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

In a dim place shrouded in shadows, dark mages gathered around a large round table and sat in silence, each wearing a black hood.

“Thank you all for taking the time to come amid your busy schedules.”

A sharp voice broke the stillness.

It was Azar, the one who always led the meetings. His hoarse, cracked voice suited the sinister atmosphere.

But that was short-lived.

“So why the hell did you call us? We just had a meeting not long ago! I’m busy!”

An irritated voice cut off Azar’s words.

The dark mage who interrupted was Shinoha, her sharp eyes glaring at Azar from between her hood.

In fact, this meeting was not a regular one. The circumstances had changed drastically, prompting this emergency meeting mere days after their last scheduled one.

Azar calmly responded to Shinoha’s complaint.

“Shinoha’s words have merit. However, the situation has become so urgent that I had to convene this meeting on short notice. Please understand.”

Having spoken, Azar slowly turned his head to survey the dark mages seated around the table.

Attendance was lower than usual. Many could not make it in time due to the sudden summons.

But it couldn’t be helped in this situation.

Although these dark mages operated in the shadows, most held cover identities in the light.

Azar took a deep breath.

“We will begin this emergency meeting regarding recent events. First…”

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Now, the meeting would start in earnest.

“I have unfortunate news. A short while ago, the presence of Shadwick and Malkar vanished.”

A stir swept around the table. The sound of chairs scraping the floor surprised gasps and lamentations all mixed together to fill the room.

“Wh-what do you mean?!”

Shinoha’s voice shook.

Just a moment ago, she had been expressing displeasure, but now her shock was evident.

Everyone guessed the real purpose of this meeting. But even so, it was hard to believe.

Malkar was one thing, but who could have killed Shadwick? Wasn’t Shadwick an elder among the dark mages? How could such a being suddenly die?

“The two of them died while investigating Simon’s death.”

Azar continued.

In fact, “missing” would be a more accurate term, but based on the disappearance of their presence, they were definitely dead.

“At first, when Simon died, we thought the Holy Empire was involved. But this time, the Holy Empire didn’t move.”

Azar had his own information network. He had been carefully observing the Holy Empire’s movements since Simon’s death. Still, there was no activity related to this incident.

“Of course, their secret societies may have acted, but I believe that assumption is meaningless for now. It seems there is something we are unaware of.”

Azar had an ominous feeling. They believed they were manipulating everything from the shadows, but it felt like there were others out there.

‘Could it really be the Holy Empire?’

Azar shook his head slightly.

‘No, the Holy Empire has been quietly lying low recently.’

If the Holy Empire had mobilized, there should have been some small traces left behind.

Documents about mobilizing society should have surfaced, or there should have been signs of gatherings between the Pope and the Cardinals, but so far, there have been no movements.

Of course, he couldn’t be certain, but there was also no evidence that the Holy Empire had acted.

“……”

As everyone fell silent, Kashibara raised her hand.

“Th-then could it be… what Simon said before he d-died?”

Although her stuttering made her frustrating to talk to, she occasionally asked sharp questions.

“Ha, idiot! We’re all under constraints. How could we talk?!”

“Eep……”

Shinoha responded irritably to Kashibara’s words.

Azar brought his hand to his neck.

‘The constraint is still in effect.’

Moreover, the constraint placed on all of them was as good as a taboo that couldn’t be broken. The only way to remove this constraint was to die. Unless some high-level mage was controlling their minds from somewhere.

But that was impossible. It would require at least a 7-star Grand Mage, but the highest current mage was the 6-star Fire Tower Master.

So, it made no sense for information to be leaking from somewhere.

“N-no, last time Feratu said…”

But Kashibara raised her hand again and stated her claim.

“Th-that the reason for impersonating Ravens was to s-see someone’s reaction……”

At those words, Azar’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Raven.

The name ‘Raven’ had already been mentioned in the previous meeting. It had first appeared in the Empire’s Intelligence Department while investigating the Magic Stone Mine collapse incident.

But Raven’s identity was shrouded in mystery. So, at first, they could only speculate that Raven was the Empire’s propaganda or a secretly trained unit of another country.

