[{"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-450":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},759540,1006,"Chapter 449: Return (5)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-450",450,"\u003Cp>In the Empire’s southeast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A place where, once, a dazzlingly prosperous trade city had stood, but which had now been reduced completely to ruins because of the Divine blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there, where the vast majority of the Empire’s people had been reduced to nothing more than tools of the Divine blood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[.......]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rarely enough, dozens of Divine blood had gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there was something far too unusual about them to simply call them Divine blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for when they gradually changed into humans through their stages, the Divine blood fundamentally all differed in form and size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the Divine blood gathered here were no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All kinds of shapes and appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was one thing they all had in common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore bizarrely long helmets, the kind only a plague doctor might use, along with dark armor fitted to each of their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood in formation like knights, and before them—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hoo-]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—stood one being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body was not larger than the Divine blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, it was absurdly small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost like a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if its size matched that of a human, its appearance was very far from human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unlike the gathered Divine blood, it wore no dark armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, what could be seen was gray skin, gaunt and skeletal as though it had suffered from malnutrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where a heart should have been, there was simply a gaping hole in the middle, as if nothing had ever been there to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>two spears were embedded in its shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One black, one white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the spearheads piercing both lungs and jutting out through the ribs, the man looked, at a glance, less like a leader and more like a common criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet every one of the Divine blood in dark armor had its head bowed toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much time passed like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing seated before the group of Divine blood, exhaling a languid breath from atop a broken stone throne,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Warriors of the great Astarote.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The time has come.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>suddenly opened its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Now is the time to fulfill our mission.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The blood of the heretic has overflowed from death and granted us the chance to gain power—surely this is a holy revelation that will bring the Great One down upon this earth—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its quiet and majestic voice\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gather the blood of the heretic—and heed Astarote’s command. Bring that Great One down into this world.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>rang out in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ahh—Astarote.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[We are his spear, his sword, and his shield.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The unwavering flesh of that Great One—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside those plague-doctor-like helmets, red glows began flickering strangely in the ashen world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with a light that made one’s skin crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon did not particularly enjoy luxury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was not to say he disliked money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, he was quite close to liking it very much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not for the sake of luxury, but because of the satisfaction that came from living a plentiful life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, from Alon’s standpoint, having the mages of the two mage towers build him a castle was not a bad arrangement at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, once he looked at the size of the castle currently being built, he did hesitate with, 'Isn’t this a bit excessive...?' but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the cost-performance was high enough that he had not refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Evan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Was there anything like that in the blueprint we saw last time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared blankly upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floating castle was still hanging in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, it was not really a castle—at most it felt more like something that could hold a small garden and a house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, in the end, it remained a floating castle, so he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Did something like that even exist in the first place?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thought so, did you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. Penia, have you seen it before by any chance?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t remember seeing anything like that either...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Evan, Penia shook her head as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was confirmed that that floating castle had not been in the blueprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, if the floating castle had simply been added on top, Alon might have just let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would have been a little shocking, but if it was only that much of an addition, he might have figured it was just one of those changes that happened along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plans and actual execution were always different, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Setting aside whether a floating castle was the kind of thing that could just suddenly be added to a building project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, the reason Alon could not easily let the current situation pass was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Um, Lord Alon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Doesn’t the castle itself look... a little bigger than what we originally talked about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Penia said, the castle itself had grown larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...So it’s not just me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. According to the blueprint... it shouldn’t be able to turn out like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did they maybe have materials left over and decide to build more with them or something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evan offered his own theory, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...On the right, just to build that one extra castle that wasn’t in the blueprint, I don’t think selling one or two territories would even be enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Penia’s words, he closed his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hoh—human magic. To think it has advanced this far in only a few hundred years. And even then, it works by a method different from that of the True Mages. Is most of it made of formulas?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden dragon Reinysius instantly recognized the magic circles embedded throughout the castle and looked on with interest shining in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the group all react in their own ways, Alon first sorted out the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...For now, let’s go inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, he had returned to his territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right after returning to Palantia, Alexion greeted Alon with a smile spread deep across his face, despite looking pale and drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they exchanged brief greetings, Alon was soon able to meet the two tower masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my, you’ve arrived!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please, come in!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...??\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared at the two tower masters, who were somehow showing him the utmost courtesy with all the strength they had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Alon had been away from the territory for quite a while, but that did not mean he had forgotten his conversations with the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...I’m pretty sure we agreed to speak casually to each other.