I Became the Patron of Villains

174. The Sin of Greed (3)

The monster that flew through the air.

The maw that bared its sharp teeth.

The creature’s body, dragging its intestines, rushed forward and turned pure white.

That wasn’t all.

All the monsters within the range of Alon’s magic turned white and oxidized.

Psssh-

They scattered.

It wasn’t flashy.

There wasn’t a deafening explosion.

It wasn’t tyrannical.

Nor was it overwhelming.

They just scattered.

Like a snowman slowly melting in the approaching spring.

All the monsters within Alon’s magic range also scattered, just like a handful of snowflakes.

Monsters.

Maws.

Creatures.

Even the tree that endlessly spewed them out.

And-

“Unbelie- vable-”

-The apostle, too.

Just as the laws of nature apply equally to all things in the world.

The magical space created by Alon also bestowed equal laws upon everyone.

Alon stared at her intently.

She looked at her body, slowly scattering into tiny pieces, as if she couldn’t understand the situation.

“Ugh-”

She tried to muster all her magic to freeze everything and resist Alon’s magic, in an attempt to escape this situation.

“`

However, regrettably, her magic froze the moment it was summoned.

“This power-”

Her trembling voice, filled with disbelief, abruptly ceased.

Crack-!

The last thing to be seen was the face of the apostle, frozen white, cracking and scattering.

In the vast cavity, nothing remained.

“…….”

Rine stared blankly at the back of Marquis Palatio.

The Marquis, with six ice arms, his coat adorned with ice crystals fluttering, forming seals.

The awe he evoked in the silence.

And then, Alon.

‘……I feel like I’m going to vomit.’

Feeling nauseous from the magic he had squeezed out to the limit, he finally released the seal.

Crackling-!

As soon as he released the seal, the six hands behind him turned into snowflakes and scattered, just like the monsters.

‘……It went as expected, fortunately.’

Alon recalled the apostle who had disappeared into white snowflakes with an expression of disbelief.

The reason he was able to defeat the apostle this time was due to two conditions.

One was that this space was small enough to be covered by Alon’s magic.

The other was that he had anticipated the apostle would be careless.

He knew from the beginning that the apostle’s goal was to push Rine to her mental limits and awaken her to sin.

‘This time, the drawbacks of the magic were well offset.’

The magic created with Fenia was incredibly strong.

The moment one was trapped within the expansion of magic linked by more than three seals.

To escape, one would need overwhelming magic or an absurd amount of brute force to sweep away Alon’s magic.

But that wasn’t all.

By forcibly twisting the molecular structure of the magic, increasing the elemental responsiveness of the magic within the confined space, Alon could implement the wave with even the smallest spell.

And he could choose the magic he wanted.

However, even such powerful magic had a clear drawback.

The prison of magic itself was extremely vulnerable to external shocks.

There is no way to escape from Alon’s magic, which is linked by six seals.

The expanded magic restricts the opponent’s physical power.

The hardened magic molecules, according to Alon’s seals, not only interfere with the trapped opponent’s magic but also hinder the very implementation of magic.

However, this only works internally. From the outside, Alon’s magic prison looks like a balloon.

In other words, the moment external magic is shot or physical force is applied to give an impact, the molecules maintaining Alon’s magic prison are disrupted, causing the prison to collapse.

‘…This also needs to be supplemented somehow soon.’

Both Alon and Fenia already knew the method.

Simply, it can be done by linking the seals without expanding the magic itself in the first place.

However, it was impossible for Alon at the moment.

This is because it is only possible to secure the range by using all the magic and expanding it.

Anyway, the size of this cavity was barely within Alon’s range, and since the apostle was careless, he was able to trap both the apostle and the monster, eliminating variables.

‘…Still, it’s excellent for the first time using it in actual combat.’

Alon was very satisfied inside that the magic he created for the first time was properly implemented.

Of course, it didn’t show on the outside, and he turned his indifferent gaze to Rine.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, I’m okay, godfather.”

She said so, but Rine’s complexion was not very good.

“Let’s go back for now.”

It was a voice with a faint worry.

####

Alon woke up Evan, who had collapsed, and left the place with Rine.

Evan, who had fainted and knew nothing of the situation, soon heard the circumstances from Rine.

“If you listen to that guy’s story, you die?”

“Yes. She reveals things that should not be heard.”

“…What do you mean?”

Unlike Evan, who tilted his head as if he didn’t understand at all, Alon immediately realized.

He had heard information about it and had a similar experience in Laxas.

‘…I never imagined there would be someone who uses knowledge itself as an attack.’

Alon looked at Rine.

Seeing Rine’s troubled expression, Alon hesitated for a moment.

‘……It seems like you knew about the Apostle.’

Earlier, Rine’s reaction and Alon’s inference both indicated that the Apostle was surely connected to Rine’s past.

“Rine.”

“……Yes, Father.”

