Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 201

## 👑 King Pamilono’s Awkward Smile.

Jenira, wearing a completely composed, perfect smile.

Seeing the two figures together, Alon immediately grasped the political state of the Principality of Luxibl.

In truth, there was no need for speculation.

It was evident to anyone that King Pamilono had been thoroughly overshadowed and dominated by Jenira.

‘What brought this about?’

Alon was curious about the sequence of events that resulted in this new power dynamic, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

It was an interesting matter, but ultimately, it signified that the Thunder Serpent tribe, which he had previously assisted, was now in control of Luxibl.

This was a development that greatly favored Alon’s position.

Especially now, given that the Thunder Serpent tribe believed him to be Kalannon, the Lightning Receiver.

“I am the Marquis of Palatio.”

“I have heard much about your achievements— I mean, I have heard many tales.”

King Pamilono quickly corrected himself mid-sentence, stealing a nervous glance at Jenira.

A swift survey of the audience chamber showed the soldiers, seemingly quite used to this interaction, didn’t react at all.

After exchanging the necessary formal pleasantries, Alon concluded the royal audience.

Or, to be more precise,

Alon intended to maintain some courtesy, but—

“Ahem, since the introductions are complete, I believe you may depart now, Marquis Palatio.”

“…Is that so?”

The king’s face, which clearly communicated the plea, ‘Please, kindly leave immediately,’ gave Alon no choice but to step outside.

“As you said, thank you profoundly for your visit.”

The instant they were outside the chamber, Syrkal immediately bowed her head in a deep, respectful manner.

Alon shook his head dismissively.

“It’s nothing. I had business that brought me here in the first place.”

“Please inform me of the nature of your business.”

“The lightning— No, my symbol— where is it located?”

At Alon’s inquiry, Syrkal tilted her head slightly, then quickly realized his meaning, letting out a soft “Ah.”

“It is in the same location as the previous time.”

“If you speak of the last time’s location, do you mean the ruins?”

“Yes, exactly. However—”

Syrkal hesitated, then continued with an expression of regret,

“It might be extremely challenging for you to go there currently.”

“And why is that?”

“Have you received the news regarding the Lonovellia Jungle?”

The widespread rumors that Evan had mentioned.

“Are you referring to the dark magic?”

“That is correct. Due to that sorcery, it will likely be highly inconvenient for you to travel there immediately.”

“Hmm—”

Alon let out a small sigh.

He had somewhat anticipated that things would unfold this way.

But even with the complication, he couldn’t simply stand around waiting idly.

If he didn’t reach the specific location within seven days, Kalannon would be gone.

Though he hadn’t planned it, he felt a slight obligation for having acquired the divine power.

Furthermore, Kalannon’s offer to instruct him in manipulating divine power was quite enticing.

He could perceive and manage the divine essence, yet he still lacked an understanding of the underlying principles or methods for its use.

Besides, if the entity propagating the dark magic was an Apostle of Sloth, Alon would inevitably have to confront it anyway.

In the end, there was only one logical decision.

“Are you absolutely certain my symbol is within those ruins?”

“Yes, I am. May I ask if you plan to enter?”

“I believe that is my intention.”

Upon hearing this, Syrkal bowed deeply once more.

“…In that case, we must accompany you.”

Alon offered a slight shake of his head.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“No, we cannot simply remain here while the one we serve faces danger. Please, permit us to join you.”

Syrkal, however, showed no signs of relenting.

In truth, if Alon were acting normally, he would have accepted not only her assistance but as many people as he could gather.

Unless there was a vast difference in power, having superior numbers was always an advantage.

However, Alon’s reluctance stemmed from a specific reason—

‘If that thing is truly the “Sin of Sloth” as I suspect, then bringing more people would be a drawback. The more individuals present, the more formidable it becomes.’

This hesitation was due to the known nature of the being spreading the dark magic.

As he considered the most dire possibility, Alon finally spoke.

“In that case, I will only accept your guidance up to the edge of the dark magic’s influence.”

But—

“The true peril lies within the zone of dark magic.”

Syrkal still could not hide her concern.

A simple reassurance would clearly be ineffective on her.

Confronted by her determined posture, Alon paused briefly, took a cleansing breath— and then announced with certainty,

“There is no need to worry. Who do you imagine I am?”

Naturally, the moment the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them.

‘Ugh, that was humiliating.’

If he were a truly undeniable, all-powerful being, there would be no embarrassment in the statement.

But since he did not perceive himself this way, it felt nothing more than empty boasting.

However—

“My sincerest apologies.”

To Syrkal, who believed his false identity, it served as the perfect, compelling argument.

“Proceed.”

