Became the Patron of Villains

Behind his blank expression, Alon looked at Magrina with a faintly awkward feeling.

She was smiling with dignity.

Her gestures were just as relaxed.

In other words—

she didn’t look like she was lying.

As if Alon really had called her that long ago.

Realizing that, Alon fell into a light bout of self-loathing.

Because of Seollang.

Earlier, he hadn’t been able to ask, but when Alon saw the marriage registration form Seollang had held out, he’d judged inwardly that his relationship with her might be deeper than he’d thought.

Of course, Penia’s explanation hadn’t included anything like that, but—

naturally, she too was a third party when it came to Alon’s relationships with other people.

Meaning, if there was some story Penia didn’t know between Alon and Seollang, she couldn’t explain it.

...Of course, if Penia and Evan heard him, they’d say, ‘Stop spouting nonsense, my lord marquis.’

But unfortunately, right now, there was no one by his side who could resolve that question.

Anyway, in that situation—

Magrina’s words were shocking to Alon.

To anyone who heard her, what she’d said was blatant enough to sound like ‘she has some kind of secret relationship with Alon.’

And—

if you simply accept and piece together everything that had happened so far, it becomes this:

Palatio Alon, thirteen years later, is two-timing between Babaya of the Colony, Seollang, and Elf Queen Magrina.

‘...What the hell was I even doing thirteen years later??’

His mind filled up with confusion and chaos, but—

Alon came to his senses belatedly.

...He’d been so flustered by his own wandering that he’d briefly forgotten, but thinking about it, there was also something that felt suspicious.

It was the crystal storage orb.

At least, in Alon’s opinion, if Magrina and he really had that kind of relationship, he didn’t think that would be a good thing, rather.

But of course, Alon couldn’t ask why she’d brought the storage orb.

What if he asked and got caught for losing his memories?

And what if—

it was a really big what if, but—

what if this could be some kind of concept...?

‘What in the world was I thirteen years later....’

Alon felt self-loathing once again, and he vowed that once this meeting ended, he would definitely ask Penia or Evan about this issue.

After a long bout of agonizing thought, he opened his mouth.

“...Right. I was a little out of it. My lovely Magrina.”

...Even though he’d said it, his fingers curled from embarrassment for a moment, but—

when Alon looked forward again, he soon wore a blank expression.

The face that had been so relaxed until just a moment ago had, before he knew it, flushed red as if it were about to burst.

And then—

“...Magrina?”

When Alon asked in confusion, Magrina, who’d been keeping silent for a while—

“Hic—”

hiccuped as if she’d been startled by something, then immediately stood up.

“J-just a moment—!”

And then she ran right out of the office.

In an instant, silence came to the room.

Alon stared at the door Magrina had run out of for a moment, then—

‘Didn’t you say she wasn’t the weird type?’

With that thought, he made a dazed expression.

Of course, Magrina, who’d run out saying “Just a moment!”, didn’t come back again.

Feeling awkward, Alon suddenly noticed the bag left on the seat where she’d been sitting.

‘The bag she brought in earlier.’

Recalling the scene of her carrying it, he reached out to lift the bag that looked like it was about to fall off—

and—

Thudududuk—

a pile of storage crystal orbs spilled out of the bag.

...You said she wasn’t weird....

Alon couldn’t help but feel complicated....

####

“...Mm, I guess she noticed.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

When Alon told Penia what had happened up to now after she returned from stepping out to take care of something, she immediately came to that conclusion.

“...How did she notice?”

“I don’t really know that either, but it seems like they already know the information that you’ve lost your memories, my lord marquis. As far as I know, Seollang and Magrina aren’t in that kind of relationship with you.”

“...Not in that kind of relationship?”

“Yes.”

“...Isn’t it possible there’s a relationship you don’t know about?”

But Penia looked at Alon quietly, then shook her head firmly.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“You’re sure.”

“The probability that there’s something is remarkably— no, basically nonexistent.”

“...Is that so?”

“Yes.”

At Penia’s firmness, Alon felt relieved inwardly, but at the same time, he felt a little empty somewhere in his heart.

...Knowing it wasn’t true made him feel comfortable.

But having it declared like that made him feel strange.

“So it seems there wasn’t any opposite sex you stayed close with for thirteen years.”

At Alon’s mutter, Penia looked at him with a subtle expression.

“...Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, how should I put it... in a way, you seem amazing?”

“In what way?”

“The part where you can say something like that even after going through what happened just now...?”

“Of course I can. I don’t have any memories.”

Then Penia, muttering with an even more unreadable expression that this isn’t really a memory problem..., soon—

“Anyway, judging from the circumstances, it doesn’t look like you need to pretend you haven’t lost your memories anymore, my lord marquis.”

“...Right?”

“Yes. If you’ve already been found out, there’s no point. And at a glance... it kind of looks like everyone who’s coming today already knows, too.”

“So you mean everyone’s reactions were different from usual.”

“It’s not that their reactions were different from usual, it’s more like—”

It feels a bit like they were aiming for this moment to seize something they wanted....

