Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 338 : This Wasn’t Part of the Plan (1)

The following morning.

"Are you heading out already?"

"Yeah, I've wrapped up all the matters I came for."

"Haha, once more, I'm truly sorry for not being able to assist you properly this round, Brother."

Radan rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile, yet Alon just regarded him with his typical emotionless gaze.

"Don't say that. Without your involvement, we couldn't have even launched the confrontation. Your role was undoubtedly valuable."

"For real...?"

"Absolutely."

Following a bit more conversation with Radan, Alon prepared to depart.

"Alright, time for me to set off."

"Got it, Brother! Catch you next time!"

Radan offered his last goodbye to Alon.

He remained standing, gazing at Alon's retreating figure for quite some time.

At last, once Alon vanished from sight—

Radan's grin faded away immediately, his features settling into a composed, impassive look.

"Hoo—"

He fixed his eyes on the vacant area 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 flooded back, Radan knitted his eyebrows.

Truth be told, during that fight, his contributions had been minimal.

The artifact from Brother had indeed called forth a mightier iteration of himself briefly, aiding 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 have stayed the same.

All at once, thoughts of Seolrang entered Radan's mind.

Though she once resembled him in many ways, her transformation since their prior encounter was evident.

Actually, it went beyond mere adjustment.

Indeed, her power had surged.

The shift might not show outwardly just yet, but Radan sensed it distinctly.

Her strength was building.

And he knew deep down—her ascent would continue.

What about Radan, though?

He hadn't budged an inch.

Not for lack of trying on Radan's part.

Ever since Alon called him to Greynifra and they battled the Sin, he'd pushed himself relentlessly to advance.

His training sessions grew more intense than before.

He hunted down additional relics and delved into their applications.

Yet despite his tireless labor—

Radan's power refused to climb.

Certainly, acquiring new relics and mastering them broadened his skill set.

But such gains merely diversified his toolkit, failing to elevate his core strength.

That overwhelming frustration.

The dread of seeing his allies progress as he lingered motionless.

It started to seep into his core like dark sludge.

[Hey—]

"Huh?"

In the deserted chamber, a voice echoed—one eerily akin to his.

Tension gripped Radan's expression right away.

Though it lasted only briefly.

[Relax, no reason to stiffen up like that.]

Soon, Radan pinpointed the origin: an object nestled 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 the Sin's defeat.

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 amounted to a mere luminous stone, nothing else.

No arcane energies dwelled within.

Thus, puzzled by his future self's intent, he'd merely kept it on him.

[Eased up finally?]

"...You're..."

The voice resumed, stirring an odd discomfort in Radan.

It didn't take much for the anomaly to dawn on him.

Actually, spotting it was unavoidable.

"Me...?"

The timbre from the jewel.

It mirrored his perfectly.

No— it was precisely his voice.

[Spot on.]

The azure jewel answered with lively enthusiasm.

[One thing first—skip the questions on the method. I'm staying silent on it.]

"What?"

[Time was short to implant a complete mind. I've got perhaps... five minutes to chat?]

Or even shorter, likely.

Muttering under its breath, the jewel pressed on swiftly.

[From here, I'll guide you on powering up. You're at a standstill, pondering what this ineffective self can achieve to advance here—or perhaps fretting over lagging behind. That's my guess, anyway. Your circumstances might vary slightly—I wouldn't know for certain.]

In response to the jewel's mix of mumble and outburst—

"Is it truly possible for me to surpass my current level?"

Radan inquired.

The azure jewel shot back—

[Naturally.]

Accompanied by a bright chuckle,

[Provided you heed my directions precisely—]

And right then.

[—resurrect the Sin and consume it.]

It murmured.

***

Having bid Radan adieu, 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?"

"That's correct."

"I see."

After separating from Yuman, Alon encountered—

"I'm tagging along too, Master!"

"...You as well?"

"Yep! After wrapping this assignment, I snagged approval for an extended vacation, so I thought it'd be perfect for some adventure!"

It turned out to be Seolrang, her ears twitching with eager delight.

"I'm fine with that."

