Life in Rodmill brought Alon a great deal of satisfaction.

Although it had only been about three days, life in Rodmill offered him everything he imagined a typical noble life should be.

He could wake up whenever he wanted.

Sleep whenever he wanted.

Eat whenever he wanted.

Rodmill was a place where Alon could effortlessly live out what he believed were the three activities that brought the greatest happiness when done freely.

Sigh

While the funeral of Leo Palatio, the eldest son of the Palatio family, was taking place, Alon let out a silent sigh as he looked ahead.

Leo lay pale and lifeless, just like Tonio and the late Palatio Count before him.

Alon couldn’t help but show a somewhat baffled expression.

‘I have no idea where to even start with this mess.’

The reason for Alon’s confusion was that Leo’s death didn’t align with how he had envisioned it. Everything seemed to be twisted.

‘Leo’s death was supposed to happen six years from now.’

He shifted his gaze to Leo’s body, scanning it thoroughly.

The wounds were hidden by the ceremonial clothing, but…

A ‘Moonflower.’

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As per the kingdom’s tradition, significant scars or mortal wounds were marked with a blue flower known as a Moonflower, which was native to the kingdom.

One of these Moonflowers was placed over Leo’s chest.

‘…Killed by a sword piercing the heart.’

While contemplating Leo’s cause of death, Alon couldn’t help but wonder who had committed such an act.

‘There are plenty of suspects if I think about it.’

He knew that Leo had been causing trouble in the underworld, doing all sorts of reckless things. It wasn’t surprising that something like this could have happened to him.

After all, Leo had likely killed over a thousand people, directly or indirectly.

Despite this, Alon kept questioning the situation because he knew Leo’s future.

‘Who could it be…? Who killed Leo?’

With these thoughts, Alon looked around.

Quite a few people had gathered for Leo’s funeral.

Servants, retainers, and knights of the Palatio household were present.

He had heard that some nobles had visited to pay their respects, but by the time Alon returned, they had already left.

In other words, the only people attending the funeral were those who worked for the Palatio family.

And…

They were all trying their best to avoid Alon’s gaze.

A servant who used to make casual jokes about how Alon would have died on the streets if he’d been born a commoner was now sweating profusely and bowing his head.

A knight who had previously picked fights with Alon every time he stepped out of the mansion now deliberately averted his gaze to avoid looking at him.

‘It’s understandable that they’d be worried about their jobs now that the third son they mocked has suddenly become the heir of the family…’

Even so, Alon noticed something more subtle in their reactions that caught his attention.

Whenever Alon’s gaze landed on a servant, they would tremble slightly, their hands shaking.

Earlier, when Alon’s eyes met a knight’s and he gave a slight shrug, just as he usually did, the knight fumbled and dropped his ceremonial sword, causing an awkward scene in the middle of the funeral.

These behaviors made it clear how the servants currently perceived Alon.

‘They’re not just suspicious… They’re almost certain it was me.’

Two hours later,

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

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“It’s beyond what I imagined.”

“…How bad is it?”

“At this point, you’ve become the hidden power of the Palatio family, someone capable of wiping out Avalon in a single day.”

Alon realized that he had unknowingly become the rumored mastermind holding immense power within the Palatio family.

“I was just… toasting some bread…”

Alon’s quiet lament as he recalled his time in Rodmill, where he had been making a simple piece of toast while such rumors about him spread through the Palatio household.

“In the time it took you to make that toast, you’ve become the hidden mastermind controlling sword masters.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“I’m not joking, Young Master. That’s truly the rumor going around.”

“…How did such a rumor even spread?”

Alon frowned, utterly baffled by the situation. In response, Evan began explaining the information he had gathered from the guild.

A short while later,

“In summary, a day after Leo’s death, Avalon, the organization he controlled, disappeared from the underworld without a trace?”

“Yes.”

“And… people think I’m the one responsible.”

“Exactly.”

“…Why?”

“Because you’re the only one who benefits from this situation, Young Master.”

“When you put it that way… it does make sense…”

Indeed, it was a situation where Alon couldn’t avoid suspicion.

Leo had been killed shortly after Alon left the mansion for Rodmill, and Avalon, the organization Leo managed, was wiped out soon after.

In such a scenario, it was obvious that Alon stood to gain the most.

He had a perfect alibi, being away in Rodmill, while securing his position as the heir to the Palatio family.

Moreover, with Avalon’s destruction, the ties to the underworld that had clung to the Palatio family like sticky tar were completely severed.

In other words, any influence the underworld might have had to bother Alon was now entirely eliminated.

“But… Are you sure you didn’t do it, Young Master?”

“…You were right there with me, buttering the toast.”

“That’s true, but everything fell into place so perfectly that I just had to ask.”

“Are you doubting me…?”

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“I wouldn’t say doubting, but you do sometimes give orders without explaining the reason behind them.”

Alon fell silent at Evan’s words. It was true.

Instead of replying, Alon began to think.

‘Are there any groups in the eastern region that could have taken down a major underworld figure like Avalon? The Hundred Ghost Night Parade? No, they won’t appear for another six years… Then the ‘Root’ organization? No, they’re based in the east, so they wouldn’t have come all the way here…’

Alon shook his head.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of any organization capable of wiping out Avalon in an instant.

As he was about to abandon his thoughts, a realization struck him.

“…Ah.”

“Ah.”

He recalled something Evan had mentioned before and asked,

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you mention a group before that hunts other organizations?”

