Became the Patron of Villains

Silence falls in the meeting room.  

The mercenaries who entered late all wore tense expressions, and Maverick, Himan, and Argonia, who were seated, looked at Alon in the same way.  
Yet, even in that moment when everyone’s gaze focused on him, Alon’s expression remained calm.  
To be precise, only his outward appearance seemed calm.  

‘Did I miscalculate?’  
Behind his expressionless face, Alon thought nervously as sweat beaded on his skin.  
‘Should I have used a different method? No, there wouldn’t have been another impactful way. Freezing Myaon was only possible because I caught her off guard.’  

While staring intently at Argonia, Alon also kept Myaon, visible from the corner of his eye, in mind.  
‘She’s still frozen.’  
He had used all of his magic power, casting ice magic five times with his enchanted armor, so Myaon remained in that frozen state.  

… He hoped the conversation would move forward before the magic broke.  
Knowing Myaon’s personality, Alon was certain she would go on a rampage as soon as she was freed from the magic, and with growing anxiety, he looked at Argonia.  
If Argonia, the strongest among those present, acknowledged Alon, there would be no further conflict.  

Besides, the reason Alon had confidently cast the spell was that he trusted Argonia.  
Through the game, Alon had seen several times that Argonia would coolly assess situations and make rational decisions rather than stubbornly holding onto unnecessary pride.  
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… Specifically, it was because a situation in a particular quest was very similar to the current one, and each time, Argonia had reacted the same way.  
In the silence, Alon wanted to open his mouth and prompt a response, but he held back.  
Since he had already cast the spell, it didn’t matter what he said now.  

From this point, it was up to the mercenaries to make their judgment, and to earn their approval, he needed to maintain his composure.  
A short while later…  
“So, you’re challenging us?”  
The silence was broken by Maverick’s voice, his expression twisted in displeasure.  

Seeing Maverick almost ready to draw his sword, upset by the sudden attack, Alon thought, “I’m done for.”  
But…  
“Stop.”  

To Alon’s immense relief, just as Maverick was about to draw his sword, Argonia intervened.  
“What? Are you telling me to just let this go after what happened?”  
“We were the ones who ignored him.”  

“Even so!”  
“I told you to stop, didn’t I?”  
Argonia’s expression slightly darkened.  

Maverick glared at Argonia, clearly displeased.  
“Tch.”  
Eventually, Maverick clicked his tongue and sat back down as if he had no other choice.  

Himan also remained silent, indicating that he had no objection to Argonia’s decision.  
Seeing the situation settle, Alon breathed a sigh of relief and spoke up again.  
“When do you plan to descend into the labyrinth?”  

“We plan to descend in two days,” Argonia replied politely.  
…?  
For a moment, Alon wondered, ‘Was Argonia always the kind of character to speak so politely to someone?’ but he continued.  

“Then let’s continue the meeting tomorrow. With one person like this, we can’t really hold a meeting anyway.”  
Alon subtly shifted his gaze to Myaon.  
Once the freezing spell ended, the magic would be undone in an instant, and Myaon would certainly throw a tantrum. For now, Alon decided to make his exit.  

“…Let’s do that.”  
As Argonia accepted, Alon stood up without hesitation, turned around, and passed by the mercenaries.  
Creak—  

He exited the meeting room.  
With that, silence filled the room.  
And then.  

‘This is bad for my heart. I swear I’m never doing anything like this again.’  
Finally outside, Alon clutched his pounding heart, let out a small breath, and hurriedly left the mansion.  
***

Shortly after Alon left the meeting room.  
Maverick, after sending the soldiers away, spoke with an irritated expression.  
“Ha, I really don’t like that guy, no matter how I think about it. Is it because he’s a noble and never got smacked around?”  

It was obvious to anyone that his words were directed at Alon.  
However.  
“Shut up, would you?”  

“What?”  
“I said, shut up.”  
“Did you just say…?”  

Maverick, who had been glaring silently at Himan, furrowed his brow. The two never got along.  
“Ha, seriously… Why is this guy still acting up after being spared?”  
“What?”  

“Don’t you get it? Argonia spared you, you idiot.”  
At those words, Maverick, who seemed not to understand, made a displeased face.  
“…Stop, Maverick. Himan’s right.”  

“What did you say?”  
“If ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) you had drawn your sword earlier, you might have really died.”  
“What? How does that even—”  

When Argonia added his words, Maverick, who had been scowling, fell silent.  
He had been too irritated earlier to notice his surroundings properly, but now he saw it.  
The beads of sweat trickling down Argonia’s body.  

…What the hell?  
Maverick cursed under his breath, startled.  
He had never seen Argonia sweat like that before.  

Even Himan, whom Maverick grudgingly acknowledged as stronger than himself, was also sweating.  
Maverick couldn’t help but stay quiet.  
“…Argonia.”  

“What is it?”  
“What was that, anyway?”  
Himan, aware that Argonia had lived for hundreds of years, asked, hoping he might know something. Argonia remained silent.  

