Became the Patron of Villains

"Think about it, Alon. This world has repeated ruin constantly, and nothing carried on. Even though this omnipotent magic existed in a very distant past."

At Heinkel's words, Alon fell silent for a moment.

After turning the sentence over, Alon slowly opened the mouth.

"...So if I organize what you're saying, Heinkel. Beings from even farther back than the era of the Forgotten God couldn't deal with Sin even with this kind of omnipotent magic... is what it becomes."

"That's right."

The conversation continued quietly.

"There is one thing I want to ask. Is that magic you said you confirmed the identity of truly that omnipotent? Perhaps—to the extent it could even deal with Sin in one shot?"

Heinkel, like Alon, fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Let me say this first: up to now, I haven't seen Sin even once. I don't even properly know what characteristics they have. What I know is only about how much damage Sin caused when they appeared in the world."

"..."

"But even considering all of that, I can't think that this magic wouldn't work. If this magic doesn't work, that means the opponent isn't a living being in the first place."

Instead of answering, Alon sank into thought.

'...The only Sin left is Wrath.'

The Sins of Psychedelia, in principle, appear in a fixed order if the player follows the story.

Which also meant that, depending on the player's choices, the order they appeared could change.

"..."

Naturally, since it was a game, their specs also changed depending on when the Sin appeared.

For example, the 'Sin of Sloth' that appeared first and the 'Sin of Sloth' that appeared last were at a level where their power couldn't even be compared.

The Sin of Wrath was the same.

Even so, Sin was something that was meant to be annihilated by the player.

It wasn't sealing or banishment.

No matter which Sin appeared last with the greatest power,

Elivan still defeated Sin in the end.

Meaning, no matter how much the Sin of Wrath had strengthened now,

it wouldn't have reached that kind of omnipotence.

So while thinking, Alon—

"Ah."

Gained one realization.

'Time.'

Time.

Basically, all Sins, like outer gods, needed time to fully manifest,

and the Sins the player faced were all Sins that had not manifested perfectly.

Having thought that far, Alon reached a rational conclusion.

'...If the fifth Sin is born perfectly, it reaches a level that can't be dealt with at all.'

Even the Sin of Sloth—

It had been late past the time it was supposed to be dealt with, and the continent had almost been destroyed because of it.

Recalling what had happened, Alon conveyed the conclusion to Heinkel, and—

"...Mm—"

Heinkel nodded.

"You're saying once Sin manifests and a certain amount of time passes, it becomes something you can't stop."

"Right. The era of the Forgotten God. If the people of the generation before that were destroyed by Sin even though they had that kind of magic, I felt like it had to be that. If it's not that...."

"There's something else?"

Alon affirmed.

Because the story Rine had told last time naturally came to mind.

"I heard it also changes depending on the host's strength."

"The host's... strength?"

"Yes."

When Alon told the fact that had not been known in detail, which had been heard only after Rine came to the Palatio estate—

"...You're saying there are an enormous number of variables."

"Right. Meaning—we don't have no chance either."

Heinkel nodded again, as if not fully satisfied.

On that face, there was an indescribable, awkward discomfort.

But before Alon could ask again, that sign was quickly erased, and—

"Well, if that's the case, I understand."

Even while feeling doubt at the expression Heinkel had shown for an instant, Alon continued.

"More than that, I didn't know you were interested."

"Hm? In what part?"

"Sin. I didn't know you were worrying about that, to be honest."

Then Heinkel chuckled.

"Isn't it natural? If Sin smashes this world, I'm as good as dead too— well, honestly, it's not like I've been worrying continuously so much as thinking, 'Even with this magic, they lost?' That thought was bigger."

"Hmm—"

"Ah, right. You said you were curious why mages are hanging themselves on it, didn't you? I've already told you everything I originally meant to say, so now I'll explain."

Heinkel began telling, one by one, about the little scraps that had fallen off while interpreting magic.

####

After time passed and Alon came out of the inner world.

"Then I'll be going."

"Yeah. Oh, and if possible, tidy up the mages too."

"Are you telling me to select more?"

"As you like. Honestly, it's enough even now, but if you want to pick more, that's that."

"Understood."

As Alon moved steps outside the library—

Behind Alon.

Thudrup—

Heinkel looked at the eyes that were secretly moving in that unseen place.

And finally, after Alon left.

"Hoo—"

Heinkel let out a sigh.

"...Worry, huh."

Of course, Heinkel also had worries.

The moment this world was destroyed, Heinkel, too, rooted in this Mage Tower's library, would vanish without achieving the wish.

