I Became the Patron of Villains

20. Somali Pirates (2)

“Just to be sure, what are the chances that the information is wrong?”

“It seems unlikely.”

Listening to Evan’s words, Alon thought.

‘…Why did Radan suddenly become a pirate?’

The reason he sent Radan to the port city of Raxas was not only because of his talent for ‘detection,’ but also because he was of the Sea God race.

A race that, according to the setting, barely exists on the continent.

Of course, they look similar to humans on the surface, so it’s usually hard to tell.

However, having played the game multiple times and delved into the settings, he knew that Radan was of the Sea God race, so he recommended the profession of treasure hunter to him.

Being of the Sea God race, he could breathe underwater, and with his talent for detection, he could easily make money by retrieving and selling the relics lying dormant in the sea.

Moreover, considering the nature of treasure hunting, once he found something valuable, he could live a comfortable life, so he gave Radan a gift specialized in detection.

But he became a pirate.

And not just any pirate, but the great pirate of the Seven Archipelagos.

“He’s become a bigger figure than the former Count of Palatio…”

“…Indeed.”

Evan was right.

The pirates of the Seven Archipelagos were practically lords with territories on each of the islands.

Not only that, but their combat power at sea was formidable enough to stand against any empire in any war, and the captains who ruled the archipelagos were superhumans, like sword masters or barbarians.

Moreover, according to the setting, the current captains ruling the archipelagos were much stronger than the previous generation.

As Alon thought this far, he suddenly felt a question arise.

‘…How did Radan kill that superhuman?’

It was a question because his talent was not in combat, but he soon came up with an answer.

‘If Radan had only picked the best relics from the old era, it makes sense.’

There were many relics from the old era lying dormant in the waters off Raxas, and among them were some incredibly powerful ones.

Alon himself had spent three days playing the treasure hunter mini-game to obtain relics from the waters off Raxas.

…Of course, after that, he got tired of the mini-game and never looked at it again, but the relics he obtained through such hard work were definitely worth the effort.

In other words, if he had used those relics to fight the captain and take his place, it made some sense.

“….”

Alon pressed his left hand against his eyes for a moment but soon regained his composure.

In fact, he had considered the possibility that such a situation might arise while expelling all other sins.

He knew well that the world was not so lenient as to move according to his thoughts.

But even so, the fact that his mouth tasted strangely bitter was true, and he let out a low sigh.

……It was summer.

Beyond the sea of the city of Laxus, a massive maritime city and the de facto heart of the Duchy of Corkia, there exist seven archipelagos.

Those seven islands, known to people as the Seven Archipelagos, were originally ruled by the first pirate, who is now called the Pirate King, ‘Caldean T. Braven.’

However, after Caldean died in vain due to heart disease, the Seven Archipelagos were divided into seven parts, each ruled separately, and this tradition continued.

That was the Seven Archipelagos, now known as the pirates’ paradise.

Among those Seven Archipelagos, the captain who ruled the largest island and had the nickname ‘Red Slayer’ due to receiving the blessing of the Heavenly King through ‘sacrifice,’ was Alcride Markney. He was killed, and the one who became the captain of the largest island was Radan.

“……”

He let out a low sigh as he looked down at the island.

The island he was looking down at was very well-formed for a pirate village.

Numerous houses on the ground and cliffs piled up in a circle around the massive island.

And the houses built on those cliffs made the place look like a huge fortress.

But what Radan had in mind was not the landscape of the island, but the ‘Great Moon.’

‘What is the Great Moon…… really?’

In fact, Radan had never deeply thought about the Great Moon until now.

It was not because he had deep-rooted loyalty to the Great Moon, but simply because he had no particular interest in it.

Of course, that did not mean he was ungrateful.

He understood his situation well.

Originally, if it were not for the Great Moon, he would have been dragged away by the slave traders who had captured him and subjected to biological experiments, ultimately leading to his death.

Moreover, if the Great Moon had not allowed him to meet Utia, he would not have been able to awaken his abilities and gain his current powers.

But even so, what Radan felt towards the Great Moon was only gratitude. Rather, he felt that he was following Utia’s orders rather than the Great Moon’s.

The phrase ‘everything is for the Great Moon’ was also just following Utia’s orders.

Therefore, when the first proper order came from the Great Moon, he felt a sense of rejection.

