Became the Patron of Villains

Day.

After witnessing the spectacular view of the evening primroses with Yutia.

“I’ll be going now, My Lord.”

“Alright, take care.”

“Yes. See you next time.”

Even Yutia had left the marquis’ estate.

Unlike yesterday, the office was now distinctly silent.

‘...It almost feels like a holiday.’

Memories from his past life resurfaced.

His uncle and father, who always argued whenever they met due to differing political views.

The youngest sibling, who would take over the eldest’s computer and turn it into a virus-ridden mess.

Still, it was quite a harmonious family.

Even though every gathering was a chaotic mess, once everyone left, a sense of longing always remained.

“It does feel rather empty, Marquis.”

Evan’s voice carried a hint of regret as well.

“There’s a bit of that feeling, indeed.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, everyone has their own responsibilities, after all.”

Alon nodded in agreement and glanced around the office.

It did feel a little empty.

“...Next time, if everyone is available, maybe we should make this kind of gathering a regular thing.”

Evan’s eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual size.

“Hmm— Then let’s discuss that the next time we meet.”

Alon gave a light nod.

“Alright, for now, let’s start preparing.”

“By preparing, do you mean the elf village you mentioned last time?”

“Yeah.”

Evan hesitated, letting out a hum.

“We’ll make preparations, but is this really okay? No offense, but that place seems pretty dangerous.”

“Hmm.”

The places Alon had visited so far weren’t particularly safe either.

But he wasn’t too concerned.

He already had some information.

However, the elven land, Greynifra—

Unfortunately, there was almost no available information about it.

To the extent that—

He had no useful knowledge from playing Psychedelia and only a small amount from his time in this world.

Even the little information he had might not be completely accurate.

It might indeed be somewhat dangerous.

The presence or absence of information significantly affects the level of danger.

Even if one ventures into an extremely perilous place, as long as they have knowledge of the area, they can avoid risks.

Conversely, even a relatively safe place could become dangerous if one is unaware of its hazards.

But—

‘...Even considering all that, it’s still worth visiting.’

Whether he wanted to or not—

Alon realized that he was deeply entangled in Greynifra’s many secrets.

“...Well, for now, let’s just prepare.”

“You’re not going to investigate further before going?”

“I’ve already gathered all the information I can at this point.”

“That’s true.”

Alon had attempted to collect information about Greynifra.

The problem was—

Despite spending a hefty sum on research, he had found nothing useful.

Sitting around and searching further would yield no results.

“For now, before crossing into non-human territory, we’ll gather more information in the nearby lands or villages.”

“There should be a domain called Nail.”

“Then we’ll investigate there.”

With that decision, some time passed.

“Marquis.”

“Is everything ready?”

“No, actually... Do you remember the Greenwood Trading Company?”

“...Ah, them?”

“Yes. It looks like they’ve just arrived. Wouldn’t it be better to speak with them briefly before departing?”

Evan brought unexpected news.

After a brief moment of thought, Alon nodded.

“Sure, let’s do that. We have time, and this is our first transaction.”

“Understood. I’ll bring them in.”

Evan immediately turned and disappeared.

Shortly after—

A man entered the office, guided by Evan.

“Greetings, Marquis Palatio.”

“You are—”

“My name is Recon. I was behind the company’s leader last time...”

“Ah, I remember that.”

“It’s an honor.”

Recon bowed deeply.

He was alone.

“But where is your company leader?”

Alon’s question was reasonable.

Unless it was a minor business, the head of the company would usually meet with nobles in person.

“My apologies. The company leader was attacked by monsters and is currently receiving treatment, so he was unable to come.”

“...I see. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Recon bowed once more.

Then, they began discussing business.

“The terms remain the same as last time?”

“Yes, there are no changes.”

The conditions were extremely favorable to Alon.

It made him wonder if a trading company should really be this generous.

But Alon didn’t press the issue.

After all, there was no downside for him in this deal.

