Became the Patron of Villains

“Basic computation” was exactly what the word said.

Basic, with no meaning above that and no meaning below that.

If it had meaning in the first place, that would be strange.

Basic computation was mainly only used to maintain a certain spell, or to find variables that could arise while researching a certain spell.

To put it simply, basic computation was like grunt work.

Grunt work where you just repeat the same thing over and over, without really having to think.

So, naturally, the people in charge of it were mostly low-ranked rookie mages, and they would even self-deprecatingly call themselves “slaves.”

Because if you looked at it, the lifestyle pattern was similar to a slave’s.

You wake up and run to the lab in the morning and do basic computation.

You eat breakfast, run to the lab, and do basic computation.

You eat lunch, run to the lab, and do basic computation.

You eat dinner, run to the lab, and do basic computation.

You eat a late-night snack, run to the lab, and do basic computation.

And when dawn comes, you collapse in a room barely ten square meters, eyes ringed with deep dark circles, and close your eyes.

A slave was similar.

You wake up and run out to the fields in the morning and work.

You eat breakfast, run out to the fields, and work.

You eat lunch and work in the fields.

You eat dinner and work in the fields.

At night, you sleep.

......Huh?

Now that he laid it out like this, it almost looked like the slave’s quality of life was a little better.

......Anyway, in the end, to Alon—

it was the same kind of work a “graduate student,” a professor’s slave, did.

But then, why, exactly?

“......Parkline.”

“.......”

“I’m the one serving as the Red Mage Tower master.”

“......Yes.”

“My interview number is 32.”

“......I see.”

The reason this was happening—

“.......”

Alon quietly turned his gaze and looked at Evan.

Evan also looked back at Alon with a bewildered face.

‘You don’t know?’

‘How would I know....... Did you do something, Marquis?’

‘I was just lying down all day yesterday.’

‘That’s true.......’

There was no need for a conversation.

Finishing the exchange with Evan with only their eyes, Alon felt complicated emotions behind a blank face.

He definitely hadn’t done anything.

The only thing he’d done yesterday was lie down, because of Reverse Heavens’ aftereffects that came after dealing with Sloth.

So why was he now, without even realizing it, looking at interviewees who had given themselves interview numbers?

And on top of that—

“......So, I’m confident in computation.”

“Is that so?”

“Did you know? The spells of the Red Mage Tower are structured so that basic computation must be run in parallel, as a rule.”

“.......”

“It means the density of the required computation is extremely high.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A Mage Tower master, not some ordinary mage—

“I... see.”

was advertising being a computation slave.

“.......”

If you translated it into real life, it was like a professor who was already at the pinnacle of the field saying, “I’m confident I can be a great slave!”

Alon, who could only make a blank face at that, was able to find the culprit two hours later.

“Th-that... I think it’s probably because of me. I’m sorry.......”

Sharan, the Green Mage Tower master.

She was the culprit.

“......What on earth did you say—”

“No, it’s not like I really did much.......”

Sharan started relaying what she’d told the mages yesterday.

After quietly listening to it all, Alon organized the situation.

“So you only said that by doing basic computation, they could help with my magic research?”

“Yes....... But for it to become like this.......”

At Sharan’s mortified expression, Alon closed his mouth.

It was true she hadn’t done anything special.

But it wasn’t hard to predict why things had turned out this way.

‘......It’s probably because of the spell I showed yesterday.’

Of course, Alon had demonstrated magic plenty of times before.

But yesterday’s magic—there was no way its impact hadn’t felt different to the mages.

Even the demonstrator himself, Alon, couldn’t help thinking, ‘I did that?’

So Sharan’s words—that they could help with research on the condition of doing basic computation—must have become the trigger.

Only then did Alon understand why mages (professors) were directly volunteering to be slaves (graduate students), and he scratched his head.

‘What should I do.’

Of course, having many mages was a good thing.

The reason magic interpretation had been slow so far was basic computation in the first place.

But if a large number of mages flowed in?

That speed would become clearly faster than before.

Even so, there were a few reasons Alon couldn’t decide easily.

The reason the mages wanted to help with Alon’s magic research was probably mostly to investigate the magic he used.

But unfortunately—

the mages of the current era couldn’t use Alon’s magic no matter how much they researched it.

Meaning, in this relationship, the one who benefited was only Alon.

......Of course, they were the ones unilaterally volunteering to be slaves, but Sharan, who already knew the truth, and they were different.

If you thought about later on, there was a good chance it could turn into bad blood in one way or another.

Second, he had to get Heinkel’s permission.

Because the one conducting research together with the mages would be Heinkel, not Alon.

“Hm—”

As Alon was thinking it over, Penia spoke up from the side.

“Is that even something to worry about?”

“Well— they won’t really gain anything over there, so.”

“Then couldn’t you just give them notice in advance?”

“That’s not wrong, but—”

Alon pressed a finger hard into his brow and continued.

“......Then we’ll do what you said, Penia. We’ll give notice first.”

“Then should I ask Heinkel?”

“Can you do that right now?”

“I got a communication crystal orb last time.”

“Then please.”

“Yes. You’ll probably hear back around this evening, so I’ll tell you then.”

Penia nodded as they answered.

####

Night.

“Elivan.”

“Yan.”

