I'm being Mistaken for The Mastermind

Chapter 14

The mansion was turned upside down.

Evan Alcart.

The second son of the Duke's family.

A man so reclusive that he is often called the Hermit.

That very Evan declared he would stay out 'for more than' a day!

"Y-Young Master!"

Thud!

Dolph knelt on one knee in front of Evan.

His face was stained with shock.

Lapis chewed on a carrot with a puzzled expression.

What's wrong with him?

"Please reconsider!"

"......What are you talking about?"

"Staying out for more than a day......!"

Dolph whimpered.

"You could get seriously hurt!"

"......I'm not going far. Just staying out for a few days."

"A-a few days!"

Gasp!

Dolph let out a suffocating sound.

Seriously.......

Anyone would think he was going off to die.

"It's d-dangerous! Especially since the attending physician isn't here......!"

Evan originally had a personal Priest assigned to him.

Past tense.

He doesn't have one now.

The previous one retired due to old age.

A new Priest hasn't been assigned yet.

'Hmm. But I'll stock up on Recovery Potions before I go.'

Fifty high-grade Recovery Potions.

They'll be stored by a Golem.

Of course, it can even inject them or manufacture them on the spot.

They've even been diluted to be safe for daily consumption.

'......But this won't convince him, will it?'

Of course, Recovery Potions aren't omnipotent.

What if he dies in one blow?

Potions or not, he'd just croak and die.

That's it!

Imagining his death gave him slight goosebumps.

Isn't he doing all this because he doesn't want to die?

What if this ends up being a shortcut to death instead?

'Ugh! Absolutely not.'

Still, not going out isn't an option.

Honestly, his pride was slightly wounded.

Is he not a real man if he backs down here?

Scared of going out just to meet one person?

There's no particular danger, so why back down?

At least, for Evan, the manliest of men, there was no reason.

He just needed to prepare more thoroughly!

'......But can I even prepare more than this?'

With his secret weapon, Number 2, and a stockpile of potions.

He'd definitely equip the Living Golem.

He planned to bring everything he usually left behind.

Most importantly.

"......I have Lapis with me."

"Yes?"

Evan patted Lapis on the head.

Lapis obediently lowered her head like a gentle herbivore.

"Lapis will protect me."

"Hehe."

Lapis smiled brightly and spread her arms wide.

Magical Threads.

Pure white threads shimmered as they were spun.

"Yes! I'll protect you!"

......Isn't she faster than before?

"Hehe. I've improved a lot since last time."

Swish!

Lapis gathered the threads she had released and played Cat's Cradle.

A passing fly was caught, reduced to a bloody mess on the threads.

......Did I raise a monster?

"......Ahem. Anyway, this trip will be safe."

"B-but! At least Sir Ferok......."

"He's a busy man. It wouldn't be right to make him leave his post for several days because of me, would it?"

"That's...... true, but......."

"Don't worry too much."

Evan spoke calmly.

"I'll return quietly and safely."

"R-right?"

"Yes. Of course."

Evan declared firmly.

"There will absolutely be no incidents."

Please!

Evan's desperate plea.

Dolph nodded with a gloomy expression.

"......Understood."

"Before I leave, I should see my brother."

Normally, reporting to his father would suffice, but the Duke was currently away.

He had no choice but to report to the eldest son, the heir candidate.

His wife?

He was too reluctant to approach her.......

It's not that he found the eldest son particularly unapproachable.

'Still, this is better.'

Reporting to the eldest son could also carry political implications.

It could be interpreted as acknowledging that he is the closest to being the heir!

'Well. It can't be helped.'

He'd just have to quickly wrap it up like a man.

***

"Did you hear? Young Master Evan is going out."

"Really? The weather is amazing today!"

"No, I heard he's going to meet a friend."

"What? The Young Master has a friend?!"

"Apparently so. I even heard he's staying out overnight!"

"What, to meet a friend?"

Two maids whispered in the corner.

They were maids who had worked in the mansion for quite a long time.

They knew a bit about the rumors surrounding the mansion.

That Evan had neither a fiancée nor friends.

"It doesn't seem like a friend... Could it be that he's secretly going to procure test subjects?"

"Gasp."

That seemed more plausible.

Procuring test subjects!

Isn't that an important matter?

Especially if someone like Evan was serious about alchemy, even more so!

Evan might feel wronged, but it couldn't be helped.

