Mastermind - I

Mastermind

Chapter 1

In the Asteria Kingdom, located east of the continent’s center.

In a small room on the right side of the second floor of the Count Palatio’s residence in the southern region.

“……Did you successfully carry out the order?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The knight, standing, lowered his head in response to the man sitting on the bed.

“As you commanded, I rescued the orphans in the small village in the eastern part of the kingdom… No, rather, the orphans in the facility for human experimentation.”

“And did you ensure the orphanage was properly managed?”

“Yes, just as you instructed, I left the orphanage in the hands of a girl named Yutia.”

“…Did you finish the discussion with the baron’s family managing that village?”

“Yes, as soon as I showed them the documents related to the human experimentation, they obediently accepted all our demands, including the entire castle.”

With that, the knight, Evan, pulled out a leather pouch from his chest and placed it in front of Alon’s side table.

“Good.”

Alon opened the pouch and smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the gold coins inside.

“Young Master, if I may ask one thing…?”

After a moment of silence, Evan spoke.

“What is it?”

“You said the reason you attacked the human experimentation facility in Baron Alfon’s territory was to save that girl, Yutia, right?”

As Alon nodded, gesturing for him to continue, Evan spoke further.

“…Indeed, she was extraordinary. I’ve lived a long time as a mercenary myself.”

Evan paused as if to gather his thoughts, then continued.

“But it’s hard to understand why such a powerful girl was locked up in that facility.”

“And?”

“…Why did you just leave her at the orphanage?”

Alon remained silent in response to the question, which carried a tone of slight incomprehension.

In truth, Evan’s question was entirely reasonable. Rescuing a girl like Yutia without making use of her in any way was an act that brought no benefit.

But that was only from Evan’s perspective. The situation looked quite different from Alon’s viewpoint.

‘I removed one of the world’s destruction flags, and that’s enough for now.’

Yutia.

Her real name was Yutia Bludia.

In 10 years, she would become one of the Five Great Sins, the “Sin of Wrath,” and wipe out two of the five allied kingdoms from the continent, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.

If someone were to ask how Alon knew what would happen 10 years later, it was because he was a person who had been reincarnated. Moreover, he was aware that this world would be utterly destroyed in 10 years as a dark fantasy RPG game called “Psychedelia.”

“Sigh.”

Alon clutched his throbbing head as he remembered the moment he first regained consciousness two months ago and let out a deep sigh.

‘At first, just realizing that this was a fantasy world made me bedridden for three days, and then discovering that it was 10 years before the main plot of Psychedelia started made me sick for ten more.’

Initially, when Alon thought he had merely reincarnated into a fantasy world, he despaired for about three days. However, as he began to adapt to the world, the situation didn’t seem so bad.

Surprisingly, being a noble was quite manageable.

The life of a noble was incredibly comfortable. He could wake up whenever he wanted, sleep whenever he wanted, do whatever he wanted, and eat whenever he felt like it.

Although he was the third son of a count and held no real power, he was in a position where he could fully enjoy the pleasures of life without responsibility.

That’s why, at first, he was somewhat happy.

For someone who had worked 78 hours a week at a low-paying job, the life of a noble was unbelievably luxurious.

Of course, not being able to access the internet, the pinnacle of modern civilization, was a severe drawback. Still, the life of a noble was satisfying enough to overlook that.

But that only lasted for a while.

Alon’s mood darkened rapidly once he realized that this continent was named Ampelan.

…And even more so when he recalled that the noble family he had reincarnated into was the Count Palatio’s family.

Ampelan was the name of the continent in Psychedelia, the game he had played during his sparse free time while slaving away at work.

And the Count Palatio’s family was briefly mentioned in one of the game’s quests.

Moreover, the despair he felt upon realizing that this was 10 years before the main plot of Psychedelia began was as crushing as the time when his paycheck had been delayed for three consecutive months.

The world of Psychedelia was one where all living creatures, whether nobles or commoners, would be mercilessly ground to dust in 10 years.

Among the most doomed was the Asteria Kingdom, to which the Count Palatio’s family belonged. In any game route, the moment one of the Five Great Sins appeared, the kingdom was wiped off the map.

In other words, it was destroyed.

