Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 321 : Ryanga (3)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
After the encounter, Alon, Penia, and Evan pressed onward.
Their path ahead held no major challenges.
This stood in contrast to their early fears of battling hordes of mutants charging at them.
Since Ryanga—or rather, the white-masked girl—had appeared, no more mutants crossed their path.
To be exact—
Boom—!
—explosive sounds still echoed from spots beyond Alon's view.
“...Looks like she's handling them away from our sight now.”
“Got it.”
“If she'd started that way, it would've matched her goal of concealing her identity much better.”
“...You're right.”
“But why hide who she is? And—”
As Alon pondered, “How should I know?”, Evan gestured toward something.
“...If she's aiming to stay hidden, shouldn't she clear away the mutant bodies too?”
“Eh, does it really call for that much effort?”
Through the trees ahead, a massive mutant, house-sized, sprawled lifeless.
Witnessing this, Alon murmured softly.
In truth, hiding the remains or not made little difference—he had already figured out the masked girl was Ryanga.
Yet he couldn't grasp why she went to such lengths to mask her true self.
How much time passed as these thoughts occupied his mind during their trek?
Alon spotted the cliff ascent that Ryanga—the girl—had described.
“This has to be the spot.”
“Time to climb.”
The group headed for the cliff, and soon enough—
“Halt! Don't move another step!”
Out of nowhere, masked figures like Ryanga's emerged from the woods, barring their progress.
“...Who might you be?”
“No need for names! You can't proceed upward!”
“Oh?”
“If you're set on going, just the guy can pass!”
With painfully stiff delivery, they jabbed a finger directly at Alon.
A heavy hush fell over the group for an instant.
Perhaps they sensed the over-the-top nature of it themselves.
They shifted subtly, huddling to mutter among one another.
“Darn it, I said I hated this idea!”
“You lost the wager, fool!”
“How do we salvage this awkward air??”
“Ugh—are we done for?”
The woods stayed mostly silent, save for the mutants' distant cries.
Thus, no amount of hushed talk could escape Alon and Penia's ears.
Penia and Alon exchanged puzzled glances.
“Ah—screw it, send the guy up and keep the others down here. That's the plan, yeah?”
In the end, they appeared to settle on a course.
“Guy goes up! Everyone else remains below!”
They spun back abruptly and bellowed once more.
Alon toyed with the idea of inquiring about the situation.
But he quickly chose to go with their clumsy performance.
Even through the amateurish facade—
Behind those masks, their eyes gleamed with urgent resolve.
Those gazes begged silently, “Botch this, and we're toast. Play along, please~.”
That plea swayed him—
“...No helping it then. Please, proceed.”
“I'll stay put here as well.”
“Fine.”
“You, tag along.”
[Hmph, why me?]
“Quiet and follow~”
[?! Since when can you carry me?]
“Trained just to haul you when needed. Shocked?”
With Evan left holding Basiliora—
Alon earned quiet gratitude from the masked group and ascended the cliff solo.
Upon arriving at the summit—
The sun's descent was waning, revealing a girl poised midway up the slope, gazing at the stunning vista.
“Ryanga.”
Alon addressed her.
Her form, fixed on the fading light, pivoted smoothly toward him, locking eyes.
Then came an expression of feigned, clumsy astonishment.
“Uh—er, Chief? What brings you here?”
(I'm putting on an act right now.)
Her tone practically announced it.
Alon eyed the painfully stiff Ryanga, unsure how to respond at first.
“A girl who rescued me directed me here.”
“R-Really now?”
“Indeed.”
He replied with gentle composure, yet—
Ryanga fixed her gaze on Alon without a word.
“...Chief.”
“Yes?”
“When did you catch on?”
Regrettably, she had pierced his pretense.
Perhaps his own performance fell short as well…
With the charade dropped, Alon paused briefly.
“Right from the beginning?”
He confessed.
“Haah—”
Ryanga emitted an odd noise, clutched her head, and slumped to the ground.
“I figured I nailed it perfectly…”
“What are you saying…?”
“Was… it that off?”
“...Somewhat?”
A lot… nearly slipped out, but Alon held it back.
After some time moaning, Ryanga rose, cheeks burning with shame.
He observed her fidget uncomfortably for a bit.
She fumbled with her hair repeatedly, lips quivering as words failed her.
Taking in the scene, Alon opted to offer an apology upfront.
“Forgive my delay.”
“Eh? N-No, Chief, no need for that. I was merely waiting.”
“Even so, I kept you hanging.”
Ryanga met Alon's words with a stare, then pursed her lips a touch.
“...I waited ages, Chief.”
“I realize that.”
“A truly long wait.”
“My deepest apologies.”
“Seeing you act like you didn't recognize me hurt a lot at first.”
“That was—”
As Alon hadn't revisited the past, he genuinely lacked knowledge of Ryanga then.
When he faltered, Ryanga regarded him knowingly.
“I get it, you hadn't returned yet, huh?”
“Correct. Sorry for that.”
