Became The Patron Of Villains Chapter 590

[ … words ]

After an unpleasant silence flowed.

“Father, you said?”

Penia’s murmur, blank until just moments ago, echoed through the sunset-drenched temple.

The Karma seat nodded.

[That’s right. He was the first person I saved.]

“…Sa… ved?”

[Yes. Salvation— the first person freed from pain and hunger.]

The Karma seat pulled the corners of its torn mouth even higher.

Apart from that, its eyes were contradictorily merciful.

…Unpleasantly so.

And the moment Alon heard that brief fragment of conversation.

“……”

His gaze turned to the Karma seat again.

And he realized.

…The outfit it was wearing was not a clown’s outfit.

What jutted out was not the ridiculous clothing unique to a clown, but a holy shroud matted with blood, unable to fall away.

Everything else was the same.

The clothing he had thought was a suit was bloodstains discolored black.

The pants he had thought bore red patterns were also stained with blood.

…Pants soaked thoroughly in blood, and therefore turned dark red.

Only then could Alon understand the identity of the corpses contained in those countless spaces.

“…The corpses in the exhibition halls were the people you saved?”

A question without any particular embellishment.

But perhaps that question satisfied it, because the Karma seat completely lowered the mask it had been holding.

[Yes! That’s right. Finally, someone I can talk to. I’m seeing you differently now.]

The Karma seat nodded, laughing as though Alon’s words were quite enjoyable.

[That’s right. That was the history of my salvation.]

It nodded.

“…You call that kind of thing salvation?”

[Yes.]

“You killed people and displayed them like works of art…?”

Penia’s rebuttal.

At that, the Karma seat looked at Penia with strange eyes.

Was it angry?

Or annoyed?

If not that, was it rage at having the truth it had refused to see until now placed right before its eyes?

Those thoughts flashed through Alon’s mind for a moment.

However.

[Oh dear—]

The next instant.

Alon realized.

[Is that so.]

The Karma seat was not angry.

Nor was it annoyed.

Nor was it enraged at witnessing the truth it had turned away from.

It was simply.

[Of course, there is no way you could understand.]

Looking at Penia with eyes full of pity.

As though looking at a human who had never been to heaven.

As though looking at a sentient being that had not reached nirvana.

As though looking at an alchemist who had not realized the truth.

The Karma seat, staring at her with eyes that only said she was endlessly pitiful, soon murmured.

[If words are seeds, then you are a field of stone. Even if I sowed seeds in you, nothing would ever grow.]

Then it rose from its seat and lifted the mask again.

Its mask was smiling.

[It seems I won’t be able to hear your impressions, so unfortunately, let’s move on. Yes— now it is my turn to resolve your questions, isn’t it? Star Eater.]

“……”

Alon remained silent.

But the Karma seat paid no attention to Alon’s silence.

[I will tell you the truth.]

“……”

[You have fallen into a trap. Star Eater.]

It said that.

[That is the only thing I can tell you.]

Soon, the Karma seat’s hand holding the mask fell.

The smiling clown mask stuck itself onto the Karma seat’s face.

[You won’t need to be curious beyond that.]

And.

[Because once I save you, everything will be over.]

“!”

SPOT!

The Karma seat appeared in front of Alon.

####

It was something that happened before anyone knew it.

No, even attaching the phrase “before anyone knew it” felt strange.

Before the Karma seat had even finished speaking.

It was already in front of Alon.

“!”

Belatedly noticing the situation, Deus and Penia’s expressions could be seen changing slowly.

From tension to doubt.

From doubt to surprise.

From surprise to shock.

Along with eyes that changed as though they had not foreseen this situation itself at all, Deus and Penia moved.

Purple threads appeared from Deus’s hand.

A lump of mana, urgently beginning to form, appeared from Penia’s hand.

But unfortunately, the fastest one was the Karma seat before their eyes.

CRACK—!

With a chilling sound, Alon’s body flew backward, and Deus’s threads, acting a moment too late, shot toward the Karma seat as Penia’s magic manifested.

However.

“!”

“!”

The next instant, Penia and Deus saw it.

The attacks that had clearly been flying toward the Karma seat surged upward, as though blocked by an invisible wall.

A clear abnormality.

But without even time to question that abnormality—

CRAAASH—!

“Kuhak—!?”

“Ugh—!”

Deus and Penia were flung away and slammed into the wall of the old, old temple.

Deus, unable to get his bearings as the armor he wore crumpled and he vomited blood, and Penia, who had managed to put up a shield in that brief instant but was likewise coughing up red blood.

Unable to process what had happened in an instant, in not even a few seconds, they soon looked at the Karma seat with hollow expressions.

Of course, they had already known the Karma seat was strong.

They had personally seen the Karma seat of War, and had also personally seen that incomprehensible power.

But even so, they had never imagined it would turn out like this.

They had not wanted the battle to continue.

What they wanted was information.

A very small amount of information.

Even if they could not win, they had judged that they would at least be able to obtain the bare minimum of information while receiving the Karma seat’s attacks.

They had thought they could be of at least that much use.

But they were wrong.

Penia and Deus had obtained nothing.

All they had seen was the Karma seat twisting their attacks in some bizarre way, and they had not even perceived what had attacked them.

…They had simply been defeated without value.

So easily that it felt empty.

Sssrk—

The Karma seat’s gaze turned toward Penia.

And soon, the Karma seat was standing in front of her.

