[{"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-168":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},759458,1006,"Chapter 168","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>First, one clear fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon knew very little about “Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At best, he knew Kalannon was another deity worshipped by the Thunder Serpent Tribe and the state religion of the Luxible Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We greet Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Alon couldn’t comprehend what Syrkal and Jenira were saying before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, he was so startled that he almost blurted out, “Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning? Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon opened his mouth to deny it but quickly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized this situation might not be so bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, he realized he might actually benefit from their misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the two girls bowing their heads, Alon recalled past memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—By the way, Marquis, your mana is somewhat unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—In what way?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…It’s its power. Although the mana’s foundational methods and molecular structure are the same, its strength has been increasing remarkably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Can you clearly perceive it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Well, day by day, the difference is subtle, but comparing now to two months ago, there is undoubtedly a noticeable change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A conversation with Penia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had said that Alon’s mana was growing stronger despite being the same, and she speculated it was because his divinity was accumulating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, if summed up, the two girls from the Thunder Serpent Tribe might have mistaken him for Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, which could have amplified his mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, from Alon’s perspective, he had no idea when, how, or through what process he became mistaken for Kalannon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Alon’s hypothesis was somewhat correct and his mana indeed grew stronger due to the Thunder Serpent Tribe’s misconception, there was no need to clarify the misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Of course, it’s just speculation.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, divine-related matters had to rely on conjecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Alon had played ‘Psychedelia’, divine elements weren’t covered extensively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief contemplation, Alon reached a conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s not bring up that name here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided not to deny their misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, he was curious about why they revered him as Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, but there was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My apologies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We were simply overwhelmed by the thought of meeting such a great figure again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Alon replied indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, why have you come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no particular reason. It’s just improper not to greet a great figure when they are nearby.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Syrkal’s attitude, much more courteous than before, contrasted sharply with her previous fierceness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So, they just came to greet me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon’s mind wandered with various thoughts and curiosities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above all, he was most curious about how the Thunder Serpent Tribe perceived him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Do they see me as a reincarnation of a deity? Or perhaps as the deity himself?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, to solve this mystery without breaking their misconception, eloquent words were essential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll pay a visit sometime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, he suppressed his curiosity, deciding to gradually formulate questions and visit the Luxible Duchy later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll await your visit with joy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he recalled the statue of Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, that Siyan had shown him this morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one Siyan had said bore a striking resemblance to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Was that really me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind his impassive face, Alon wore an incredulous expression as he returned to his quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Syrkal and Jenira left, someone stepped into the empty hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Carmaxes III, who had been hiding behind a pillar, eavesdropping on the conversation between Marquis Palatio and the Luxible Kingdom’s envoys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis Palatio… is Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an expression of utter bewilderment, he recalled the scene from just moments ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The envoys of the Luxible Duchy bowed in greeting to Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Marquis Palatio received their greetings as if it were the most natural thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this alone, it seemed certain that Marquis Palatio was indeed Kalannon, the Bearer of Lightning, who had become the state religion of the Luxible Duchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, accepting this as fact was not easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a matter of common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a living, breathing man—neither a king nor an extraordinary noble but merely human—be considered a deity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It defied comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite this, Carmaxes III did not dismiss this as merely ‘strange’ and kept pondering it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two particular points that bothered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the ancient texts he had read, which mentioned that some other races believed in “Sage-Gods.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was Seolrang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…If Marquis Palatio were truly a god, it would make sense why Seolrang followed him so fervently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, Carmaxes III had no clue why Seolrang was so loyal to Marquis Palatio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hidden beneath Seolrang’s usual lazy and relaxed demeanor was a sharp instinct for survival, something Carmaxes III was well aware of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her worldview revolved entirely around survival of the fittest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By her standards, Marquis Palatio should have been far beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marquis was certainly strong, but he was no match for Seolrang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, reality was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always seemed to defy Seolrang’s standards, standing on an exalted plane above her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there were rumors that she owed him a significant favor in the past, her actions toward him couldn’t be explained by gratitude alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Marquis Palatio were truly a god?