I Became the Patron of Villains

180. Life, Work…? (1)

Alon stared blankly at the dragon that had swallowed the ruined world.

Except for the red gleam in its eyes, it was a being whose entire body flickered like a shadow, similar to Kkamangi.

Soon, as soon as Kailas created the sun owner, it slowly scattered and disappeared.

“……Is that the Shadow Dragon?”

Alon muttered blankly.

“No. Strictly speaking, what I showed you was a fully grown Spirit Dragon. One that I had handled.”

Kailas’s voice, tinged with a hint of affection.

He soon shook his head as if to shake off his sentiment.

“Anyway, it’s twice that size.”

“……Twice?”

“The size of the Shadow Dragon when it is fully grown.”

“Twice the size of just now? Its size?”

It was an unbelievable sound.

It didn’t actually feel real.

Even the Spirit Dragon from a moment ago was overwhelming in size.

‘It was certainly enough to devour the entire world… and then some… and now it’s twice that?’

Alon unconsciously looked down.

[Squeak-]

For some reason, the little black creature looked up at him with a very proud expression.

This tiny thing was really that powerful.

“But, kid. Where did you get the egg of the Shadow Dragon, no, the Dragon?”

Alon, who had been in a daze, snapped back to reality at Kylus’s question and explained what had happened.

After a brief moment.

“I see, so that’s how it was.”

Kylus, who had been muttering as if something made sense, looked at Alon.

“You received the legacy I left behind.”

“…The legacy you left behind?”

Kylus nodded at Alon’s question.

“That is something I left for the last remaining mage.”

“…The last remaining mage?”

“Yes, well- it seems you received the legacy instead of him.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed Alon’s mind.

“The last mage you mentioned, could it be Duke Komalon?”

“…Duke Komalon? Sorry, but I don’t know that name.”

“Hmm…”

The question itself was wrong from the start.

“…I once met a half-mage.”

“…A half-mage?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure if he was really a half-mage. He just called himself that.”

“Tell me more, kid.”

After some hesitation, Alon explained everything from the moment he first met the artificial outsider.

Kylus, who had listened to the entire story in silence, uttered a name.

“…It seems the one you met was ‘Diad’.”

“…Diad?”

Kylus searched his memory.

“The pride of the sorcerer was higher than anyone else, but he was a guy who never received the true essence. And, he was also the disciple of my close friend.”

“……”

“He couldn’t follow the battles of the sorcerers. He was a guy who hadn’t even properly received the essence, let alone the techniques. So, he must have survived.”

A slightly subdued voice, perhaps recalling distant memories.

He muttered quietly.

“Is that so, he- has he been clinging to life until now? Just to follow the words his master uttered for mere consolation.”

“……The words that master said were ‘slaughter humans to prevent the black thing from rising,’ right?”

“He wouldn’t have wanted to do that. It must have been an unavoidable choice.”

“……An unavoidable choice?”

“Yes, in the end, the only thing a sorcerer who hadn’t even properly received power, a ‘half-baked’ one, could do to survive was just that much. Well, I’m the same.”

Kailas clicked his tongue after saying that.

For a fleeting moment, a strange mix of discomfort and pity flashed across his eyes.

At that sight, Alon recalled the previous scene.

The sight of Kailas slaughtering people indiscriminately.

How much silence had passed like that?

“Hey, kid, you asked me to teach you how to handle the dragon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, I’ll teach you.”

“Really?”

“But before that, let me ask about your purpose first.”

“……Purpose?”

“Yes.”

Kailas stared straight into Alon’s eyes.

“What do you intend to do after learning how to handle that shadow dragon?”

“I-“

“By the way, don’t bring up any idealistic theories in front of me, because that’s not what I want to hear.”

Alon thought in silence.

To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult to say something that would please Kailas, even if it wasn’t an idealistic story.

Based on the stories so far, he could roughly grasp what kind of ideology Kailas had.

However, Alon decided to reveal his true purpose as Kailas had asked, rather than giving the answer he wanted.

“For a peaceful life.”

“…For a peaceful life?”

“Yes, that’s all. I want to learn to eliminate all the threats that will come.”

A plain answer.

However.

“Not bad.”

Instead, Kylas nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Good, I’ll teach you the skills.”

“In addition, I made a contract with Lainisius.”

“…With Lainisius?”

Alon also shared the conversation he had with Lainisius.

“…Whether you like it or not, it was a situation where you had to tell.”

Kylas looked at Alon as if he were a curious creature.

“But can I ask you one thing?”

Alon suddenly had a question.

“What is it?”

“You said you lost everything and only your name remained, right? Then how do you use the skills of the Shadow Dragon?”

Kylas looked around as if it were obvious.

“The answer is simple, because this is the mental world.”

“…Because it’s the mental world?”

“Yes, here it’s not difficult to implement magic relying on my memory.”