It had not moved quickly.

It was as though there had been time she had failed to perceive.

As though there had been stopped time.

At some point, the Karma seat was before her.

[You asked why that was salvation, didn’t you?]

The voice flowing from behind the clown mask tickled Penia.

[You must have seen their expressions.]

[How were they?]

[Were they in pain?]

[Were they full of malice?]

[Or did they look sad?]

No. No, they did not. No.

The Karma seat looked at Penia.

[They were all filled with joy.]

“……”

[Do you know why? It was because they had been freed from “life.”]

“Cough… What did you… say…?”

At Penia’s words, as though she could not understand, the Karma seat calmly continued.

[The living see death as a punishment or something sad.]

But.

[Is that truly so?]

“……”

[As for me—]

Calmly.

[I think being born is the horror instead.]

Quietly, it continued speaking.

“What are you—”

Penia’s eyes narrowed.

But even in that situation, the Karma seat merely opened its mouth calmly.

[Being thrown into a body without any consent,]

[Learning hunger,]

[Learning fear,]

[Coming to love someone,]

[And then being made to inevitably lose them.]

[Isn’t that instead the punishment and the sad thing?]

Penia could see the Karma seat’s eyes.

A peaceful gaze.

…And because of that, with that gaze so close to truth, without a single trace of lies—

[That is why death is salvation.]

It simply spoke calmly.

[Because life, in itself, is punishment.]

It said.

“……!”

Penia felt a strange fear welling up toward that Karma seat.

She already knew that what stood before her was a Karma seat.

But the thought it held.

The sincerity reflected in its two eyes was enough to make her feel fear.

[So, say it.]

[To me.]

[Ask me to save you.]

The instant the Karma seat opened its mouth.

“…What nonsense.”

A familiar voice rang out again.

The Karma seat of Salvation turned its gaze.

There stood Alon, who had clearly been struck by an invisible attack at the very beginning and sent flying.

His black cloak was dirtier than before, but he did not seem to have taken any particular damage.

At that sight, the Karma seat turned its gaze completely.

[…You’re more sickly than I thought. Star Eater. You were slow to get up.]

Because it wore a mask, its expression could not be properly seen, but for some reason, its words felt faintly displeased. Alon looked at it.

“…I didn’t know you would attack without listening to the rest of the conversation.”

[Was there something to talk about?]

“Yes. Just as you resolved my curiosity, I was going to give you one piece of information.”

[Information…?]

Yes.

Alon said.

“What you told me, I already knew.”

[…What?]

The Karma seat of Salvation asked, bewildered.

But Alon stared straight at it.

“That the time when all the Karma seats fall is not now, but two months from now.”

“That three Karma seats, including you, have fallen to the ground.”

“That you deliberately called me out to this Western Empire.”

Calmly.

“…And that the Wanderer is a traitor.”

“!”

Watching the Karma seat of Salvation’s face distort.

He spoke the truth.

####

The Wanderer.

The main body of Goddess Sironia.

And the limb of Blue Eyes—

No.

The woman who had once been the limb of Blue Eyes was indifferently looking down at the ground.

No, to be precise, she was looking at the hole leading down to the ground.

That hole was far too small for her to descend while carrying the power she possessed.

However, the Wanderer had already reached a conclusion.

She would go down to the ground first, even if it meant discarding a certain amount of her power.

Of course, someone might question the Wanderer’s choice.

The reason the Karma seats waited calmly until the hole widened, despite being able to descend by discarding their power, was simple.

Because the total amount of power that had to be discarded in order to pass through that small hole was far too great.

However, the reason the Wanderer was trying to descend to the ground while taking on such a risk was simple.

Because right now was the optimal situation.

The optimal situation the Wanderer had created.

The Star Eater, who should have been stopping the Karma seats, had trusted her words completely and headed to the Empire.

Also, the children he had raised would have been deceived by false information, scattered throughout the Allied Kingdoms, and intoxicated with victory after capturing every Divine blood that amounted to less than thirty percent of their force.

If she descended in this state, she could very comfortably devour Rosario and, further beyond that, devour the Allied Kingdoms.

Because she also had the Karma seats with whom she had joined hands for this very moment.

“……”

Of course, if asked whether she could trust the Karma seats, the answer was no.

They surely had things they wanted.

But it did not matter.

The road by which she could surpass the Blue Eyes she had served.

The road by which she could trample down that Monster blood who had looked down on her.

…And further, the road by which she could seize what she desired.

This was the only one.

In addition, the next plan had already been arranged one by one.

Even the “means” to control that arrogant Monster blood.

That was why.

[Hoo—]

With an expression full of joy, the Wanderer began passing through the hole.

Her power vanished as she passed through it.

But it did not matter.

Because on the ground, there were already humans who would do more than merely replenish the power she had extinguished here; they would make it even more abundant.

That was why she descended to the ground.

[Finally—!]

The moment she came down to the ground with an expression filled with joy.

The Wanderer saw it.

“You finally came.”

As though waiting for her as she descended from the sky, at the end of Rosario’s Great Temple, a golden beastkin sat collapsed, looking up at the sky.

“That’s right.”

WOOOOONG—!

A giant god looking down even upon the Wanderer.

And.

“You were later than I expected.”

Radan, wearing blue armor, likewise looking up at the sky.

And.

[…Ah?]

The Wanderer realized that something had gone wrong.