Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 200

Chapter 200

“Return my divine essence now~!!”

With a look of profound distress, as if burdened by the world’s injustices, Alon pushed past his astonishment and inquired, “What exactly are you referring to?”

“Stop pretending! You took all my divine essence!”

“……I took all your divine essence?”

The girl seemed even more hurt by Alon’s reply.

‘What on earth is she talking about?’

Alon decided to remain composed and assess the situation.

Why was the young woman before him demanding the restoration of her divine essence?

Then—

“Ah.”

A soft realization escaped Alon’s lips.

The mission involving the Thunder Serpent.

The Non-Player Character.

The recurring girl.

His thoughts connected sequentially—leading him to a definite answer.

“……Kalannon?”

A hesitant yet, in this moment, entirely logical hypothesis.

Upon hearing that name—

“Why act ignorant when you know perfectly well!?”

The girl—no, Kalannon—clenched her hands and yelled once more.

Alon understood his conclusion was accurate.

But what still evaded his comprehension was—

“I stole your divine essence?”

The accusation that he had somehow stolen the divine essence of Kalannon, the lightning recipient.

Alon could not accept that assertion.

He had never once—

Even attempted to become a deity by his own will—

Let alone sought to steal the divine essence of another.

Yet, in response to Alon’s denial—

“Huh?”

Kalannon rested both hands on her hips and shouted in utter disbelief.

“You didn’t just take it! You completely reduced me to an old relic that everyone forgot!”

“Me?”

“Yes! You! Can’t you see this?!”

Kalannon threw her arms wide towards the heavens.

Then, within what had been a night sky filled with the Milky Way, familiar effigies started to materialize in quick succession.

“Here, over there, way in the distance, and even right here!!”

Statues erected by the Thunder Serpent tribe stood everywhere.

Pointing them out in a frenzy, the girl raged,

“They’re all images of you, not me! Because of you! You’ve absorbed all the devotion that should have been directed to me!”

She vented her profound bitterness.

Alon quickly grasped the nature of the crisis.

“Hmm, I understand the core issue. But as unbelievable as this seems, I never acted with the intent of seizing your divine essence.”

“How can that possibly be true?”

“I agree, it doesn’t make much sense, but…”

“Then are you claiming the worshippers who ought to have adored me abruptly started following you for no reason? The reverence that should have been mine—why is it flowing to you?!”

As if challenging him to refute her, Kalannon glared at him with eyes brimming with doubt.

Still, Alon remained resolute.

“I regret having to say this, but I am innocent.”

Truly.

“I have never spoken a word or performed an action to manipulate this outcome.”

…Or so he genuinely thought.

“……”

Alon paused his speech.

Because a theory suddenly dawned on him.

Something so evident that he had entirely failed to notice it.

A detail he had ignored this whole time.

‘Could it be… that particular sentence?’

Alon had never once declared himself to be Kalannon, the lightning recipient.

He had never behaved as such.

Furthermore,

He had done nothing that might cause people to suspect he was Kalannon.

That is—until he learned the girl before him was Kalannon.

Until that moment, he had considered himself blameless.

[Beneath the low sky, I shall discover my path to you. Rejoice, for you who embrace the dawn shall welcome me.]

Alon recalled the utterance.

The words he had spoken in front of the Thunder Serpent tribe.

It was that very utterance—

The one the girl had mentioned, which had caused the Thunder Serpent tribe to worship him.

That one instant of repeating those words.

That was undoubtedly what had fostered the misconception that he was Kalannon.

“Ah.”

Finally, the perplexing fragments of the mystery began to align.

The narrative gained coherence.

Scattered uncertainties started to clear up—

“You did do it, didn’t you?”

However.

“See! You admit it!!”

Kalannon stamped her foot in frustration.

“……”

Alon could only slightly shift his gaze away.

---

Alon had uttered that phrase, and though he didn’t fully comprehend the mechanism by which devotion had amassed around him, the outcome was the same.

He had been mistaken for Kalannon—and in the process, had siphoned away the divine essence intended for her.

That was the inescapable truth.

Alon looked at the girl.

The girl, in turn, stared—no, glared—at Alon.

Her tear-filled eyes troubled his conscience.

Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he finally offered an apology.

“I didn’t intend for this to happen, but… I apologize.”

A simple, direct admission of fault.

To which Kalannon, still burning with resentment, opened her mouth—

“Give it bac—”

But then—

“Huh?”

“?”

Her eyes suddenly widened, and she clamped her mouth shut.

“……Hello?”

“Is something wrong?”

Like a frozen image on a screen, Kalannon became still.

As Alon cocked his head in bewilderment—

“……Ah, no.”

As if a creaking machine had started moving, Kalannon gave an awkward reply.

Then, erasing the fury from her expression, she forced a smile.

“No, actually… I should be the one apologizing… Thinking about it, I don’t really have the right to hold you accountable.”

“……Suddenly?”

And now she was even offering an apology?

Alon was taken aback by Kalannon’s immediate shift in temperament.

But despite her rigid, uneasy smile, she continued.

“Yes—regardless, I wouldn’t have been able to assist my followers, and, well… I suppose I would have faded away naturally.”

Alon easily understood her implication.

After all, in the game, the NPC Kalannon did not appear in the early stages but only following significant progression.

Organizing his thoughts, Alon came to the point.

“So, what is it you wish me to do? Do you want me to hand back your divine essence—”

“No, no, no, absolutely not!”

Before he could complete his sentence, Kalannon shook her head vigorously.

“Definitely not. No way, under no circumstances… I mean, I thought I asked for my divine essence back initially, but upon reflection, I realized that is impossible.”

“Why is that?”

