Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 478: Astarotte (9)

While Seollang, immersed in the awe of the Divine blood, grasped a profound truth unknown to others—

far away, in a distant locale—

“Oh—”

—a man observed Seollang and Alon, who had vanquished the Descended One, with considerable admiration.

“Amazing—they actually emerged victorious in the end?”

“Hm.”

Compared to the man, who looked cheerful with his long purple hair, the woman marked with a face tattoo on her right side gazed at Seollang with palpable disinterest.

At this, an imperial prince, who had remained silent until now, Nataman—or rather, Black Eye—beamed, his smile stretching wide.

“See? Just as I predicted. I told you they would win.”

“If you were so certain, why did you make the journey here anyway?”

Responding to the woman’s query, Black Eye shook his head as if she lacked understanding and stated,

“Well, naturally, it’s because I wished to witness Alon’s progress firsthand.”

“...At the castle, it's Alon; here, it's Alon; everywhere, it's Alon. You’re completely fixated on Alon.”

“Indeed.”

“Don’t you ever grow weary of it?”

“Is that even a question? Fundamentally, the reason I rescued you and brought you along was because of Alon.”

“...Ah, I recall. You mentioned intending to emulate Alon precisely, didn’t you?”

“Yes. My aspiration is to become an exact replica of him.”

“......”

Observing Black Eye, who was genuinely relishing the moment, the woman wore an expression of bewilderment.

She had accepted his proposition even after hearing his ultimate goal from the outset, yet no matter how she assessed him, he continued to appear utterly unhinged in multiple respects.

Consequently, for a brief interval, she regarded Black Eye with an expression that conveyed her immediate exhaustion with him.

Then, the woman quietly shifted her gaze towards Alon and Seollang.

“......”

A subtle emotion began to fill her eyes.

“......Hmm.”

Frankly, the woman could not comprehend why Black Eye was dedicating such extraordinary attention to them—or more accurately, to Alon.

Naturally, this was not to imply that Alon and Seollang were feeble.

They possessed considerable strength.

And among them, Alon’s particular circumstances, which captured Black Eye’s interest, were exceptionally intriguing.

However, that was the extent of it.

No matter how she pondered it, that alone did not seem to provide adequate justification for Black Eye’s intense fixation on Alon.

To begin with, the Black Eye she knew was not the sort of individual who would concern himself with such matters.

He was—

“......”

The woman, having reached this point in her contemplation, abruptly halted her thoughts.

It was because she belatedly recognized the futility of dwelling on it further.

She redirected her gaze.

Black Eye, still adorned with that cheerful smile, reappeared in her view.

“But isn't this situation somewhat precarious?”

“Hm? What situation?”

“You desire that individual to survive until the very conclusion, do you not?”

“Precisely?”

“Yet, to achieve that, doesn't it appear as though you're allowing him excessive freedom to manage on his own?”

The woman genuinely held this opinion.

It was a perfectly reasonable thought.

Alon was indeed strong.

However, that did not guarantee his perpetual safety.

In the grand scheme of things, far more formidable monsters than him were destined to descend upon this world in the future.

“So, you believe that?”

At Black Eye’s voice, which interrupted her thoughts unexpectedly, the woman inquired,

“Yes?”

“I inquired if you truly perceive it that way.”

“...Well, yes? Honestly, doesn't it seem rather perilous?”

At this, Black Eye regarded her for a moment.

“Mm— well... certainly. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t grasp it yet, considering you haven't experienced salvation for very long.”

As if comprehending her perspective, he repeatedly nodded to himself while murmuring.

Soon after, he emitted a laugh and pointed with his finger towards the sky above.

“?”

It was a gesture whose meaning remained obscure to her.

Just as the woman's expression turned puzzled—

“Look upward.”

Black Eye uttered this with a mischievous grin.

“Upward?”

The woman lifted her gaze.

And what greeted her sight were masses of black clouds.

Apart from that, far distant in the heavens, the beastkin had parted the clouds, revealing the sun, but there was nothing else of note.

Nothing particularly out of the ordinary was discernible, leaving her no recourse but to voice her perplexity.

“If I were to elaborate further, wouldn't that diminish the impact?”