The kingdom would disappear. The nobility would vanish. Cities would be obliterated.

In short, Alon’s noble life as the third son of the Count Palatio family would inevitably come to an end in 10 years.

Thus, if Alon wished to continue enjoying his peaceful noble life, he would have to eliminate all Five Great Sins, who were destined to become human-killing machines in the future.

And what he was doing now was part of that plan.

“Well… that’s it.”

However, there was no way he could explain all this to Evan.

“It’s just that the time hasn’t come yet.”

“…The time hasn’t come?”

“Yes. Anyway, make sure this matter doesn’t leak to the outside, and continue supporting the orphanage as requested. Oh, and one more thing.”

Alon pulled out a letter from his chest and handed it over.

“Deliver this letter to her.”

“…This letter?”

Evan asked curiously, and Alon replied.

“Yes.”

Strictly speaking, it was something important.

The letter contained a phrase that always appeared in a mandatory event when encountering the Sin of Wrath in the game Psychedelia.

‘The suffering of the dark, the enlightenment of the light. A single despair and belonging.’

This phrase was uttered by a slightly suspicious archbishop NPC from a certain holy country, who would accompany the protagonist and attempt to calm the Sin of Wrath. However, the moment he spoke, the archbishop would turn into a pile of blood, and the Sin of Wrath would, with an irritated expression, say, “It’s too late,” before the battle began.

The reason Alon now chose to use this phrase was because the current time was what the Sin of Wrath referred to as “the past” during the game.

He had seen the phrase repeatedly while playing the game over and over, labeled as a “spell that could befriend the Bloodline,” as stated by the archbishop NPC.

‘Of course, it’s ridiculous to think that reciting one spell would turn you into a friend of those insane creatures who make pacts with Cthulhu and wield power… But considering these are people who worship such beings, it oddly makes sense.’

It was impossible to predict the thoughts of those whose minds bordered on fanaticism.

As Alon watched the mercenary knight bow respectfully and leave the room, he shrugged and thought to himself.

‘Now that I’ve removed the first landmine, it’s time for the second.’

***

A few days later.

“Here’s the letter.”

Evan, having received Alon’s orders, arrived at the orphanage once again and handed the letter to her, unable to hide his unease.

It was understandable, given that the girl, Yutia, standing before him, was strange.

Her red eyes, in stark contrast to her white hair, held no emotion whatsoever.

No, not even a trace of emotion could be detected.

Complete apathy.

The girl, who looked as if she regarded every being in the world as mere objects, extended her hand and accepted the letter with the same expression she had when Evan first rescued her from the orphanage.

Rustle, rustle—

Yutia silently began to open the letter.

Evan’s expression remained puzzled, unable to comprehend why she had been confined in such a facility.

Although he hadn’t reached mastery, Evan could manipulate mana, and with that came the ability to sense the energy of others.

Moreover, Evan’s talent for sensing mana was significantly superior to that of other knights, allowing him to perceive it with far greater accuracy.

That’s why he could tell.

‘No matter how you look at it, this doesn’t make sense.’

The girl standing before him was far too formidable to have been locked up in such a place.

And as Evan pondered this, another question arose in his mind.

It was about the third son of the Count Palatio family who had hired him a few months ago at a tavern.

During his time as a mercenary, Evan had heard that the third son of the Count Palatio family was treated as a virtual outcast, the typical untalented bastard child of a noble house.

Additionally, there were rumors that, due to his timid nature, he was often bullied by his notorious elder brothers, who were known as scoundrels.

So how did such a third son of the count know about the secret human experimentation that the baron’s family was conducting in that hidden facility?

‘I don’t understand at all.’

As Evan was lost in thought, his eyes suddenly widened.

The reason was…

The expressionless Yutia, who had been standing there until a moment ago, now had a broad smile on her lips.

No, it was more than just a smile.

‘Her mana… is becoming visible to the naked eye…?!’

Displaying a skill that could only be shown by those who had reached a certain level of mastery, she was doing so effortlessly.

And then…

“The person who sent this letter… was it Sir Alon?”

As Yutia spoke, her vertical pupils, characteristic of the Bloodline, similar to a reptile’s, gazed directly at Evan.

