I Became the Patron of Villains

170. Magician Kylas (2)

Dark Leaf.

Their sole purpose is to protect the current Elf Queen-

The only remaining High Elf since the forgotten age of gods.

Since the organization’s founding, they have never guarded anyone else.

No, they hadn’t.

Until today.

“……”

Two carriages stood side by side on the unpaved road in the pitch-black darkness.

Draim, the leader of Dark Leaf, who had been watching him closely, let out a small sigh.

‘Why on earth am I protecting a human…’

To be honest, Draim couldn’t understand this situation at all.

Dark Leaf exists solely to protect Elf Queen Magrina.

Of course, Draim knew.

That his feelings should have no impact on what ‘must be done.’

‘Dark Leaf’ is a direct unit that moves according to the Queen’s will, and he had no intention of defying the orders of the great Queen.

Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of doubt.

Half of Dark Leaf’s members had been deployed just to protect a human noble.

‘No, he’s not an ordinary human noble.’

Draim lowered his gaze to look at Marquis Palatio inside the carriage.

He didn’t know much about him, but…

From the moment the dark leaves guarding him saw the Marquis, they realized.

Always behind him, something that never emerged from the otherworld.

That-

It was telling them that the Marquis was an abnormal figure.

‘The fact that the Queen herself ordered us to guard him means he is not an ordinary person…’

All doubts did not disappear, but the Queen’s command was absolute.

‘Hoo-’

How much time had passed like that?

When the campfire near the carriage was slowly dying out.

A man walked out from the carriage in front of Marquis Palatio.

Despite the late dawn, his eyes were clear and bright, Deus Macalian, who had joined Marquis Palatio from the previous village.

From his mouth.

“Come out.”

Suddenly, a very small voice dropped.

A moment of silence.

“If you don’t come out, I’ll force you out.”

The moment his mouth opened once more, Draim saw it.

“Ugh-!?”

One of his subordinates, tied up in a purple thread that seemed to come out of nowhere, was quietly dragged out.

‘He saw through our concealment!?’

Draim was unknowingly astonished.

All those who entered the dark leaves possessed above-average talent.

The secret of the dark leaves, mastered based on that extraordinary talent, provided a concealment ability that no one could easily detect.

A high level that could not be recognized unless it was one of the five zones called strong in the land of different races.

But.

The knight in front of him instantly saw through the concealment of the dark leaves.

‘Impossible-’

Draim’s brow furrowed deeply.

But Deus, who had calmly captured one of the dark leaves, said.

“Five excluding this one. I’ll give you one more chance. Come out without running away. If you run away, I’ll kill this one first.”

Found another leaf.

After a moment of hesitation, Draim let out a low sigh, released his concealment, and walked out.

Concealment doesn’t work anyway.

He judged that there was nothing to gain by holding out in the current situation.

“…You must be the leader.”

“That’s right.”

Despite confirming that the opponent was an elf, which was something he could never easily see, Deus Macallian showed no change in expression.

“What are you?”

“…First, let me say that we are not enemies.”

“I will decide whether or not it will harm the Marquis.”

Draim, who was silent for a moment at the resolute response, continued speaking.

“I did not lie.”

“Why are you following the Marquis?”

“…We were simply ordered to escort Marquis Palatio.”

“By whom?”

“That, I cannot say.”

“Then get lost.”

An expulsion order without the slightest hesitation.

“…Regrettably, that is impossible, as we are also under orders.”

“You must want to die.”

“Not at all, rather, isn’t it you who is hastening the command?”

“What?”

Deus, who was expressing doubt, suddenly felt a cold sensation.

Before he knew it, a black blade was pressed against his throat.

Dozens of blades, originating from Deus’s shadow due to Draim’s ability, were poised to cut his flesh at any moment.

“I keep telling you, there is no need for us to be at odds. We are here simply to escort Marquis Palatio, not to cause harm.”

“Even so, nothing changes. Get lost.”

“…Do you think you are in a position to say that now?”

Draim frowned as if he couldn’t understand, and Deus lightly raised his hand to point at his neck.

And then.

“!”

Draim realized.

The purple thread had somehow wrapped around his neck.

And it wasn’t just him.

The purple thread had also wrapped around the necks of the remaining members of the Dark Leaf who had not yet revealed themselves.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I can kill all of you who might harm the Marquis.”

“……!”

At the moment when Draim involuntarily swallowed at the madness gleaming clearly above Ja’an’s eyes.

Creak-!

At the very small sound of the carriage door opening, the purple thread created by Deus disappeared.

Draim was bewildered by Deus’s sudden change of stance, which had instantly freed all the members of the Dark Leaf.

