Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 316 : Something Feels Off (3)

The following day arrived.

Alon was engaged in a conversation with Penia before his scheduled meeting with Heinkel, just as he had been the previous day.

“Marquis.”

“Evan, where have you been?”

“I paid a brief visit to the information guild.”

“An information guild exists in this place as well?”

“Not exactly, but a contact from there has been appearing quite often to provide updates. More importantly, I have a report to make.”

“What is it?”

“Reports indicate that numerous bizarre occurrences have been happening in Ashtalon lately.”

“In Ashtalon?”

“Yes.”

Evan proceeded to relay a specific detail.

“What kind of events are we talking about?”

“There are several, but the most striking is a phenomenon labeled ‘Berserk Transformation.’”

“Berserk Transformation?”

“Indeed, it appears that monsters have begun slaughtering one another.”

Alon tilted his head, looking unconvinced.

“Isn’t that a common occurrence anyway?”

Monsters typically possess low intelligence and lack the capacity for reason, often viewing anything outside their own species as a target.

In other words, unless they belong to a structured group like goblins or ogres, it is quite normal for them to hunt and consume each other.

However, Evan shook his head in disagreement.

“The point is that they aren't targeting other species. To put it another way—”

“Infighting?”

Evan did not deny Penia’s interruption as she joined the discussion.

Penia’s expression was one of genuine curiosity.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. Is there any truth to these rumors?”

“Since the data comes from the information guild, it ought to be trustworthy.”

“How peculiar. Monsters don't usually turn on their own kind.”

While Penia stood there puzzled, Evan added more detail.

“Regardless, because of this, the woods near Shtalian are reportedly perpetually stained in crimson now.”

“Is that a figure of speech?”

“No. It is literally red, apparently. That is precisely why it is being called a phenomenon.”

As the report concluded with the observation that "they seem to be murdering every living soul in sight," Alon fell into deep thought.

No.

Throughout all the events he had witnessed within Psychedelia, there was nothing that mirrored this situation.

At least, nothing within his knowledge.

He was lost in a daze, trying to recall the history of Ashtalon, when—

“Marquis, perhaps you should save these thoughts for later. You have an appointment to keep.”

“You’re right.”

Nodding at Evan’s reminder, Alon pushed aside his messy thoughts and stood up to meet Heinkel.

[I’m not going.]

The voice of Basiliora, who had remained as silent as a corpse inside the ring yesterday, drifted from beneath the bedsheets.

Ignoring the spirit, Alon made his way to the library.

[You’ve arrived.]

“Did everything conclude smoothly?”

[More or less.]

Heinkel gave a nod while observing Alon.

However, her eyes didn't quite meet his directly.

It was almost as if she was focusing on a point slightly above his head.

[At any rate, I intended to pick up where we left off yesterday.]

“You mean the discussion about how degraded magic contains embedded information?”

Alon replied, focusing his mind.

[Exactly. So—how much do you actually understand about it?]

“Like I said yesterday, only that Ice Spear is a degraded version of Ice Spear.”

[And you know nothing further?]

“I don't.”

Upon hearing this, Heinkel paused for a moment before speaking again.

[First, let me clarify—you are acquainted with Tiered Magic, correct?]

Tiered Magic.

Alon hadn’t given it much thought previously, as he relied on incantations and familiars for his spellcasting.

However, in the world of Psychedelia, excluding the Origin spells found at the 8th Tier and above, every magic tier consisted of specific, standardized spells.

This framework was known as Tiered Magic.

“Yes, I know of it.”

As Alon gave a nod of confirmation, she spoke plainly.

[Well, every Tiered Magic spell you are familiar with is a degraded version.]

A brief silence followed as he attempted to digest the weight of her claim.

“The entirety of Tiered Magic… is degraded?”

[That's a bit of a simplification. To be more accurate, rather than being mere degradations… Tiered Magic itself functions as a system for information transmission.]

“...Information transmission?”

[Precisely.]

Alon asked immediately,

“How did you discover that?”

[Hmm~]

She seemed to weigh her response before slowly speaking.

[I always had a suspicion that Tiered Magic wasn’t just normal sorcery. I simply couldn't figure out the intent behind it.]

“...Intent?”

[Hmm—how can I put this?]

Seeing Alon’s lack of comprehension, Heinkel let out a soft “ah” and then—

Fwoosh—

She manifested an Ice Spear in the air before her.

[You are capable of creating an Ice Spear, right?]

“Yes.”

[Then this explanation will be simple.]

Heinkel cleared her throat and began her formal lecture.

[As you are aware, a spell is constructed from the volume of mana, its internal structure, and its specific arrangement. If you simply tweak that arrangement slightly—]

With a sharp crackling noise, the form of the Ice Spear coiled into a spiral shape.

[It ends up looking like this.]

“This is…”

[It resembles the Ice Spear variant used by the Blue Tower, doesn't it? Now, if you alter the mana structure instead of the arrangement—]

The Ice Spear in front of him warped into a grotesque shape, rapidly transforming into a jagged, lethal orb.

[—It becomes this. Do you recognize what this looks like?]

“It looks like the magic typically employed by the mages of the Red Tower.”

When Penia provided the answer this time, Heinkel nodded and continued to shift the Ice Spear into various configurations.

