Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 234

Chapter 234

“Hey… could I ask you for a favor?”

This request came immediately after the realization that they had been transported 700 years into the past.

While Alon was still reeling from the shock of this truth, his mind in a daze, Ryanga’s voice reached him.

For the moment, Alon replied.

“Go ahead.”

“…Could you escort me to Dalma?”

“Dalma?”

“Yes, well… my family is there.”

Ryanga studied his expression cautiously.

Alon, however, was still preoccupied with the fact that they were currently in the past.

‘Is there absolutely no chance this is an error?’

He turned his gaze toward Rine.

She was deep in contemplation, her expression grave.

It seemed unlikely that her deduction was incorrect.

Excluding the restricted data she couldn’t access, Rine possessed the vast majority of available information.

‘So, this truly is the past, and this girl is really the Hyakki of this era.’

Ryanga, looking anxious, fiddled nervously with the hem of her dress.

Observing her, a sudden realization struck Alon.

‘She has white hair and purple eyes in this time.’

To his knowledge, Hyakki originally possessed white hair.

Yet, the Hyakki he had encountered before arriving in this timeline had black hair.

A change in hair color.

‘Naturally, her features are identical otherwise. But how did that change come about?’

His thoughts began to tangle with complexity.

“I-I will give you my soul!”

Before he could sink deeper into his speculation, an abrupt shout snapped him back to reality.

“…What are you talking about?”

“You require payment, don’t you? If you take me to Dalma, I’ll hand over my soul!”

For a fleeting second, he pondered the semantics of giving one’s soul.

But Alon quickly processed the situation and replied.

“I don’t require any compensation.”

“Ah…”

Did she interpret that as a rejection?

A heavy sigh slipped from Ryanga’s lips.

And then—

Tears began to pool in her purple eyes, shattering the brave front she had been struggling to uphold.

Witnessing this, Alon hurriedly added,

“I’m going to help you, so don’t worry so much.”

“Uh… r-really?”

“Yes.”

Considering their current predicament, helping a stranger was hardly the most logical course of action.

But if this was indeed the past—

Establishing a positive bond with Hyakki could serve as a massive advantage later on.

‘Perhaps it was this very connection that compelled her to assist me back then.’

It wasn’t a certainty, but the possibility existed.

Alon gently patted the girl’s shoulder to reassure her.

“So there is no need to be anxious.”

At his words, Ryanga’s lips parted in sheer disbelief.

“Why…?”

“…?”

“Why would you help me without demanding anything in return?”

Her face displayed a mixture of delight and confusion.

Alon considered how to phrase his response.

‘Because in the future, you evolve into the absurdly powerful leader of one of the Four Great Forces, so I am making an early investment to curry favor.’

—Yeah, there was no way he could say that aloud.

After a moment of deliberation, Alon settled on his answer.

“It is goodwill.”

“…Goodwill?”

“Yes.”

It was somewhat of a stretch, but under the circumstances, it was the most appropriate answer.

He had briefly considered making her indebted to him.

However, a simple act of kindness would likely leave a stronger, more positive impression on a child.

“Ah, I understand~!”

Thankfully, she seemed to accept it.

With an expression far brighter than before, the girl nodded enthusiastically and ran off.

“Th-this is the past?!”

As if she had been waiting for final confirmation, Penia recoiled in shock.

“Yes, most likely.”

“Wh-what?! That’s impossible! According to my calculations, there is absolutely no way we could have been thrown into the past!”

“It is definitely the past. The history Rangban just recounted took place 700 years ago.”

“Hiiieeek…!”

Penia’s face clearly screamed, ‘We are completely doomed!!!’

“Hm?”

Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck her, she let out a contemplative “Hmm~?” and pivoted toward Rine.

“Hey, Rine. If this is genuinely 700 years ago, then wouldn’t mages still exist?”

“No, they should have been wiped out by this point. However… traces of their assets might still remain.”

Upon hearing this, Penia’s gaze locked onto a single point in empty space.

Beep beep beep beep!

As if her brain were a machine processing complex data, Penia’s mind kicked into overdrive.

“Time travel combined with a mage’s legacy…? And 700 years ago marks the exact end of the Forgotten God’s Era, a period where most history vanished… If I can harvest even a fragment of information regarding magic from this era…?”

Ding!

The calculations concluded, and Penia’s blue eyes shifted to a glowing gold.

“Huh—”

She stared into the void, her lips curling into a dazed, euphoric grin.

Seeing her in such a state of bliss, Alon asked,

“Is it really that wonderful?”

“It isn’t just wonderful—it is overflowing with potential! This is a chance to experience time travel firsthand and research a lost magical heritage to present my findings—hmm-hmm!”

“…Well, maintaining a positive outlook isn’t a bad thing, but… are we certain we can return?”

In reality, Alon was banking on the possibility of returning, which was the primary reason he had decided to forge a connection with Ryanga.

At that moment—

“Ah.”

Penia let out a short gasp.

Then, as though it were the most self-evident fact in the world, she responded,

“Yes.”

“…? Seriously?”

“Is that true?”

Both Alon and Rine, genuinely taken aback, asked in unison.

Penia shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yes, it is possible! Naturally, we must locate the Distorted Gate, and the Marquis needs to be capable of manipulating time-space according to my specific instructions, but…?”

“And how, exactly, do we get back to the future?”

“Ahem. Allow me to explain in simple terms. I mentioned previously that the Distorted Gate was formed at an unstable coordinate in time-space, do you recall?”

