again.

It had been about a month since Alon returned to the Count’s house.

While unwinding from the long desert journey.

On the other hand, Alon, who was living while investigating the origin of the ‘Abyssal Entity’, which was not supposed to appear now, along with the omens of outer gods he had heard from ‘it’, was once again preparing to leave the territory.

There were two reasons for preparing to leave immediately without rest.

One was to participate in the magic academy, which he could attend thanks to the invitation of Liyan Aguilarus, the daughter of the Red Tower Lord.

The other was to show his face at the symposium once before that.

Symposium.

In fact, it was more appropriate to call it a social gathering of nobles rather than a grandiose title like a symposium.

All the nobles did was diligently build friendships.

The only slightly different point was that, unlike the grand social gatherings where only nobles could participate, famous non-nobles could also participate.

‘…Honestly, I don’t really want to go.’

Alon thought, smacking his lips.

However, the reason he was trying to stop by the symposium before going to the magic academy was that, as the head of Kalpa, he needed to maintain some dignity.

Whether he wanted it or not, he had already become the head of Kalpa.

Of course, that didn’t mean he did things he really didn’t want to do.

…In fact, until the middle, he was full of thoughts that he had to do it forcibly, but that was completely cured by a letter that came to Alon from Alma.

“Hoo-“

Alon looked at the magical letter that made him feel good just by looking at it.

It was just a letter with a certificate that Alon had become the legitimate head of the faction and the money he could receive regularly from now on, without any magic or anything.

“…Wonderful.”

The amount of money that the head of a faction could legally receive, written in it, was truly beyond imagination, to the point where he couldn’t help but say such words without realizing it.

It was enough to understand why the two faction leaders, whom he had never understood until now, were gritting their teeth and holding on to their positions for years without stepping down.

‘…At this level, it’s worth enduring all sorts of hardships every day.’

How is the structure of the faction organized to make so much money?

Putting aside such questions, Alon, who anticipated the money that would come in, was once again satisfied with the financial therapy and tucked the letter into his bosom.

“Count, isn’t that the letter that arrived two weeks ago?”

“Indeed.”

“You’re still carrying it around.”

“It puts my mind at ease.”

Evan looked at him with a peculiar expression at the unexpected answer.

“…Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re serious or not, Count.”

“Neither particularly serious nor not.”

With those words, Evan shrugged and brought up a new topic.

“Come to think of it, I heard some interesting stories while staying in the village yesterday.”

“Interesting stories?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of stories?”

“They’re still rumors, and I haven’t confirmed them in detail with the information guild, so I’m not sure, but it seems Deus has defeated Reinhardt?”

“Reinhardt, as in the one-sword of Caliburn?”

“Yes.”

“…Deus defeated the one-sword?”

At Alon’s question, Evan nodded.

“As I said earlier, I haven’t confirmed it clearly with the information guild, so I’m not sure… But seeing how the rumors have spread this far, I think it might be true.”

“Hmm…”

Alon thought of Deus.

Deus, with whom he had naturally lost contact after the northern expedition half a year ago.

‘…Isn’t it hard to beat Reinhardt?’

Of course, he knew that Deus was strong.

Just like Reinhardt, Deus was one of the Master Knights, and Alon had clearly seen Deus’s strength.

However, knowing how strong Reinhardt was through the game Psychedelia, Alon couldn’t help but be a little bewildered.

As far as he knew, Reinhardt possessed a strength on a different level from other Master Knights.

But he didn’t think the rumors were wrong either.

‘…If he could beat Reinhardt in just half a year… Just how talented is he?’

At the moment of marveling at Deus’s newfound talent.

“I have other news as well.”

“Is it about Seolang this time? Or Yutia?”

“Um- I think it might be a rumor related to Yutia, but it’s a different story altogether.”

“?”

Alon listened intently to the following words, and after hearing the whole situation, he asked again.

“The Duke of Limgrave was taken to the Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes. Ah, by the way, this is not a rumor; it seems he was really taken.”

“Why…?”

“I heard he received a letter of reformation.”

“A letter of reformation…?”

“You know, that letter they send to the state when there’s suspicion of collusion with heretics. He received that.”

“So he was taken to the Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes, he went voluntarily, but in reality, he was taken. I heard it was about two weeks ago, so we probably won’t see the Duke of Limgrave’s face at this conference.”

At Evan’s words, Alon nodded as if it wasn’t too bad.

In fact, he was still a bit reluctant to meet the Duke of Limgrave or the Marquis of Philboid.

Whenever they met, they would glare at him as if they wanted to devour him.

“Hmm…”

Of course, no matter how hostile their gazes were, it wouldn’t harm Alon in any way.

But still, it’s uncomfortable to have someone who is hostile to you in the same space.

“It will be a bit more comfortable.”

Muttering so, he soon noticed the distant sight of the Viritiun estate where the conference was being held.

Shortly after, they arrived at the estate of the Marquis of Viritiun, where the conference was being held, and headed straight to the ballroom.

“We have arrived, my lord.”

At Evan’s words, Alon naturally stepped out of the carriage.

‘So many people.’

And as soon as he got out of the carriage, he couldn’t help but leave such an impression as he saw the countless people in front of him.

There were many people at the Grand Church as well, but there were far more people at this conference.

‘There are certainly many non-nobles. Over there are mercenaries, here are merchants, and over there are mages… even priests.’

Alon moved forward, observing the many attendees who were clearly not nobles.

Soon, not long after.

As if waiting, they met Duke Altia and Count Zenonia, both dressed in black.

“You’ve arrived.”

“How have you been?”

“Fine.”

Alon answered softly to the two dark figures who naturally exchanged greetings.

Even though he was aware that he was already on the same boat as them, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat intimidated in their presence.

It was because there were some misunderstandings (?) between them that naturally made him nervous.

From Alon’s perspective, he couldn’t let them know that there were misunderstandings.

So, after exchanging simple greetings with them, Alon, who was picking up snacks scattered around the ballroom and having small talk, said,

“Ah.”

Unfortunately, he made eye contact with the man he least wanted to see, Marquis Philboid.

“……”

Just a moment ago, Duke Altia and Count Zenonia, who had been talking, fell silent as soon as they saw Marquis Philboid. Their expressions hardened as he walked towards them.

In the underworld, they were undoubtedly strong, but in the political world, they were still below Marquis Philboid. They were tense because they didn’t know how he, who had experienced all sorts of ups and downs in the political world, would use his tongue to cause internal and external damage.

At the same time, as some of the nobles participating in this meeting noticed Marquis Philboid standing in front of Count Palatio,

“……I lost, I lost…! So please, spare me…!”

A mournful murmur flowed from Marquis Philboid’s mouth.

Not only the nobles who were watching Marquis Philboid but also Count Zenonia and Duke Altia, who were watching from the side, were surprised.

It was because the nobles here knew.

How much influence Marquis Philboid wielded in this political world.

At the same time, they knew that since he started rolling in the political world, his head had never bowed.

So, all the nobles who were watching were shocked and looked at Alon, who had received Marquis Philboid’s declaration of defeat.

‘…? Me…? What…?’

…Alon, who had been casually answering the other two ladies and eating financiers, could only make a bewildered expression.