The Shadow Organization Members Raised Through Pay-To-Win Are Too Strong

Albert looked at his half-brother Ethan in shock.

From the circumstances, it seemed Ethan was connected to the group that had attacked him.

His mind was in turmoil.

‘Everything was planned from the beginning!’

Who greets someone, warning them to be careful because the world is dangerous?

Of course, it could have been a genuine, concerned warning. But he didn’t think so now.

‘That bastard already knew everything. No doubt about it!’

Above all, the gray-haired figure who had saved him.

And coincidentally, the hair color of the servant behind Ethan was gray.

All of this couldn’t be a coincidence.

Albert’s heart pounded.

‘Why did they kill their own people?’

If all of this was planned, weren’t the group trying to kidnap him on the same side as the gray-haired figure?

The gray-haired figure had clearly defeated all the masked men.

Even if his vision was blurry, the feeling wasn’t.

If this was Ethan’s design, the two groups would likely be on the same side.

Yet he killed them…

‘……!’

Albert felt a chill down his spine.

If he killed them even though they were on the same side, he didn’t even want to imagine how cruel Ethan must be.

Immense fear welled up.

‘Wh-what the hell is his purpose.’

He wanted to innocently believe that his brother had saved him out of pure intentions.

But even if he wanted to think that way, there were too many strange points.

‘Come to think of it, Bastel… said he was attacked too?’

He had said that he wouldn’t leave his room because he had been attacked while leading the merchant group.

The problem was, it wasn’t the first time.

‘They said the merchant group was ruined by an attack before…’

Bastel had been attacked a total of two times.

What was even more chilling was that all of this started happening after Ethan entered the mansion.

‘N-no way, even Mother…?’

Bastel was attacked, Mother passed away, and he had almost been kidnapped.

Could all of this really be a coincidence?

Albert’s breath caught in his throat.

“Brother?”

At that moment, Albert was startled by the sound of someone calling him and looked up.

Ethan and the servant were standing in front of him.

“You don’t look well. I think it would be better for you to rest more.”

“……”

Albert shut his mouth tightly at Ethan’s words.

He didn’t want to answer.

Fear engulfed him so much that his voice wouldn’t even come out.

‘What is hidden behind that face?’

Albert examined Ethan’s expression.

He couldn’t tell what truth was lurking behind that hypocritical mask.

A chill ran down his spine that he didn’t even want to imagine.

‘If I’m found out here… I’m a dead man.’

For now, he couldn’t show any sign that he had noticed something about Ethan.

Besides, what was important now wasn’t being the family’s successor or the Academy.

‘I have to get to Grandfather!’

Grandfather was Viscount Rosemund.

As someone operating the empire’s largest merchant group, he was perfect to entrust his safety to.

First, he had to hide his emotions.

He tried to control his expression as much as possible to conceal his fearful emotions and opened his mouth.

“I-I’m fine. So leave now.”

His hand trembled.

He wanted to curse at him to get lost, but he didn’t want to risk his life for nothing.

For now, the priority was to quietly slip out of the mansion.

At his words, Ethan made a surprised expression.

Had he said something wrong?

“Oh dear… Then, take care of yourself. The atmosphere isn’t good these days.”

Fortunately, that was all Ethan said before leaving the room.

Albert, alone again, finally let out a breath.

“Haah… haah…”

The last words were undoubtedly a threat.

Saying the atmosphere wasn’t good these days was hinting that the same thing could happen again at any time, and telling him to take care of himself was the same as telling him to behave.

‘Should I tell Father?’

But Albert shook his head.

For some reason, Ethan was seen positively inside the mansion.

Not only the servants but even the head butler spoke well of Ethan.

What about his father, Count Benedict?

He was already teaching magic to Ethan and even exempted him from the dungeon subjugation squad, did he not?

‘This was your aim from the beginning!’

Even if he revealed Ethan’s true nature now, who would believe it?

Instead, rumors might spread that he was going crazy after being attacked.

Ethan had undoubtedly managed his image for a situation like this.

Should he appeal to the knights and retainers who supported him?

That was the same.

Right now, there was no justification to touch Ethan.

There was no solid evidence.

‘It feels like I have no allies in the family…’

Albert clenched his fists.

Right now, his life came first.

He had no intention of letting things flow according to Ethan’s will.

‘Let’s slip out of the mansion secretly.’

No, there was no need to even call it secretly.

These people had the strength to surpass the family’s knights.

And there was justification that he acted secretly because they might target him again.

If he could just slip out of the mansion and reach a nearby territory.

If he could just use the Mage Tower’s teleport to reach the capital, even Ethan wouldn’t be able to move.

Albert prepared immediately.

* * *

After leaving Albert’s room, I took Emilia and returned to my room.

“Tsk, another attack.”

Albert had almost been kidnapped by someone.

Following Bastel, Albert had also met with misfortune.

Fortunately, Emilia, following Albert on my orders, saved him.

Of course, to hide her identity, she left him in front of the mansion, and the family’s soldiers found Albert.

Naturally, the mansion was in an uproar.

With the eldest son returning unconscious, the Count immediately dispatched troops.

However, at the scene, all the knights who had accompanied him as escorts were found dead.

So, the atmosphere in the Hartwell family wasn’t good right now.

The joy of catching the dark mage was short-lived, as unpleasant incidents kept occurring, so there was no way the atmosphere in the mansion would be good.

Moreover, unrest was rising among the servants.

I looked at Emilia.

“So, who was behind it?”

As a Phantom, she should know who did such a thing.

“It seems to have been the work of dark mages.”

“Dark mages?”

