I Became the Patron of Villains (Novel) - Chapter 148 - Secret (1)

Chapter 148 – Secret (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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At Seollang’s sparkling eyes, Alon’s thoughts stopped for a moment.

“Ah…”

A quiet sigh slipped out of him.

He had been thinking about it.

He really had remembered the promise he made with Seollang.

In the first place, around the time he made that promise to her, he had also told the dragonkin to wait two years.

Even so, the reason he was slightly flustered now was simple.

Seollang was more serious about it than he had expected.

“…No, I knew she was serious even back then.”

There had been two main reasons he told Seollang, back then, that they could think about it again in two years.

First, from Alon’s point of view, he needed to take care of Seollang’s mental state in one way or another, so if he named a period that was too long, she would obviously be disappointed.

That was why he chose roughly two years.

Second, by then, he thought Seollang’s affection for him would have faded.

The affection Seollang showed him felt less like romantic feelings and more like attachment toward family.

Alon had already recognized that much.

If he had to compare it to something, it was like a little daughter telling her father, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry you!”

So he had assumed that after about two years, it would calm down at least somewhat, and the promise would naturally blur away.

After all, even daughters who cling to their father because they adore him gradually grow up and become independent.

On top of that, Seollang from two years ago was already an adult by the standards of this fantasy world, but by Alon’s common sense, she had still felt young.

“…Actually, she still doesn’t look much different even now.”

Alon looked at Seollang, who was smiling brightly while wrapping her legs around his waist.

Her smile was so clean and carefree that she looked like she had not a single worry in the world.

It was the kind of smile that soothed whoever saw it.

If he had to put it into words, it was untouched innocence.

…Put differently, it also meant she had not matured much mentally over the last two years.

In any case, while all those thoughts overlapped and Alon was wondering what exactly he should say.

“Seollang.”

“Hm? Ah. Rine. What brings you here?”

Seollang was briefly startled by the voice, then smiled widely again.

Rine also greeted Seollang with a faint smile.

“I had something to do, so I followed Godfather here for a moment.”

“I see.”

“More importantly, Seollang. From the look of things, it doesn’t seem like the full two years Godfather mentioned have passed yet. Shouldn’t you wait a little longer?”

“Huh? Is that so?”

Seollang tilted her head.

Alon seized the opening at once and picked up the conversation.

“W well, there are still a few months left.”

“Eh…”

Seollang’s expression cooled immediately.

Only for a moment.

“Well, that’s fine. That means I can hear your answer once those few months pass.”

Her tail swayed, and she recovered her cheerful mood at once.

Watching her remain completely unshaken, Alon was briefly speechless.

Then he said,

“…Right. Let’s talk about it again in a few months.”

“Okay, Master.”

For now, he decided to be satisfied with postponing it.

####

Right afterward.

Alon’s party moved to Seollang’s guild.

“Wow. What’s this? It’s so cute.”

As soon as they entered the slightly chilly guild office, Kkamangi crawled out of the pocket on Alon’s chest.

The moment Seollang spotted the black cat, her eyes lit up.

Tak.

Before Alon could stop her, Seollang scooped Kkamangi right up.

Alon started to open his mouth.

Evan, already anticipating what would happen next, let out an involuntary playful smile.

And just as both of them expected.

Blurk.

A mass of red eyes burst out all over Kkamangi’s black body.

But.

“Wow. It has so many eyes now.”

“?”

“?”

Even though dozens of grotesque eyes had appeared in an instant, Seollang did not find it disgusting.

Instead, she lifted Kkamangi even higher as if she found it fascinating.

Evan went blank.

Kreeeeeeek.

As if refusing to lose, Kkamangi opened the mouths on its body and let out a hideous cry.

But.

“Wow. It grew mouths too. Amazing.”

Seollang’s eyes shone even more brightly, and now she swung Kkamangi through the air as if she were making an airplane fly.

At that sight.

“…This isn’t how this is supposed to go.”

Evan was stunned.

[…??]

Kkamangi also returned to its normal form at once.

As if it genuinely had not anticipated this situation, it even tilted its head with slightly trembling eyes.

Kreeeek.

Kkamangi screamed one more time.

But.

“Ah, wait a second.”

Seollang carried Kkamangi away somewhere.

A moment later, she came back at incredible speed with both arms full of something.

And before long.

“Wow. It looks cool.”

“…”

“…”

Before anyone knew it, Kkamangi had been dressed in a cute little knight doll outfit and was being held up on Seollang’s palm like an actual toy.

[…Kkyu?]

Its eyes had gone round, like it could not understand what on earth had happened.

Maybe because the situation was too absurd, it had already lost even the will to threaten anyone.

“Do it again. The thing from before, where lots of eyes come out.”

[Kkyu?]

“I think it would look even cooler like that.”

Seollang wagged her tail energetically.

At the sight.

“…Seollang’s standards of beauty seem a little different from ours. What do you think?”

“…Yeah.”

“Right?”

Unlike the two men, who were both dumbfounded, Rine watched with a pleased look.

But only for a moment.

By the time Kkamangi had begun to sweat.

[Why is it so noisy? …Hm? Puhahaha. What is that?]

Basiliora emerged while grumbling irritably, then burst into laughter at the sight of Kkamangi wearing the tiny knight outfit.

“A talking snake?”

Seollang immediately set Kkamangi down and grabbed Basiliora, who was in spirit form.

[Keh. Wh what?]

Basiliora gasped in shock.

But Seollang only stared at him with the face of someone who had just discovered another fascinating toy.

Then she said,

“Do you want me to dress you up too? I still have some clothes left.”

[What nonsense are you talking about? This great god would never wear clothes meant for doll play. W wait.]

While humming, Seollang began decorating him too.

