I Became the Patron of Villains

40. Seolang (2)

The Blood Sand Bandits were a large organization that had been active in the desert in the southern part of the continent for a very long time.

The number of members they had was over hundreds, and most of those hundreds who went into battle could imbue their swords with magic, making them a group with power far too great to be called mere bandits.

With such great power, it was natural that the Blood Sand Bandits would catch the eye of the nation of Colony, which had its base in the desert.

After all, the area where the Blood Sand Bandits were active was also the city and capital of Colony.

Basically, just like the saying “a protruding stone gets hit,” it was appropriate for the country to deal with the bandit group once it grew this large.

After all, if bandit groups loiter around the vicinity, the country would inevitably suffer damage in some way.

However, the reason why the Blood Sand bandits, who were active in the desert area near the capital, could operate without any issues was because they had backing.

And not just any backing, but a warrior who had maintained the position of Baba Yaga in the current colony for the longest time.

Kalman Arentz.

Because he was supporting the Blood Sand bandits, the organization, which should have been annihilated long ago, had grown from a group of dozens to hundreds over ten years.

And today, Draco, the leader of the Blood Sand bandits and a close aide of Kalman Arentz, was in a very bad mood.

“Jack is dead?”

“Yes.”

The reason was that one of his subordinates had gone to rob a caravan today and was killed.

“Ha-“

Draco frowned as if annoyed.

However, the annoyance was not so much anger over the death of a comrade, but rather because one of the labor forces he had painstakingly raised had met a futile end.

‘He had decent talent, and I was planning to use him as an assassin after a bit more training.’

Clicking his tongue, Draco opened his mouth.

“Who killed him?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, he went to target a wizard and was killed by a noble.”

“A noble? Jack?”

“Yes. From what I’ve heard, when the noble used magic, the middle of the desert froze over…”

“Name?”

“…For now, I’ve urgently spread the word to the colony’s subordinates and am making inquiries, but I think we might get information by tomorrow.”

After contemplating for a moment at his subordinate’s words, Draco spoke.

“Let me know as soon as you get the information.”

Of course, Draco had no intention of leaving the wizard who killed Jack alone.

‘I must avenge the waste of my manpower.’

Of course, considering that the noble was from another country, killing him might not be a good choice in many ways, but Draco didn’t care much.

No matter who was killed, it wasn’t that unusual for people to die in this desert, and as long as there were no witnesses, most deaths in this desert were treated as disappearances.

And since Draco was one of the people who had committed such acts the most in this place, he planned to find out the noble’s identity and wait for him to leave the desert to bury him.

…If, that is, it hadn’t appeared.

“Kaa-!”

Draco vomited dark red blood as he looked desolately at his hideout.

Just ten minutes ago, the secret hideout of the Blood Sand Bandits, which had proudly displayed its grandeur, was utterly destroyed.

And that wasn’t all.

The soldiers he had cultivated for over ten years were also either buried in the sand or smashed against the walls of the hideout, meeting their deaths.

And then.

“Hmm- is there no one else?”

The bright golden eyes scanned the surroundings-

-and disappeared in an instant.

With a crackling sound, a golden flash burst forth.

Immediately after, what appeared in Seolang’s hands were.

“This is the end-“

The heads of the bandits.

As if they still didn’t understand what had happened, the two heads maintained their tense expressions, hiding near the shattered hideout for an ambush.

Thud-

Draco, watching Seolang toss them away indifferently, wore an expression of disbelief.

From beginning to end.

Everything.

‘What on earth is this…?’

Draco looked at the reaper who was now approaching him.

Step-

The moment she appeared, with a golden flash, she had brought down Draco’s kingdom, the hideout, in a single strike.

Step-

She had slaughtered the hundreds of bandits Draco had nurtured over more than ten years.

Tap.

The girl with golden eyes.

The reaper.

As the golden eyes shone brightly beyond the backlight of the blue moon, Draco felt his whole body tremble with fear.

Instinctive fear.

Yet, even in such fear, Draco struggled to open his mouth.

To survive.

“Seol, Seolang, do you even know what you’ve done?!”

Draco, in a fit of rage.

The kingdom he had built over ten years, everything he had achieved, crumbled like a sandcastle, but he did not give up.

As long as he could survive, he was confident he could rebuild his small kingdom anytime.

But-

Unfortunately, Seolang showed no emotional response to Draco’s words.

All she did was raise her blood-soaked right hand and grab his head, which had a gaping hole in it.

“If you kill me now, you’ll be making an enemy of Kalman Arentz! I’m under Kalman Arentz’s protection!”

Draco, sensing his impending death, tried to escape by invoking Kalman’s name, but the pressure from Seolang’s hand only grew stronger.

“Do you want money!? Then take it! Take it all! Or do you want tribute!? I’ll offer tribute!!”

He screamed madly, finally, sensing his approaching death, he shouted in a fit of convulsions.

“Why! Why are you doing this to me! Why!!!!”

A voice filled with resentment and injustice.

To that.

“Because you touched my master. And-“

A murmur reached Draco’s ears.

