[{"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-257":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},759547,1006,"Chapter 257","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-257",257,"\u003Cp>A dark temple beneath the roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, two figures were seated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the Apostle of Wrath, clad in a black robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silver-haired man who didn’t quite match the gloom of the underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a satisfied hum—or rather,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is nice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Apostle of Purity nodded, clearly pleased with the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......You think it’s nice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a bottomless abyss, nothing could be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Apostle of Wrath, cloaked in pitch-black robes, asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a grotesque voice—neither old nor young, male nor female—so eerie it made one frown just from hearing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I like it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Apostle of Purity smiled unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, the numbers are perfect now. Just two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoo—You see, others might not care, but it really bothered me. So, I find this situation quite satisfying. Oh, not that I wanted the Apostles to die, okay? Even just one dying would've been enough for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because then it’d be four, right? Two on each side—perfectly balanced—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled to himself while mumbling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Apostle of Wrath, silently watching him, finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what do you plan to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You already know from the previous Apostles’ failure. You know what I’m talking about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Purity tilted his head, then let out a soft ‘ah—’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean the seed we planted got ruined? Yeah, that’s a shame. We put in a lot of effort, and now it’s going to waste without even being used properly. But still—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not too worried. We did tweak it a bit as that One’s vessel, but it’s not like it has to be used.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no need to cling to him. I’ll kill him to retrieve it, sure, but I don’t have to dirty my own hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purity smiled as he pulled out a dark-colored cube from his robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know what this is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s something made by some half-baked guy, but it turned out to be pretty useful. So I mass-produced it a bit. Added a touch of that One’s authority too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......You’re thinking of using that to create a vessel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that question, Purity placed the cube in front of Wrath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not. This is just prep work for the others. Even if they’re not Apostles, they’ll need to come out eventually, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already picked out the perfect vessel to receive my great one. Found a fine candidate, too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked to the other side of the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I think we’re done here. I’ll be going now. Let’s meet again sometime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waving with a grin, the Apostle of Purity began to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his form was vanishing, he let out a small exclamation, as if he remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just in case, I’ll take care of him too. Marquis Palatio? Seems like most of the failures were his fault.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with another wave—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t show it, but unlike me, you’re grieving over the Apostles’ deaths, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—he disappeared completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence fell once again over the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left alone, the Apostle of Wrath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stared wordlessly at the abyssal object Purity left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hand slipped out from the unseen robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hand picked up the abyssal cube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bringing it close to their face, the Apostle of Wrath muttered—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Marquess Palatio.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared blankly at the abyssal object for some time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a long, long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before returning to the marquessate, Alon visited Greynifra one last time—and received an unexpected item from Magrina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s your ring, right, brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the ring Alon had lost in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He examined the ring Magrina handed over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had a few faded spots, unable to withstand the ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was definitely the ring he used to wear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Where did you get this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alon asked, Magrina closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to recall an old memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone gave it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Someone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, a person with blue eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That must be the one I saw,] said Basiliora, curling his body around the ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know who he was?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon asked, but Magrina shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, not at all. I also wondered why he had your ring, so I tried to investigate, but I found nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just in case—do you remember what he looked like?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm—no, his entire body was wrapped in a black robe. I could only see his eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Exactly like I remember.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Basiliora agreed, Magrina tilted her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought you might know who he was, but I guess not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon nodded, then suddenly realized something odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magrina, when did you receive this ring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was about a month or two after you disappeared, I think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that answer, Alon frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If what Magrina said was true, a strange contradiction emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wouldn’t that mean there should be two of this ring?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magrina had received the ring from the mysterious blue-eyed man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, 700 years later, she gave it to Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant that for those 700 years, the ring Alon had lost had been with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, that seemed fine—but one undeniable contradiction remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If, as Alon knew, this ring was one-of-a-kind—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it didn’t make sense for him to have obtained it in the labyrinth a few years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……Because the ring he had lost should have still been with Magrina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Same goes for the glove.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon looked down at his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glove—said to have once been used by the Primordial Elf as a staff—was another mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he went back in time, he hadn’t sealed it away or done anything with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered the matter for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I understand for now. Thanks for keeping the ring safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all, brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stood up from his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What are you thinking about so deeply?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About a week had passed since they left Greynifra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon stared silently out the window, Basiliora asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......There are too many things that don’t add up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Don’t add up? Oh, are you talking about the ring and the glove?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. And also the man with blue eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah—now that you say it, it does sound a little strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan, who was listening nearby, nodded and then shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But, well… in the end, didn’t it all work out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was no real problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon rubbed his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No actual issues had occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, something kept bothering him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all of Alon’s experiences in Psychedelia— there had been differences from the original story and setting before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But never had a unique setting like this changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It feels like something’s off.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sensation like something was stuck in the back of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Marquess. Speaking of which, there’s something I remembered while we were talking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan leaned in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember the Abyssal Core?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Abyssal Core?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, the one from Duke Komalon’s case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Don’t tell me it’s still being circulated. Is that what you’re saying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm~ not exactly. I told you last time that a few pieces still move around, remember?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after Duke Komalon was taken down, Evan had continued to share updates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, this is just a rumor, but apparently a special kind of Abyssal Core is being mass-distributed right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Mass-distributed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it seems someone has started producing them again. That’s stirred things up a bit in the underworld.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That doesn’t sound like good news.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It probably isn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what’s so special about this Abyssal Core?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alon got to the point, Evan hesitated for a moment before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard it significantly enhances the user’s abilities—more than the usual ones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Enhances them more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmph, it’s probably just a powered-up version of those half-baked failures we fought before. Nothing to worry about.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basiliora scoffed and laughed arrogantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you fight one of those half-baked ones last time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What nonsense? I shredded five of those guys on my own!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan responded to Basiliora like an answering machine, picking a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inside of the carriage grew noisy again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meow-]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blackie, who had been sleeping on Alon’s chest, rubbed his eyes and looked at the two with an expression full of pity...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their peaceful journey continued for several more weeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they arrived at Colony, Alon was greeted with a dramatic welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang clung tightly to him as if she had been waiting forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you been well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! I’ve been great!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon patted Seolrang’s head as she smiled brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he noticed something odd about the awkward smile on her secretary, Lime’s, face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquess, since you arrived early this morning, why not head straight there now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s do that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Evan’s suggestion, they headed directly to the ruins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, Alon entered through the entrance of the ruins and walked the long tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, the view of the ruins began to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared at the scene—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unconsciously made a puzzled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it had been a long time since he last saw the ruins, they felt incredibly familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange sense of déjà vu, like he had seen this place somewhere before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......? Master? What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang, walking beside him, tilted her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alon simply stared blankly ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a soft murmur, he realized two things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where he had seen this scenery before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why the capital of the Allied Races had felt so familiar when he visited it in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This was the place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the capital of the Allied Races he had seen 700 years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>",1620,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","095ae6b2c4acba2d1b080f5d9c698543df29a4657a41ffc9fa1b06db1d4c7182","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-258","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-256",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]