Raising Villains the Right Way

From what Alon had heard, the proclamation ceremony itself was not very long.

In fact, there was no real reason for the ceremony to be lengthy.

In the end, all Alon had to do was stand before those gathered in the center of the inner fortress for the proclamation ceremony, put on the prepared crown, and read the declaration written by Sili and Alexion.

That would conclude the proclamation ceremony.

In other words, compared to how grandly and painstakingly it had been prepared, it was an event that ended quickly, much like a wedding prepared for a year ending in just three hours.

Anyway, because of that, Alon had intended to hold the proclamation ceremony in a cost-effective manner.

From the start, he had judged that there was little meaning in holding an extravagant and lavish proclamation ceremony that would only happen once.

It should have been that way, and yet..................

“Evan.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

“What is that...... supposed to be?”

The enormous annex building in the central plaza of the city.

Alon, who was waiting there for the opening procession of the proclamation ceremony, asked while looking out the window.

“I hear Deus and Sili worked very hard on it.”

“......You knew?”

“No, I only saw it this morning as well.”

At Evan’s reply, Alon looked at the statue and the crowd gathered around it.

He knew already, but the crowd was so dense that it made him wonder if there had really been this many people in the territory to begin with.

However, since every single person had their eyes fixed on the statue—as if they had gathered not for the procession, but out of curiosity toward the statue—Alon rubbed his face with a heavy expression.

Then Evan asked,

“What’s wrong, Marquis?”

“......It’s just that, in many ways, it’s not easy.”

“In what way?”

“Obviously, that statue.”

When Alon pointed at the statue, Evan tilted his head in confusion.

“Isn’t it fine?”

“Fine?”

“Yes. It’s cool, isn’t it? Since it has your face on it, from my perspective it feels a bit... well, something something...... but it is cool.”

“......Are you serious?”

“I am?”

Even as Alon made a speechless expression, Evan continued speaking.

“How does it look to you, Marquis?”

“To be honest.............”

“Honestly?”

“It looks kind of lame.”

“Lame?”

Alon silently nodded.

Of course, he could roughly imagine how much effort Sili and Deus had put into making it.

But no matter how he thought about it, from Alon’s perspective, it was a statue that made his face burn with embarrassment in many ways, and when he conveyed that honest feeling, Evan replied,

“Hmm— I think it looks cool though?”

“I feel like you’re the only one who thinks that.”

Alon shot back immediately.

At that moment—

Wooooong—

As if it had been waiting, the statue, which had been quiet until just a moment ago, began to raise its hand again like before.

Ooooooh~!

At the same time, strange exclamations burst out from the crowd.

And finally, when both of the statue’s arms were fully raised.

When blue eyes shone from the statue, and lightning erupted from its lifted arms.

—Waaaaaaaah!!!

Thunderous cheers poured forth.

Overwhelmed by the heat of it all, Alon went blank, and—

“It seems you’re the only one who thinks that, Marquis?”

Looking at Evan, who was grinning as if he found the situation amusing—

‘That’s... cool?’

Isn’t it childish?

—Alon felt a serious confusion regarding his own sense of aesthetics.

But only for a moment.

“Marquis! All preparations are complete!”

Sili, who hadn’t shown her face until now, suddenly appeared and shouted, and Alon rose from his seat.

“Here, take this!”

Immediately after, Sili handed him a sheet of paper, and Alon naturally accepted it.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the proclamation.”

“......I just need to read this at the end, right?”

“Yes! First, you’ll ride the carriage for the procession, then enter the inner fortress, put on the crown, and read the declaration to finish!”

At Sili’s explanation, Alon nodded, then called out to her.

“Sili.”

“Yes?”

“......No, never mind.”

He hesitated for a moment.

Whether or not to talk about the statue.

But soon, he decided to drop it.

Alon thought it was extremely childish, but in contrast, the people’s reaction had been explosive.

So, putting Sili’s proclamation into his breast pocket, Alon obediently headed outside the annex.

He boarded a carriage that was obviously far more luxurious than the one he usually rode, and with that, the procession began.

“Ah, it’s started.”

As Evan watched the carriage heading toward the inner fortress of the marquisate along the largest boulevard in the distance, Penia approached him before he realized it.

“Where were you?”

“Ah, I just went to meet the Mage Tower Lords for a moment.”

“Oh— did the Blue Mage Tower Lord, the Red Mage Tower Lord, and the Green Mage Tower Lord come?”

“Yes.”

No sooner had Penia nodded than the two of them naturally let out exclamations.

That was because along the path Alon would take, golden crowns began to appear chaotically, decorating the streets.

“That must be Lady Rine.”

“Looks like it.”

As the two admired it, this time a pure white light poured down from the sky.

“That must be Lady Yutia.”

“Seems so.”

Once again, it wasn’t difficult to identify the cause(?).

And then next—

White hands rose up above the buildings lining the crowded streets and above the hands of the people, waving energetically.

“......?”

“?”

The two grew confused.

But before they could even comment on it—

-!!!!

-!!!!

Suddenly, two Sea God Kings that had appeared near the inner fortress let out chilling roars as they coiled around the fortress, then bowed their heads straight toward Alon.

As Penia and Evan stared blankly at the two Sea God Kings, Historia, who had been sitting atop one of their heads, rose to her feet and drew her sword.

A sword that looked far larger than her own height.

Without hesitation, Historia hurled it straight toward the sky.

With a bang! as the air exploded.

The clouds that had been blocking the sunlight until just moments ago split apart.