Unlike usual, her response was a bit slow.

Alon stared intently at her face.

Her complexion had somewhat recovered.

However, a different emotion was faintly visible in her eyes.

A very subtle anxiety that was unconsciously revealed.

Catching this, Alon pondered for a moment and then made a decision.

“……You’ve worked hard, so rest when you return.”

He decided not to ask Rine about her past.

Of course, he was curious, but it was clear to see.

She didn’t particularly want to talk about her past.

Even so, if Alon asked, she would surely answer sincerely.

He didn’t want to make her bring up something she didn’t want to talk about.

“Thank you, Father.”

Rine bowed her head.

To others, it seemed like a thank you for worrying about her.

But Alon could easily tell.

She had realized Alon’s intention and was thanking him for his consideration.

“……? What’s going on without me all of a sudden?”

Evan, who hadn’t grasped the subtle atmosphere, looked back and forth between Alon and Rine with a puzzled expression.

Before long, as the sun was setting.

Alon, who had returned to Lartania, faced Deus, who had come back from the labyrinth.

“You came out sooner than I thought.”

“Yes, it was easy to find the way, so I quickly found what I wanted and came out.”

With a satisfied smile on his lips, Deus seemed to have obtained what he wanted.

“Did you get what you wanted too, Marquis?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded, fiddling with the Foot of the Past in his pocket.

In fact, he should have returned after finishing all the stories with Kylus.

Therefore, strictly speaking, it was correct to say that he had only obtained about half of what he wanted in the current situation.

Nevertheless, there was one reason why Alon could affirm that he had obtained what he wanted.

‘Now I can meet Kylus without going there.’

Alon recalled the words Kylus had said just before he left the mental world.

[Don’t worry, rookie. Even if you leave now, the moment I am connected here, you can call me back here by activating the medium. Then we can talk.]

A very short conversation.

Of course, to use the Foot of the Past again, he had to recharge his magic, but it wasn’t a big problem.

No matter how long it took, as long as there were no major issues, he could fully recharge his magic in about a month.

‘…But come to think of it, in Psychedelia, I could only use the Foot of the Past by going there. Why was that?’

Alon pondered this new question for a moment.

“Marquis.”

“Why?”

“You can look forward to it.”

Deus, with a slightly raised corner of his mouth, puffed out his chest a little confidently.

Like a child wanting praise.

“…I appreciate the gift, but don’t overdo it.”

“Understood.”

“So, have you finished your business in Lartania? Are we heading back now?”

“No, I have something to do in Laxas, so I plan to go there.”

Seeing Deus add that there seemed to be necessary materials there, Alon wondered for a moment if he had heard him.

At that moment.

[Hmm- refreshing.]

A familiar voice was heard after a long time.

When Alon lowered his gaze, Basilio, who had been quietly inside the ring until they returned to Lartania, was out.

[…Wow! What is this guy!]

Basilio was startled as soon as he saw Deus.

“What is this…?”

As Deus frowned and looked at the small snake, Alon explained.

“Vasiliora, do you remember what we talked about briefly when we came to Lartania together?”

Deus pondered for a moment and then struck his palm with his fist.

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“Indeed, it has shrunk, just as the Marquis said.”

Deus stared intently at Vasiliora, as if finding it interesting.

[What are you looking at!]

In contrast, Vasiliora flinched and revealed hostility in his eyes.

Contrasting attitudes.

A realization flashed through Alon’s mind as he observed this.

‘…Ah, that makes sense.’

Come to think of it, didn’t Deus help capture Vasiliora?

‘There might indeed be some resentment.’

Alon nodded, recalling that Vasiliora couldn’t say much to him because of Heinkel.

“Hmm-“

Deus looked at Vasiliora’s outburst without much reaction and then said,

“Seeing it so small, it’s cute.”

He let out a low laugh.

[What!? Who are you calling cute, you human!!!]

Vasiliora, seemingly irritated by the word “cute,” began to act even more frantically.

“…Cute?”

“Yes.”

“…That?”

It was an incomprehensible sentiment.

Even though he carried Vasiliora around every day, Alon had never felt any cuteness from it.

‘…Rather, the cute one is not Vasiliora, but Ah-‘

Come to think of it, even when Deus’s younger sister Silly admired Vasiliora, Deus had no reaction.

‘Tastes are a bit-‘

Only then did Alon realize,

“Yes, the insignificant thing is cute.”

[Kraaa!!]

“…I see.”

Deus’s aesthetic sense was strangely different.

####

And at that moment.

In the kingdom of the colony.

“……So, according to you, the Sage God might actually exist, is that what you’re saying?”

“Rather than ‘might actually exist,’ it would be more accurate to say that the Sage God truly exists.”

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Yes.”

As Carmaxes III listened to the scholar’s opinion.

‘……The Marquis of Palatio, really- a god?’

He was reaching a strange truth.