Like the previous wolf, he also felt that going to Laxus was a meaningless task.

Radan had too many targets for revenge.

He had to take revenge on the black ones who massacred his entire clan, who were living peacefully on an unknown island.

He also had to take revenge on the damned hunters who killed his parents and sold him into slavery when he had exhausted all his strength after barely escaping from the black ones and reaching the continent.

For him, the job of a treasure hunter meant nothing, and he thought that the gift from the Great Moon had nothing to do with the revenge he had originally promised.

Until he realized that the captains of the Seven Isles were the ones who killed his parents.

“……”

The reason Radan discovered this truth was incredibly simple.

It was because the current captains of the Seven Isles all used the power of the Sea God tribe.

It was known to the world that they received the blessing of the Heavenly King through ‘sacrifices’.

In reality, they used the power that could only be wielded by offering a part of their body for their family and receiving the power from the sea god ‘Clyard’ through a sacred ‘ritual’.

The moment he realized this fact, he ran madly to the center of Laxus Square.

When he saw the bounty poster of the Seven Isles, now so torn and tattered that it was no longer updated, he was completely convinced.

The current captains of the Seven Isles were the ones who killed his parents when he was young.

The fact that they gained power by using his parents’ bodies.

The moment he realized this, he felt anger, joy, and doubt all at once.

Even though he had never told his story while working under the Blue Moon after being rescued, it was as if the Great Moon had arranged everything from the beginning.

As if keeping a promise, it provided him with the opportunity for revenge.

However, just because the opportunity for revenge had come, it didn’t mean he could execute it immediately.

Objectively speaking, he couldn’t defeat the captains who used Clyard’s power.

He was strong, but not strong enough to defeat those who had reached the realm of superhumans.

Therefore, when he started contemplating, it didn’t take long for Radan to find the answer in the gift given by the Great Moon.

The gift, called the Amrita Goggles, had the effect of illuminating numerous relics buried in the sea.

After discovering that some specific relics were enough to make up for Radan’s lack of power compared to the captains of the Seven Isles,

Radan realized that all of this was intentional, and at the same time, he could understand the true intention of the Great Moon.

‘To take revenge and seize control of the Seven Isles.’

The moment he realized this, the Great Moon was no longer an existence that evoked small gratitude in Radan.

It not only presented him with what was promised but also gave him the power to take revenge, everything.

From the beginning to the end. All of it.

“Everything is for the Great Moon.”

Radan muttered unconsciously.

Those words were just a meaningless sentence to him before.

But now,

“Everything is for the Great Moon.”

It was no longer so.

The phrase was no longer a meaningless sentence to Radan.

Now.

The sentence that came from Radan’s mouth.

“……For the great moon.”

Only then did it become a symbol of trust.

About three months had passed since the news that the fifth had become a Somali pirate.

As the unbearably hot summer was ending and the forest began to turn red with autumn leaves, Alon boarded the carriage.

It was to attend the grand church meeting held every two years by the Duke of Rotegre.

‘I wish I could skip it.’

Of course, unlike his body moving in the carriage, Alon’s mind was filled with such thoughts.

The dark image of the Count of Palatio had long since faded due to inactivity, but the problem was that it had been replaced by ridicule.

Nevertheless, the reason he entrusted himself to the carriage was because all the nobles of Asteria were required to attend the grand church meeting held every two years.

A strange regulation that required participation once every two cycles, unless there was a very special reason.

Anyway, thanks to that, Alon was in a situation where he had to take the carriage to the grand church meeting and soon joined two other nobles.

This was originally planned because there were always crazy mercenaries or bandits who tried to mess with the nobles during the grand church meeting season, so they moved in a larger group from the beginning.

As nobles, they had many guards, so there was rarely any trouble even if a fight broke out, but the act of fighting itself was a waste of precious manpower, so they moved in a larger group from the start.

To make sure they couldn’t even be touched.

Through such mutual understanding, Alon naturally moved with the two families departing from the east, and that day passed without incident.

……The problem was that night.

“Count Palatio, isn’t it too much to have only one guard……? If you lack funds, I could help you a bit.”

“Oh dear…… It seems you inherited the position too hastily and your finances are in a bit of trouble.”

“…….”

Alon looked at the two nobles who had come all the way here to blatantly mock him with an incredulous expression.