Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 338 : This Wasn’t Part of the Plan (1)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
The following morning.
“Heading out already?”
“Indeed, I’ve wrapped up all that required my attention.”
“Haha, apologies once more for not being able to assist much this round, Brother.”
With a bashful smile, Radan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, yet Alon regarded him steadily with his typical impassive gaze.
“No need to view it like that. Without your involvement, we couldn’t have even launched into the confrontation. Your support was undeniable.”
“For real…?”
“Absolutely sincere.”
Sharing a bit more conversation with Radan, Alon then prepared to depart.
“Alright, time for me to be on my way.”
“Got it, Brother! Catch you next time!”
Radan offered his parting words to Alon.
For quite some time, he lingered, gazing at Alon’s retreating figure.
At last, once Alon vanished from sight—
In a flash, Radan erased his grin, settling into a composed, even demeanor.
“Hoo—”
He fixed his eyes on the void where Alon had stood, before heading back to his quarters and dragging a palm across his features.
A heavy exhale escaped him.
As memories of the clash with the Sin of Sloth resurfaced, Radan’s forehead creased.
To be truthful, during that skirmish, his contributions had been minimal.
Admittedly, the artifact from Brother had briefly conjured an enhanced duplicate of himself, aiding crucially toward the conclusion—
However, that didn’t stem from any innate skill of his own.
Had Alon handed it to Seolrang or Eliban, the result likely would’ve stayed the same.
All at once, thoughts of Seolrang entered Radan’s mind.
Though she once resembled him in her struggles, she had undergone a noticeable transformation since their last encounter.
Actually, it went beyond minor adjustment.
Indeed, her power had surged.
Surface signs might be subtle for now, but Radan sensed it vividly.
Her strength was building.
And he knew deep down—she’d continue to advance.
What about Radan, though?
He remained unchanged.
Not for lack of trying on Radan’s part.
Since Alon called him to Greynifra and they battled the Sin, he’d been relentlessly pushing to advance.
His training intensified beyond normal levels.
He hunted for additional relics and delved into their applications.
Yet despite his relentless efforts—
Radan’s power refused to grow.
Certainly, acquiring new relics and mastering them broadened his repertoire.
Still, that merely diversified his skills, failing to elevate his core strength.
That overwhelming frustration.
The dread of seeing allies progress while he stagnated.
It started to seep into his core like dark sludge.
[Hey—]
“Huh?”
In the deserted chamber, a voice echoed—strikingly akin to his own.
Tension gripped Radan’s features immediately.
Though just briefly.
[No need to stiffen up like that.]
Soon, Radan pinpointed the origin: an item tucked in his pocket.
He fished it out, revealing the culprit.
And—
“This item…”
The noise emanated from the azure jewel.
The exact azure jewel Alon had bestowed upon him post-battle with the Sin.
Radan examined the jewel closely.
Upon initially getting the azure jewel from Alon’s ‘future self’—
Radan had speculated it possessed unique abilities.
But his assumption proved false.
It was merely a luminous stone, nothing else.
Lacking any mystical properties.
Thus, puzzled by why his future self provided it, he’d kept it on him regardless.
[Eased up finally?]
“...You are…”
The voice resumed, stirring an odd discomfort in Radan.
It didn’t take much to identify the issue.
Actually, it was glaringly evident.
“Myself…?”
The gem’s voice mirrored his perfectly.
No— it was precisely his voice.
[Spot on.]
The azure jewel answered with lively tone.
[First off, don’t waste breath questioning the method. I won’t explain.]
“What?”
[Lacked time to implant complete awareness. I’ve got perhaps… five minutes to chat?]
Or likely shorter.
Muttering softly, the jewel pressed on swiftly.
[From this point, I’ll guide you on gaining power. You’re stalled, pondering how a seeming deadweight like you advances here— or perhaps fretting over lagging behind? That’s my guess anyway. Your circumstances might vary slightly—hard to confirm.]
Amid the jewel’s blend of mumble and outburst—
“Is true strength within my reach now?”
Radan inquired.
The azure jewel replied—
[Naturally.]
Accompanied by a bright chuckle,
[Provided you heed my directions precisely—]
And then.
[—resurrect the Sin and consume it.]
It murmured.
***
Upon separating from Radan, Alon promptly started saying goodbyes to the rest.
“Until our next meeting, Saint.”
“Indeed, Brother. Please drop by Rosario before long.”
“So the goddess Sironia called upon you?”
“Correct.”
“I see.”
After bidding Yuman farewell, Alon encountered—
“I’m tagging along too, Master!”