Swallowing his acute embarrassment, Alon resolved to move forward with the situation.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat in discomfort, Alon climbed into the awaiting carriage.

He was surrounded by members of the Thunder Serpent tribe and soldiers.

As Alon gazed outside the window, his sight landed on Evan, who was seated across from him.

“Aren’t you going to ask questions this time?”

“Huh? About what?”

Instead of directly answering, Alon gestured toward the window.

Evan consistently questioned things whenever a situation didn’t make complete sense.

But this time, he was unusually silent, prompting Alon to speak first.

“Ah—”

Evan gave a slight shrug.

“Well, I’ve pretty much figured it out by now.”

“…And what exactly is it that you’ve figured out?”

“That you are Kalannon, the Lightning Receiver.”

“……”

“I gave it some thought.”

“About what, specifically?”

“It would look a bit strange if I, who accompanies you everywhere, kept asking, ‘Is this really happening?’ every single time, wouldn’t it?”

*Well, if it were me, I’d continue to be suspicious—*

Alon mused inwardly.

But Evan, appearing to have already surrendered to the situation, leaned back comfortably against the seat.

“So, I’ve just chosen to accept everything as it is.”

“…Truly?”

“Yes. At this point, even if you were to tell me, ‘I am in fact the god of Sironia!!’ I would believe you.”

“The god of Sironia is a goddess, though, correct?”

“I’d believe you even if you claimed you were a woman.”

He had an air of profound detachment, as if he had risen above all worldly concerns.

As if confirming this mood, Blackie peeked out from Evan’s pocket and looked up at Alon.

“I see.”

“Well, yeah.”

Silence settled once more inside the carriage.

After a brief time—

“We have reached our destination.”

A voice announced their arrival.

Alon’s view was quickly filled with the sight of a sprawling jungle—no, a corrupted domain—where dark magic swirled menacingly.

“…Is the whole territory in this condition?”

“No, not entirely, but approximately half of it has been consumed, prompting everyone to evacuate already.”

As if to validate Syrkal’s explanation—

“It is entirely deserted.”

The city of Kaslot, which had once bustled with life, was now empty.

After observing the desolate scene for a moment,

Alon noticed the temporary shelters erected near the border where the dark magic was churning.

“…What are those structures?”

“They belong to the knights of Caliban.”

“The knights of Caliban? What is their purpose here?”

“I was informed they are searching for an individual.”

“…Searching for someone?”

As he considered the unexpected response—

“…Huh?”

“Hm?”

Familiar faces emerged from within the shelters.

“…Reinhardt? And—”

It was Reinhardt, one of the Swords of Caliban, with whom he had briefly collaborated in the jungle previously.

And—

“Deus?”

“…Marquis.”

It was obvious to anyone that Deus looked completely drained and exhausted.

Yet, his eyes still burned with intense fury.

In that instant, Alon understood the reason for Deus’s appearance.

“Deus, why are you here?”

Deus clenched both of his hands tightly into fists.

“…My younger sister—”

Biting down hard on his lip, he managed to force out the next sentence.

“She was abducted.”

Alon found himself unable to offer any words.

***

Inside the shelter, Alon listened as Deus recounted the sequence of events in detail.

“To summarize, the person who kidnapped Sili intentionally lured you to this location?”

“That is correct. But—”

“You can’t take action because of the dark magic?”

“That scoundrel—”

Gritting his teeth hard, Deus lowered his gaze.

“The deeper I ventured in, the more vividly I saw the cord around Sili’s neck constrict before my very eyes.”

His hands, resting on his knees, were visibly trembling.

“…Are there any other specific demands?”

“As long as I do not step into the area of dark magic, Sili’s throat will not be squeezed.”

“So, they are forcing someone else to attempt the rescue instead?”

“Yes. But anyone who enters is instantly converted into a puppet.”

Reinhardt interjected from the side.

“If you don’t constantly sever the forming threads, you lose physical control of your own body in a flash.”

He frowned deeply, clearly recalling an unpleasant experience.

After hearing both accounts, Alon understood the situation completely.

*‘They are intentionally making someone other than Deus pursue Sili. By causing others to perish in the process, they are striving to shatter Deus’s resolve.’*

It was not difficult to deduce the Apostle’s genuine objective either.

Rather than merely executing Deus, they aimed to completely destroy his mind.

They were deliberately using Sili’s life as a lure, manipulating the knights to inflict mental agony upon Deus.

In the end, they would likely conclude the whole ordeal in the most psychologically damaging way possible, utterly breaking him.

*‘…Wait.’*

At this moment, Sili might already be—

Alon glanced at the burning fury in Deus’s eyes and could not bring himself to pose the question.

Right now—

Any inquiry about Sili would only devastate Deus’s already fragile mental state.

