Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 244

Chapter 244

The underground depths.

Deep beneath the barren wastelands along the southern border of the Allied Kingdom Alliance.

It was a domain where absolutely no light existed.

This was the territory of the Agu (ghouls), a place where they should have been in a frenzy, tearing each other apart to consume their kin.

In reality, that chaotic rampage was exactly what was happening.

Since their newly risen leader had been slaughtered only a few days after ascending, the ghouls had regained their individual viciousness.

Consequently, the Agu returned to their brutal cycle of internal warfare.

‘It’ also participated in this savage loop of eating and being eaten, gorging on its own species.

That is, until she arrived.

The ghouls, who had been busy feasting on one another, instantly detected an intruder descending into their abyss.

They halted their infighting and collectively shifted their gaze toward a single point.

A beastkin stood there.

It was a beastkin possessing golden eyes that radiated light even within this suffocating darkness.

The instant they identified the presence, every single ghoul launched itself toward the beastkin.

Trespassers were never received warmly here.

In the midst of their battle to determine a new hierarchy, an outsider was merely a useless obstruction.

■—!!!

Unleashing horrific, scratching shrieks, the Agu surged forward like a tide.

The strength of the enemy was irrelevant to them.

As long as their soul cores remained intact, ghouls were capable of infinite resurrection.

This emboldened them to charge even at ‘it,’ a creature that had consumed far more of its kind than any other.

However, any ghoul that managed to draw near the beastkin was instantly butchered.

The cause—

Crackle!!!

—was a burst of golden lightning exploding from the beastkin’s form.

The radiant gold energy engulfed the Agu.

Everything that had swarmed her was obliterated into nothingness.

Despite this, the surviving ghouls did not pause.

Even as hundreds were erased in a split second, they continued to crash against her in waves.

If anything, they emitted spine-chilling snickers as they threw themselves at Seolrang.

They knew that unless the sealing stone was shattered, the Agu would never truly disappear.

It was an unending collision of forces.

The ghouls charged without fear, and the lightning vaporized them repeatedly.

Then—

“…I was told. That all I need to do is break the sealing stone.”

Seolrang spoke, her golden irises flashing brilliantly.

“However, I have no intention of letting you die that comfortably.”

Quietly,

“…You things, who murdered my Master.”

She spoke as if swearing an oath.

“You must perish in the most painful way imaginable.”

She whispered.

Immediately following her words—

Crack!

The golden electricity darkened.

Crackle!!!

The subterranean atmosphere turned violent as dense black lightning erupted, shooting out in every direction.

In that instant, the ghouls that had been rushing in like lunatics froze in their tracks.

It was pure instinct.

True, they would not die permanently as long as the sealing stone existed.

However, the thousands, the tens of thousands of Agu gathered here—

Creatures so driven by hunger they would bare their fangs at their own leader—

Instinctively understood.

If they were grazed by that black lightning emanating from the beastkin—if they made contact with that energy, which only the ‘black beings’ who created the ghouls could wield—they would face total annihilation.

And then—

“The most—”

Surrounded by the arcs of black lightning, Seolrang’s sunken golden eyes bored into the Agu.

“Painful death.”

Her gaze shone with a fierce, unforgiving light.

---

“Tsk. Just as I thought, it’s not responding.”

Several hours had passed since Alon returned.

Breaking the prolonged silence, a quiet grumbling reached Alon’s ears.

“It was obvious it wouldn’t work. How could someone who isn’t a True Mage utilize a device meant only for True Mages?”

“Precisely.”

“Maybe he’s too ashamed to come back down by now? I heard he spoke quite boldly about showing us Agathon.”

“It’s more likely he’s terrified. He talked with such confidence about activating Agathon, but if he fails, the backlash from the higher-ups who pinned their hopes on this will be severe.”

The soldiers were whispering among themselves.

Alon glanced around the area.

Sure enough, the demeanor of the kings had shifted.

Faces that had previously held anticipation were now different.

Although they attempted to conceal it, their disappointment was visible to anyone looking.

Even the blacksmiths who had worked to restore Agathon to a functional state wore similar expressions.

“So, it really is impossible.”

“We held onto a sliver of hope since she was brought here by the Outer God, but…”

“Without Agathon, how are we supposed to proceed…”

As Alon listened to these hushed murmurs,

Just as he prepared to walk toward Rine, who was still standing motionless—

“Ah~”

A small, involuntary sound of understanding left Rine’s lips.

As if a puzzle piece had snapped into place, her eyes flew open.

And in that second—

Wooooong~!!

The cube, which had remained completely inert until now, shuddered with a strange, resonant vibration.

Clack-clack-clack!

It began to reconfigure itself.

The object, which had previously fit neatly into Alon’s palm, expanded rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the intricately crafted device seemed to take on a life of its own.

It twisted and folded instantly, assuming a massive new geometry.

“N-no way.”

“She isn’t a True Mage, yet she activated Agathon?”

“What on earth—”

The soldiers and blacksmiths, who had been vocal with their skepticism, stared with eyes wide in disbelief.

“!”

Similarly, the faces of the kings watching Rine brightened with renewed anticipation.

Agathon, formerly a small cube, had now transformed into the silhouette of a colossal cannon.

“Oh—Ohhh!”

The atmosphere, previously thick with doubt and heavy sighs, was instantly reversed.

Even to Alon, the form of Agathon revealed amidst the crowd’s awe felt alien.

Its bizarre aesthetic seemed more suited to a distant future generation than the current era.

However, no one felt any aversion toward it.

This was entirely due to the mysterious magical sigils engraved across Agathon’s surface.

“Whoa—crazy—what is that magic circle!?”

Penia, standing nearby, shouted in amazement for a slightly different reason.

