I'm being Mistaken for The Mastermind

Chapter 15

'......To offer me?'

The absurd information left him speechless.

His head spun for a moment.

'No, when have they even seen me?'

Evan had no acquaintance with the Blue-Bearded Count.

Worship? Test subject?

He had never even spoken to him.

'I even ignored the wedding invitation I received before.'

Was it a few months ago?

A wedding invitation had arrived from the Blue-Bearded Count.

[To the beloved young Alchemist]

-Please attend my sixth wedding.

Of course, he ignored it.

Why would he go to a place where he wasn't close to anyone?

Moreover, it was a location that took a full week to reach.

At the time, even Golem Number 5 was incomplete, and his body wasn't in good condition.

'Knowing his identity, I had no reason to go.'

Any contact after that?

None.

Would Evan have been disappointed seeing the name for no reason?

It's because he was a nobody.

But an absurd rumor was spreading.

'So that's why they flinched as soon as they heard the name Alcart!'

It wasn't just because of his notorious reputation!

If such rumors were spreading, of course people would be scared!

Even I would be scared!

He was so exasperated that his neck stiffened.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Evan pondered.

'Should I just ignore it?'

That was merely wishful thinking.

Evan sighed.

'......That's not going to happen.'

Would a rumor spread without any reason?

There must be a reason for it.

Whether the Blue-Bearded Count had been bragging or someone with a grudge against Evan had spread nonsense.

Either way, it had to be resolved.

'I'll have to...... meet the Blue-Bearded Count, won't I?'

The thought of meeting him made his heart tremble slightly.

It wasn't fear. Absolutely not.

Just a slight nervousness.

'Hmm. Just in case, I should check everything before I go.'

Tap, tap.

He patted his clothes.

The Living Golem, worn in the form of leather armor.

The Living Golem vibrated slightly, signaling that it was functioning properly.

Srrrk-

Evan's shadow wriggled faintly.

He also confirmed the connection with other golems.

The medium for that connection, his staff, vibrated briefly.

'Everything's normal. This should be enough.'

With this, there shouldn't be any problem in meeting him.

Phew!

Evan took a deep breath and gestured to Lapis.

A gesture signaling that it was time to leave.

Evan subtly motioned with his hand.

Lapis nodded slightly.

"Um, my brother's calling me, so I think I have to go. Thank you! This is my gift."

"Oh my, thank you~"

"See you again~"

The women waved their hands lightly.

Evan maintained his composure, bowed slightly, and left with Lapis.

Their destination was the Blue-Bearded Count's mansion.

Finding it wasn't difficult.

'Wow, even the mansion is blue.'

Seeing it in person was even worse.

It was as if his appetite had completely disappeared.

Just as Evan's mood soured.

Rustle!

"!"

Lapis's ears perked up.

Dolph also sensed the presence and quickly turned his head.

Evan, the only one slow to react, turned his head.

If he turned it too sharply, he'd get a crick in his neck.

'......A person?'

A blue dress swished through the bushes.

Was this some kind of hidden camera prank?

It was slightly stealthy, but only slightly.

It wasn't even as good as a child playing hide-and-seek.

Suddenly.

At that moment, a young woman, still showing traces of youth, poked her head out from the bushes.

Her eyes met Evan's.

"Hi, hiiiik!"

And then she immediately fainted.

"......."

***

Ten minutes later.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just so startled."

"Isn't fainting at the sight of someone rude?"

"......."

Don't say it if you already know.

Evan looked down at the woman before him with a mix of complicated emotions.

The woman lowered her head as if she were a sinner.

Fainting at the sight of someone wasn't exactly polite.

"......Raise your head. It's fine."

Perhaps because she looked young, he didn't feel any ill will.

Right.

It's understandable to be surprised.

Evan wasn't the kind of man to nitpick over something like this.

"I-I'm sorry......"

"It's fine."

The woman, apologizing, raised her head.

Her appearance still carried traces of youth.

At most, she seemed around 20 years old?

'A commoner?'

Her skin was certainly pale, and her features were rather pretty.

However, her body was a bit thin.

Her manner of speaking and such didn't seem aristocratic either.

Yet, her dress was quite luxurious.