In truth, he had a vague idea.  
But that knowledge wasn’t his own; it came from the Red Dragon, his mother, who had long since disappeared from this world.  
He recalled the warning from his mother, who had claimed there was nothing in this world to fear—except one thing.  

Long ago.  
‘Remember this. If ever a black eye appears in the night sky, avert your gaze immediately and do not look at it.’  
‘If you do happen to see it, turn away. Do not acknowledge it. Do not remember it. If you grow to be a powerful mage someday, erase that memory from your mind.’  

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‘Remember this, my beloved child. Never, ever look directly at “the one who consumes boundaries.”’  
Recalling his mother’s words, Argonia thought back to the earlier moment.  

The blue eye that had appeared behind Count Palatio.  
—An eye that felt endlessly ominous.  
Just gazing at it made one feel as if their soul was being sucked out.  

Creep~!  
The black eye that had glared at him with a sly smile.  
‘Who… is that man, really?’  

Argonia swallowed his breath quietly.  
***
The next day.  

Contrary to Alon’s worries that they might still refuse to accept his plans and continue to argue, the meeting proceeded smoothly, and Alon realized two things.  
The first was that the otherworldly being was on the 12th floor.  
The second was that they intended to block it on the 5th floor.  

As soon as he heard this, Alon immediately explained his prearranged plan in detail and also briefed them on the information he had gathered about the otherworldly being.  
That took about 30 minutes.  
Alon, who had even shared the knowledge of the otherworldly being, disguised as information from an ancient book, watched the gathered mercenaries with slight tension, wondering if they would object.  

‘In the end, we’ll have to compromise, right?’  
The strategy Alon had laid out was one he was confident in, a plan to capture the otherworldly being with minimal damage.  
But that was only his own thinking.  

He knew full well that the mercenaries weren’t under his command.  
He couldn’t order them to follow the strategy, only suggest it. That’s why he was so nervous.  
“…Let’s go with that.”  

“I agree.”  
“No objections.”  
“Me neither.”  

“…??”  
Without a single complaint, the plan was instantly accepted, and Alon stood there, bewildered.  
Really, no one had any issues?  

He asked again, just to make sure.  
“None.”  
“Me neither.”  

“Same here.”  
“Me too.”  
Hearing the four of them respond with no objections, Alon couldn’t help but think to himself.  

‘Was yesterday’s impact really that strong?’  
Alon shook his head slightly.  
Even though the events of yesterday were impactful, there was no way it was enough to make Argonia and the mercenaries of the Five Great Guilds this obedient.  

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Which led him to wonder.  
‘Could it be…?’  

Alon glanced over at Rine, who had accompanied them to today’s meeting.  
But.  
‘…?’  

Rine, with her usual indifferent expression, still showed a clear hint of confusion, which made Alon even more puzzled by the situation.  
‘Something feels off…’  
The mercenaries were much more obedient than they had been in the game, even going so far as to use polite language, and Alon tilted his head in bewilderment.  

Even Myaon, who should have still harbored some resentment after being frozen by Alon, remained quiet, which was strange. But it would have been odd for Alon to directly ask why there were no complaints.  
“Then, let’s head down tomorrow. It’ll take some time to prepare.”  
With that, Alon wrapped up the meeting.  

***
And so, the day of the decisive battle arrived.  
Leaving Evan behind, Alon set off with Rine—who insisted on accompanying him—and the Outer God subjugation team, heading toward the 5th floor.  

‘…It’s much more oppressive.’  
Even though Alon had seen the labyrinth dozens of times in the game, the real thing was far more ominous.  
In the darkness where nothing could be seen without torches, monsters would leap out at any moment.  

The deep, abyss-like darkness that the light couldn’t reach naturally stirred fear in people’s hearts.  
Of course, because of the number of mercenaries, the area around Alon was relatively bright, but the darkness didn’t completely vanish.  
‘I should never come here alone.’  

With that thought, Alon continued descending into the labyrinth, and after some time passed, when they had gone beyond the 2nd floor, a break was given.  
Resting in the safe zone that the mercenaries had created inside the labyrinth, Alon heard a voice.  
“Hey, do you have a minute?”  

It was Myaon, who had approached him without him noticing.  
“…Why?”  
Alon, a bit tense, thought she might be looking to pick a fight.  

“I just wanted to talk, that’s all.”  
But surprisingly, Myaon sat next to him with a light smile, almost making Alon feel foolish for being so cautious, and she started chatting casually.  
Alon, who listened in bewilderment, soon heard Myaon ask.  

“By the way, does the Count have any aversion to beastfolk?”  
“No, not really.”  
“That’s a relief.”  

“Why is that a relief?”  
Alon, puzzled by her answer, gave her a questioning look.  
“Hey, Count, by any chance…”  

With a sly smile, Myaon continued.  
“Do you have any interest in mating with me?”  
She casually dropped an outrageous remark.  

“…?”  
Alon’s brain momentarily shut down.