[{"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-241":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},759731,1006,"Chapter 241","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-241",241,"\u003Cp>Unlike when they first met here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magrina bowed her head politely in neat attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon, who was staring at her blankly, asked with a puzzled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An elf?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I’m sorry for having to hide my identity, my lord. The situation left me no choice…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magrina gave a sorrowful smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alon still couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why she had disguised herself as a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that humans weren’t well treated in the Allied Races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already witnessed that multiple times with his own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care that you hid your identity, but isn’t turning into a human more dangerous for your safety?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon directly voiced his curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who answered was Kalanda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, yes, but things are a little different now. Only my daughter didn’t receive the curse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……The curse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. You can’t tell just by looking, but all elves are actually under a curse. One that halves their lifespan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their lifespan, halved?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalanda let out a sigh and patted Magrina’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“High elves like me, who can usually live well over a thousand years, have had our lives cut in half because of the curse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it Baarma’s curse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Baarma is certainly a being powerful enough to destroy our alliance, but not omnipotent to that extent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our lifespan was taken by a True Mage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……A True Mage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, a True Mage who sided with the black beings. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say the True Mage was one of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalanda murmured, half to himself, even as he answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case, didn’t this happen before the war with Baarma?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to Alon’s question, Kalanda paused his hand from stroking Magrina’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Return to your room. I’ll come find you shortly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Yes, Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent Magrina out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the door shut with a thud did he continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right. That’s certainly the truth. But unfortunately, the world doesn’t always care about the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meaning—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To put it simply, the elves are suspicious of Magrina. They see her as a traitor who sold out her people to the black beings for her own survival.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… …”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a loss for words, Alon fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magrina, while not as young as Ryanga or Nangwon, was still not yet of age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, any elf hearing those suspicions would know they were unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps noticing Alon’s troubled expression, Kalanda gave a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know too. How absurd those suspicions are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And yet—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as I said, the world doesn’t always care about the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment of silence settled between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon cautiously opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……A scapegoat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Even knowing the suspicion is irrational and that it couldn’t possibly be true, they need someone to blame. A place to pour out their anxiety and rage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalanda let out a heavy breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, not everyone is like that. But undeniably, such people do exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……So, the disguise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Even her own kind are targeting my daughter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is it that only Magrina wasn’t affected by the curse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fact that no one knows—that’s what makes their irrational suspicion seem reasonable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a hollow laugh and bowed his head to Alon once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In any case, I’m truly grateful. I never dreamed I’d see the daughter I lost in the last war again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Straightening his posture, he gazed wistfully at the door Magrina had exited through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To some, she’s a scapegoat to vent their anger on. But to me, she’s my one and only precious daughter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right after finishing the conversation with Kalanda, Alon returned to his room to gather his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So in the end, does that mean we have two months—or maybe just one now? After that, we’ll have no choice but to deal with Baarma. Godfather.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……It seems so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon let out a sigh and called for Rine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Godfather.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By chance, is there anything in the library about this current era?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Rine made a subtle expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I actually already checked, and while there are records—they probably won’t be much help right now, Godfather.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. It just says something like ‘The Allied Races fought a battle against Baarma.’ That’s about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Other than that, detailed records are………….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rine’s expression grew more and more gloomy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon gently patted her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the shadow over Rine’s face showed no sign of lifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, with a click, Penia entered the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yes, Marquess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding a mountain of books taller than herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……What’s with those books?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia shuffled over awkwardly and dumped the books onto the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Alon ask, and Penia rolled her eyes for no reason before extending a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hrm hrm. We’re going to have to deal with Baarma anyway, right? That dragon god is already dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I was thinking—maybe some book might mention a weakness of Baarma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Rine stepped up to the desk and began scanning the book titles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Magic Cast by True Mages.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….‘The Sorcery Compendium of Marna—’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘The Relationship Between True Mages and Gods, The Nature of True Mages.