[{"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-232":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},759722,1006,"Chapter 232","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-232",232,"\u003Cp>Listening to the sudden sound of pouring rain, Seolrang stared blankly at Lime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she bit her lips anxiously and looked at Seolrang, not a trace of deception could be found on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all Seolrang could read from Lime’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang suddenly recalled the pranks Lime had played on her so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She used to play various tricks on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But never once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had she ever played such a cruel joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what if she had taken advantage of this situation and turned it into a prank?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From what Seolrang had heard, Lime could be quite mischievous with others, even if not with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her thoughts reached that point, Seolrang recalled the wrongs she had done to Lime recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because she had stolen the dessert she had excitedly bought upon returning from Ashtalon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps it was because she had broken one of her cherished plates?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Thinking back, it wouldn’t be so strange for Lime to play such a trick, considering how badly she had treated her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, Seolrang smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sentences arranged themselves in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Lime’s prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she was the one who had wronged her first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime, unable to hold back any longer, was taking her own form of revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That had to be it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, don’t joke around, Lime—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime’s expression was too real for a prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey—what are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unknowingly, Seolrang’s voice trembled at the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Seolrang reacted even more cheerfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know I’ve been a bit harsh lately, but isn’t this prank too much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime still remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Lime? If you want, I can buy you another dessert to make up for it!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang shouted, her smile growing brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice trembled a little more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Lime remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Lime, I told you, I don’t like these kinds of pranks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the silence refused to break, Seolrang’s lips stiffened, and she murmured quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, Lime should have spoken up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying it was just a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she was just playing a trick because Seolrang had stolen her dessert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the reaction she needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this was just a prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since it had gone on long enough,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang looked at Lime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime kept her mouth tightly shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in her eyes, along with anxiety, another emotion emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Seeing that, Seolrang shook her head involuntarily, as if she couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It couldn’t be. This had to be a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be a prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, it was just a terribly bad joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was Lime making that kind of face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seolrang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime called her name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, she slightly parted her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if speaking was too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall we go buy dessert!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—did not open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could say anything, Seolrang had already grabbed Lime’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips curled into a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile so forced, anyone could see it was unnatural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what this is about, right? Let’s go buy some! It won’t take long! We can be back before Master arrives! Let’s hurry and go!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheerfully laughing, Seolrang pulled Lime towards the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if trying to run away from the truth,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held onto Lime’s hand tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it was too pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is not a joke, Seolrang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime had no choice but to bring her the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang came to an abrupt halt, and Lime felt a suffocating pressure in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Two days ago, the merchant group traveling with the Marquis was attacked by an unknown man, and only a few survived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And among those survivors was Sir Evan, the Marquis’s escort knight…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime stopped speaking there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t by choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A murderous aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chilling presence started to suffocate her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hic…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A killing intent so thick it felt as though it could snap her breath at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming from Seolrang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime had no choice but to stop talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Where are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ones who did that to Master. Where are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Void of any emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devoid of even the smallest fragment of feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze, as if something crucial had completely shattered and collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lime swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Urk…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to react to the horrific sight beneath the cliff was Penia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned away and dropped to her knees, vomiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rine also furrowed her brow, as if finding the scene unbearable to face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The view below the cliff was devastating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, calling it devastating was an understatement—it was so gruesome it could only be described as hell itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon rolled his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter where he looked, all he could see were corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t have thought it was this brutal and horrific.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon had lived in Psychedelia for over ten years, witnessing countless corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rine and Penia were no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seeing dead bodies wouldn’t have made them flinch or gag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dark fantasy world like this, encountering corpses was an everyday occurrence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what was it that brought such an overwhelming sense of despair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon shifted his gaze to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just corpses that he saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a mountain made of severed heads from various species.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning his eyes in another direction, he saw another mountain—this one formed from brutally slaughtered bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right beside it, ‘things’ were ripping apart and mutilating the corpses in grotesquely cruel ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when he turned again, he saw the living being hunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no other word for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thing that came into view were non-human species desperately fleeing with their arms restrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were all kinds of races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elves and beastkin, whom Alon recognized, and others he had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men, women, children—it made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them had their arms bound in restraints as they ran for their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the ones chasing them were ‘humans.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No… they aren’t human?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon noticed small protrusions growing from the tops of their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their overall shape resembled that of humans, but there was something unmistakably alien about them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could contemplate further, one of these creatures grabbed hold of a beastkin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon witnessed its final moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spears impaling its stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beastkin let out a tortured scream—one so agonizing that it would have been better to die instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those creatures…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if they were having fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any hesitation, they pushed the spears in deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were clearly treating this entire situation as a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Alon’s usually calm and emotionless eyes sank deep into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>###\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaaaaah—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hiiik—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A horrifying scream tore through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, a white-haired girl, who had been running desperately, tripped on a rock and crashed face-first into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dirt filled her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had a sickening taste, perhaps because it was soaked in old blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had no time to dwell on the taste or the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She scrambled to her feet and began running again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ankle throbbed as if it might snap from the fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she did not stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, with tears streaming down her face, she clenched her teeth and ran even harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew all too well what would happen if she stopped now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if mocking her desperation, her already weakened legs gave out, creaking like broken gears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaah!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp, excruciating pain shot through her thigh, sending her rolling onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A searing agony consumed her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind could only process one thought— It hurts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uuuugh—! Ugh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in such agony, she clawed at the dirt, desperately dragging her body forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to get out of here, no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she could survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she could find her family—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She bit back the pain and pulled herself forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench of blood filled her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foul odor of a battlefield soaked with countless deaths tormented her senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re trying really hard to run, huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, that was the end of her escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rough hand seized her white hair, yanking her up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same man who had impaled her thigh with a spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her silver-white hair, now dirtied with blood and soil, was mercilessly pulled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a faint groan as she was lifted off the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man sneered at her helpless form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“KyAAAAAAA!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it was nothing, he twisted the spear still embedded in her thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her screams tore through the night as her body convulsed violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man only smirked at her suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, that’s it. Scream louder. Cry out like the world is ending. Send your terror to Lord Baarma. You can do that, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed the spear even deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s body went limp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had lost consciousness from the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, the man yanked the spear from her leg—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For you, Lord Baarma, I offer this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a bright smile, he raised the spear high into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His frenzied eyes glowed as he fixated on the girl’s heart, her body still bleeding onto the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her disheveled hair framed her delicate, youthful face, now filled with hopelessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had realized the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much she struggled, she could not escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would die here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single tear slid down her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories flickered through her mind like shattered fragments of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her parents’ faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her younger sibling’s smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of her village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the precious moments she had shared with them flashed before her eyes like a fading dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fierce determination that had burned in her gaze, even in this dire situation— began to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The end was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man sneered as he raised his spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He aimed for her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny, nearly imperceptible sound rang in her ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She became aware of two things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One—she was being held in someone’s arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And two—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person who had saved her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was a man with an emotionless face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penia, can you heal her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not a specialist, but I can handle emergency treatment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man—Alon—handed the white-haired girl over and immediately turned his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his head, two horns of lightning began to grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s eyes fixated on the man’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A divine figure, cloaked in lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>",1794,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","75c965624ff4eed4b45e6ea8e3c7bfab671b2b2a6792dbbaac53443853d644e8","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-233","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-231",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]