Yan spoke to Elivan, who had been quietly looking at the Milky Way.

“Is it the night sky again this time?”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“It’s about time to attend the meeting. You have to receive the reward, right?”

At her words, Elivan nodded.

He briefly recalled what King Stalian V, the king of the Ashtalon Kingdom, had put up as a reward.

“All right. Do you want to go on ahead?”

“You’re not going together?”

“I have something to think about for a moment.”

He issued an indirect dismissal.

At that, Yan nodded as if she understood, even with a questioning expression, and disappeared.

After confirming Yan had left, Elivan quickly erased the bright smile and looked at the Milky Way again.

And he recalled yesterday’s memory.

More precisely, right after Marquis Palatio dealt with the Sin of Sloth.

The conversation with Radan, who had come to find him.

‘Are you going to do it?’

‘Yeah.’

The exchange wasn’t long.

No, strictly speaking, you couldn’t even call that a conversation.

Radan asked.

Elivan answered.

That was the end.

Radan didn’t ask Elivan anything more.

Elivan was the same.

They ended it with just that single question and answer.

Radan turned without hesitation and went to Seollang.

Elivan watched Radan do that.

What Elivan remembered was only a short exchange.

But it was also an exchange that didn’t fade.

“Whew—”

Elivan let out a sigh.

His head got complicated.

But he lightly shook it off, and soon smiled like he always did.

His work still wasn’t all finished.

And until his work was all finished, he had to smile.

He had to become everyone’s savior.

He had to become everyone’s hero.

He had to gain fame.

He absolutely had to.

“......Elivan! I think you need to come quickly!”

Elivan turned his gaze at Yan’s shout.

“Sorry! I’m coming now.”

Already.

A brightly shining smile was drawn on his face.

####

Evening.

Alon came outside, dragging a body that still hadn’t recovered.

Because King Stalian V had summoned those who had been involved in this Sin of Sloth incident.

Of course, no one was unhappy about that summons.

He’d clearly called them to discuss rewards.

‘Something similar to an Abyssal Core, but with no side effects—what in the world is that?’

So Alon moved his feet while recalling the reward he’d heard about from Evan beforehand, and the moment he arrived at the meeting room—

“Ah! # Nоvеlight # Mentor!”

“Brother.”

“Greetings, Brother.”

As if they’d been waiting, he could see Seollang, Radan, and Yuman welcoming him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

“I’m fine too, Brother. More importantly, how are you, Brother?”

“Right, right. Are you okay, Mentor?”

Since he hadn’t seen their faces at all after collapsing as if he’d passed out yesterday, Alon quickly nodded.

“I’m fine. I just overdid it a little. I’m not injured.”

“That’s a relief, Mentor!”

“Seriously.”

After Alon finished greeting them, Yuman came up this time.

“I’m glad you look okay. I was going to come see you a few times, but there were always so many people that I couldn’t.”

“Yeah! There were weird people always in front of the room, so I couldn’t go!”

“It was the same for me.”

“Ah.......”

The mages only finally scattered after Alon declared he was stopping the interviews.

‘......It really was.’

Recalling the sight of them all swarming near his room, Alon—

“But Mentor, what did you do?”

“......An unintended interview......?”

“......Interview?”

As he was telling Seollang about that, tilting the head in confusion—

at the Mage Tower.

[Hmm—so you’re asking whether it’s okay to accept more mages?]

[Yes, Marquis said to ask for Heinkel’s opinion!]

Heinkel and Penia were exchanging messages.

[Hmm—well, I don’t really mind.]

At Penia’s words, Heinkel nodded as if it wasn’t bad.

That made sense, because from the moment the truth had already been revealed to people like Selaim and Sharan, it didn’t really matter much what happened anymore.

‘And besides, right now, I want the magic interpretation to go a little faster—’

......Of course, there was also a slightly worldly, secret feeling that didn’t fit a great mage, that it seemed like there might be a chance to feel again that thrill from when Sharan and Selaim had looked at him with eyes full of respect.

[Are you sure?]

[Yeah, I’m sure.]

Anyway, Heinkel nodded toward Penia.

[So how many?]

[Um, just a moment—]

‘Well, they obviously can’t match a Mage Tower master. Taking that into account, somewhere between five and ten would be good.’

Just as Heinkel was roughly measuring the needed number in his head—

[5...... 5]

[5 people?]

[About 58...... people.]

[58 people?]

[Yes.]

Heinkel was a little surprised.

Because it was a little—no, a lot more than he’d been thinking.

But soon he shrugged.

Because it was better to have extra than to be lacking.

So Heinkel was about to answer, ‘Not bad—’ when—

[Ah, it became 68 people.]

[......All of a sudden?]

[Sharan is taking applicants in real time. So if I organize it now, 74...... no, 78.......]

[?]

Heinkel got bewildered at the numbers starting to increase in that short span.

[Ahem, for now 111 applicants have gathered, but you have to look personally, Heinkel. I’ll organize 117 applicants separately and send it as 128 people.]

[???]

[Ah, no, I’ll send 135 people.]

[?????]

[Ah, just now it became 141—]

At the endless multiplication, Heinkel didn’t know what was what, but—

Heinkel realized something was happening.

[We hit 150.]

[.......]

Yeah, something was.......