“Don't apologize, Chief. It's expected, isn't it? I just felt uneasy. Feared you might never regain those memories… But all's well now.”
A smile graced her as she went on.
“You've recalled everything, yes?”
“Yes, vividly.”
With that, Ryanga approached Alon and rested her head softly on his chest.
“Chief.”
“Yes.”
“I poured my heart into it.”
“…Yes, my thanks.”
“I honored our vow, guiding the people wisely and following my true convictions.”
“Grateful you upheld that too.”
For Alon, the pledge dated back under two years.
Yet for Ryanga, it covered nearly a century.
Thus, he phrased it accordingly.
Upon hearing this—
“Tch. I aimed for a far grander, flawless reunion.”
Ryanga grumbled, a hint of regret in her voice.
“Really?”
“Yep, I set up so much for it.”
Alon wondered, “What…?”
“Check that out.”
Following her pointing finger, Alon surveyed the landscape past the cliff.
The vista Ryanga revealed—
Even to Alon, no stranger to appreciating beauty, it struck as utterly breathtaking.
“Recall our village?”
“I do.”
“Remember me mentioning it? A spot of unmatched splendor back home.”
Alon gave a nod.
Back then, during their shared exploits, she'd often reminisce about her village.
Those tales frequently painted its landscapes.
“I longed to share that with you.”
“This… is the view from your village?”
“Yes, I shaped it myself.”
“You crafted it?”
For once, Alon's steady demeanor cracked into genuine astonishment.
Ryanga tilted her head curiously, then beamed with delight.
“Yes, it's nearly spot-on. That scene haunted my thoughts constantly, so the details stuck sharp.”
Her tone carried a subtle nudge for recognition of her toil.
“It demanded real effort, you know? The cliff was manageable, but the woods shift without steady care, drifting from my memories. I tended it nonstop.”
Her explanation prompted Alon to gaze anew at the panorama.
A sight so captivating no single term sufficed.
Alon stood mesmerized by the haven she'd preserved over centuries solely for him.
“…Words fail to convey my thanks.”
The sentiment escaped unbidden.
“Sincerely, thank you.”
He echoed it, compelled.
What felt brief to him—
Meant centuries of anticipation for Ryanga.
Seeing Alon's response—
Ryanga, sulking moments before, gradually brightened into a smile.
“That's reward enough.”
She declared.
“Welcome home, Chief.”
“Yes.”
Thus, their true reunion at last unfolded.
***
The black dragon pondered.
How had events spiraled this way?
Reflecting, the mess began at the outset.
With Marquis Palatio, dear to the host, vanishing—
As Seolrang's resolve faltered and the dragon sought to emerge.
That juncture had favored it.
Had the marquis stayed absent, or the tidings delayed by a day—
The dragon might have claimed Seolrang's form.
The snag arose when the marquis's return news hit just prior to manifestation.
Already committed to possession, the dragon had exposed itself.
Consequently, it bound to Seolrang, trapped without another host, landing in a bind.
Still, the dragon spied another shot at reversal.
Aid came from Greed, an unmanifested ally sin.
Seolrang wavered anew, doubting her guard over the marquis.
Moreover, she failed the Golden Mane Clan's essence trial, her power's core—
Deepening her doubt.
Exploiting the gap, the dragon grasped a fresh manifestation bid.
It believed success near.
‘Just share your strength briefly.’
‘No need to hand it over—lend it a second.’
‘I'll give it straight back.’
Until Seolrang's features lit with greedy hunger, like eyeing a feast.
The dragon, of course, extended the power.
An inevitable move and the prime strategy then.
Better to entice with potent allure than idle by.
The dragon brimmed with assurance.
Once she savored its might, addiction would follow.
Hence, it granted the power.
Never foreseeing the grave error.
“Black dragon! Borrowed your strength well today—here, reclaim it—”
Seolrang, essence in hand, eyed the dragon's shadowy lair with that famished look once more.
The dragon replied warily.
[You wish me… to retrieve it?]
“Sure. You promised to take it back, didn't you?”
[...Why not hold onto it?]
“Nah.”
[This back-and-forth tires me too…]
In truth, exchanging power posed no hassle.
But the dragon's reluctance stemmed elsewhere.
From Seolrang's demeanor.
She showed zero attachment to its power.
Put differently, she treated the dragon's force as mere tooling.
Seolrang repeatedly drew on it to conquer essence trials, then promptly returned it…!
This pattern, despite loans, merely exploited the dragon, slashing full emergence odds.
Aware, it sought to push back—
“Oh? Fine, I'll skip borrowing from here on.”
[Huh…?]
“No more loans.”
[Yet the essence trial demands it…]
“I reckon I can manage solo now. Appreciate the assists so far?”
Facing Seolrang's casual dismissal, devoid of longing—
[W-Wait—!]
“Yes?”
[I-I'll provide it again…]
“For real?”
The dragon found itself pleading.
Withholding power doomed manifestation hopes.
Thus—
[Y-Yes.]
“Thanks?”
As Seolrang's face sparkled with eagerness, the dragon squeezed its eyes shut tight.