Raising Villains the Right Way

“Who are you?”

In response to Alon’s question, the Predecessor—

no, the one with blue eyes—spoke.

“Don’t be so wary. From the beginning, I was the one this friend intended for you to meet.”

“That’s you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you hide your identity?”

At Alon’s pointed question, she gave a faintly indecipherable smile.

“There are several reasons, but it would take too long to explain, so I’ll put it simply. Half of it was a prank, and the other half was a test.”

A test?

“Oh, don’t worry. You passed the test. I have no reason to harm you. That would have been the case even if you hadn’t passed.”

“You’re going off on your own.”

Perhaps realizing Alon was telling her not to speak in riddles only she could understand, she lightly laughed and turned her body.

“Sorry, it’s just been a while since I’ve had a conversation with someone—no, with anyone—so I got a little excited. Honestly, I’d like to keep chatting with you like this.”

Then she added, “But let’s stop here,” and looked toward the altar.

The thick black smoke that had been pouring out moments ago was now distinctly fading.

“There’s a limit?”

“If you want to converse with a being of my level, it can’t be helped.”

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say not to worry.

“Still, I have enough time to tell you everything I need to. It might be a bit tight for you to ask questions, though.”

She smiled as if to ask, “So, what will you do?”

Alon let out a sigh.

It seemed questioning her was no longer possible.

“I will listen.”

“Good.”

After some time passed—

“That’s everything I can tell you.”

She finished her explanation.

“Well then, see you next time.”

“There’s a next time?”

“Of course. That is, if you truly move to save—or rather, protect—the ones you hold dear.”

When those words ended, the blue light in the Predecessor’s eyes slowly began to fade.

Very slowly.

“Oh, shall I give you a gift?”

She suddenly offered.

“A gift?”

Her blue eyes focused intently on Alon.

“If you want to uncover the secret of your emotions, seek the one known as the ‘Watcher.’ That being will reveal the secret to you.”

Just as Alon widened his eyes in surprise to ask what she meant, the blue glow vanished entirely.

And then—

“...?”

“What... what is...?”

Alon found himself facing the Predecessor once more.

Her face held an expression of confusion.

Alon let out a small sigh.

He tried asking, just in case, but it was clear she remembered nothing.

“Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome. I don’t remember anything, but I’m glad it seems to have helped.”

“Then you won’t reveal the identity of that person with blue eyes?”

He asked because it seemed she knew who it was.

“If that person chose not to reveal it directly, there must be a reason.”

“I see.”

There would be no further answers.

Alon nodded quietly.

His curiosity had not vanished, but even if he asked again, he doubted he would get an answer.

More importantly, he had already gained much from this encounter.

“I’ll be going now.”

He offered a brief farewell.

“But... can you get back up?”

“She said once the conversation ended, she would return.”

The Predecessor paused in thought and then guided Alon to a spot at the altar.

“Please come here for a moment.”

“What is this?”

“An artifact.”

Before him was a conch shell carved from a blue gemstone.

“With this, you can return to the surface on your own without assistance. After you use it, please pass it along to that friend.”

Alon nodded.

With a final farewell, he left the chamber.

Standing in the dark abyss, Alon infused mana into the conch shell he held.

—Wooooom!

A spherical barrier formed around him in an instant.

Before he could even marvel at it, the sphere moved through the depths as if guided, heading toward the surface.

After a moment, light began to filter down from above.

And then—

Splash!

When Alon finally broke through the surface of the sea, he saw Radan and Penia staring at him with dumbfounded expressions.

“So, what I meant was... if you have time, come visit here later?”

“Why would I?”

Beside them, the Observer was busily flirting with Radan.

What is this...? Alon thought, utterly perplexed.

***

After witnessing the Observer’s ‘flirting’ and returning—

“Brother, I’ll take my leave now.”

“All right.”

“Yes! I’ll see you again soon!”

As Radan left with an energetic farewell, Alon tilted his head slightly.

“See him again soon?” he thought, uncertain.

But he soon shrugged and boarded the returning ship.

“Still, I didn’t expect the Observer to suddenly try to seduce Radan.”

“True...”

“Is Radan the type of face women like?”

“He’s certainly more approachable-looking than you. Annoying as he is, he is handsome. To a certain type of woman, he might be deadly.”

“I’m deadly in my own way too.”

“...You’re lethal in a different way.”

“What?”

