Chapter 3: Picked Up (1)

Running away from home.

A dangerous act of leaving the safety of home.

As someone who’s survived a year in this world, it’s a choice I absolutely can’t comprehend.

Why would anyone go out into a world without police or CCTV? Are they insane?

Did he hit his head or something?

“Was there no other reason besides repentance?”

“There was just a letter on his desk saying, ‘I’ll go repent,’ and then he disappeared…”

“Hmm.”

Evan scratched his chin.

Why the hell did he leave?

This wasn’t just foolish—it was outright stupid.

And the reason was repentance?

Theodor, an atheist?

That’s suspicious.

The Alkart ducal family was famously irreligious.

– Gods are for the weak to believe in.

A true mastermind and power broker, even dominating the underworld.

An atheist who valued only their own strength and wealth.

That was Duke Alkart, wasn’t it?

His kids are pretty similar in character.

Naturally, the reason seemed odd.

Could it be someone with a grudge against the Alkart family or some cultist kidnappers?

No way. Who’d be crazy enough to kidnap him?

Breaking through the ducal family’s security would require extraordinary skill.

A 6th-tier mage or an upper-level Expert knight, at the very least.

No such person would be in this backwater.

Even if there were, success wasn’t guaranteed.

“Any traces of the culprit?”

“We haven’t found any yet…”

But they still hadn’t found the culprit.

A perfect crime.

To pull it off this flawlessly, you’d need someone on Arthur Modriter’s level.

But it couldn’t be Arthur.

He’s a maniac, sure, but not the kidnapping type.

What’s going on?

Evan fell into confusion!

Ugh, forget it.

He shook his head to clear the confusion.

His vision spun with a whirl.

Drip!

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Young Master! Your nose!”

Blood dripped from his nose.

Leaning forward, Evan grumbled.

This trash body. I need to fix it soon.

That’s why he was trying to win over allies…

Focus on this for now.

Evan’s tasks were simple.

Making potions and writing letters.

However.

The next allies will be harder to reach with letters.

Roughly four allies remained.

Filtering by personality and ability narrowed down the candidates.

The Wandering Shadow King.

The Oracle of the Starry Sky.

The Witch of the Swamp.

The Grand Duke of the North.

All of them were difficult to meet at this point.

The Wandering Shadow King and the Oracle appear in random locations.

The Grand Duke of the North and the Witch of the Swamp had fixed locations.

But their difficulty spiked exponentially.

The North is off-limits at this point, and the swamp requires passing trials… It’s tough.

To meet them now, you’d need the skills of someone like Adrianna or Arthur.

They were among the strongest at this stage.

Or other allies, maybe.

But I can’t just use them however I want…

Don’t forget.

This is that world.

Acting recklessly could get him killed.

It was unfair, but what could he do?

In this world, the strong were always in charge.

Still, it’s a pity.

Wasn’t there someone strong but obscure, with low self-esteem, easy to manipulate?

Then, a few names flashed through his mind.

The Sins.

There they are.

Villains who, in the latter half, become enemies of the player and the continent.

Each representing a sin, capable of wiping out entire nations.

If it’s those monsters, they could do anything, right?

In terms of raw talent, the Sins outshone the allies.

Take the Sin of Wrath, who single-handedly ground an entire kingdom into a mountain of blood.

A mountain of blood, made from an entire kingdom.

Though seen through a monitor, the scene was still vivid.

That’s how insane their power and personalities were.

But it was just a passing thought.

He had no intention of acting on it.

Am I crazy enough to try to win them over?

It wasn’t about good or evil.

What mattered was that they’d later become monsters who killed countless lives.

Bears and tigers can’t be tamed.

When hungry, they’d eat even their master.

I absolutely won’t touch anything dangerous.

Knock knock!

That’s when it happened.

Someone knocked on the door.

“!”

Dolph jumped from his seat.

Evan stared at the door with a blank expression.

Oh, damn! My heart!

Inwardly, he clutched his trembling heart.

“W-Who is it?”

“Excuse me. Is Young Master Evan inside?”

“Yes? Yes! He’s here!”

“Could you open the door for a moment?”

A polite tone and voice.