However, what Heinkel had originally meant to mention out of worry wasn't 'Sin.'

"Variables...."

Heinkel muttered the word Alon had brought up.

Certainly, as Alon said, if that many variables acted on Sin's strength,

Heinkel's guess could have been wrong.

"..."

On top of that, the magic Heinkel had interpreted still wasn't perfectly interpreted.

It was only that the way this magic operated had been recognized; beyond that, there had been no further progress.

Maybe, as Alon said,

Sin, born from countless variables meeting, could be strong enough to ignore even magic close to omnipotence.

And so the distant future's past was destroyed by Sin—,

...Heinkel forcibly pushed aside another assumption that rose up, and reached a conclusion that, for some reason, did not sit right.

####

The reason the apostle of Envy could infer Wrath's identity.

It was because of the last moment.

When the attempt to manifest the Great One failed, and Envy ran to somehow promise a next time.

The apostle of Wrath appeared in front of Envy and killed Envy.

Miserably, by bursting.

And even that wasn't enough.

Wrath even destroyed all the cells Envy had prepared in advance.

So Envy would meet death forever.

But Envy didn't die.

Because there were cells Wrath didn't know about.

No—more precisely, there were cells Wrath could not help but not know about.

The corpses of those who, when the Sin of Envy manifested, had been left on the cliff as pure-white beings.

As Sin died, the cells naturally vanished and disappeared.

But by good luck, Envy, who met bodily death before complete extinction, could revive without difficulty by moving the soul into the remaining cells.

Because as long as there were cells, making a body was not a difficult thing.

And so Envy, surviving while losing most of the power,

at that point noticed the apostle of Wrath's identity as well.

No, it was impossible not to notice.

Because as Envy's body burst, the fragments that were dying in real time—

were stuck the most to Yutia Bloodia's body.

Right after that, the apostle of Envy investigated the figure called Yutia Bloodia,

and could learn a few facts.

That Yutia, who should have been in the Severed Space, had been active outside for ten years.

That Yutia had a very close relationship with Palatio Alon, who interfered with the manifestation of Sin.

That Yutia Bloodia

had been 'adjusting' the manifestation of the Sins—all of it.

Each and every one was something Envy could not understand at all.

The Severed Space, where all apostles must be trapped without exception.

Then how could Yutia be active outside for ten years?

And.

Why was Yutia adjusting the Sins' manifestation?

Envy could not understand at all.

In the end, even what Envy found out—

the truth and the guess drawn out in between were only one each.

That the apostle of Wrath treasures Palatio Alon greatly.

And that the apostle of Wrath had, at some point, been replaced.

Even if the latter guess was uncertain,

the former truth was enough information for Envy.

The apostle of Wrath who killed Envy without holding back.

A truth more than sufficient to use Wrath like a puppet.

"How did you know?"

"The moment you regenerated your body, the only one walking around soaking in my dying cells all over your body was you."

"Oh my, you can tell even from that?"

I didn't know.

Yutia answered calmly.

At that attitude, just as Envy started to think the guess was becoming fact—

"So, I want to continue what we were talking about earlier. How does my identity become a weakness?"

Yutia asked.

Even with a smile, as if interested.

Envy answered.

"Stop pretending to be calm, Wrath. If this fact gets to that Palatio marquis you know so well, wouldn't you be in trouble too?"

"It seems you aren't considering that I could turn you into a puddle of blood before that?"

"No, I'm considering it enough. But—"

Grin—

"Do you think I came to meet you without any preparation at all?"

"What kind of preparation did you make?"

"The moment I die, everything I found out will be announced to the entire Allied Kingdoms."

"Did you occupy the information guild or something?"

"No, more certain than that. Do you know this? Even if I disappear, my clones can function normally for about a month. And if it's that much, that's plenty of time to announce your truth to this world."

A vile smile formed at Envy's lips.

Just this becoming known would deal a huge blow to Yutia.

But more important than that—

was the fact that this rumor would also deal a blow to the Palatio marquis, who was deeply entangled with Yutia.

And that would be something Yutia Bloodia absolutely would not want.

So Envy became full of momentum.

But even watching Envy like that, Yutia was simply calm.

"Mm— I see."

Suddenly, Yutia grasped something in the hand.

In the hand was a pocket watch.

A small pocket watch, small enough to fit in the palm.

And the moment Envy made a face like it didn't understand Yutia's action—

Click—

After opening the pocket watch and checking, Yutia, still wearing a relaxed smile—

"Let me go over a few things briefly."

Opened the mouth calmly.