Penia thought that, but she didn’t bother saying it out loud.

“Wait.”

In the middle of that, Alon, who’d been thinking something over, spoke.

“What is it?”

“Now that I think about it, there’s one problem.”

“What problem?”

“...Do you remember what I told you? About Seollang bringing a marriage registration form.”

“Ah...!”

Penia let out a low exclamation, as if she’d realized something important too.

But only for a moment.

She soon started processing documents again with a calm expression.

“Wella... don’t worry too much about that part.”

“...Don’t worry?”

“Yes.”

“...If Seollang takes that marriage registration form and goes back to the Colony, I’ll end up getting married without even meaning to.”

“That probably won’t happen.”

“Why...?”

Alon asked back, unable to understand.

At that, Penia gave a somewhat self-mocking smile and set her gaze beyond the window.

“...Because it’ll probably get torn to shreds before she even leaves the territory....”

She spoke in a faint voice.

And around the time Alon was about to show his confusion once again—

outside the Palatio marquisate—

“......”

“......”

Yutia and Seollang were facing off.

####

Yesterday, after hearing from Magrina that Alon had lost his memories, and up until she was preparing her ambitious plan—

Seollang didn’t have any big thoughts in particular.

It was true she wanted to get a signature on the marriage registration form, but she knew inwardly it was something impossible.

Of course, in a case like this, she thought the odds were higher than other times.

Even so, she didn’t truly expect it.

Because interference would definitely come from somewhere.

So Seollang went to Alon with a light heart, held out the marriage registration form with a light heart, got his signature with a light heart, and came out with a light heart.

“......”

Seollang lowered her gaze and looked at the marriage registration form.

A marriage registration form she’d obtained so easily it made her think, This really worked?

It was in her arms.

Only after leaving the marquisate did she properly recall the fact that she’d gotten the signature, and without realizing it, she’d grinned as the corners of her mouth lifted.

Yeah. They lifted.

They lifted—‘did.’

And the reason that expression is in the past tense—

“...Yutia.”

“Seollang.”

—was because of Yutia.

Even though she’d realized she had to be careful and had slipped out of the marquisate secretly, the sight of Yutia blocking the path Seollang was going to take, as if she’d been waiting, made her tense.

If Yutia was blocking the path like that, Seollang wouldn’t be able to protect the marriage registration form.

So Seollang decided to try negotiating first.

“Let me go, Yutia.”

“Hm? I didn’t block you.”

“Really!? Then I can go?”

“Of course—”

Yutia smiled and tilted her head.

Seollang smiled back, but—

“Leave just that behind.”

“Ugh—”

At Yutia’s following words, Seollang made a tearful face, going, Of course—!

And Yutia, who’d been staring at her—

“Pfft—”

let out a light laugh and said,

“I’m kidding.”

“...Huh?”

Seollang’s eyes went round in confusion.

But Yutia was still smiling.

“I’m not going to block you, really.”

“R-really? You won’t take it?”

“I won’t.”

She nodded.

But Seollang couldn’t easily let go of her suspicion, so she glanced at Yutia.

Yutia didn’t change her expression at all.

“Hurry and go.”

“Th-then I’m going...?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really going?”

“Yes.”

She affirmed once more.

Seollang couldn’t understand at all.

Yutia’s intentions, her thoughts—anything.

So she stared blankly at her for a moment, but—

Pajik—!

as if now was her chance, she vanished at once, golden sparks crackling.

Watching that, Yutia’s smile deepened.

...A meaningful smile.

####

After Seollang fled like an arrow, avoiding Yutia, and late afternoon began to settle in—

...To start with the conclusion:

Alon met Ryang-a, and he found it fairly interesting as he looked at her.

Unlike Magrina, Ryang-a was someone he’d seen over and over in Psychedelia as one of the Four Great Powers.

And on top of that, for Alon—who knew Ryang-a’s personality in the game—it felt extremely strange that she was someone he could actually hold a proper conversation with.

More than anything, the point Alon still couldn’t get used to was—

“...Why, boss?”

“No, it’s just—”

—Ryang-a sitting on Alon’s lap.

“...W-we used to do this a lot when it was just the two of us, right?”

When Alon stared at her, Ryang-a replied while stammering.

Naturally, Alon had no choice but to notice that she was lying.

Unlike the other people, Ryang-a sitting on his lap was weird from the start.

He could plainly see her face was red as if it might burst at any moment.

“P-please pet me... l-like... like usual....”

Not stopping there, Ryang-a demanded he stroke her head.

Alon wondered what he should do, then—

carefully raised his hand.

At that moment—

“Haa...”

Penia, letting out a big sigh, entered the office.

“I looked into it a bit, and it seems like, just as we expected, everyone already knows you’ve lost your memories, my lord marquis. So what happened to you today was all of them trying to cash in—”

And then she saw it.

Ryang-a, her face dyed red like a radish, on Alon’s lap.

“-...You’re still doing it right now.”

The moment Penia’s one line, spoken with a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) blank expression, fell—

silence settled over the office.

...It was a heavy silence.