I Became the Patron of Villains

68. Is this really okay…? (1)

The absurdly small range of the Ice Crystal Spear disappeared in less than three seconds.

A level of magnetic implementation with no practical use.

‘Magic power…’

Even with just that, Alon felt his magic hole empty, and he realized anew how absurd it was what he did when he fought the foreign god half a year ago.

‘I should have been grateful that I didn’t die.’

With that thought, Alon looked at the dragonkin who had been mocking him just a moment ago.

Even though there were only white holes where the eyes and mouth should be on the dark figure, he could see the dragonkin’s expression very clearly.

As if it was unbelievable, the creature with its mouth wide open was staring at the place where the magic had been manifested just a moment ago.

[How, how? You clearly didn’t know anything about imagery or anything-]

It muttered in disbelief.

As if the common sense he had known all along had been shattered, he was in shock.

“Keep your promise.”

Alon reminded him of the most important thing.

The expression of the dragonkin twisted.

####

For a moment, it screamed that it had lied to him, that this promise was invalid.

At Alon’s remark, ‘Are you not even capable of keeping the words you yourself have spoken?’ it groaned as if it bore the weight of the whole world’s sorrows.

[Master, sir-]

It barely managed to speak, its teeth grinding with a desperate sound.

…Of course, it seemed that the words were filled more with murderous intent than with the respect they originally held, but Alon, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the thrill he felt, nodded.

[Do you truly not understand the heart’s thoughts?]

It continued, and Alon nodded.

“I do not.”

[…It doesn’t seem like you’re lying.]

“What on earth is this heart’s thoughts that you’re talking about?”

Alon asked, as if he didn’t understand, and it seemed to ponder for a moment before explaining.

[As I mentioned before, magic was originally created to approach the ‘laws.’ The same goes for phrases, seals, and sentences.]

[However, there is one difference. While phrases and seals can be used by understanding and grasping their meaning, sentences alone are not enough.]

It continued, sitting on the desk.

[As I said before, sentences are the key to reaching the laws inscribed by the mage in this world.]

“I heard that before… But if, as you say, self-manifestation absolutely requires understanding the heart’s thoughts, then why did you tell me that sentence? If what you say is true, I wouldn’t have been able to use the sentence even if you told me.”

To Alon’s puzzled question, it immediately replied.

[That statement is both correct and incorrect. As I said before, sentences are keys, but they are also sentences to interfere with the laws. In other words, they can be used as keys, but they can also be used to twist the laws.]

Alon nodded.

In fact, before he used self-manifestation with the Ice Crystal Spear, he had used it in another form.

He now understood which law the sentence ‘Fame of the Snowy Mountain’ twisted.

“So it has two uses.”

[That’s right. Fundamentally, it is a key for the mage to approach the laws they have inscribed, but it can also be used as a law.]

The dragonkin continued.

[However, as I have said many times, self-manifestation requires the heart’s thoughts. The heart’s thoughts are, in other words, memories.]

“……Memory?”

When Alon tilted his head slightly, it pondered for a moment and then spoke.

[Yes. In fact, everyone talks about inheriting history or knowledge, but in the end, it’s memory. The memory of when the mages first created the sentences to approach that law.]

[That is what I call the image, which is absolutely necessary to use the sentence as a key. That’s why I said it didn’t make sense.]

The dragonkin frowned and added in a slightly lower voice.

[Because in this world, there are no more images or mages to pass on the images to successors.]

“……”

A moment of silence.

But soon, the dragonkin’s sigh broke the silence.

[So, I don’t quite understand. How did you manage to succeed in self-manifestation?]

It looked at Alon with a questioning expression, but naturally, there was nothing he could say.

After all, Alon himself didn’t know how he used self-manifestation.

No, to be precise, he knew the method.

He formed the seal, uttered the phrase, and spoke the sentence.

With that, Alon succeeded in self-manifestation.

But that was different from what the dragonkin had explained.

