Raising Villains the Right Way

First, one clear fact.

Alon knew very little about “Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

At best, he knew Kalannon was another deity worshipped by the Thunder Serpent Tribe and the state religion of the Luxible Kingdom.

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”

Thus, Alon couldn’t comprehend what Syrkal and Jenira were saying before him.

To be honest, he was so startled that he almost blurted out, “Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning? Me?”

“…What…?”

Alon opened his mouth to deny it but quickly stopped.

He realized this situation might not be so bad.

To be precise, he realized he might actually benefit from their misunderstanding.

Looking at the two girls bowing their heads, Alon recalled past memories.

—By the way, Marquis, your mana is somewhat unusual.

—In what way?

—…It’s its power. Although the mana’s foundational methods and molecular structure are the same, its strength has been increasing remarkably.

—Can you clearly perceive it?

—Well, day by day, the difference is subtle, but comparing now to two months ago, there is undoubtedly a noticeable change.

—I see.

A conversation with Penia.

She had said that Alon’s mana was growing stronger despite being the same, and she speculated it was because his divinity was accumulating.

In other words, if summed up, the two girls from the Thunder Serpent Tribe might have mistaken him for Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, which could have amplified his mana.

Of course, from Alon’s perspective, he had no idea when, how, or through what process he became mistaken for Kalannon.

If Alon’s hypothesis was somewhat correct and his mana indeed grew stronger due to the Thunder Serpent Tribe’s misconception, there was no need to clarify the misunderstanding.

‘Of course, it’s just speculation.’

Naturally, divine-related matters had to rely on conjecture.

Even though Alon had played ‘Psychedelia’, divine elements weren’t covered extensively.

After a brief contemplation, Alon reached a conclusion.

‘Let’s not bring up that name here.’

He decided not to deny their misunderstanding.

To be honest, he was curious about why they revered him as Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, but there was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.

“My apologies.”

“We were simply overwhelmed by the thought of meeting such a great figure again.”

Hearing this, Alon replied indifferently.

“So, why have you come?”

“There’s no particular reason. It’s just improper not to greet a great figure when they are nearby.”

Syrkal’s attitude, much more courteous than before, contrasted sharply with her previous fierceness.

‘So, they just came to greet me.’

Alon’s mind wandered with various thoughts and curiosities.

Above all, he was most curious about how the Thunder Serpent Tribe perceived him.

‘Do they see me as a reincarnation of a deity? Or perhaps as the deity himself?’

However, to solve this mystery without breaking their misconception, eloquent words were essential.

“I’ll pay a visit sometime.”

For now, he suppressed his curiosity, deciding to gradually formulate questions and visit the Luxible Duchy later.

“We’ll await your visit with joy.”

“…Sure.”

Suddenly, he recalled the statue of Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, that Siyan had shown him this morning.

The one Siyan had said bore a striking resemblance to him.

‘…Was that really me?’

Behind his impassive face, Alon wore an incredulous expression as he returned to his quarters.

After Syrkal and Jenira left, someone stepped into the empty hallway.

It was Carmaxes III, who had been hiding behind a pillar, eavesdropping on the conversation between Marquis Palatio and the Luxible Kingdom’s envoys.

“Marquis Palatio… is Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning?”

With an expression of utter bewilderment, he recalled the scene from just moments ago.

The envoys of the Luxible Duchy bowed in greeting to Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.

And Marquis Palatio received their greetings as if it were the most natural thing.

From this alone, it seemed certain that Marquis Palatio was indeed Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, who had become the state religion of the Luxible Duchy.

However, accepting this as fact was not easy.

It was a matter of common sense.

How could a living, breathing man—neither a king nor an extraordinary noble but merely human—be considered a deity?

It defied comprehension.

Despite this, Carmaxes III did not dismiss this as merely ‘strange’ and kept pondering it.

There were two particular points that bothered him.

One was the ancient texts he had read, which mentioned that some other races believed in “Sage-Gods.”

The other was Seolrang.

…If Marquis Palatio were truly a god, it would make sense why Seolrang followed him so fervently.

Until now, Carmaxes III had no clue why Seolrang was so loyal to Marquis Palatio.

Hidden beneath Seolrang’s usual lazy and relaxed demeanor was a sharp instinct for survival, something Carmaxes III was well aware of.

Her worldview revolved entirely around survival of the fittest.

By her standards, Marquis Palatio should have been far beneath her.

The marquis was certainly strong, but he was no match for Seolrang.

However, reality was different.

He always seemed to defy Seolrang’s standards, standing on an exalted plane above her.

Although there were rumors that she owed him a significant favor in the past, her actions toward him couldn’t be explained by gratitude alone.

But if Marquis Palatio were truly a god?

It would somewhat explain things.

Why someone with Seolrang’s ruthless worldview would follow, adore, and revere Marquis Palatio so devoutly.

In the quiet, deserted hallway, Carmaxes III stood for a moment, staring at the spot where Marquis Palatio had been.