The perception of Evan was already in shambles.

Just because he used formal speech and acted earnestly, it didn't mean perceptions would change overnight.

On the contrary, most people were still afraid of him.

'Test subjects...'

Leo, a young man who had been listening to the maids' gossip, rested his chin on his hand.

The eldest son of the Alcart Ducal Family and the current sole heir.

He brushed back his black hair, which resembled the Duke's.

'Is that your intention, Evan?'

Recalling the visit from Evan earlier, Leonardo, often shortened to Leo, pondered.

-Brother. I will be stepping out for a while.

Evan had come accompanied by all sorts of golems.

His expressionless face and emotionless eyes.

It was as if he was saying rejection was not an option.

'How arrogant.'

Leo twisted the corners of his mouth.

Evan's tone was undoubtedly polite and courteous.

As if treating him with respect as a superior.

However, Leo had seen it clearly.

Evan's two pupils.

Those golden eyes that shone even in the dark.

Eyes that resembled their father's more than anyone else's, reminding one of him.

The eyes of an arrogant man.

'Looking at me with such eyes while outwardly acting courteous?'

Evan and Leo's positions were undoubtedly equal.

Even if Leo was the closest to being the heir.

After all, they shared the same bloodline.

Sure. He had nothing to fear.

On the surface, he had inherited the Duke's blood most strongly.

The Empire's necessary evil.

A giant who practically ruled the underworld, utilized not only by criminals but also by nobles.

The mastermind who had the Empire's economy in his grasp, the Duke of Alcart.

Evan resembled that giant entirely.

That useless scoundrel!

'What does a mere mother mean to you, that you caused such a commotion to revive her? And now you act as if you've matured?'

Suddenly pretending to have grown up.

Of course, he couldn't have truly matured.

He must have just gotten a bit smarter.

Smart enough to mock his enemies without directly causing an uproar.

Even the act of directly informing him about his outing was calculated.

Since Father wasn't present, he reported it to the brother closest to being the heir instead?

'Arrogant.'

On the surface, it appeared to be an act of acknowledging his position as the heir.

But this was 'that' Evan Alcart.

Could he have approached with pure intentions?

No way.

With just two activities, he had already made a name for himself in the underworld as a vicious figure.

A ridiculous feat achieved only a few months ago.

Even now, most people in the underworld either feared or revered the name Evan Alcart.

And that was only his first trial before his coming-of-age ceremony.

How incredible would the achievements of the second and third trials be?

Perhaps this outing was to prepare for those trials.

Considering he had recently dealt with Theodore.

'The Blue-Bearded Count, huh.'

The Blue Beard.

A fairly famous count from the east.

He was also somewhat similar to Evan.

Since he was one of the few alchemists on this continent.

Known for his infamy.

'Wasn't there talk of him taking wives to use as test subjects?'

They say he's already on his sixth wife.

Apparently, he's holding a wedding this time, and he even arrogantly sent an invitation to the Duke's family.

It wasn't addressed to the Duke himself.

If it had been, he would have been dealt with long ago.

The letter was sent to Evan Alcart.

An invitation as a fellow alchemist.

Ignored at first, but now he's deciding to visit?

'He must have some wicked scheme.'

Leo sat on the windowsill.

Beyond the windowsill, a carriage was departing.

Evan was riding in that carriage.

The security was relatively lax.

Even Ferok was absent.

Would it be possible to eliminate Evan now?

Evan was still insufficient to be called a giant.

The term "promising prospect" suited him better.

But what if he completed all the trials of the coming-of-age ceremony and became a full-fledged adult?

Would they really stay idle then?

Wouldn't Evan aim for this heir position that Leo coveted?

"...Should I eliminate him now?"

It was when Leo muttered that to himself.

Something white glimmered outside the window.

He didn't even have time to react.

Swoosh! Along with the sound of something being pulled, the window closed, and Leo was flung to the center of the room.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Without even a chance to make a sound, Leo's mouth was blocked.

In front of him were red pupils.

"I came by because I had a bad feeling."

Red eyes contrasting with the pure white hair.

Lapis's lips twisted as she spread her hands and emitted Magical Threads.

"This is quite the big catch."

'This one is definitely Evan's slave...!'

"I can't leave a dangerous element like you alone, but this time, I mustn't get caught."

Lapis said in a calm and composed voice.

As if mimicking Evan's voice.

