I Became the Patron of Villains

Chapter 159

159. Why So Strong? (3)

The next stage of Simun is Gwaemun.

It refers to a state where the distortion of dimensions occurs more significantly than in Simun.

Gwaemun is divided into two types: external Gwaemun and internal Gwaemun, based on the ‘creation time’.

If the creation time is short, it is classified as ‘internal Gwaemun’.

If the creation time is long, it is classified as ‘external Gwaemun’.

And the degree of ‘overload’ also varies depending on the time difference.

When the creation time is short and it takes the form of an internal Gwaemun, monsters do not come out of the Gwaemun.

In other words, if you go inside and clear the Gwaemun, you can close it without any damage.

However, if the Gwaemun is left unattended for a certain period of time without being dealt with, an ‘overload’ phenomenon occurs where monsters pour out of the Gwaemun.

The ‘species’ or ‘monsters’ corresponding to each type of Gwaemun come out and regard all living creatures on this continent as enemies, slaughtering them until someone closes the Gwaemun.

‘…Come to think of it, this caused the downfall of a principality, and depending on the choice, Ashtalon also perished…’

Alon sighed softly as he recalled various pieces of information.

‘…Looking at it this way, the world of Psychedelia becomes a complete mess by the time the original story starts. The five great sins, the foreign gods, and the four major forces are all intricately intertwined.’

Of course, in the end, the most important thing was the five great sins.

‘They said that Simun and Gwaemun also occurred because of the five great sins… What kind of structure is this?’

Alon pondered for a moment, recalling the settings he had seen in the game, but shook his head.

He couldn’t guess what kind of relationship there was between Gwaemun and the five great sins.

‘Well, Eliban will take care of the Gwaemun anyway.’

Alon looked at the man in front of him.

He seemed very likable, constantly smiling and talking with his companions.

In other words, he really looked like the protagonist.

“Marquis? Do you have something to say…?”

“Ah.”

Eliban, who had turned his head towards Alon at some point, met his eyes.

Hmm, I guess I was staring too blatantly.

After a moment of contemplation, Alon decided to ask a question he had been curious about.

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about, may I ask?”

“Of course, if it’s the Marquess’s words.”

Elivan adjusted his posture.

Though he was slightly taken aback by the excessive reaction.

“There’s no need to go that far.”

“No, please speak comfortably.”

“Hmm-“

Such politeness, he thought briefly, and then began his serious question.

“I heard that you became a Selector, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It might be a bit funny to ask this, but what do you move for?”

In truth, this was Alon’s pure curiosity.

In Psychedelia, players become Selectors and then move autonomously to choose their stories.

Of course, there is the special mission given to Selectors, ‘Handle the Strange Phenomenon,’ and a minimal guideline, but most players do not follow it.

The guideline is sparse, and as time goes by, strange phenomena occur simultaneously in multiple places, so they have to choose and handle them.

That’s why Alon was curious.

What does Elivan move for, and what criteria does he use to choose his options?

“Hmm-“

Elivan pondered for a moment and then curled his lips.

“I move for ‘Him.'”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I believe I must move for Him. I have received His blessing.”

Alon nodded unconsciously.

‘It seems he moves according to the original purpose of the Selector… Though his high level of faith is a bit surprising, or maybe not?’

Of course, Elivan’s talent is already at an unbelievable level even without the blessing of Sironia.

But it is true that receiving Sironia’s blessing makes him even stronger, so Alon nodded obediently.

‘Should I take this opportunity to build connections with Elivan’s other companions as well?’

He then shifted his gaze to those standing by Elivan’s side.

The three companions following him were also exceptionally talented, to the point where they would later become famous in this world, so it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with future celebrities now.

The only problem was-

‘…Why is she looking at me with such wary eyes?’

-One of them, Yan, was looking at him with a strangely sharp gaze.

Of course, it wasn’t obvious, but Alon, who was already accustomed to receiving such looks every time he went to the ball, was bewildered.

He had never even had a proper conversation with her.

…It was a slowly heating early summer day.

####

The Holy Kingdom of Rosario, which worships the goddess Sironia, had been flowing smoothly without major incidents since the last foreign god incident.

However, that was only from an external perspective.

Currently, there were two unusual events happening within Rosario.

The first was the Pope’s seclusion.

The Pope of the Holy Kingdom had not shown himself at all since the appearance of the artificial foreign god.

In other words, he had not come out of the prayer room for over a year.

There had never been a case among the previous Popes where they had not come out of the prayer room for over a year, so the cardinals had gone to fetch the Pope several times, but unfortunately, they all failed.

It was physically impossible.

Since the appearance of the artificial foreign god, a golden barrier had been continuously set up around the prayer room where the Pope was.

As a result, no one could see the Pope after he entered the prayer room.

However, the second issue was even more problematic than the Pope’s absence.

The voice of the goddess Sironia had completely ceased to be heard since the time of the artificial foreign god.

“Phew-”

In the saint’s room.

Yuman sighed deeply as he looked at the statue of the goddess Sironia.

