#Chapter 3. Picked It Up (1)
Running away from home.
Deliberately leaving a safe house for something dangerous—something I, as someone who’s been surviving for a year now, can’t possibly understand.
“Seriously, why would you leave when there’s no police or CCTV around? Are you insane?”
Maybe they hit their head or something?
“Was there any other reason besides repentance?”
“He left a note on the desk saying, ‘I’ll return after repenting.’”
“Hmm.”
Evan scratched his chin.
“Why the heck did he leave?”
That’s not just reckless—it’s dumb.
And the reason being “repentance”?
Theodore, the atheist?
This feels suspicious.
The Alkarte Ducal Family is famously atheistic.
-Gods are only believed in by the weak.
The true mastermind controlling even the underworld—a powerhouse valuing only personal strength and wealth.
Isn’t that exactly what the Alkarte Duke represents?
“The kids were all similar too.”
Of course, it makes no sense.
Could someone with a grudge against the Alkarte family or some dark deity worshipper have kidnapped him?
“Nah, no way. They’d be crazy to try kidnapping.”
To breach the defenses of the dukedom? You’d need at least a mid-tier magician or an upper-level expert knight.
And even if such a skilled person existed here in this backwater, success would still be uncertain.
“Any leads on the culprit?”
“Not yet…”
But we still haven’t found any clues.
A perfect crime.
For this to succeed perfectly, it’d take someone like Arthur Modrith at least.
“But Arthur wouldn’t do it.”
He might be a lunatic, but he’s not the type to kidnap people.
What is going on?
Evan was confused!
“Damn, I don’t know.”
He shook his head to clear his confusion.
His vision blurred for a moment.
Sniff!
“Eh… Wha-”
“Master! Your nose!”
Blood streamed from Evan’s nose as he leaned forward, muttering under his breath.
“This trash body needs fixing soon.”
Which is why he’s trying to recruit assistants…
Anyway, focus on the task at hand.
Right now, Evan’s job is simple: make potions and write letters.
Only…
“It’ll be hard to send letters to the next assistant.”
There are about four assistants left.
After narrowing down based on character and ability, the candidates dwindled.
The Wandering Dark King,The Starry Sky Seer,The Marshland Witch,The Northern Duke.
None of them are easy to meet right now.
“The Wandering Dark King and the Starry Sky Seer appear randomly.”
The Northern Duke and the Marshland Witch have fixed locations but are extremely difficult to reach.
“At this point, the North is off-limits, and the marsh requires passing a trial… Tough.”
To meet them now, you’d probably need skills on par with Adrianne or Arthur—at least among the top few strongest individuals.
Or maybe another assistant.
“And I can’t just boss them around either…”
Don’t forget:
I’m the subordinate.
If I get too cocky, I might end up dead.
It’s a harsh world where the strong rule.
“But still… it’s annoying.”
Is there anyone out there who’s strong but has low self-esteem and isn’t well-known enough to resist being ordered around?
At that moment, some names popped into his head.
“…They do exist.”
The Sins.
In the late game, these villains become enemies of both the player and the continent.
Each symbolizing a different sin, they’re monsters capable of wiping out entire countries. Can they do anything?
Judging purely by talent, the Sins surpass even the assistants.
“Take Wrath, for example—he single-handedly destroyed an entire kingdom.”
The mountain of blood created from grinding an entire kingdom into pieces.
Even though I only saw it through a monitor, that scene still sticks vividly in my mind.
That’s how crazy powerful and unstable the Sins are.
But just thinking about it doesn’t mean I plan to do anything about it.
“Am I insane enough to try recruiting them?”
Whether they’re inherently good or evil doesn’t matter.
What matters is that they become monsters who kill countless lives later.
You can’t tame bears or tigers—they’ll eat you the moment they’re hungry.
“Definitely stay far away from danger.”
Knock knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“!”
Dolphe jumped up from his seat.
Evan stared expressionlessly at the door.
“Shit, my heart!”
Inside, his trembling heart clenched tightly.
“Who is it?”
“Excuse me. Is Master Evan inside?”
“Huh? Yes! He’s here!”
“May I ask you to open the door briefly?”
Polite tone and voice.
Extremely rare politeness in this mansion.
Evan and Dolphe exchanged bewildered looks.
