[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-became-the-patron-of-villains":3,"chapter-became-the-patron-of-villains-became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-129":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Became the Patron of Villains",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},759619,1006,"Chapter 129","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-129",129,"\u003Cp>A month and two weeks have passed since the artificial Outer gods incident caused by Duke Komalon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V sighed deeply in Tern, a sigh laden with multiple meanings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that it was confirmed that Duke Komalon had instigated the incident, the Kingdom of Ashtalon had no choice but to compensate other kingdoms in some way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Stalian V wasn’t overly stressed by this; he had anticipated such an outcome from the moment he began investigating the incident and had prepared accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even managing to settle reasonable compensation terms after extensive discussions during the bi-monthly emergency meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, his expression remained grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shouldn’t have interfered with Marquis Palatio back then—sigh,” Stalian V pinched the bridge of his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing had directly happened between him and Marquis Palatio since he hadn’t even seen the Marquis’s face after that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real reason for his unease was Yuman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V repeatedly thought back to the remarks Yuman had made during the meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hmm, that’s so? I think it’s inadequate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hmm, you should clearly apologize for this part. Passing it off so lightly doesn’t look good. Oh, wasn’t it the same last time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It almost sounds like you’re saying other countries are also to blame, which doesn’t sound good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuman had relentlessly found faults and attacked every time Stalian V spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to understand Yuman’s persistent attitude, Stalian V was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Kingdom of Ashtalon and Rosario weren’t very close, their relationship was not bad, and the same was true with the saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, this relationship seemed shattered by a single incident involving Marquis Palatio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘My head hurts,’he thought, filled with doubts,‘What exactly is the relationship between Marquis Palatio and him?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was odd that Saint Yuman would defend Marquis Palatio, who was closely connected to Archbishop Yutia, and although it wasn’t apparent, there was a mutual check between Archbishop Yutia and Saint Yuman of Rosario.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Yuman’s seemingly supportive stance towards the Marquis was peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s it. There must be something about Marquis Palatio… I should look into it,” Stalian V resolved firmly, unable to just let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, it’s time to join the meeting,” said a voice, prompting Stalian V to stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression was more relaxed than before, as Saint Yuman would no longer participate in the meetings from today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a somewhat lighter heart, he proceeded to the conference hall, only to be met with the glaring golden eyes of a beastman from the Colony, staring as if to devour him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he did not understand why such a look was directed at him, he soon recalled that she had a very close relationship with Marquis Palatio and let out a low sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Stalian V grimly vowed, “I really shouldn’t mess with Marquis Palatio.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the vow, unfortunately, Stalian V encountered many unhappy incidents in Tern over the next week, during the peak of winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Alon had been back at his duchy for about two months, spending most of his time resting due to mana addiction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although his recovery was surprisingly quick, allowing him to move around without much difficulty after some time, he was still unable to use magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he could not engage in practical magic research, spending his days in rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nonetheless, he wasn’t entirely idle as he had duties as the lord of his lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to deal with the piled-up and exceedingly tedious paperwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the process wasn’t too dull because of a sudden, unexpected victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha ha ha ha, it’s a victory for me indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, what? How did this happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Foolish, to think you could defeat a god—it’s pure arrogance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of Basiliora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon looked at the two beings facing each other across a board game similar to chess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan, with a shocked expression, and Basiliora, a small spiritual entity with a triumphant upper body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contrast between their fortunes was starkly apparent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, let’s do it again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why should I redo it? Do you think I, of such noble stature, should stoop to rematch a lowly creature like you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough of your nonsense. How can you boast about one win in thirty matches?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan’s voice was filled with injustice, and for once, Alon empathized with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basiliora had lost to Evan more than thirty times and had been boastful about the one lucky win as if a novice had beaten an expert in a fighting game and called them inadequate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it’s so annoying dealing with this blockhead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what can you do about it? You’re just shaking in your boots!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basiliora, with his mouth agape, curled up and lifted his small body, which was adorable at just 30cm tall due to being a spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord! Can’t you summon this creature?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I summon him at his actual size, this whole domain would be destroyed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about a smaller size, about my height?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I can’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon genuinely wanted to materialize Basiliora to tease Evan, but unfortunately, it was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limit for using the artifact ‘Wanderer’s Salvation’ was five years… or was it ten?