[{"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-321":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},759761,1006,"Chapter 321 : Ryanga (3)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-321",321,"\u003Cp>Alon, Penia, and Evan kept moving forward after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The journey wasn’t particularly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike at first, when they thought they’d struggle because of the mutants rushing at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Ryanga—no, the girl in the white mask—showed up, they hadn’t seen any more mutants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—there were still loud noises coming from places outside Alon’s line of sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It seems like she switched to taking care of them out of sight now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If she had just done that from the beginning, it probably would’ve fit better with her original intention of hiding her identity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But why is she hiding her identity? And—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Alon was thinking, “How would I know?”, Evan pointed at something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Shouldn’t she also be getting rid of the mutant corpses if she wants to hide her identity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, is there really a need to go that far?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the trees, a mutant as big as a house lay dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that sight, Alon muttered briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, whether she hid the corpses or not didn’t matter—he already knew that the girl was Ryanga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know why she was trying so hard to hide her identity, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long had they been walking while he was lost in those thoughts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon found a path up the cliff, just as Ryanga—or rather, the girl—had mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This must be it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group started moving toward the cliff, and not long after—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold it! Stop right there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, figures wearing masks similar to Ryanga’s jumped out from the forest and blocked their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Who are you guys?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t need to know who we are! You can’t go up there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you really want to go up, only the man is allowed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a terribly awkward acting tone, they pointed straight at Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, silence wrapped around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe even they felt it was a bit much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They subtly turned around and began whispering among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, I told you I didn’t want to do this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You lost the bet, you idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are we gonna do about this vibe??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah—are we screwed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the mutants’ howling, the forest was pretty quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter how much they whispered, there was no way Alon and Penia wouldn’t hear them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia and Alon looked at each other in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah—whatever, let’s just have the man go up and hold the others here. That’s how it’s supposed to go, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, it seemed they had come to a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The man goes up! The rest stay here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They quickly turned around and shouted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon briefly considered asking what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon decided to just play along with their “play.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the clumsy acting—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the shimmering eyes behind those masks, he saw desperate determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes seemed to plead, “If we mess this up, we’re dead. Please go along with it~.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Well, it can’t be helped. Please, go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll be waiting here too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You, come too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmph, why should I?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shut up and come~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[?! How can you lift me?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I practiced just to smack you around. Surprised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving Evan, who was carrying Basiliora, behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon received silent thanks from the masked figures and climbed the cliff alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finally reached the top—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sunset had already begun to fade, and he saw a girl standing, facing the spectacular view halfway up the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ryanga.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, the body that had been watching the sunset turned naturally to face him, meeting his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she made a face that awkwardly looked surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh—um, Chief? What are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(I am currently acting.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It almost felt as though her voice was saying that out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared at the extremely awkward Ryanga, wondering what to do for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A girl who saved me told me to come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“R-Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered kindly and calmly, but then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga silently stared at Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Chief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you find out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, it seemed she had seen right through his act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was because his own acting wasn’t that good either…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, since he could now drop the awkward behavior, Alon thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the start?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haah—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga let out a strange sound, then grabbed her head and sank to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought I was perfect…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was… was it awkward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...A little?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lot… almost came out of his mouth, but Alon didn’t bother adding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After groaning for a while, Ryanga finally stood up, her face flushed red with embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched her squirm for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She awkwardly ran her hands through her hair over and over, her lips twitching as if she didn’t know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, Alon decided to apologize first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry I’m late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? N-No, you don’t need to apologize, Chief. I was just waiting, that’s all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I made you wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Alon’s words, Ryanga stared at him and then pouted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I waited a long time, Chief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really waited a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m truly sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you pretended not to know me at first, I was really sad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That wasn’t me ignoring you.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Alon hadn’t fallen into the past yet, he was simply in a state of not knowing Ryanga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when he hesitated to answer, Ryanga looked at him as if she already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know, you hadn’t gone back yet, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I’m sorry about that part.