Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 353 : The Ball (2)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
The folks yelling, “I’m really good at basic calculations!”
If you look at it carefully, they were essentially proclaiming, “I’m really good at living like a slave!”
As Alon shoved past them and entered—
“Deputy Tower Master, do you know what this is? This is the renowned Mana-Sensing Herb—”
“Oh~”
“If it’s not too bold, may I offer it to you as a gift~?”
“Hmph, turning down a gift would be impolite, right?”
“Thank you so much............! I am Professor Penberil of the Green Tower.”
Penia was squeezing gifts out of the mages.
“Next.”
She cleared her throat dramatically, swelling with an air that fit her perfectly.
Penia snapped her fingers lightly while talking.
“So, what do you—eh.”
Upon seeing Alon, she hastily uncrossed her legs that were propped on the desk.
“Hehe, you’ve arrived, Marquis?”
“So that’s what they mean by opening your eyes all innocent-like.”
Evan clicked his tongue in astonishment.
“Shut up.”
Penia glared sharply at Evan, silencing him, then fidgeted with her hands as if pondering how to justify herself.
Her gaze flitted around.
“Th-this wasn’t me deliberately taking stuff........”
Her voice dropped to a murmur.
Alon gave a soft sigh.
“I’m not about to lose my temper, so just give me a quick rundown of what’s happening.”
“......!”
Penia’s face lit up right away and she nodded before launching into her explanation swiftly.
A brief moment passed.
Alon summed up the matter.
“So, you’re telling me all the calculation slots are taken, but there are still mages left who didn’t get in.”
“That’s correct.”
“And those overlooked mages wanted an extra chance to interview with me.”
“Precisely.”
“And you took advantage of those mages?”
“Shut up, will you.”
Evan butted in, but Penia gave him a stern glare to quiet him, then faced Alon with an aggrieved look.
“No, I didn’t do a thing! I was just here, and they kept offering me stuff!”
“Is that the case?”
“They wouldn’t stop—like, even after I said I didn’t want them, they pushed to leave them behind. What could I do............. And when someone pleads for you to take it, rejecting it would be rude as well. It was tough for me, you see.............”
Not bothering to conceal the heap of reagents and artifacts piled up behind her, Penia drooped her shoulders and let out a sigh.
Evan appeared irritated, but Alon remained quiet for some time before inquiring,
“Why did this mess happen to begin with?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, why are so many flocking to this research?”
He genuinely couldn’t grasp it.
They labeled it basic calculation, yet it was really just menial toil.
The nearest comparison from his previous life would be coding drudges.
Still, so many mages volunteering for such drudgery struck him as ridiculous.
Naturally, it appeared ludicrous to Alon.
Penia responded promptly.
“It’s likely due to the research findings.”
“Research findings?”
“Yes. Though the tasks are boring, joining lets you witness the results firsthand.”
Alon nodded, though his questions lingered.
He could see why mages were drawn to his magic and wanted to join.
However, even viewing his research outcomes, they couldn’t mimic Alon’s spells.
No matter how they pursued the study, there was little real benefit for them.
“But wouldn’t those findings be pointless for other mages?”
“Hmm~”
As Alon questioned further, Penia pondered briefly before replying,
“Why not talk to Lord Heinkel, Marquis?”
“Hm?”
“One of the topics Lord Heinkel wished to cover with you includes the reason for this.”
She brought up Heinkel.
With that, Alon nodded gradually.
“Alright.”
***
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
Shortly after, Alon encountered Heinkel.
“You’re more delayed than I thought.”
“Some matters detained me. Did I make you wait too long?”
“Not at all, there’s no rush anyway. It concerns magic. Sit down. This could go on for a bit.”
“......That extensive?”
Heinkel considered it.
“Well, it varies. Hmm.”
With that, she took a seat opposite him.
“What’s this regarding?”
“Hold on first.”
Heinkel started whispering incantations without delay.
In response, magical arrays unfurled throughout the library.
Even a quick tally showed dozens of them.
They ignited from Heinkel’s chants.
And as they blazed intensely—
“—!”
Alon noticed the surroundings had transformed.
Into a familiar sight.
“This location is.......”
It was the devastated realm.
The identical wasteland he encountered each time with Kylrus.
Standing there in a daze,
“No need to be too shocked. This is your inner realm.”
Turning at Heinkel’s voice, he found her there.
Unlike reality, she possessed a solid form.
“......Even so, for an inner realm, it’s awfully barren.”
Heinkel’s comment.
Alon questioned,
“Weren’t you incapable of casting magic?”
“Indeed.”
“Then how......?”
“Don’t hurry. I entered to clarify that very point. For now, take a seat.”
Guided by Heinkel’s motion, Alon spotted a desk and chairs that had materialized amid the desolation.
He settled at the desk and inquired,
“Why did you specifically access my inner realm?”
“Hm?”
“For a mere discussion, the library would suffice, no? This seems overkill even for privacy.”
