Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 315 : Something Feels Off (2)

A little over a week had passed since Alon departed from his family estate to head toward the academy.

“Are you saying that the frequency of Strange Gates appearing has increased?”

“Indeed, and it has been triggering a variety of complications across the region lately.”

Evan grumbled under his breath, “It felt like the bandit situation was finally settling down, yet life refuses to give me a moment of peace.”

“I thought the bandits were nearly eradicated?” Alon inquired.

“That is technically true, but such pests have a habit of resurfacing endlessly. It isn’t a major concern near Lartania... but incidents persist in other territories. Regardless, the Strange Gates are definitely the primary headache these days.”

Hearing this, Alon fell into deep thought.

He scratched his head, realizing once more that roughly two years had passed since the onset of the original narrative.

Calling it the “original” story felt inaccurate now, given how drastically the path had shifted from the source material.

Nevertheless, the current timeline and major events seemed to align with the latter half of the original plot.

If his recollection was correct, the mid-to-late phases of Psychedelia were characterized by a world slowly descending into an apocalypse, fueled by a surge in sins and the manifestation of Strange Gates.

In the “original” version, the destruction remained catastrophic no matter how desperately Eliban struggled to suppress the sins.

This was logical, considering the massive mobilization of elite warriors and armies required to mitigate the damage.

Furthermore, the Outer Gods—

“...Huh?”

“Is something the matter?”

Alon’s internal monologue was interrupted by a confused sound he made. Penia, who had been occupied playing with Blackie nearby, looked up at him.

Alon shook his head dismissively and returned to his silent reflections.

In the game, the Outer Gods did not manifest in every scenario, but according to the lore he possessed, they were supposed to be referenced around this period.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“Has there been any recent talk regarding the Outer Gods?”

“Outer Gods? Hmm... I don’t believe there has been any news on that front for at least a year.”

“Is that so...?”

“What brought that on so suddenly?”

“It’s nothing important.”

Alon waved off Evan’s curiosity, though he tilted his head in thought.

Perhaps it was foolish to fret over it now, considering how far the world had strayed from the game’s script.

In the original game, the Outer Gods were sometimes not even direct threats; they were merely mentioned in reports stating that a specific region had been annihilated by one.

That was likely why the detail had slipped Alon’s mind.

Yet, a lingering sense of unease remained.

His mind naturally drifted toward the Strange Gates that became more prevalent in the story’s final acts.

A curiosity he had long ignored began to resurface.

During his time playing Psychedelia, he had dismissed them as a forced narrative trope designed to justify the game’s dungeon mechanics.

Now, however, he was detecting strange discrepancies.

“Strange Gates have no correlation with either the sins or the Outer Gods.”

The sins and the Outer Gods were clearly linked.

After all, the Outer Gods were remnants from the forgotten era of deities.

But the Strange Gates seemed entirely disconnected from “sin,” the central motif of Psychedelia.

At most, one could only point out that the way Strange Gates manifested resembled the arrival of sins.

Alon pondered this briefly before shaking the thought away.

Even in the game, there was no clarification on what happened to the Strange Gates once the sins were purged.

Despite being a dark fantasy, Psychedelia always provided a happy conclusion regardless of the player's path.

“Marquis, our destination is in sight.”

Evan’s voice broke through his meditation. Alon turned his gaze toward the window of the carriage.

The massive Mage Tower dominated the horizon, a breathtaking sight that never failed to impress, no matter how many times he viewed it.

The carriage slowed to a halt before the structure that seemed to pierce the heavens.

“Marquis, let’s go!”

Urged by Penia’s voice, Alon stepped out of the vehicle and walked toward the library where Heinkel was waiting.

A short while later—

[It has been some time.]

“It certainly has.”

Alon finally came face-to-face with Heinkel again.

***

Once the initial greetings were concluded—

“Um, Heinkel? May I ask you something?”

[What is on your mind?]

“Do you recall our last conversation? Regarding the magic formula?”

Heinkel paused to reflect for a moment before nodding.

[Hmm~ yes, I remember.]

“The Marquis and I have been analyzing that specific part for some time now~”

Penia immediately began explaining the results of the research she and Alon had conducted over the past month.

Heinkel listened in silence before providing a summary.

“Essentially, the computational speed falters after a spell array is activated. You wish to automate the process like a toggle—sending simultaneous commands to connected mana spheres. However, under the current parameters, it is unfeasible.”

“Well, for something extremely rudimentary, it might function. But the moment the calculations gain any complexity—or involve the specific phrases used by the Marquis—it fails completely.”

[Hmm~]

Heinkel hummed thoughtfully several times before speaking again.

[I believe I understand the cause of the failure.]

“Truly?”

[How long do you intend to stay?]

“Uh—”

Penia glanced at Alon, her sentence trailing off.

“A week or so should be acceptable,” Alon replied to her silent inquiry. Heinkel nodded in response.

[Then rest for a while and wait. I have a potential solution in mind.]

“I appreciate your assistance.”

[Think nothing of it. But—could you demonstrate your magic for me now?]

Recalling Penia’s request from a month prior, Alon nodded at Heinkel’s prompt.

“That is easy enough, but what exactly do you wish to see?”

[Hmm... perhaps something from your history? A spell that holds personal meaning?]

“Something from my past?”

