Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 261

Chapter 261

In Alon’s memory, the visage of Nangwon, the leader of the Order whom he had encountered in Psychedelia, was undeniably wretched.

It was repulsive to the extent that—

Within the community, Nangwon was often described as having “a face that actively invites malice.”

Alon had fully agreed with that assessment.

It felt as though the developers were attempting to demonstrate just how grotesque they could make a character design.

The visuals were truly revolting.

That was the reason Alon currently stared at the man standing before him with an expression of utter bewilderment.

‘Nangwon… is this him?’

The voice was nearly identical, allowing Alon to recognize him.

However, even while correctly deducing that this man was indeed Nangwon, Alon found it difficult to accept reality.

The appearance of Nangwon in Psychedelia and the face he saw now were worlds apart.

Still, it would be rude to remain lost in thought in front of him, so Alon quickly composed himself.

“It has been a long time. have you been well?”

“Yes, my lord… Thanks to you, I have been able to survive…!”

“And this person here is—”

“It is Nangyeon, Sir Alon.”

“…You have grown considerably.”

“Naturally. It has been such a long time, after all. I am relieved to see the Marquis is also doing well.”

Nangwon leaned in slightly too close, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Nangyeon, for her part, had clearly matured far beyond her past self.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries with the siblings, Alon asked the question that had been nagging at him.

“By the way, what happened to… your eyes?”

Nangwon was supposed to possess reversed pupils.

However, at this moment, his eyes appeared indistinguishable from those of a normal human.

“Ah, I am temporarily concealing my true appearance. We stand out a bit too much these days.”

Nangwon smiled and removed a ring from his finger, and his sister followed suit.

At that moment, Nangwon’s face began to shift.

Alon realized that Nangwon must have been using an artifact to disguise himself as a young man, and he nodded in understanding.

But that understanding lasted only a second.

Alon’s eyes widened even further.

The face that was revealed after the ring was removed—

Aside from the irises turning pitch black, there was barely any change.

No, it wasn’t just that the difference was minimal—

…He looked even more striking.

‘Is he really the same person? It looks like his genetics were completely rewritten.’

The contrast was so extreme that Alon wondered if the Nangwon he saw in Psychedelia was actually a different character entirely.

As Alon stared blankly—

“Talk about game-breaking balance…”

Evan, who had also been observing Nangwon, muttered the exact thought that had crossed Alon’s mind.

“Sir?”

Brought back to reality, Alon cleared his throat.

“I just meant—you have grown up well.”

“Is that so?”

Nangwon scratched his head shyly.

No matter how he looked at it, the difference was too vast.

Although flustered by the disconnect between his memory and reality, Alon ushered the two siblings toward the tearoom to continue their conversation.

“Let us move as well.”

After wrapping up a minor task, Alon was preparing to follow Evan to the tearoom when—

“…My lord.”

“What is it?”

Evan stopped Alon with a remarkably serious tone.

Then—

“By any chance… are you close with the guest who just arrived?”

He asked, looking uncharacteristically bashful.

Alon raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Yes, he is one of the old connections I mentioned previously.”

“T-then, could I ask you to verify something for me?”

“What is it?”

“Um, whether that person… has a significant other or… you know what I mean, right?”

Evan’s face flushed red for no apparent reason.

What on earth was he talking about?

“Ah.”

Understanding Evan’s implication, Alon placed a hand on his subordinate’s shoulder.

“Evan…”

“Yes.”

“Is that your type?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Nangwon is a man.”

Evan wore a blank expression for a second—

Then let out a laugh of pure disbelief.

“My lord, you didn’t think I was referring to him, did you?”

“Weren’t you?”

“No! I was talking about the woman standing behind him!”

“…The woman? You mean Nangyeon?”

“Yes!”

Seeing Evan’s apparently indignant expression, Alon nodded briefly.

“…Very well, I will ask.”

“Thank you.”

Alon gently comforted the unusually flustered Evan as they headed toward the tearoom together.

---

The conversation with Nangwon continued for quite some time.

They discussed how Nangwon had lived over the past 700 years.

Alon also gained insight into the races composing the Order that hadn’t been depicted in Psychedelia.

“So, the majority of the Order members are surviving half-demons from that era?”

“That is correct, sir. Not all of them, but certainly the majority.”

Alon nodded.

In Psychedelia, most members of the Order were either fully cloaked or depicted as black mist.

He hadn’t realized that most of them were half-demons.

“You have done well enduring all this time.”

“No, I could not have done it alone. It is entirely thanks to you, sir.”

“…Because of me?”

“Yes. You showed me the path.”

Seeing the deep admiration in Nangwon’s eyes, Alon recalled the final words he had spoken to him.

‘Live righteously,’ wasn’t it?

He had said it as a precaution, knowing that Nangwon would eventually become the King of the Order, one of the four major powers, and a rather villainous one at that.

“If not for you… I do not know how I would be living right now.”

Nangwon attributed everything to Alon.

“I only pointed out the direction. You are the one who gathered the half-demons and found a way to survive.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Alon replied calmly.

“No, it truly is thanks to you, sir.”

“I agree completely.”

Nangwon and Nangyeon responded firmly.

“You might not think it was a significant matter, Sir Alon… but to us, who possessed nothing, those words meant everything.”

Nangyeon said with a gentle smile.