It wasn't the kind of material or design a commoner would wear.

If that's the case?

"You must be the Count's wife."

"!"

The woman looked shocked.

"H-How did you know?"

"......It just seemed that way."

"I-I always get scolded by the Count for acting like a lunatic......"

"Perhaps, sister."

Lapis asked while crunching on a carrot.

"Were you running away?"

"Y-Yes?"

"You came out looking like someone fleeing!"

"W-Well......."

The wife hesitated to answer.

Hmm, is the atmosphere too intimidating?

Evan slightly withdrew the golems.

He did it to ease the tension, but the wife seemed to interpret it differently, as her complexion turned pale.

"I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"......I won't do anything."

"W-Well...... So......."

The wife, in other words, Amelia, was the youngest of six sisters in an ordinary family.

With her rather pretty appearance for a commoner, many marriage proposals came her way, but suddenly, the Count appeared and proposed to her.

Naturally, she accepted.

Although she was the sixth wife, she didn't know what that entailed.

At least the Count was kind.

Whether he'd make a good husband was uncertain.

But there was one condition.

To bear a son.

Then came one particular day.

"T-There's a room in the mansion you're absolutely forbidden to enter......."

"A room?"

"Yes...... You can go into any other room, but the one used by the previous wife is off-limits...... He said he wanted to preserve her traces......."

"Did you go inside?"

Lapis's question.

The wife stammered as she tried to explain.

"I-I was trying to catch a rat......"

What kind of nonsense is that?

For a Count, with all the servants in the mansion, why would the wife personally go after a rat?

Even a passing golem would laugh at that excuse.

'Why on earth?'

Even for a manly man, Evan couldn't understand such a reckless choice, given the importance of safety.

Why would someone insist on opening a forbidden room?

However, he didn't voice it aloud.

The incident had already happened.

"That's enough."

"When I went inside...... there was a c-corpse...... Kyaaah......."

Without even hearing Evan's words, the wife let out a small scream.

Before she could collapse, Lapis quickly caught her.

'......So, she saw a corpse, huh?'

Come to think of it, in the original story, this wife was already dead.

If memory serves, the Count ended up with as many as ten wives in the main story.

'Ugh. Hearing it firsthand makes it even more unsettling.'

Should I just leave?

Maybe gathering the materials myself would be better?

Though it would mean heading west instead of east.......

'Damn. I still need to find out about my rumors.'

If those rumors spread beyond this territory, it could be a problem.

Who knows how they might get exaggerated?

Now was the best time to stop them.

It was at that moment.

"We found her!"

"My lady!"

The guards burst in.

Should I have gone farther away?

"W-Who are you!"

"Reveal your identity!"

'Ah.'

The trembling guards shouted.

Only then did Evan realize how suspicious he looked.

Even just wearing a hood was enough to arouse suspicion.

And with all the golems swarming around?

Evan himself would have misunderstood.

He could easily be mistaken for a criminal.

Should I just reveal my identity here?

"......Everyone, calm down."

"Don't move!"

The soldiers pointed their spears.

Flash!

The sunlight reflected sharply off the spear tips.

Evan instinctively swallowed dryly.

Whoa, this is intense!

But the problem wasn't the spears.

Even if he got stabbed by those, he wouldn't die.

The problem was Lapis!

"......."

Lapis had been silent for a while now.

She wasn't even chewing the carrot she had been eating.

They say silence is scarier than anger.

'At this rate, everyone might die.'

That can't happen!

Evan steeled himself internally.

It was terrifying, but there was no choice.

The only option was to survive first.

Swoosh.

Evan pulled back his hood.

Jet-black hair and golden eyes that shone coldly even in the shadows were revealed.

Anyone could tell he was a noble.

His refined appearance caused the soldiers to hesitate.

One soldier recognized Evan and widened his eyes.

"P-Prince Alcart... gulp!"

"H-Hah!"

The guards staggered backward.

After all, they were just commoners.

Mere soldiers who hadn't even undergone knight training.

Mistaking a noble for a criminal and pointing a spear at him?

Immediate execution.

It wouldn't have been strange if their entire family was wiped out.

'Not that I'm crazy enough to think of doing that.'

