I'm being Mistaken for The Mastermind

Chapter 8

First year of transmigration.

I thought I had gotten somewhat used to this harsh world.

Didn't I handle yesterday's accident well?

My shoulders lifted slightly.

Doesn't this make me the manliest of all men?

The past, when I was criticized as a wimp, has long been buried.

But today.

Evan realized. The true crisis hadn't even begun yet.

"......A dagger flew at me, aiming for my life?"

"Yes."

Lapis nodded.

Her hair was still a mess, as she had just woken up.

Evan was also a mess.

Not so much his hair, but his mind.

'No, this is insane.'

An assassination attempt.

In fact, since the transmigration, he had never experienced one.

Why?

There was no reason for his life to be targeted.

Evan was a scoundrel.

A terminal case, whose death wouldn't be surprising at any moment.

Someone who would die on his own without intervention.

There was no need to spend money to kill him.

He had no interest in succession and was just absorbed in alchemy.

Though the reason he was into alchemy was a bit sad, anyway.

At the moment, he was a man of no value.

But someone had targeted his life.

Could it be because of yesterday's incident?

"I did well, right?"

Lapis looked up at Evan.

Her gaze was saying, 'Hurry up and praise me.'

......Fine. Praise is important.

Evan struggled to hide his trembling and patted Lapis on the head.

"......You did well."

"Hehe."

Lapis smiled.

Evan, forcing his face to stay composed despite feeling like he was about to cramp, spoke.

"Did you happen to see who threw the dagger?"

"Umm...... I couldn't see clearly."

"Even a rough description is fine."

"They looked a bit old. And they seemed really strong. But...... I don't think they actually intended to kill you."

They didn't intend to kill him?

Wasn't it an assassin?

'Then did they throw the dagger just to send a letter?'

The dagger Lapis was holding.

At the end of it, a letter was stuck.

Looking at it this way, it did seem like the purpose was to send a letter.

"The aimed position was beside your head. But it flew to a weird spot, as if their hand trembled. So I caught it."

"May I see the letter?"

"Yes!"

Lapis answered energetically.

She kindly pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and showed its content.

-Thank you for sparing my disciple. I will visit you tomorrow.

The handwriting was stiff.

It was so neat that it looked almost printed.

'This seems familiar?'

A person who wrote in this style.

There was one person he remembered.

The Wandering Beggar King of Darkness.

He wrote letters exactly in this handwriting.

'......A disciple? Who? Could it be that person from yesterday?'

The man he let go yesterday was the disciple?

The weakling caught by Lapis?

'It doesn't seem like it's someone else.'

The seal stamped at the bottom.

The red hood-like mark was used only by the Dark King.

In other words, it was genuine.

'The Wandering Beggar King of Darkness.'

A legend among assassins and a master-level expert currently active in the field.

He was also a key ally in the future.

-Thank you for sparing my disciple. I will visit you tomorrow.

'......But that man was the Dark King's disciple? Seriously?'

Evan recalled the man he let go yesterday.

Except for being slightly short on hair, there wasn't anything special about him.

'There wasn't a disciple with that kind of face.'

Most of the Dark King's disciples were big names.

Not in a good way.

Mostly villains.

The type who plotted evil schemes and were stopped by the player.

Each time, the Dark King personally stepped in to help the player.

Saying he would take responsibility for the disciples he had raised.

'An important character I couldn't remember? Or a red herring? Or...... someone like Lapis?'

Wouldn't they become a main villain as time passed?

Somehow, it gave him a chill!

......Could it be that yesterday's incident left a grudge?

They parted on good terms yesterday.

'......It should be fine.'

Positive mindset!

Get a grip!

Evan slapped both his cheeks with his hands.

Slap! Slap!

"Ah."

It hurt like hell.

He rubbed his reddened cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

"......Yes."

......Anyway, let's just think positively.

It's not a murder notice, just a thank-you letter.

'They won't kill me.'

The Dark King was trustworthy enough.

The Wandering Beggar King of Darkness.

He was a character with decent personality traits.

He had the impression of a friendly grandfather.

His beliefs were also respectable.

Non-possession.

A life stance of not obsessing over material possessions, gaining freedom through emptiness and sharing.

Surprisingly, the Dark King practiced non-possession.

