I'm being Mistaken for The Mastermind

Chapter 2

Three days had passed since the letter was sent to the Saintess.

There was no reply.

'Did it even arrive properly?'

In truth, there was no way to know if the letter had arrived properly.

This was an era where the internet hadn't developed.

It wasn't a time when you could send tens of thousands of characters with just one click.

'They said it wouldn't even take a day, but I can't trust that.'

What if the letter got lost, disappeared, or went missing along the way? That would be the end of it.

'The wording is something only the Saintess would understand anyway, so it doesn't matter if it gets exposed.......'

The problem was whether it had arrived as intended.

The best way would be to ask about it, right?

Slightly, just ever so slightly, it was scary.

Not a lot, just a little bit.

'Tsk. Should I just have Dolph find out?'

The problem was the delivery company entrusted with the task.

If something went wrong, Dolph might die while delivering it.

If something went wrong, Evan would lose a good friend.

Evan, like a true man, was timid and full of worries.

Even after possessing this body, his inherent personality didn't change.

It was an instinct engraved in his soul.

Though he was a man, sometimes this macho Evan would burst out.

When his pride was hurt.

Like right now.

'If I were just a bit braver, I'd seduce the Saintess, and, huh? I'd just seduce everyone and become a harem protagonist.'

My face isn't that bad either.

Tsk, or is it?

'......Well, if there's no reply after a week, I can just send it again.'

......Could it be that she read it and ignored it?

Nah, that can't be it.

Evan shook off the thought that briefly surfaced and turned his head.

On the messy desk.

A moment ago, a bottle containing a greenish liquid had been completed and placed there.

[Aura Recovery Potion]

A straightforward name.

If Evan weren't a member of the Alcart Ducal Family, it would've been difficult to obtain the expensive materials used to make this potion.

"Hehe."

Evan let out a sinister laugh.

With this one thing, he could turn the second main ally into a companion.

"Dolph."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Dolph, who was tidying up the bedspread, answered energetically.

Evan extended his hand.

"Could you give me some stationery and a fountain pen?"

"Yes! Who are you thinking of sending it to today?"

"I'm thinking of sending it to Sir Arthur Modritter."

Pause.

The hand that was handing over the stationery stopped.

It was a reaction as if he had seen a ghost.

Dolph, his trembling hands hiding the stationery, asked again.

"To, to whom?"

"Sir Arthur Modritter......."

"Ahhhhh! You can't!"

Dolph protested vehemently.

"To Sir Arthur Modritter, the Knight of the Full Moon......! Y-Young Master, this is really dangerous for you!"

The Knight of the Full Moon, Arthur Modritter.

He was the only Holy Knight affiliated with the Moon Church.......

"You know his infamy too, Young Master! How widespread are the rumors about the crazy Holy Knight......!"

A Holy Knight mad with strength and blood.

A lunatic who challenges strong opponents to duels, and if he wins, beheads them and takes their heads as trophies.

That was Arthur Modritter.

'Ugh! Who doesn't know that? I'm already trembling.'

Of course, Evan also knew about him.

He probably knew better than Dolph.

He had even directly encountered him in the game.

But, there was no choice.

'This guy is the easiest main ally to recruit.......'

More precisely,

'The side effects are fewer.'

Arthur was a lunatic, but he was a man of loyalty and integrity.

Once he recognized someone as an ally, he wouldn't harm them no matter what.

'And the relationship between the Moon Church and the Sun Church isn't bad either.'

The Moon Church, as its name suggests, was a religious group that worshipped the Moon God.

The complete opposite of the Sun Church.

But perhaps because of its small size?

The relationship between the two churches wasn't particularly bad.

The relationship between the Sun's Saintess, Adrianna, and the Moon's Knight, Arthur, was the same.

There were even a few instances where the two joined forces to defeat a common enemy.

'Phew. Calm down, Evan.'

You can do it!

Now is the time to boldly step forward like a man.

"......This is necessary. Don't stop me."

Tremble tremble.

Evan's hands were trembling slightly.

He discreetly hid his hands behind his back.

Dolph's gaze lingered on Evan's hands for a moment.

Tears quickly welled up in his eyes.

"Young Master......."

'What on earth is he misunderstanding?'

It's true that Evan's health wasn't great, but it was troublesome if people kept thinking he was terminally ill.

He had already overcome that level of illness, you know?

This was just slightly, ever so slightly scary.......

"I'll somehow wrap the letter with nice words......!"

"No, just sending it will be enough. Besides, the Moon Temple doesn't usually reject letters-"

There's no universal phrase to increase favorability.

