Raising Villains the Right Way

Along with Penia’s small gasp.

The bustling campsite that had been noisy just moments ago fell into silence.

“What…?”

Alon stared at Yutia with a dazed expression.

The gentle smile lingering at the corner of her lips was the same as always.

The only thing that had changed was her hairstyle.

But just that—no, precisely that—

Delivered no small shock to Alon.

He had half-expected it, but he had never imagined that Yutia of all people would wear twin tails.

‘Why all of a sudden……………?’

Questions swelled up inside him.

In truth, he had noticed.

That she had been trying to change her hairstyle since last time.

But he hadn’t expected it to be this drastic.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with it.

There was nothing wrong with it, but—

While Alon’s thoughts churned busily.

Rosario’s saint, Yuman, facing reality with a slightly flustered expression after losing his usual smile, spoke up.

“Your Eminence, you changed your hair.”

“Yes.”

“……Why all of a sudden?”

Yuman asked cautiously.

Yutia did not lose her usual smile.

“I just tried changing it for a change of mood.”

“I see…”

Yuman was openly flustered.

He failed to hide it.

But no one could blame him.

The other holy knights, Penia, and Evan as well.

Everyone present felt the same.

Even so, Yutia’s composure did not waver.

No, rather, with a figure tinged with faint confidence, she approached Alon and—

“My Lord, have you been well in the meantime?”

She asked after him in a somehow more self-satisfied voice than usual.

“Uh…… yeah, I’ve been well.”

Though he could not understand what was going on, Alon nodded anyway.

Then she brushed her hair once and asked,

“More importantly, My Lord, how is it?”

“…………What do you mean?”

“I tried changing my style this time, and I was curious what you would think.”

At the smiling question, strangely weighted with intent, Alon fell into thought.

Honestly, his impression of Yutia’s twin-tail style was—not positive.

To begin with, he thought such things suited only young girls.

Of course, Yutia’s appearance did look quite young, and Alon’s mindset was rather old-fashioned as well………… but in any case, it was true that he thought so inwardly.

But apart from that, he also wondered whether it was right to speak honestly.

Given the faintly triumphant air behind Yutia’s gentle smile, she seemed to quite like her current appearance.

So after hesitating for a moment, Alon asked back,

“Are you asking for my impression?”

“Yes.”

After deciding on an answer inwardly, he replied,

“……I think your original style suits you better than something like this.”

“That…”

In an instant, Yutia’s pupils widened.

She looked as though she had been shocked.

When Alon immediately felt both confusion and fluster at that sight—

“I-I see.”

Yutia replied.

Her tone creaked slightly, unlike before.

As if possessed by something, she walked unsteadily toward the carriage.

“……Uh…… did I say something wrong?”

“Um…… I think it’s something you could say, but…………”

Just as Penia was about to answer the flustered Alon.

From far away.

Within the forest—

Two people, Hidan and Yuna, were watching the scene with their vision enhanced by mana.

And then.

When Hidan confirmed that Yutia, who had stood before Alon, was creaking as she returned to the carriage, he said—

“Yuna.”

“Huh……?”

“Bury me next to the orphanage.”

“Got it. If there are remains to bury, I’ll do that.”

At Yuna’s prophecy, he squeezed his eyes shut and accepted death with resignation.

Another week had passed since they had joined up with Yutia and continued moving.

On the way toward the Central Tower, Alon encountered a familiar figure once again.

“Brother!”

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty. Have you been well?”

“Your Highness?”

It was Karsem, who had become king of the desert city Colony.

“Please call me comfortably! More importantly, I’m sorry—I really wanted to attend the coronation, but I couldn’t come to see you—”

“No, it’s fine. More importantly, are you heading toward the Central Tower as well?”

At Alon’s question, Karsem nodded.

“Yes. Are you as well, Brother?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, may I travel with you? Our destinations are the same.”

At Karsem’s suggestion, Alon glanced toward Yutia and Yuman.

The two of them nodded lightly.

“Then let’s do that.”

Karsem’s joining was decided.

“I’ll be in your care on the way.”

Karsem bowed his head in greeting.

Alon returned it lightly and soon began various conversations with him.

Among them, the greatest focus was on the letter that had summoned the kings of the Allied Kingdom Alliance, including Alon.

“Do you know anything about the letter, by any chance?”

At Alon’s question, Karsem shook his head.

“No………… if it’s about the Contract of Structure, in truth I don’t know the details either, Brother. But even though Colony is in a miserable state, it seems worth heading to the Central Tower, so I’m going to see.”

“……Worth it?”

“Yes. After receiving the letter, I searched Colony’s old archives in case there was any remaining information.”

The old archive was located deep underground, and moreover outside Colony, so it had not suffered damage, he said.

Karsem organized his thoughts for a moment and continued.