The street fell silent.

And as Penia and Evan silently stared at the now-quiet street—

“...Hey.”

“Yeah.”

“This is a kingdom proclamation ceremony, right?”

“Right?”

“It’s not like... some Demon King’s birth ceremony or anything......?”

“Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”

They quietly exchanged opinions, and—

‘.......’

At that very moment, Alon, who was watching all of this from inside the carriage, tightly shut his eyes and earnestly thought to himself,

‘I want to go home.’

***

Because of the overwhelming(?) procession, Alon worried about what was to come, but—

Contrary to his expectations, once he entered the inner fortress, nothing additional happened.

Of course, due to the sudden appearance of the two Sea God Kings, the Divine Land’s knights all simultaneously unleashed their divine power displays, and as a result, he did get to see Queen Torimavia, Palmarian, and many other important figures gaping with their dignity completely forgotten.

But anyway, that much was fine.

From Alon’s perspective, having already experienced ominous events since morning, it could be dismissed as a relatively minor(?) incident.

After finally finishing the storm-like crown bestowal ceremony.

Wearing a crown so brilliant it felt heavy enough to be weighed down by jewels alone, Alon rose from his seat.

Letting out a sigh, he pulled the proclamation from his breast pocket.

The proclamation ceremony would only end once he read this.

So, without hesitation, he grasped the document, glanced once at the cover that read ‘Palantia Kingdom Proclamation,’ then unfolded it and began to read.

“People of the territory, and all honored guests who will join us in the new era of the Palantia Kingdom! This place is the very heart of the Palantia Kingdom. On this land cultivated by the blood and sweat of our ancestors, I hereby solemnly proclaim unto you.”

As he read the first paragraph, Alon nodded even as he spoke.

The content was calmer than he had feared.

Thus, moving his eyes naturally to the next paragraph, Alon read—

“Until now, the territory has been peaceful. This is because, under my benevolent rule, and under the rule of our honored guests, everyone has acted wisely. And that peace will continue into the future. Of course—”

After reciting that far, he suddenly closed his mouth.

The reason was—

The sentence written in the next paragraph.

“Of course, that is only on the condition that those of you gathered here fully submit to my will............”

‘What?’

For a moment, Alon’s mind froze, but he quickly scanned the letter with his eyes.

“The new law of Palantia is very simple. My word is the law, and my glory is Palantia’s glory. Those who engrave this deeply into their hearts and swear loyalty to me will become my eternal friends and Palantia’s true heroes. However, should there be anyone who dares harbor dissatisfaction toward my wise rule, or attempt to sow discord within this steadfast kingdom. They shall suffer greatly, very, exceedingly, and terribly. Their suffering will turn into screams, and their miserable end will become an excellent lesson for all. Therefore, for Palantia’s prosperity and your happiness, please act wisely. Let us create a glorious future together! Entrust everything to my wisdom and mercy.”

“Ah.”

Having read that far, Alon let out an exclamation without realizing it.

Two realizations had struck him.

First was the meaning of this proclamation.

Put simply, it meant: Don’t rebel. If you do, you die.

And the second was that if he were to read this proclamation here as-is.

It could cause problems in many ways.

Therefore—

“If you will but lend your ears to my wise counsel.”

Alon gently rephrased the contents of the proclamation as much as possible and continued speaking slowly.

“And with this, I announce that the Palantia Kingdom has taken its place upon this continent.”

With that final sentence, as thunderous cheers and applause erupted—

Waaaaaaaah~!!!!!

Hearing them, Alon secretly let out a sigh of relief.

***

The moment the proclamation ceremony ended, a banquet began at the Palatio Marquisate.

Even in the massive banquet hall, so crowded that there were barely enough seats, Alon let out a sigh—only for a moment.

“You look very tired.”

Someone approached Alon, who was seated on the throne.

“I am a bit drained.”

“You’ll probably need to get used to it soon. After all, you are now the sky of a nation.”

It was Queen Torimavia of Raksas.

She spoke to Alon with an exceedingly benevolent smile.

“And how was your meeting last time, if I may ask?”

At Torimavia’s question, Alon immediately understood what that meeting referred to.

‘She must be talking about Serena Raxasia.’

Naturally, Alon didn’t have much of an impression to share.

If he had to name one, it would be that she spoke like someone half-brainwashed.

But since he couldn’t say that outright—

“She seemed like a good person.”

He said that instead.

On the surface, it sounded like he had taken a liking to her.

However, among nobles, that phrasing was merely a polite way of declining, so Torimavia let out a small, “Oh my.”

“That’s unfortunate. Perhaps she committed some rudeness, or.......”

“There was nothing of the sort, so please don’t concern yourself.”

At Alon’s courteous response, Torimavia seemed to ponder something, then—

“Perhaps, is there someone you already have in your heart?”

She asked cautiously.

Alon hesitated.

‘There was a Second Princess, wasn’t there?’

Currently, there was no one Alon had his heart set on.

However, he vaguely recognized that if he told the truth here, Torimavia might somehow ask him to meet the Second Princess at least once.

From his perspective, refusing a meeting with the Second Princess wouldn’t have been particularly difficult.

But creating that situation itself felt bothersome, so after some thought, Alon said—

“Yes, there is.”

He brushed it off to avoid the hassle, and at that moment—

Thunk—

Unlike the still-noisy atmosphere of the banquet hall.

The area around Alon, who had been smiling and chatting, became quiet—

Uncannily so.