Evan only wanted to clear the misunderstanding and take the materials he needed.

He had no intention of doing something so terrifying.

That would just make him a lunatic.

Evan, as a man, could graciously understand the situation.

It was absolutely not because he feared the repercussions.

"I have no intention of harming you. Nor do I intend to touch your wife."

"I-If that's the case..."

"I came to this mansion as a guest."

Evan approached the guard.

Right in front of him.

The guard, seemingly frightened, stepped back and fell.

Evan helped him up and brushed the dust off his pants.

This should clear up the misunderstanding, right?

"Could you guide me into the mansion?"

"Y-Yes! Yes! Of course!"

Evan tried his best to put a kind smile on his face.

To be precise, he tried.

'Ah, a cramp.'

Damn it.

In the end, the cramp left him expressionless.

Still, he tried to be as polite as possible.

Evan spoke courteously.

"Could you guide me inside?"

"Yes!!!"

This should clear up the misunderstanding, right?

***

It wasn't.

"First, I must apologize."

The Blue-Bearded Count.

His beard was blue, his clothes were blue, even the walls and floors were blue.

The arrangement was enough to drive anyone mad, and the Count bowed his head.

"It's entirely my fault that rumors about you spread in the territory."

"......."

"I will personally find the source of these rumors and resolve the matter, so please forgive me."

Forgive him... Evan wasn't even angry.

Why did he think Evan was angry?

Instead of replying, Evan stared at the Count.

Cold sweat trickled down the Count's forehead.

He must have something to hide.

'Well, considering he's probably killed people and stacked their corpses in a room.'

It would be strange if he didn't feel guilty.

Normally, someone would use that as leverage to blackmail him.

Evan had no intention of doing that.

That was his reverse scale.

What kind of reaction would he show if Evan touched it?

Despair, or perhaps rage.

And who would get hurt in the process?

Evan.

He decided to quietly report it instead.

Evan was nothing if not a safety-first kind of person.

Reporting it was better than getting hurt.

'Reporting it to the Imperial Court should be the safest option, right?'

Evan slowly opened his mouth.

"I'm simply puzzled, that's all."

"......Do you remember the letter I sent you?"

"You mean the invitation."

"Since then, rumors started spreading. That my wives' deaths were connected to you, specifically that they became test subjects offered to you..."

So that's how it spread.

Evan understood.

Rumors always tend to grow exaggerated.

However.

'It doesn't seem like he tried to stop them, does it?'

He could've stopped them if he wanted to, but he didn't.

Because it didn't harm him.

In fact, it could even help him hide his crimes.

How audacious.

Should Evan just charge at him?

'Tsk, that's not an option, is it?'

The Blue-Bearded Count was a serial killer.

Who knew what he might do here.

There could even be poison in this tea.

'Should I let it slide for now?'

It wasn't because he was scared, of course.

It wasn't like he was trying to act as some champion of justice.

Instead of replying, Evan sipped his tea with a slurp.

The Count wore an aggrieved expression.

"I have no such thoughts. Sending you the invitation was merely an act of camaraderie to one of the few allies I have."

"I see."

"I have no interest in [Taboo]. Why would I covet the most forbidden act for an alchemist?"

What a lie.

From Evan's perspective, knowing the truth, it was ridiculous.

Still, he didn't bother nitpicking.

"I understand."

"Is that really true?"

"Yes."

The Count's face brightened.

He wasn't some superior figure.

Being in a position to see such an expression felt a bit awkward, but anyway.

"I didn't come here to accuse you of any crimes."

"Then...?"

"I just came to gather materials."

Evan took out the Dark King's letter from his pocket and slid it forward.

"Could you hand over a few materials I need? I will pay for them."

"This is..."

The Count picked up the letter.

A faint groan escaped his lips.

At the same time, an emotion briefly flickered in his eyes.

That emotion was fear.

"...So, you came here knowing everything."

"?"

Evan looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking what he was talking about.

But it seemed the Count had already finished his thoughts.

Thud!

The Count knelt down again.

"I-I will tell you everything. If you want my research as well, I'll hand it all over. P-please, spare me!"

"......."

This reaction over a single letter.

Evan felt a wave of dizziness.