Finally stopping her frantic head-shaking, Kalannon awkwardly clasped her hands together.

“Regardless of how unjust this feels to me, the devotion is already focused on you. You understand the fundamental mechanics of divine essence, don’t you?”

“You mean, when devotion accumulates, one can ascend to godhood?”

“Precisely. And since you are already receiving devotion as Kalannon, the lightning recipient, there’s no avenue for me to reclaim it.”

“Wouldn’t it suffice if I simply informed them myself?”

“No matter how much you tell them you are not Kalannon, that devotion won’t dissipate easily. Devotion intrinsically travels through belief and fastens itself to a symbol to manifest its power.”

After a brief pause, Kalannon added,

“Even if you correct their understanding and redirect the devotion back to me, my divine essence would have already diminished substantially.”

“Why?”

“If it were a gradual transition over a long duration, it might succeed. But if the object of devotion changes suddenly, devotion does not build up as readily.”

After a moment of contemplation, Kalannon provided an example.

“If I told you I was the primordial god, would you accept it?”

“…I would not believe it quickly.”

“Exactly. Devotion is established through absolute faith. If the subject of devotion changes abruptly, belief itself inevitably weakens. And furthermore, I lack the strength to manifest myself anymore.”

“In other words, I have no way to restore your divine essence.”

Her voice carried a strange, isolated undertone.

“……Then what will become of you?”

“A forgotten deity vanishes.”

“But aren’t you the genuine Kalannon?”

“I already told you, there is no ‘genuine’ Kalannon. Deities are ultimately entities forged by their worshippers, unless they are primordial gods.”

“So deities are defined by those who worship them.”

“Exactly.”

Behind his unexpressive facade, Alon felt a slight awkwardness.

Even though it was not deliberate, the reality was that he had unintentionally acquired Kalannon’s divine essence, putting her on the verge of fading away.

And through their dialogue, he also comprehended why simply being ‘mistaken’ for someone allowed him to wield the divine essence of the Primordial Elf.

As this fresh realization settled in—alongside the lingering sense of awkwardness—

“So, I wanted to ask… could you do something for me?”

“A favor?”

Kalannon tentatively inquired.

“Yes. I know that vanishing is the natural law, but… I still don’t want to disappear. Could you assist me?”

“Do you know a method to avoid being erased?”

“It is not as difficult as you might imagine. In fact, it could even be advantageous for you.”

“…What is the method?”

“You simply have to learn how to manipulate Kalannon’s divine essence.”

A surprisingly straightforward solution.

“That will prevent you from disappearing?”

“Hmm—yes. Although to be precise, there is a little more ‘effort’ involved. But if you can completely control Kalannon’s power, I can avoid erasure. I possess my own means of managing that.”

“That is not exactly an offer I have a reason to decline.”

Indeed, the proposal actually benefited him.

As Alon nodded, Kalannon clapped her hands together.

“Then, please locate the symbol.”

“……The symbol? Wait, wasn’t that monument in the kingdom the symbol?”

“That was merely a stone infused with Kalannon’s power. The true symbol is situated somewhere else.”

Just as Alon was about to ask for further specifics—

Rumble!

“!?”

Abruptly, the environment began to collapse inward, as if it were being compressed.

Alon turned to Kalannon in alarm, and she, too, spoke in haste.

“Uh, Alon? Please, I truly need you to do this. You must reach the symbol within one week, okay?”

“A week?”

“Yes. Right now, there is… some peculiar entity lurking close to the symbol, but please, I am depending on you.”

“I will make my best effort.”

“Don’t just try, you absolutely mus—”

Before she could finish her remark—

“Ah.”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Alon had returned to his initial location.

He was back inside the palace he had entered.

Scanning his surroundings, he let out a quiet exhale.

“I suppose I must get moving.”

---

Upon reaching the audience chamber, Alon confronted the King of Luxibl.

“……”

Exuding a majesty surpassing even that of a mere duchy,

King Pamilono of Luxibl gazed down at Alon.

And standing next to him—

Was a highly recognizable face.

‘Jenira?’

The astute younger sister of Syrkal, the woman who had approached him during the previous formal event.

She now stood beside King Pamilono, appearing to serve as his tactician.

Alon blinked at the sight for a moment before moving towards Pamilono.

“Are you Marquis Palatio?”

A deep, commanding voice reverberated.

Ha—

Alon, accustomed to such protocols, prepared to give a respectful bow of greeting—

Clang!

—Only to be interrupted.

“?”

As he raised his head again, he saw Pamilono looking at Jenira with a perplexed expression.

More accurately, at the shattered fragments of a wine bottle in her hand.

“Oops, my apologies. I accidentally broke the bottle.”

Holding the broken neck of the wine bottle like a makeshift weapon, Jenira apologized in a tone utterly devoid of sincerity.

Drip—Drip—

“???”

Like droplets of blood, red liquid trickled down from the fractured glass.

Alon’s expression twisted in confusion—

“Be careful.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm—”

Pamilono cleared his throat once again.

“Welcome to Luxibl, Marquis Palatio.”

Exuding his royal authority once more,

Clang~!

Yet another wine bottle was smashed.

“Oh dear, I truly regret this. I keep making ‘mistakes.’”

Hadn’t she just purposefully shattered that against the wall?

Alon harbored the thought but chose not to voice it.

Meanwhile, Jenira, still clutching a broken bottle, stared intensely at Pamilono.

Alon was about to tilt his head in confusion when—

“……Marquis Palatio, welcome.”

Unlike before, King Pamilono’s tone now carried a distinct formality.

And as Alon saw Jenira nod with satisfaction—

“……Ah.”

He finally understood.

He now had a crystal-clear comprehension of the exact state of affairs within this kingdom.