But instead, there was a universal line that guaranteed the letter would be read.

-It's not time yet.

Just like the phrase Evan had written to the Saintess, its exact meaning wasn't clear.

It was simply about saying that the time wasn't right yet.

For Arthur, it was guaranteed to catch his attention.

"Please send this."

"Yes......."

Dolph wiped his tears and replied energetically.

"I'll be back soon!"

"Yes, please."

Shwoosh.

Dolph disappeared like the wind.

Evan leaned back against the chair.

'Phew. Shall I try making the next potion?'

There were still many main supporters left.

Potion-making wasn't that difficult.

The problem was always 'material procurement' and 'potion crafting.'

But who was Evan?

An alchemist.

An extremely rare alchemist on the continent.

He was also a direct descendant of the Alcart Ducal Family.

One of the few ducal families in the empire.

It was deeply intertwined with the underworld, so money overflowed.

'......Come to think of it, there shouldn't be any rumors about me going around these days, right?'

As it was deeply connected to the underworld, even the children were called by aliases or nicknames.

Evan had one too.

It was just too embarrassing to say aloud.

Oh!

What a useless thought.

'Before making it, I should stop by the study.'

Might as well take a walk too.

Evan slowly stood up.

A golem that had been prepared in advance approached Evan.

He infused the golem with magic.

[Synthesis].

Contrary to the information about alchemists being only potion-makers, the reality was slightly different.

By using magic, it was possible to [understand], [disassemble], and [reconstruct] any object or material.

The synthesis circle drawn on the golem in advance emitted light.

Srrrrrk-

The golem shrank and elongated, transforming into the shape of a staff.

'At first, it took me a week just to do this.'

If he were truly a genius, it would have been done in a day.

That was a regret.

Tap tap.

Evan tapped the ground with the obsidian staff created from the golem.

Satisfied, Evan nodded and left the room.

Creak-

The golem clung to Evan's back.

It was so thoroughly and strictly guarded that even the servants nearby weren't allowed to approach.

For security within the mansion, it was excessively stringent and severe.

But Evan didn't mind much.

You never know, an assassin might suddenly appear.

It was then.

"Oh, brother?"

'Ah.'

A voice he didn't want to hear.

He endured the frown that naturally came to his face.

"......What is it?"

"What's so strange about a younger brother greeting his elder brother?"

The one calling Evan from behind was a boy who resembled him just a little.

Theodore Alcart.

Evan's younger half-brother by one year and the youngest who was somewhat cherished in the Alcart Ducal Family.

Wasn't he the one who officially became a knight this time?

They said he even unlocked his aura hall-

'Isn't that too much talent for a mere extra?'

Surprisingly, in this ducal family, there was no significant figure other than Evan and the duke.

At most, there were red name tags.

Meaning they were NPCs you could kill.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Even Evan, who bore the 'boss' title, was treated like cold leftovers.

"......What is it?"

"Ugh. Are you still using that disgusting formal speech? Why don't you just go back to your original personality?"

"......This has always been my personality."

But he didn't create fights.

He didn't create dangerous situations.

Wasn't that what a true man was?

"Brother, I heard you sent a letter to the temple this time? Why do you keep doing strange things?"

Thud!

Theodore tried to place a hand on Evan's shoulder but was stopped by the golem.

Even the staff in his hand moved slightly but then paused.

"Ack......!"

Theodore's face turned red, seemingly out of wounded pride.

"The disgrace of our family shouldn't keep trying to show its face outside. Huh? Know your place, brother."

Unable to touch him with his hands, he spat on the ground in front of him.

'Ugh, this is infuriating.'

Being ignored like this might be tolerable once or twice, but experiencing it repeatedly was enough to make one's blood boil.

Should I just do it too?

Then his eyes caught Theodore's thick forearm.

'At this distance, even a possessor would be just an ordinary person.'

Evan tried his best to put on a friendly smile.

Then flinched.

'......Ah, damn. My face cramped up.'

His face stiffened awkwardly.

It was Evan's chronic condition.

He was prone to getting cramps.

And it didn't limit itself to just one part of the body.

Especially on his face.

To the extent that it could easily be misunderstood by others.

Theodore's pupils shook slightly as he saw Evan's stiffened face.

Lowering his hand subtly, Theodore spoke with an annoyed expression.

"Don't appear in front of me, brother. If you do, I might really do something drastic. Tsk!"

Theodore, who had childishly threatened him, stomped off.

'I'll definitely get revenge later.'