A rare courtesy in this mansion.

Evan and Dolph exchanged bewildered glances.

Someone in this mansion treated Evan like that…?

“W-What’s the matter?”

“It’s a light investigation. The thing is…”

The voice beyond the door hesitated briefly.

“There have been eyewitness accounts claiming Young Master Evan is the culprit.”

…Me?

Theodor had gone missing.

The beloved youngest son’s disappearance.

Naturally, the mansion was in an uproar.

But for another, it was an opportunity.

The eldest son seized the chance to pour blame on his rival.

– Youthful recklessness is fine, but it doesn’t suit an heir.

– But as a benevolent older brother, I’ll find my sibling.

Thanks to this, Ferok, the knight commander who’d been away on a trip-cum-vacation, was struck by a bolt from the blue.

Ferok, hurriedly returning.

“…Who’s the culprit?”

Ferok doubted his ears.

Who’s the culprit?

“There are continuous eyewitness accounts pointing to Young Master Evan.”

…Young Master Evan?

“That doesn’t seem like him.”

“I’m shocked too. He doesn’t seem capable of that.”

The reporting knight scratched his head.

But their surprise differed slightly.

The knight thought, Him?

Ferok thought, That man?

“The maids thought it was a misunderstanding… but the new knights said they saw it too.”

“Hmm.”

Ferok rubbed his coarse chin.

He knew Theodor often bullied Evan.

Probably yesterday was no different.

Did he cross a line?

Even so, would Evan really orchestrate a kidnapping?

Strange.

That Evan wouldn’t have so little patience.

“Are you going to check in person?”

At the knight’s words, Ferok slowly stood.

Screech!

The chair let out a short cry.

“…I suppose I must. It’s my duty to track down the culprit.”

“Then I’ll go.”

“No, I’ll go.”

“The knight commander himself?”

The knight looked puzzled.

Evan Alkart was a rare alchemist on the continent, but that was it.

Weak in body and mind, a troublemaker who only caused havoc.

He’d been quiet for the past year, but how long would that last?

Most believed he’d revert to his old ways after coming of age.

A parasite who squandered the family’s wealth on weird herbs.

Not someone a knight like Ferok—a commoner who’d earned a viscount title through exceptional skill—should deal with directly.

“Why am I going?”

Ferok snorted.

“Because of your attitudes.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I’m not scolding you. I’m saying you should know better from now on. Even I sometimes feel afraid of him.”

“Afraid? Of Young Master Evan?”

“Yes.”

“Haha! I didn’t know you could joke like that, Commander!”

The knight burst into laughter.

The laughter quickly stopped.

Ferok’s expression was serious.

“You don’t know how terrifying Young Master Evan is.”

Ferok’s level was upper Sword Expert.

A knight qualified to reach Swordmaster.

His eyes saw many things.

Enough to glimpse the duke’s intentions.

But.

I can’t read anything from Young Master Evan.

Nothingness.

What a terrifying word.

Humans fear the unknown.

It was the same when facing someone whose intentions were unreadable.

Evan was always expressionless.

Some said he was scared, but Ferok was certain that wasn’t it.

From his eyes to the smallest twitch of his lips.

Not a single thing moved like stone.

Yet when he made other expressions, they were natural, weren’t they?

It meant he had complete, delicate control over every muscle.

Unless he was simply frozen like a rock.

Perfect emotional control, something only someone like His Grace could achieve…

The clincher was the rumors about Evan.

More precisely:

Rumors spreading in the underworld, where the duke held sway.

If even half—no, a fraction—of those rumors are true, he’s no mere troublemaker.

Evan had only studied alchemy for three years.

To spread such rumors in the underworld in that time…

It was only natural for Ferok to feel fear.

Someone with such perfect self-control wouldn’t suddenly kidnap Young Master Theodor.

The misunderstanding had to be cleared.

If Evan’s mood was soured even slightly.

The entire mansion could be turned upside down by Evan’s will.

Golems could slaughter everyone.

Or an unknown illness could poison them all.

All sorts of disasters could strike.

A death where the culprit would never be found.

With a single gesture, he could reshape anything as he pleased.