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would somewhat explain things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why someone with Seolrang’s ruthless worldview would follow, adore, and revere Marquis Palatio so devoutly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the quiet, deserted hallway, Carmaxes III stood for a moment, staring at the spot where Marquis Palatio had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…It seems I need to properly investigate these Sage-Gods.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, adding this to his plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the following week, Alon enjoyed the grand ball that continued for a while longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he began preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the ball had about two days remaining, he felt no desire to stay until the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Honestly, for Alon, the ball was more exhausting than anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we heading to Lartania?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll prepare right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan, who had been leisurely eating dessert at the lodging, got up and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon calmly sorted through the bits of information he had gathered at the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of it was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…The only piece of actionable information was that the country has been in turmoil lately due to the Strange Gate incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also heard through a Caliban noble that Deus Maccalian had been very busy in Caliban recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Apparently, he’s making something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he didn’t hear the details, he was momentarily curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his thoughts soon shifted to yesterday’s peculiar event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…“I greet the King of Colony.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Marquis Palatio.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What? Yes, but why are you addressing me so formally…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, ahem, never mind that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden change in Carmaxes III’s tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Why did he suddenly start using formal speech?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon furrowed his brow slightly at the memory, Evan interrupted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, the preparations are complete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I figured you might be ready to move soon, so I prepared in advance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the ever-diligent Evan, Alon boarded the carriage to head to Lartania.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus Maccalian’s younger sister, Sili Maccalian, had been wearing a peculiar expression frequently of late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was a statue erected in the middle of the private training ground Deus had personally prepared for her magical practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A statue of only the lower half of a body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Sili didn’t have any major complaints about having ‘something like that’ in her training ground, she couldn’t help but find it odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even though the incomplete statue, currently consisting of only a lower half, was enormous—dwarfing the size of the fully-formed statue in the garden—it still felt manageable due to the vastness of Sili’s private training ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem, however, lay elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hm, hm.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her older brother, Deus Maccalian, frequently came by to admire the lower-half-only statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that his visits themselves were an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassing as it might be to admit, Sili was quite fond of her brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sili, what do you think of the Marquis’s statue?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hm, the statue shines brilliantly again today. Don’t you agree, Sili?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Truly, it’s being crafted to perfection. Wouldn’t you say so, Sili?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time he visited, Deus would gaze at the statue and demand Sili’s opinions on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Sili would awkwardly nod and agree with Deus’s observations, but deep down, her genuine thoughts could be summed up in one unimpressed sentence:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…It’s just pants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since speaking the truth was out of the question, Sili always managed with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as usual, today she came to her training ground for magical practice, only to notice something peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lower-half-only statue seemed… bigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it wasn’t just a little bigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, it had been about the height of a typical two-story building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, its height had surpassed the second floor with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re here, Sili.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Switching her gaze between Deus’s solemn expression and the growing statue, Sili forced a smile and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Brother, the statue seems a bit larger?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s right. I made it a little bigger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t “a little,” though… Sili barely stopped herself from blurting out. Instead, she cautiously asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At this rate, won’t the completed statue easily surpass the height of the mansion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. But it couldn’t be helped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It couldn’t?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed. Radan mentioned he plans to gift the Marquis a Sea God.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A… Sea God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, and it’s supposed to be enormous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she adored her brother, Sili couldn’t resist wondering what on earth that had to do with the statue’s size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Isn’t it the thought behind a gift that matters more than its size?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili attempted a straightforward argument, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Sili.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. A gift should inspire awe. And the bigger it is, the more awe it inspires. Surely you feel the same?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus radiated satisfaction as he spoke. Sili silently turned her gaze back to the statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Still just a lower half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus exhaled in quiet admiration, as if the statue embodied all his aspirations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What even is this…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way, I’ll be making a brief trip to Lartania.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Lartania?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, to personally acquire the gemstones to adorn the Marquis’s ‘eyes.’ Once those are in place—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus’s eyes sparkled as if he were envisioning the cosmos itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—it will suit the Marquis perfectly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her brother become inexplicably youthful whenever it came to Marquis Palatio, Sili couldn’t help but resent the Marquis just a little bit.\u003C\u002Fp>",1747,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","6b8a2130e321aadbd756d8c92d1145aaf8ad7ecf9885d29cd8701598f04c09e4","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-169","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-167",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]