[Yes.]

After a brief moment of deliberation, Alon began forming hand signs and chanting an incantation.

Moments later—

An Ice Crystal Thorn materialized and then dissipated in front of him.

Though he kept the demonstration small, the temperature in the library plummeted instantly, frosting the room.

Heinkel, however, ignored the frozen environment and stared intently at the Ice Crystal Thorn Alon had produced.

[If it is not too much trouble, could you perform that once more?]

Alon complied without hesitation, casting the Ice Crystal Thorn again.

Despite the localized target area, the drain on his mana was significant.

While two casts no longer left him completely empty, a third spell would certainly push him to his limit.

Alon looked toward Heinkel.

She appeared to be deep in thought, letting out a soft groan of concentration.

After a prolonged silence—

[...Just as I suspected.]

Heinkel whispered to herself abruptly.

[This may sound like an odd question, but—how much do you actually comprehend regarding the magic you employ?]

She then turned the question directly to Alon.

“Are you referring to the magic I use?”

[Correct. I am not asking about the mechanics of casting. I am asking about its specific history.]

Alon paused to think carefully at Heinkel’s inquiry.

In truth, while he was proficient with the incantation-based magic he wielded, there were many gaps in his knowledge.

He knew the hand signs and chants dated back to the Babiloyia era.

Beyond that, he only knew that contemporary magic was essentially a watered-down, inferior version of the original incantation-based systems.

He provided an answer based on what the dragonkin had explained during his initial visit to the Colony ruins. Heinkel nodded as she listened.

[I see, so you were aware of that much.]

“Which specific detail are you pointing to?”

[The degradation of magic. I assume the spell you just displayed was Ice Spear, was it not?]

Alon felt a flicker of surprise beneath his stoic mask.

Even though the Ice Crystal Thorn was the primordial form of Ice Spear, the visual differences between the two were immense.

“Yes, that is correct.”

To be honest, Alon would have remained ignorant of that fact if the dragonkin hadn't informed him.

He nodded truthfully, and Heinkel, appearing as though she expected that answer, nodded back.

[Then, were you also aware of this?]

“…Of what?”

[That the data regarding the original form of the magic you just cast is secretly hidden within the degraded versions we use today.]

She delivered this shocking revelation with casual ease.

***

At the boundary separating the Empire and the Allied Kingdom—a barren, empty wasteland.

Within a concealed bunker located in a crater-like depression between the two nations—

“The ‘Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One’ remains missing.”

“I see.”

Nangwon sat listening to the briefing.

“We offer our apologies.”

“...Is there a specific obstacle preventing its discovery?”

“Not precisely. It is simply that the ‘Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One’ has not appeared in any of our existing databases. We are forced to restart the search from zero.”

Nangwon nodded as the informant lowered his head.

“Understood. However, ensure that it is found as swiftly as possible.”

“We will exert every effort. Furthermore, I have an additional report.”

“Speak.”

“Yes. It concerns the matter of Divine Land you brought up previously.”

The informant spoke in a measured tone.

“Based on our intelligence, it appears Marquis Palatio intends to ascend to the heavens once more.”

“To ascend to the heavens once more?”

“Yes. Publicly, the narrative is simply that he was granted more land. But that is merely the cover story. Rumors are already circulating among the knights selected by the Marquis.”

“I understand—”

Nangwon murmured his realization. His sister, Nangyeon, who had been resting lazily in a nearby chair, suddenly sat upright.

“So, what is your plan?”

“If this truly represents Brother’s goals, then I will naturally do everything in my power to assist him.”

Nangwon answered without a moment's doubt, then turned back to the informant.

“You said rumors about Divine Land were spreading, correct?”

“Yes. Until recently, there were claims that simply entering Divine Land would grant access to the power of Kalannon… but the narrative has become muddied lately.”

“In what way?”

“Lately, individuals returning from Divine Land have been claiming those rumors were nothing but total fabrications.”

“Then initiate new rumors.”

“You mean…?”

“Spread the word that the power can indeed be accessed in Divine Land—that the claims are true.”

“Understood.”

“And circulate rumors regarding Brother as well.”

“…What sort of rumors?”

The informant asked with a hint of hesitation. Nangwon tapped his chair rhythmically before answering.

“They’ve been saying Brother was hunting bandits to clear the path to Divine Land, right?”

“Yes, that is the current talk.”

“Then start a rumor that every single action was part of his grand design.”

“Understood.”

“And once that takes root—”

Nangwon proceeded to give the informant a series of meticulous, step-by-step instructions.

Once the informant had finally departed—

“You’re certainly going to a lot of trouble, aren’t you?”

“Of course, sister. This concerns our brother. I would do anything for him. Honestly, we should have taken these steps a long time ago.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The people in this place have no concept of how truly magnificent our brother is.”

That was the problem—

“We must ensure they realize it. Everyone needs to comprehend his greatness.”

Nangwon spoke with absolute, unwavering seriousness.

At that same moment—

“Achoo!”

“Have you caught a cold?”

Because Heinkel had suddenly claimed she had an emergency and left before their talk ended, Alon was currently outside the library, snacking on roasted sweet potatoes.

“No, I don’t think it’s a cold… I just felt a very strange chill...”

He shuddered involuntarily as an inexplicable, mysterious cold sensation washed over him.