“...You as well?”
“Yep! Secured extended leave post-mission, so I thought I’d join for some enjoyment!”
It was Seolrang, her ears twitching eagerly, brimming with enthusiasm.
“No objections from me.”
“Great! I’m in!”
“Suit yourself.”
“Yay—!”
With Alon’s approval, Seolrang flung her arms out in delight.
She moved off to inform a couple of folks, and the instant she was gone—
[W-What madness is this!? What have you done!!]
[Meow—! MeowMeowMeowMeow—!!]
As though anticipating the chance, Basiliora and Blackie erupted from Alon’s ring and pouch in theatrical style.
[This is intolerable! Utterly intolerable! I battled fiercely in that grand fight and this is my reward!?]
[Meow! MeowMeowMeowMeow!!!!]
Blackie slammed its paws down repeatedly, seemingly agreeing, “Right! This won’t stand!”
A wry grin crossed Alon’s face.
“So they’re this riled up over bringing Seolrang along?”
He halted, reflecting on prior events.
All the antics Seolrang pulled on Basiliora and Blackie.
“Hm—”
Yes, it tracked.
But merely for an instant.
The moment Seolrang reappeared, the pair vanished seamlessly, retreating into Alon’s items without a trace.
Witnessing their hasty escape, Alon sighed in astonishment.
“Okay, off we go, Master!”
Seolrang grinned widely, latching onto his arm.
Alon nodded tranquilly.
“Let’s depart.”
“Right. Penia mentioned she’ll swing by the Blue Tower once more, so it’s just us heading out.”
Shortly, the carriage set off toward the Palatio Marquisate.
***
More than a week afterward.
“Zzz—”
Seolrang slumbered deeply, her head pillowed on Alon’s thigh, utterly serene.
As he softly caressed her locks, Alon got positive updates from Evan.
“You uncovered details on the Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One?”
“Affirmative, earlier today in the previous village—from the information guild.”
“Located its whereabouts?”
“Not quite. Though they mentioned finding a tome detailing it.”
“A volume with insights, then.”
Alon inclined his head gradually.
“Still, that’s progress over zilch.”
Far better than total ignorance regarding the Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One.
With mild contentment, Alon probed,
“Where can we retrieve the tome?”
“No concerns there. They’ll send it directly.”
“...Seems like aid keeps coming my way.”
“Hm~ yeah, sorta accurate.”
As Alon pondered compensating somehow, Evan added,
“Oh, one more thing to mention.”
“Go on?”
“Recall your request to monitor recent Empire movements?”
“Ah, yes…”
Though Empire invasion seemed improbable sans Ashtalon’s full ruin, Alon had tasked Evan with vigilance anyway.
“Any findings?”
“Nothing. Per the guild, the Empire stays dormant, no significant actions.”
“I see.”
“That’s right.”
“Good to hear.”
Relief washed over Alon as he exhaled.
Despite low odds of assault, the possibility lingered, nagging at him.
In the original storyline, Empire incursion hinged on a spy embedding in a vital kingdom role.
That infiltrator alerted the Empire during the Allied Kingdom’s vulnerability.
Even aware of this—
Alon refrained from hunting or neutralizing the spy ahead.
Simply put, the spy’s identity eluded him.
It stayed undisclosed unless hitting the Empire-victory conclusion.
Worse, the spy varied per route.
Thus, regardless of investigations via guild or otherwise—
Pinpointing them proved impossible.
Plus, without embodying Eliban here, those optional quests weren’t viable.
After some contemplation, Alon shelved the irresolvable concerns.
***
Alexion felt utterly drained.
And understandably so.
Overseeing the marquisate’s operations proved exhaustingly demanding.
Initially, the notion of such toil without fair pay had daunted him.
But presently?
All grievances had faded away.
Marquis Palatio’s compensation was excessively lavish.
Lavish enough to draw smiles on every payout day.
Nevertheless, despite the ample earnings, the workload’s volume overwhelmed him.
Amid another weary sigh, an idea surfaced.
He grasped well the marquis’s motive for seeking companionship.
Now that the matter landed with him, Alexion resolved to handle it somehow.
And suddenly it struck—
No overcomplication required.
The marquis instructed ignoring non-official correspondence, so Alexion had filtered out most amorous missives.
Yet the volume persisted substantially.
And logically.
Considering his employer was Marquis Palatio, after all.
Thus, inevitably—
He swiftly reviewed the roster of female correspondents.
Retrieving his writing supplies.
Unaware that a visitor neared...