Nod-

Soon, at Deus’s signal, Draim and his subordinates hid themselves.

A little later.

Alon, who seemed to have just woken up, walked out of the carriage, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Deus.”

“Marquis.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was meditating.”

“……Meditating?”

“Yes.”

“……I thought I heard a voice.”

“You probably heard me muttering softly.”

……Isn’t meditation supposed to be done in silence?

Alon scratched his head once and said,

“……Is that so.”

“Yes.”

“Go to sleep quickly, the later you sleep, the more tired you’ll be.”

“Yes. Good night, Marquis.”

“Alright.”

With his disheveled appearance, he re-entered the carriage.

Once again, Alon’s carriage fell silent.

Whether he had woken up briefly or not, Alon seemed to have fallen back into a deep sleep in an instant.

Deus, staring precisely at a point in the void, opened his mouth.

“Come out.”

“……”

Draim appeared once more.

However, there was a look of puzzlement on his face.

Of course, from Draim’s perspective, who had to escort without being caught by Marquis Palatio, it wasn’t a bad situation.

But it was strange.

Deus had no reason to show mercy to the Dark Leaf.

“……Why did you bother to hide us?”

He asked, full of doubt.

The answer that came back was-

From noble mtl dot com

“Because the Marquis must not be made uncomfortable.”

……It was far beyond his expectations.

“Hmm?”

“If the Marquis knew that guys like you were around, he might lose sleep at night.”

“……”

“Even if I dealt with you in front of the Marquis, he might not be able to sleep peacefully once a threat has already occurred.”

In other words.

‘He let go of the captured enemies for the Marquis Palatio’s good night’s sleep?’

Draim involuntarily opened his mouth in a daze.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Leave. If you don’t listen to me this time, I will kill you all.”

“……Do you think you can?”

At the ensuing arrogant declaration, Draim came to his senses.

However.

“Do you think I can’t?”

“……”

Draim’s mind became hazy once again.

‘Those eyes again…!’

Strange and dangerous, those fanatical eyes that sent shivers down one’s spine the moment they met.

Eyes burning with the determination to achieve their goal, no matter what they lost. Draim involuntarily took a step back.

“Remember my words.”

Before he could even gather the shame that belatedly surged.

Deus turned around without hesitation.

…It was late dawn.

And the next day.

Nothing was caught in Deus’s senses anymore.

####

About a week later, Alon arrived in Lartania.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hello, Godfather. And it’s been a while for you too, Deus?”

“Indeed.”

In Merd, which had become somewhat familiar, they could meet Line.

“By the way, why has Deus come here?”

“He said he had something to do for a while.”

“Hmm, a very important task.”

Deus nodded and bowed to Alon.

“Then, Marquis, I will go to the labyrinth for a while.”

“The place you have business in is the labyrinth?”

“Yes. There is something I need to obtain from inside the labyrinth.”

“…Hmm.”

Alon felt a question beyond his unchanged expression.

…Do you need something from inside the labyrinth to make a gift? he wondered.

Well, various miscellaneous items did come out of the labyrinth.

“Don’t overdo it and be careful.”

Alon soon brushed it off lightly.

“…! Understood! I will be careful!”

“…? Alright.”

Almost bewildered again by Deus’s intense reaction.

After Deus left for the labyrinth.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, of course. How about you, Godfather?”

“I haven’t had any special events.”

“That’s a relief.”

They sat in the office for a while, chatting.

Then, Alon remembered the content he had sent to Rine before coming to Lartania.

“Rine, did you manage to find the place I mentioned?”

“If it’s the place you mentioned in the letter, I’ve found it.”

“…Really? That’s a relief. Thank you for always working hard.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s between you and me, Godfather.”

Rine, showing a calm and clear smile, asked further.

“But, why do you want to go there?”

“There’s something that can only be used there.”

The reason Alon had specifically asked Rine through a letter to find a place somewhere underground in Lartania.

It was because the ‘Footsteps of the Past’ could only be used in that specific place in Lartania.

“I see.”

Rine nodded as if she understood.

“Since it’s late today, let’s rest and meet tomorrow.”

“Let’s do that.”

The two promised to meet the next day.

####

In the land of the Lizardmen, next to the land of the Elves, Greynif.

Inside the great tribe of Kalmak that rules there.

[Is this, really true?]

“…I have delivered Kurak’s letter as it is.”

Revered by all Lizardmen.

The wise god who bestows his power by engraving his mark on all Lizardmen.

[…Could he really be alive?]

The corners of his mouth, hidden by the veil, twisted with vivid anticipation.