Alon scratched his head, feeling bashful without reason.

A warmth spread from a corner of his heart, accompanied by a strange sense of pride.

In the end, Nangwon had indeed formed the group known as the Order.

But just as Alon had hoped, he was neither in a pitiful state nor consumed by a lust for power.

‘Looking at it this way, the Order is vastly different from the one I knew in the original work.’

While Alon was immersed in these positive thoughts—

“Ah, there is something else I need to tell you.”

“…What is it?”

Nangwon brought up two new topics.

One concerned someone selling abyssal creatures on the black market.

And the other—

“…Blue eyes?”

“Yes.”

It concerned a man with blue eyes.

“To be honest, I have known that you were in this era for about 300 years.”

“…Three hundred years?”

“Yes, but despite that, the reason I did not come to see you was precisely because of those blue eyes.”

Nangwon frowned slightly, as if recalling the encounter.

“He warned me not to approach you.”

“Not to approach me?”

“Yes, he stated it clearly.”

“What was the reason?”

“He didn’t explain. He simply said that our connection might disappear, and then he vanished.”

“So that is why you didn’t come to find me?”

When Nangwon nodded, Nangyeon, standing beside him, added, “The truth is, we both wanted to come see you, but what that man with blue eyes showed us… made us hesitate.”

“…What did he show you?”

When Alon asked, Nangyeon looked toward her brother.

Nangwon then shared his speculation.

“I believe it was… a memory.”

“A memory?”

“Yes, a memory of the world’s destruction.”

Alon’s curiosity regarding the blue-eyed man surged to the forefront of his mind.

‘Just who is that guy?’

Alon tried to piece together the fragments he knew about him.

He had taken the ring from Alon.

He had handed it to Magrina.

He was a being who had lived for more than 700 years.

…Putting the pieces together only made the puzzle more confusing.

Wondering to himself, Alon asked, just in case.

But the answer Nangwon gave was identical to Magrina’s.

Just who was he?

“So you don’t know about the blue eyes either, do you?”

“No. But it is rather bothersome.”

“…I have been trying to gather as much information as I can since then, but I will investigate more thoroughly.”

“I would appreciate that.”

As Alon nodded, Nangyeon spoke up again.

“Oh, and even though we couldn’t visit, we have been assisting you all along.”

“…Assisting me?”

“Yes, with this.”

Nangyeon pulled a document from inside her cloak.

A document black in color.

Alon didn’t understand initially, but he soon realized it was an official paper issued by the information guild.

He looked at Nangyeon with a speculative gaze, and—

“You are right, Sir Alon.”

She smiled gently.

“I am the leader of the information guild, no—of ‘Darkness at the End of Night’.”

She revealed the truth.

“I have always done my best to find the things you are curious about and provide assistance.”

“…I thought the speed was impressive, but—”

“Right? And I also gathered and passed along rumors from your surroundings.”

Muttering “all for free,” Nangyeon smiled calmly.

Looking at her serene expression, Alon was impressed.

As far as he knew, the identity of the leader of ‘Darkness at the End of Night’ had never been revealed.

‘No, in the original work, it must have been someone else. After all, the reason Nangwon became twisted in the original story was because his sister had died.’

Then suddenly, one word made Alon tilt his head.

“Nangyeon.”

“Yes?”

“Just to be certain, did you say ‘for free’?”

“Yes, it is free.”

Nangyeon confirmed it once again.

At that moment, a new suspicion was born in Alon’s mind.

Up until now, every time he utilized the information guild, he had been consistently giving money to Evan.

Wondering what was going on, Alon glanced sideways.

---

And there stood Evan, awkwardly twisting his neck.

“…Evan.”

“…Yes.”

“…Is it true?”

He didn’t need to ask at length.

Evan, glancing around nervously, replied,

“No, my lord, it’s not like that—I’ve been saving it little by little. Surely you don’t think I pocketed it all?”

He immediately began defending himself with everything he had.

[Hah! So all that drinking and splurging near the estate recently… that money must have come from this.]

“You damn snake-headed bastard!”

Not long after, Basiliora’s ‘testimony’ rang out.

Evan let out a scream.

“…Let’s talk about this later.”

“…I am sorry.”

Evan confessed cleanly.

With the embezzlement issue temporarily settled—

“Ah, now that I think of it, I had a gift to give you, but I forgot.”

“…A gift?”

“Yes! Nangwon brought a few things to present to you, my lord.”

Thus began Nangwon’s gift presentation.

---

Somewhere in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Ashtalon.

Right after dealing with the strange gate that had opened near the estate.

As night fell, Eliban’s party set up camp in the forest.

Among them was the mage, Yan.

“Eliban?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing here?”

He spotted Eliban tending a fire in one corner of the camp.

“Oh, just dealing with something quickly.”

Eliban answered lightly.

When Yan turned his gaze, he saw something resembling black cloth being consumed by the flames.

“What is that?”

“Something I used to use.”

“…You used it, and now you are burning it?”

To that question, Eliban offered an unreadable smile.

Then he stood up and looked at Yan.

“Yeah. I don’t need it anymore.”

He replied cheerfully.

“Alright then, let’s go back to camp.”

“Ah, okay.”

Eliban began walking back to the camp with Yan.

Then, suddenly turning around, he looked at the blazing black cloth.

…With eyes as deeply blue as ever.