Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 290

C290. The Sin of Greed (1)

East of the Allied Kingdoms, also known as the United Kingdoms.

Deep in a lush forest, in a place perhaps much closer to the elven land of Greynifra than to the United Kingdoms themselves.

“Ghh-”

A woman broke through the earth and crawled out from underground.

While retching several times with a completely furrowed face, she—Emil, the Apostle of Greed—thought with a tight frown:

‘What the hell is that bastard?’

Greed, in her head, recalled the fragments inherited from previous memories.

Just after encountering that strange being with blue eyes, and then, when she woke up in her next body, she had seen a man dressed in a black holy robe.

And if that wasn’t enough, without knowing what method he used, he was a being who had snatched away her power with total ease.

As she desperately tried to remember his identity, Greed stood up with difficulty.

Even using what limitedly remained of the “library,” which she had ceded to the Avatar, she couldn’t find any information about that existence.

‘This is the last one.’

Emil showed an expression of anxiety.

She no longer had any more bodies prepared.

That is, if she were killed this time… She could not revive again and would face a complete and definitive death.

‘That cannot happen.’

Forcing her body, which was still unadjusted, she began to move.

In reality, she never thought she would have to use this body.

It was just a body prepared as a reserve, so it had many problems.

It wasn’t even adjusted yet, and worst of all: the place where she had buried it was extremely dangerous. She tried to move quickly to escape from there, but—

“Hmm~ You’ve revived again.”

Unfortunately, her movement stopped as soon as she heard that voice.

Emil’s eyes clearly trembled.

She knew that voice extremely well.

And how could she not, if the owner of that voice was—

“You…”

—The one who had stolen part of her authority, a man whose identity even she was unable to discern.

“That is correct.”

In an instant, black roots sprouted beneath Emil’s feet and shot toward the man in the black robe.

She knew that without the “book” and with that defective body, doing so could put her physical integrity in grave danger, but she had no choice if she wanted to survive.

However.

“Didn’t you already try that last time?”

Unfortunately, her attack was blocked ridiculously easily.

No, strictly speaking, it wasn’t blocked.

The roots directed at the man turned to dust before even touching him.

“It has no meaning.”

At that absurd scene, Emil’s eyes were flooded with terror.

The man dressed in black approached without flinching.

Tap—

He flicked her forehead with a finger.

And then—

“Rejoice. I am giving you a special gift.”

At his words, Emil felt an inexplicable bad premonition.

“Eya-di-ya—”

And immediately she opened her eyes wide upon realizing that her body was beginning to harden, turning white as lime.

She knew perfectly well what that phenomenon meant.

“A gift perfectly suitable for an Apostle.”

“S-stop… stop it!”

Emil’s eyes were completely consumed by dread.

But despite what her eyes showed, her body kept turning white, hardening step by step, preparing to be transformed.

Preparing to be recreated as a Sin.

“Stop! Stop, please! I beg youuuuuuu…!”

She no longer cared to ask how that man could do something that only an Apostle should be able to do.

Instead, she simply begged.

But despite her desperate prayers, the man only observed her from above.

“Instead of that, you should be happy, don’t you think? You are handing over your entire body to become an inevitability of the world.”

“Shut up! Shut up and save me! Save me, this is not what I wanted—!”

At the man’s words, Emil screamed furiously through tears.

He observed her in silence for a moment.

“You are… an existence that couldn’t even be called an Apostle.”

“What… did you say?”

He said it with total coldness.

“You know absolutely nothing. You only intoxicate yourself with power without knowing why you exist, without knowing the sacred purpose you carry, without understanding even the meaning of your own existence… What pathetic creatures.”

The man murmured briefly. But no answer came from Emil anymore.

Her body was already completely petrified in white, ready to be reconstructed as a new existence.

The man, observing that body, then directed his gaze to the Milky Way suspended in the night sky.

And finally, his figure disappeared.

In that place, only one thing remained—

Crack—

A white cocoon.

Transforming into something.

A completely white, stark white cocoon.

---

Approximately two weeks after Alon left the Eastern Kingdom.

“Phew—”

Aboard the ship Jaebo, owned by Radan, Alon was returning toward the United Kingdoms while continuing to train alongside Kylus, with Penia’s help.

[Nyaa~]

“Oh, I think it lasts a bit longer now.”

While Alon stroked the head of Blackie, who was popping out of his chest wagging his tail, Penia commented.

“Really?”

“Yes, before he would come out right away, but now it seems he can gradually stay longer.”

“It’s true, it has been increasing.”

At first, the endurance time didn’t increase at all, which had caused him many worries.

But now he could withstand the training with Kylus for a good while.

‘Besides, what we are practicing lately isn’t bad at all… though I still lack mastery.’

While recalling the magic Kylus had recently transmitted to him, Penia asked:

“So, are we done for today?”

“Let’s do that. I also have to research magic and review more about divinities.”

Alon sighed lightly.

