Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 263

Chapter 263

The underground water system of Rosario.

This location was previously where Rosario’s chief cleric, Anderder, gathered creatures from the abyss in a desperate scheme to manufacture a deity for humanity.

It had since been thoroughly cleansed and converted into a silent void where nothing remained.

Out of that desolate space stepped a man—

No, the Apostle of Purity emerged.

“Hmph, I must admit, I’m not feeling particularly pleased.”

The apostle murmured, adjusting his own physical form with a displeased look.

“It was fortunate I employed a duplicate, just to be safe.”

He whispered quietly, as though addressing an unseen listener.

Then, as he began to stretch his shoulders, he paused mid-movement and became absorbed in thought.

‘……There absolutely should not have been any interaction, so what is the meaning of this?’

He had conducted his own probe before engaging the King of Curses.

There was no established connection between the King of Curses and Marquis Palatio.

‘Elder sibling…… is that right.’

A dry, empty laugh escaped him.

At this juncture, even he could not help but feel a rising curiosity about the genuine identity of Marquis Palatio, whom he had only considered an obstacle to be removed.

‘……Could it be that Palatio is also linked to the “Hundred Ghosts” or the “Blind Dragon,” who were only planned for much later? No way—’

The apostle chuckled briefly at the sheer absurdity of the idea.

Even taking all factors into account, it seemed too outlandish a notion.

‘Well, it’s not as if I intended to call on them anytime in the near future.’

In truth, a part of him felt an urge to visit those on his upcoming roster.

Regrettably, he lacked the available time.

Or rather, to be completely accurate, he understood perfectly well that “That One” could not endure waiting any longer.

That was the sole reason he had come here.

‘I genuinely never anticipated needing to utilize my ultimate backup plan, though.’

This specific site had been deliberately concealed as a reserve option.

“It should have matured sufficiently by now. Perhaps I should inspect it?”

The apostle proceeded slowly through the dark, subterranean water path.

Soon after, the waterway was once again filled with an unnerving stillness.

---

Precisely one week had elapsed since Nangwon’s departure.

In the interim, Alon diligently managed the backlog of duties.

The initial task he tackled was the paperwork.

Due to his absence for more than half a year, a mountain of documents had accumulated in his study, despite Alexion’s devoted efforts.

It required approximately three days to process the bulk of it.

Subsequently, Alon compensated Alexion, who had overseen the domain during his absence, with an added bonus.

He then immediately recommenced his ritualistic research alongside Penia.

The technique Alon had acquired, Reverse Heaven, came accompanied by numerous detrimental effects.

Furthermore, Alon began studying not only his conventional magic but also other varieties of spells.

And then on this day—

“…So, you were also unaware of the underlying principles.”

“It’s logical that I wouldn’t be. All I knew was that the art termed Reverse Heaven was employed by the Primordial Mage.”

Alon had been discussing related matters with Kylrus while employing the Footsteps of the Past.

“If your assertion is accurate, and the Reverse Heaven technique fundamentally alters concepts themselves, then the Primordial Mage may be the Closed-Eyed One himself. Or possibly his pupil.”

Kylrus stroked his chin, lost in deep contemplation.

Alon posed another question, his curiosity piqued.

“Just to be certain—would it present a significant problem if the Primordial Mage truly were the Closed-Eyed One?”

Kylrus shook his head negatively.

“It wouldn’t be a catastrophic problem. That history is firmly in the past. But it does strongly imply something.”

“What might that be?”

“If our hypothesis is correct and he is indeed the Closed-Eyed One, it suggests the Primordial Mage possessed incredible strength. Preposterously so.”

“I understand.”

“In any case, I now grasp why your return took such an extended period. A vague history, indeed.”

Their conversation did not last much longer.

“Very well then, let’s commence immediately.”

Kylrus summoned a spirit dragon and prepared to engage Alon in a sparring session.

Exactly sixty seconds later—

“Oh. You endured a little longer this time, Marquis.”

“…We were engaged in conversation for a while. It was still only about a minute.”

Back in the present moment, Alon responded casually to Penia.

He then stood up from his seat and released a faint sigh.

“Just confirming—did you refrain from using any rituals? Had you used them, I believe you could have lasted somewhat longer.”

In reply to her query, Alon shook his head.

“I did not. The objective of battling Kylrus was not to secure victory via rituals.”

“Is that so? Very well, then.”

She acknowledged his point, but then, as if a thought struck her, she spoke again.

“Oh, that reminds me. While you were internally engaged just now, I had an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Up until now, you haven’t been able to fully regulate that entire amount of mana, correct? Consequently, whenever you activate a ritual, your body quickly becomes depleted.”

Alon nodded in agreement.

Although their research had only recently begun, a clear path for advancement had yet to materialize.

This presented a significant difficulty for Alon’s current exploration of rituals.

“Did you devise a solution?”

“Well, calling it a complete solution might be an exaggeration, but what do you think of this? Instead of relying solely on ‘sorcery,’ what if you incorporated ‘magic’ as well? More precisely, merging the two approaches.”

Alon listened intently to Penia’s elaborate explanation.

“…That could actually be effective.”

He nodded, finding the proposal quite promising.

Following this, an entire month went by.

“Marquis, don’t you think it’s risky to continue postponing this? It has been over a month since the kingdom dispatched the letter.”

“Ah.”

Having been deeply engrossed in his ritual work, Alon finally began to make arrangements for the journey to Terea after hearing Evan’s timely reminder.