Unlike the explanation that inheriting the image is absolutely necessary for self-manifestation, Alon had no memory of inheriting any image.

That’s not all. There was a significant gap between its common sense and what Alon knew.

Firstly, until now, Alon had used magic by forming seals, uttering phrases, and speaking sentences, but most of them were utilized after Alon directly uttered the phrases and gained knowledge.

In other words, he understood the meaning of the phrases without any prior understanding, by directly confronting them.

However, the being in front of him clearly stated.

That phrases and sentences can only be used if they are ‘understood’.

In essence, what it said meant that the way Alon had self-taught magic until now was impossible.

“……Before you say that, there’s something I want to talk about.”

[What is it?]

Alon soon conveyed his question to it.

After listening to Alon’s words for a while, it said.

[……Does that make sense?]

It opened its mouth blankly, as if it genuinely didn’t understand.

“But that’s how I’ve been doing it. And it’s the same now.”

Alon’s Answer.

It tried to say something with a laugh as if it was absurd.

Kugug-!

“?”

Alon looked bewildered as the tower suddenly began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

[…It seems the time has come.]

“…Time?”

[The time I can manifest is not very long, so it seems to be unraveling.]

Alon furrowed his brows unconsciously at the explanation, but it smiled as if to say not to worry.

[Don’t worry too much, you can come back in about five days and we can talk again. I’ll tell you what you’re curious about then. And-]

[-If possible, find the ‘Sparrow’s Staff’ and get the phrases and sentences from the one inside. You can use magic by infusing it with power.]

“…Sparrow’s Staff? …An ego weapon?”

[It’s more of a slightly crazy guy who implanted his personality into a weapon. Get the phrases and sentences from him.]

“…If what you say is true, the sentences are like secret arts, will he really tell me so easily?”

[Don’t worry about that, there’s a guy in there who regrets not having a successor, so he’ll probably be happy to tell you.]

“…”

[I’m looking forward to it. If what you say is true, with the phrases and sentences, and your own power-]

It smiled again slyly.

[-You can wield all the magic of a mage. And-]

With those words, it vanished in an instant.

“…”

Alon, now facing the empty air, remained silent.

####

After a little time had passed.

Alon, having left the ruins, was contemplating in the returning carriage.

Although he didn’t hear the secrets he had been curious about, his interest had already slightly shifted away from the secrets.

After all, the secrets weren’t much of a risk for Alon, who had to stay in the colony for about two weeks thanks to the Colosseum.

Instead, Alon was recalling what it had said today.

‘…If you don’t understand the phrases, sentences, and self-manifestation, you can’t use magic in the first place…’

He had already gone over this thought several times.

‘The dragonkin wouldn’t lie, so how did I use it?’

He pondered over it several times, but there was no answer to something he didn’t know.

‘It feels like there’s something…’

With a slight doubt, he soon changed the subject.

‘Sparrow’s staff…’

Fortunately, Alon knew where the Sparrow’s staff mentioned by the dragonkin was.

‘It must be in the royal treasury of the colony.’

He knew this information because he had entered the royal family several times through quests and brought out items.

Of course, knowing it was there was one thing, but Alon had never taken out Sparrow’s staff.

That item had the worst performance among the items in the treasury.

‘…It’s a bit disappointing to choose it over what I originally intended to bring out.’

But he didn’t think of ignoring its words, so after much deliberation, he thought.

‘Is there no choice? …First, I should register as a gladiator in the coliseum.’

This time, he thought he should participate in the coliseum and bring out Sparrow’s staff.

And so.

“Eunsa!”

“Why?”

“Pat my head.”

“…Your head?”

“Yeah!”

While patting Seolang’s hair, who was leaning in and pushing her head towards him-

“…”

“Hoo-”

-No, in fact, his hand was still, but she was moving her head around, enjoying the patting herself, they arrived at the colony.

And then.

“…Huh?”

As soon as they entered the colony, he felt the atmosphere was very chaotic.