Even with that mere glance, Evan, who had reached the rank of an expert, felt an instinctive warning from his senses, and though he silently gasped in shock, he quickly composed himself and replied.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t he call me?”

Yutia’s question.

Although the thought crossed his mind that he didn’t know, Evan refrained from saying it carelessly.

His instincts told him it would be a bad idea.

Instead, Evan recalled a casual remark Alon had made and responded.

“…He said the time wasn’t right.”

“I see.”

A short reply.

But it was the correct answer, as evidenced by the long, curved smile on her lips.

She…

Yutia Bludia—no.

“…I understand.”

The first daughter of the Bloodline, Yutia Bloody Queen, moved her enchanting red lips and said,

“I understand his will.”

With the letter containing a secret phrase known only to her master held close, she twisted her lips into a bizarre smile.

Chapter 2

Three months had passed since Alon rescued Yutia Bludia, who would become a human extermination machine in 10 years. During those three months, Alon faithfully lived each day and managed to locate the second Sin that needed saving.

About a month later.

“As you instructed, I rescued the child from the illegal slave market and sent them to the orphanage managed by Yutia.”

Alon, who was in the study on some business, heard the report from Evan.

“You treated them well, as I said?”

“Yes.”

“There were no fights?”

“Of course.”

Alon, accustomed to Evan’s reports after nearly half a year, nodded as if satisfied. But once again, Evan hesitantly asked a question.

“…But may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you send the child you went to such lengths to find to the orphanage…? I hesitate to say this, but the child you rescued this time also has an extraordinary talent.”

Understanding Evan’s meaning immediately, Alon nodded thoughtfully.

‘Not just extraordinary—it’s world-ending level talent.’

The man Alon had rescued this time from the illegal slave market in the Kingdom of Kalian, the central nation of the allied kingdoms, was none other than Deus.

Deus Macallian.

One of the bosses in Psychedelia, who would become the “Sin of Sloth,” one of the Five Great Sins in 10 years, and, like the Sin of Wrath, he would erase several allied kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Asteria, from the continent as soon as he appeared.

And he did so in the worst possible way.

Even as a player, Alon had frowned at the gory depiction, and there were instances in Psychedelia-related communities where players would have visceral reactions just from reading about Sloth’s portrayal.

‘And for a Sloth, he sure holds a grudge.’

The reason Alon had told Evan to treat Deus well after rescuing him came to mind. Realizing that Evan was still waiting for an answer, Alon casually offered an excuse.

“It’s the same as before. The time hasn’t come yet.”

“The time, you say.”

Watching Evan mull over his excuse, Alon thought to himself.

‘He’s curious about a lot.’

In truth, Alon would have preferred a knight who silently followed orders without asking questions over Evan, who inquired about everything each time he received an order. Unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter.

Or rather, he had already used that choice on Evan half a year ago.

Evan was a character in Psychedelia who, while not a main protagonist, would appear several times depending on certain routes as a supporting character.

Moreover, he was a top-tier supporting character who, once a certain level of trust was established, would never betray you and would uphold his loyalty until the end. In a fantasy world where betrayal and backstabbing were as common as daily meals, Alon knew how valuable it was to have someone who wouldn’t stab him in the back. Fortunately, he had encountered Evan while he was passing through the territory and had hired him as a knight without hesitation.

“…I understand.”

While Alon was lost in thought, Evan nodded firmly, as if he understood everything, and asked another question.

“So, when do you plan to meet the ones you’ve rescued?”

“I don’t particularly plan to.”

“…But wouldn’t it be better to meet them at least once?”

“Hmm.”

Alon was aware.

Ideally, it would be beneficial to maintain a close relationship with the Five Great Sins, and the best way to build rapport would be through direct interaction.

However, despite this awareness, the reason Alon chose not to meet them directly and instead maintained a relationship through sponsorship was due to their personalities, specifically their character flaws.

According to what he knew, the personalities of the Five Great Sins were dreadful even before they became the Five Great Sins.

One only needed to watch the flashback scenes that played after defeating the bosses of the Five Great Sins in Psychedelia to understand.

Their personalities were so vile that Satan and Lucifer would clap their hands in approval from the depths of hell.