“There was information about the Contract of Structure there.”

“What did it say?”

“There wasn’t anything special. It just said that when the time comes, faithfully carry out the contract. If you do so, you will receive power.”

“Power that was entrusted?”

“Yes. Of course, I don’t know what that power is…………”

Karsem’s face grew more serious.

“At this point, having anything at all is better than having nothing for the nation I lead.”

“I see.”

“Honestly, it weighs on my heart to have left a nation still in reconstruction behind………… but Colony has Seolrang, after all.”

At those words, Alon fell silent for a moment.

In truth, ever since encountering him, he had wanted to ask about Seolrang.

“Come to think of it, how is Seolrang?”

The topic flowed naturally.

Karsem let out a small hum as if recalling her.

“Hmm, her injuries have all recovered.”

“There aren’t any problems, are there?”

“Problems………… at least as far as I know, there aren’t any particular problems with her.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even if I think about whether anything has changed, nothing in particular seemed different.”

Alon murmured “I see,” and nodded briefly.

The conversation continued a bit more after that.

Before long, Alon climbed onto the carriage, and Evan, who was beside him, called out.

“Sir Alon.”

“Hm?”

“I was just curious, but why have you been paying so much attention to Seolrang lately?”

“Ah, of course, I’m not saying it’s bad to be concerned, but it seems like you’ve been asking after her often.”

It did seem that way.

Alon fell silent for a moment, then—

“There’s… something.”

He looked out the carriage window.

The sky beyond the window was blue.

“……There’s something.”

His murmur scattered quietly.

As the sun sank low and night was about to arrive.

“Hoo—”

In a massive training ground prepared in one corner of the Divine Land, Simus, gripping his sword, let out a long sigh.

Sweat poured down from his body like rain.

Yet it wasn’t as though he had done any particularly intense exercise.

All he had done today was stand here from morning until evening, holding his sword without moving.

Even so, Simus was clearly satisfied with this situation.

After weeks of hardship, he had felt it instinctively.

That he had touched it.

‘It is not telling you to find derivation.’

‘Nor is it telling you to use mana.’

‘Simply desire it, and then you will obtain your power.’

Simus recalled several weeks ago.

The time when he had been gloriously granted that being’s power.

And at the same time, the words he had heard from that being.

Honestly, Simus did not know why he had been chosen.

There were many in this Divine Land far greater than he.

Even so, the certain facts were—

That the being had trusted Simus and bestowed power upon him.

And that he must live up to that being’s will.

Therefore, from the moment he received that power, Simus could not rest.

Reciting the words his god had given him, he continued meditating in whatever way he could to follow that being’s will.

And today—

He realized it.

That only one final step remained.

That was not all.

Instinctively, he also realized what was needed for that remaining single step.

‘The power you desire.’

That being had said.

To simply recall what he desired.

And what Simus desired was—

The power to defeat divine-blood.

Exactly that.

Compared to the gigantic divine-blood, humans were endlessly small and frail.

Thus, he desired power to respond to the enemy.

Power to face the overwhelming and colossal divine-blood.

And then—

Wooooong—!

The next moment, Simus felt it.

The sensation of something within his body bursting forth explosively.

And then—

Darkness-Eating Sword.

Among the current divine-blood, he was a powerhouse that ranked within one hand’s count, and had crossed over to the Allied Kingdom Alliance to kill the Star Eater………… but soon found himself semi-forcibly (?) recruited into ‘Star Root.’

Honestly, he had many complaints about this group called Star Root.

Naturally so.

He had not joined of his own volition.

Moreover, the reason his dissatisfaction grew was because they were spouting unreliable nonsense.

The absurd claim that the Star Eater could share a god’s power.

Of course, some, including Burned Vegetation, claimed to have personally seen the Star Eater share the abilities of divine-blood, but even that was hard to believe.

No—he thought it was practically impossible for it to be true.

To begin with, the power of divine-blood was akin to one’s essence.

To not only absorb that essence at will but even pass it on to others?

Unless one were an omnipotent god, it was impossible, and so Darkness-Eating Sword wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

Whether Star Eater truly possessed such an ability.

Fortunately, Darkness-Eating Sword’s actions were not heavily restrained.

Partly because he moved secretly from Burned Vegetation, but also because there were divine-blood who sympathized with his thoughts.

No matter how many claimed to have witnessed it, to the divine-blood who had been, willingly or unwillingly, co-opted by Burned Vegetation’s words afterward, it was still a far-off claim.

Thus, five divine-blood in total, including the Darkness-Eating Sword, used the ability of one divine-blood to deliberately create avatar bodies and moved toward the Divine Land where he was.

[So this is the Divine La—??]

Not long after, upon arriving at the Divine Land, they witnessed—

Floating above the Divine Land.

A gigantic greatsword.