As Rine, having successfully deployed Agathon, paused for a moment, she began fielding questions from the blacksmiths.

Meanwhile—

“Lord Alon.”

The kings approached Alon, their expressions now beaming with hope.

“We offer our sincere gratitude. You have aided us in so many ways.”

As Surang bowed his head deeply, Alon gestured toward the girl beside him.

“You should be thanking Rine, not me.”

“Understood. However—”

“?”

“Is Lady Rine… perchance a True Mage?”

It was a cautious inquiry.

Remembering what Dowon had explained to him, Alon shook his head.

“She is not.”

“I see. Then how was she able to activate Agathon…”

Surang was filled with wonder.

He hesitantly posed one further question.

“May I ask one other thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“What is your relationship with Lady Rine…?”

Although Alon questioned why he was curious about that at this specific moment, he took a brief pause to consider the best response.

Naturally, Alon and Rine were very close.

However, defining that bond clearly to strangers was difficult.

Just then—

“I am his daughter.”

Rine, having concluded her discussion with the blacksmiths, walked over and answered on his behalf.

“Right?”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”

When Rine looked for confirmation, Alon nodded for the time being.

At this, Surang cried out in shock.

“You are an Outer God, yet you have a daughter of such age!”

Surang nodded, seemingly processing this information.

…Although it appeared to be a ridiculous misunderstanding, Alon did not bother to correct him.

Attempting to explain the nuances would only complicate matters unnecessarily.

“In any case, now that Agathon is operational,”

“We can begin our preparations in earnest. Let us move to a different location to discuss the details.”

“Then we shall commence preparations starting tomorrow.”

“Let’s do that.”

“We should be capable of reaching the World Tree’s location within a week.”

“The plan is finalized, so let us conclude here for today.”

Around the time the gray sky began to dim—after all strategies had been settled, Alon stepped away and heard an interesting piece of information from Rine.

“…Agathon was not created by True Mages?”

“Yes, Godfather. I believe the rumor that only True Mages could wield it spread because a few of them managed to interpret and utilize it. But in reality, this is a weapon from the Alaneph Empire.”

“The same empire that created Pluton?”

“Yes. I thought perhaps you were already aware of that, but I still wanted to mention it.”

…?

Alon felt a momentary confusion.

‘How would I know that…?’

He tilted his head, trying to recall if he had ever mentioned to Rine that he knew about Alaneph.

But the thought was fleeting.

‘Setting that aside, it truly is impressive. How did an ancient empire manufacture something like this?’

Lost in his thoughts, Alon found himself standing in front of his quarters.

“…Magrina?”

He noticed Magrina waiting for him.

“Could I have a moment with you, if it isn’t a bother?”

A dark gloom cast a shadow over one side of her face.

“…My Lord, could you explain why I was not afflicted by the curse?”

“Unfortunately, that is impossible.”

Alon had led Magrina into the garden.

When she asked in a trembling voice and Alon shook his head, Magrina hesitated for a second—

“I thought as much…”

She murmured with a bitter, faint smile.

“None of the gods I have petitioned could explain why I remained uncursed…”

“You have asked other gods as well?”

“…Yes. But even Lord Yongrin and Lady Dowon could not provide a reason why I was not affected.”

In the garden, which was so poorly maintained that finding even a single flower was difficult, a long silence descended.

At the center of that silence, Magrina, her head bowed low, suddenly spoke.

“Why… was I born like this?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Why was I born with a body immune to the curse? If only I had been cursed alongside the other elves—”

If that had been her fate, she might have been happier.

Her voice was barely audible.

There were no tears in Magrina’s eyes.

Only a vast emptiness remained.

Her gaze was filled with resignation, the look of someone who had given up on everything.

It was a state Alon had witnessed before.

He was reminded of the same anguish he had seen in Ryanga.

He could offer words of comfort.

But he feared that shallow consolation from someone who had not endured the same pain might only cause deeper wounds.

Yet, remaining silent did not feel like the right choice either.

After some contemplation, Alon carefully organized his thoughts and spoke.

“To be honest, I cannot ease your pain. Words alone will not help.”

“But I can listen to you.”

“…Listen to me?”

“Yes. It may not resolve anything, but simply having someone to speak to might lighten your heart a little.”

After speaking, Alon questioned himself internally, ‘Was that the correct thing to say?’

He had chosen his words with caution to avoid hurting her further, but he could not be certain of the outcome.

Just as he began to worry again—

“Thank you so much… Then, may I speak for a while?”

Though her eyes remained hollow, Magrina looked up at him as if grasping for a lifeline, and Alon quietly nodded.

The bench was old and weathered from neglect.

They sat down, maintaining a comfortable distance between them.

“…So, um.”

Now that they were seated, Magrina found it difficult to start.

Noticing her discomfort, Alon made a suggestion.

“Address me casually.”

“Pardon…?”

“You seem ill at ease.”

“But—”

“It is fine. Do not worry about formal titles like ‘Lord’ or ‘Divine One.’ Call me whatever you prefer.”

At that, Magrina looked up at Alon.

“Uh, then…”

She slowly tested the word.

“Uncle…?”

“…Ah, Uncle?”

“S-sorry!”

“No, no. I was merely a bit surprised since no one has called me that before.”

“…I just heard you had a daughter, so…”

“Ah…”

Magrina’s cautious reasoning reminded Alon of his earlier conversation with Surang.

“Then… how about older brother?”

At her new suggestion—

“That sounds much better.”

Alon nodded immediately.

“…At first,”

Magrina’s story truly began.

It was a very long story.

And when it finally concluded—Alon let out a small sigh of relief.

Because on Magrina’s face, which had once held nothing but emptiness—

“Thank you so much, Brother.”

A small smile had finally bloomed.