I Became the Patron of Villains

33. The Leader…? Me…? (1)

On the dawn when Alon received the letter about Yutia’s elevation to cardinal, the meeting of the Blue Moon commenced.

The Blue Moon meetings were held roughly every six months, and due to the distances involved, most discussions occurred through crystal orbs.

…However, even though they met biannually, the duration of these meetings was not particularly long.

The meetings conducted through the crystal orbs crafted by Rine rarely exceeded ten minutes, and even that time was mostly consumed by Yutia’s discussions or the innocent remarks of Serlang.

In other words, aside from those two, the other participants hardly spoke at all, contributing only simple affirmations or negations when necessary.

Of course, Radan and Rine occasionally exchanged trivial daily matters, allowing for some participation, but Deus mostly remained silent throughout the meetings.

This silence stemmed not only from a lack of words but also from Deus’s inherently taciturn nature.

Thus, no one anticipated what was to come.

With a single innocent exclamation from Serlang—“Oh, I heard a rumor that the Great Moon has departed! What was it like to see it in person?”—the average meeting time, which rarely reached ten minutes, extended beyond thirty.

……In fact, even up to that point, the five great sins participating in the meeting were showing quite interesting expressions.

It wasn’t just because Deus was extolling the Great Moon, but rather, could Deus really speak at such length? That was the thought.

However.

[The Great Moon stood before the foreign god – Ultultus. When everyone was plunged into despair and fear, and even the vice tower master of the Blue Tower was blinded by fear, the Great Moon calmly stepped forward and challenged the foreign god to a duel. Thinking back, it seems the Great Moon had been preparing magic since then, but that’s not the important part. The foreign god -]

As Deus’s words exceeded thirty minutes and approached an hour, a feeling of embarrassment began to arise in their hearts.

……No matter how much, they hadn’t thought the story would last for an hour.

[Come to think of it, when the Great Moon was leaving-]

[Wait, the story is getting too long-]

Thus, Rine tried to interrupt Deus’s words.

[Just listen to this, aren’t we talking about the Great Moon? So where was I? Right, with Ultultus-]

Already engrossed in the story of the Great Moon, Deus continued, even rewinding the timeline of the story.

With a feeling of “please stop…” Rine and Seolang looked at Yutia through the magical screen.

There was no one else who could properly interrupt Deus’s words.

[Indeed, the Great Moon is different.]

Seeing Yutia also nodding with a satisfied smile, eyes shining as if she liked Deus’s story.

[[…….]]

They realized that the story would not end easily.

And, as they expected.

[Hmm hmm…… the story got long.]

Deus’s story ended another hour and thirty minutes later.

[[…….]]

With the imprint in their minds that they shouldn’t ask Deus about the Great Moon, the meeting ended that day.

……It was late dawn.

The next day.

“Count, it seems Yutia has really become a cardinal?”

“……Really?”

“Yes, the information guild also knows that Yutia has become one of the eight cardinals of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.”

Alon muttered, filled with countless question marks in his mind, as he listened to Evan’s voice.

“Evan.”

“Yes, Count.”

“…Isn’t a cardinal a very high rank in the Holy Kingdom?”

“That’s right. As I mentioned before, a cardinal is the second highest rank after the pope. Moreover, it’s a position that can declare an ‘out call’.”

“An out call…”

“Simply put, it’s one of the few individuals who can legally declare a holy war. Of course, there are various restrictions.”

At Evan’s words, Alon let out an exclamation and fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“Evan.”

“Yes.”

“Is it easy to become a cardinal?”

“…Are you seriously asking?”

With a look that seemed to say, ‘What kind of nonsense question is that?’, Evan looked at Alon, who then spoke.

“Just in case.”

“…Of course, it’s not easy. Except for saints directly chosen by God, there are only eight in the vast Holy Kingdom. Do you think it could be easy?”

Alon nodded but tilted his head in confusion.

‘How on earth did he do it…?’

Of course, it was Alon who sent Yutia to the Holy Kingdom, knowing he had the talent of a devout believer.

However, he never imagined that Yutia would become a cardinal in less than two years.

He knew very well that the position of cardinal could not be attained by piety alone.

Therefore, Alon, who had been questioning Yutia’s current situation, soon dismissed the thought.

In fact, if he thought about it calmly, Yutia’s success in the Holy Kingdom was not a loss for Alon at all.

No, it might even be a very good thing.

‘Do I finally have a proper backer…?’

In fact, there were already rumors spreading within Caliban that Count Palatio was the benefactor of Deus, one of Caliban’s Master Knights, but this was different.

He had barely exchanged letters, and when they met, they could consider it a lot of communication if they exchanged a single word a day.

On the other hand, Yutia, with whom he exchanged letters regularly every month and could naturally ask for favors in case of an emergency, was a very different story.

Therefore, Alon, outwardly expressionless but inwardly satisfied, nodded several times.

‘Maybe, I might get some benefits out of this?’

He held a small expectation.

About a week later.

Alon was living a peaceful life as soon as he returned to the Count’s house, just as he had originally thought.

Waking up late in the morning to toast and having steak for dinner was the most precious happiness that life could offer him.

But that didn’t mean he had been playing around thoughtlessly for a whole week.

…In fact, Alon wanted to stop thinking altogether, but knowing that the existence of the foreign god had already descended once, he couldn’t just play and eat.

If a foreign god descended once, other outer gods could also descend.

In other words, having blocked the five great sins, it was possible that outer gods might appear, but Alon accepted the situation humbly.

Although he had gone through a lot of trouble, he also thought it wasn’t bad.

