Became the Patron of Villains

Inside the arena, an intense chill spread as blue sparks crackled through the air. To anyone watching, the magic being wielded was clearly abnormal.

“Disintegrate.”

At Alon’s command, the bursts of sparks transformed into glittering blue particles that scattered in all directions. Despite it being broad daylight, the particles glowed brightly like fireflies.

And then:

“Dissolve.”

Just moments before, his body had been perfectly intact. Now, even as he stood still, it wavered and blurred like a mirage.

“I—”

Philcion was already within striking distance of Alon. Leaping forward, using searing flames as propulsion, he gripped the sword that had slid down and aimed at Alon’s swaying form.

Even if it’s unexpected, it’s still fine!

Although he was startled by Alon suddenly using completely different magic than the ice spells he had anticipated, Philcion saw this as an opening. While a spell was being prepared, the opponent was defenseless.

It would’ve been better to defeat him in a more spectacular fight, but...

Now that Alon had begun using a different kind of magic, Philcion’s odds of victory had dropped dramatically.

I’ll end it right now.

Just as Philcion raised his sword without hesitation to strike, Alon’s voice rang out.

“Cycle of All Things.”

For the briefest moment, Alon’s emotionless face was staring directly at him. His body, fingers forming a seal, suddenly changed.

CRACKLE!!!!

“Thunder God Form.”

Alon became pure blue lightning.

Philcion’s thoughts ended there.

****

BOOM!!

With a thunderous explosion, Philcion’s body crashed into the arena floor, leaving behind streaks of lightning burned across the field.

CRACKLE.

The entire exchange had taken no more than a second, perhaps even less. It happened so fast that no one could understand what they had just seen. The spectators could only grasp two things.

First, Philcion’s body smashing through the arena wall.

Second:

CRACKLE!

Alon, completely wrapped in lightning – or rather, transformed into lightning itself – cloaked in a blue aura.

CRACK!

Each small movement of his black cloak sent lightning crackling and scattering in every direction.

Tsk.

As the ends of the cloak gradually returned to their dark color, the lightning contracted and settled back into the form of Count Alon Palatio. The spectators watched as if they were seeing a color fade on a canvas, and not a single word came out of their mouths.

[The... the winner is Alon Palatio!!]

When the announcer finally managed to speak, the arena erupted with deafening cheers. The crowd sprang to their feet and applauded so loudly that the stands themselves trembled. Amid the roar of voices and the violent applause, Alon remained standing.

Dammit.

Unable to fully register the noise around him, he muttered under his breath and winced as he felt blood trickling down his arm beneath his sleeve.

“I almost died.”

It was not an exaggeration.

He had truly almost died from the magic he had used just now.

It was true that his mana was completely depleted, but that was not what had nearly killed him.

The real danger lay in the spell itself.

Damn.

Unlike before, Alon could understand the laws within the spell the moment he used it.

No, he had to understand them.

If he had not, he would not be standing here now.

The instant the magic ended, his body could have been broken down into particles and erased from existence.

Twisting the laws to convert the body into mana... Why does such a crazy spell exist?

The spell he had used, “Array of Thunder,” literally converted his body into mana with the properties of lightning.

The phrases that followed were all pre-prepared electrical magic.

The process was to fuse them together, or more accurately, to enchant them into a single structure.

Finally, “Thunder God Form” was the magic that manifested that fused spell array.

In other words, the “Magnetic Manifestation” that Sparrow had taught him was an outrageous spell that transformed the caster entirely into lightning.

What made the spell insane, at least in Alon’s eyes, was its difficulty.

“Thunder God Form” temporarily turned the user’s body into lightning, allowing them to wield its properties directly.

However, the irregular mana array of lightning, when applied to the body, could collapse with even the slightest misalignment.

In short, if Alon had not had the talent to control that mana array, he would have burst into colorful fireworks in front of the entire arena.

...

...It hurts like hell.

Even after reconstructing his body’s array in a little over a second, there were clearly places he had not managed to repair. The blood seeping beneath his sleeve was only increasing.

Sparrow, did you teach me this just to mess with me?

He suddenly recalled Sparrow’s staff, which Evan had been holding while watching the match.

Let’s head back first.

With the thunderous cheers still pounding in his ears, Alon returned to the waiting room.

“...”

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“No... I don’t think I’ll ever be surprised by anything you do again.”

Evan looked at him with a strange expression, while—

[W-what the... How... how did you do that?]

Sparrow’s staff, usually full of sneering remarks, trembled in disbelief, its voice shaking.

Behind his calm expression, Alon felt a quiet surge of satisfaction.

“It seems the bet is mine.”

**** 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

One day later, Alon’s reputation as an A-rank fighter, a rank he had earned in less than a week, spread rapidly throughout the Colony.

As a result, people spoke far more about Alon than about any other fighter.

Yet the man at the center of all those rumors, Alon himself, was—

“To the royal castle now, Master!”

