Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 3
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Within the world of “Psychedelia,” the Palatio Count’s family is depicted as the quintessential minor villain clan. They exist purely as stepping stones for the protagonist to gain experience points before fading into obscurity.
In the context of the game, they are merely extras. Alon, however, possessed a significant amount of knowledge regarding the Count’s household because he had ground through their associated sub-quests repeatedly during his playthroughs.
The experience rewards offered by the sub-quests involving the Palatio family were remarkably high.
To put it simply, these individuals were nothing more than disposable pawns designed to strengthen the main character in the game.
That perspective only applied when viewing them through a screen. For Alon, who was now forced to navigate a reality where this game world had become his life, his perception of the Count’s family had shifted drastically.
The game lore briefly summarized the family as “narcotics traffickers and brothel operators under the Avalon organization,” but Alon was now witnessing the grim, fragmented truth with his own eyes.
Even at this very moment, the reality was unfolding right in front of him.
Alon shifted his focus slightly forward. Resting within a coffin before him was the remains of Tonio, who had recently met his end.
For a man who dominated the kingdom’s illicit drug trade, his passing was pathetically hollow and sudden. Naturally, Alon was well aware that Tonio’s death was no mere accidental tumble.
In fact, it would be more surprising if anyone in attendance was actually ignorant of the truth.
Alon glanced toward the side.
Standing beside him with a bowed head and a lingering smirk was Leo, the Count’s firstborn. He had been embroiled in a fierce succession struggle against Tonio to become the next head of the family.
Leo’s delight was so poorly suppressed that his expression was practically naked. It took no genius to realize that Tonio’s fatal fall was anything but an accident.
Despite the obvious foul play, not a single soul raised an objection against Leo. The knights, the household retainers, and even Aldimore—the current Count Palatio—remained silent regarding the eldest son’s actions.
A faint, cynical chuckle escaped Alon as he observed the Count. The man lacked so much dignity that he remained surrounded by concubines and drugs even during his own son's funeral rites.
Of course, Alon felt no urge to intervene or change the situation.
His own objectives were moving forward smoothly without much effort on his part; his primary concern remained the Five Great Sins.
Lost in these reflections, Alon watched the funeral proceedings reach their conclusion.
Just as the lid was being placed on Tonio’s coffin,
“Hmm…?”
A sudden curiosity struck Alon’s mind.
In the game’s version of the Palatio family arc, only Leo made an appearance, which made Tonio’s death easy to foresee.
However, the reason he was questioning the nature of Tonio's demise now stemmed from a specific comment Leo had made while being defeated by the protagonist.
Having finished the game multiple times and remembering how pathetic Leo looked at the end, Alon tilted his head in thought.
Nevertheless, he dismissed the thought with a quick shrug.
It wasn't a matter that required his deep concern at the moment.
A few days following the funeral, the Palatio household—which had been in chaos after the second son’s death—settled into an eerie state of peace.
The war for succession had reached its end.
While the Count had a third son, Alon, no one anticipated further internal strife.
It was common knowledge that unlike Tonio, who had built an underworld empire and sold drugs to challenge his older brother, Alon possessed no power or influence whatsoever.
Even Leo, who was notoriously paranoid about his position, ignored Alon entirely and showed him no interest.
Leo was far more occupied with absorbing the vast drug distribution network that Tonio had left behind.
As tranquility returned to the estate, Alon spent his time reading a missive from Yutia.
“Hmm.”
Their correspondence, which had lasted nearly a year, remained consistent and unremarkable.
Her letters mostly centered on the daily life of the orphanage. She detailed the growth of the children and included brief updates on Deus, whom Alon had placed in her care.
Reading a particular line in the letter, Alon smiled with a sense of accomplishment.
When he originally sent Deus to the facility, he warned Yutia that the boy was "difficult" and asked for special attention. Consequently, she always provided a short report on the child's progress.
He entertained the idea of visiting her for a moment but shook his head and returned to the text.
As he reached the bottom of the page, Alon suddenly called out.
“Evan.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“…Do orphanages typically receive substantial donations?”
“Well, generally speaking… they might get some, but I doubt it’s ever a significant amount.”
“As I suspected.”
Alon’s inquiry was prompted by a list of donors appended to the end of Yutia’s letter.
Strangely, for the past few months, another individual had started contributing to the orphanage Alon supported.
The letter only identified the donor as a merchant named Malano, leaving the exact figures unknown, but…
Though he looked confused for a second, Alon quickly pushed the thought aside.