Someone in this mansion treats Evan like that…?
“What’s the matter?”
“A light investigation. There have been reports claiming Master Evan is the culprit…”
“Me?!”
Theodore had gone missing.
The disappearance of the beloved youngest son naturally sent the mansion into chaos.
But for others, it was an opportunity.
The eldest son seized the chance to heap criticism.
“He may have youthful arrogance, but he lacks the qualities of a successor.”
“But as a loving older brother, I will find my younger sibling.”
Thanks to this, Percival, the knight captain who was conveniently out on vacation, got hit with unexpected bad news.
Percival rushed back.
“…Who’s the culprit?”
Percival doubted his ears.
What? Who’s the culprit?
“There have been continuous reports claiming Master Evan is the culprit.”
“…Master Evan?”
“That’s surprising. He’s clearly not the type.”
The knight reporting hesitated while scratching his head.
Though both Percival and the knight were surprised, their reactions differed slightly.
If the knight thought, “Him?”
Then Percival thought, “Him?”
“Perhaps the maids made a mistake, but the newly hired knights also claim they saw him.”
“Hmm.”
Percival stroked his rough chin.
He knew Theodore usually harassed Evan.
Probably yesterday too.
Did Evan cross the line?
Even so, could Evan really have carried out a kidnapping?
“Strange.”
There’s no way “that Evan” lacks patience to this extent.
“Do you intend to investigate personally?”
Percival, deep in thought, slowly stood up.
Creak!
The chair let out a short groan.
“…I guess I should. I have the duty to uncover the culprit first.”
“I’ll go instead.”
“No, I’ll go.”
“Knight Captain, are you sure?”
The knight looked puzzled.
Evan Alkarte was a rare alchemist on the continent, but that was all.
Physically weak, mentally fragile, and prone to mischief—a brat who eats away at the family fortune.
Though he’s been quieter since last year, how long will that last?
Most people believe once he reaches adulthood after his coming-of-age ceremony, he’ll revert to being a brat.
A bug-eating parasite who buys strange herbs and drains the family funds.
Percival, a commoner-turned-knight who earned his baron title through outstanding skill, didn’t need to deal with someone like that directly.
“Why am I stepping in?”
Percival chuckled sarcastically.
“It’s because of your attitude.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m not asking for an apology. I’m telling you to finally understand. Even I sometimes fear him.”
“…Fear? Him? Master Evan?”
“Yes.”
“Haha! I didn’t know our Knight Captain had such a sense of humor!”
The knight burst into laughter.
The laughter quickly subsided.
Because Percival’s expression was serious.
“You don’t know how terrifying Master Evan truly is.”
Percival is an Upper Sword Expert, qualified to potentially reach the rank of Swordmaster.
Through his eyes, he sees many things—even glimpses of the duke’s intentions.
But…
“I can’t read anything from Master Evan.”
Nothing.
How terrifying is that word?
Humans fear the unknown.
The same applies when facing an opponent whose intentions are completely unreadable.
Evan always wears an emotionless face.
Some might think he’s scared, but Percival is certain that’s not the case.
From his eyebrows to the slight curve of his lips—nothing moves.
Yet, when he does change expressions, it feels natural, doesn’t it?
It means he has complete control over every muscle in his face.
Unless he’s turned to stone, that is.
“Perfect facial control. Something only someone of the duke’s level could achieve…”
Decisively, the rumors about Evan.
More specifically,
The rumors spreading in the underworld where the duke mainly exerts influence.
“…If even half, or a fraction, of those rumors are true, there’s no way he’s just some brat.”
Evan has been studying alchemy for merely three years.
Yet, within that time, rumors of such magnitude have spread in the underworld…
It’s understandable why Percival fears him.
“There’s no way someone so thoroughly self-controlled would suddenly kidnap Lord Theodore.”
Misunderstandings need to be cleared up.
Should Evan’s mood ever sour…
The entire mansion could be flipped upside down by his will,
Golems could massacre everyone,
or everyone could fall victim to mysterious diseases,
and various kinds of misfortune would surely follow.
Death without ever finding the real culprit.
<Alchemists>, who can reshape matter with a gesture—there aren’t many true-blooded alchemists on the continent like Evan. The possibilities of what he could unleash are endless.
