I Became the Patron of Villains

122. Half-Blood Mage (1)

In conclusion, the monster was dealt with by Seolang and Alon together.

Of course, Seolang’s overwhelming ability was strong enough to cruelly toy with the monster.

However, the monster’s abnormally fast regenerative ability allowed it to maintain its tenacious vitality.

As the battle dragged on, Alon, who discovered the monster’s weakness with the ‘Necklace of the Eye Eater’, was able to completely kill the monster by piercing the human-shaped weakness hidden under its mouth.

By the time the dark night had passed and the dawn of a new day was breaking.

“Thank you, truly, thank you.”

In the half-destroyed lord’s castle, Alon faced a man.

Almost kneeling. The eldest son of Count Lumiere, bowing his head deeply.

No, Alon, who saw him, who had practically become the count after Count Lumiere met his death at the ball hosted by Duke Komalon, soon shifted his gaze to the back of the broken lord’s castle.

What he saw were the residents of the territory who had lost their homes and the soldiers groaning in pain.

And the completely shattered appearance of the territory.

There were some intact places, but they were extremely few.

A scene on the verge of ruins.

Alon, who was looking at this, quietly sighed.

Soon, he was able to hear the detailed situation of the Kingdom of Ashtalon from the count.

“……Duke Komalon is dragging around the monsters?”

“Yes.”

“And the monster here is also one of the monsters spread by Duke Komalon?”

“……That’s correct.”

“Where is he headed?”

“I don’t know exactly, but considering the direction he moved, it seems he is heading towards the territory of Duke Merkilian.”

The count with a somber expression.

Alon nodded.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“I will definitely repay this favor…!”

Count Lumiere vowed several times.

Turning his steps away from him, Alon.

“Ah! Mentor!”

Soon, he discovered Seolang, who was receiving the reverence of the knights.

The peculiar thing was.

“Let go! If you hold me like this, the dignity of royalty will not stand!”

A man was dangling from one of her hands…

Seeing the man, whose face was covered in soot, struggling desperately to stand up, Alon asked.

“…Who is this?”

“Oh, this?”

“Don’t call me ‘this’! I am royalty! I am Karsem, royalty of Colony!”

Royalty of Colony.

Alon muttered softly, recalling the information in his mind.

‘The troublemaker Karsem, was it?’

The second prince of Colony, troublemaker Karsem.

In Psychedelia, he was introduced with that kind of feeling, and naturally, he was not a major character.

In Psychedelia, he appeared as a character who caused various incidents that the protagonist’s party had to clean up, befitting his name as a troublemaker.

After thinking for a moment, Alon looked at Karsem.

Indeed, Karsem’s behavior did not seem very royal.

He was covered in soot all over his body.

Seeing Karsem like that for a moment.

“Hey! You! Show some respect!”

Seeing Karsem pointing his finger, perhaps needing a place to vent his anger from the humiliation he suffered from Seolang, Alon made a strange expression.

Indeed, it was right to treat him with the courtesy due to royalty, but since he was nicknamed a troublemaker in the game and was often evaluated as arrogant in the game, he was quite rude in reality as well.

Of course, it was somewhat understandable.

He had not yet reached the age of majority.

Moreover, unlike other royal families, the first prince had been designated as the next king from an early age, so the second prince had been practically neglected in the succession lessons.

Still, thinking it was right to show respect, Alon tried to bow his head.

“Master! Wait a moment!”

“Uwaaah-!”

Seolang suddenly grabbed Karsem by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the back of the broken house.

“…?”

Alon only had a moment to make a puzzled expression.

“Sorry, Master! There was something I couldn’t say for a moment!”

Alon could see Seolang walking out amicably with Karsem, unlike a moment ago.

And then.

“Ah, hello, Marquis Palatio. I have- committed a discourtesy… ha… hahaha.”

“…??”

Alon felt puzzled for a moment by Karsem’s suddenly overly docile attitude.

He could see it.

The subtle fear seeping into Karsem’s eyes.

“……”

Alon looked at Seolang.

Swaying-

Seolang was looking at him with an unbelievably silly smile.

…Alon felt a strange fear.

####

“…Did you come to Ashtalon to save Karsem?”

“Well, half and half?”

A moment later.

Alon could hear why Seolang had come here.

“I originally had something to do, but the king asked me to save him as well- But Master? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Seolang tilted his head curiously, and Alon answered.

“No, I just thought you were very obedient to the king.”

Of course, in this world, it is common sense to obey the king.

However, having seen something before, Alon couldn’t help but say that, and suddenly recalled the power Seolang had shown last night.

‘…Surely, with that level of power, it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t obey the king.’

At that moment, Alon looked at Seolang anew.

He was clearly aware that Seolang was strong.

Moreover, due to the recent display by Deus, it was also evident that the talents of the Five Great Sins were immense.

