I Became the Patron of Villains

192. Clash (3)

To be honest,

Alon didn’t know exactly either.

He could only guess the situation roughly.

He didn’t know it properly.

For example,

he didn’t know where the five divine beings he saw in his state of contemplation had gathered from.

He could only guess that the blue orb that gave off a strange crackling feeling was the divine being of ‘Kalanon, the Receiver of Lightning’.

He didn’t know the origins of the others.

Similarly, Alon had chosen the green divinity.

It was simply because it pulsed as if saying, ‘Choose me,’ unlike the other spheres, so he reached out to it.

At that time, he couldn’t know exactly where this divinity had gathered from.

As soon as his hand, wrapped in the green divinity, touched the place with the letters, he saw the sight of sprouts growing.

He vaguely realized that this divinity was related to this place, Greynif, but that was ultimately just a guess.

Yes, it was clearly just a guess.

Until he saw the reactions of the elves.

“…….”

The group of elves escorting Alon climbed up towards the top of the root.

Alon looked at their faces with a peculiar expression.

Their faces, which had been full of tension and irritation until they descended to the depths, had vanished like a mirage.

In its place, there was a uniform sense of pride.

A pride that clearly came from serving a great being, the ‘Primordial Elf.’

“…….”

Alon felt extremely burdened.

Naturally, he was not the Primordial Elf.

No, more than that.

He didn’t even know what kind of being the Primordial Elf was, or what its name was.

He didn’t even know the ‘Pri’ of the Primordial Elf.

……He thought he might know why they were mistaken.

‘It’s probably because of the power I used.’

The green divinity.

The power that instantly filled the space with burgeoning green life.

Now it was clear.

It must be the divinity of the ‘Primordial Elf.’

It was entirely reasonable for the elves to mistake him for the Primordial Elf.

Moreover.

Alon looked around.

Starting from beneath the root.

The new sprouts slowly breathed life into the withered roots.

If one were to witness this miracle-

‘I would act like these elves too.’

The elves, exuding pride with their entire beings as if they were guarding a noble figure.

Their faces shone with a mix of excitement, joy, and determination.

However, Alon felt uncomfortable because of this.

Although the series of events flowed naturally like water.

In the end, all of this was born from a ‘misunderstanding.’

‘Why on earth…….’

For some reason, a rumor had spread among the high elves that Alon was the ‘First Elf.’

Due to this misunderstanding, faith gathered, and a green divinity could be born.

And today, Alon used that divinity.

A miracle was achieved.

Now, countless elves believed him to be the ‘First Elf.’

In other words, by using the divinity gathered from a misunderstanding, he was even more mistaken for a real god.

In that strange situation.

Alon’s usually unshakable face twitched slightly.

“First- no, Marquis. Is there something bothering you?”

Rim, who seemed to have caught on, asked immediately.

“…….”

In fact, Alon was most uncomfortable with her.

Until they entered the roots, she had maintained a consistently cold expression.

Even when Alon asked a light question, Rim answered curtly.

Alon fully understood, as she had been burdened with a troublesome task.

Her prickliness wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

But.

“……No, it’s fine.”

“If there is anything bothering you, please let me know immediately! Thanks to you, First- no, Marquis, we can now use magic even within the roots……!”

Calling him by the strange title of ‘First- no, Marquis.’

With a face full of mission and pride, she smiled brightly at her sudden change.

“…….”

After a moment of silence, Alon said.

“Th, at.”

He had no choice but to nod, a bit reluctantly.

####

“Marquis.”

“Speak.”

“What if you come back as a real god?”

“……It wasn’t because I wanted to.”

“Can you become a god even if you don’t want to?”

That-

“Seems so.”

It happens.

“You become a god even if you don’t want to…….”

“……But why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

Two hours had passed since they returned from the roots.

Having been informed that the queen had gone into a meeting, they were resting.

Evan, who had been playing all day without following to the roots, brought news from outside.

“It’s complete chaos outside right now.”

“?”

“They’re saying that the Marquis was ‘the true primordial elf.'”

“……Wasn’t that just a rumor from the beginning?”

“No, I mean, it was just a rumor before, but now everyone is buzzing about it? Saying it’s true.”

“Do elves believe rumors too easily?”

“I heard it was the Black Leaf……? Someone has been spreading the story enthusiastically.”

“Ah…….”

As Alon sighed, Evan quietly looked at him and spoke.

“Marquis.”

“Why?”

“Just to ask, are you really one of the primordial elves or something like that?”

“What do you mean by ‘something like that’?”

“No, I mean, have you experienced reincarnation or possession or something like that?”

At Evan’s question, Alon pondered for a moment.

He could have just said no.

But he hesitated to lie, so he answered.

“At least, I don’t think I’ve ever been a primordial elf.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Evan drawled his words.