Neither small nor large.

A small murmur.

And.

“-Because I don’t want to be scolded.”

With a small whisper from Seolang, who had red eyes.

Crack-!

Draco’s head exploded.

With Seolang’s mission complete and her disappearance, nothing remained there.

The Blood Sand Bandits, who had rampaged in the desert under Kalman’s name for over ten years, disappeared into history.

…It all happened in just ten minutes.

The next day.

Alon, feeling the fatigue from the long carriage ride melt away, received two pieces of news.

The first was that entering the forgotten city would be possible in three days.

The second time.

“Count, I heard that the Blood Sand Bandits who attacked us have been completely wiped out?”

“…The Blood Sand Bandits?”

It was the fact that those who had attacked him not long ago had been annihilated.

“Yes. I heard they were completely annihilated.”

“…When?”

“I heard it was yesterday?”

“How did the rumor spread so quickly, just a day after the bandits were annihilated?”

As Alon made a puzzled expression, Evan nodded.

“The whole city is already abuzz with the rumor? I heard that the merchant group that arrived today at noon brought the news.”

“…”

At those words, Alon felt like he could have a multitude of question marks floating above his head.

The Blood Sand Bandits were a group that wouldn’t disappear unless dealt with by the protagonist, Elivan, even three years from now when the original story was in full swing.

‘…Why did they suddenly?’

Alon wore a puzzled expression.

But that doubt was short-lived.

“I took care of it!”

Alon’s question was resolved so simply.

“You did?”

“Yeah, didn’t I do well!?”

With a naive smile, Seolang said, and Alon and Evan slowly opened their mouths.

“…You took care of the Blood Sand Bandits…?”

“Yeah!”

“…Why?”

Alon asked without realizing it.

But.

“Well, didn’t the master say so?”

Did I? When? Alon looked at Evan with that sentiment.

Evan also stared blankly at Alon, but only for a moment.

“Because I didn’t want to meet them again.”

“I did say I didn’t want to. But-“

“If it disappears in the first place, there’s no need to meet, right?”

Problem solved! I’m a genius! With a childlike smile that seemed to say that, Seollang nodded once, and Alon felt the sensation he had when he first met Deus revive.

Isn’t this a bit too much? That was the feeling he got.

But only for a moment, as Alon, who was staring blankly at Seollang, suddenly remembered something and asked.

“……Then, did you wipe out the entire Blood Sand Bandits by yourself?”

“That’s right.”

“…….”

Seeing Seollang nodding nonchalantly, Alon involuntarily closed his mouth.

The Blood Sand Bandits he knew numbered in the hundreds, and most of the combatants could infuse magic into their weapons.

In other words, they weren’t just any riffraff.

Moreover, Draco, who could be called the leader of the Blood Sand Bandits, was known to have the talent to emit an aura blade three years later.

But to have killed all those knight-level forces, including Draco, by herself……?

‘……I knew the title of Baba Yaga wasn’t something you could earn for nothing……. But isn’t she stronger than I thought?’

Alon stared blankly at Seollang, who was grinning foolishly, and recalled that she would become the sin of pride in the future.

‘…….’

As a result, he felt his posture becoming more reverent.

It was three days before they set off for the forgotten city…….

At the time Alon left for the desert city of Colony.

A very secret meeting was taking place in a small tavern in the eastern part of the capital city of Teria in the Kingdom of Arteria.

“So, why did you call me, Duke?”

“I didn’t think your senses had dulled enough to need to ask, Marquis.”

At the words of Duke Limgrave, the leader of the royalist faction, Marquis Philboid, the leader of the noble faction, naturally sat down and opened his mouth.

“I assume it’s because of Count Palatio.”

“You know well. I called you because of Count Palatio…… more precisely, because of the Calpa that those ruffians formed.”

At Duke Limgrave’s words, Marquis Philboid nodded as if there was no need to say more.

Having rolled and tumbled in the political arena for decades, they could easily understand from this short conversation that he had called to form an alliance to bring down Calpa.

Calpa was a highly threatening and unpleasant organization to both the royalist and noble factions, so it was a place that needed to be reduced in power as soon as possible.

Having experienced several times that yesterday’s enemy could become today’s ally depending on interests, they could easily board the same boat.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

Marquis Philboid dives straight into the matter.

The Duke, quick to calculate the pros and cons with just a few words, responds-

“I plan to involve Rosario.”

“…Rosario?”

“Yes, to be precise, the ‘Cardinal’ of Rosario.”

He began to explain the plan he had devised to the Marquis.

After a little while had passed.

“…The demand?”

Marquis Philboid, as if there was nothing more to hear, asked.

“Half of the bribe to be put into the Cardinal’s mouth.”

“Not bad.”

The two nobles exchanged their opinions and smiled contentedly.

If the plan went as intended, the small faction created by the ruffians of the underworld would surely collapse like a sandcastle.

“It won’t take long. In fact, I’ve already made contact.”

“I look forward to it.”

With that, the two left the tavern with smiles on their faces, each heading in different directions.

Only two glasses of whiskey remained in the old tavern.