"Great, then I'm joining you!"

"Suit yourself."

"Yay—!"

With Alon's approval secured, Seolrang flung her arms out in exuberant glee.

She then pulled back, mentioning she'd 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 a theatrical display.

[This is intolerable! Utterly intolerable! I battled fiercely in that grand showdown, and this is my reward!?]

[Meow! MeowMeowMeowMeow!!!!]

Blackie slammed its forepaws down repeatedly, seemingly agreeing, "Precisely! This won't stand!"

A bashful grin crossed Alon's face.

"So they're that furious about bringing Seolrang along?"

He halted, reflecting on earlier events.

All the mischief Seolrang had inflicted on Basiliora and Blackie.

"Hm—"

Yes, it added up.

But just for an instant.

The moment Seolrang reappeared, the pair evaporated like mist, retreating soundlessly into Alon's items.

Witnessing their hasty escape, Alon released a disbelieving sigh.

"Okay, off we go, Master!"

Seolrang shone with happiness as she clasped his arm.

Alon nodded steadily.

"Time to move."

"Right. Penia mentioned she's swinging by the Blue Tower once more, so it's all set for us two to depart."

Before long, the carriage rolled toward the Palatio Marquisate.

***

More than a week passed.

"Zzz—"

Seolrang slumbered deeply, her head pillowed on Alon's thigh, appearing utterly serene.

As he softly caressed her locks, Alon got welcome updates from Evan.

"You've uncovered details on the Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One?"

"Affirmative, earlier today in the previous hamlet—from the info guild."

"Its whereabouts?"

"Not quite. However, they unearthed a tome containing knowledge on it."

"A volume with insights, then."

Alon dipped his head thoughtfully.

"Still, that's progress over total ignorance."

Against the backdrop of zero leads on the Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One before, this marked clear advancement.

With mild contentment, Alon probed further,

"Where can we retrieve the tome?"

"No concerns there. They promised delivery straight to us."

"...It seems like aid keeps coming my way effortlessly."

"Hm~ you're not wrong, are you?"

As Alon pondered reciprocating the favor, Evan added,

"Oh, and another update."

"Go on."

"Recall when you requested surveillance on recent Empire movements?"

"Oh, right..."

Though an Empire assault seemed improbable without Ashtalon's full ruin, Alon had tasked Evan with vigilance regardless.

"Any findings?"

"Nothing. Per the info guild, the Empire's stayed dormant, no significant actions."

"Got it."

"Exactly."

"Good to hear."

Relief washed over Alon as he exhaled.

Despite the invasion odds being low, they weren't absent, so the concern had lingered.

In the original storyline, the Empire's incursion hinged mainly on a spy embedding in a vital kingdom post.

That infiltrator alerted the Empire to strike amid the Allied Kingdom's vulnerability.

Even armed with that awareness—

Alon refrained from hunting or neutralizing the spy ahead of time.

The cause was straightforward.

He lacked the spy's identity.

Barring the Empire's downfall conclusion, the spy's name never surfaced.

Worse, the spy varied across each run.

Thus, regardless of investigative efforts or guild involvement—

Pinpointing them remained impossible.

Moreover, without embodying Eliban here, those optional quests weren't accessible.

After some contemplation, Alon shelved the intractable frets.

***

Alexion felt utterly drained.

And understandably so.

Overseeing the marquisate's operations proved exhaustingly demanding.

Initially, the notion of such toil sans fair pay had daunted him.

But these days?

All grievances had evaporated long ago.

Marquis Palatio's compensation was excessively lavish.

So much so that payday always brought involuntary smiles.

Nevertheless, despite the financial perks, the workload's magnitude still overwhelmed him.

As another sigh slipped out, an idea struck.

He grasped well the marquis's motive for seeking companionship.

With the matter now in his hands, Alexion resolved to handle it somehow.

And suddenly, clarity dawned—

No overcomplication required.

The marquis had 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 himself.

Thus, inevitably—

He promptly reviewed the roster of letter-sending ladies.

Stationery in hand.

Unaware that a visitor loomed near...