Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Two years had now elapsed since Alon had saved Yutia and initiated their routine correspondence.

“Another successful rescue this time.”

“Is that so?”

Alon received the positive report from Evan.

“They are at the orphanage now?”

“Indeed, that makes the fifth one.”

Hearing Evan’s confirmation, Alon gave a nod.

Throughout the previous year, Alon had managed to save the three Sins he had initially targeted.

‘The Sin of Greed posed some challenges.’

Locating the third Sin, who now went by Rine Groff, had been difficult, though extracting her was not particularly hard. The same held true for the other Sins.

Finding each one had taken several months, but by diligently applying his knowledge from the game to guide Evan’s movements, they had all been found.

Observing Evan, who had been tirelessly working to secure the Five Great Sins for the past year, Alon spoke up.

“You should rest now.”

“Is our task complete?”

“It is complete.”

A sigh of relief escaped Evan as he looked at Alon.

“But, Young Master, you do not appear pleased.”

“I assure you, I am.”

“Your expression suggests otherwise.”

“Is that so?”

At Evan’s comment, Alon turned to face the mirror.

The familiar face of Alon looked back at him.

‘It’s true…’

The man in the reflection wore a largely blank look.

No, upon closer inspection, the very edges of his mouth were faintly upturned, but the shift in his expression was so minimal one would have to stare to perceive it.

Alon attempted to consciously form a smile, but halted when he saw his normally handsome face now resembled that of a peculiar stranger.

‘It feels as if the muscles in my face haven’t fully synchronized with this body.’

Unlike his former self, whose emotions were always clear, Alon’s face now seldom displayed any feeling. When it did, the change was exceptionally slight.

‘Not that it’s a disadvantage.’

Of course, Alon was not troubled by this. His inability to visibly emote was more a problem for those around him than for himself. He felt no particular inconvenience.

‘In any case, this concludes my immediate objectives.’

Alon allowed himself a small smile, thinking of the five potential Sins he had gathered at the orphanage.

‘I hadn’t anticipated such favorable results.’

Truthfully, Alon had not been confident things would proceed so smoothly from the outset.

The Five Great Sins had every reason to become the monsters they were fated to be. No matter how hard Alon tried, he couldn’t possibly save them before they encountered any hardship.

His primary concern had been his inability to rescue the Sins before they were irrevocably broken. Yet, contrary to his fears, all five were developing in an ordinary manner.

“Evan.”

“Yes.”

“The last time you visited the orphanage, you reported no issues, correct?”

“From my observation, even Rine and Seolrang, who were in poor condition upon arrival, have recovered to a relatively normal state.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. When I first rescued Seolrang, she was like a shattered doll, motionless and unresponsive, but at the orphanage, she was interacting well with others. Similarly, Rine, who initially kept her eyes shut as if refusing to see the world, was last seen reading a book with apparent interest.”

Alon nodded at Evan’s account.

This aligned with what Yutia had written in her letters.

‘I didn’t expect Yutia to perform so admirably.’

Initially, Alon had placed Yutia at the orphanage both to maintain distance and because of a background element where she felt some attachment to the place.

However, he had not been entirely certain she would care for the other children as well. His original plan involved sending Evan to monitor the situation and hire professional help if needed.

‘That is no longer necessary.’

Alon smiled.

Everything had unfolded even better than he had hoped, and due to Yutia’s diligent efforts, only one task remained for Alon himself.

‘Cultivate some self-defense capability.’

Naturally, as the third son of Count Palatio’s household, his life was not in imminent danger, especially with Evan as his guard.

But since this world was rooted in dark fantasy, possessing a basic ability to protect himself was crucial. He was contemplating learning magic.

“Ah, that reminds me, have you heard of the ‘Blue Moon,’ Young Master?”

As he was lost in thought, Evan’s question pulled Alon back to the present.

“The Blue Moon?”

“Yes, an organization gaining notoriety lately in the eastern territories. From the reports, they have been eliminating other groups.”

“An organization that hunts other organizations?”

“Correct.”

“Then they are performing a service.”

Alon responded flatly, his perspective fully adjusted to the dark fantasy world.

If the Blue Moon were slaughtering civilians, it would be alarming. But if they were targeting other organizations, that was a different matter.

On this continent, Alon had never encountered or heard of any organization completely uninvolved with death.

If they were hunting those who toyed with human lives, there was little reason to view them unfavorably, so Alon simply acknowledged it.

“The complication is that they are also assassinating nobles.”

“Evan.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Starting this evening, you will sleep in the chamber adjacent to mine.”

Alon stated decisively after hearing Evan’s added detail.

‘Given that this Blue Moon faction wasn’t in the original narrative, they probably vanish before the main plot begins. But… Ah, now that I think of it, Leo has been irritable recently. Could it be related to them?’

