Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 371 : King? Me? (1)

Moments after he awoke.

Just why did you go and do something so reckless?

Mm— I only wanted to warn you that the folks surrounding you at the moment aren't entirely trustworthy, Godfather.

Alon’s gaze sharpened a bit as he stared at the composed Rine.

......Is that so?

Mm... partly, yeah?

With her smile intact, Rine continued, But rest assured. None of my companions would ever betray you, Godfather.

She glanced at Alon’s expression briefly before whispering her admission.

In any case, I won’t stick around much longer.

Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?

Rine gave a small nod, dropped her eyes, and pointed down.

......Huh?

Alon spotted it then.

From her feet upward, Rine’s form was gradually dissolving.

What—?

He creased his brow, baffled by the sight.

But just briefly.

No need to fret. Recall what I said earlier? About arriving via an artifact.

So this vanishing act—

My time here is ending. I could’ve held out another month or so usually, but... events escalated rather fiercely, right?

Drawing on power cuts your duration short?

Mm, it’s closer to overload than mere shortening, but essentially yes.

Alon accepted her words with a nod.

Though she hadn’t unleashed everything against Sin, the clash had been brutal.

At any rate, it’ll be some time before I can see you again.

Rine spoke softly, a hint of solitude in her tone.

A brief shadow of sorrow flickered over her features.

Seizing that instant, Alon responded.

I’ll seek you out shortly.

Truly?

Indeed.

As though her prior gloom was fabricated, Rine’s cunning, foxy grin resurfaced.

......You.

He’d been tricked once more.

Alon trailed off mid-sentence.

I’m content now. I was the initial sight upon your revival, and you’ve vowed to come to me personally.

Grinning foxily still, she appended, I’ll await you, Godfather.

With that tender goodbye, she faded entirely.

Thunk—

The instant Rine vanished, an item dropped to the floor — something resembling a lithium battery from Alon’s former world.

He stooped to retrieve it.

Right then—

Oh, Marquis!?

Evan.

Evan rushed into the chamber.

Alon welcomed him steadily, and Evan’s shock swiftly morphed into anxious worry as he approached rapidly.

Are you okay, sir!?

Yes, doing quite well.

Having inspected him, Evan breathed a sigh of relief, paused momentarily, then inquired.

......Is your memory intact?

My memory?

Indeed. Post-collapse, Rine noted your recollections might be shaky.

Alon paused thoughtfully—then opted to jest lightly.

Well, perhaps a few gaps linger here and there.

R-Really?

But no cause for alarm. I haven’t forgotten vowing to halve your pay.

......Wh-what?

What’s the issue?

N-no, sir, I recalled it as... raising by half, not reducing...

I’m certain it was ‘cut.’

Ugh—

Witnessing Evan’s ashen expression, Alon chuckled softly.

***

Following that, guests streamed in as though anticipating his revival.

Basiliora and Blackie arrived first — curiously both under Yutia’s watch.

[Meow!]

[I’ll protect you now~!]

Whatever ordeal they’d endured, both shivered faintly.

Alon merely acknowledged them with a nod.

Subsequently, all who knew Alon visited one after another.

Certainly, there were instances — such as Ryanga or Seolrang slyly probing his recall, or Penia gazing at him with bright, hopeful eyes — yet Alon feigned ignorance to ease their concerns.

Having weathered the influx of callers, a few more days elapsed.

With his health fully restored, Alon at last comprehended the full circumstances.

A brand-new breed of beings?

Affirmative. We’ve dubbed them monsters temporarily, but these novel entities emerged post-Milky Way’s downfall. Their shapes vary wildly.

Is it dire?

Evan shook his head.

No, per the updates, it’s not severe yet.

......Truly?

Yes. Random assaults would be troublesome, but thus far they merely manifest without striking settlements. That said—

That said?

Should they commence attacks, it could turn catastrophic.

And atop that, the anomaly gates...

Oh, those are handled.

Handled?

Yes. Perhaps by chance, but every lingering anomaly gate evaporated right after the Milky Way’s fall.

Every one?

Yes.

The Milky Way — divine blood — had crumbled, and consequently, anomaly gates were gone.

