Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 282 : Treatment (1)

Blinding streaks of light erupted from the azure fissures, surging toward the horde of monsters that blotted out the very sky.

A chorus of bone-chilling screeches echoed, raising goosebumps as a literal sea of blood began to unfold.

Alon stood there in a daze, mesmerized by the carnage.

He was far from the only one paralyzed by the sight.

Even Evan, who had been causing a ruckus just moments before, was silenced.

Even Penia, who had been solemnly preparing to chant her magic, froze.

Every single one of them was speechless, their eyes fixed on the crimson ocean before them.

And then—

-!!!

Accompanied by a subsequent, ear-splitting shriek—

Alon and his comrades instinctively shifted their attention.

That was when they saw it.

A monstrous entity was charging directly at Zaebo through the gore-stained waters.

The massive creature looked similar to the Sea God Radan had once captured, or perhaps Basiliora, but it was far from being in one piece.

Hundreds of weapons were already embedded in its thick, rugged scales.

The portion of its body that crested and dipped beneath the bloody waves was in such a gruesome state that it seemed a miracle the beast hadn't been torn into fragments.

Despite its condition, it continued its relentless charge toward Zaebo.

But suddenly—

Crack—! Bzzzzzt~!!

Just as the beast reached Zaebo, Alon witnessed it.

A giant object was ripping through the blue rift—

No.

“A sword?”

It was a colossal greatsword of overwhelming proportions.

A blade so magnificent it appeared capable of cleaving the blue heavens themselves manifested and was instantly swung.

Rumbleeeee~!!

The greatsword, which generated a titanic shockwave through its mere movement—

-!!!

—sliced the gargantuan monster perfectly in half, ending its life instantly.

With that final blow, the monsters that had been swarming Zaebo vanished entirely.

They were gone forever, swallowed by the red sea of blood.

“Whoa……”

Evan, still rooted to the spot, exhaled a breath of pure amazement.

“You okay, Brother?”

Alon, who had been blankly observing the entire spectacle, turned his head at the sound of a familiar voice.

Radan stood there, his serious expression replaced by a proud grin as he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m fine. Still... that was incredible.”

“Aw, it’s not that big a deal, brother.”

Alon scanned the horizon.

The waters that were once teeming with monsters had become completely tranquil.

It was a display of overwhelming force.

What was more, even after exerting such power, Radan showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

Alon felt a flash of admiration—but only for a second.

A worrying thought entered his mind.

If creatures like those appeared frequently on their trek to the east, there was no way they would survive the journey.

At that moment, Radan offered a casual fix.

“Just go as is?”

“Yes. We can butcher the remains of the ones we just sank, fix the parts on hooks, and drag them along with us.”

“Does that actually work?”

“Sea creatures are aggressive by nature, but they avoid anything stronger than themselves. Basically, if we collect enough of the corpses we just slaughtered—”

“Then we’ll be perceived as a threat that nothing will want to mess with?”

“Unless we encounter something even more powerful than those, yeah. So don't worry about it too much.”

“You really saved us.”

Alon felt a surge of pride in his chest as he watched Radan confidently thump his own chest, signaling that he could be trusted completely.

“Brother, go ahead and get some rest. I have some business to take care of.”

“Are you going to go retrieve the corpse parts?”

“Yep. And I need to gather something else, too.”

When Alon tilted his head in confusion, Radan answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“The artifacts.”

Alon remembered the artifacts they had fired at the monsters.

“…We have to get those back?”

“Right???”

“Is that even possible?”

“Retrieving them isn't hard at all. I’ve already registered them as unique artifacts, so I know exactly where every single one is. Anyway~ I’ll be back shortly, Brother!”

Radan gave a bright wave before plunging into the depths.

Alon watched him go with a strange expression.

Radan’s reasoning made sense.

Yet... something still felt slightly off.

While he was lost in thought, Penia’s voice rang out from beside him.

“Ahhhh—all my research materials are just... drifting out there! What if they get lost…!? It’ll be impossible to find them again…”

Penia stomped her feet in a state of genuine distress.

In reality, she seemed far more concerned about the artifacts than she was about Radan’s safety.

Observing this, Alon thought—

“Wait, why is she the one worrying?”

Those belong to Radan… right?

The questions continued to multiply.

A few hours later.

“Sorry I’m running a bit late!”

As the blue sky began to glow with the orange hues of sunset, Radan climbed back onto the deck.

He immediately set Zaebo back on its original course.

“Uh, if you don't mind, could I take a look at some of those artifacts?”

Penia approached Radan, her eyes hungry like a hyena that had spotted its next meal.

Radan blinked, looking a bit bewildered—

But then he turned to Alon’s request.

“Would it be possible?”

“Well—if it’s you asking, Brother… it’s really no trouble at all.”