He drafted a casual reply to Yutia, acknowledging her stories, and passed the letter to Evan.
“Will you be delivering this in person again?”
“No, didn't I just visit a few months ago?”
“It was three months ago, if I recall correctly.”
“And… what was your assessment then?”
“Regarding the orphanage, I reported that everything was functioning well. Deus, whom I escorted there, also seemed to have improved significantly.”
“Is that so?”
Alon gave a satisfied nod at Evan’s confirmation.
Once again, Alon reflected on how vital a proper environment is for a person's development before adding,
“There is no need for a personal trip this time. Just hire someone from the mercenary guild to drop it off.”
“As you wish.”
Evan nodded, but then a realization seemed to strike him before he could leave.
“Also… do you recall that matter you brought up previously?”
“Which matter?”
“The ancient book.”
“Have you located it?”
“I cannot be certain yet, but I have found a promising lead.”
“Explain.”
Following Alon’s order, Evan began to detail the intelligence he had gathered from the information guild.
And finally,
“I have found it.”
The hiding place of the third Sin had been uncovered.
***
Margot, a Viscount’s estate situated near a small village in the Asteria Kingdom’s eastern reaches, was famous for its exquisite glass craftsmanship.
However, that reputation was merely a facade. The true wealth of the Margot family was derived from the drug trade.
Specifically, an organization known as “Phalan” utilized Margot as their primary distribution center, ensuring the Viscount’s family received a massive cut of the profits.
By using Margot as their hub, Phalan had expanded into a formidable force of hundreds, boasting over ten expert-level combatants among their leadership.
Rauton, the head of Phalan and an expert mercenary himself, was convinced that his organization’s growth was unstoppable.
…Or so he believed until yesterday.
Rauton’s eyes were wide with terror as he scanned his surroundings.
The ground before him was littered with dozens of blood-soaked corpses.
“P-please! Don't kill me! Mercy!!”
“I beg of you, spare me!”
“Aaaaaargh!!”
Only a handful of his subordinates remained, shrieking in utter desperation.
Rauton watched them, his body trembling. Under normal circumstances, the sight of his elite men would have acted as a shield, providing him comfort.
Even if they were less skilled than him, their numbers alone should have offered security.
Instead, Rauton felt nothing but paralyzing horror as he looked at them.
“Uh… Gurgle…”
“P-please…”
The remaining survivors were all clutching their own swords in reverse grips, the sharp edges pressed firmly against their own throats.
“No! Stop! I don't want to die!”
“Aaaaahhh!”
“Make it stop! Please… I’m begging you!!”
Their faces were twisted with a frantic desire to live.
Yet, despite their mental resistance, their bodies moved with fluid precision, driving the blades into their own necks.
Schlack!
The final dozen members of the gang ended their own lives simultaneously.
Then,
“!”
Rauton felt his own limbs begin to move against his will.
“N-no…!”
His hand gripped his sword in a reverse fashion.
“P-please!”
No matter how much he fought to regain control, his hijacked body ignored him, doing nothing but shivering as it obeyed an unseen command.
In his final moments of life,
“…”
Rauton saw them.
Deep within the shadows of the lair, a pair of violet eyes were fixed solely on him.
The moment he locked eyes with them—
Shlunk!
Rauton drove his own blade deep into his throat.
Thud.
With the leader dead, Deus emerged from the darkness and walked forward in silence.
“You did well.”
Yutia, who had accompanied Deus, followed him out into the open air.
“Is there a purpose to slaughtering these people?”
Deus asked the question as they exited, as if he had been pondering it for a while.
Unlike the boy from a year ago, his eyes now shone with a clear, focused intelligence.
“Are you feeling pity for them?”
“No. I am aware they were murdering people to produce their drugs.”
“Then why ask?”
“I am simply wondering if their deaths bring us any closer to killing those bastards.”
Yutia met Deus’s question with a smile.
“Of course it does.”
Her reply was certain.
“We are simply clearing the path for his eventual return.”
Thud.
As she spoke, a glowing sigil began to manifest beneath her feet.
The magic circle depicted a massive eye with a crescent moon nestled inside.
“We wouldn't want him to return to a place filled with such filth, would we?”
“…I understand.”
Deus stared at the glowing pattern and nodded, seemingly satisfied with her logic. He offered no further words.
“Everything is according to his will.”
Whispering the mantra he had uttered a thousand times, the two completed the magic circle and vanished into the night.
Not a single living soul remained within the Phalan hideout.