Indeed, Penia had said exactly that.

“My hypothesis proved correct. However, there was one variable I miscalculated: I assumed the space generated when time-space fractured would remain static.”

“Remain static?”

“Yes. I stated before that because we were situated inside the generated space, we were unaffected.”

As Alon nodded along, Penia continued.

“That assumption was the error. I believed that since the residual space wasn’t broken, it wouldn’t be influenced.”

“…I understand that much, but how does that assist us in returning?”

At Alon’s query, Penia raised a single finger.

“It is simple. If we artificially shatter time-space, we can manually recalibrate the settings of the Distorted Gate.”

“Is… such a thing possible?”

“Under normal circumstances, no. But?”

Penia let out a mischievous chuckle and puffed out her chest with confidence.

“I told you, didn’t I? I analyzed exactly how much the Marquis’s magic would react to the Distorted Gate.”

“…No way.”

“Correct! That means I have the precise spatiotemporal values from that exact moment stored within my brain!”

Penia tapped her temple proudly.

“Ooooh—”

As Alon uttered a sound of admiration, Penia let out a smug “Ehem” and curved her lips into a cat-like smirk.

“Anyway, providing we find the Distorted Gate, going back is totally OK!”

However.

“That is excellent news, but… what if the Distorted Gate is not there?”

“…Eh?”

At Rine’s sudden inquiry, Penia, who had been brimming with confidence, froze instantly.

“Th-that… I hadn’t taken that into account…”

She glanced around nervously as she stammered.

“Then locating the Distorted Gate is our absolute priority.”

Just as Alon finished speaking—

“I have returned.”

Rangban arrived.

“Regrettably, I do not possess much knowledge regarding the Distorted Gate itself, but I am aware of a similar phenomenon.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

Alon listened intently as Rangban shared a fascinating account.

“Is it similar to the ability Baarma utilizes?”

“Yes. I cannot be certain if it is the Distorted Gate, but when one enters the portal, a completely violet world manifests. Furthermore, according to my knowledge, there is an individual within the Union who wields a comparable power.”

“…Who?”

“One of the Five Gods of Kalgunius, an entity known as Yongrin. I believe they are capable of using a power akin to Baarma’s.”

Kalgunius.

Hearing that familiar name spoken once more served as a stark reminder to Alon that he was truly in the past.

“Then, if we make our way to the Union, we can meet this god named Yongrin?”

“That is correct, but at this present juncture, returning to the Union… is practically impossible.”

“Why?”

“This territory originally belonged to our race, but it is now in close proximity to Baarma’s heartland. In other words, to escape and reach the Union, we would be forced to break through the front lines…”

“We lack the military strength for that?”

Rangban nodded at Alon’s assessment.

“If a hidden route existed, that would be ideal, but to the best of my knowledge, none exist. Even if there were, they are likely all obstructed.”

Additionally, they had no intelligence regarding the situation at the front lines, making any movement excessively dangerous.

As Rangban sighed heavily, Alon asked,

“So at this stage, is there no method to reach the Union?”

After a moment of deep contemplation, Rangban carefully spoke.

“…There is one possibility.”

“What is it?”

“We rescue the other non-humans currently imprisoned in the temples.”

“There are more temples?”

Rangban nodded.

“Yes, I know of at least ten. If we can amass sufficient manpower from them, breaking through the front lines and escaping to the Union would not be impossible.”

‘And considering the power you demonstrated, Lord Alon, breaking through shouldn’t be overly difficult.’

Rangban offered his opinion.

At that moment, Penia, who had remained silent, chimed in.

“What variables should we consider when executing this plan?”

“Time, above all else. Currently, there are no powerful believers stationed at the temples, but if multiple temples begin to fall in succession, the fanatical knights and apostles deployed at the front lines will be dispatched here.”

“Then we should proceed on the assumption that the countdown has already started?”

“Realistically, I doubt they would mobilize simply because a single temple was destroyed, but if we account for everything…”

Rangban pondered briefly before answering.

“We likely have about a month.”

After weighing his words, Alon nodded.

“…That is our only option, then.”

Following Rangban’s suggestion, they decided to liberate the captives in the temples and flee to the Union.

Consequently, Alon established two primary objectives.

First, he needed to reach the Union and meet the god Yongrin to request their assistance in utilizing the Distorted Gate to escape the past.

Second, he would treat Hyakki—Ryanga—with as much kindness as possible to foster a strong relationship with her.

Since she was destined to become one of the Four Great Powers in the future, having her as an ally could only be advantageous.

He also considered the possibility of forming connections with the longevity race, some of whom appeared in Psychedelia.

However, he did not prioritize that specific goal.

He didn’t recall any significant figures from his knowledge base who should currently be incarcerated in these temples.

…At least, that was what he had assumed.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for saving me, and my sister—truly…”

Two days after they initiated the plan.

Alon had moved swiftly to another temple, neutralized the believers there, and rescued a boy.

The boy clung desperately to a girl, holding her as though she were the most precious thing in existence, tears streaming down his face.

Alon had managed to save the girl just moments before she could be violated.

The boy’s tear-stained face was adorned with strange, intricate tattoos.

And this boy Alon had rescued—

“…May I ask for your name?”

“Nangwon. My name is Nangwon.”

“Thank you… truly, thank you…”

—was the man who would one day rise to become the leader of the Jujeosa, one of the Four Great Powers in the future.

‘…Why is he here?’

Alon found himself staring blankly, lost in his thoughts.