Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Within an enormous, ancient altar structured like a pyramid.

The shaman of the great tribe Kalmak, “Marikula,” who had unified hundreds of tribes through conquest, stared upward in shock.

A stairway so tall it would require minutes to ascend.

At its peak stood Hazad, the deity his people had venerated for ages, the one who had elevated Kalmak from a minor tribe to the great power ruling all of Karamble.

Marikula could not clearly make out Hazad’s form.

He could only distinguish a dark silhouette, which he assumed belonged to the great god.

This was normal.

No matter how powerful a shaman Marikula was, he was not permitted to look directly upon the god’s visage.

Only those bearing Hazad’s mark—the Engraved Ones—were granted that privilege.

Even so, Marikula could sense it.

“He is pleased.”

The great god’s voice reached him with perfect clarity.

And that voice was laden with unmistakable excitement and anticipation.

“What could that letter have contained?”

Marikula grew intrigued about the message Hazad had received.

He was merely a messenger, a servant to Hazad.

He understood that he should not wonder about the letter’s contents.

Yet, in all his time serving Hazad, he had never heard the god’s tone so eager and thrilled.

Instinctively, Marikula covered his mouth, preventing his question from slipping out.

Then, a short time later—

[Fascinating. Truly fascinating.]

Hazad repeated the words in his toneless voice.

Soon after, he casually released the letter from his hand.

The letter started tumbling down the long staircase.

Though discarded without care, it drifted smoothly down the steps, folding itself neatly along the way, until it settled perfectly at Marikula’s feet.

[Messenger, take this to the one who bears my mark. Instruct them to bring me a response with all haste.]

“…Should this take priority over your earlier command?”

[Indeed, this comes first.]

Marikula was startled.

Even if it meant dispatching an Engraved One, this new instruction was to supersede the previous plan.

He had asked only for confirmation, never anticipating that answer.

“As you command.”

Though briefly unsettled, he swiftly complied and stood.

Watching his servant leave, Hazad muttered with a faint, sly smile—

[If you truly live, this should be most entertaining.]

Quietly.

[-My sole and only friend.]

***

The Following Day

As scheduled, Alon completed his preparations to leave for the destination Rine had secured.

But Rine appeared more troubled than normal.

“…Rine, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing, Godfather.”

“It doesn’t appear to be nothing. You seem unwell.”

His tone was even, but it carried distinct worry.

Rine offered a slight smile, as if his words had eased her spirits.

“Please don’t be concerned. It’s just because of a dream I had last night.”

“…A bad dream?”

“Yes.”

“What was it about?”

“Well—”

Rine seemed reluctant to reply.

Seeing her hesitate, Alon raised a hand slightly.

“If it’s too difficult to share, you need not explain.”

“…Forgive me, Godfather. It’s just not a pleasant memory.”

“That’s fair. But if anything ever troubles you, speak to me. I will listen, whatever it may be.”

In truth, he wished to inquire further.

Unlike others, Rine was not usually one to show emotional distress.

This was the first time he had seen her so affected.

Still, since she was not ready to talk, he could not press her.

Just as Alon began to turn away—

“…Godfather.”

“Yes?”

Rine called out to stop him.

When he turned back, she seemed to consider something for a moment.

Then, with an uneasy smile, she lowered her hand.

“It’s nothing. I intended to ask you something, but I realized I already knew the answer.”

“Is that so?”

It was clear she was evading the subject.

“Yes, we should depart now.”

“Very well, let’s proceed.”

Alon decided not to question her further and turned away once again.

***

After traveling east from Lartania with Rine for roughly an hour, Alon reached a cave situated in a nearby canyon.

“This is the location I discovered. Does it seem correct?”

Alon examined the area before giving a nod.

“Yes, it does. We should enter.”

“Hm.”

As he walked behind Alon, Evan studied the cave’s interior and abruptly posed a question.

“Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know what lies within this cave?”

“…Generally speaking?”

Evan’s expression turned somewhat peculiar at Alon’s response.

“Given your identity, I assumed you might have known the precise spot as well…”

He seemed to be remembering how Alon often made use of obscure knowledge that others missed.

But Alon’s understanding always had minor omissions.

‘The game never gave exact coordinates like this.’

Most of his awareness came from the game, and while he knew what the cave contained, its specific location was unknown to him.

He only knew it was somewhere inside this canyon.

“Well, that’s how it is.”

“How what is?”

“I wasn’t aware of the exact position.”