Merely happenstance?

Alon mulled it over shortly, then assented.

Any other key points?

Mm— nothing beyond tomorrow’s assembly. Unless you’re referring to Eliban.

Eliban...

As Alon uttered the name, Evan hastened to clarify—

He remains comatose. Rine admitted even she couldn’t predict.

Alon sighed faintly.

Frankly, he’d harbored a hidden wish for Eliban to have stirred by his awakening.

Countless questions burned within him.

In summary, that covers all events during your slumber, my lord.

Alon nodded and released a gradual breath.

In fact, since the conclusion of that final battle, a heavy weight had settled upon his mind.

Beyond all matters linked to Eliban, countless issues still demanded his attention.

Dominating his worries first was divinity.

Put more accurately, the transformation that had taken place inside Alon’s body.

Alon serenely shut his eyes and slipped into deep introspection.

He anticipated finding the usual divine authority he always encountered.

Indeed—under ordinary conditions.

Within, Alon beheld only absolute darkness and void.

For an instant, he suspected a mistake in accessing his inner world.

Yet no—this was unquestionably his inner domain.

Thus, every trace of his divine authorities had vanished.

Including the one that gave off that eerie glow—completely erased.

Such a revelation stunned him.

Still, Alon kept his composure—somewhat.

He could wield divine power effortlessly, after all.

His divinity might have disappeared, yet divine power flowed readily.

This puzzled him most at first.

Secondly loomed the divine blood that had crashed to the ground—never witnessed by him in Psychedelia before.

Alon had seen nothing in the game past Psychedelia’s finale.

Obviously—since the game wrapped up right after Sin’s downfall.

From this point forward, Alon would need to unravel the mysteries of that divine blood on his own.

Mysteries surrounding those divine bloods now plotting the world’s doom.

Thankfully, one potential avenue for answers existed for Alon.

「……This is what Eliban was carrying?」

「Yes, sir.」

The Jewel of the Closed-Eyed One.

Alon gazed quietly at the obsidian crystal he’d hunted for ages—never dreaming it would be in Eliban’s hands.

Perhaps with this, the fiery questions in his head could at last be resolved.

Questions on the divine blood.

And questions about his very being.

At last, his deepest concern arose.

「……What was that voice?」

The words echoing as the Milky Way plummeted.

[Now I can finally see you! Come, show me—]

[finallyfinallyfinallyFiNaLlY——]

Fierce static distortion had obscured any clear hearing.

Even so, the snippets he caught felt profoundly bizarre.

The voice acted like it had long known Alon.

Deep unease gripped Alon.

If those voices came from higher beings gazing down upon him, their recognition made some sense.

But that failed to explain the fondness he perceived.

For woven into that fondness was stark malice too.

Alon pondered it anew.

Just before blacking out—after the falling divine blood’s voices—a subtle whisper followed.

Back then, he discerned no words at all.

It came off as just a vague murmur.

Yet upon waking—and mentally looping that sound repeatedly—Alon now decoded the message.

[Come to the eastern edge, friend. Then I will return to you that which is precious to you.]

A murmur so faint he hadn’t even clocked it as speech.

Maybe it issued from behind him.

Alon stayed quiet for ages.

Why would such divine entities—if they truly were—speak those words to him?

He hadn’t the faintest clue.

Eventually, he shook his head.

No matter what, without intel, no deductions could be made.

「Evan.」

「Yes, my lord?」

「After next week’s meeting, we’ll head to Raksas.」

「So suddenly...? Understood, my lord.」

Evan inclined his head, as Alon released a prolonged sigh.

It was deep into the night.

***

One day later.

Amid Ashtalon’s obliteration and the sudden appearance of weird new monster types worldwide, a council gathering was called.

Alon participated.

Right up to crossing the council chamber’s threshold, no real ideas stirred in him.

No—truth be told...

「So then, what are your thoughts, Marquis Palatio—no, Your Majesty?」

「...Hm? What? No... wait—what?」

Not until Carmaxes III breezily called him king did Alon’s mind utterly blank.

Only a handful of days had elapsed since regaining awareness—

And now, question marks swarmed overhead once more.