At the bizarre scene repeating itself again, Alon, Evan, and now even Rine all fell silent for a moment.

####

The next day after arriving in Colony.

“Godfather, then I’ll be off for a bit.”

“All right. How long will it take?”

“Hm. Probably a day or two. Why?”

“If you don’t return within that time, I’ll assume something happened and come save you.”

Rine stopped moving for a moment.

Then she left with a gentle smile and a quiet word of thanks.

Right after that, Alon also headed for the ruins early in the morning.

“…What I need to ask is probably about what Rainisius said, and about magecraft.”

He organized his thoughts as he walked.

Then.

“Seollang.”

“What?”

Evan jerked his chin toward the small snake with curiosity.

“…How are you able to touch Basiliora?”

“How?”

“Yeah. Basiliora is in spirit form, isn’t he?”

At that, Seollang made a crackling sound with her hand, as if it were nothing special, and answered.

“Hm. Because I passed the Trial of Essence?”

“The Trial of Essence?”

“Yeah. This thing Master gave me.”

Seollang held up the gauntlet she was wearing and added,

“If you pass the Trial of Essence, it gives you one ability each time. No one except our race can use them, though.”

“…That’s an incredibly good item.”

Evan let out an admiring murmur.

By then, Alon, who had also been listening, was admiring it inwardly as well.

He knew there was a secret hidden inside the Essence Seollang possessed.

He just had not expected it to be something like this.

“Then does that mean your abilities increase by one every time you clear a trial?”

“Hm. Right?”

“Then how many abilities have you gained?”

“…Five?”

“How many trials are there in total?”

At Evan’s question, Seollang counted on her fingers for a moment, then cried out.

“Ah. Eight.”

“Eight?”

“Yeah. But I still haven’t cleared the sixth trial.”

“Why not?”

“The condition is… anger? Something like that. But nothing has really happened to make me angry. The Essence said this is the branching point.”

“A branching point?”

“Yeah. The point where it judges whether someone has the qualifications to be a king… or not. Something like that.”

Evan went, “Hm,” in understanding, then shrugged.

“Well, you’re taking it easy now, right? At this point you’re already strong enough.”

“No?”

“Why not?”

“What do you mean why? If I want revenge, I obviously have to become stronger than I am now. And it’s the same if I want to protect Master.”

“…The Marquis?”

“Yeah.”

When Evan glanced at Alon with a puzzled face.

“Isn’t the Marquis strong enough now that he doesn’t need anyone to protect him?”

“I still want to protect him.”

Seollang raised the Kkamangi she was holding with a flourish and declared it proudly.

Alon smiled faintly without meaning to.

It felt rather good to receive someone’s goodwill.

How long had they crossed the desert while chatting like that?

“We’re here.”

With Seollang’s lively voice, they finally entered the ruins.

####

Immediately after arriving at the ruins.

As usual, Alon went straight into the tower at the center of the site.

[It has been a while.]

The dragonkin was waiting as if it had expected him.

The moment Alon saw it, a murmur slipped out of him.

“…Blue?”

[Oh. So you can see a little more now.]

Unlike before, when it had looked like nothing but a black shadow and white outline, this time he could even see that the dragonkin’s eyes were blue.

He stared at those eyes with a curious expression for a moment.

Then he collected himself and brought up the main subject.

“…I have a lot to say that’s piled up over the last two years. Do we have enough time?”

[Do not worry. I used a bit of strength refining the thing you left with me, but I still have more than enough time to talk.]

At those words, Alon organized his thoughts again and began with the story from two years ago.

The story of the Observer.

And then.

[Wait. Then are you saying… that in the end, you did not see the past?]

“Right. I saw an eye instead.”

[…That should not be possible.]

As it listened, the dragonkin tilted its head as if it truly could not understand.

[Tell me in detail exactly what happened.]

So Alon explained the situation more fully.

From looking into the mirror, to the place like outer space, to the words spoken by the eye.

He laid out everything.

The dragonkin listened quietly.

After tapping its chin for a long time, it summarized what Alon had said.

[So, in the end, you are saying that just before you were about to see the past, a gigantic eye blocked it. An eye so large it bordered on the absurd.]

“Exactly.”

The dragonkin gave a low hum, then sank into thought again.

For quite a long time.

By the point Alon was starting to grow curious.

[Do you remember before?]

“…Before?”

[Yes. The time you asked me about the black thing.]

Alon nodded.

“Didn’t you say something about having caught the favor of a high god, or something along those lines?”

This time the dragonkin nodded.

[Yes. At the time, I certainly told you that. I had a rough guess about what the black and blue things were.]

“…Then why are you bringing that up now?”

The dragonkin assumed an unusually serious expression.

[I will summarize it briefly. It seems I guessed wrong.]

“…You misjudged the information?”

[Yes. The ability of the Bronze Mirror that Records History may have been explained to you by the Observer, but it is absolute. In the first place, interfering with the Bronze Mirror is impossible even for the black thing or the blue thing I originally had in mind.]

“…Is interfering with the Bronze Mirror really that difficult?”

[The black and blue beings I had in mind were, in the end, individuals who, despite losing their names, succeeded in sealing more than half the black things’ power during the war against them.]

To put it plainly, they were beings who would have ranked among the top five even among the gods, the dragonkin added.

After pausing to breathe, it continued.

[Even so, it would still be impossible for them to interfere with the Bronze Mirror’s ability.]

“Why?”

[Because that Bronze Mirror is an artifact made in an age even earlier than ours, a time too ancient to observe. Which means that if someone can casually interfere with an item created in that previous age…]

The dragonkin let out a hollow laugh without meaning to.

[…Then it means it is a being of far higher rank than the five gods of the ancient age.]