Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 131

Chapter 131

“Phew~”

In a concealed refuge not far from the Palatio Marquisate, a young girl entered and let out a soft sigh of relief as she settled into a seat. It wasn’t long before another person approached her.

“You’ve returned, Yuna.”

“Indeed.”

The speaker was Hidan.

“Is everything proceeding as planned?”

“Following Silver Moon’s directive, I have been observing Alexion. It appears he will not be a further source of disruption.”

Answering Hidan’s inquiry, Yuna, a girl with golden hair, stretched her legs out as if doing a seated exercise and then posed a question of her own.

“What about you?”

“For now, I am carrying out the tasks assigned by Red Moon.”

“That must keep you occupied.”

“I am merely fulfilling my duties.”

Yuna gave a hum of acknowledgment, and a smile gradually formed on her lips as she spoke again.

“So, when is our gathering?”

“Gathering?”

“Yes. Silver Moon instructed me to be present at the next meeting and provide an update on the territory.”

“…You seem very eager.”

“Absolutely!”

Yuna’s face lit up with a bright, expectant grin.

“It’s a conference with the leadership! Not only that, I’ll get to see Red Moon and Gold Moon again! It feels like an age since I last saw them. I’m also very interested to witness how high-level meetings are conducted!”

Her cheerful tone stood in contrast to Hidan’s slightly uncomfortable demeanor as he listened.

“The feeling there…”

He seemed to be wrestling with something.

“What’s the matter?”

Noticing his hesitation, Yuna looked confused. Hidan thought for a brief moment before answering.

“…It’s nothing, really. It’s just… forget I mentioned it.”

He opted not to elaborate.

“Huh? Why did you stop there?”

“…You’ll see for yourself once you actually go to the meeting.”

Remembering the previous meetings he had attended, Hidan decided it was best to let Yuna hold onto her cheerful anticipation a while longer.

***

A full six months had now passed since Alon successfully repelled Duke Komalon.

By this time, Alon’s mana dependency had significantly lessened, allowing him to wield magic as freely as he once had. Consequently, he was now in a position to travel toward the border. Yet, he had not moved.

To be more precise, he was stuck where he was.

“Thank you so much! I am eager to collaborate with you!”

“The honor is mine.”

“No, truly! Ah, and please accept this small token.”

“A token?”

“Yes, it is a carving made by a skilled artisan from the Fombashi estate.”

“I will accept it with thanks.”

The cause of his current confinement was the unending procession of individuals making their way to the Marquis.

Watching the leader of a merchant guild bow deeply at a perfect right angle while presenting an exquisitely sculpted statue of a cat, Alon released a quiet, weary breath.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“How many more are scheduled?”

“Congratulations, my lord. This is the last one for today. Your schedule is finally clear.”

“What a relief.”

Nodding a few times, Alon leaned back into his chair.

It had been one month since Alon informed Duke Zenonia that he would accept her support. In that period, Alon had all but guaranteed the success of his auction enterprise. Still, he was wary of declaring victory too soon. After all, a venture, even one that appears prosperous, can suddenly fail due to unexpected events.

Having been employed at multiple “startup hell” companies in his former life, Alon understood this reality more keenly than most. This was also why he maintained a posture of extreme caution in all business dealings.

Even so, Alon couldn’t deny the feeling that they had not only recouped their initial investment but were also headed for consistent expansion. The gains made in just one month were, by any measure, substantial.

Of course, the majority of these gains had come to him voluntarily, rather than through Alon’s own active pursuit.

“My lord, by all appearances, the venture is a success.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Five estates have now entrusted their finest specialty goods to be sold at our auction. That alone will ensure a steady stream of merchants. Furthermore, we have secured a significant number of contracts.”

“But we have only managed to draw them in so far, correct?”

“Hmm, that is true, but the essential foundations have been laid remarkably quickly. I believe we lack very little to establish ourselves as a center for both tourism and commerce.”

Hearing Evan’s assessment, Alon nodded in agreement. His own thoughts ran along similar lines.

As Alon idly looked over the documents once more, a question, prompted by growing curiosity, came to mind.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“I’ve been too preoccupied to consider it until now, but… why are so many merchants and local nobles gathering here so eagerly?”

Naturally, Alon was aware that Duke Zenonia must have been working behind the scenes. Yet, even accounting for that, wasn’t it unusual for nobles and merchants to assemble of their own accord to this degree?

“…My lord.”

“What is it?”

“There are times I feel you underestimate your own standing more than you should.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. It is quite evident that most of these nobles are here to forge a connection with you. Some even belong to the Aristocratic and Royalist factions.”

At that, Alon let out a low sound of realization.

“…So, bribes to gain favor, something like that?”

“Very likely. It could even be a quiet signal that they wish to align themselves with Kalpha.”

“…I see.”

“You… were not completely unaware of this, were you?”

“…Hmm.”

It wasn’t that he was wholly ignorant; he simply hadn’t devoted much thought to that particular angle. Since Alon didn’t offer a direct reply, Evan studied him with a curious expression.

“We have been together for a long time, yet you still manage to surprise me on occasion, my lord.”

“In what way?”

“It’s as if… you are engaged in the affairs, yet simultaneously detached from them.”

“But I am working right now, am I not?”

“…That isn’t precisely my meaning. How should I phrase it… It is as though you do not pay close attention to the implications of the events around you… No, that isn’t quite right either—”

As Evan fumbled for the correct words, another matter seemed to occur to him, and his eyes opened a little wider.

“Ah, that’s right. I meant to inform you earlier—a letter has arrived from Rine.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. It seems to be a response to the correspondence you sent her previously.”