‘Of course, the process that leads them to become the Five Great Sins is even more horrific.’

Alon thought briefly before continuing.

‘…Well, I did save them before their personalities could fully deteriorate, so it shouldn’t get that bad… But then again, I did only save them halfway through.’

In conclusion, the personalities of the Five Great Sins were bound to be twisted in some way, which gave him reason to hesitate.

“…Maybe in about five years.”

By then, Evan would have gathered enough data to accurately assess the average personalities of the Sins.

When Alon gave this somewhat optimistic answer, Evan nodded, just as the door to the study suddenly burst open.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Alon!”

At the sound of the familiar voice calling his name, Alon frowned slightly and let out a sigh.

He knew the owner of that voice all too well.

“Why is my illiterate brother in here, hmm?”

Turning to the source of the voice, he saw a man approaching with a sly expression.

Or rather,

“When your elder brother speaks, shouldn’t you respond?”

It was Tonio, the second son of the Palatio Count’s family, known as one of the scoundrel brothers of the Count’s family. He wore a grin that was unpleasant at first glance and casually placed his arm on Alon’s head as he sat.

A blatantly disrespectful act.

“I just stopped by to look for something.”

Even as Tonio deliberately pressed down on his head, causing a slight pain, Alon calmly answered as if nothing was wrong, thinking to himself.

‘Here we go again.’

This wasn’t the first time either the eldest or the second son had treated Alon like this.

In fact, they had openly bullied him since the moment he had reincarnated.

Even before he took over Alon’s body, the original Alon must have been subjected to such harassment continuously.

However, the reason Alon chose not to react and let it pass, despite the annoyance, was because his desire to maintain a peaceful noble life was stronger.

‘If I mess with these bastards, my plan will be ruined from the start.’

If his opponents were truly on the level of the Count’s scoundrel duo, Alon would have loved to crush them thoroughly. But the problem was that their level was not that simple.

‘Dealing with a drug lord and a pimp king is tricky.’

Alon glanced upward.

There, the second son of the Count’s family, who ran a drug cartel with the grand name of “Avalon” in the underworld, gazed down at him with a blatant sneer.

Of course, the cartel wasn’t a large organization by any means, only known to some extent within the kingdom. But unfortunately, the current Alon was incapable of dealing with a piece of trash who could, with a snap of his fingers, order dozens of assassins from the underworld to eliminate him without leaving a trace.

Even if he managed to get rid of him, he would then have to face the eldest son, who was in a power struggle with the second son and ran the prostitution rings instead. Given that the eldest was highly sensitive about the succession issue, he would never let Alon, who had defeated the second son, go unpunished.

In other words, Alon knew that once he reacted, there would be no turning back.

“It seems my elder brother wishes to use the study, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“At least you know your place.”

Alon respectfully bowed to Tonio, whose face was full of scorn, and left the study with Evan to return to his room.

Soon, Evan handed him Yutia’s letter.

“This time, I brought it personally.”

“Did you?”

Since rescuing Yutia, Alon had been exchanging letters with her on a monthly basis. The content of the letters usually consisted of simple greetings and updates about each other’s daily lives. It had been Alon who suggested they exchange letters in the first place.

‘She might feel closer to a pen pal than if we met in person.’

Recalling the friends he once felt closer to in online chat rooms than in real life, Alon opened the letter and began to read.

“Hmm…”

The letter contained nothing special. As usual, Yutia wrote a brief greeting and shared some stories about a few of the orphans.

To summarize a bit, it mentioned that a boy named Hidan was very good at playing “war games” and that a girl named Yuna was excellent at “hide and seek.”

Reading through the ordinary stories, Alon pondered what he should write in his reply and decided to faithfully recount what had happened that day.

He figured that instead of only writing pleasant things, sharing some of his worries might help them grow closer psychologically.

With that in mind, Alon wrote about the events of the day and sent the letter to Yutia at the orphanage.

It was just an ordinary day.

***

At that time.

“Hmm~”

Yutia was observing Deus Macallian, a man with ominous, eerie, violet eyes that seemed void.

On the surface, he appeared fine.

His limbs were intact, though his body bore numerous signs of abuse, he didn’t seem physically hindered.

