Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 136

Chapter 136
Eyes of crimson, stark against the blue moonlight, were set within the small cat’s form.

The cat’s tail elongated, sliding along the Marquis’s right hand.

Like a serpent coiling, the tail wrapped around his hand, swiftly reached the ground, and then melded into the shadow cast by the blue moon.

Then,

Just as the monsters closed in on the Marquis,

*Crack-!*

Black branches erupted from the Marquis’s shadow and impaled them.

The goblin clutching a rusted dagger was pierced through its body.
The orc charging with a glaive was pierced through its head.
The gnoll lunging with a long spear was pierced through its torso.
And numerous other monsters rushing the Marquis were instantly run through by the black branches, their forms going slack and lifeless.

It was a magical manifestation so instantaneous it seemed implausible for a wizard’s spell.

The branches, having instantly pierced and swept through the monsters,

“…….”

With a low mutter from Marquis Palatio, they immediately launched a full-force assault on the surrounding creatures.

A scene of absolute pandemonium unfolded.

Amid the ground-shaking turmoil, soldiers who had been swinging their weapons in terror froze, and knights holding back the approaching monsters stared vacantly into the air.

■■■■■■-!!

Just as the monsters that had encircled them began to shriek in terror, turning to flee the castle walls, the knights and soldiers witnessed it.

The enormous shadow tree that had grown by absorbing the lives of countless monsters and the blue moonlight,

And Marquis Palatio standing beneath that tree.

“……”

The moment all the monsters fled, the shadow tree disappeared.

The monsters speared by the branches collapsed to the ground, forming a mountain of corpses,

‘Is this… the wizard who confronted the Outer Gods…?’

Kiriana, watching Marquis Palatio now gently stroking the cat which had returned to a cute state, felt a sense of distant reverence.

At that moment, the wizard who had cast the spell, Alon, spoke.
“…You vanished suddenly and returned hours later. How did you manage to cast a spell like that?”
“That’s just the way it happened.”

With a casual shrug of his shoulders, he then looked at the cat.
“Blackie… “
[Meow]
“Next time, please consider my mana levels when you cast the spell.”
[Meow-]
Blackie the cat looked somewhat dejected.
“Still, you did well.”
[Meow!]
Seemingly cheered by the praise, Blackie nodded vigorously.
“…I almost died. It was another near thing.”

***

The reason Alon could use the Unity of Shadows was that he had ultimately learned its usage from Lainisius.

As anticipated, to use the Shadow Dragon, it wasn’t enough to simply know the incantations; a special process was required.

That process was linking the Shadow Dragon with mana.

Only then could he employ the Shadow Dragon’s technique, the ‘Tree of Shadows’.

What Alon had displayed earlier, the Tree of Shadows, wasn’t produced by the Shadow Dragon’s power alone; it was a joint effort with his own ability to trigger multiple manifestations.

Although the Shadow Dragon performed the technique, Alon, who had connected his mana, was the one who manifested the spell, which is why his multiple manifestations activated as normal.

The result was the colossal shadow tree he had shown.

Alon glanced down at the Shadow Dragon, now nuzzling against his chest.
‘…And this is still only the first stage.’

The stages of the Shadow Dragon, according to Lainisius, were divided into five levels, and the dragon would mature as Alon’s rank increased or by consuming ‘Shadow Stones’.

It meant Alon would grow alongside Blackie.

Furthermore, the Shadow Dragon grew significantly more powerful with each stage, far exceeding its previous strength.

It was said that in the final stages, the Shadow Dragon could wield its powers freely without needing its master’s strength.
‘…Should I go search for Shadow Stones?’

Rather than raising his rank through a somewhat vague method, Alon considered feeding Shadow Stones to Blackie to promote its growth.
‘If it matures well and removes that spear,’

Alon recalled the proposal Lainisius had made.

[As I mentioned before, the ‘Unity of Shadows’ you inquired about is a spell used by my sealed friend. In other words, this seal was inflicted by the Shadow Dragon my close companion dealt with.]

[A seal created by the Shadow Dragon can only be broken by the Shadow Dragon itself. That is why I gave up. The seal was forgotten after my close friend died, and the Shadow Dragon vanished.]

[But if you, who can now use the spell, are willing, it is possible.]

[So, let us make a deal, wizard. If you help the Shadow Dragon grow and free me, I will gladly become your subordinate.]

[I, Gold Dragon Lainisius, swear this.]

For Alon, there was no real reason to refuse; it was a very advantageous offer.

Therefore,
‘…If I could command the Gold Dragon as a subordinate, wouldn’t my retirement be secured?’

Even now, had the Five Great Sins not appeared, there would have been no issue…

In any case, Blackie might also become the key to securing his future.

[By the way, it is a pity. From what I know, Kylrus would have been far more skilled at raising or handling the Shadow Dragon in various ways. But he is likely no longer in this world.]
‘Kylrus…’

Alon was very familiar with that name.

In truth, he couldn’t not know it.

He had seen it many times when he first encountered Psychedelia as a game. After entering this world, he had also met Kylrus in the labyrinth of Lartania.
‘…That goblin was the wizard who created the Unity of Shadows.’

Honestly, many things didn’t add up.