“Now that you mention it…”

Alon recalled that about a month ago, he had contacted Rine concerning the dragon egg. His original plan had been to visit her in person after his magic was fully restored, but due to recent changes in the egg’s condition, he had sent a letter instead.

“Here it is.”

As the subject changed abruptly, Alon took the letter from Evan while casting a glance toward the dragon egg. The egg had grown somewhat larger than before, and for the past month, it had completely ceased absorbing Alon’s magic. That development was the very reason he had written the letter.

Alon swiftly opened the letter and began to read. The beginning contained simple pleasantries. The middle sections detailed Rine’s recent activities and news from Lartania.

“Hmm…”

The following page was more of the same.

And the next one, too.

“…?”

“…?”

His face showing puzzlement, Alon finally checked the total number of pages.

“…Twelve pages?”

“That is certainly substantial. I did note the envelope felt quite heavy.”

A letter running twelve pages long. A faint sense of guilt touched Alon’s heart.

‘I… could only manage to fill a single page when I wrote to her.’

Since he had already intended to visit her personally, he made a mental note to bring Rine a small gift when he went. For the present, Alon continued reading the letter. Around the fifth page, he finally located the information pertaining to the dragon egg. After reading the entire letter, his expression became grave.

‘This could be a serious problem.’

He turned his eyes toward the dragon egg.

The letter contained a wealth of detailed information, but the core points could be condensed into three:

1. Knowledge regarding dragon eggs is exceptionally scarce.
2. Among the few established facts, ancient records state that a dragon egg—literally an egg containing a “spirit dragon”—can, under certain specific conditions, hatch into a being possessing power on par with that of a true dragon.
3. However, if a dragon egg still in its embryonic state is exposed to human blood, it must be discarded immediately by casting it into the sea beyond the continent, specifically into the waters of ‘Pamilon.’ The reason is that a dragon exposed to blood will hatch far more powerful than a normal dragon, but with an extremely high probability of becoming uncontrollably violent due to insanity.

The method for determining if a dragon has been blood-exposed is its eye color. If its eyes are red instead of blue upon hatching, it signifies the creature is already in a state of madness.

Alon looked back and forth between the letter and the egg.

‘So, this truly could be perilous.’

The reason Alon had consistently provided magic to the egg until now was his belief that it had not absorbed any blood.

Given that the dragon egg had been located some distance from the deceased wizard’s body, Alon had initially assumed no blood exposure had occurred. However, if the issue was the presence of blood during the ritual itself, that changed everything.

In Alon’s memory, the dragon egg now in his possession had indeed been exposed to a dead wizard’s blood during the ritual performed by Theon.

Therefore…

“…Hmm.”

Though his face remained impassive, Alon now regarded the egg with a new sense of gravity.

‘…Should I dispose of it?’

He began to weigh his options.

***

That very night.

While Alon, still undecided about the egg’s fate, had fallen asleep, an event took place.

Crack-crack-crack~!

The egg, which had remained motionless until now, began to vibrate faintly before its shell started to fracture. Or more accurately, it didn’t simply break—fragments of the black shell dissolved into a dark, fluid substance that was then reabsorbed back into the egg itself.

This was not a conventional hatching; rather, the egg appeared to be undergoing a total metamorphosis.

Soon, accompanied by a low, grating noise, something emerged.

[—!]

It was a monster, dripping with saliva, its eyes burning with a crimson glow.

While it bore a vague, distorted resemblance to a dragon, as its name “dragon egg” implied, its form was too grotesque and horrifying to be called a proper dragon.

The black, shapeless entity moved like a formless shadow, its body continuously writhing and reshaping. Even the vaguely dragon-like head it momentarily formed was unstable, morphing erratically.

Squelch!

Dozens of eyes clustered together in a grotesque mass atop its black head.

Scanning its surroundings with those unsettling eyes, it climbed down from its resting place. Simultaneously, a powerful wave of destructive instinct erupted wildly within its mind.

Unlike a typical spirit dragon, this creature could grow stronger by consuming the flesh and blood of its enemies. Despite having just hatched, the mind of the <Shadow Spirit Dragon (Sa-Yeong-Ryong)> was already filled with a craving for destruction and slaughter.

Yet, even as these urges raged inside it, the Shadow Spirit Dragon suppressed its base instincts and moved toward the one who had provided the magic necessary for its birth: Alon.

Its body instantly transformed into a mist so dark it seemed to swallow the pale blue moonlight, flowing out the window and into the night sky.

Moments later, it descended into Alon’s bedroom. Black drool dripped from its form, only to be absorbed into the floorboards, as it approached the sleeping figure on the bed.

Its intention, without a doubt, was to kill Alon.

Even though it had become a Shadow Spirit Dragon through blood absorption, its fundamental nature as a spirit dragon remained. Because of this, it felt a certain degree of restraint toward the one who had supplied it with magic. For that very reason, the dragon intended to kill Alon now, before it grew larger and risked being permanently bound to him.

It had no other motive for seeking Alon out.

With its purpose clear, the Shadow Spirit Dragon opened its jaws wide as it drew near its target.

Schlick~!

Its maw, which should logically have been only as large as a big dog’s, expanded to an impossible size, as if it could swallow the entire room in one bite. The enormous jaws stretched open, poised to envelop the area where Alon lay sleeping.

At the very instant that massive mouth was about to snap shut—

Thunk!

The Shadow Spirit Dragon’s jaws froze.

As if time itself had stopped.

And then—

Shudder-shudder-shudder-shudder-shudder!

!!

The dragon instinctively clamped its mouth shut and began to tremble uncontrollably, as if stricken by pure terror.

The cause?

Squelch!

A single eye.

A cold, black eye, watching the Shadow Spirit Dragon intently as it opened its jaws over Alon.