But that was only on the surface. If anyone else saw Deus Macallian, they would be convinced that he was broken.

His body might have been intact, but his eyes, which should have shown some emotion, were empty, staring blankly into space.

He was like a man whose mind had been shattered by mental magic, expressionless and motionless, staring vacantly at a single spot.

He was the very image of a broken man.

However, Yutia smiled deeply as she looked at him.

‘The traces left by that thing… Allowing to take direct revenge, you’re truly considerate.’

More than just smiling, Yutia clearly understood the intent behind why he had sent Deus here and spoke.

“Black Goat.”

“!”

Just a single word.

But that single word was enough to elicit a response from Deus, who had been no different from a broken man until just moments ago.

What filled his once-empty eyes was neither intelligence nor awareness, but pure hatred, anger, and fear.

Confirming this, Yutia smiled and spoke.

“Don’t you want revenge?”

At Yutia’s words, Deus’s vacant gaze shifted to her.

His eyes were filled with hatred, murderous intent, and curiosity.

Noticing this easily, Yutia didn’t say anything more.

She simply scattered a light amount of mana.

A mana that he had granted, meant solely to confront the black ones.

“Congratulations, he has chosen you. So, you will gain power.”

She didn’t elaborate further on the mana she had released.

No, there was no need to.

The second one he had chosen possessed a talent so exceptional that it could be explained with a single action.

Thus,

“So all you need to do is remain loyal to him. Then you’ll get your revenge.”

Yutia smiled as she looked at Deus.

And so, as a week passed since Deus arrived at the orphanage, Yutia received another letter from Alon, as usual.

“I see.”

After reading the letter, she smiled.

***

As a year passed since Deus had been placed in the orphanage and Yutia and Alon continued to exchange ordinary letters, Alon was starting to feel a headache over not being able to find the third boss to save.

That was when a piece of news reached his ears.

“…The scoundrel is dead?”

The second son of the Palatio Count’s family was dead.

Chapter 3

In “Psychedelia,” the Count Palatio’s family is portrayed as a textbook example of an evil character in a sub-quest, serving as nothing more than fodder for the protagonist’s experience points before disappearing.

In game terms, they’re essentially extras. However, the reason Alon had quite a bit of information about the Count Palatio’s family was that he had repeatedly dealt with sub-quests related to them while playing the game.

The experience points from the sub-quests involving the Count’s family were quite generous.

In short, in the game, these characters were nothing more than extras meant to provide experience points to the protagonist.

But that was only true when seeing them through the lens of a game. For Alon, who now found himself in a reality where the game world had become his reality, his feelings about the Count’s family were quite different.

The game merely described the family as “selling drugs and running a prostitution ring under the organization called Avalon,” but now, Alon had seen the actual, albeit fragmented, reality with his own eyes.

Even now, he was witnessing it firsthand.

Alon subtly shifted his gaze forward. In front of him was the corpse of Tonio, the recently deceased, lying inside a coffin.

‘Cause of death: accidental fall… right.’

For a man who was a major player in the kingdom’s drug trade, it was an absurdly anticlimactic and empty death. But, naturally, Alon knew that Tonio’s cause of death was not an accidental fall.

In fact, it would be strange if anyone present here didn’t know the truth.

Alon turned his gaze to the side.

Next to him, bowing his head with a deep smile, was Leo, the eldest son of the Count Palatio’s family, who had been locked in a power struggle with Tonio for the position of family head.

‘His smile might split his face.’

Leo wasn’t even trying to hide his grin anymore; his expression was practically unmanaged. Anyone could predict that Tonio’s death wasn’t due to an accidental fall.

Yet, despite everyone knowing this, no one voiced any objections to Leo. Not the knights, not the retainers, not even Aldimore, the current head of the Count Palatio’s family, said a word to his eldest son.

‘Well, Aldimore’s too far gone from indulging in drugs and women to care whether his sons are tearing each other apart. Not like he’s capable of saying anything anymore.’

Alon let out a small, sarcastic laugh as he watched the Count, who was so devoid of dignity that even during Tonio’s funeral, he was surrounded by drugs and women.

‘As expected of a dark fantasy, the state of this family is a complete mess.’

Of course, Alon had no special intention of doing anything about it.