Despite being on a journey, he had been quite busy. And, naturally, it was because of what Noise told him:

‘The appearance of the Sins is inevitable.’

Even if Alon defeated an Apostle, the appearance of a Sin was a given. That’s why he had to prepare.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one capable of stopping a Sin in Psychedelia.

In the original work, Eliban, his companions, and countless other powerful figures, depending on Eliban’s choices, could also do it.

Even so, the reason he trained so hard was simple:

The current world and the world of Psychedelia that Alon knew were different.

Therefore—

‘I must prepare to the max.’

Regardless of Eliban, Alon planned to gather people capable of facing the Sins.

The first objective was to maximize his own power.

He had already advanced quite a bit.

He had organized part of the Sixth Link and the Phrases, only research remained; and, although he hadn’t reached three divinities, he could use two without problems.

But Alon knew it:

This was still not enough to face a Sin.

He hadn’t even been able to properly use Reverse Heaven yet.

While he researched magic, he was also considering gathering people to face the Sins.

‘First I will rescue Rine and then I’ll have to contact the strong ones.’

And, as Noise said, he also had to meet with the Observer.

While Alon mentally organized his future tasks—

“Ah, right, Marquis. When we arrive, how long will we stay in Greynifra?”

Penia asked.

“That’s right, but why?”

“I think I’ll have to stop by the Blue Tower for a moment.”

“The tower? Did something happen?”

“No, just for the academy. Remember I told you I submitted a thesis?”

“True.”

“The presentation is already over, but I still have to give another class. So I wanted to know when we would return.”

“Do you plan to go first?”

“No. How could I? After all, we are going to Greynifra for Lady Rine, aren’t we?”

Alon nodded, and Penia added:

“No matter how much ambition I have for fame… I’m not so bad as to not welcome someone who sacrificed herself for us.”

If it weren’t for Rine, everyone would have fallen into space-time and their bodies would have been torn apart, she said.

That they didn’t turn into floating dust was thanks to her, Penia finished.

“…Is that so?”

“Right?”

“Incredible.”

“Eh?”

“I thought you would go to the academy first.”

“…I’m starting to believe your treatment of me is too mean.”

“It was a joke.”

“With that face, it doesn’t look like a joke, you know?”

Alon ignored Penia’s complaint and returned to his magic research.

It was a quiet afternoon.

Time passed, and when about a month remained for Rine’s seal to be released—

Already on the continent, Alon immediately decided his next destination.

“Right, we will head directly to Greynifra.”

“Let’s go.”

“Perfect.”

Evan and Penia nodded.

Alon looked at them and then asked Historia:

“Ria, what will you do?”

Historia answered without hesitation:

“I will go with you.”

“Don’t you have somewhere you want to go first?”

“No.”

“Then we’ll go straight… Ah, Radan, and you?”

“I will accompany you as well. I want to check that Rine is okay.”

At his quick response, Alon said:

“Then let’s depart.”

They advanced toward the carriage.

Sss—

Historia, as she now always did naturally, positioned herself beside Alon and wrapped her tail around his waist.

At first it was strange, but after a month it had already become habitual.

Alon walked toward the carriage without paying it any mind.

“If we leave now, I think we’ll arrive in about three weeks.”

“Perfect. It’s better to have time to spare.”

Just as he opened the door—

“…?”

His eyes opened wide.

The others also showed bewilderment.

It was logical.

Inside the carriage where no one was supposed to be—

“Zzz…”

Seolrang was sleeping soundly as if it were the most comfortable place in the world.

“…Seolrang?”

Upon pronouncing her name in a low voice—

“Hyah?!”

Seolrang was startled and woke up with a jolt.

Then, seemingly realizing the situation, she darted her eyes from side to side like marbles.

Everyone remained silent observing Seolrang’s strange eye spectacle.

---

Meanwhile, in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario—

“Well, let’s end the meeting here.”

“Understood.”

“Good work, everyone.”

“As you know, next time we will discuss the Pope’s vacancy, so you must attend.”

The meeting in which the cardinals and Yuman participated had just concluded.

After the cardinals left—

“Ugh…”

Yuman let out a deep sigh.

In just one week, it was already the fourth long and exhausting meeting.

He was massaging his temples due to the headache when something on the table caught his attention.

It was a piece of metal.

A completely crushed piece of metal.

Yuman approached, puzzled.

Seeing metal wasn’t rare, but seeing it in the meeting room was.

Something didn’t add up.

While examining it, he suddenly remembered that that was Cardinal Yutia Bloodia’s seat.

And then—

“…Eh?”

He noticed something.

The silver cups that were at the seats of the other cardinals…

Were not at Yutia Bloodia’s seat.

Yuman looked at the metal again.

This time he focused on something he hadn’t seen before:

The engraved symbol of the kingdom’s emblem, which would normally be on the smooth surface of a silver cup…

Was completely crushed and unrecognizable.

Damage impossible to achieve with human strength.

Yuman was left speechless for a long moment.