Alon let out a quiet sigh and thought.

There were many things to worry about besides the rumors.

‘The being in the mirror, the fruit given by the ancient tree, the mother of greed,’

He had learned how to use divine power, but three new questions had arisen.

‘Should I ask the queen? Maybe she knows something.’

As Alon was momentarily agonizing over this.

Knock, knock-!

“Primordial- no, Marquis. The Queen requests an audience with you.”

At the strange (?) title that was heard again.

“…I’m coming.”

Alon still couldn’t shake off the awkwardness as he stood up.

####

“Your Majesty, do you think this makes sense!? No matter how you look at it, sending an unverified person down to the roots like this is extremely dangerous!”

“Lord Paloel, this matter was settled long ago, wasn’t it?”

“I’m talking about what comes next! No matter how much Lord Filde has endorsed it, it’s still just speculation-!”

As soon as he approached the audience chamber, he heard the voices.

‘…They’re talking about me.’

Without even having time to feel embarrassed by the passionate old man’s voice.

“Your Majesty, Marquis Palatio has arrived.”

Without hesitation, she announced his arrival as if it didn’t matter at all.

“Come in.”

After a brief silence.

The door opened, and an old elf walked out.

With long white hair reaching his waist, and an expression of anger radiating from his entire body.

He glanced at the expressionless Rim once, then turned his gaze to Alon.

“…….”

“…….”

A brief exchange of glances.

A moment of blatant hostility in their eyes.

“……Tsk.”

The elf clicked his tongue, then turned his head and brushed past Alon.

“Sorry. The meeting was quite delayed. ……One person wouldn’t let go even after it ended.”

The queen’s voice finally reached them.

Alon shook his head.

“No, it wasn’t a long wait.”

“So, how was it inside? The meeting just ended, so I haven’t heard the details yet. If you don’t mind, could you tell me in detail what happened at the root?”

At Magrida’s request, Alon was silent for a moment before nodding.

After all, there were things he wanted to ask as well.

####

Elder Chairman Paloel.

A member of the Elder Council, which consists of ten people at present and holds power second only to the queen, he was displeased with this situation.

Because of the rumor that Marquis Palatio was the primordial elf.

‘Just a mere human…….’

Paloel frowned.

A mere human daring to be the primordial elf.

Even if it was said by the queen and the excellent wizard Filde, it was not pleasant.

……No, actually.

‘Damn it!’

The appearance of the primordial elf was annoying.

That meant.

The power structure within the elves could change to be like that of the lizardmen group.

Soon, it meant that it could also affect his own power.

Therefore, Palroel, who had returned to the office of the Council of Elders in the royal palace.

“Palroel-nim! Just a moment-“

“Stop! I have somewhere to go right now, so let’s talk later.”

“That- it’s about the rumors from the Root this time-“

“I’ll hear it later.”

After lightly fending off the elf who had hurriedly approached to report, he headed straight somewhere.

The place he headed to was none other than the office of Pagade, where Lim would be.

Because Palroel knew.

Lim, she wasn’t very pleased with the current situation.

Of course, her dissatisfaction wasn’t due to fear of losing power like himself, but rather pure dissatisfaction.

That didn’t matter much.

As long as the desired outcome was the same.

Pushing away the ‘First Elf’ who suddenly appeared, whose authenticity couldn’t even be verified.

Moreover, hadn’t Lim also gone down to the Root this time?

She might have found an excuse to push him away there.

With such expectations, he entered the office.

“……Palroel-nim?”

“Lim.”

He faced Lim.

Along with curiosity-

A somewhat hostile expression on her face.

‘……Hostility?’

Palroel was puzzled.

Of course, they weren’t close enough to have frequent conversations.

But they weren’t on terms to show hostility either.

Just a few days ago, hadn’t the two of them shared and empathized with negative views about the First Elf?

Barely swallowing his doubts, Palroel first inquired about her well-being.

“Did you return well from the Root?”

“Yes.”

“Is that so. The reason I came here is to ask you something.”

When Lim didn’t particularly respond, Paloel began to speak as if he had been waiting.

“As you might have guessed, what I want to ask is about that person who dares to call himself the First Elf, whether he’s real or fake.”

Of course, Paloel knew.

That the person had never called himself the ‘First Elf.’

Moreover, that the source of the rumor and the one who spread it was Filde.

But what was important now.

Was to gain Lim’s sympathy.

“So, what I mean is-“

Thus, he opened with a more aggressive expression-

At that moment.

“Stop.”

“…What?”

“I said stop.”

Suddenly, informal speech fell.

Soon after.

“How dare you now-“

Her expressionless face twisted like a demon,

“Insult the First Elf in front of me?”

The murderous intent spread explosively, dominating the space.

“……”

Paloel held his breath.