“No more reports. Block all talk about Master Evan. Not just outside the mansion, but inside as well.”
“…Understood.”
Prepared for any possible scenario, Percival blocked mentions of Evan before moving with heavy steps.
“Hmph.”
Knock knock.
Percival stood at the door, ready to address Evan respectfully.
Fortunately, it worked.
All that’s left is—
“A light investigation. Specifically…”
To ask Evan’s intentions.
After gathering his words, Percival asked.
“There have been reports claiming Master Evan is the culprit.”
…
A brief silence.
Percival swallowed dryly.
He had no idea how Evan would react.
If Evan gets angry?
Percival would have to prepare to lose his own neck.
“Please open the door.”
“Yes, yes!”
Creak!
The door opened.
As soon as it did, a thick medicinal herb scent and an indescribable potion smell wafted out.
Evan sat emotionlessly at his desk as usual.
“…Me? The culprit?”
“I’m not certain, but there have been reports.”
…He doesn’t seem angry.
If he were angry, he probably wouldn’t use honorifics.
In fact, since switching to formal speech, Evan hasn’t reverted to casual language even once.
Perhaps it’s a restriction Evan imposed on himself?
The aftermath of breaking it isn’t something Fern wants to imagine.
“…Are those reports reliable?”
“They’re not reliable.”
“Ah… I see.”
‘Holding back his anger.’
“First of all, I’m not the culprit. All my golems were here in my room.”
“Understood.”
“Captain, please continue the investigation…”
“Silence.”
Percival silenced the knight.
There was no need to upset Evan unnecessarily.
If he didn’t do it, then he didn’t.
That’s how the strong operate.
“…But suspicions won’t disappear like this.”
“Huh? No, I…”
“I’ll lend you a few of my golems. Use them to search.”
Creak-
A few golems stepped forward.
They looked like dogs.
No, they actually were.
Just… a bit unusual.
“…Six legs?”
They had six legs and slightly elongated necks.
More like monsters than dogs.
What kind of design is this?
Swallowing back the urge to comment, Percival quickly bowed his head.
Thankfully, his expression was hidden.
“…Thank you for your consideration.”
“Not at all. Both of you work hard.”
After bowing formally as knights, Percival and the knight retreated.
Once they left, Evan let out a sigh of relief inside.
‘Phew…’
Luckily, no one asked why the golems were in his room.
Otherwise, he might’ve accidentally said, “Because I was scared.”
‘Besides, why would they think I’m the culprit?’
…Me?
Why?
‘I’m just a normal civilian who got reincarnated, for crying out loud.’
Why are such rumors spreading?
‘Aha, PTSD.’
Suddenly remembering an old memory, Evan rubbed the back of his neck.
Dolphe asked worriedly,
“Master… Will the misunderstanding be resolved?”
“Let’s hope so. But I did send my cutest ones.”
“?!”
Dolphe turned to Evan with a look of confusion.
Evan turned back with the same expression.
After exchanging glances for a moment,
Dolphe hurriedly spoke.
“…Those golems are really cute!”
“Thank you.”
Golem Dog.
Originally designed to resemble puppies but modified by Evan.
If only I could tweak them a bit more…
Still lacking proficiency is frustrating.
“Feel free to relax while waiting.”
“No, no! I’ll bring lunch right away!”
“Understood.”
Evan set the golems in motion.
“Just in case, I should make more healing potions. If Grandpa comes back with murder in his eyes, I don’t want to die…”
Night fell.
That evening.
“Lord Theodore has returned! Thanks to the Golem Dogs!”
“At least that’s good news… But what’s this?”
When Theodore returned,
“Gurgle?”
The Golem Dogs brought back something strange.
Evan paused momentarily.
White hair, crimson eyes.
She was fiddling with a thread in her hands as if spinning silk,
while gnawing on one of the Golem Dog’s legs with her mouth.
“…Wait, what the hell.”
That appearance and mannerism.
Instinctively, he recognized who she was.
[Wrath Sin, indeed.]
The monster who obliterated an entire kingdom, creating a mountain of blood.
The Golem Dogs sent to find his half-brother ended up bringing back a future Sin.
Ira looked at Evan and her eyes sparkled.
“Wow, yummy smell.”
“Uh… Someone help!”
