I Became the Patron of Villains

164. …Huh? (3)

“…?”

Seeing the woman suddenly shedding tears, Alon couldn’t help but be endlessly flustered inside.

Because she had just been staring at him blankly and then suddenly started crying.

‘Did I… do something?’

Various thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment, but of course, he had done nothing.

No, he didn’t even have the time to do anything in the first place.

Just as he was momentarily flustered.

“I’m sorry, something- something suddenly got into my eye.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“…I see.”

He could only respond awkwardly to the woman’s slowly given explanation.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed more like she was crying because she was sad rather than because something got into her eye.

However, since he claimed it was so, there was no point in pressing further, so they decided not to dwell on it.

“…Let’s start with introductions.”

“Yes, I am Rina, the head of the Cheongnok Forest Trading Company.”

For a moment, Alon tried to recall anything about the ‘Cheongnok Forest Trading Company,’ but soon gave up.

‘It doesn’t seem to be a very famous company.’

All he knew was the information he had just heard from the servant.

“I heard you wanted to talk to me about gold crafts. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Let’s hear the details then.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes once more.

####

Thirty minutes later.

“Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“Did the conversation go well?”

“It ended not too badly.”

“Oh, really?”

Alon asked, surprised by Evan’s reaction.

“Why do you look so surprised?”

“Well, usually when talking with trading company heads, it doesn’t end this quickly. Especially when it comes to gold crafts. I thought there would be a lot to negotiate.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Alon nodded in agreement.

‘Indeed, the value of gold crafts is high.’

Gold itself was expensive, and the price of crafts varied greatly depending on the artisan handling the gold.

Of course, he knew the common sense aspects that were understood in this world, even if not in detail.

“Honestly, I was a bit surprised too.”

“Why?”

“That it ended so quickly.”

In fact, Alon had been bewildered the whole time about how smoothly things had gone.

‘…The terms were too good.’

Of course, having favorable conditions was not a bad thing for Alon.

However, the better the conditions for Alon, the worse the benefits for the other party.

Basically, a transaction is about balancing each party’s ‘gains and losses’.

If one part is good, there must be a part that has to be endured.

This was a common principle in the numerous transactions Alon had made with various merchants.

However, in this transaction, there were many favorable conditions for Alon even before the negotiation began.

‘…Something is strange.’

From noble mtl dot com

That was the point that Alon found peculiar.

Although the negotiation ended successfully, no matter how much he thought about it, Alon found it hard to grasp what the merchant was gaining from this deal.

‘…Well, if I had to argue, it’s not a bad deal for them either… But still, there were plenty of parts where they could have been greedier. Did they give up too much?’

As Alon pondered further, he shrugged his shoulders as usual.

The result was good.

Since it wasn’t a contract where he would suffer a loss, there was no need to think so deeply.

‘…I still don’t know why they shed tears at the beginning.’

Suddenly shedding tears upon seeing Alon’s face, that alone caused him to fall into deep thought.

“Ah, by the way, Marquis.”

“Why?”

“I heard that the Tower Master discovered a new formula.”

“…Really?”

Without a moment to be lost in thought, Alon stood up to move to where Fenia was.

####

Until a moment ago, the head of the Green Forest merchant group – no, the Elf Queen Magrina, who had been talking directly with Alon, was lost in deep thought.

Having shed her human disguise, Perion, who had followed as her escort, looked at her with a somewhat peculiar expression.

The reason was the attitude the Queen had shown earlier.

‘…What is it?’

Perion couldn’t understand her overall behavior today.

The reason the Queen, who should never leave the Graynif, had come to see the Marquis of Palatio was for one reason only.

To confirm whether the Marquis of Palatio was the primordial elf or not.

…But Perion secretly thought that the Queen would not achieve much from this journey.

As predicted by Fildé, the highest-ranking wizard among the elves.

Even if the Marquis of Palatio was the primordial elf and recognized his queen and sister, Magrina, he could not acknowledge her.

In other words, as long as such restrictions existed, the queen had no way of knowing whether the Marquis of Palatio was the primordial elf or not.

Therefore, contrary to the queen’s conviction to see and judge for herself by any means, Perion maintained a skeptical stance.

However.

‘…Why did she shed tears?’

The queen, now deep in thought with a very serious expression, had certainly seen it.

Just a moment ago, as soon as she saw the face of the Marquis of Palatio, a single tear flowed from her eyes.

“……”

Perion was certain he had never seen the queen like that before.

She never revealed her personal emotions in front of others.