So instead, Alon quietly shifted his gaze toward the forest visible outside the shelter.

“Where is that villain concealing himself?”

“Here.”

Deus immediately pointed to a location on a map.

Even with his exhausted appearance, his movements were precise.

Just then—

“…This spot.”

Syrkal joined the ongoing discussion.

“You recognize it?”

Alon asked, and she confirmed with a nod.

“This is where the symbol is situated.”

“Then this entire area is—”

“Yes. It is the ancient ruins where our tribe once made its home.”

Alon fell into contemplation for a moment before asking Deus and Reinhardt,

“So, what was your formulated plan moving forward?”

“I initially planned to enter myself and attempt a rescue, but I was completely overpowered. I barely managed to get out.”

“Did the other knights enter with you?”

“Yes. As soon as we were deep enough, the coordinated assaults began.”

“The knights…”

Before Alon could complete his question,

Reinhardt’s expression turned grim.

“They are all… deceased.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. Initially, when we realized they were being manipulated, we planned to subdue them and carry them back.

But the instant their bodies went limp, their necks were immediately snapped, and they died right there.”

“……”

“However, we did manage to discover one crucial detail.”

“What is that?”

“It appears the dark threads cannot control more than three individuals simultaneously.”

“They can’t control more than three people?”

Alon repeated the statement, and Reinhardt confirmed with a nod.

“Yes. Out of the fifteen knights, only three were ever controlled at any one time.”

“…And the rest were not affected?”

“That’s correct.”

Reinhardt continued his strategic explanation.

“Because of this, I was working on a strategy. If it can only control three people at once, we can divide into pairs and use a counter-attack approach.”

“…So your plan is for everyone to enter together and reach the target simultaneously?”

“Yes. If we divide the knights into six operational groups, we can take alternating turns activating our magical defenses to conserve energy while advancing. If we do that, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

After hearing the entire strategic proposal, Alon was silent for a moment.

Based on his knowledge, Sins had no restriction on the number of people they could dominate.

*‘Is this limitation because it is only an Apostle?’*

As he considered this novel piece of information, he swiftly reached a firm conclusion.

And then, without realizing it, he let out a quiet, knowing laugh.

If his hypothesis was correct—

“That strategy… you must abandon it.”

“Why?”

“It is a cunning deception.”

“…A deception?”

It was unequivocally a snare.

“The individual who abducted Sili is not limited to controlling only three people at one time.”

“…Not three? Then why did it seem that way—”

It was a despicable, insidious trap.

“They are trying to entice you inside. Once you venture far enough, past the point of no return, they will obliterate all of you in one sweeping move.”

“Then—”

“They deliberately created a false vulnerability.”

Reinhardt, who was about to object, suddenly sealed his mouth shut as if a realization had struck him.

Deus clenched his teeth even harder.

So fiercely that blood began to seep from his lips.

It was a palpable manifestation of his ungovernable rage.

As a faint violet-tinged aura emanated from Deus, his anxious, furious gaze became fixed on the ominous, dark forest ahead.

“What course of action should we pursue—”

His voice was barely a choked whisper.

“Rest assured.”

“…Marquis?”

Alon spoke with an unwavering tone.

“I have formulated a plan.”

***

At that very moment.

“Chief—”

“Whyyy are you calling meee—”

Deep inside the Lonovellia Jungle.

Perched high on a rocky outcrop carved into the cliffs, a girl with an expression of profound boredom slowly turned her head.

“Why are you disturbing meee?”

She looked down at the man with blue skin who had addressed her.

“It concerns that dark-skinned individual you told me to watch.”

“Mmm? What trouble did he causeee?”

“No, it’s not that he caused trouble.”

“Did he cross the established boundary?”

“No, not that either.”

“Then what exactly is the issueee?”

The girl’s tone sharpened perceptibly.

Since she was naturally more irritable during the daylight hours, the blue-skinned man nervously scratched his head before hesitating.

“Well, ah… What was the matter again?”

“If you have nothing to report, I will end your life.”

“No, wait, geez, your threats are making me forget even more urgently!”

“Speak quickly, now.”

“Ah, right, ah— You recall that person you called ‘legitimacy’?”

“Mmm.”

“Well, that ‘legitimacy’ person seems to be advancing directly toward the dark-skinned individual. And judging by the visual evidence, I would estimate… things will not end favorably for them.”

As the information was passed on,

“…What? Wait, he is actually coming here? No, more critically—”

The girl, who had been showing obvious annoyance—no—one of the supreme rulers of the Four Great Powers—suddenly froze completely.

“…That insolent wretch is about to interfere with my established legitimacy?”

A deep, unforgiving expression settled over Hyakki’s face.