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘The Fiery Romance of a True Mage—’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“WAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reciting the book titles didn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Penia let out a shriek and quickly hid the book behind her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes rolled anxiously, and cold sweat trickled down her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rine and Alon stared at Penia with expressions that had gone cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia seemed to desperately search for an excuse and then raised her index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Well, you see? If we go back to the real world, we won’t be able to find any information about True Mages, right? So I figured we could do some research here, and help you with your magical studies, my lord? And maybe even check if some of it could be applied to magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, helping with your research is the main goal, but maybe? Just maybe, this could contain something groundbreaking and get me some recognition from the world, and then I could totally crush my master’s pride? Something like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all that came out was rambling nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Penia flailed to justify herself, Alon asked calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……That aside, isn’t it all meaningless unless we return?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s true. But I believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Believe in what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That you’ll make it happen, my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a face that shouted ‘I believe in you!’ she clenched her fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon felt an odd prickling discomfort, but inwardly concluded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Either way, we’ll have to fight Baarma eventually. First, I should talk to them tomorrow and gather more information.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the conclusion he came to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>###\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon once again appeared before the three kings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Are you saying the weapon has been destroyed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized that the situation was more serious than he had thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be precise, not destroyed—but rendered inoperable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surang let out a sigh laced with gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon calmly pieced together the information in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason the god Yongrin, who led the alliance, had sacrificed himself to create a barrier and halt Baarma’s advance— it was to buy time to use the weapon called ‘Agathon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agathon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A weapon used by True Mages to deal with the black beings. They needed time to restore it to deal with Baarma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Yongrin’s plan had been flawed from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In order to use Agathon, the World Tree had to share its overwhelming magical power as a power source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as if they had known about the plan— at the very moment of Yongrin’s sacrifice, Baarma’s followers invaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of them, the World Tree suffered a critical blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, even in its ruined state,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tried everything to make Agathon run on the magical energy of people instead, completing the restoration— but in the end, Agathon could not be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the two months of time that Yongrin had bought them could end up being meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the expressions of the kings were grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon rubbed his forehead in thought—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I see Agathon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rine, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That wouldn’t be hard, but from what we’ve checked, the weapon can only be handled by a True Mage… wait, are you a True Mage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of hope crossed Surang’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I’m not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Right, of course not. All the True Mages already lost their lives back then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slumped back into gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Alon recalled Rine’s abilities and asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, just in case—could she at least take a look?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surang’s expression remained reluctant, but he eventually nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Very well. Let’s go right now. There’s not much else to talk about in our current situation anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose from his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashur, who had been quietly observing until now, stepped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would it be alright if Alon came with me instead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dowon wishes to see him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rioch nodded, and Alon looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is this Dowon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard about you from my son, but I didn’t think you truly knew nothing… Dowon is the god who leads the alliance alongside Yongrin. Also, at present, the only remaining god of Kalgunias.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the name Kalgunias again, Alon asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why they’re looking for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unfortunately, I don’t. She only told me that she’d like to meet you at least once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashur shrugged lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon hesitated briefly but then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He accepted the offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now separated from Rine, Alon followed Ashur out of the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Every time I see this place, it feels strangely familiar.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had that thought again while walking through the palace grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed as they exited the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the distance, a massive temple came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from afar, it was enormous and ornate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A place so grand it seemed it must have been built by giants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alon arrived at the temple—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then go on in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not coming with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She only wishes to see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Ashur’s words, Alon walked toward the temple alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he reached the entrance—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RUMBLE—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if welcoming him, the enormous doors opened by themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stepped slowly inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need to go far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right away, he saw a giant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue-eyed goddess stared at him as if seeing something truly extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[……It is finally time to keep our promise.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goddess’s voice echoed all around him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1750,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","5a3fd9db09f870f79fa5c26fe42974e35d8cd4889acc25ee0e950b111de974b8","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-242","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-240",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]