“…That’s a strange thing to say.”

“Is it?”

[Meow.]

Even Blackie contributed, adding to the vaguely awkward moment.

“…It’s a dead end?”

Evan, having reached the back of the cave, looked confused.

Alon moved forward, feeling the obstructing wall while searching his thoughts.

‘A stone in the lower right corner of the cave’s central area.’

Glancing down, he noticed a seemingly ordinary rock.

Without pausing, he gave it a light tap with his foot.

At that moment—

Rumble!

A loud grinding sound filled the cavern as the blocked wall began to shake.

Cracks spread across its surface as if it were made of interlocking blocks, and soon a stairway leading below ground was uncovered.

“Incredible. I would never have guessed this was here.”

Evan’s voice reverberated off the cave walls.

Going down the stairs, Alon and his companions found a huge underground river.

Moored at the edge was a boat—clearly long abandoned, yet showing no decay or damage.

“Let’s move.”

They climbed into the small vessel.

Using gently glowing luminous stones as guides, they navigated the lengthy, straight waterway.

A considerable time later—

“…Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“I expect you won’t answer me, but… how do you uncover locations such as this?”

Alon didn’t answer, instead looking straight ahead.

At the end of the waterway, a huge opening appeared.

Not just any opening—one that showed its age yet was remarkably preserved, like a great hall.

The floor was paved with aged but solid marble, and the pillars, though dusty, were also carved from gray marble.

After observing the area, Alon spoke.

“Let’s proceed.”

He disembarked, thinking back to the game’s information.

‘The Royal Palace of the Forgotten Era… was that its name?’

Even in the game, this place was not described in depth.

Among players, it was commonly called the “Ancient Palace.”

The sole reason players ever visited was to employ the “Footsteps of the Past” to meet a celestial entity and improve their stats.

‘In the game, it was straightforward: Use the Footsteps of the Past, meet a celestial, gain a stat boost! But in reality, how is it truly done?’

As they advanced, an altar slowly came into sight.

Alon set his curiosity aside for the moment.

‘I will learn today.’

The party approached the altar.

“Remain here for now.”

“Understood, Godfather.”

Leaving Rine and Evan behind, Alon walked alone toward the altar.

As anticipated, it was marble, blanketed in heavy dust.

Disregarding the dust, Alon took the “Footsteps of the Past” from his coat and positioned it on the altar.

Wooong~!

The moment it made contact, an odd mechanical hum resonated, and candles flared with magical fire.

Seeing this, Alon reached into his coat again and produced a scrap of fabric.

It was a fragment from the robe Kylrus had left behind after their encounter.

Placing it on the altar as well, Alon remembered the game’s directions.

He lifted his left hand above the Footsteps of the Past.

Wooooooong~!

A peculiar vibrating tone rang in his ears.

Then, as a brilliant light flooded his sight—

—his vision was entirely consumed by whiteness.

And when his sight cleared—

“…!”

What he saw was—

A world laid to waste.

Language could not fully capture it.

Simply—ruin.

That single word was sufficient to define the entire vista.

The ground was dry and fractured.

A single, shriveled young tree stood on the barren soil, its decaying limbs trembling sadly in the breeze.

The sky was a turbulent mix of gray and black clouds, radiating a sinister, end-of-days aura.

“…Where is this?”

Unthinkingly, Alon released a breath.

And in that instant—

“Remarkable.”

Hearing a voice from behind, Alon spun around by reflex.

It was a voice he knew intimately—the voice of Kylrus, his adversary from the labyrinth.

But that was not all.

Alon’s gaze became bewildered.

The figure before him was not a goblin—but a human.

A man with long black hair tied high in a ponytail, wearing robes of Eastern design.

Strange tattoos marked his arms, and his face was completely impassive.

“Kylrus?”

As Alon uttered the name in question, the man, who had been scowling as if annoyed by the circumstances, spoke.

“Mage, was it you who summoned me?”

His eyes locked with Alon’s, serene yet piercing.

And at that exact moment—

The instant Alon faced Kylrus—

“Marquis!?”

Startled by Alon’s sudden vanishing, Evan hurried to the altar.

Meanwhile, Rine—

“Ah, for pity’s sake. If I’d known he would disappear like that, I would have arrived earlier.”

“…!?”

—whirled around in terror at the voice she never expected to hear.

“Hello, Rine.”

And then, she saw her.

“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?”

…The Apostle of Greed.