However, despite that, the power Seolang showed yesterday clearly surpassed the strength of Baba Yaga that he knew.

‘Of course, if we talk about surpassing, Deus is the same.’

As Alon recalled the moment when Deus had previously subdued Basiliora.

“I decided to accept something good!”

At Seolang’s ensuing answer, he snapped out of his thoughts and spoke.

“Really…?”

“Yes! Since I had something to do anyway, I accepted it!”

Looking at Seolang, who had a face full of the expression ‘Aren’t I nice!?’, Alon patted her head.

“Ugh-“

Seolang wagged her tail as if she was very pleased.

As he continued to pat her head, he heard a strange sound from beside him.

When he turned his gaze, there was Karsem, who had been frowning until a moment ago, with a look of astonishment.

A look as if he had encountered something that should never exist.

Wondering why he was like that, only for a moment.

“Then, is the task now finished?”

“Hmm- Right? Ah- By the way, why did the master come?”

Seolang, who seemed to be in a good mood, asked while purring.

“I came to stop Duke Komalon.”

“Duke Komalon?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, we part ways here-“

“I see, then let’s go together!”

Before Alon could finish his words, Seolang answered brightly.

“…Together?”

“Yes!”

“I hate to say this, but it will be quite dangerous there.”

“I know! That’s why I’m going?”

“…So?”

From noble mtl dot com

“Yes! Because I have to protect you, Master!”

“……”

“I’ll protect you, Master!”

Seollang, with her fists clenched tight and cheeks puffed out.

Her eyes, looking straight at him, as if she had no thought of practicality.

Alon felt a pang in his chest, an involuntary stirring.

‘…Is this why they say daughters are the best?’

He suddenly recalled his friend, who had married at twenty due to an unexpected pregnancy, passionately listing eighteen reasons why having a daughter was the best.

…Of course, his friend’s daughter was still too young to even start elementary school, but Alon felt he understood why his friend had said those things.

Just hearing Seollang’s words made his heart feel warm.

Alon found himself patting Seollang’s head with both hands.

“!”

Seollang, not understanding why, liked it even more and rubbed her head against his hands.

…His heart felt warm.

“……”

Of course, unlike Alon, who was feeling the warmth in his heart, Karseem’s expression was growing more and more twisted.

But that was only for a moment.

“But is it really okay?”

“Hmm? Which part are you talking about, Master?”

“…Shouldn’t we do what we originally planned first?”

When Alon gestured towards Karseem with his chin, the previously silent Karseem hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Well, I think so too. I think taking me to the colony first should be the priority.”

Though he had switched from formal to informal speech, the confident demeanor from earlier was nowhere to be seen, and Karseem seemed very timid.

Alon wondered what on earth Seollang had done to him.

“We can just stop by for a bit, right?”

“…No matter how you think about it, it’s dangerous there.”

“As long as we don’t die, it’s fine, right?”

“…That’s true, but still, that’s a bit-“

Karseem made a very uncomfortable expression.

Seeing this, Seollang turned her body slightly, with her back to Alon, and stared intently at Karseem-

“……Hmm-hmm, I understand. I shall do it.”

Karseim soon changed his words.

“It’s done, Master!”

……Once again, it was Seolang who made the impossible possible.

Anyway, about an hour later.

Alon set off with Seolang to the Merkilian Duke’s house, where the Duke of Komalan was said to be heading.

At the same time.

“Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“You were curious about what Seolang did when he turned his back on you earlier, weren’t you?”

“Indeed, but why?”

“I saw it.”

“……When?”

“I saw it just as he was moving in that direction.”

“So, what was it?”

“……He didn’t make any particularly scary face. He was whispering something?”

“What did he say?”

“……Honestly, I couldn’t see it well from a distance, but it was something like-”

Evan hesitated for a moment-

“……Has this b*stard forgotten my nature……?”

He said.

“……Seolang said that?”

“Uh- I might have seen it wrong since it was from a distance, but that was the general feeling.”

At those words, Alon had a blank expression.

……Honestly, he couldn’t believe it, but seeing Karseim’s reaction, it seemed plausible, so Alon couldn’t shake off the strange expression for a while.

####

Phillian Merkilian is an undeniable genius.

In Ashtalon, he was the youngest Swordmaster, and even at that young age, he was one of the top three strongest in Ashtalon.

Of course, he recently met Deus Makalian, an existence of a completely different level, but even so, Phillian Merkilian was not broken.

No, rather, using the memory of that devastating defeat as a stepping stone, Merkilian had been growing even faster over the past few months.

His talent made it possible.

But. Despite facing such an overwhelming presence, Phillian, who had never thought of giving up, was.

“……Ha.”

For the first time, learning the emotions of futility and surrender.

In front of him, turning his back on the territory, a gruesome scene unfolded.

What he saw were corpses.

Corpses with their upper bodies missing.

Corpses split in half.

Corpses that had been slashed all over.