"First of all, I'm not the apostle of Wrath like you investigated. Like your guess, I was replaced. At some point."

"...?"

For some reason, Envy went blank for a moment.

Something was wrong.

What was it. What was wrong?

Looking at the stunned Envy, Yutia calmly continued speaking.

"And second, the one adjusting the timing the apostles come out wasn't me."

"...!"

Only then could Envy realize the identity of the sense of dissonance.

Envy had certainly found out a few facts about Yutia.

But even if Envy said those facts had been found out,

Envy had never said what had been found out.

"Third, you said I and Teacher— no, Alon— have a close relationship, but—"

As Yutia's voice continued,

Envy felt the mind starting to tangle in a dizzy mess.

What in the world was it?

From the moment the letter was sent to call out the apostle of Wrath, was all the investigation already finished?

Or was it mind reading?

No, that was impossible too.

There was no way a convenient ability like that existed.

"—Saying it like that makes me a little sad. Alon and I have a deeper relationship, one you can't possibly separate."

"..."

Fixing the gaze on Yutia, who didn't erase the smile, Envy realized something was wrong.

Yutia hadn't done anything by force.

Hadn't even radiated mana.

Hadn't threatened.

Yutia had only continued speaking.

But even so, the apostle of Envy instinctively felt threatened.

Something was wrong.

And then.

"Ah. And should I tell you the last, fourth one too?"

At Yutia's following question, the apostle of Envy, as if bewitched, asked back.

"...Fourth?"

"Yes, the fourth. Ah— in this case, should I not call it the fourth? Because— it's about the truth you were going to tell me when you couldn't survive no matter what you did."

"...!"

Without realizing it, Envy's eyes went wide.

It was exactly as Yutia said.

Beyond the three facts the apostle of Envy had originally thought of,

there was one last move left.

No—more precisely,

it was something close to a 'curse.'

Because it was a truth to spit out to give despair to the apostle of Wrath—no, Yutia Bloodia—when Envy's death was made certain.

"'Palatio Alon is not the person Yutia Bloodia is looking for.' ..."

"!"

And at the words Yutia spat out, the apostle finally realized.

That wasn't mind reading.

And it wasn't that Yutia had investigated the apostle of Envy in advance either.

That was—

Crunch—!

"Ah—?"

The apostle, thoughts spinning fast, let out a low exclamation without realizing it.

And only then realized.

That the limbs were gone.

As if they had never existed from the start.

"Kuaaaaaaak—!"

A plain sound, thud. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

And a horrific scream that contrasted with it rang out.

Blood flowed into the gaps between the broken stone floor, filling them.

Wriggling in terrible pain, Envy fell into confusion.

It wasn't because of the pain.

'Why— why!!'

Because Envy's cells did not 'regenerate.'

As if they had stopped.

Into Envy's ear, struggling with all might while trapped in pain and confusion—

"Ah, you don't have to say more. I know well what basis you're saying that on, and what evidence /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ you have too. But what should we do about this?"

Yutia's voice, still calm, was heard.

"I already knew it all."

"...What?"

"Everything. That Alon isn't a 'master' either, that the letters Alon sends are just letters with no meaning. Even that perhaps------- is the case."

With not even a hint of rise or fall.

A calm voice.

"...Then why?"

Envy muttered as if unable to understand, but Yutia, still smiling, raised a finger.

"What mattered to me wasn't that kind of thing."

"Wait—! Do you know what you're about to do right now!?"

Envy, realizing the intent too late, spoke urgently, but—

"Yes, I know. If you die now, a lot of damage will actually happen in the Allied Kingdoms. You prepared a lot, didn't you? There are also things you didn't tell me."

Yutia was still only calm.

"In the main capitals, the pure-white ones you hid will rise and massacre the citizens once again. A lot of damage will definitely happen."

"The monsters and idiots will run even more wild thanks to the Abyssal Core you and your clones will make to the very, very end."

"The rumors your clones spread will interfere with Alon's plan that was going smoothly.... But it's fine. Because—"

That won't happen.

Toward Yutia, whispering quietly, Envy tried to open the mouth.

"—!"

But no voice came out.

Instead, the field of view lowered.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

More and more.

-Down.

And finally.

When Envy's view was filled with a floor drenched in blood—

"And even if that kind of thing happens, it doesn't matter."

What Envy heard last was,

"Whether the citizens of Rosario get massacred, or the citizens of the Allied Kingdoms get massacred. No— maybe even if every human in the Allied Kingdoms gets ground up."

In a whispering,

"Other than Alon, I don't care about any of it."

A declaration.

"No matter what happens to anything."