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon glanced at his bracelet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had glowed bright red when summoning Basiliora, but now it was ominously dark, indicating a wait time of five to ten years before the artifact could be used again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Alon wasn’t too concerned because there was another way to use the bracelet, having bypassed cooldowns in games through resets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe about half a year after the original story began?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon shrugged as he thought about the character who could reset the cooldown of Salvation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, foolish humans can’t defeat me—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, this guy flinches every time the central tower is mentioned. There might be something there; let’s send him there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“!? Wait, that’s underhanded—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, Alon had been keeping himself entertained by watching Evan and Basiliora play while working on paperwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, about four months later, Alon’s mana addiction gradually faded, allowing him to perform magic a couple of times and welcoming the warmth of spring instead of winter’s chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did we get an auction house in our domain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe it was about four months ago. Didn’t you receive a report about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I remember that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon checked the figures in the documents again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just that for something that started only a few months ago, it’s paying a lot of taxes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Alon asked about the auction house despite knowing it existed was precisely because of the taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s only been three months, and the taxes are this high…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The amounts weren’t shockingly large, but the figures were significant considering it was just from a few months of operating an auction house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you bring the owner of the auction house here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The owner?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon wanted to meet the auction house owner, thinking about developing the domain further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was somewhat naive about managing the domain, maintaining it wasn’t too difficult, given his experience with paperwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, growing it was another matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ducal finances were essentially breaking even, aside from the money Alon brought in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Costs mostly consumed any additional revenue, achieving a net zero gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he thought,‘If the auction house is doing well, perhaps investing in it and expanding it into something like a tourism industry might be a good idea.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon began forming a plan in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon needed to discuss business with the owner of the auction house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a plan seemed plausible, business was fraught with variables, and experience was known to make a difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, through Evan, Alon had the owner summoned, and he was at a loss for words when he saw who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Alexion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good to see you, my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all too familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexion’s life had taken a turn for the worse from the moment he met Radan, the Pirate King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enduring numerous hardships and ultimately succumbing to Radan’s coercion(?), Alexion found himself at the ducal house, wondering what sins he had committed in a past life, though his current life was not without its faults either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, there were days filled with gloom, but Alexion had eventually managed to turn his fortunes around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His innate business acumen brilliantly caught on to the fact that many trade guilds frequented the Palatio ducal house, and in just a few months, he had established a thriving auction house from nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha ha, it just turned out this way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexion wanted to shout, ‘Your brother, the pirate, dragged me here by force!!!’ but he restrained himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, such a statement would not benefit him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had also been warned by Radan to behave if he wanted to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given that he did not wish to die, being cautious with his words was natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the circumstances potentially making it awkward, Alexion was quite pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roughly guessed why the Marquis had summoned him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……I’m not good with words, so I’ll speak bluntly. I want to invest to grow our domain. May I hear your thoughts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the discussion Alexion had anticipated from the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, it would be premature to rejoice, but knowing the Marquis’s intentions through Radan, the Marquis’s words sounded to Alexion like, ‘I want to give you money.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of what the Marquis was thinking, Alexion was confident in his ability to secure investment through his own skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he thought,‘How should I approach this? Maybe start by linking it to a tourism venture and then suggest expanding the auction house?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While considering how to charm the Marquis, who was not antagonistic towards him, Alexion smiled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he wasn’t insane enough to scam someone connected to the Pirate King, he could probably get a bit more than he initially expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Alexion cleared his throat, his eyes caught something outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman with blond hair and dark clothes was perched on a tree outside, staring intently at Alexion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon making eye contact, she promptly pulled a magical device from her bosom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, as she slightly smiled, the device emitted light, projecting an image in front of Alexion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression instantly hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The image showed Radan looking back at him with a stern and solemn expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clouds of gloom once again shrouded Alexion’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>",1723,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","2c820913158e309d62d0870a073588075fc11e70d360c3e917c72d3a9d008290","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-130","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-128",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]