A belief that was hard to believe for someone who sought offerings and called upon death as an assassin.

In reality, he wandered without staying anywhere.

Using the ground as his floor and the sky as his ceiling.

Yes. He wasn't a bad person.

There's no way Evan would have chosen him as another main supporter for no reason.

Except for his severe wanderlust, his flaws were almost zero.

'I should get closer to him at this opportunity.'

Tomorrow, right?

'I should prepare some potions in advance.'

Food wasn't important.

Just filling the stomach moderately was enough.

What mattered was the potion to cure the illness.

'He said it was a tremor problem, didn't he?'

It wasn't an extremely severe illness.

But for an assassin, it was a serious illness.

Trembling hands?

It would lower accuracy.

For someone who needed to kill enemies quickly, stealthily, and surely, it was a fatal flaw.

Not to mention all the other inconveniences.......

'If I cure that, it should be fine.'

Fortunately, the preparations were almost complete.

I just needed one more ingredient.

"Number 4, bring me the ingredient."

Shake, shake.

"......You don't have it? What? Why?"

Shrug.

Golem Number 4 shrugged its shoulders.

It pointed at the shelf with its long arm.

The bottle was empty.

"......Ah."

Of all things, that ran out?

The potion to cure tremors didn't have a specific name.

Because it wasn't possible to memorize the names of all the potions.

Moreover, it had been modified to ensure there were no side effects.

The Glowing Calming Herb that only grew in the forest near the Alcart Ducal Family.

It was known to be effective in stopping leg shaking.

That was all Evan knew about its effects.

He had only amplified the effect a little.

'Ah, if I ask someone to do it, it'll take a long time.......'

The Calming Herb was difficult to collect.

The moment it sensed danger, it would scatter paralyzing powder everywhere.

How to prevent that?

There was no way.

It entered through the respiratory system and skin.

You couldn't stop breathing, and even if you blocked it with fabric, it would penetrate.

That's why the golem was the only solution.

Golems didn't breathe.

'But I can't send the golem to the place where the Calming Herb is yet.......'

Due to lack of talent, he couldn't add the vision-sharing function.

"......Phew. I don't want to go, but I have no choice."

Is going there myself the only option?

Evan made a firm decision.

Jingle, jingle.

"Are you awake?"

"Yes! Young Master! Did you call for me?"

The door opened, and Dolph entered.

Lapis rubbed her cheek against Evan's hand with a silly grin.

Completely like a child.

Evan, who was watching Lapis for a moment, opened his mouth.

"Dolph. I'm thinking of going out today."

"......!"

Dolph's eyes widened.

It was his first outing in about two weeks.

His skin had turned pale from not seeing sunlight for so long.

"Could you help me? And...... please make it as quiet as possible."

"Yes!"

For Dolph, it was a welcome request.

He was always worried about his master's health.

"I'll prepare immediately!"

***

"I'm ready to escort you, Young Master."

Ferok greeted politely.

Evan flinched at the unexpected appearance of a big name.

'Why is this person here?'

Ferok.

The Commander of the First Knights and a knight on the verge of reaching the master level.

He was also the knight who had come suspecting Evan as the culprit.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding had been cleared up well.

'......Yeah. This person is better, after all.'

But weren't there too many people?

The number of escort knights appeared to exceed ten at a glance.

Before Evan could ask, Ferok spoke first.

"We've strengthened the escort since Young Master Theodore. Please understand......."

"......Understood."

Yes. Safety was a good thing.

After rationalizing himself, Evan asked cautiously.

"......Where's Theodore?"

"He's staying in his room."

"......I see."

Since that day, Theodore had shut himself in his room.

As if he were sick or something.

So Evan stopped paying attention to him.

He would take care of himself just fine.

'Fortunately, it seems he's not paying much attention.'

Ferok let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

Theodore.

After the runaway incident, he locked himself in his room.

It was to avoid meeting Evan.

He started believing in a god he didn't trust before, trembling every day, saying he would repent.

Especially when he heard the name Evan Alcart, he would have seizures.

It was serious enough for the Duke to personally check on his condition.

- That pathetic guy is not my child.

Thinking back to that time, Ferok shook his head.

To be honest, it wasn't just Theodore's attitude that was pathetic.

The biggest issue was that Theodore had started believing in a god.

The fact that the Duke was an atheist was quite well-known within the family.

