Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 231

Chapter 231

 

Alon gazed ahead with a blank expression.

The vista before him offered no change.

His vision was dominated by a slate-gray sky choked entirely with dust. The ground underfoot was fractured and disintegrated into powder with every step, an ominous statement that nothing vibrant could ever take root in this location.

---

It was, without a doubt, a scene that perfectly embodied the term “world annihilated.”

“Hoo—”

Alon forced his mind to become steady, pushing down the invading confusion, and paused to survey the immediate area in an attempt to gauge their current predicament.

“Where… is this place?”

As Alon scanned the surroundings, Rine knit her brow in bewilderment and reached down toward the earth.

The soil she scooped up crumbled like ash, and witnessing this, Alon continued to mull over the situation.

‘Is this the site where Agu attacked us just moments ago?’

Alon swiftly dismissed the idea.

It was plainly not the case.

The encounter with the Agu had taken place amid a sun-baked desert, not this ravaged emptiness where every movement threatened to reduce everything to nothingness.

So, had the world been transformed so drastically in the brief interval Alon, Rine, and Penia spent inside the peculiar gate dealing with the Agu?

That, too, felt highly improbable.

Unless an Earth-sized comet had slammed into the Psychedelia continent, or something of an even larger scale had occurred, the possibility of an entire world being destroyed in such a short period was essentially nonexistent.

And as far as Alon was aware, such an event had never transpired in Psychedelia previously.

“Hoo—”

Having reasoned this far, Alon let out a heavy sigh before calmly examining his surroundings once more.

‘It’s somewhat different from the inner world I observed when I encountered Kylrus.’

At first glance, this landscape bore such a striking likeness to the inner world that he had briefly considered they might have ended up there.

But upon closer scrutiny, there was a subtle distinction.

‘Although, its fundamental nature does appear similar.’

Alon turned to his companions.

Penia was mumbling incoherently, seemingly experiencing a mental delay, and Rine wore a pained expression.

“Rine.”

“Yes, godfather.”

“Do you have any insight into what’s happening here?”

“…”

Rine slowly shook her head in response to Alon’s query.

“…I’m sorry, godfather. There is nothing like this recorded in the library, and I lack any immediate means to comprehend this phenomenon myself.”

Hearing her subdued tone, Alon quickly surmised that knowledge concerning this unusual gate phenomenon must have been restricted.

“It can’t be helped. Don’t worry excessively about it.”

“Yes…”

Alon then shifted his attention to Penia.

She was grasping her head, groaning as if it were spinning out of control.

Her forehead was deeply furrowed, completely absorbed in thought.

“Do you have any hypotheses about what might have transpired?”

Penia responded to Alon’s question with a strained groan.

“It’s not that I have no hypotheses—it’s that I have too many…”

“…Too many?”

“Yes… ha—”

After whispering, “Give me a moment to organize my thoughts,” Penia sank into deep meditation.

After a noticeable pause, she finally spoke again.

“To state it plainly, this is not the desert we were just in.”

“I had already concluded that much. So, where are we, then?”

“There are numerous possibilities for that.”

Penia hesitated briefly before resuming.

“As you are aware, we caused the strange gate’s space-time structure to collapse to expel the Agu beyond it, correct?”

“That is right.”

“And you executed that using your sorcery.”

“Correct.”

“…I suspect that something went awry in that execution. Successfully collapsing space-time and pushing the Agu out was accomplished, but—”

“We were also affected because we were inside the gate?”

Penia nodded her head.

“Currently, that is the most logical assumption I can form. We were definitely impacted, but precisely how that impact has manifested is difficult to ascertain.”

“So that’s why you mentioned having too many hypotheses.”

“Yes. Since space-time itself was disrupted.”

“If your hypothesis is correct, does that imply we might be in an entirely different dimension?”

Penia paused, issuing a worried sound before cautiously shaking her head.

“…No, I don’t believe so. That might be plausible for the Agu, whose physical form was already being shredded into countless fragments.”

“Then what is it?”

“If I had to consider another avenue, we may have been transported to a different point in time. But even that appears highly unlikely.”

Penia cleared her throat and elaborated further.

“According to the Magic Tower’s research, strange gates form due to a space-time distortion caused by a particular anomaly. In other words, though they are unnatural, they are still ‘pre-existing spaces.'”

“…And?”

“If the strange gate had been left unstable after being breached, then perhaps. But since it was already a stabilized space, the chance of us being flung into an alternative time is extremely low.”

She added that this relied on the Magic Tower’s research being accurate, but for the time being, it seemed probable.

“…So what you’re proposing is, the most probable scenario is that we are in a different location, not a different era.”

“Precisely. Even though this was not our intended outcome, it’s possible the strange gate operated as a kind of transit point and—hmm?”

Mid-discussion, Penia abruptly appeared to recall something, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

“A transit point… If properly studied, this could greatly advance teleportation research…? Should that succeed, the achievement would not only be revolutionary, but the financial gain… at the very least—”

Muttering to herself, her eyes suddenly widened as if she had reached a profound insight.

“If that comes to pass, hehe, I could become the trailblazer of spatial magic that even Azir couldn’t…!”

Penia began to chuckle menacingly, clearly reveling in a rather delightful daydream.

And then—

“Lord Marquis! For now, we need to determine our location as quickly as possible.”

Her eyes blazed with excitement as she pressed Alon to move.

“…Can’t we simply return through the strange gate?”

Alon, just about to step forward, unintentionally whispered the question.