No, he confirmed that there were almost no people moving around in the colony, and he was puzzled, but only for a moment.

Alon, who was moving towards the guild in a carriage, realized that a huge crowd was gathered in the central street of the colony and stopped the carriage.

It seemed impossible to drive the carriage through the central street.

In addition to that.

“Sir Seollang, it seems we have to wait until the crowd passes.”

The beastman, who had gone to check the road, reported the situation immediately, and she looked at Alon.

After a moment of contemplation, Alon said,

“…Let’s wait and watch.”

With those words, he got off the carriage.

The bustling scene naturally aroused Alon’s curiosity.

It was as if the entire population of the colony had gathered, with a massive crowd lined up on both sides of the central road.

By the time Alon got off the carriage and pushed through the crowd, he spotted a carriage approaching from afar.

“Stop.”

A mercenary blocked his path.

The mercenary, who looked menacing at first glance, pushed Alon with the hand holding a sword and spoke.

“No one can get close to Lord Millanon.”

A blatant warning.

Only then did Alon realize that despite the crowd, this area was empty due to the mercenaries, and he looked at the man inside the mercenaries’ perimeter.

A nobleman, presumably affiliated with the colony, adorned with various ornaments, looking arrogant at first glance.

The nobleman glanced at Alon after hearing the mercenary’s words, then smirked and turned his gaze away.

“….”

As Alon inwardly scoffed at the nobleman’s apparent sense of entitlement over trivial matters,

Crack-!

The mercenary, who had been blocking the road with a stern expression just moments ago, disappeared and crashed into a grocery store.

It happened in an instant.

The crowd’s attention was immediately drawn to the scene, and the mercenaries who had formed the perimeter moved before they could grasp the situation.

At that moment,

Zap-!

Bang- Crash!

The mercenaries who were approaching Alon flew through the air and crashed into buildings.

“Sir, Seollang!?”

The nobleman, Millanon, who had been sneering just moments ago, was startled by Seollang’s sudden appearance and stepped back in shock.

“aaah-!!!”

Soon, he began to scream as Seolang grabbed his head.

And then.

“He mocked my master, what should we do with him?”

Unlike when she looked at Milanon, she turned to him with a bright smile, leaving Alon at a loss for words.

Without giving him a chance to intervene, Seolang gripped the noble’s head as if he would crush it at any moment, just for the reason of mockery.

“Should I kill him?”

It was certainly satisfying in its own way, but Alon thought it was a bit excessive.

…At least in a crowded street like this.

“……”

As Alon pondered what to do, he turned his gaze to the murmuring around him.

He soon realized that the white carriage crossing the street had stopped right in front of him, and he could see where it had come from.

‘The Holy Kingdom?’

As Alon noticed the holy knights, the door of the stopped carriage opened, and someone began to step out.

A girl dressed in black, but with red embroidery scattered here and there.

From noble mtl dot com

“……Hmm?”

For a moment, he felt a strange familiarity with her face and tilted his head.

“Your Eminence-!”

Hearing the voice of the noble Milanon, who was calling out to the girl while being held by Seolang, Alon instinctively sensed that the situation was about to get complicated.

If one didn’t see the previous events, it would look like Alon and Seolang were bullying an innocent noble.

Milanon’s soulful performance, with a pitiful expression as if to take advantage of the situation, made Alon wonder if he should clear up the misunderstanding.

But contrary to Alon’s expectations, the girl who got off the carriage did not head towards Milanon, who was being held.

No, she didn’t even glance at the noble, as if she had no interest in him at all. She walked straight towards Alon.

“Ah-“

As if something serious had happened, Seolang, who was wagging his tail, stepped aside, and the girl approached Alon, grabbing his left hand with both of hers.

And then.

“It’s been a long time.”

The moment he met the red eyes revealed by the smiling girl, he realized.

The girl in front of him was none other than-

“Teacher.”

‘Yutia Bloodia.’

In the street filled with shock and silence, where the murmuring had ceased, she smiled silently.