Black Eye remarked with a grin, appearing to relish the unfolding events.

At the precise moment the woman's confusion intensified—

“...Huh?”

She experienced a sudden realization.

That these intensely black clouds had been artificially created.

“...How?”

This sentiment was directed towards the black clouds—and also towards Black Eye.

Even she, possessing a specialized aptitude for analysis, had initially perceived the black clouds as entirely natural formations.

This indicated that the fabricated clouds were so flawlessly executed as to be indistinguishable from genuine ones.

Yet, he had discerned their artificial nature from the very beginning.

The fact of their fabrication.

Due to this revelation, she momentarily expressed her admiration, but soon her focus shifted to a sense of doubt regarding the black clouds themselves.

The black clouds spanned an immense expanse.

As if they were deliberately obscuring this entire region.

But in truth, the vast black clouds seemed to blanket only that specific area, and a belated realization dawned upon her that they possessed no actual effect whatsoever.

Yet, even that fleeting understanding persisted for mere moments.

“...Huh?”

Her brow furrowed as she gazed at the ominous black clouds, an involuntary sound of dawning comprehension escaping her lips.

She had finally grasped it.

“Do you understand now?”

Black Eye’s voice cut through the air. Just as he spoke, she realized the truth.

The black clouds were, from the very beginning, entirely meaningless. They served solely as a diversion, a smokescreen to conceal that particular entity.

“...Ha.”

The woman let out a hollow laugh, the sound echoing her inner turmoil. What now met her gaze, having pierced through the veil of black clouds, was not the azure sky, nor the warm sunlight.

Above those very clouds—

────────────────Wooooooooong

a colossal form loomed, casting its shadow over the world below. Its eyes emanated a verdant light, observing from a realm beyond the expanse of the sky. Only a hazy silhouette of an unseen entity was visible, observing in profound silence.

“-!”

And that was not the extent of the unsettling spectacle. On the opposing side of this colossal being, in a place where darkness should have been absent due to the broad daylight, a colossal crimson moon had materialized.

After confirming this final, bizarre detail, the woman could only stare blankly at the sky, her face etched with sheer shock.

Witnessing her reaction, Black Eye chuckled as if finding it immensely amusing. He then gestured with his chin towards another location.

“Astounding, isn’t it? In your current weakened condition, this is far beyond anything you could possibly contend with.”

The woman remained silent, offering no reply. However, Black Eye pressed on, as if no response had ever been anticipated.

“But that’s not the end of it.”

His gaze drifted into the distance, far beyond where Alon and Seollang stood. “Look over there. The devoted hound has arrived as well, has it not?”

Black Eye turned his intense, pentagram-filled eyes towards the woman, a smile of pure ecstasy gracing his features. “Ah— As I expected, you are truly matchless, Alon.”

He then turned away abruptly, his voice filled with rapturous admiration.

“Hm? Where are you headed?”

The man who had been observing the woman with the same pentagram eyes as Black Eye snapped out of his reverie and inquired.

“We are departing now.”

“Just like that?”

“Indeed. We have confirmed Alon’s safety.”

“...You attempted to conceal it, but ultimately, you did indeed come here solely to ascertain Alon’s well-being.”

“Ah, you’ve seen through my act! Regardless—”

Black Eye cast a final, ruinous glance towards Alon, then addressed the others, “Let us go, prisoners.”

With a deep, knowing smile, he turned and departed. The hem of his black coat, mirroring Alon’s attire, fluttered once before they vanished as if they had never been present.

####

Ultimately, the arduous confrontation between the punitive force and Astarotte concluded with a decisive victory for the punitive force. Seollang had successfully vanquished the Descended One, and with Astarotte having been consumed by this entity, her existence had ceased.

Yet, despite the triumph, a shadow of pure elation was absent among the Divine blood. The sheer magnitude of the damage they had sustained precluded any unadulterated joy. Even Alon himself found it difficult to feel happiness in that moment.

The reason for this somber mood was Seollang’s immediate collapse following his decisive battle with the Descended One. Alon, after tending to the fallen Seollang, promptly headed towards their carriage.

