[{"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-358":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},759648,1006,"Chapter 358 : What Must Be Done (1)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-358",358,"\u003Cp>The king was neither dead nor of direct royal blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Syrkal had taken the throne so naturally that the conversation between them felt strangely awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, suddenly, Alon remembered something Siyan had told him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—They’re gathering soldiers….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Syrkal gathering troops and the founding of Divine Land was nothing more than a coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no connection between the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Alon had not even met Syrkal at all since a few years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he hesitated over whether he should ask about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me—would you mind if we moved somewhere more private for a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Syrkal’s sudden suggestion, Alon looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles were gathered around her, clearly desperate for a chance to speak with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are they nobles from other nations? he wondered, and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. Sorry to take up your time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no, please don’t say that. Right now, I’m only moving because I have no other choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No other choice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Alon’s question, Syrkal gave a faint smile and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the Saintess said, preparations are going well, so there’s no need to worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she walked past him, she whispered in a voice so small that no one else could hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon reacted belatedly and turned his body, but she was already back with the nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still confused, Alon went over her words once more in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the Saintess said, preparations are going well, so there’s no need to worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice had a hint of laughter in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hu—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon calmed himself and thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It feels strange to think about this alone, but…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon knew that the Duchy of Luxibl worshiped Kalannon, the One Who Receives Lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he also knew that Syrkal and her younger sister Jenira had been spreading statues that resembled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant the “Saintess” Syrkal spoke of could be none other than the Saintess of Kalannon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the goddess Sironia currently had no saintess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left only one conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The saintess Syrkal mentioned was Sili.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he reached that point, the next question naturally arose in his mind—what did she mean by “preparations”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just what were they preparing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…No, the truth was, Alon already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden change of rulers in the Duchy of Luxibl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when he added that to the secret information he’d heard from Siyan—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t hard to figure out what those preparations were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interpreting Syrkal’s words:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[As Sili said, the soldiers are being properly prepared, so you don’t have to worry.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he pieced it together, the implications were shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon’s mouth fell open as he looked toward Syrkal again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sili, Sili… just what are you doing?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Pimalian smiled in satisfaction and instructed the servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Make sure it’s prepared properly. It’s a gift for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I will manage it with care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stroked his chin and gazed leisurely at Tern ahead of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite a number of soldiers and knights entered his view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was far too many for a mere party security detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, it seemed soldiers and knights had been summoned from various nations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their uniforms were all different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this scene, the duke soon began walking further inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then once today’s party ends, shall we deliver the prepared item immediately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… is it really all right to hand over something like that so willingly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The duke gave a soundless laugh at the servant’s concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew exactly what the servant was worried about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was reasonable, because what Duke Pimalian planned to present to Eliban as a gift—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was none other than narcotics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A drug currently circulating in the underworld at an extraordinarily high market price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface, Eliban and drugs seemed like a wildly incompatible combination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Simply do as you were told.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the duke’s quiet order, the servant bowed and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The duke entered the brilliantly decorated ballroom, and his thoughts stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I wonder what everyone would say if they found out it was Eliban who first proposed the drug business.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile at the corner of his lips deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, whenever he recalled that moment, a chuckle slipped out before he could stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very hero who had seemed pure—who appeared utterly devoted to saving the world and indifferent to all else—had secretly come to him to propose a business deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not once, but twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And each time, he brought an undeniable vision of the underworld’s future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not some clumsy bait to lure him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it was Eliban—someone who had seemed completely removed from such things—who possessed information on the underworld even faster than the duke himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even knew what the duke had been doing in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who would have imagined that the hero hailed for saving the world would be like that…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Pimalian clicked his tongue silently as he scanned the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ballroom was filled with nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some he recognized, others he did not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One strange thing, however, caught his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the nobles familiar to him—all of them, whether slightly or deeply—had their feet dipped into the underworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he was quietly gathering information, the ballroom’s central doors opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Eliban stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was unusual was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He’s alone?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, there were always companions at his side assisting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been the same at the ball held in Asteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Duke Pimalian wondered to himself, Eliban stepped onto the ballroom stage and cleared his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the gathered nobles focused their attention on him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban began murmuring softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let his gaze wander here and there, muttering continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of confusion spread over the nobles’ faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Pimalian, puzzled, took a step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two, thirty—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban’s words rang clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Counting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as the duke began to wonder about this bizarre behavior—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forty-eight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliban’s gaze landed on Duke Pimalian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the duke could even voice a question—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bright smile spread across Eliban’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearing his throat as if finally ready to speak, Eliban began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A total of forty-eight nobles have gathered here today. Thanks to you, I am now able to finally lay down the burden of being a ‘hero.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words echoed through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As confusion clouded the nobles’ expressions—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRUNCH—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the nobles standing at the very front—his head twisted twice around—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SPLAT—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed in every direction as the body collapsed to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy scent of blood filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, everyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With blood across his face, Eliban smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That smile was the signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“UAAAAAHHH!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pandemonium erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1121,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","14218cd62b6b9d926205104bc7270212555a81332cc4772adf4dab01591da43f","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-359","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-357",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]