Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 319 : Ryanga (1)

The northern territory of the Ashtalon Kingdom.

“...This is gruesome.”

“Truly.”

“What kind of madness occurred here?”

A violent bloodbath had left the woods unrecognizable, saturated with shredded remains and gore.

Three figures surveyed the carnage.

Palmaon the Dragon Lance.

Cheonnyeonbing the Barbarian.

The Hidden Swordsman of the Cliff.

Each man possessed devastating strength, recognized as three of the Seven Great Powers within the Allied Kingdom.

They looked upon the mangled debris of flesh and shook their heads in disbelief.

“Sss— I’m starting to wonder if we shouldn’t have taken this job. This might get annoying.”

Palmaon remarked, his hand tightening around a spear that reached twice his own stature.

“I agree.”

Clad in Eastern attire, the Hidden Swordsman gave a solemn nod.

“Didn’t both of you come here because you had something to gain?”

Following Cheonnyeonbing’s sharp observation, Palmaon and the Swordsman cleared their throats awkwardly.

“Well, that’s true.”

“If it weren’t for that strange stone…”

The Gwaemun Stone.

It was a cryptic artifact that even the intelligence guild failed to fully define; details regarding it were shared only with elite warriors under the highest secrecy.

Its function was comparable to an Abyssal Core.

Yet, the Gwaemun Stone was fundamentally distinct from Abyssal Cores.

Primarily, it caused no corruption of magical energy.

Depending on its Gwaemun of origin, the stone could even bestow unique secondary traits.

Essentially, it served as a tool to amplify power without risk—a stark contrast to Abyssal Cores, which only aided the weak and offered nothing to the truly powerful.

Conversely, the Gwaemun Stone provided a boost regardless of the user’s existing Cultivation or strength.

The first mention of it came from a legendary figure, and these three had convened at the request of King Shtalian V, who vowed to grant them the stone upon the completion of their mission.

“Didn’t expect Ashtalon to be secretly collecting Gwaemun Stones. Guess they already knew something.”

Palmaon’s musing drifted through the air for a moment.

“Well, as long as we get what we came for, let’s not waste time. Let’s take care of this quickly and move on.”

“Agreed. We can’t stay here forever.”

“They said it was just ahead?”

“Yes.”

Prompted by the Hidden Swordsman, Cheonnyeonbing and Palmaon nodded and advanced further into the woods.

As they moved deeper, the metallic scent of blood intensified, and the evidence of a massacre became more frequent.

Even their previously stoic faces began to tighten with a sense of dread.

It wasn't merely the stomach-turning scenery that bothered them.

They were veterans of countless horrors and wouldn't be easily rattled by gore alone.

What caused the three to tense was the bizarre energy permeating the atmosphere.

“This request... one Gwaemun Stone might not be nearly enough.”

“We’ll need to have a serious talk if we make it back.”

“No doubt about that…”

As they conversed and pushed forward, the three warriors eventually arrived at the epicenter of the energy.

And what they discovered—

—was a void.

No, they were unable to see anything at all.

Because the very instant they reached the source—

—their eyes were forced shut.

It was not a voluntary action.

“What the—”

Schlunk—

The next thing they registered was the cold sensation of a blade sliding through their hearts.

“Ghk—!”

“Urgh—!”

Speech was impossible.

They could not open their eyelids.

They could not stir.

They could not reach for their weapons.

They were utterly helpless.

The forms of Palmaon and the Swordsman hit the ground without a fight.

Two of the Seven Great Powers—extinguished in a heartbeat.

And then there was the last.

Cheonnyeonbing.

With steel buried in his chest, he was equally powerless. Just as his consciousness began to drift into the dark void, he caught a sound—

“I’m sorry—”

A voice.

“I’m sorry.”

The voice again.

“I didn’t want to do this either.”

It was so soft.

“But this is all for your sake.”

The voice continued.

“So please, die.”

Those were the final words Cheonnyeonbing heard in this life.

***

Alon stared at the divine force that had expanded to the size of a world—matching his own physical presence—and looked completely baffled.

Had his divinity truly grown this much?

Normally, that would be considered a blessing.

As Rine had explained, he had simply been storing divine power within the Divine Land, and he wasn't entirely sure of its specific properties.

However, ‘divinity’ by definition implied a massive surge in power.

Nevertheless, Alon was left speechless.

The scale of this growth had completely shattered his expectations.

“It’s like... the Primordial Elf’s level... No, maybe even more than that...?”

It wasn't as if Alon was a stranger to gathering divinity.

Even so, the energy of the Divine Land had already eclipsed that of the Primordial Elf.

Previously, Alon had ignored the emergence of these mysterious divine forces.

But this situation was different.

He had only intended to craft a few small things he thought might be practical...

Ever since wild rumors began to circulate and mercenaries started flooding in—

And especially now that they were enlisting vast numbers of soldiers and knights—his simple plan had spiraled out of control.

Yet, Alon had tried to maintain his perspective.

“Hmph…”

While he was lost in thought, Evan, standing nearby, spoke up.

“You’ve been wearing that look for a while. What’s the matter?”

“I think there’s too much divinity now.”

“Too much?”

“Doesn’t it seem strange?”

“Well... but isn’t that a good thing?”

“Is it?”

“Isn’t it actually great? Like you’re just sitting there and getting stronger anyway?”

Evan gestured with excitement, as if divinity were simply multiplying on its own.

Since the logic wasn't entirely flawed, Alon took a seat.