“Alright, let’s proceed with that.”

“Understood.”

The negotiation flowed smoothly, and once the contract was finalized—

Alon suddenly became curious.

“Come to think of it, where does the Greenwood Trading Company usually operate?” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“The southern region.”

“Which areas do you frequent?”

“Hmm— We generally travel all over the southern region. This time is an exception, as we’ve come north to expand our trade routes.”

At that, Alon asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Then, just out of curiosity—do you know anything about Greynifra?”

“Greyni...f?”

...

Until just a moment ago, Recon had been smiling.

But now, his face was filled with surprise.

“Yes. But if it’s a sensitive topic, you don’t have to answer. I was just asking out of curiosity.”

Upon hearing that, Recon quickly composed himself.

“No, it’s just... I was a bit caught off guard. You see... People don’t usually take an interest in Greynifra.”

“That’s true.”

“But why did you suddenly ask about Greynifra—?”

Alon answered calmly.

“I have business there.”

“Business... you say?”

“Yes.”

“Then, are you saying you are going to Greynifra?”

“That’s right. So I was curious. Things to be cautious of, or the route to get there.”

Hearing Alon’s words, Recon briefly wore a blank expression before cautiously speaking.

“...I do know a little about it.”

“Then, I’d appreciate it if you could share some insights.”

And an hour later—

After Recon had left—

“Marquis, shall we depart now?”

“Yes, I think we’re ready.”

“Oh, and I looked into it—apparently, there’s someone in Nail who has been gathering medicinal herbs in the forests of Greynifra for a long time. If we ask them, we might be able to get more information.”

Evan brought some good news, but Alon shook his head.

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I’ve already received some pretty useful information.”

“If you heard something useful... ah, from that merchant?”

“Yes, he knew quite a bit.”

“...Really?”

Evan looked puzzled.

Alon was equally surprised.

He had casually asked, assuming that since Recon mostly traveled in the south, he wouldn’t know much.

But the amount of information he received was beyond his expectations.

And it seemed highly credible.

‘...He even explained in detail how to enter Greynifra.’

Alon couldn’t be 100% certain it was all true.

But there was no reason for Recon to fabricate information.

Moreover, his descriptions were vivid and precise.

‘...Could he be an elf?’

That thought briefly crossed Alon’s mind.

But he quickly dismissed it.

There was no reason for an elf to go to such lengths to hide their identity and engage in trade with him.

“Anyway, let’s set off.”

“Understood.”

*****

As Alon and Evan departed for Greynifra—

The man who had just been at the marquis’ estate—Recon, or rather, Perion—couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

The reason was, of course, Marquis Palatio.

“The Primordial Elf is coming to Greynifra? Why? No, wait—did he discover my identity? That shouldn’t be possible...”

His thoughts spiraled into confusion.

Perion struggled to calm himself, listing out the things that didn’t make sense.

‘...Philde had clearly said that the Primordial Elf was holding onto something and wouldn’t come to Greynifra.’

“No, before that, why did he ask me for directions to Greynifra? He should definitely already know.”

“Was he pretending to avoid getting involved? Wait—does that mean he figured out who I am?”

“That’s impossible. Last time, I was only caught because I disguised myself using magic. But this time, I used an elven heirloom for my disguise. Even the Queen and I weren’t detected before.”

“Or is he just pretending not to know?”

Unfortunately—

Every time he reached a conclusion, another question arose.

His thoughts tangled endlessly.

Unable to sort out his confusion, Perion arrived at one clear conclusion.

He had to report this to the Queen—before the Primordial Elf entered Greynifra!

With that thought, Perion bolted away.

*****

Arbiter Alexion

“Mm~”

Or rather, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» the owner of the grand auction house under Marquis Palatio—Alexion.

Lately, life had been very enjoyable for him.

Because he was taking bribes from nobles?

Of course not.

Whenever he received bribes, that damn Radan or his blonde-haired subordinate would appear out of nowhere and confiscate everything.