Radan brandished a spear just like before, opening a small rift from which he extracted several artifacts.

“Wooooow—!”

Penia’s face lit up like a child’s as she began to inspect the items.

But then—

“?”

Her expression suddenly twisted into one of confusion.

Seeing her mood shift so abruptly, Alon inquired:

“What’s the matter?”

“Well… they are definitely artifacts. But something about them... feels like they’ve been altered by human hands?”

…

“Isn’t it normal for artifacts to be used by people?”

“I mean… yes, in a sense…”

Unable to find the right words, Penia tilted her head repeatedly before picking up one specific artifact to show Alon.

Alon took the sword from her, and after a brief inspection, let out a soft “ah.”

“It’s perfectly symmetrical.”

“Right?”

Under normal circumstances, there would be nothing strange about a symmetrical sword.

However, this particular artifact’s guard was never meant to be perfectly symmetrical, which gave it an eerie feel.

Then, as if pieces of a puzzle were clicking together, Alon glanced at Radan.

“Oh, I modified that one myself.”

“You modified it?”

“Yes, it was a bit uncomfortable to use.”

......

Penia gasped in sheer shock at Radan’s casual admission.

Alon, however, immediately understood the motivation behind the change.

Obsessive cleanliness.

Knowing Radan’s compulsive nature, Alon simply gave a nod of understanding.

“Well, I only shaved off the visible parts, so the performance hasn't been affected at all, Brother.”

Radan provided a short explanation.

Meanwhile, Penia’s eyes were glowing again as she happily tinkered with the artifacts on her own.

Watching her, a question suddenly surfaced in Alon’s mind.

“Penia.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Penia replied while clutching the artifacts Radan had given her tightly to her chest.

“Why are you so obsessed with researching artifacts and relics?”

This was something Alon had been genuinely curious about.

He was aware that most mages possessed some interest in such things.

But Penia’s level of obsession was… extreme.

“Uh… why do I like it?”

“Yes.”

“Wait—are you saying you actually don't know?”

“What?”

“The Blue Tower has always been the specialist in artifacts and relics.”

“…Seriously?”

Penia nodded vigorously.

“Wait, the Blue Tower specializes in artifacts and relics?”

“Yep. All mages study them a little, but… the ones truly fascinated by artifacts usually join our side. Most of the spells in our tower are actually based on the activation mechanisms of artifacts. Now, if you'll excuse me!”

Apparently unable to contain her excitement, she immediately bolted off.

As Alon watched her depart in silence, he suddenly felt the weight of someone’s gaze and turned around.

……

Radan was silently staring at the red brooch pinned to Alon’s chest—specifically, near the pocket.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, Brother.”

Startled by Alon’s voice, Radan pointed toward the brooch.

“Is that… a gift?”

“I received it from Yutia.”

At Alon’s answer, Radan let out a quiet sigh and averted his eyes.

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, not at all. It’s nothing.”

“Really?”

“In any case, you should get some rest for now, Brother. If another monster appears, the ship's alarm will sound automatically.”

Alon had already intended to rest.

The motion of the ship was making him feel more lethargic than usual.

“Alright, I’ll go lie down then.”

“Yup.”

Alon headed toward one of the ship's cabins along with Evan.

It wasn't long after—

The ship grew quiet as everyone retired to their rooms.

Left by himself, Radan scratched his head with a sheepish look on his face.

The reason was that red brooch on Alon’s chest.

……To be precise—

It was because he had instantly recognized the brooch's true function.

Just as he was about to mention it to Alon—

[Shh—]

He had seen Yutia Bloodia with her crimson eyes, silently watching him while holding a finger to her lips.

“She said she trusted him, said we didn’t need to watch over him that much…”

But now it appeared she was the one being the most overprotective.

Muttering that under his breath, Radan thought about the brooch once more.

It was an artifact that could share vision from any magically active location—anytime, anywhere.

But Radan, who had salvaged tens of thousands of artifacts and used many himself, could sense it instinctively.

That artifact definitely possessed an even deeper secret.

Radan pondered it for a moment.

However, he soon realized that further speculation was pointless and shook his head.

He knew very well that if Yutia intended to keep something hidden, she would never utter a single word, no matter how curious someone became.

Instead—

Radan, with great seriousness—

Spent his time debating whether Yutia’s behavior actually constituted a crime.

…Of course, even if it was, he lacked the power to interfere.

The night deepened under the starlit canopy.

***

Two weeks passed.

Just as Radan had predicted, while monsters continued to surface occasionally, no further battles broke out.

Because of this, Alon was able to reach the East without incident.

And at that very moment—

“What is it this time…”

King Stalian V received yet another missive.

This time—

It was a blue envelope sent from the temple of Kalannon.