“...For the time being, I don’t believe it’s a critical issue.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. While I cannot claim to be an expert, having assessed her overall condition, she has sustained significant muscle damage and numerous physical injuries, but nothing life-threatening.” Penia added that Seollang’s right arm had been particularly severe, but she had already administered preliminary treatment.

Alon exhaled deeply, leaning against the carriage. His gaze then fell upon Seollang with a peculiar expression. The look Seollang had given him just before collapsing replayed in his mind.

‘...She certainly appeared surprised, didn’t she?’

Her eyes had widened as if startled by something before she fell unconscious. More accurately—

‘That was undeniably...’

He had sensed a profound longing in that gaze, and just as Alon began to ponder its meaning—

“Alon.”

“What is it?”

“...Are you alright?”

Responding to Penia’s concern, Evan quickly chimed in,

“? Did you perhaps sustain some unseen injury?”

Evan hastily began a thorough examination of Alon.

Amidst the flurry of concern, Penia sighed and clarified,

“That’s not precisely what I meant. I am inquiring about his law.”

“...Law?”

“Yes, because Alon’s law also—”

Penia paused, glancing at Alon before looking out the window. Her sight fell upon the Divine blood, who were now slowly approaching their location from a considerable distance. Despite having erected multiple protective barriers, she remained cautious about any potential information leaks. Alon responded to her unspoken concern,

“It is fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I did not sustain any damage. However—”

Alon’s law was fundamentally straightforward: by imposing a “restriction,” he would receive a significantly greater “price” in return.

Even when a restriction was implemented, it remained Alon’s law and not the inherent risk associated with its usage. The consequence Alon faced for employing this law was the temporary forfeiture of his abilities.

Indeed, that was the case. The moment Alon invoked his law, he would regress to the status of an ordinary human, completely stripped of his powers for approximately half a day. This was the intrinsic limitation of the law Alon wielded.

Naturally, by applying the law to himself, Alon could negate the restriction through the merits accrued from the law’s operation. However, when the law was directed at another individual, as in this instance, he was left vulnerable.

“—This gives me some pause.”

As Alon turned his gaze toward the window, Penia emitted a soft sigh, seemingly grasping his unspoken concern.

With Seollang incapacitated and Alon himself weakened from utilizing his law, should the Divine Blood decide to act erratically, there would be no one capable of restraining them.

Admittedly, among the remaining Divine Blood, a considerable number appeared to be affiliated with Starlight Root. Yet, even this fact offered Alon little solace.

To speak plainly, Alon had not demonstrated the extent of his power they had anticipated during this conflict.

Alon was fully aware that the reason Starlight Root pledged their allegiance stemmed from a significant misunderstanding.

Furthermore, he understood that this loyalty was only possible because their perception of his strength had been vastly exaggerated by that very misunderstanding.

But in the current predicament?

In reality, it would not be inaccurate to state that all of Alon’s genuine capabilities had now been revealed.

This was due to his failure to exhibit any truly formidable power during the recent engagement.

Consequently, acknowledging the potential for the Divine Blood to erupt in chaos, he spent a brief period contemplating the situation—

“U-um, Alon? The Divine Blood are beginning to congregate around the carriage.”

“...I will go out.”

Upon hearing that the Divine Blood were gathering around the carriage, Alon headed outside, re-evaluating the circumstances and strategizing a method to circumvent the impending threat.

Stepping out of the carriage, Alon was met with the sight of the assembled Divine Blood.

Not only those from Starlight Root but also Divine Blood from all other factions had converged.

‘…Do I have no recourse but to sacrifice Seollang?’

And so, in the very moment Alon was earnestly considering fabricating a falsehood, such as claiming ‘Seollang has just regained consciousness’—

[Please—grant me inclusion within Starlight Root as well!]

Alon observed a Divine Blood member suddenly advance, bow deeply, and utter these words.

“?”

This unexpected turn of events prompted Alon to question what was happening.

However, even before he could voice his inquiry—

[Please, accept me too!]

[I shall dedicate myself to you—!]

[I will follow the Star Eater until the very end!]

One by one, the Divine Blood began to lower their heads before Alon.

And Alon—

“……??”

Beneath his bewildered expression, he could only remain frozen, utterly perplexed.

…This was not how things were meant to unfold, a thought flickered through Alon’s mind.