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had they gone back to formal speech again? Alon thought about it briefly, then pushed the matter aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Purple Mage Tower master, Norton, and the Brown Mage Tower master, Manram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He greeted them lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has been a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, indeed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As it happens, we are doing our utmost to build the castle!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All the mages of the Purple Mage Tower have been mobilized to build it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Brown Mage Tower is the same! Nearly everyone has been put into the project!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What came back, however, was an intense report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And one delivered while they shot each other looks and tried to outtalk the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two tower masters glanced at one another, then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahem—the Purple Mage Tower has used the materials from the alchemy we will be selling this time to upgrade the magic circles to higher-tier ones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Brown Mage Tower has raised the quality of the materials being used this time to even finer goods than before!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—as if trying to appeal to Alon, they continued speaking with great enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them poured out achievements without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Alon’s perspective, it felt oddly like unpaid laborers who had received nothing in return shouting, 'I did more work!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I would like the two of you to calm down for a moment first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After settling the two agitated mages down, he asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"About the castle currently being built—it seems there are parts that differ from the previous blueprint—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah! You truly don’t need to worry too much about that part! We are building those separately, after all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No, I mean, why?' rose all the way to his throat, but these people were clearly working hard, so he could hardly say it outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Alon organized his thoughts inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It feels as though I am already receiving more than enough excessive goodwill as it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon had enough sense to read the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew roughly that the level of goodwill was excessive, and also where that goodwill had come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it was hard to imagine they would go so far as to do something this absurd over that alone, so he cautiously broached the subject—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahem—as you know, it is because I very much want to form a good relationship with Your Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The same goes for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two tower masters merely smiled meaningfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon asked again,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Is that really all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, of course!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That truly is all we want!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them made an even greater fuss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we shall come to see you again tomorrow! We still have work left to do!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will also report the details to you tomorrow!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Declaring, 'I am now going off to work voluntarily!' they quickly slipped away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What in the world?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was another day on which Alon’s questions only continued to pile up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before heading over to Divine Land, Alon was resting from the fatigue of his long journey while carrying out his usual magic research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Penia approached, breaking the silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Alon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Penia?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I found out why those two are acting like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The tower masters?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. I think they must have seen it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Seen what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me using a phrase.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Alon let out a low sound of realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the southern capital of the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the place where a royal castle, more dazzling and immense than any other capital in the Empire, stood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So Contanias saw that king from the frontier and called him the guardian dragon’s father?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is correct, Princess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airinna Polanticia was listening to a knight’s report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a report shocking enough in its own way, but her expression showed little change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a moment, Airinna said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At a glance, the odds are high that that idiot simply misunderstood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dismissed the report she had just heard with startling simplicity, then let out a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haah—just imagining him bowing his head to some frontier king and treating such ridiculous nonsense as if it were true is so embarrassing I could die from the shame of sharing the same bloodline.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if mortified, she covered her face with one hand and shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight, the knight spoke with his head still bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...To be honest, I thought the same as well, but.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why? Is there some other story?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to the intelligence that came in, the Eastern Empire’s princess also seems to have reacted strongly to those words.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...To that idiotic remark?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. From what I hear, after finishing her current business, she intends to visit the frontier kingdom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the knight’s addition, Airinna fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Contanias’s fuss had not drawn much reaction from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To begin with, her evaluation of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} him had never been more or less than an idiot who happened to be born with an excellent bloodline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Serdea had reacted, then that was another story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serdea was not stupid like Contanias, and above all, her instincts were sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp enough that it could not simply be dismissed and ignored as mere intuition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Come to think of it, she proposed to him in the tower too.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, at the time, Airinna herself had also taken some degree of interest in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if Serdea’s instincts had chosen that frontier king, then there had to be something about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so, for that something to be 'the guardian dragon’s father'—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it was so absurd that Airinna tilted her head for quite some time before finally saying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Dark.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Princess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m afraid I’m going to have to borrow your ability for a bit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For Your Highness, gladly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It seems I should verify that frontier king for myself. And—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quietly issued her command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should also take this chance to verify the ability I gained this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she closed and opened eyes whose irises had become an alien jade color, wholly unlike her own gold.\u003C\u002Fp>",2069,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","22503e48f18f77912c9a7bf002efc433a47d8f66759610dc8a488f52928567c8","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-251","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-449",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]