Alexion had given up on that avenue a long time ago.

Yet he was still living happily.

The reason?

Money kept flowing in, even without bribes.

Yes, money.

Alexion’s happiness was purely tied to wealth.

He had been happy making money while working in the slums of Raksas.

Even when he had no reason to spend money, earning more made him happy.

Simply put, as long as he had money, he was happy.

For him, money = happiness.

And for such a man—

“Ahahaha—”

The auction house under Marquis Palatio was making him so much money that his grin nearly reached the ceiling.

Of course, a portion of the earnings was reinvested into the auction house and sent to the marquis.

But that didn’t bother him.

Even after sending out those amounts—

The money left over was far greater than what he had earned hustling in the slums.

There was no way he wouldn’t be smiling.

Until—

“Oh? Long time no see.”

“...Radan, sir?”

—his smile vanished.

At the sudden appearance of this demon, Alexion barely swallowed a hiccup.

“But... I thought you left yesterday?”

“Oh, I did. But I realized I forgot to take care of something my boss asked me to do, so I came back.”

“Haha... I see.”

“So, still living off bribes?”

Less than a second.

Alexion shook his head at least five times before shouting in panic.

“Absolutely not! I swear, I haven’t taken a single bribe since that time!”

“Really?”

“I swear on the heavens!”

Alexion put on the most sincere expression he could muster.

“Oh?”

Radan smirked, as if slightly impressed, and patted Alexion on the shoulder.

“Alright. Then I guess you can be trusted?”

“Of course—”

“Good. Then you can temporarily manage my boss’s territory.”

“...Excuse me?”

A special assignment.

“You didn’t hear me?”

“N-No, I did! I just—”

He had heard it loud and clear.

Too well, in fact.

Because those words from Radan’s mouth...

Essentially marked the end of Alexion’s carefree, happy life.

“You mean... acting as the lord?”

“Yep. Nothing major, just handling some paperwork. Summarize the important stuff~”

A major crisis.

Alexion’s mind raced.

Acting lord? Just hearing the word sounded so good.

In reality, it was indeed a pretty desirable position.

First of all, if he became the acting lord—

He could reign like a king while the real lord was away, skimming off some sweet under-the-table money.

But that was only possible if—

The land was weak and powerless.

But if the territory in question belonged to Marquis Palatio?

...He was screwed.

There was not a single privilege he could enjoy as acting lord.

If he took bribes, Radan would kill him.

If he abused his power, Radan would come for him.

If he pulled any tricks, Radan would show up again.

Everything—

Radan, Radan, Radan...!

Even if Radan didn’t come—

That blonde-haired girl would—

‘No...!’

Just thinking about it was horrifying.

In other words—

Acting as the lord of Marquis Palatio’s estate was basically—

A job with all the responsibility and none of the pleasure.

Worse, unlike now, he’d have to endure a brutal workload.

And that wasn’t all.

One wrong move—

And his head could literally roll.

That’s why—

“So, what I’m saying is, maybe I’m not the best fit for this kind of—”

“You can do it, right?”

“I mean, acting lord isn’t something you just casually—”

“You can do it, right?”

“Radan, sir? As you know, I’m just a no-good scumbag who crawled out of the slums, living however I wanted—”

“You can do it, right?”

Hiccup!

This time, he couldn’t hold back the hiccup.

Because the way Radan was smiling at him—

Clearly said:

“You know how much I hate repeating myself, right?”

Radan’s fingers twitched, as if ready to slice off his head at any moment.

And so—

“...I’ll give it a try.”

“Great! That’s the spirit.”

In the end, Alexion nodded.

‘You absolute bastard.’

A silent, tearful curse filled his heart.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You just cursed, didn’t you?”

“N-No? I didn’t say anything?”

“...Really? Felt like you did. Alright then.”

And with that—

His last hope faded before it could even take form.

...It was late summer.