Chapter 11. I Became the Mastermind (2)

“Luke Richter, you are invited to the Headquarters Council.”

“…”

I was speechless before the immense absurdity of the situation.

A man clad in a black robe had just abruptly invited me to the Headquarters Council.

‘Is he insane?’

He’s out of his mind.

People who are at odds with the Imperial Family are inviting me, someone affiliated with the Imperial Family, to their headquarters?

It’s impossible unless they're crazy.

‘…Is it because of that ridiculous rumor?’

Do they actually believe that *I* assassinated the Dark Shadow Society Leader?

If so, they’ve missed the mark by a mile.

The Leader’s death has absolutely nothing to do with me.

…But even if I proclaimed my innocence, would they believe me?

I don't even know how to convince them, and there's no concrete evidence to support my claims.

‘Even I wouldn’t believe it.’

They’re saying he muttered my name before he died?

And not just the Dark Shadow Society Leader, but several of their executives simultaneously.

If I were to say, ‘I don't know anything about it,’ in this situation, I’d just be needlessly provoking them.

Besides, they’re inviting me to the Headquarters Council, no less.

If revenge was their goal, they would have sent assassins instead of bothering with an invitation.

Sending an executive like this and inviting me as a ‘guest’ implies they have no immediate intention of harming me.

‘Let’s just stay quiet.’

Maintaining a neutral expression, I observed the man’s face for any changes.

He happened to be observing me as well, and our gazes met.

I didn’t want to be the first to look away, so I just let my mind wander as we stared at each other.

Then.

“Luke.”

Rudine stepped forward.

And as always, she asked,

“Is he an enemy?”

A chilling silence descended.

The man, who had introduced himself as Cheong, smirked.

He seemed intrigued by Rudine’s raw killing intent.

“He’s a guest.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, so stop it.”

Don’t cause any trouble.

I barely managed to swallow the rest of my sentence.

“Why are you inviting me?”

“Our Lord desires it.”

“Is that all?”

“That is correct.”

Headquarters Council.

They’re asking me to crawl right into the heart of that horrific den?

"What if I refuse?"

Cheong's expression hardened slightly at my question.

But he quickly regained his gentle smile.

"Of course, the choice is yours, however..."

Cheong paused, glancing around.

His gaze swept past Rudine.

I couldn't miss the implication.

It was a clear threat.

“Are you threatening me?”

“That is correct.”

This extra has the audacity to threaten me?

I’d love to pay him back double…

‘The aftermath would be unmanageable.’

Even if I could somehow take care of this one guy, the repercussions would be impossible to deal with.

I’m not in a position to leave Blackmore either, so I’m effectively out of options.

‘There’s no helping it.’

Putting out the immediate fire is the priority.

They want to invite me? Fine, I'll go.

But it wouldn’t do to appear like a clueless idiot.

The Arkan Lord Council is a group of lunatics who worship only power.

I need to show off a little here.

They only understand the language of power.

“Interesting.”

I chuckled, letting the words slip out.

Sensing something amiss, Cheong’s hand moved towards the hilt of his sword.

He was probably about to draw his weapon.

“Acceleration.”

The moment the designated activation word left my lips, the mana concentrated at my fingertips dispersed.

Scattered in the form of fine particles, the mana rippled like a wave, passing right through Cheong.

“Reverse.”

It stopped.

Or rather, Cheong’s time stopped.

His fingers, reaching for his sword hilt, froze in mid-air.

In that frozen world, the only movement allowed was that of his eyes.

Cheong’s eyes darted wildly up and down, scanning me.

His lips, parted as if to speak, trembled.

I smirked at him.

Just stopping Cheong’s movements didn’t give me any real advantage.

But it was enough to make a strong impression in that brief moment.

“…”

*Thud, thud.*

I slowly started walking.

One step.

Two steps.

Passing by the time-locked Cheong, I tapped the back of his neck twice with the flat of my dagger.

It was an ordinary touch, devoid of any killing intent, but Cheong's face paled considerably.

So I whispered in his ear.

Imitating a benevolent voice, I uttered a chilling whisper:

“Consider this a debt.”

It was, quite frankly, complete bullshit.

****

Cheong was puzzled.

He couldn’t sense even the slightest hint of mana from the man before him.