"Mmph!"

"So, I'll use just a little strength, okay?"

"It won't hurt too much."

Lapis's Magical Threads slid closer.

Leo, with his mouth sealed, let out a muffled scream.

***

Two days later.

A foreign landscape unfolded beyond the window.

Blue walls.

It was exactly as the word described.

The walls, seemingly built from blue stones, were blue.

Dolph marveled.

"Wow! Young Master! We've arrived already!"

"Is that so?"

Evan answered with a pale complexion.

The reason was simple.

"...In that case, let's slow the carriage down a bit."

"Yes!"

It was motion sickness.

Evan rubbed his stomach.

When he opened the carriage window, a cool breeze flowed in.

Ah, this is somewhat better.

'I need to hurry up and make a Golem car or something...'

Evan's Golems still hadn't reached the level of a car.

At best, they were limited to Horse Golems or porter Golems.

"Well done, Number 5."

Nod.

Number 5, who was pulling the carriage, nodded.

A Golem specialized in physical labor.

Naturally, it excelled at pulling carriages.

Since it didn't tire, it moved even at night.

Was it thanks to that?

They hadn't encountered the usual bandits.

'We were lucky.'

Let's finish this quickly while we're here.

Evan looked up at the blue walls.

A symbol of the Blue-Bearded Count's territory.

Would the Count be called Blue Beard for no reason?

It was because he loved the color blue immensely.

Thus, the walls were blue, and the roofs of all the houses were also blue.

Why weren't the walls of the houses blue?

It was due to the protests of the residents.

They said it ruined their appetite.

Some even reportedly starved to death, forcing a change.

'So, this was all done through Alchemy?'

The Blue-Bearded Count was a renowned Alchemist.

Known as someone who transformed his entire territory through Alchemy.

Evan carefully examined the walls and nodded.

'Hmm, not bad.'

How many times had Synthesis been used?

For this scale, one or two times should suffice.

The range of Synthesis shouldn't be an issue.

It was probably the magical energy that posed a problem.

'I would need to do it about three times.'

There was no helping the lack of magical energy.

This level wasn't bad.

Considering he was treated as a mere extra, that is.

'They say he has a lot of money too.'

He should have the necessary materials, right?

With that, they entered the city.

Proving their identity wasn't difficult.

"Th-The Alcart Ducal Family?! Please, come in!"

Just hearing the name Alcart was enough to open the gates immediately.

It was a testament to how excessively they feared him.

Why were they like that?

Evan and Lapis exchanged puzzled glances.

Meanwhile, they arrived at an inn to leave the carriage.

"Oh? The horses..."

"Just the carriage will do. Here's the payment..."

"Oh my! Such esteemed guests have arrived! Allow me to assist you!"

While Dolph was leaving the carriage.

Evan pulled his hood tightly over his head.

He didn't want his face to be revealed for no reason.

'Hmm, should I wear a mask?'

That might actually be better.

Evan tapped the ground lightly with his staff.

It was then.

Evan noticed people whispering among themselves.

They seemed to have a lot to say.

Evan quietly asked Lapis for a favor.

'Lapis, could you scout around for a bit?'

'Yes!'

Lapis nodded, pulled her hood down, grabbed a basket filled with vegetables like carrots, and walked briskly toward them.

Then, she abruptly offered them carrots.

"Buy some carrots."

...That wasn't what he meant to do.

Selling carrots was a sin.

Evan's thoughts grew increasingly complicated.

"Oh my, hello? What brings you here...?"

"I'm helping my brother with his work, so I'm selling my favorite vegetables."

"Oh my... what a good child."

"But is something wrong? Today, my brother and the people keep telling me to be careful."

The two women exchanged glances.

After briefly looking at each other, they nodded and cautiously spoke to Lapis.

"If possible, leave this territory."

"What?? Why?"

"This time, the Count's wife has gone missing again, and he has remarried."

Remarriage.

Isn't that a common occurrence in fantasy worlds?

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not exactly. It's just......."

The woman's voice dropped.

"Every time someone becomes his wife, they keep disappearing."

"This is just a rumor that circulates among us, but..."

One of the women spoke very discreetly.

"Apparently, the reason for marrying is to create a 'test subject' to offer to the Alchemist known as 'Evan Alcart'......."

"?"

A name suddenly popped up.

Evan blinked his eyes.

......Me?