Because—

The strange gate, which had been pulsating brightly moments ago, had vanished without a trace.

“It’s disappeared.”

“It was temporarily destabilized by sorcery.”

“Does that mean, if we had stayed inside, it would have returned to its normal state?”

“That is not the case. Once it was disrupted, it most likely became erratic. Even if we had remained within, nothing beneficial would have resulted.”

In the worst-case scenario, the twisted gate could have been absorbed into space-time itself, leading them to the same fate as the Agu, Penia clarified.

“…So, ultimately, we must investigate further.”

“Precisely.”

“Then, let’s proceed forward for now.”

Leaving the spot where the strange gate had disappeared, Alon took his first stride into the ruined world.

---

Having no knowledge of his whereabouts, Alon traveled southward for a full day.

As he observed the ceaseless scenery, he contemplated.

‘Where exactly is this location?’

All the countless hypotheses that had occupied his mind throughout the day were discarded.

No matter how intensely he searched his recollection, he had never encountered such a landscape in the game.

After a full day of consideration, Alon finally arrived at the most logical conclusion from his viewpoint.

That was—

This place was not within the Eastern Continent where the Allied Kingdom resided, but rather, it was a part of the Empire.

The Empire.

A region inaccessible in Psychedelia, the game Alon had played.

Instead, it served as the setting for another game created by the same developers—Calypsophobia.

From what Alon knew, Calypsophobia possessed a considerably darker atmosphere than Psychedelia, featuring more violence and grim narratives.

Though he had never played it himself, having been engrossed in Psychedelia, he possessed at least rudimentary information about it.

‘…If this world is several times darker than Psychedelia, then the existence of a place like this wouldn’t be shocking.’

With that realization, Alon devised a strategy.

In the Psychedelia community, posts frequently appeared with headings like “Overpowered Items You Can Acquire in Psychedelia from Calypsophobia.”

Thanks to this, he had a rough understanding of the whereabouts of artifacts beneficial for sorcerers.

‘If I can procure those, they will certainly be advantageous.’

As Alon was deep in thought—

“Marquis! Look over there!”

Penia shouted loudly.

“…That’s—”

“Smoke! There must be a settlement!”

Following her voice, Alon directed his gaze forward and confirmed the rising plume of smoke.

“Let’s go examine it.”

“Yes, godfather.”

Without hesitation, Alon moved toward the location Penia had indicated, with Rine walking beside him.

Soon, they reached the edge of a cliff overlooking the source of the smoke.

And the instant Alon looked down—

He became utterly silent.

It wasn’t only him.

“…Huh?”

Even Penia, who had enthusiastically hurried him along, was struck dumb.

“…”

Rine, who had walked alongside them and peered down, also fell into stunned silence.

What they observed—

“…What is that?”

—Was a one-sided massacre.

A throng of non-human creatures, tethered and desperately attempting to escape, were being relentlessly stabbed like mere toys.

Humans—

No, entities merely bearing human appearances—were perpetrating a ruthless slaughter.

---

The colony, typically bathed in scorching sunshine, was unusually shrouded by dark clouds.

The reason was simple—it was the rainy season, which occurred just once a year.

Yet, despite the overcast sky—

“.”

Seolrang, standing with her back to the sky, paid no attention and simply swished her tail.

Her excitement stemmed from one particular thing—Alon.

She had been informed a few weeks prior that Alon had departed the desert.

This meant he would be arriving at the colony soon.

Because of this, Seolrang had been in an exceptionally cheerful mood recently.

‘What should I do when Master arrives?’

Her tail swayed even more vigorously.

Seolrang typically did not enjoy extensive deliberation.

But this was an exception.

‘Hmm~ Should we visit the eastern restaurant this time? We’ve always been too occupied with other matters to go together, but I’m certain Master would enjoy it.’

The mere thought made Seolrang’s lips curve into a wide, crescent smile.

‘And after that, perhaps we could stop by the western ruins? They say there isn’t much to see there, but at night, the ruins align with the Milky Way, creating a breathtaking sight. Master would surely love that.’

Her tail, usually still, fluttered like a gentle spring breeze.

‘Right! We should also journey together. Where should we go? I want to spend as much time as possible with Master, so maybe we should travel all the way to the border? Or visit the places I’ve always wanted to see? Hmm—where would be best~?’

Just the thought of Alon caused her ears to perk up toward the sky.

Even as the dark clouds intensified, casting shadows over the office and making it feel like twilight—

Seolrang’s expression brightened, her smile expanding.

Humming a tune, lost in a joyous fantasy—

Knock, knock.

A sudden rap at the door captured her attention, and she instantly recognized the presence.

“L—ime?”

“Seolrang, ma’am…”

“Hmm? What is it~?”

Seolrang drew out her words in a leisurely fashion.

But.

“…I have information to convey.”

Lime’s voice was rigid, unlike its usual tone.

Thud—

Seolrang’s humming ceased as she finally turned around.

And then she saw Lime’s face.

It was obscured by shadows of profound worry.

“…What is wrong?”

Seolrang inquired.

But Lime only opened her mouth, unable to speak immediately.

“What has happened?”

Seolrang asked again, her voice firm.

“Marquis Palatio… has…”

After hesitating, Lime finally spoke—

“Passed away.”

Then, she lowered her head.

And at that instant—

Drip—drop—drip-drip—

Through the intensifying sound of raindrops—

“…?”

Seolrang’s voice trembled.

A voice so fragile, as if it might shatter at any moment.