He would even lash out at vassals who believed in gods.

- Divine power? That's just corrupted magic. Giving power in exchange for faith? Human hearts are as fickle as reeds, so how can you devote your heart and soul to a god who doesn't even show itself?

So all his children were atheists.

Especially Theodore, who respected the Duke, was even more so.

Since that resolve was broken all at once, disappointment was inevitable.

In effect, it was like being excluded from the line of succession.

'Could this have been the plan all along?'

Ferok glanced at Evan.

He didn't think Evan was the culprit.

However, the fact that Evan became the object of fear.

Even if he wasn't the culprit, he was somewhat involved.

'What is he planning to do this time, even going out.......'

Could it be that something has come up that requires him to step in personally?

Or is he trying to obtain test subjects?

Various thoughts swirled in his head.

But he didn't show it.

What mattered was the present.

To escort Evan carefully and safely.

"Everything is ready, Young Master."

"......Yes. Thank you."

Evan, who politely gave his thanks, climbed into the carriage.

Dolph and the girl named Lapis also climbed in.

'Is it that kid? The new slave he brought in.'

She was a girl with white skin and striking red eyes.

What stood out was that she was quite pretty?

But why?

Ferok felt an inexplicable chill.

'......Ever since that kid arrived, strange things have been happening.'

Especially the rumors about 'Chimeras' that had spread.

Could it be that the test subject Evan created to approach 'taboo' is that kid?

It was then.

Wiggle-

Ferok, who had climbed into the carriage, noticed something.

His eyes caught the sight of Evan's armor, draped like a robe, wriggling.

The armor is moving?

"......Young Master. Where did you purchase that armor?"

"It's my golem."

That armor is a golem?

Srrk-

The armor wriggled as if it were alive.

When he subtly aimed for the heart, the armor moved.

As if protecting it.

'......This is truly unbelievable.'

Golems were the domain of alchemists.

However, compared to potions, their research progress was slow.

Firstly, they weren't profitable.

Secondly, they were highly difficult to create.

Golems couldn't be made through simple synthesis.

Energy had to radiate from the [core], the limbs had to move without error, and they had to move solely based on commands.......

If the form changed, the structure and flow would also change, making it inevitable.

That's why all golems had similar forms.

The simple structure, like combining several blocks, was well-known enough to appear in theses.

Beyond that, there was virtually no information.

The only way was to research alone.

'That one has long arms, that one has a thick body, and that one...... is it a dog? But its neck is too long.'

But Evan was different.

The various golems currently waiting outside the carriage.

All of them were made within a year....

Not just one or two, but so many that they could fill an entire room and then some.

'They look...... incredibly sturdy.'

A golem that looked like a knight caught his eye.

Its size was so overwhelming that even Ferok flinched for a moment.

It seemed difficult to leave a scratch on it without the aura of a Sword Expert.

'What on earth is he planning to do with such golems.......'

Could it be that he intends to recreate 'that incident' from the black market?

While Ferok felt a deep-seated fear.

"......."

Evan stared at Ferok.

As if he had something to say.

Ferok gestured for him to speak.

Could it be that someone made a mistake?

Fortunately, it didn't seem to be the case.

Evan, who had been staring intently, turned his head.

"......Shall we depart soon?"

"......Yes, Young Master. I will escort you."

"I'll leave it to you."

"Where are we heading?"

"To the Black Forest."

The Black Forest?

What kind of experiment is he planning to conduct there.......

Ferok nodded while subtly touching the hilt of his sword.

Could he really...... stop the Young Master?

"......."

Lapis was staring intently at Ferok with her mysterious blood-red eyes.

***

A moment later.

Evan and Ferok arrived at the forest's edge.

"We have arrived, Young Master."

"......."

"......Young Master?"

Evan remained silent.

His gaze was fixed outside the window.

Ferok, curious, looked out of the carriage window.

Drreureung-

"That person is...... a beggar. Shall I remove him?"

"......No."

Evan shook his head.

An old man visible outside the window.

He was a beggar.

Greasy hair and shabby clothes.

Even the sight of him snoring under the shade of a tree.

He was unmistakably a beggar, but,

Evan knew.

'No, why is that man there?'

That beggar.

No, the man was the Dark King.

......Could he possibly have come to kill me?