That was why Feratu had impersonated them. Because if they imitated it, someone would inevitably react.

“Feratu….”

Azar muttered his name quietly. Hearing Kashibara’s story, it didn’t seem like a completely unreasonable tale. Hadn’t Feratu said they needed to eliminate variables and use Raven’s name to draw them out?

‘It wasn’t just simple propaganda….’

Azar’s gaze shifted to the empty seat beside him. Feratu had not attended this meeting. He didn’t know why, but for now, he had to focus on the meeting at hand.

“For now, we will consider all possibilities. But I still have doubts about Raven’s true nature.”

It was only natural. Azar and the dark mages were operating covertly in the underworld, essentially in the position of the hidden string-pullers. This meant there was talk of another darkness that they were unaware of.

‘A darkness behind the darkness…..’

It made no sense.

“Personally, I am most concerned about the Empire and the Duchy. In fact, I heard that there was a failed attempt to kidnap a student from the Imperial Academy recently.”

The Arcadia Empire and the Hailstone Duchy. Furthermore, the kidnapping of a student attending the Empire’s Academy had ended in failure.

Come to think of it, didn’t it feel like all the recent incidents were being blocked by the Empire and the Duchy?

‘Going further, the Hartwell County is troubling.’

Come to think of it, that was the case.

The Simon and Inquisitor incident was also related to the Hartwell territory.

The same went for Malkar and Shadwick, who died this time. Even the student they tried to kidnap from the Imperial Academy was the eldest son of the Hartwell Count, was he not?

However, he did not voice these thoughts aloud. Because it was too absurd.

‘A mere Count of the Duchy couldn’t possibly have such power.’

He would have been wary if it were an Imperial Count, but a Count of the Duchy wasn’t even worth consideration.

As the meeting sank into a gloomy atmosphere, something flew onto the round table.

Swish- Clank-

With a sharp sound, a metal object hit the floor.

Azar and all the dark mages’ gazes turned toward it as one.

“……!”

Before anyone could react, white smoke began to rise from the metal object. In an instant, the entire room was filled with a hazy fog.

“Cough, hack…!”

“No, oh no……”

The dark mages cried out and rose from their seats. They immediately tried to gather mana to respond, but it was too late. The escaping white smoke invaded their noses and mouths; perhaps because of that, mana wouldn’t gather inside their bodies.

“What is this?!”

Azar shouted, trying his best to stay conscious. Shortly after, an unidentified figure appeared in front of him.

“…Wh-who are you?!”

A gentleman in a navy-colored suit. A gas mask covered his face, and he was looking at the expensive watch on his wrist.

“……”

Soon, even Azar collapsed like the other dark mages.

*  *  *

When they regained consciousness sometime later, they were all seated around the round table again. But they couldn’t move their bodies, and they couldn’t even speak. There were no visible restraints, but strangely, they couldn’t move. So the others were all just rolling their eyes.

‘Damn it….’

Perhaps because they had inhaled that smoke earlier, mana still wouldn’t gather inside their bodies. Which also meant they couldn’t use magic.

‘Strange….’

Putting aside the mana, their whole bodies felt like they had been anesthetized. At the same time, something felt missing.

It was the same for the others. Kashibara was trembling and sobbing. Shinoha had her eyes tightly shut, gritting her teeth.

They had always believed they held power, but now they were nothing more than prey before a predator.

And then the gentleman they had seen before losing consciousness appeared.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Warden.”

The voice’s owner stepped forward. He was a tall man in a suit with a harmonious overall appearance. His movements exuded reverence and intimidation.

Warden approached the round table and began to arrange plates, forks, and knives with restrained hand movements. His graceful gestures brought to mind a high-class restaurant manager.

“Do not be afraid. Today, you are all honored guests at my dinner table.”

Dinner? Table?

Azar was confused, not only about this man Warden’s identity but also about how he had infiltrated this place.

“Now that the settings are complete, I will pour the wine.”

Once the settings were finished, he began to pour ruby-colored wine into the empty glasses.

The angle at which he tilted the glass to pour the wine, the ripples the wine made as it filled the glass—everything was perfect.