If this was the butterfly effect of Alon saving the five great sins, it was much better than doing nothing and letting the five great sins descend and devastate the kingdoms… It was much better for a foreign god to appear.

At least the outer gods give a warning before descending, but the five great sins just descend like a nuclear bomb dropping, leaving you with no choice but to pray to the heavens.

…

Anyway, fully aware that another foreign god could appear, Alon had been conducting various information investigations and magical explorations over the past week.

“Hoo-“

Alon let out a deep sigh and looked down at the ground.

Unlike the solid other parts of the training ground, the sticky mud was dirtying his shoes.

‘Did I finally succeed?’

When he realized that the magic he had been steadily researching since returning from Caliban had succeeded.

“Count, …hmm? It’s strangely chilly here?”

At Evan’s voice, who entered the training ground with a puzzled expression, Alon naturally turned his gaze and opened his mouth.

“Did you go?”

“Yes.”

“Any information? Did you get anything?”

Alon asked expectantly.

Since he had asked various questions, starting with the true name of Ultultus and including the black and blue ones, he thought there would be at least one or two answers.

“Nothing at all?”

“Yes. At least regarding the monstrous powers or the black and blue ones, they said they knew nothing.”

At Evan’s subsequent answer, Alon clicked his tongue and thought.

‘As expected, I need to go to the colony to get some information.’

Alon thought, recalling what was written on the ornament.

In fact, originally, instead of asking the information guild, it was more in Alon’s nature to go and find the clues himself.

However, the reason he couldn’t move was that the location of the ancient god’s city, Kahara, had not yet been revealed at this point.

‘I didn’t think about it because in the game, you could always enter the colony.’

He clicked his tongue in regret, but soon shrugged his shoulders.

If he followed the faint game knowledge he had left, except for what he had written in his notebook to forget, the location of Kahara would be discovered soon.

‘There was an explanation that the city was discovered three years before the protagonist left the village, so it should be this year in the setting.’

Recalling that this year was three years before the original story began, Alon nodded, concluding that he had to wait until then.

“Got it.”

“I’ll tell them to keep looking just in case.”

Evan, who was watching Alon nod briefly, soon exclaimed, “Ah,” and spoke.

“Oh, and Count. A gift has arrived.”

“…A gift?”

“Yes. It’s been brought to your office, so please check it out.”

Hearing Evan’s words, Alon returned to his office and confirmed the gift that had arrived.

Soon, Alon checked the contents of the gift.

“…Oh.”

He couldn’t help but exclaim.

No wonder, as the gift box contained a solid gold cup encrusted with dazzling jewels.

“…If you sell this one thing, you could easily buy a mansion or two.”

Listening to Evan’s voice muttering in surprise, Alon checked the sender written on the wrapping paper.

The name ‘Baron Pirima’ was written in large letters, so anyone could recognize it.

‘…But why did he send this to me?’

Of course, Alon didn’t know who Baron Pirima was, so he tilted his head in confusion.

However.

“Maybe the rumors have finally spread?”

“Rumors?”

“Yes. There were already rumors that you were the benefactor of Deus, one of the Master Knights of Caliburn.”

“…Giving such a gift just because of one connection?”

Alon asked in bewilderment.

But a little later.

“…It’s true?”

Upon checking the letter that came with the gift, Alon muttered to himself without realizing it.

The letter contained a simple greeting introducing himself, along with blatant praise for Alon, the benefactor of Deus.

‘…Master Knights are quite famous, but to this extent…?’

Alon wore a puzzled expression.

‘Of course, even in the game, whenever the Master Knights appeared, they were applauded in any country…’

Alon, recalling the blatant praise scenes that appeared when he briefly took Reinhardt, one of Caliburn’s Master Knights, on a quest while playing the game.

‘Well, it’s not surprising that there are a few friends like that.’

With that thought, he nodded with a rather satisfied feeling and packed the golden goblet.

The count’s family wasn’t lacking in finances, but the more wealth, the better.

Alon had experienced in his previous life how much more luxurious life could become depending on how much gold was left.

‘I’ll keep it as a slush fund.’

Alon, outwardly expressionless, but inwardly wearing a satisfied smile, looked at the golden goblet.

And the next day.

“Count.”

“Why?”

“Another gift has arrived. This time, there are two.”

“…Two?”

Alon received another gift from an unknown noble.

And this time, it was two precious artifacts, similar to the golden goblet he received the day before.

“Wow, these are artifacts from the deep layers of the labyrinth? They must be very expensive.”

Evan marveled as he looked at the artifacts in Alon’s hand.

And Alon, outwardly expressionless, was inwardly beaming.

‘Is this, connections?’

He looked at the artifacts with satisfaction, reading the letter praising Deus and himself, Deus’s benefactor.

The amount he could get from selling the gifts he had received so far would instantly make his already affluent life even more prosperous.

The bitter past when Deus no longer contacted him had long been forgotten in Alon’s mind.

‘Deus… you are indeed a filial son.’

Instead, Deus had become a filial son to him.

“Count, at this rate, we could even replace the carriage with a magical engineering carriage. We need to ride it for the upcoming ‘Great Council Battle’ in a few months anyway, so let’s change it?”

“…It might not be a bad idea.”

Evan and Alon, talking with satisfied smiles while holding the artifact.

But only for a moment.

The next day.

“Another gift, my lord!”

“Oh.”

The next day.

“A gift!”

“Oh.”

Three days later.

“Count, a gift.”

“Hmm.”

Another week later.

“Count, another gift.”

“…Hmm?”

…And then, exactly one month later.

“Count, another gift has… arrived??”

“…???”

Alon began to think that something strange was going on.