[{"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-360":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},759650,1006,"Chapter 360 : What Must Be Done (3)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-360",360,"\u003Cp>He was a knight of Caliban and a member of one of the Master Knights’ orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo stood blankly, recalling what had happened until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had been nothing unusual until yesterday morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, he began his day training with the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem arose in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A disturbing telegram arrived—an aristocrat from Caliban had been murdered at the birthday party of the so-called Hero, the Chosen One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was when he was dispatched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, it wasn’t something he needed to personally involve himself in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was, after all, a knight belonging to the Master Knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was one reason he still chose to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble killed at the Chosen One’s birthday party was the father of the Master Knight himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, without even hearing the full details, he hurried to depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And came to Tern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there, he saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all there was to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or so he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dazed sound escaped Leo’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him stood a single knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just looking at him made Leo’s skin crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man held a sword in hand, clad in armor that looked almost like blood vessels woven together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But despite that grotesque appearance—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo couldn’t feel anything from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no pressure one would feel from facing an overwhelming opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No disdain one would feel toward someone weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the tension of meeting an equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo looked at the sword in the knight’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was worn down, old to the point that cutting didn’t seem possible—ripping might have been a better word for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It carried no menace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps not even a hint of danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were the Master Knight and the knights who had gone ahead of him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—lying dead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corpses were strewn across the ground, forming a circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no screams, no signs of struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if ripened fruit had simply fallen from the branch, their lives had been cut off far too easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene was disturbingly simple—and all the more horrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that wasn’t all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond them, countless soldiers and knights had piled up into a mountain of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo tried to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t seen the knight before him swing his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he’d seen were the charging knights, the Master Knight—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—and their pitiful remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a situation that should have filled him with terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would’ve been normal to fear what was in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Master Knight, stronger than he, was dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His comrades were dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him rose a mountain of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear would have been natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, Leo still felt nothing toward the knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though the very emotion of fear had been stripped away from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utterly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Leo drew his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the contradiction within himself, he charged forward toward the knight—toward plain, unadorned destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ran forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a moth to the flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the very end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, after receiving several reports from Evan,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon went straight to Divine Land without rest from the Marquis’s estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had originally planned to rest a little, but something had come up that he needed to ask about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had no mana orb, he had no choice but to visit in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I should’ve brought one in advance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean the communication orb?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, it is a little odd that you didn’t, considering how far we’ve come. I’ll make sure to handle it next time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke with Evan, Alon’s eyes wandered to the opposite side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryanga and Historia were leaning against each other, asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beneath them—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Graaaah! That’s impossible! That’s cheating!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meow–!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basiliora and Blackie were playing a board game they’d learned from the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basiliora shouted nonsense as if in disbelief, while Blackie only shook his head, looking at him in pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two enjoy their freedom, Alon suddenly remembered Seolrang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She said she had something to do, didn’t she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just yesterday, right after finishing her strange match against Ryanga, Seolrang had told Alon she had something to take care of and would be back later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, Basiliora and Blackie, who had been hiding for so long, finally showed themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Wait! Let’s redo that round! I misunderstood the rules from the start!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meow]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the two bickered in the background, Alon was lost in thought, and Evan asked quietly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you thinking about Seolrang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...How did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I could tell from your expression.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My expression?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Maybe others wouldn’t notice, but when you’re thinking about the kids, it always shows a little on your face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. It’s faint, but it’s there. I saw the change and guessed you were thinking about Seolrang disappearing yesterday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... you’re not wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon rubbed his face, Evan tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But, my lord,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come to think of it, shouldn’t Seolrang be leaving, not returning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Ryanga or Historia,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seolrang technically belonged to the Colony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she wasn’t some optional member—they relied on her heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The longer she stayed outside, the more anxious the Colony would become. Evan’s point made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, she said she was on leave, so I suppose she’ll go back when she’s ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True. Even if she acts childish sometimes, she’s not really a kid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some light conversation, the group continued traveling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, as usual, Alon arrived at the cliff overlooking Divine Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when he saw the sight before him, countless hooks popped up over his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Evan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said this was supposed to be small-scale, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because it doesn’t look small-scale to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the east of Divine Land, rows upon rows of houses were being built—densely packed, stretching far beyond sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You’re right. It doesn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all you’ve got to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, Chief was right. At this rate, even my subordinates could fit in there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon and Evan stood there dumbfounded, Ryanga and Ria joined in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to count the number of houses, as if studying a strategic map—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—but gave up halfway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were simply too many to count by hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even by rough estimation, the scale was far beyond what he could have imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a level that could never be sustained with ordinary sponsorship funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared blankly at the massive construction site for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, regaining his senses, he headed toward Divine Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, my lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, he was greeted by Sili’s bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon took Sili with him to the temporary office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought about what to ask her first, but decided to begin with the matter that had brought him here in such haste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the news. You’re building residential houses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, though it’s on a small scale.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Small scale?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili tilted her head cutely, as if she didn’t understand what the problem was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon felt like holding his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looked like there were easily over several dozen houses...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well—Divine Land’s population is a bit large, after all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re saying it’s small relative to Divine Land’s population?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t how scale worked, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to let it slide for now and continued the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Fine, but what about the money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. A project of this scale must cost a fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alon finally got to the point, Sili nodded as if just realizing what he meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that at all! Thanks to you, my lord, we have more than enough from sponsorship funds to cover everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She answered cheerfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon blinked, momentarily stunned, before asking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Didn’t you just say it was thanks to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! Because it’s the money you squeezed out of those arrogant kingdom guys!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared at her, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili blinked back at him, equally puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing how things had turned out, Alon sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sili.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you happen to have a sponsorship ledger?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course! I’ll bring it right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately checked the ledger—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—and froze behind his blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for Asteria, every kingdom had donated an astronomical amount to Divine Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I distinctly told them they didn’t need to contribute. Did the Allied Kingdoms all go insane together?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking that, Alon began counting the amounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this rate, it wasn’t just a small housing district—they could practically build a minor territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalculated multiple times to be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And each time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—the result was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands trembled as he realized the numbers weren’t wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Marquisate of Palatio, which had practically grown into a merchant territory, had never seen sums like these.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it was sponsorship money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In disbelief, he looked at Sili.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Sili?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is... written correctly, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili hesitated, then suddenly gasped in realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon thought for a second that maybe the numbers had been miswritten and let out a deep sigh— only for Sili to clear her throat and point to the ledger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, should I tell each kingdom to double their current sponsorship?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said it with a straight face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sili... what are you even talking about...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, then should I make it triple?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sili smiled innocently as she raised the number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was entrusting Divine Land to her really the right decision?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or should he have taught her basic financial sense first?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was thinking both at once when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus entered the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon turned toward him—and froze slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus’s expression was even grimmer than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deus answered quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eliban... has become a Sin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news was completely unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>",1647,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","5e41b72068726e22e62834a78ee6a3fbf3db186591467a8838b221b64dee7720","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-361","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-359",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]