Judging by his movements alone, one could mistake him for a sommelier.

“This is a 20-year-old Midnight Shadow. Look. Doesn’t the deep, rich ruby color remind you of…”

Warden paused for a moment to gaze at the red liquid.

“…fresh blood? It will boast a perfect pairing with the main dish, so please savor it.”

Snap-

Warden clapped his hands once. At that moment, Azar felt the restraint on his upper body release. But that was all. His lower body still wouldn’t budge, and he couldn’t attempt to escape or use magic. Warden had the dark mages under perfect control.

“Now, I will serve the main dish.”

Warden lifted a silver cloche. On the steaming plate was a fantastically colored meat dish. The outside was seared to a golden brown, and juices were seeping out between the knife cuts.

Seeing that sight, Azar felt something off. It looked like a freshly made dish, but how long had they been unconscious?

“This is a steak I cooked myself. When I first tasted the overall flavor, I found that ‘everyone’ had tender meat.”

Warden picked up a knife and began to slice the meat with skillful movements.

“You can’t imagine how tough the meat was when I first cut it. It would have been quite troublesome if I hadn’t procured a new knife.”

Each plate contained perfectly sliced meat, roasted vegetables, herbs, and a flavor-enhancing sauce artistically drizzled on top. At a glance, one could sense the soul of a gourmet in the plating.

“I cooked it at the perfect temperature. The harmony between the juicy interior and the outer texture is exceptional. Now, have a taste.”

Warden first held out the plate in front of Azar.

“I put my heart into cooking for you dark mages. Please enjoy this meal filled with my sincerity.”

A strange smile appeared on Warden’s lips. Beyond that smiling gaze, something eerie seemed to lurk.

But they had no choice. Azar picked up a fork and began to eat the meat. The others also cut their meat into bite-sized pieces and savored it.

Following the other party’s words was the only path in this situation where they could do nothing.

Moreover, this man named Warden was strong. He had the dark mages under control like this.

‘… It’s delicious.’

As everyone savored the meat, Warden’s mouth opened again.

“I once did not believe in the existence of God. No, I didn’t want to believe.”

Warden’s voice was low and calm, but beneath it lay a deep sadness.

“My parents were torn apart by monsters. Right before my eyes. And my only sibling… met his end at the hands of the starving villagers.”

He paused for a moment. His eyes seemed to be sucked into the darkness of the past.

“But I was also so very hungry.”

The story was taking a strange turn, but except for Azar, everyone was busy shoving food into their mouths.

“At that time, I thought that if there really was a God, I wanted to find and kill him myself. I was filled with rage toward the God who had bestowed such a cruel fate upon me.”

But soon, a reverent smile graced Warden’s previously sorrowful lips.

“But everything changed after I met Him. My savior, the benefactor of my life.”

He had a rapturous expression as if he had received a divine revelation.

Azar didn’t understand what he was saying, but he focused.

“He lifted me up from the depths. And He awakened the power slumbering within me. He liberated me from all that hunger and death!”

Warden placed both hands on his chest. The appearance of the dignified gentleman had transformed into the posture of a fervent fanatic in prayer.

“From that moment, I realized. The God I serve is different. He is the true God!”

There was even a hint of madness in his words.

“Dark mages, you too will soon realize. How great the God I serve is. And you will realize that obeying Him is your only path to survival.”

He stretched out his arm and pointed at the dark mages. His finger slowly aimed at each person, one by one.

“I will give you that opportunity.”

Warden’s eyes changed.

Snap-

As he clapped his hands again, it felt like the restraint on their entire bodies had been released.

Now they could move.

After all, it was just one opponent.

Even though they still couldn’t use mana, they could overwhelm him with numbers.

But.

“Eek-! Wh-what is this?!”

Kashibara screamed. She had tried to move but tumbled off her chair, and one of her legs was missing.

“……”

Silence fell once more. It wasn’t just her. Azar also touched his leg with a trembling hand.

‘It’s gone….’

The place where his left leg should have been was empty.

Amidst everyone’s confusion, Warden spoke.

“Now, please guess which meat is your own leg.”

An eerie laughter echoed around them. It sounded like the whisper of a demon.