At that, as if waiting for the cue, Penia and Evan began trading blows with their words.

“Hmph, it’s just that everyone else has no taste.”

Perched on their shoulders, Blackie and Basiliora each chimed in a remark.

In that moment, Alon briefly recalled what had just happened.

He thought back to when he heard the story from the blue-eyed one.

“Sigh.”

The information he was given could be summarized into three parts.

The first was about the identity and purpose of the Divine Bloods.

The second was about the divinity that had disappeared from Alon.

And the last was about the concept of “Creation.”

Her voice, which had spoken so confidently—as if she already knew what he wanted—replayed clearly in his mind.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll summarize. The entities you’re facing, the ‘Divine Bloods,’ are beings of this world. More precisely, they are those who, in a world that perished, once possessed the potential to become gods.”

“Gods of this world?”

“Yes. You’ve already entered the Abyssal Gates, haven’t you?”

“…Don’t tell me.”

“That’s right. The Abyssal Gates are fragments of those beings. Everything you saw inside them is a reflection of those destroyed worlds.”

Alon let out a small sigh.

In truth, he had held doubts about the Abyssal Gates of Psychedelia, but he had never thought deeply on it.

Psychedelia was just a game.

And within that game, the Gates were nothing more than dungeons for players to grow stronger.

There had been players who speculated about deeper meaning, since the worlds within the Gates were so diverse. But not a single one could have imagined a truth like this.

Even Alon, who had vaguely sensed that the Gates contained something unusual, had never imagined such a revelation.

Alon continued recalling her words.

—As you already know, the Divine Bloods have only one objective—to become gods.

—Aren’t there many gods already in this world?

—If you mean the forgotten Outer Gods of ancient times, then no, they were not true gods. They were merely humans who happened to exploit the natural order of this world.

—......

—As proof, they were neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Of course, neither are the Divine Bloods.

—...Then what is the difference between the Divine Bloods and the former Outer Gods?

—Heavenly Law Creation.

—Heavenly… Creation?

—Exactly as it sounds. The Divine Bloods possess their own laws. Unlike True Mages, who invoke the laws of this world, they themselves are the laws. Just like the Divine Blood who gave you its power.

—Heavenly Law Creation…

Alon felt chills travel down his spine before he realized it.

If what she said was true, then every fallen Divine Blood possessed power similar to that.

Yet despite that, concern did not shadow Alon’s expression.

Naturally—it was because of what she said next.

—You don’t need to worry too much. Not every fallen Divine Blood is as powerful as that one. There are levels among them.

—...Levels?

—Yes, levels. I don’t have time to explain each in detail, so I’ll put it simply. Based on the current general scale of power, you might be able to defeat one of the first level.

—That’s not exactly a reassuring situation.

—Seen simply, yes. But if you look closely, it’s not so grim.

—Why?

In his memory, the Predecessor smiled slowly as she continued.

—There’s a reason.

—First, even though the Divine Bloods have descended, it will take time before they fully manifest. None of them have appeared yet, right?

—That’s true.

—They won’t move until some more time has passed. The stronger they are, the longer it takes to materialize. Which means—you have time.

—You’re saying I should grow stronger during that time?

—Exactly. You have a very good chance and potential.

—...But I’m just human.

—If you truly believe that, then that’s disappointing.

—What?

To Alon’s puzzled response, she answered:

—You received that one’s power. Although you still need much more mastery, the fact remains that you can now wield a Heavenly Law Creation that you yourself did not originate. In other words, if you do it right, unlike the other Divine Bloods, you will be able to wield two laws~.

And then she said:

—Because you, too, are Divine Blood.

—...What?

He couldn’t understand.

It was only natural.

He knew what Divine Bloods were.

He had already heard the truth of this world from One Who Bears It.

—They are not gods. They are merely aberrations in this world. Life born in this world cannot become gods.

—.....

—Life in this world was not created to become divine.

One Who Bears It’s words echoed in his mind.

That calm, unwavering voice of truth resounded clearly in his ears once more.

—Humans born in this world cannot become gods... isn’t that so?

And so, to Alon’s next question, the Predecessor replied:

—That’s right. Those born in this world are not qualified to become gods. With the exception of a few extraordinary beings—but you are not one of them.

—Then…

—But…

So calmly, so naturally—

—You weren’t born in this world, were you?

And those words sent another ripple through his mind.