“Oh, you mean the Blue Moon?”

“Yeah, them. Could it be them?”

Evan shook his head at Alon’s question.

“No. The information guild also ruled out the Blue Moon.”

“How can they be sure?”

“The Blue Moon always leaves a mark after their work is done. Also, where the Blue Moon has been, there may be pieces of bodies left behind, but never entire bodies.”

“But that wasn’t the case this time?”

“They said it was a hellscape… most of the organization was cut down with blades.”

“So that’s why they think I have a sword master working for me…”

“Exactly.”

Alon nodded at Evan’s explanation.

‘It’s true that an organization that couldn’t survive six years into the future wouldn’t be able to eliminate Leo and Avalon… But then, who could it be?’

…It was a night filled with endless contemplation.

***

“Any traces left?”

In the underground of the eastern orphanage, as soon as the usual four gathered, the question was asked, and everyone responded in turn.

“I left nothing behind.”

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“Neither did I!”

“Same here. Just as you instructed, I made sure to leave no traces.”

Rine, whose green eyes glimmered faintly, continued to speak.

“It seems the information guild hasn’t linked us to what happened at Avalon.”

“And?”

“They’ve identified it as the work of a sword master who created a hellscape.”

At Deus’s words, Yutia remained silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, before speaking.

“Still, just to be sure, keep an eye on the information guild’s activities. As I’ve said countless times before, you all understand, right? This must never reach him. Never.”

Though Yutia’s red eyes glowed fiercely, everyone nodded in agreement without hesitation.

“…But do we really need to hide it this much?”

Deus asked, his usual relaxed smile replaced by a slightly uneasy expression as he observed Yutia’s uncharacteristically tense demeanor.

After a brief pause, Yutia responded firmly.

“Of course we need to hide it.”

“…Why?”

In response to Deus’s continued questioning, Yutia’s red eyes flashed as she answered.

“I told you, didn’t I? We are his sword. We must not judge or think for ourselves; we must simply be the sword he wields.”

“But a sword thinking for itself… that’s not right, is it?”

“But the eldest son of the Count’s family targeted him first, so—”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s wrong is wrong. There was no ‘order.’ Understand? We only move on his command. If he didn’t say anything, we don’t act. Ever.”

Deus rubbed the roof of his mouth with his dry tongue as he looked into Yutia’s eyes.

For someone supposedly living in an orphanage, she exuded an aura of dignity and integrity, yet there was also an overwhelming, undeniable power in her presence. But whenever she spoke of him, something changed within her.

Her dignified gaze turned into one of eerie fanaticism, and her noble aura transformed into something savage and monstrous.

Thus, Deus couldn’t understand.

“So make sure to erase every trace. Don’t disappoint him.”

How someone like her, with the power and ability to overwhelm everyone present with just her presence, could feel such anxiety and apprehension over something as minor as being ‘found out.’

“I understand.”

Despite his lingering doubts, Deus had no intention of voicing them, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment. As the conversation drew to a close,

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“They’ve arrived.”

A man entered as the basement door opened.

Even in the dark, lightless basement, his hair shone with a radiant silver hue, as if it had captured the light of the moon itself.

“Just as the boss said.”

In the predetermined future, he was to become one of the Five Great Sins—The Sin of Obsession.

“The remaining forces of Avalon, 286 men.”

Ladan, his sharp moon-like eyes gleaming, reported,

“I cut them all in half and killed them.”

It had taken only five days for the great organization Avalon, which once dominated the eastern region of the Asteria Kingdom, to disappear, leaving only a tattered signboard behind.

“But I don’t think the job is completely finished.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found additional nobles connected to Avalon.”

As he spoke, Ladan pulled a meticulously folded piece of paper from his chest and placed it on the table in front of him.

“The Duke of Altia’s family is involved. It seems they’re quite deeply entangled, with ledgers documenting their dealings. There are about four individuals, all of whom appear to be the duke’s children. Given how deeply they’re involved, they might start asking questions about this incident. What should we do?”

After a moment of silence, Yutia, who had been pondering his words, spoke.

“You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”

Her red eyes glinted ominously as she murmured.

“I see. Then I’ll take care of it as quietly as possible.”

Ladan nodded quietly in agreement.

***

Since the funeral of Leo Palatio, Alon had been keeping busy.

Aside from investigating Leo’s death, which had unfolded differently from the game’s plot, there were other matters that demanded his attention, even though he hadn’t wanted them.

As a result, his days passed by in a whirlwind of activity. About a month after the funeral, he found himself in Estrovan, a territory in the southern part of the Asteria Kingdom, rather than at the Palatio estate.

The reason was to attend a ball that was held twice a year as a social event.

Officially, Alon’s presence was to strengthen social ties, but in reality, he had some business to attend to in the territory.

However, he did intend to fulfill the official purpose to some extent.

With his position as the future Count all but assured in the coming year, forging connections with other nobles was crucial both for his social standing and for his own convenience.

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…Or so he thought.

Alon glanced around the ballroom.

A chandelier shaped like a crescent moon illuminated the room beautifully, while the sons and daughters of nobles, dressed in their finest attire, showcased the distinct elegance of high society.

The problem was…

None of those nobles could even make eye contact with Alon.

Alon watched as a young noblewoman immediately bowed her head when their eyes met.

And he sighed, realizing that his goal of ‘strengthening social ties’ was going to be much harder to achieve than he had anticipated.