‘Did I come to the wrong place?’

No, that couldn’t be it.

The man in front of him was indeed Luke Richter.

The person of interest who had assassinated the Dark Shadow Society’s executives all at once.

‘The Richter Family’s bastard.’

His appearance, location—everything matched.

Moreover, there was no possibility that the organization's information was wrong.

He had definitely come to the right place.

‘What’s this?’

Cheong, the direct successor of the Arkan Great Lord, perceived the world through color. His eyes, which saw everything as color, could naturally also discern the mana that humans are innately born with.

That’s why this was strange.

The man before him not only exuded little mana, but seemed to possess none at all.

‘…Could someone truly have this little mana?’

He was puzzled.

What kind of art could a man without mana possibly wield to single-handedly decimate the Dark Shadow Society?

‘Well, it doesn't matter.’

But that was all.

His purpose here was to invite this man, and fulfilling that was all that mattered.

However.

“What if I refuse?”

Persuading him didn't seem easy.

So he lightly provoked him.

Hoping the man would recklessly cross the line.

Subduing him by force was more convenient than persuading him with words.

But then.

“Interesting.”

Cheong, who perceived everything through color, saw it.

An indescribable energy began to subtly emanate from the man, a sinister smile splitting his lips.

The color of that terrifying and ominous energy was…

‘Pitch black…?’

It was darker, deeper, and colder than anything he’d ever seen.

That was definitely not the color of ordinary mana.

The moment he realized this, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

The moment his hand instinctively reached for his hilt.

“——”

The man opened his mouth.

He muttered something, and in that instant, the pitch-black energy swept over Cheong like a wave.

It was simply too fast to react to.

And.

Cheong’s eyes widened in horror at the sight that followed.

“!!!”

He couldn’t move a finger.

He was completely frozen.

As if he had become a part of the world’s tapestry.

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

His heart beat.

He could breathe.

But that was all.

Cheong, desperately rolling his eyes, still couldn't grasp what had happened.

‘…What?’

A dragon’s word?

Linguistic Magic? Or Sorcery?

How could such an unbelievable Supernatural Power exist in this world?

Suddenly, the hairs on his skin stood on end.

The man was approaching him.

Cheong could only watch him approach.

Immense confusion made rational thought impossible.

“…”

The man, now close at hand, held a sharply honed dagger in his right hand.

It playfully grazed Cheong’s neck a couple of times.

The chilling sensation sent shivers down his spine.

It was a truly precarious moment.

His life hung by a thread, dependent on the man's whim.

Faced with this stark terror, his reason crumbled.

Regret, the realization that he had severely miscalculated, began to sprout. Then.

“I’ll put this on your tab.”

With those words, the pitch-black energy that had been pressing down on him dispersed.

It was a clear act of mercy.

‘…I lived.’

Relief washed over him with the realization that he had survived.

But he couldn't return like this.

He had to carry out the order to bring Luke Richter back.

But how?

How could he possibly subdue that monster?

He had to avoid a pointless death. As he was about to retreat, though reluctantly.

“Lead the way.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Didn't you say you were inviting me?”

*Gulp.*

“…Are you accepting the invitation?”

“It’s not like you’d give up if I refused, would you?”

That's true.

His Lord never gave up on something he had his eye on.

Reading his hesitation, the man clicked his tongue and spoke.

“You brought the Scroll, right?”

“…How did you…?”

“There are ways.”

He even knew about the Scroll.

As expected, he was no ordinary man.

Cheong sighed and unfolded the Scroll.

“Please place your hand on the Spell Formula.”

“Rudine, put your hand here.”

“…Okay.”

Space distorted.

Or rather, the Scroll's mana began to tear space.

The ensuing burst of light opened a Passage.

The Passage of light, as if possessing a will of its own, approached and swallowed them.

*Flash.*

The Passage disappeared.

A few minutes later.

A figure approached the empty office.

The approaching figure was Adina, dragging a piece of wood tied to a rope.

“Luke? Rudine?”

She anxiously searched for them.

But naturally, there was no response.

“Where did everyone go…?”

She had only gone to the forest to roughly chop some wood for Luke’s errands.

When she returned to the office, no one was left.

“W-What…! Don't joke around…!”

She was alone.

Adina wanted to cry.