The statue, which always emitted a pure white light when he prayed, was now very quiet.

It had been like that for over a year.

‘Why on earth…?’

Anxiety and doubt filled Yuman’s face.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t guess the reason why he couldn’t reach the goddess Sironia.

‘…Did I commit an act of blasphemy against the goddess? No, I am properly wielding my divine power.’

Yuman looked at the golden divine power flowing from his fingertips.

Surely, his divine power had not disappeared.

No, it had only grown thicker over the past year.

Yet, despite that, the goddess Sironia remained silent to his words.

And that was not all.

The goddess did not respond to anyone, not just him.

Moreover, since the goddess fell silent, no one had been able to wield divine power anymore.

As if the goddess had withdrawn the blessings she bestowed upon her believers.

There had been times before when contact with the goddess was cut off for more than half a year, but never had there been a time when the number of priests did not increase like this.

‘……What could have happened to the goddess?’

Reiterating the concerns he had heard countless times, he left the saint’s room.

“Oh my, Saint. How are you?”

“……Cardinal Yutia.”

“Yes.”

He soon encountered Yutia.

Seeing her still wearing that inscrutable smile, Yuman asked.

“……So. Did you meet the chosen one well?”

“Yes.”

“Was he truly blessed by the goddess Sironia?”

“Of course. That’s why I acknowledged him, isn’t it?”

Yuman murmured slowly.

“……It’s a lie.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Even though it is a matter treated with utmost secrecy among the cardinals, you know, don’t you? Currently, no one can hear her words. Also, no one receives her blessings anymore.”

Despite Yuman’s logical point, the smile on Yutia’s lips did not waver.

She merely opened her eyes, which had been curved like a crescent moon, slightly.

“Well, Saint- Sironia might be taking special care of the chosen one. Just like you.”

“……You should know that it is impossible, given that the connection to the saint closest to the goddess has been severed.”

Yuman’s straightforward argument.

Yutia did not respond.

She merely continued to look at Yuman with her narrowed eyes-

“Let’s continue this conversation later. It’s about time for the meeting, isn’t it?”

“Are you avoiding the question?”

“Of course not, it’s just time to move.”

“……”

She walked past him.

“……”

Yuman watched Yutia with wary eyes for a while, then quietly followed her.

‘……Elivan, was it?’

Thinking of the chosen one Yutia had selected, whether real or fake.

####

About a week and a few days later.

Alon arrived at the strange gate near the Duke of Altia’s estate in northern Asteria.

‘The Duke of Altia asked me to stop by, so I should visit after dealing with the gate. And- I should use this too.’

After glancing at the ‘Oath of Lemiel’ he had obtained from his deal with Perion in Lartania, Alon turned his gaze to the entrance of the gate, which was turning purple.

‘It’s big.’

He had seen it in the game, but the entrance to the gate was larger than he had expected.

‘……Was it always this big?’

A bit puzzled, but,

“Let’s go in then.”

“Alright.”

Following Elivan, Alon began to walk inside the gate.

“Is it really okay to go in?”

Evan, with a somewhat uneasy expression.

Without hesitation, Alon continued forward.

Even the hesitant Evan soon closed his eyes tightly and pushed his body into the gate.

Soon.

“Wow-“

He let out a deep exclamation.

Because the scenery inside the gate was incredibly impressive.

‘……It is quite magnificent.’

Alon also gazed at the scenery within the strange gate, marveling behind his expressionless face.

The atmosphere was more alien and dreamlike than he had imagined.

The sky, a characteristic of the strange gate, was a shade of violet.

Below it, a violet fortress was built amidst the layered mountains.

‘Is this the Iron-Blood Fortress?’

At the moment the name of the strange gate crossed his mind.

Whoosh-!

Alon realized something had struck the ground not far away and looked towards it.

“What, what is that?”

“…Living Armors.”

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He confirmed the Living Armors, which had begun to charge in to annihilate the intruders, with their backs to the fortress.

There were at least hundreds of them.

‘In the game, they’re only around level 10, so at this point, you’re supposed to run straight into the fortress through a side path without fighting them, but-’

Alon smiled faintly to himself.

Knowing the Iron-Blood Fortress well, he had no need to flee.

‘If I just sweep away the ones here, there aren’t many Living Armors inside the fortress. Besides, Eliban and his party need to deal with these to grow.’

From Alon’s perspective, it was an opportunity to cast magic on the enemy without worrying about mana consumption, so he thought the current situation wasn’t bad and formed a seal.

To experiment with the byproducts he had researched over the past two months.

Creak-!

He saw the Living Armors starting to draw their bows in response to him, but he wasn’t anxious.

He already knew that Living Armors prioritized their targets and moved slowly.

Just as Alon was about to leisurely chant his spell-

Swoosh-!

Eliban suddenly dashed out.

At an incredibly fast speed.

And then.

“Hup-!”

Eliban, who had reached the front of the Living Armors drawing their bows, drew the sword at his waist without hesitation and slashed.

Crash-!!!