The Kylrus Alon knew had uttered incantations, but those were related to wind magic, not Unity of Shadows.

Most importantly, his appearance was different.

He clearly looked like a goblin, not a human.

Moreover, Alon had always considered Kylrus an Outer God, neither human nor wizard, and as expected, he had appeared as an avatar.

Alon had asked Lainisius about this as well, but,
[…I do not know if the goblin you speak of is my close friend or not. I know nothing of what transpired after he was sealed.]

The Gold Dragon was uncertain about that part too.

Still, Alon couldn’t shake a persistent feeling that something was amiss.

Though it wasn’t yet the right moment, he already knew how to meet Kylrus again, who had since vanished.
‘If he truly is the creator of the spell,’

He would surely be able to learn from him, not just about magic but perhaps also methods to enhance the Shadow Dragon.

While Alon was lost in thought,
“Thank you so much, Marquis. I am in your debt once more.”

Kiriana had come to find him.

She bowed respectfully.

Alon waved a hand dismissively.
“I merely did what was necessary.”
“……”

In truth, if the monsters hadn’t fled due to the Shadow Dragon’s rank, the situation could have become somewhat perilous.

However, he didn’t mention that and, after a brief exchange,
“…The castle walls, you say?”
“Yes, they had been protected by magic all this time.”

Following Kiriana’s gaze, Alon looked at the castle walls.

The walls, which had never been breached before, were now in ruins.

Alon stared at the sight for a moment and then noticed something—black mucus dripping from the wreckage.
“…!”

His eyes widened as he approached, but the black mucus began to vanish, as if evaporating.
“…”

Soon, the mucus had disappeared completely.

Alon finally understood why the supposedly indestructible castle walls had been destroyed.

No, he couldn’t help but realize it.

He recognized the creature that had expelled the black mucus.
“Why… is it here?”

There was something suspicious about it, but it had worked out in the end.

Alon, realizing the Five Great Sins were descending, knew this was a matter that needed resolution before he could leave the border.
“…What is happening?”

Kiriana, who had followed Alon after his sudden movement, asked.

Alon slowly scanned the castle walls and replied.
“I believe I know who is responsible for this.”

The next day, after repairs on the castle gates were finished, Alon gathered Yuman, Utia, and Kiriana.
“We must deal with Rikrakamur.”

He named the abomination that had settled in the north of the border and possessed one of the artifacts of the Five Great Sins.

***

Gilan Merkiliane was curious about Deus Maccalian and Filian Merkiliane.

More specifically, he was curious about what they were discussing.

His assistant, Kulan, had informed him.

The two had spent six hours conversing cheerfully in front of the Marquis’s statue.

In fact, they had been so engrossed they hadn’t even attended the evening banquet.

How could his curiosity not be piqued?

Moreover, Deus and his brother Filian had never shared a particularly good relationship, not since the Allied Kingdom’s conference.

Later, Gilan invited them both to the banquet, and soon, his curiosity was satisfied.
“It brings back memories. The Marquis was truly majestic back then. He created light in the gray sky and then defeated the tribal god that demanded human sacrifices in the jungle. Remembering that moment still sends shivers down my spine.”
“Oh~! I wish I could have seen it myself… it is such a regret…”
“No, did you not witness something I missed?”
“That is true… but even so, I still get chills thinking about it. The Marquis’s appearance when those grotesque Outer Gods attacked our territory was truly…”

It seemed they began intentionally praising the Marquis the moment they sat down, after a brief greeting.

For a moment, Gilan was taken aback, but then he smiled, watching the two speak so familiarly.

Deus Maccalian, the first sword of Caliban, was not someone Gilan was particularly fond of, so he had no desire to involve himself.

Thus, he occasionally joined their conversation while enjoying the meal.

But at some point, Gilan realized something.

He realized he had made a grave mistake.
“…I truly wish I could have seen it as well. What a shame.”
“Indeed, the sight was… something I would want the entire world to witness.”

The dinner had concluded long ago, yet they were still talking about Marquis Palatio.

For over three hours.
‘How long do they intend to continue this?’

Gilan looked at Filian and Deus with a weary expression, but neither showed any sign of stopping.

In fact, they seemed entirely indifferent to Gilan’s demeanor.
“……”

Of course, Gilan felt grateful to Marquis Palatio.

Were it not for him, the Merkiliane family would have been erased from history, and he would have lost his precious brother.

But even so,
‘Isn’t this excessive?’

Thinking it over carefully, Gilan said,
“…I believe I will take my leave now.”

In the end, he could endure no more and rose from his seat.

It was impolite to leave before his guests, but he had held out as long as he could.

His head was spinning.

After hours of hearing the same story retold in different variations from Deus and Filian, he was on the verge of believing that Marquis Palatio might be mistaken for a deity.

Thus,

Gilan chose to escape and, collapsing, tried to sleep. That was yesterday.

Yes, yesterday.

In other words, just the night before.

It should have been.
“…What?”
“Both of them are still talking.”

The next morning, upon waking and hearing Kulan’s report, Gilan began to feel a mounting dread toward the two men.
‘Are they insane?’

A rational doubt flashed through his mind.

It had been exactly 17 hours since Deus had met Filian.