‘…It seems I need to properly investigate these Sage-Gods.’  

He turned, adding this to his plans.

***

Over the following week, Alon enjoyed the grand ball that continued for a while longer.

However, he began preparing to leave.

Though the ball had about two days remaining, he felt no desire to stay until the end.

…Honestly, for Alon, the ball was more exhausting than anything else.

“Are we heading to Lartania?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll prepare right away.”

Evan, who had been leisurely eating dessert at the lodging, got up and left.

Alon calmly sorted through the bits of information he had gathered at the ball.

Most of it was useless.

…The only piece of actionable information was that the country has been in turmoil lately due to the Strange Gate incident.

He also heard through a Caliban noble that Deus Maccalian had been very busy in Caliban recently.

…Apparently, he’s making something.

While he didn’t hear the details, he was momentarily curious.

But his thoughts soon shifted to yesterday’s peculiar event.

…“I greet the King of Colony.”

“It’s been a while, Marquis Palatio.”

‘…What? Yes, but why are you addressing me so formally…?’  

“Oh, ahem, never mind that.”

…?

The sudden change in Carmaxes III’s tone.

‘…Why did he suddenly start using formal speech?’  

As Alon furrowed his brow slightly at the memory, Evan interrupted him.

“Marquis, the preparations are complete.”

“Already?”

“I figured you might be ready to move soon, so I prepared in advance.”

Following the ever-diligent Evan, Alon boarded the carriage to head to Lartania.

***

Deus Maccalian’s younger sister, Sili Maccalian, had been wearing a peculiar expression frequently of late.

The reason was a statue erected in the middle of the private training ground Deus had personally prepared for her magical practice.

A statue of only the lower half of a body.

While Sili didn’t have any major complaints about having ‘something like that’ in her training ground, she couldn’t help but find it odd.

Of course, even though the incomplete statue, currently consisting of only a lower half, was enormous—dwarfing the size of the fully-formed statue in the garden—it still felt manageable due to the vastness of Sili’s private training ground.

The problem, however, lay elsewhere.

[Hm, hm.]

Her older brother, Deus Maccalian, frequently came by to admire the lower-half-only statue.

Not that his visits themselves were an issue.

Embarrassing as it might be to admit, Sili was quite fond of her brother.

But—

[Sili, what do you think of the Marquis’s statue?]

[Hm, the statue shines brilliantly again today. Don’t you agree, Sili?]

[Truly, it’s being crafted to perfection. Wouldn’t you say so, Sili?]

Every time he visited, Deus would gaze at the statue and demand Sili’s opinions on it.

Of course, Sili would awkwardly nod and agree with Deus’s observations, but deep down, her genuine thoughts could be summed up in one unimpressed sentence:

…It’s just pants.

But since speaking the truth was out of the question, Sili always managed with a smile.

And as usual, today she came to her training ground for magical practice, only to notice something peculiar.

“?”

The lower-half-only statue seemed… bigger.

No, it wasn’t just a little bigger.

Originally, it had been about the height of a typical two-story building.

But now, its height had surpassed the second floor with ease.

…???

Sili frowned slightly.

“You’re here, Sili.”

“Brother…?”

“Yes.”

Switching her gaze between Deus’s solemn expression and the growing statue, Sili forced a smile and asked,

“…Brother, the statue seems a bit larger?”

“Yes, that’s right. I made it a little bigger.”

This isn’t “a little,” though… Sili barely stopped herself from blurting out. Instead, she cautiously asked,

“At this rate, won’t the completed statue easily surpass the height of the mansion?”

“Yes. But it couldn’t be helped.”

“…It couldn’t?”

“Indeed. Radan mentioned he plans to gift the Marquis a Sea God.”

“A… Sea God?”

“Yes, and it’s supposed to be enormous.”

Though she adored her brother, Sili couldn’t resist wondering what on earth that had to do with the statue’s size.

“…Brother?”

“What is it?”

“…Isn’t it the thought behind a gift that matters more than its size?”

Sili attempted a straightforward argument, but—

“No, Sili.”

“…No?”

“Yes. A gift should inspire awe. And the bigger it is, the more awe it inspires. Surely you feel the same?”

Deus radiated satisfaction as he spoke. Sili silently turned her gaze back to the statue.

…Still just a lower half.

“—”

Deus exhaled in quiet admiration, as if the statue embodied all his aspirations.

What even is this…

“Oh, by the way, I’ll be making a brief trip to Lartania.”

“…Lartania?”

“Yes, to personally acquire the gemstones to adorn the Marquis’s ‘eyes.’ Once those are in place—”

Deus’s eyes sparkled as if he were envisioning the cosmos itself.

“—it will suit the Marquis perfectly.”

Watching her brother become inexplicably youthful whenever it came to Marquis Palatio, Sili couldn’t help but resent the Marquis just a little bit.