Emilia had definitely said she caught the guys at the scene.

The problem was, if the enemy were dark mages, I would have received a notification.

“Then I guess they were just followers.”

Followers who admired dark mages.

Strictly speaking, they admired dark mages, but they weren’t dark mages themselves.

In other words, this incident was just bad luck.

“Tsk, all sorts of things are happening.”

How shocked must he have been that Albert, who had ignored me, even answered?

Honestly, I thought he might be mute with how he hadn’t said a single word.

‘This isn’t good.’

At this rate, will Albert end up like Bastel, a reclusive loner?

A future of supporting the jobless Albert and Bastel flashed through my mind.

‘That absolutely can’t happen!’

I gestured to Emilia.

“Got it. I’ll take care of this so you can just focus on Albert. He’ll probably return to the Academy soon, so keep a close eye on him.”

“Yes, Ethan.”

Emilia said that and left the room. I became lost in thought.

It seemed like too many incidents related to dark mages were happening in the territory recently.

If left alone, it would probably cause a big commotion someday.

‘They’re making things too bothersome for me.’

I didn’t know why they were causing such incidents in the Hartwell territory of all places.

If things kept happening like this, it seemed I would get entangled in troublesome situations, too.

‘First, I need to get rid of those guys.’

I decided to put off investigating the treasurer for now.

For now, the safety and peace of the Hartwell family came first.

[Leader, just give the order.]

It was time to mobilize Black Raven.

* * *

Ariel, the vice-captain of Black Raven.

She was in the middle of organizing reports.

And one unique report came up.

“……”

That report was different from the others.

Because it was a report sent by a Phantom, not a regular member.

“Dark mages again.”

The report contained information that dark mages and their followers had appeared in the Hartwell Count’s territory.

Because of that, it also said the leader’s mood wasn’t good, but something felt off.

“It feels like some information is missing…”

She wasn’t certain.

For some reason, it felt like some important details were omitted.

‘Hmm……’

Of course, since it was a report submitted by a Phantom, it might have just been written in a notification format.

Phantoms were always like that.

As she turned to the next report.

“……!”

The leader had issued an order.

The content of the order was that dark mages had been running amok too much recently.

Didn’t the Phantom’s report also mention that dark mages were worrying the leader?

The meaning of this order was one thing.

To hunt down the dark mages.

But Ariel’s thoughts didn’t stop there.

The leader’s orders always had a deeper meaning.

“As expected, the leader was also upset by them impersonating ‘Raven.'”

The Supreme Council had already mobilized Purge for this very reason.

At the same time, related information was being sent to Purge in real-time so they could handle it quickly.

“There’s no need to show mercy to those who dare to sully the leader’s name.”

The dark mages impersonating Raven would taste overwhelming agony.

* * *

Elegant music flowed in the high-end restaurant.

Perhaps because the price was so high, there was only one customer despite it being daytime.

The man sitting in the corner picked up a wine glass and gently swirled the ruby-colored liquid to appreciate it.

His movements were restrained yet graceful.

“How is it, Mr. Warden? It’s a 20-year-old Midnight Shadow.”

The restaurant manager spoke to the customer.

The customer’s name was Warden.

Originally, he was a regular at the restaurant, but he hadn’t visited in a while.

The manager continued his explanation for the regular customer showing up again after a long time.

“As you know, Midnight Shadow is a rare grape that can only be harvested at midnight. The quantity is so small that it’s very rare. It will pair exceptionally well with the meat you cook yourself.”

Hearing the manager’s explanation, Warden smiled slightly.

“The aroma is superb. It seems it will be a truly fantastic meal.”

At his response, the manager’s expression brightened.

The customer, named Warden, was an extremely cultured and intellectual person.

His appearance brought to mind a classic gentleman.

Warden was a tall, slender man.

He often wore a well-pressed, navy-colored luxury suit, which, combined with his mannerisms, created a sophisticated atmosphere.

His shoes were always perfectly polished, and golden cufflinks shone subtly on his shirt cuffs.

An elegant watch adorned his wrist, and all these aspects harmonized as one.

Yes, one could say he was one of the people who fit perfectly with this restaurant.

It was almost unrivaled.

“By the way, to think you cook for yourself… As expected, you’re extraordinary, Mr. Warden. I’m truly happy to see you again after so long.”

The manager’s words were sincere.

Losing such a high-class customer was a loss for the restaurant as well.

One peculiarity was that Warden’s taste was extremely particular.

But thanks to that, the quality of the restaurant’s food had risen significantly.

Moreover, when he purchased wine according to the manager’s recommendation, the manager felt rewarded for his work.

That was why the manager’s mood was good, even when he was just buying wine.

Warden took a sip of the wine and then checked his wristwatch.

“Oh my, I’m short on time, but can I receive the wine right away?”

“Of course. I’ll prepare it immediately.”

The manager promptly went to prepare the wine.

Left alone momentarily, Warden took out a document from his breast pocket.

Written there was a notification from the Supreme Council.

The content was to capture all beings impersonating Raven and to show them no mercy.

In this process, no matter how Purge acted, they would not interfere.

Reading the document, the corners of Warden’s mouth rose.

The reason he was smiling was for another matter.

“It’s been a while since I’ll be eating delicious ‘meat.'”

Due to the Supreme Council’s ” leash, ” he hadn’t been able to consume tasty meat for some time.

He couldn’t ruin the meat he would be consuming again after so long.

For the ultimate pleasure, he bought wine that paired well with the meat.

Once he received the wine here, he planned to buy a knife to precisely cut the meat.

Tonight’s dinner was going to be the finest meal.