As Alon pondered this, he shrugged and began composing a reply to the letter he had received from Yutia the day before.

“Hmm…”

As was typical, Yutia’s letter contained her usual fare—some polite greetings, a concise report on the status of those Alon had entrusted to her care, and a register of sponsors.

Confirming this, Alon considered mentioning the ‘Blue Moon’ organization Evan had just mentioned, but decided against it.

The Blue Moon might hunt organizations and nobles, but they were unlikely to target an orphanage full of children.

As always, Alon finished his letter and dispatched it via the mercenary guild.

It was another tranquil day.

***

Several weeks later, at the orphanage in the eastern region.

During a regular weekly meeting that had been established after activities commenced, Yutia was reading the letter from Alon.

“Is that a letter from him? Let me see it! I want to read it too!”

“I would also like to read it.”

One girl waved her hand enthusiastically, while another across from her raised her hand more quietly as Yutia read.

Even in the dimly lit hideout, their golden and green eyes shone brightly—these were Seolrang and Rine, the future Sins of Pride and Greed.

“Here.”

“Truly? I can really look? You wouldn’t let me see it last time!”

“It is time you did.”

Yutia smiled as she passed the letter over. Seolrang and Rine, along with Deus, who had been observing silently, all leaned in to examine the letter with keen interest.

A short time later,

“…Is this… a set of directives?”

“It reads like an ordinary exchange…”

They all voiced their confusion as they scrutinized the letter before them.

It contained nothing beyond commonplace, daily dialogue.

Deus, seeking clarification, looked to Yutia with a questioning gaze. She smiled as she elaborated.

“That is the intended form. From the very start, he instructed me to write as if we were merely having a normal conversation.”

Then, Yutia retrieved a slightly weathered letter from within her clothing and showed it to them.

Its contents were straightforward. It began with casual salutations and smoothly transitioned into a suggestion that they regularly correspond about the orphanage.

“…?”

“…?”

Seolrang and Rine frowned, perplexed.

But Deus, seeming to grasp the underlying purpose, spoke.

“Is it to prevent secrets from being exposed, hence communicating in this manner?”

“Correct.”

“I understand.”

Deus nodded in agreement, then glanced at Seolrang and Rine, who were still intently studying the letter.

“If he fears leaks, wouldn’t magical communication or having us deliver reports in person be more secure?”

“True.”

“Then why insist on letters?”

“Because that is his will.”

Yutia added with a smile,

“If he has chosen this method, we obey. There is no need for questions or second thoughts.”

Hearing her words, Deus felt a parched sensation in his mouth.

While Yutia’s emotions were typically steady, whenever she spoke of him, a profound, unsettling conviction surfaced that even sent a chill down his spine.

“…Understood.”

Thus, Deus nodded quietly, meeting her red eyes, which now glowed with a fanatical light.

With that, Yutia collected the letter she had shared and carefully secured it inside her clothing, bringing the ‘meeting’ to a close.

“Seolrang, what of the northern matter?”

“The slave traders?”

“Yes.”

At Yutia’s query, Seolrang flashed a radiant smile.

“I handled them all.”

“And your identity?”

“It remains concealed! The garments Rine crafted appear to function perfectly. I quizzed them, promising to spare them if they could accurately describe my face, but none could answer.”

“And then?”

“I removed them. Their heads.”

Her words, delivered with such cheerful laughter, were exceedingly brutal, but Yutia calmly shifted her gaze to Deus.

“And the southern region?”

“Avalon was causing chaos, so I eliminated them. I also discovered something else there that warrants discussion.”

“What is it?”

“The leader of Avalon is the first son of the Count’s family where he lives, is that not so?”

Yutia gave a silent nod to Deus’s question.

However…

“…It seems the first son is attempting to poison him.”

The moment these words were spoken,

“What?”

The atmosphere turned to ice.

Seolrang, who had been brightly smiling moments before, flattened her ears and glanced around warily, while Rine, who had been quietly watching, fixed her gaze ahead.

Only Deus, who had anticipated this reaction, could meet Yutia’s eyes.

But even he felt a cold trickle of sweat down his spine under the weight of the overwhelming, far stronger-than-expected killing intent that filled the space.

After a brief silence,

“…Are you certain of this?”

“There was an instruction sheet.”

“Do you have it?”

“Yes.”

Deus produced the letter from his chest as if prepared for this moment.

Without blinking, Yutia read the document.

[Once the Count, whose life is nearly spent, passes, discreetly poison him and dispose of the body.]

After reading that final line,

“I see.”

She clenched the instruction sheet tightly.

“So, it is true.”

She murmured softly, her eyes gleaming with a cold, murderous light.