A true alchemist, one of the few on the continent—Evan’s potential was limitless.

“No more strange reports. Block any talk about Young Master Evan. Outside the mansion and within.”

“Understood.”

To prepare for any contingencies, Ferok silenced all mention of Evan and took heavy steps.

“Phew!”

Knock knock.

Standing before the door, Ferok knocked.

He intended to speak to Evan with the utmost respect.

Thankfully, it went well.

Now, what remained—

“It’s a light investigation. The thing is…”

Was to discern Evan’s intentions.

Pausing to gather his words, Ferok asked,

“There have been eyewitness accounts claiming Young Master Evan is the culprit.”

A brief silence.

Ferok swallowed hard.

He had no idea how Evan would react.

If he got angry?

Ferok would have to prepare to offer his neck.

– Open the door.

– Yes, yes!

Creak!

The door opened.

The moment it did, the thick scent of herbs and an unfamiliar potion odor wafted out.

Evan sat at his desk with his usual blank expression.

“…I’m the culprit?”

“It’s not confirmed, but there are eyewitness accounts.”

He doesn’t seem angry.

If he were angry, he’d have dropped the polite speech.

In fact, Evan hadn’t used informal speech even once since adopting politeness.

Perhaps it was a ‘constraint’ he’d placed on himself, Ferok speculated.

He didn’t want to imagine the fallout if that constraint broke.

“…Are those accounts reliable?”

“They’re not certain.”

“I see… Ahem. I see.”

He’s holding back his anger.

“I’m not the culprit. All my golems were in my room.”

“Understood.”

“Commander, further investigation—”

“Quiet.”

Ferok silenced the knight.

There was no need to risk upsetting Evan.

If he said he wasn’t the culprit, then he wasn’t.

That’s how it was with the strong.

“But this won’t clear the suspicion, will it?”

“What? No, it’s—”

“I’ll send a few of my golems. Use them to search.”

Creak—

Several golems stepped forward.

They looked like dogs.

Not an insult—literally.

But they were a bit unusual.

…Six legs?

Six legs and slightly elongated necks.

More like demonic beasts than dogs.

Why do they look like that?

Swallowing the words that almost slipped out, Ferok hurriedly bowed.

His expression was hidden, thankfully.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“No, thank you both for your hard work.”

Ferok and the knight observed proper etiquette and withdrew.

As they left, Evan let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

Phew…

Thankfully, they didn’t ask why the golems were in his room.

He nearly answered, “Because I’m scared.”

But me, the culprit?

…Me?

Why?

I’m just an ordinary, possessed citizen.

Why were such rumors spreading?

Ugh, PTSD.

A sudden memory from the past made Evan rub the back of his neck.

Dolph, with a worried voice, asked,

“Young Master… Will this misunderstanding be cleared up?”

“Let’s hope so. I sent the cutest ones, after all.”

“?”

Dolph looked at Evan, confused.

Evan returned the same confused look.

After a brief exchange of glances.

Dolph hurriedly said,

“…Those golems are really cute!”

“Thank you.”

Golem Dogs.

Originally just dog-like golems.

But modified by Evan.

If only he could modify them further.

His low proficiency was a lingering regret.

“Relax while we wait.”

“No, no! I’ll go get lunch quickly!”

“Alright.”

Evan moved the golems.

Just in case, I should make more recovery potions. If someone suddenly goes berserk and tries to kill me…

Night fell.

That evening.

“Young Master Theodor has returned! The golem dogs were a great help, they say!”

“That’s a relief. But what’s this?”

“Well…”

Theodor had returned.

“Ugh?”

And the golem dog had brought something strange.

Evan fell silent for a moment.

White hair and blood-red eyes.

A girl fidgeting with threads in both hands, as if weaving.

And chewing on one of the golem dog’s legs with a chomp chomp.

No, what the hell?

Her appearance and mannerisms.

He instinctively knew who she was.

[The Sin of Wrath, Ira.]

The monster who ground an entire kingdom into a mountain of blood.

The golem sent to find his missing half-brother.

Had picked up a future Sin.

Ira looked at Evan, her eyes sparkling.

“Wow, smells delicious.”

…Somebody, save me!