[{"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-336":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},759776,1006,"Chapter 336 : Perplexity (2)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-336",336,"\u003Cp>\"Basic computation\" was exactly what the term implied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basic—no more, no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be strange if it held any more meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basic computation was mainly used to find variables when maintaining specific magic or researching particular spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it simply, basic computation was like grunt work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repetitive labor that required no real thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, those assigned to it were mostly low-ranking, new mages, who often referred to themselves self-deprecatingly as “slaves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And rightly so, since their daily routine closely resembled that of actual slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d wake up and rush to the lab in the morning for basic computation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat breakfast, then rush back for more basic computation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat lunch and do more computation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat dinner and repeat the cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have a late-night snack and head back for more basic computation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By dawn, they'd collapse in a tiny 3-pyeong room, dark circles under their eyes, and close them for a few hours of sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slaves were the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wake up and rush to the fields in the morning to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat breakfast and go back to the fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat lunch and continue working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat dinner and keep working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laying it all out like this, it kind of seemed like slaves might have had a slightly better quality of life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Anyway, the point was, from Alon’s perspective—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just like what a graduate student, the professor’s slave, would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why on earth was this happening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Parkline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The master of the Red Mage Tower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir. Interviewee number 32.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was why things had turned out like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon slowly turned his gaze toward Evan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan, too, looked back at Alon with a puzzled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You don’t know?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How would I know...? Didn’t you do something, Marquis?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ve been lying in bed all day yesterday, though?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh, right…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t even need to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just their eyes, they finished the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Alon's blank expression, complex emotions were stirring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing he did yesterday was deal with Sloth, then collapse from the aftereffects of Reverse Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So then why, without his knowledge, was he now watching interviewees who had assigned themselves numbers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what’s more...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I’m confident in computation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, the spells of the Red Mage Tower are fundamentally structured to require basic computation in parallel. The density of required computation is incredibly high.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A master of a mage tower—not just any mage— was proudly volunteering to be a computation slave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In modern terms— it was like a top-tier professor saying, “I'm confident I can be a great slave!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with that, Alon could only stand there, dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours later, he found the culprit behind all this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um—I think it’s my fault. I’m sorry…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharan, the master of the Green Mage Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the one responsible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly did you say to them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I didn’t say anything major…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharan then explained what she had told the other mages yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the whole story, Alon summarized the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So all you said was that helping with basic computation could support my magical research?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… but somehow it turned into all this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the guilt written on Sharan’s face, Alon held his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true—she hadn’t done anything particularly wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t hard to figure out how this situation snowballed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s probably because of that magic I showed them yesterday.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon had demonstrated magic several times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But yesterday’s magic had a different impact on the mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Alon himself had thought, “Did I really do that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharan’s comment about helping his research through computation must have acted as a catalyst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally understanding why professors (mages) were voluntarily becoming slaves (grad students), Alon scratched his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What should I do…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, having more mages was a good thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow progress in magic interpretation had always stemmed from the bottleneck of basic computation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he were to bring in a large number of mages?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed would improve drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Alon hesitated for a few reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the mages wanted to help with Alon’s research mostly so they could study his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much the current generation of mages researched it, they wouldn’t be able to use his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant, the only one benefiting from this arrangement would be Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, they were volunteering to be slaves, but Sharan and a few others already knew the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking long-term, the relationship could sour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, he needed Heinkel’s permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heinkel would be the one conducting the research with the mages, not Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon pondered this, Penia chimed in beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that really something worth worrying over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, they’re not gaining anything out of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Couldn’t we just explain that to them ahead of time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not wrong there—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon pressed his fingers against his forehead and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, let’s do as Penia says. Let’s start by informing them properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall I ask Heinkel then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I received a communication crystal last time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll leave it to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure. She’ll probably reach out by this evening, so I’ll talk to her then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penia nodded in reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eliban.