Corpses with limbs dismembered, leaving only the torso.

Corpses. Corpses. Corpses.

No matter where he looked, all he could see were corpses.

Whether knights, soldiers, or wizards, all that lay before his eyes were just corpses.

And in front of those corpses.

A demonic realm unfolded.

A giant patchwork made of human skin, its entire body covered in human facial leather, gnawed on humans with grotesque teeth.

An insect with a massive carapace spread its enormous wings and massacred soldiers.

On one side, something in the form of a turtle, carrying a giant plant adorned with human arms and legs like a flower arrangement, absorbed red blood with its mouth.

In addition, unidentified outer gods, never seen in life.

Rained down incomprehensible deaths, taking the lives of all.

In a gray world where ominous and eerie red magic spread.

“…….”

Phillian involuntarily lowered his gaze.

What he saw was armor that had been utterly destroyed and a broken sword.

And an arm twisted at an unbelievable angle.

Phillian let out a low, hollow laugh once more and raised his gaze to look ahead.

“……This is truly a scam……”

At the end of his gaze, he saw Duke Komalon.

The only one among the outer gods of the demonic realm who retained a human form, watching this situation with indifference as if feeling no emotion.

……Presumably the one responsible for all this.

“`

■■■■■■■■■■-!

At the sound of the raging noise, Philian turned his gaze forward.

There, a turtle made of human limbs was approaching to take Philian’s life.

Thud-! Thud-!

Slowly, but surely.

All that came out was a hollow laugh.

At that moment.

“Brother! Run away!”

He suddenly looked up at the sound coming from the top of the castle wall.

There were soldiers guarding the wall.

Each one barely standing, terrified.

His brother, who had rushed out to stop the monster with him, had eyes filled with despair.

Yet.

Even so, his brother, Merkilian Gillan, spoke.

“Hurry! Run away! It’s possible now! We’ll try to buy some time, so if you move now, you can survive! Please! Hurry!”

At the desperate voice, Philian gave a faint smile with a blank expression.

Then he stood up.

His body didn’t move well.

Even so, he grabbed the broken sword with his left hand and stood up.

“Everyone- retreat!!!!!!!! Drop your weapons! Escape through the north gate!!!”

With all his might, he shouted.

“Brother-!!!!”

Gillan’s voice was heard once more, but Philian did not answer and ran forward.

A smart brother would understand his intentions better than anyone.

“Huff-!”

Philian squeezed out the remaining magic power and drew out his aura.

A pitifully weak aura, barely enough to scratch the monster’s skin.

But for now, it was enough.

As he started running forward, Philian looked at the monster with a grim smile on his lips.

The chance of winning is 0%.

“`

Philian was acutely aware of that fact.

But at this moment, probabilities didn’t matter to him.

From the beginning, his goal was not to defeat them,

but to buy just a few more seconds.

*Just a little… more-!*

Philian, showcasing unbelievable skill, sliced through the petals made of arms and legs that were shot at him.

Eventually, he severed the leg of the foreign god.

■■■■■■■■■■-!!!

The foreign god screamed.

For a while, he darted around the foreign god, inflicting wounds.

“!”

But the limit came faster than he expected.

He looked up, staring at his completely shattered sword and his legs that no longer moved.

His vision was filled with hundreds of arms and legs shooting towards him to claim his life.

It was an unmistakable death, clear to anyone who saw it.

Yet, even in that situation, Philian did not lose his smile.

He did not show despair.

He just laughed.

Because he believed he had done the right thing.

Because he believed he had not given up.

And so, at the moment he calmly accepted his death-

*Crack-!*

-A flash appeared.

“?”

Before he realized it, Philian was back in front of the wall he had leapt from earlier.

At the same time, he saw it.

■■■■■-!!!!

The red mist of blood rising from the body of the giant foreign god that had tried to attack him.

And also.

“`

Crackle-!

“Ah-“

The girl with golden hair fluttering in front of him.

The moment he realized that fact.

“Seol, Rang?”

Phillian, who unknowingly uttered a name, soon looked beside her.

There, along with Seol Rang, who was emitting a golden flash, stood a man.

From the gray coat draped over his body, black magic scattered in all directions as if sand was scattering, no-

-The Marquis of Palatio looked down at Phillian indifferently.

“Good job.”

Leaving behind a low remark, he walked forward.

■■■■■■-!!!

As if responding to that small step, the artificial spirits scattered everywhere sprang out.

But the Marquis still did not stop walking.

One step.

Another step.

He moved forward steadily.

And then.

“By the contract of Calgunius, I command.”

Phillian saw it clearly.

“Ally, manifest yourself.”

Kwaaa-!!!!

At the Marquis’s murmuring, a massive snake appeared, causing tremendous dust and noise.

■■■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only one here not artificially created, but possessing divinity through true faith.

Looking down on all the artificial spirits.

The descent of Basiliora, the receiver.