From the beginning, Alon’s plan was proceeding smoothly without him having to do much, and the only real problem he faced was the Five Great Sins.

‘I need to find the rest quickly.’

As Alon thought about this, he watched the final stages of the funeral unfold.

As the coffin containing Tonio was about to be sealed,

“Hmm…?”

A question suddenly crossed Alon’s mind.

‘Was Tonio’s death supposed to happen like this…?’

When he played the episode involving the Count Palatio’s family in the game, only Leo appeared, so it wasn’t difficult for Alon to predict Tonio’s death.

However, what made him question Tonio’s death now was something Leo had said while being disciplined by the protagonist.

‘…Didn’t he mention, after suffering for years, that he finally killed Tonio and became the undisputed heir?’

Having played the game multiple times, and recalling how ridiculous Leo looked in his final moments, Alon couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

Still, he quickly shrugged it off.

After all, it wasn’t something he was deeply concerned about.

A few days after Tonio’s funeral, the Count Palatio’s family, which had been in turmoil due to the second son’s death, suddenly became remarkably peaceful.

The succession battle had ended.

Although the Count had a third son, Alon, in addition to Tonio, no one expected the family to descend into chaos again.

Everyone knew that unlike Tonio, who had aligned with the underworld and sold drugs to gain power to oppose the eldest son, Alon had no power whatsoever.

Even Leo, who was highly sensitive to the succession issue, showed no concern about Alon and didn’t pay him any attention.

Instead, Leo seemed more preoccupied with swallowing up the drug trade that Tonio had left behind.

Anyway, with peace returning to the Count’s family, Alon was reading a letter from Yutia.

“Hmm.”

The letters they had exchanged for almost a year now were always the same, nothing special.

The content of the letter mostly revolved around the orphanage. She wrote about how some of the children were growing well, and there were also a few brief mentions of Deus, whom Alon had sent there.

‘They’re growing well without any issues…’

Alon smiled with satisfaction as he read the short line in Yutia’s letter.

When he had sent Deus to the orphanage, he had asked Yutia to take special care of him since he was “a bit of a difficult child,” and she always included a short update on Deus in her letters.

‘…Talking to her through letters like this, she really comes off as a kind, innocent girl from the countryside.’

He briefly considered visiting her but quickly shook his head and continued reading the letter.

As he neared the end of the letter, Alon suddenly spoke.

“Evan.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“…Do orphanages usually receive a lot of donations?”

“Hmm, usually… well, they probably receive some, but not too many, I’d think.”

“That’s what I thought.”

The reason Alon had asked about donations was because of a donation list written at the end of Yutia’s letter.

‘…Was it three months ago, or four months?’

Curiously, starting a few months ago, someone else had begun donating to the orphanage that Alon had been supporting.

Of course, the letter only mentioned that a merchant named Malano had made a donation, so he didn’t know the exact amount, but…

‘This month, five people, including me, donated to the orphanage…’

Though his expression grew puzzled while reading the letter, Alon quickly dismissed it.

‘Well, the more donations, the better.’

With that, Alon wrote a reply to Yutia, half-heartedly agreeing with her stories, and handed it to Evan.

“Are you going to deliver it personally again?”

“No, didn’t I go there just a few months ago?”

“Three months ago, I believe.”

“And… what did you say back then?”

“If you’re asking about the orphanage, I reported that it was running well. Deus, who I delivered there, also seemed to be much better.”

“Really?”

Alon nodded with satisfaction at Evan’s report.

‘As I thought, even though they’re destined to become the Five Great Sins, they couldn’t have been evil from the beginning. It feels good to see that the kids are growing up well. It must’ve been their environment that turned them into killers in the first place.’

Alon was once again struck by how crucial a person’s environment is for their growth, and he added,

“This time, there’s no need to go in person. Just ask someone from the mercenary guild to deliver it.”

“Understood.”

Evan nodded and was about to leave when something seemed to dawn on him.

“And… do you remember that thing you mentioned last time?”

“Thing I mentioned?”

“The ancient book.”

“Did you find it?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I found a lead.”

“Tell me about it.”

At Alon’s command, Evan began to relay the information he had gathered from the intelligence guild, piece by piece.