She was undoubtedly a benevolent queen, but she bore the duties of a king more heavily than anyone else.

Did she really feel something from the Marquis of Palatio?

In some way that he could not understand?

‘But if that’s the case-‘

Perion looked at her again.

Before he knew it, Magrina had returned to the serious face of a ruler.

Not as a ‘sister’ revealing fragments of emotion related to the primordial elf, but as a clear ‘king’.

Just as Perion was considering whether to risk rudeness to satisfy his curiosity.

“Perion.”

The queen, who had been silent since they left the Marquis of Palatio’s residence, suddenly spoke.

“Yes.”

Perion swallowed his breath for a moment.

Because various emotions had flashed across the queen’s face, which had been serious until just now.

Although it disappeared in an instant, there was definitely a brief regret, sadness, and a faint smile on the queen’s face.

After a brief pause, Magrina commanded.

“…Place the ‘Dark Leaf’ beside him.”

“…! The Dark Leaf, you say?”

“Yes.”

The Dark Leaf.

If ‘Pagade’ are the ones who protect the roots, ‘Dark Leaf’ are the elves who protect the queen in the shadows, each one a swordmaster.

In fact, they can be considered the queen’s direct guard unit.

“That means-“

“Yes, that’s right.”

“……How did you figure it out?”

Perion, with a look of incomprehension.

Magrina recalled the gloves that the Marquis of Palatio was wearing.

Only elves could use them.

No, to be more precise, only the primordial elves-

……Only her brother had used those gloves.

As soon as she saw them, Magrina unknowingly shed tears, but the reason she was convinced that the Marquis of Palatio was a primordial elf was not just because of that.

“I have my own methods.”

“……”

The queen answered with a smile and took something out from her bosom.

It was an old ring.

A ring that had not withstood the passage of time well, its shine faded here and there.

……Originally, there should only be one of these in the world.

“My own, method.”

“……”

The ‘Ring of Constraint’ that Alon had first obtained in the labyrinth was placed on her hand.

The ring given by the primordial elf.

At that moment, Alon was.

“Hmm- So, after the goldsmith guild master gave everything away, he laughed and cried?”

He was recalling the earlier events with Penia.

“Well……. The order was reversed, but that’s roughly the feeling.”

“Is it perhaps a forced contract……. It’s not that kind of feeling, right……?”

Just as a look of empathy was about to appear on Penia’s face.

“What do you take me for……?”

She hastily waved her hand.

“Ah, ah- no, no, it’s not that kind of feeling. Haha……. Then, um……. Maybe the guild master has bipolar disorder or something……?”

“`

“……Hmm, maybe.”

“It’s unfortunate at such a young age.”

The conversation, which might have been a consolation directed at someone, came to an end.

……It was dusk.

####

When Hidan was here, the regular meetings of the Blue Moon were generally a bit noisy.

……To be precise, it started quietly but became more and more boisterous as time went on.

Anyway, it had been proceeding like that so far, but Hidan didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable.

If the meeting became excessively noisy or overheated, Red Moon would appropriately mediate the situation.

But now, Hidan felt very uncomfortable.

The reason was.

[Everyone heard, right?]

[A birthday present-]

Because of the Great Moon’s birthday present.

No, to be precise, because of the Great Moon’s birthday present-

[Deus, just to let you know, no ridiculous gifts.]

[I know.]

[Do you really know?]

[Yes, I plan to prepare something ‘appropriate’.]

[Hmm- Me too. I plan to prepare something very appropriate.]

[Me too. We shouldn’t make our elder brother feel burdened.]

……Because the Moons had started a subtle rivalry.

[Hmm, everyone thought well. It seems like everyone knows not to give too big a gift and make him feel burdened.]

[Yes, I know that well too!]

Hidan glanced at the other Moons, including Utia.

The Moons, with their leisurely smiles.

Just looking at them like this, their words might seem sincere, but Hidan, who wandered around for reports, knew.

……That the five Moons were absolutely not preparing ‘appropriate’ gifts.

In other words.

[Yes, we should give ‘appropriate’ gifts.]

“`

[Yeah, I think so too. The ‘appropriate’ line, that is.]

[I understand perfectly. ‘Appropriate’, you say…]

[…Me too.]

[Me too!]

In this conversation, where the same words were being repeated over and over, everyone except for the ever-cheerful Geumwol was hiding their true feelings while watching each other’s reactions.

…To give a better gift to the Great Moon than the other moons.

Therefore.

‘Do we really… have to go this far?’

Hidan secretly sighed inwardly, feeling as if his energy was being drained.