—calmly heading toward the Colony’s royal castle with Seolrang.

The reason was simple: becoming an A-rank fighter granted him the right to enter the royal treasury.

Normally, it would have taken at least a week to gain entry.

Alon was able to move this quickly thanks to Seolrang.

Even if Baba Yaga’s power is strong, I didn’t expect it to reach all the way to the royal family.

As the carriage passed beneath the massive outer wall of the castle, Alon quietly acknowledged Seolrang’s influence.

[Hey.]

Sparrow spoke directly into his mind, and Alon replied by channeling mana into the staff instead of opening his mouth.

Did you forget the bet?

[N-no!]

Sparrow’s voice flared up, then faltered.

[...Um, Count, may I ask you something?]

His tone, now small and trembling, was surprisingly polite compared to what it had been only a few days before.

“What is it?”

[As I mentioned yesterday, would you consider forming a contract with me and inheriting my legacy?]

“As I said yesterday, I am still thinking about it.”

[No! This is a truly great opportunity!]

“Hmm.”

[...Isn’t it?]

Flustered, Sparrow rushed to correct himself.

[You... Your Lordship must know, from using my laws, just how powerful they are. If you refine them over a few generations, you’ll be slapping other wizards thirty times over, seriously!]

From the moment Alon had used Sparrow’s laws without inheriting his spirit, Sparrow had been pushing him to become his successor, following the suggestion of the Yongsin race.

Successor, huh.

From Alon’s point of view, given that he needed to study magic, accepting Sparrow as a teacher was not such a bad idea.

Just knowing the staff’s phrases and inscriptions provided him with a great deal of magical knowledge.

Even so, Alon avoided giving a clear answer, and the reason lay in the contract Sparrow was proposing.

Sparrow called it a master–disciple contract, yet Alon saw no reason to inscribe a magic circle for a contract he did not fully understand.

Anyway, I’m meeting him tomorrow. I can ask then and decide.

With that thought, Alon set Sparrow’s suggestion aside for ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the moment.

[Please, reconsider. Just once more.]

“Hmm. According to you, wasn’t it impossible for someone who hasn’t inherited your spirit to become your successor?”

[No, that... that was simply something I didn’t know at the time! I apologize!]

“There is no need to apologize. Either way, it would have been difficult for you to find a successor, since you’re an idiot.”

[...You really hold grudges, don’t you...]

“What was that?”

[Ah, no, nothing, Count...]

Because he had lost the bet, Sparrow was forced to speak politely. He continued to beg Alon to become his successor right up until the moment Alon left the staff behind in the carriage and stepped out to enter the royal castle.

By then, Sparrow had learned only one thing for certain.

Alon’s grudges ran deep.

[...I really shouldn’t have let my temper get the better of me...]

Left alone in the carriage, Sparrow muttered quietly.

It was his own karma.

****

The Colony’s royal castle had a noticeably different atmosphere from the castles of other nations Alon knew.

Unlike the typical royal castle, the interior felt rough and unpolished.

There were no sculptures or marble to be found, which made it seem somewhat lacking in refinement.

Yet Alon did not consider it inferior, because:

“...”

The coarse stone walls were covered with gold and jewels.

Walking down the seemingly endless corridor lined with treasures, Alon eventually reached the royal throne room with Seolrang at his side.

He knelt and lowered his head to the king of the Colony sitting above him.

“The warrior greets the King of the Colony.”

Under normal circumstances, it would have been appropriate to introduce himself as a noble. However, he had come here to enter the treasury, so he introduced himself as a warrior instead.

“Raise your head.”

At the king’s solemn command, Alon lifted his gaze.

The man before him was a robust, middle-aged king with strong features, radiating a clear sense of authority.

“Count Palatio, your match was truly entertaining. Very impressive.”

Carmaxes III, King of the Colony, laughed heartily as he continued.

“I heard you wish to enter the treasury. Is there something you want?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Carmaxes nodded several times.

“Then you should take it. The royal family of the Colony opens the treasury to anyone who has proven themselves.”

“Thank you for your generosity.”

“However, I have one more gift to offer you. What do you think?”

“A proposal, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

His tone remained casual.

“I have a daughter.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think?”

“...Excuse me?”

Alon’s thoughts went completely blank.

Silence settled over him, but only for a brief moment.

“Of course, whether you accept this gift is entirely your decision. Take your time.”

Carmaxes maintained his easy smile.

“Maxim, take him to the treasury.”

He gave the order to the knight standing beside him.

As Carmaxes watched Alon’s back recede into the corridor, he let out a quiet sigh.

“...Hm? Baba Yaga, are you not going with him?”

He noticed that Seolrang, who had been right next to Alon until a moment ago, had remained where she stood.

Then:

“Hey.”

The smile Seolrang had worn just moments before disappeared without a trace.

Her face became perfectly blank.

“Enough.”

Her golden eyes turned glacial, and the chill in her voice matched them exactly.