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban, who had been gazing quietly at the Milky Way, turned as Yan called out to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stargazing again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. What’s up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s almost time for the meeting. You need to go collect your reward, don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her words, Eliban nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He briefly thought about the item King Stalian V of the Kingdom of Ashtalon had offered as a reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it. Want to go ahead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not coming with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold on, I need to think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a subtle way of telling her to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Yan looked puzzled, she nodded as if she understood and disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he confirmed Yan had gone, Eliban wiped the bright smile from his face and turned back to the Milky Way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he recalled the memory from yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Specifically, right after Marquis Palatio had dealt with the sin of Sloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation he had with Radan, who had come to find him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Are you really going to do it?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation wasn’t long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, to be precise, it wasn’t even a conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radan asked a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radan didn’t ask anything more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Eliban didn’t say anything else either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They ended their interaction with that one exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radan turned and went straight to Seolrang without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Eliban watched him go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing he remembered was that brief exchange—but it was unforgettable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoo—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban let out a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head was a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he gave a small shake of his head and smiled again, just as he always did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His work wasn’t finished yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And until it was all done, he had to keep smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to be everyone’s savior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to become a hero for everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to become famous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He absolutely had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eliban! I think you should come now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban turned toward Yan’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry! I’m coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he knew it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bright, glowing smile had returned to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stepped outside, still not fully recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because King Stalian V of the Ashtalon Kingdom had summoned everyone involved in the Sloth incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, no one minded that summons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was surely to discuss rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Something similar to an Abyssal Artifact, but with no side effects… what could it be?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, Alon recalled what Evan had told him earlier about the king’s reward and made his way toward the meeting room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he arrived—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was warmly greeted by Seolrang, Radan, and Yuman, as if they had been waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s your body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m alright too, brother. But what about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, Master, are you okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had collapsed yesterday and hadn’t seen their faces since, Alon quickly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine. I just overdid it a little—wasn’t injured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank goodness, Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Alon finished his greetings, Yuman approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You look much better. I was going to visit you several times, but there were always so many people around that I couldn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same here! Weirdos kept gathering in front of your room!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Alon declared the interviews would be paused did the mages finally disperse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah, that…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon recalled the scene of them crowding around his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Master, what exactly did you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An unintended interview…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Interview?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he was explaining the situation to the puzzled Seolrang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the mage tower…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[So, you’re asking if it’s okay to bring in more mages?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes, Marquis asked me to check with you, Miss Heinkel!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heinkel and Penia were exchanging messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Well, I don’t really mind.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heinkel nodded as if to say it wasn’t a bad idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that made sense—since she had already revealed her identity to Celaime and Sharan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, it didn’t matter much what happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Besides, it would help speed up magic decoding right now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was also a slightly petty and secret thrill that came from seeing Sharan and Celaime look at her with admiration—something a grand mage probably shouldn’t enjoy, but did anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you sure it’s alright?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yeah, it’s fine.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heinkel nodded at Penia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[So, how many are we talking about?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm, just a sec~]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, obviously they can’t be on the level of a tower master. So maybe around 5 to 10 would be good.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Heinkel roughly calculated the number of mages they’d need—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[5… 5]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[5 people?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[About 58 people.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[58?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heinkel was a little surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quite a bit more than she expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she quickly shrugged it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to have too many than not enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So as she was about to say “not bad~”—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, it’s 68 now.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[……Suddenly?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sharan’s accepting new applicants in real time. So if I organize it now, we’ve got 74… no, 78…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number started increasing before she could even react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm, currently there are 111 applicants, but you’ll need to meet them yourself. I’ll go ahead and compile a list of 117… no, 128.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[???]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Oops—actually, I’ll send over 135.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[?????]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, we just hit 141.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the number kept multiplying (?) without end, Heinkel realized—though she didn’t know exactly what— something was definitely happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Alright, we’ve hit 150.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, something big...\u003C\u002Fp>",1745,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.412Z",1,"novelbin.me","4baf10b9a7d1b6df01a9ebfcfcde3fa6d2b766cc7df2c75c81bcb887304da1bb","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-337","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-335",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]