“Still, something’s definitely going on in the Divine Land. I should investigate.”

“Understood. I’ll check as soon as we reach the next village.”

Alon continued his trek toward the Ronovelli Jungle.

Approximately a week later, just before arriving at the jungle, they reached Castleut—the heart of the Duchy of Luxible, which lay directly on their path.

He hadn't returned since his last promise to visit.

But since meeting Ryanga was his main goal, Alon moved without delay.

After exiting the carriage and strolling through Castleut, a peculiar feeling washed over him.

It felt as though every citizen in the area was fixated on him.

Whenever Alon turned his gaze toward them, they would look away quickly—only to start whispering to one another immediately after.

It wasn't just his imagination; Alon realized they were clearly watching him.

Just as he began to wonder why—

“Oh my—! Good day to you, Marquis Palatio~!”

A fruit seller in the market square recognized Alon and hurried toward him.

Evan moved instinctively to intercept the man, but—

Alon signaled with a wave of his hand, clearing the way for the merchant to approach.

“Thank you so much~!”

The vendor offered a deep, respectful bow.

“......?”

Alon was stunned by the sudden show of gratitude.

But before he could process his confusion—

“Thank you so much, Marquis!”

“Thanks to you, my life has gotten so much better.”

“Thank you, Marquis!”

The local citizens began calling out, as if they had been waiting for the chance to speak.

“???”

Alon could only blink in bewilderment.

As the crowd gathered and began to applaud in unison—

“Marquis.”

“What is it.”

“Did you perhaps... do something again?”

“What do you mean by 'something'?”

“Well... you always seem to do things while I’m not around.”

“We’ve been together for months, haven’t we?”

“Then... what is all this?”

Evan pointed toward the street, which now looked like the scene of a grand parade.

And Alon—

“......I have no idea…”

Could only offer that honest reply.

***

Since the day a timid knight, aided by Sili Maccalian, managed to tap into the power of Kalannon, the mood within the Divine Land had shifted dramatically.

The knight himself, Rohan—the one Sili had helped—experienced the most profound transformation.

He still couldn't fully command Kalannon's strength.

Even when successful, it lasted only a moment, and the lightning he produced was quite feeble.

Yet, that was more than enough for him.

Kalannon’s power had gifted him something he hadn't felt in years: the sensation of progress.

He had never been gifted with the sword.

As the illegitimate son of a knightly house, he had pushed himself to the point of collapse in training.

Despite this, his natural talent only allowed him to be a mediocre knight.

To put it simply—

He was weak, stuck in a rut, and lacked confidence.

His lack of ability had robbed him of the pleasure of self-improvement.

That changed when he started serving Kalannon.

From that point on, Rohan found the meaning of growth again.

Kalannon seemed to ignore the limitations of his talent, providing strength that matched his devotion.

Though that power was still a mere flicker, it sufficed.

The knowledge that his hard work and faith weren't in vain—

That was the greatest reward he could ask for.

Furthermore—

Crackle!

“Wow—”

“I wonder when I’ll be able to do that...”

Before long, Rohan became a figure of respect among those who studied the scriptures to seek Kalannon’s favor.

“Please guide us, Sir Knight. How should we believe?”

“Is such intense devotion truly required?”

“Please, share any method at all...!”

Rohan looked at the group surrounding him.

The crowd consisted of low-ranking wandering knights and mercenaries.

Their eyes held clear admiration—and a hint of envy.

These were feelings he never would have experienced as a timid, ordinary knight.

This was why Rohan felt such profound gratitude toward Kalannon—

No, toward Marquis Palatio.

To the man who gave him the hope of improvement—

To the one who bestowed power upon him.

Without him, Rohan's life would have remained stagnant.

Because of this—

“Have faith, all of you. If you do, Lord Kalannon will surely answer your devotion.”

“Really?”

“Read the scriptures. Chapter 1, verse 15: ‘To the believer, power shall be given in proportion to belief; but to the faithless, nothing shall be gained.’”

Rohan’s devotion to Kalannon grew deeper than anyone else's.

At that moment—

“...Good, that’s great.”

“Hmm. Is it?”

Observing the scene, Sili nodded with a satisfied air.

“Yes. Just look at them.”

Following Sili’s lead, Deus turned his attention to the crowd.

Ever since Rohan began utilizing Kalannon’s energy, the atmosphere of the Divine Land had begun to truly evolve.

Knights and mercenaries desperate for strength were now reciting the scriptures and praying with intense passion.

With Sili’s secret assistance, a few others had even started to manifest small sparks of Kalannon’s power.

This only caused more people to obsess over the holy texts.

It reached the point where minor scuffles were breaking out over access to the writings.

“Everyone wants to read the Marquis’s scripture, right?”

“Is this the ‘time’ you were talking about?”

“That’s right. From now on, we’ll release the scripture little by little. Just enough to keep their hunger growing.”

“I see. Is there anything else we need to do?”

Deus inquired.

Sili answered—

“Of course. Now that we have a following, shouldn’t we commission new statues?”

“True.”

“And we’ll need to make a public declaration too.”

“...Declaration?”

“Yes.”

She gave a small smile.

“Because it makes no sense for a god to be ranked beneath a mere human.”

She tilted her head to the side playfully.

“I see—”

Deus nodded with conviction, fully understanding her intent.

And—

Kalannon, in his feline form, having heard the "reality" of the Divine Land from Alon, could only stare blankly at the two siblings as they shared a wicked, scheming grin.