[{"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-278":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},759568,1006,"Chapter 278 : Something Feels Off (3)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-278",278,"\u003Cp>A few days after Alon headed toward Greynifra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah—so this is loneliness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[He’s started his nonsense again.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shut up, snake head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you didn’t talk nonsense, I would’ve kept quiet.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meow-]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Evan and Basiliora began their usual comedy routine, Alon watched them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marquis?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly turned to look at Penia, who had called him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s just… You looked so serious. I wondered what you were thinking about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lightly shook his head, as if it were nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I was just recalling what Evan told me earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan had brought back some information when he stopped by a village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were three key pieces of information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was about the underworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about how public safety in the Allied Kingdom had rapidly deteriorated due to the explosive increase of abyssal creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps even more than in the Psychedelia that Alon originally knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, since he only heard about it, he couldn't properly compare it to what he’d faced in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was clear that it was a serious issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘……Is someone creating abyssal creatures again, like last time?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon continued to trace the route of the abyssal beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm, well, there certainly was a lot to pay attention to. Especially—what was his name again? Eliban? I heard he's been gaining quite a bit of fame recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia nodded and agreed with Alon’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true, just as she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban was rising to fame through heroic actions that players typically showed in Psychedelia, based on the original story's timeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No, he’s actually moving faster than in the original.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Alon’s memory, Eliban only started gaining real fame after he dealt with the first of the five sins that appeared in the middle of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, by the timeline of the original work, that was supposed to happen a year from now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the current Eliban had already gained fame by resolving bizarre incidents at an astonishing pace, even without dealing with the sins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was a good thing for Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harder Eliban worked, the more peaceful the world became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Thinking like this makes me feel like I’m some great hero worried about the world’s safety.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his face remained calm, Alon felt a strange emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back, all he ever wanted was to live peacefully, doing nothing and bothering no one—how did he end up here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a sudden realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Alon’s actions were fundamentally for his own survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was going through all this in order to reach the lofty yet humble goal of \"living a carefree life, eating and playing without worries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Well, the amount of things he had to do for that modest goal had increased a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he wasn’t particularly dissatisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time, he was doing it because he wanted to, not because he had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what you’re most concerned about is that, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia fidgeted with her fingers and cautiously spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. That rumor about marrying the Elf Queen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was curious about that too. Is it true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Evan, who had been bickering with Basiliora, chimed in, and Alon looked at him coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does that sound true to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not. Didn’t I already say so earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Evan brought the news, Alon had clearly dismissed it as nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan shrugged once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You did say that, but, you know… there are a lot of times when people deny something and it turns out to be true, so I had to ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There were such times—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon started to reply but stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back, that sort of thing had happened before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In any case, it’s absolutely not true. The rumor must have gotten twisted somewhere along the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s strange. Don’t the Allied Kingdom and the Interracial Alliance usually have a bad relationship?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how did the rumor spread?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’re right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia agreed with Evan’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon also wondered for a moment where such a rumor might have come from before offering a guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I think about it from my perspective, it’s likely from Ashtalon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ashtalon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, because Zukurak is there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In any case, if it’s really just a false rumor, that could be a bit troublesome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, it is a bit awkward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only person who could pass information from the closed-off Interracial Alliance to the Allied Kingdom was likely Zukurak in Ashtalon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had been waiting, a loud noise echoed from somewhere deep in the silent forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon immediately turned toward the direction of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that noise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe just some monsters fighting and knocking over a tree or two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt a bit too loud for that, but Alon soon lost interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a relaxed afternoon, with sunlight filtering through the shining leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Alon reached the vicinity of Greynifra after some time had passed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital of the Kingdom of Ashtalon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoo—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V let out a heavy sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t as if anything major had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was running smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recent surge in bandit exterminations was progressing quite well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the secret project related to the bizarre gates with the lizardmen was also going smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the reason worry clouded Stalian V’s face was because of the strange occurrences that had begun recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What the hell is this…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, Stalian V had been plagued by bad luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it wasn’t severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few inconvenient incidents happened each day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, he’d be walking on perfectly flat marble floors and suddenly trip, or be startled awake at night after seemingly being struck by something—small, trivial things like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even trivial things, if they happen every day for nearly two weeks, are bound to wear a person down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why on earth is this happening…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian looked at his reflection in the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone could see his complexion was terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the nightmares that started a week ago, his eyes were sunken, and bruises covered his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Something’s definitely going on.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly two weeks of this, Stalian V instinctively realized something was definitely wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the fact that he didn’t know why this was happening only added to his stress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoo—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath to calm himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the streak of misfortune, the long-awaited day had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is it today?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zukurak was supposed to return today with the results he had been waiting for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering that fact, Stalian V cheerfully walked to his office as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A letter has arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A letter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was confused by the report he received the moment he arrived at work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V quickly took the letter handed to him by the servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What in the…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands trembled uncontrollably from the shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for good reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter he had just received was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A… a corrective letter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a corrective letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V stared blankly at the letter, not even opening it yet, realizing something was deeply wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done nothing wrong, and his relationship with Rosario wasn’t bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the incident in Rosario had occurred, he had made a generous donation toward recovery efforts, just like the other kingdoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, there was absolutely no reason for Rosario and Stalian V to have a falling out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant who delivered the letter was drenched in cold sweat, bowing deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With trembling hands, Stalian V finally opened the letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And saw its contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—more precisely—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw torn pieces of paper so shredded it was hard to call it a “letter” at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What… what is this…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to decipher the contents, but couldn’t read it at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parts with writing were so slashed and torn it was impossible to make out anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the letter, a small pen nib fragment glittered as it caught the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing Stalian V could infer from the letter was one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the person who had written it had been extremely angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V unconsciously swallowed dryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, he realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the sender was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cardinal Yutia…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cardinal Yutia Bludia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The de facto ruler of Rosario and, with the Pope missing, the one who held more power than even the Saints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was momentarily stunned by the confusion, but then his brow furrowed sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Allied Kingdom generally respects Rosario.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was a different matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cardinal from Rosario sending a barely legible corrective letter to threaten the king of a nation was clearly crossing a line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring me some stationery immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V intended to respond in kind—by sending a letter rather than going in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need for that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman’s voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instinctively turned his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to see you quickly, so I came myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a calm smile on her lips—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her red, gem-like eyes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, with an eerie stare, Yutia Bludia was looking directly at Stalian V.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, Your Majesty… is this a good time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seeing her was enough to feel a suffocating, chilling aura radiating from her entire being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clearly a breach of etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had entered the royal office without permission—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And was now forcing an audience under the guise of formality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the kind of behavior Stalian V hated the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, he would have shouted at her on the spot—so he took a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how powerful the person before him was, he was still a king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to maintain his dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cardinal Yutia. No matter how important this is—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crrrrack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he began to speak, he saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enormous steel door Yutia had entered through, engraved with various sigils, had been crumpled like paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V was a king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant he was quick to judge a situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter how important—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I have time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately responded to Yutia’s rhetorical question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied, she smiled sweetly and took another step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a relief, Your Majesty. It would’ve been disappointing otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes, a relief indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his 20-year reign—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalian V, using his masterful political drift skills, narrowly avoided disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Am I… still alive?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, he silently applauded himself for surviving.\u003C\u002Fp>",1750,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","32bb8a3c1565560d1f11076b52b7f6f3e909db55adf95b6ac13065651769cc69","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-279","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-277",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]