This time, only Alon and Evan would travel to Terea.

Although he truly wished to bring Penia along so he could utilize the Footsteps of the Past consistently, she was unfortunately too occupied.

‘Was it… an additional academic paper?’

It appeared that achieving recognition within the scholarly community held extreme importance for Penia.

So Alon did not insist on her accompanying him.

After all, everyone has different priorities.

In any case.

[……Peculiar. Something feels off.]

[Me-Mewww]

“? What is the matter?”

[No… This isn’t supposed to be a barren region, correct?]

“It is not.”

[Then why am I detecting a familiar magical signature?]

“Familiar magic?”

[Yes, it feels like that beastkin’s sorcery.]

[Me-Meow-]

“Perhaps you are mistaken? There is no possible way Seolrang would be here in the first place.”

[You’re right…?]

[Mew-]

“I genuinely hope she is. I hope she’s present and gets unwillingly dragged into a dressing-up session.”

[Be quiet!]

Returning to his established routine, Alon chatted casually with Basiliora, Blackie, and Evan as they journeyed toward Terea.

After a travel period spanning several weeks, they finally reached a vantage point where Terea could be seen in the distance.

“Marquis, do you recall that abyssal entity from a while back?”

“…Are you referring to the slightly modified entities from the abyss that are spreading around?”

“Yes, that exact one.”

“I do remember it.”

“It seems there is a rather grave issue related to that incident.”

“…How serious?”

“Quite grave. There is widespread chaos because of it.”

Just as they passed through the gates into Terea, Evan updated Alon on the current status concerning the abyssal beings.

“……Are artificial outer gods making an appearance now?”

“There have been no documented instances of artificial outer gods yet, but even minor criminals who have absorbed abyssal beings are acquiring absurd levels of power.”

“Even minor criminals, that much?”

“Yes.”

As far as Alon recalled, the abyssal beings were originally introduced in the latter half of Psychedelia to balance the power levels of the protagonist’s group.

But even then, they were not intended to grant such immense strength to mere street thugs.

And more importantly, the released quantities were not that large either, which made the situation even more perplexing.

Soon, Alon arrived within the inner castle premises.

“Her Majesty is anticipating your presence.”

Following the attendant’s direction, Alon proceeded toward the palace where Siyan was located.

He walked down familiar palace corridors and, just like before, arrived not at the formal audience hall but at the office.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw Siyan.

Her expression had not changed significantly, but her cheeks were slightly puffed out in a distinct frown.

“…A humble servant of Asteria offers greetings to the Great One.”

Alon subtly observed her reaction as he bent his head in a bow.

But Siyan merely glanced his way and commented,

“No need for words you do not genuinely mean. It is clear that you do not regard me as someone great.”

She turned her head away with a terse reply.

Alon broke out in a cold sweat.

In truth, this entire situation was undeniably his fault.

No, it was a situation for which he could not even offer an excuse.

Regardless of Alon’s own power, disobeying the Queen’s commands without providing an explanation was unacceptable behavior.

As Alon awkwardly cleared his throat, attempting to gauge the atmosphere,

“Hoo—”

Siyan let out a profound sigh, as if she had no alternative.

“That’s enough, take a seat.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As soon as Alon sat down, a sweet potato was placed before him, without fail.

“Eat it.”

“…Thank you.”

Even in this tense situation, Alon questioned whether he was genuinely expected to consume the sweet potato.

Nevertheless, he carefully began to peel and eat it.

Around the time he was halfway through—

“…”

He noticed Siyan smiling gently while watching him.

And he could not help but wonder:

Does observing me eating sweet potatoes somehow make me appear charming?

A rather absurd thought, but—

……No matter how he considered it, it made absolutely no rational sense.

“I have finished eating.”

“That is good to hear.”

Alon respectfully bowed his head after diligently consuming the sweet potato.

Wiping his mouth, Alon finally introduced the main subject.

“So, may I inquire about what came to mind this time?”

“Getting straight to the matter without any small talk… You must not have missed me very much.”

Siyan’s voice was tinged with a slight disappointment.

“N-no, that is not the case—”

As Alon stammered for an appropriate answer, Siyan smiled as though she had been waiting for that exact reaction.

“Just jesting. I was simply being spiteful and teasing you.”

“…I see.”

Siyan chuckled softly at his response, then extended her index finger to gently lift the corners of Alon’s mouth.

“As I noted down, this time a recollection involving you and the cardinal returned to me. It was slightly unusual, so I wanted to inform you sooner.”

“…An unusual memory?”

“Yes.”

As if mentally retracing the memory, she stroked her chin and slowly commenced her account.

“It took place in the audience chamber.”

“I understand.”

“You were present with a distinctly troubled look on your face.”

“I see. Was Cardinal Yutia with me?”

“Yes. Unlike her current style, her hair was swept to the side back then.”

Alon nodded and asked,

“What was the subject of our conversation?”

“To be honest, I do not remember the actual dialogue. But Cardinal Yutia appeared to be pouting, and you were simply indulging her.”

“…Yutia was pouting?”

“Yes. I couldn’t hear the voices, but it was apparent to anyone observing. How should I describe it~”

“…”

“She kept turning her head and going ‘hmph! hmph!’—something similar to that,” Siyan added with a quiet laugh.

“After you left the room first, she approached the version of me in the memory and said—”

“…What exactly did she say?”

At Alon’s question, Siyan paused for a moment.

Then, with a lowered, more intimate tone, she spoke.

“‘Do not… touch him. He is mine.'”