At times it stretched far beyond a standard spear's length.

At others, it took the form of a massive broadsword instead of a projectile.

After displaying these variations, Heinkel questioned him,

[So, what conclusion did you draw from what I just showed you?]

“...That every tower possesses its own unique traits?”

[Exactly. The five towers, categorized by color, each apply a small tweak to tiered magic to establish their own signature styles.]

Muttering that this was the primary reason the towers were color-coded to begin with, Heinkel then raised her voice for emphasis.

[But the point I truly want to highlight is the idea of 'freedom of control.']

“Freedom?”

[Yes. As you likely know, most magic developed by mages—with the exception of tiered magic—has a locked mana volume, structure, and arrangement. That includes Origin spells.]

“Adding more mana doesn’t necessarily result in a more powerful spell.”

[And if you tamper with the arrangement like we did with tiered magic, the spell usually fails to manifest or simply detonates. But tiered magic is different.]

As Heinkel spoke, she continued to twist and reshape the Ice Spear with ease.

[Even with drastic changes to the arrangement, it never fails.

You can even modify the structure or the amount of mana however you see fit.]

“Isn’t that just a sign of exceptionally well-designed magic?”

[I don’t believe so.]

“Why is that?”

Instead of answering verbally, Heinkel dispersed mana before her eyes.

In an instant, the mana coalesced into an Ice Spear, leaving both Alon and Penia stunned.

It wasn't because the Ice Spear itself was special.

The reason for their shock was—

[Do you see?]

“You mean... you could manifest it that simply?”

[Precisely.]

The sheer efficiency of the process was what startled them.

To produce an Ice Spear—or to cast any tiered magic—one normally had to navigate three distinct phases regardless of the arrangement.

But the Ice Spear Heinkel had just conjured appeared instantly, bypassing those requirements entirely.

Any mage would have been floled by such a sight.

[Just to be clear, I’m not doing this because I’m some sort of genius. This is still tiered magic.]

“This is?”

[Hard to believe, isn't it? But it is the truth. I simply stripped away all the redundant steps in the casting sequence.]

Heinkel went on with her explanation.

[In other words, whoever created tiered magic must have known that these spells could be cast without such convoluted procedures.]

“Are you suggesting they intentionally left a trail of information for future generations to find?”

[Exactly.]

Heinkel confessed that she had only recently begun to view the casting steps as “information,” thanks to Penia’s insights.

[Regardless, this is excellent news for you. While we cannot utilize the magic you use, by analyzing tiered magic—]

“...I can learn new spells.”

[That is exactly right.]

She agreed enthusiastically, as if she had been waiting for him to reach that conclusion.

[Would you care to try some experimentation?]

“Experimentation?”

[Yes. Truthfully, we have already dissected and analyzed 1st Tier spells like Light. What do you think?]

“If you are willing to teach me, I will give it a try.”

A new phase of research had commenced.

***

On the fringes of the desert city, Colony.

Deep within a cave beneath a vast, desolate sea of sand—

“Huff... huff...”

Seolrang panted heavily before collapsing onto the cold, dark ground.

A gauntlet lay positioned in front of her.

Gazing at it with a look of exhaustion, Seolrang appeared somewhat defeated.

“Why is this not working...?”

Muttering with a mix of frustration and annoyance, she had spent months attempting to pass the subsequent trial presented by the Essence.

Yet, thus far, every attempt had ended in failure.

A sense of urgency began to flicker in her eyes.

Like a recurring nightmare, a memory played in her mind:

A vast forest consumed by an inferno, and the silhouette of Sin walking calmly through the flames.

And herself—rendered helpless by a single strike, unable to offer any resistance.

“...No.”

As the memory hit her, Seolrang shook her head aggressively.

She could never protect her master at this level.

With her expression now clouded by desperation, she stared intently at the Essence of the Goldenmane Tribe.

[Do you require power?]

A voice reached her.

It was a faint whisper, barely more than a breath against her ear.

“...!”

And yet, it was perfectly audible.

Instinctively, Seolrang turned toward the source of the sound.

There, in the shadows of the cave—

[If power is what you seek, I shall provide it.]

A black dragon stared back at her from the darkness of the abyss.

[Well? Do you want it?]

The dark presence spoke with a tempting tone.

Seolrang’s eyes wavered for a moment.

Sensing her hesitation as an opening, the dark entity—the void itself—spoke once more.

[Accept me, and I will bestow power upon you. Power that does not require these trivial tests—!]

Just as it touched upon exactly what Seolrang desired—

“...Huh?”

While still looking at the dark figure with trembling eyes, Seolrang suddenly let out a quiet sigh as if a memory had surfaced—

and she smiled.

[?]

The black dragon appeared momentarily bewildered.

“Then lend me some of that power.”

[Excellent, you have made the right choice! Accept me and I shall grant you limitless—]

But Seolrang interrupted casually.

“No, not like that. Just let me borrow some power for a moment.”

[......?]

“I’ll return it as soon as I’m finished using it.”

[......??]

The dragon fell into a stunned silence, looking completely baffled.

Meanwhile, Seolrang licked her lips as she turned her focus back to the Essence of the Goldenmane Tribe.