In response, Heinkel gazed at Alon momentarily.
As if weighing whether to reveal it.
But just briefly.
“Well, here’s the thing—”
She paused and exhaled gently.
“Penia mentioned your curiosity about why mages are fixated on basic calculations?”
“Yes.”
“It’s straightforward. This study unveiled a fresh avenue for mages.”
“......Pardon?”
“More accurately, it’s a novel computation approach. Or better, a side effect from decoding magic. Curiously, it proves highly beneficial.”
“......What sort of thing?”
“I’ll detail it soon. It’s lengthier than expected. Simply put—it’s akin to inventing multiplication and division after only knowing addition and subtraction.”
Heinkel offered that overview, then shifted to the core issue.
“Fine, now to the actual topic.”
“Is there an issue with the magic studies?”
Alon asked, but she denied it with a shake.
“No, far from it. If anything, the interpretations are progressing remarkably swiftly. Before long, four second-tier spells will be completely unraveled.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
Heinkel hesitated.
She appeared to deliberate where to start.
Then gradually spoke.
“Truthfully, there’s no issue.”
“......What?”
“I merely encountered something slightly disturbing.”
“What exactly?”
She spoke in a hushed tone.
“Alon, recall what I mentioned earlier? That all current spells, once decoded, become True Mage spells?”
“How could I not?”
“And that first-to-eighth tier spells, after decoding, hold equal might—the variance lies in their effects, not their levels?”
“I recall that too.”
Alon replied without delay, prompting Heinkel to amend swiftly.
“Apologies, Alon. I erred.”
“......? Erred in what way?”
“Lately, I attempted to decode an eighth-tier spell.”
With aides now managing the monotonous second-tier chores, she had ventured to tackle the eighth-tier, curious about its impossibility.
Cautiously, Alon probed,
“So, what did you discover?”
“It took almost a month. Frankly, I learned little. Yet oddly, I grasped its core nature.”
Heinkel frowned while reminiscing.
“......That spell, by my assessment, was all-powerful.”
“All-powerful?”
“Naturally, without full decoding, I can’t confirm. But even Sparrow confirmed no one managed it, not in the lost era. Meaning, this eighth-tier spell—”
“—You’re implying it predates the Age of Forgotten Gods?”
“Exactly.”
Heinkel released a deep breath.
“Sparrow was stunned yet concurred. Some claim the terms and structures originated from an era even gods have forgotten.”
Alon nodded at her statement.
He’d caught wind of such tales.
“Then isn’t that positive?”
“For wielding such magic post-decoding, yes. But from a historical view, it’s ominous.”
“Why so?”
Alon felt momentary confusion.
Yet Heinkel pressed on.
“Consider it, Alon. This world has collapsed repeatedly, never enduring. Despite such all-powerful magic existing eons ago.”
“!”
A cold epiphany struck Alon.
***
A grim sky.
Earth knotted with myriad roots.
And inside a colossal, fractured temple erected on that terrain—
Two silhouettes lingered.
One, the Apostle of Wrath perched on the loftiest throne, cloaked in a dark hood.
The other—
“Heh. Shocked I’m still breathing?”
The Apostle of Jealousy scoffed, his tone laced with scorn.
A prolonged hush.
Breaking it first was—
“You endured.”
The Apostle of Wrath.
In a monotone, emotionless voice, Wrath declared.
The Apostle of Jealousy’s smirk broadened.
“Yes, I endured. I’d set up ample backups.”
“Even after I eradicated all your secret cell clusters, you had extras stashed?”
“Right. I concealed them in spots you’d never uncover.”
Wrath eyed his warped smile and replied evenly.
“So, did you show up to perish once more? Or for vengeance?”
“Naturally not. I’m aware—I can’t beat you.”
“Still, you approached?”
“Indeed. For I grasp your vulnerability.”
At that, Wrath lifted his hooded face toward Jealousy.
“Vulnerability?”
“Precisely. Your vulnerability.”
“My vulnerability—”
“Your actual self.”
Wrath fixed a icy stare on Jealousy’s loathsome grin and responded firmly, his voice rough as grinding metal.
“I don’t get it. How would that serve as my vulnerability, enough to halt me from slaying you?”
Yet despite Wrath’s poise, Jealousy grew even more triumphant.
“True. If your self was merely a demon who’s lingered too long, it wouldn’t count.”
His mouth twisted upward.
“But you possess a vulnerability, yes, Apostle of Wrath? Or perhaps—”
He stressed each syllable deliberately.
“Yutia Bloodia. That fits better, doesn’t it?”
A still quiet ensued.
Then—
The immobile Apostle of Wrath gradually drew back the hood.
Revealed was—
“Heh~”
Snowy white hair, and a voice like tinkling jade.
The Apostle of Wrath—
Or more aptly.
“I didn’t anticipate discovery.”
Yutia Bloodia offered a subtle smile and parted her lips.
“You’ve got me, right?”
Her scarlet eyes shimmered.