......Of course, not by myself, but through the golem.

It wasn't because he was scared at all.

It's just because it's more efficient.

Why. What.

***

That evening.

A letter arrived at the Moon Church.

Arthur, holding the letter, sat on a veranda where a cool breeze blew and moonlight streamed in, sipping his drink.

Clink.

Gurgle-

He poured the liquor from a white bottle into an empty glass.

On the shimmering surface of the liquor, Arthur's face and the Saintess's face were faintly reflected.

"It's been a while, Arthur."

"Indeed, it has."

Arthur, having emptied his glass, spoke in a calm voice.

"What brings the Saintess of the Sun here?"

"What else? I've come to meet a 'companion' to prepare for the grand cause."

"We are not companions. Our paths merely overlap slightly."

"Hehe. Isn't that the same thing?"

Naturally, the Saintess, Adrianna, refilled Arthur's empty glass and asked.

"So, is your grand cause progressing well?"

"It's not a grand cause, but a minor one. It's solely my goal."

Arthur spoke while gazing at the moon reflected on the liquor.

"It's just a small goal of mine to cut down that moon for my own strength."

"Calling that small... Truly, it suits the name of a madman well."

The Holy Knight consumed by power.

To be precise.

The Knight of the Reversed Moon, who sought to cut down and bring down the moon.

The sole Holy Knight of the Moon Church, yet desiring the downfall of the moon.

This was Arthur's goal, revealed only in the DLC.

"The liquor doesn't taste bad."

Gulp!

Arthur downed the drink in one go instead of answering.

The Saintess, who had poured a small amount of liquor into her glass earlier, looked at the letter.

"That letter...?"

"I received it today. It included a potion that can repair my Aura Hall."

"......!"

The Saintess was shocked.

A potion that could repair the Aura Hall?

Certainly, Arthur was strong.

His physical abilities alone were enough to rip apart a troll's neck and body.

But he couldn't wield aura.

Because his Aura Hall was broken.

He had become much weaker compared to his prime.

But repairing the Aura Hall?

That means...

'That monster from his prime is coming back?'

With just a single potion?

Who on earth could make such a potion?

'...Could it be?'

For a moment, the Saintess recalled the letter and potion she had received three days ago.

Hadn't she also received a potion that could slightly cure her illness?

Was it sent by the same person?

"......."

Arthur looked down at the letter with an indifferent expression.

A potion that could repair the Aura Hall was astonishing.

But even more surprising was-

-It's not time yet.

That phrase.

'How do they know my plan?'

The Knight who cuts down the moon.

However, now is not the time.

That was the correct judgment.

But Arthur had a reason to act impulsively.

The Priestess of the Moon Church.

Arthur's only blood relative, his younger sister.

Her remaining time was continuously decreasing.

She had about 5 to 6 years left.

Naturally, his heart grew more impatient.

The letter reminded him.

That it's not time yet.

'...Right. It's not time yet.'

Arthur regained his composure.

To cut down the moon, he needed to grow stronger.

The top priority was repairing the Aura Hall.

'I don't know how they found out, but I owe them.'

Arthur's firm lips loosened.

As the second son of the Alcart Ducal Family-

'It's worth meeting them once.'

Meanwhile.

The Saintess was secretly glancing at Arthur's letter.

More precisely, at the 'phrase' written on the letter.

'It's not time yet?'

What could that mean?

It wasn't hard to see.

It was written boldly and prominently.

As if expecting someone to see it.

'Could they have anticipated my arrival?'

Shiver!

Goosebumps rose on her arms.

'...Right. There's no reason to write such a phrase blatantly on the letter unless it was intentional.'

In that case, did Evan Alcart predict that she would come here?

'How long have they been watching me? What is their purpose?'

Various speculations arose, but no answers came.

In a short time.

The Saintess's eyes, which had been pondering, calmed down.

'...Right. Until I figure it out, I'll have to play along for now.'

The Saintess, who had lived her whole life behind a mask.

A few more years of wearing a mask wouldn't change anything.

"I should send a gift."

"Me too."

The Saintess said, holding out her glass.

"Let's do it together. After all, it seems like we've been targeted by the same people."

"......Targeted by the same people, huh."

Drip-

"That's interesting. Care to share the story?"

***

The next day. Morning.

Evan, who was handling the golems set up as guards, couldn't believe his ears.

"......Theodore ran away from home?"

"Yes......."

......To repent? Suddenly?

The youngest of the duke's family.

Theodore ran away from home, citing repentance as the reason.