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, you don’t need to apologize, Chief. That’s just natural, right? I was just a little anxious. I was worried that maybe you might never recover your memories… But now it’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She then smiled and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You remember now, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Ryanga walked up to Alon and lightly leaned her head against his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I worked really hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also kept the promise to lead the people well and do what I truly believed was right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for keeping that promise too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Alon, that promise had only been made less than two years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Ryanga, it had been a story that spanned nearly hundreds of years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Alon had no choice but to speak that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk. Originally, I wanted us to meet in a much more dramatic and perfect way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga muttered as if feeling a bit disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I prepared so much, you know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon thought, “What…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look over there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Alon looked out at the scenery beyond the cliff that Ryanga was pointing to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scenery beyond the cliff that Ryanga showed him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in Alon’s eyes, who didn’t think he had much of an eye for beauty, it looked incredibly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember our village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember how I used to say it? That there was an incredibly beautiful spot in our village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, whenever she was active with Alon, she would always talk about her village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those stories often included descriptions of its scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to show that to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is… that view from your village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I carved it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Alon’s expression broke from its usual calmness, showing surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga looked at him curiously for a moment, then smiled happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, it’s almost perfect. I kept seeing that view all the time, so I remember it vividly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, she spoke with a slight hint of complaint, as if she wanted him to appreciate her efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was really tough, you know? Maybe the cliff was okay, but if you don’t constantly manage the forest, it starts to change and look different from what I remembered. I had to take care of it almost constantly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her words, Alon once again looked at the scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A view so beautiful that he couldn’t describe it with any other word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared blankly at the garden she had maintained for hundreds of years just to show him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words came out before he realized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice but to repeat it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because what had been a short time for him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had been a wait of hundreds of years for Ryanga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Alon’s reaction—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga, who had been pouting for quite a while, slowly smiled again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough of a reward for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Welcome back, Chief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the two of them finally had their proper reunion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black dragon thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did things end up like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back, things had been twisted from the very beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Marquis Palatio, who was precious to the possessed one, disappeared—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment when Seolrang’s mind wavered and the black dragon attempted to manifest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That situation itself had been good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the marquis hadn’t returned, or even if the news had been just one day later—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black dragon could have taken over Seolrang’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was that the news of the marquis’s return reached her right before the dragon’s manifestation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the black dragon had already been convinced it would possess Seolrang, it had already revealed itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, it became bound to Seolrang, unable to leave for another vessel, and ended up stuck in an awkward position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even then, the black dragon had another chance to turn things around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the sin of Greed, one of his allies who hadn’t fully manifested yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Seolrang started to waver again, thinking she might fail to protect the marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, she couldn’t pass the trial from the essence of the Golden Mane Clan, which was her source of power—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she wavered even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing that moment, the black dragon caught another chance to manifest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It thought it had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then lend me your power for a bit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No, I don’t need you to give it to me—just lend it for a moment.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll return it right away.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until he saw Seolrang’s face lighting up like she was drooling in front of a delicious meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the black dragon lent her the power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was both an unavoidable choice and the best option at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than doing nothing, it was better to at least try tempting her with sweet power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the black dragon was quite confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was sure that once she tasted his power, she would definitely crave it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the black dragon lent her the power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It never imagined that would be a huge mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black dragon! I used your power well today too—here, take it back—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang, with the essence of the Golden Mane Clan, looked at the darkness where the dragon hid with that drooling expression again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon cautiously responded to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You want me… to take the power back?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. You said you’d take it back, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...What if you just keep it?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t want to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I don’t like doing this every time either…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, taking back and giving power was easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was a reason the black dragon acted this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of Seolrang’s attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t cling to his power at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, she was only using the dragon’s power as a means to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang had kept borrowing the dragon’s power to break through the essence’s trials, then just returned it—repeatedly…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, even though he was lending her power, he was only being used, and it actually lowered the chance of full manifestation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this, the black dragon tried to resist somehow—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Then after this, I just won’t borrow it anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What…?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said I won’t borrow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But you need it to pass the essence’s trial…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I think I can handle it alone now. Thanks for all your help until now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of Seolrang turning away without any regret—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[W-Wait—!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I-I’ll lend it to you again…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black dragon had no choice but to cling to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t feed her power, the possibility of manifestation would drop to zero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Y-Yeah.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black dragon tightly shut his eyes as he watched Seolrang, who already seemed to be glowing as if her face had turned all shiny.\u003C\u002Fp>",2073,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","4f98b21ec52039271e85928ab4c8617c5f6f263542a54e63ea4b07a3ecaecb7d","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-322","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-320",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]