Well, it’s just an empty shell anyway-

Kylas muttered bitterly.

“Anyway, it’s time to say goodbye.”

“…Goodbye? What do you mean?”

He stood up.

“Literally. The magic power is running out, so it’s time to part.”

“Was there a time limit?”

“There’s no time, so I’ll briefly tell you what you need to do before you come back,”

Kylas told Alon one by one what he had to do until they met again.

Immediately after.

“See you next time.”

Before Alon could say anything, a blinding white light enveloped him.

And then.

When Alon opened his eyes again, the familiar scenery-

“…?”

-did not come into view.

What he saw after the white light took away his vision was.

“!”

A black abyss.

####

Alon was bewildered.

The last time he used the Feet of the Past, he saw the scenery of the real world right after the white light flowed out.

So this time, the real world should have appeared after the white light as well.

But the sight in front of Alon’s eyes now was.

‘What is this…?’

An abyss.

Something he couldn’t fathom.

Something he didn’t know-

No, he did know.

Alon knew this place.

He had definitely seen it before.

This abyss.

The moment he realized that, Alon discovered a nebula at the edge of his vision.

And what was in front of him.

He realized it was an ‘eye’.

An eye like the deep sea he had seen in the mirror handed to him by the observer.

That imposing eye was slowly lifting its eyelid.

Thump thump thump thump thump thump-!!!!

His heart began to pound like crazy.

I haven’t made any impressions or evaluations yet.

But just by ‘perceiving’ it, my heart pounds as if it will burst.

My whole body trembles as if it will explode.

Alon, who was gasping for breath due to the uncontrollable throbbing,

soon met the perfectly opened eyes.

Eyes that contained a brilliant nebula, enormous pupils.

Mischievous yet beautiful.

Terrifying yet awe-inspiring.

The eyes of a creature.

And then.

[Now, you can see.]

From noble mtl dot com

It uttered a sentence of unknown meaning.

[Reach the roots, devourer-]

[Learn from there]

[The way to use power]

It commanded in a voice filled with noise.

[Close your eyes.]

Alon, who couldn’t resist the overwhelming force, closed and opened his eyes.

“Hah-!”

He exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Thump thump thump thump thump thump-!!!!

The blood flow pulsating as if racing down a highway.

Alon, clutching his aching heart, barely lifted his head, and then-

“Marquis?! Are you alright!?”

He realized that he had returned to where he was supposed to be.

Evan, who had rushed in at some point.

He answered with difficulty to the worried face.

“I’m, fine.”

“You don’t look fine at all!? Can’t you guess your current state…?”

But Evan urgently grabbed both of Alon’s shoulders.

“Blood is flowing from your eyes!!”

Only then did Alon sense something trickling down his cheek.

Slowly raising his hand to touch it, he found it smeared with bright red blood.

‘What on earth is this?’

Alon let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

The eyes he had witnessed.

Recalling that overwhelming presence.

####

The next day.

After finishing his business, Alon decided to leave the colony immediately.

Although he wanted to take a few days off and move leisurely, there were a few things that bothered him.

‘…Grainifra.’

Alon planned to start preparing to go to Grainifra as soon as he arrived at the Marquis’ house.

When he first heard the story from Siyan, he intended to move slowly.

There was no urgency, and he had personal thoughts to sort out.

But after the conversation with Kylas.

Realizing that there was much to gain by heading to Grainifra, he decided to act a bit earlier.

“Master, are you leaving now?”

“Yes.”

Now, even without Seolang’s request, Alon automatically pressed her ears gently.

Seolang, purring as if extremely pleased, shouted.

“Got it! See you in a month then!”

“…In a month?”

“Yes!”

Alon quickly reviewed his schedule in his head at the sudden promise.

“I don’t have any plans to visit the colony in a month, though?”

No matter how much he thought, there were no plans to visit the colony…

“I know! I’ll be the one going then!”

“…Seolang, you?”

“Yes! Master, it’s your birthday then!”

“Ah.”

Only then did Alon let out a low exclamation.

That’s right.

A month later was Alon’s birthday.

“Are you planning to give the gift yourself?”

“Yes! This gift can’t be given unless it’s handed over personally! You must accept it, Master!?”

“I look forward to it.”

Just the thought of giving the gift made Seolang’s tail wag excitedly.

Naturally, a fatherly smile formed inside.

‘…In that case, should I wait until after the birthday to make a move?’

While pondering the unexpected change of plans, Alon’s carriage left the colony.

At that moment.

“Finally, it’s done!”

“…Is this the gift from the eldest brother?”

“Yes, isn’t it magnificent?”

“…It is magnificent, but.”

Luna Blood Sail, the master of the second archipelago, barely swallowed the words, ‘Isn’t that a bit too much?’

In front of him, with shoulders proudly spread, was Hidan’s gift.

One by one, the birthday gifts for Alon were being completed.