An ominous feeling crept in.
No, something bad was definitely going to happen.
After all, most people who got involved with Freesia ended up in ruins.
She is pure evil.
Getting involved with her could only bring misfortune.
"Think of it as just getting some fresh air. It'll be fun to be with me, Reed."
Like a fox wagging its tail, she tried to tempt Reed.
[T/N: Fox wagging its tail could imply she is cunning and playful at the same time]
Regardless of her temptation, Reed was lost in his own thoughts.
'Cohen...'
There, the third disaster, Adonis, resided.
What if Freesia was involved in it?
What if it leads Adonis to her ruin?
'...Am I being too nosy?'
The seven disasters Reed created.
Among them, there were some that were purely evil, but there were also those who became monsters due to injustice.
'I want to know more about that.'
Villains are often portrayed as evil, even in their backgrounds.
Most stories related to Adonis Hupper were also malicious.
She was born with a lot of greed.
She was arrogant.
She seduced people like a fox and killed a noble's child.
That's why it was justified for her to be dismissed and not eligible as a successor.
Even Morgan II, who ascended the throne after Morgan Hupper's death, said so, but Reed couldn't shake off the nagging feeling.
He made up his mind.
He would keep an eye on Freesia's actions for a while, and if she tried to get him involved, he would pull out.
After all, he knew the true identity of Brosa.
If she tried to trap him, he could counterattack by mentioning Black Sky Tower Master would suffice.
"I'll go with you."
"As expected of our Reed. We should have fun together."
She cooed at him like a grandmother adoring a well-behaved child, making him want to punch her.
But he knew that she acted this way because she liked him.
So he had to be careful.
If he didn't handle her cautiously, the thorns of a rose would dig into his flesh.
***
The capital of the Hupper Kingdom, Cohen.
It was a small kingdom founded by Morgan Hupper after he declared independence from the empire, and the current political situation had stabilized significantly.
Well-paved roads and people walking on them.
Reed and Freesia were walking among them.
A girl dressed in a luxurious outfit, holding a black parasol, and a gray-haired man in a formal suit walking beside her.
At a glance, they looked like a naive young lady and her butler.
Therefore, no one could imagine that the masters of the Silence Tower and the Black Sky Tower were walking side by side.
However, due to their outfits, they couldn't avoid the occasional curious glances from passersby.
"Every time I see the royal road, old memories come flooding back," Freesia began.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I used to be a noble lady myself. Or was I a doll back then?"
Freesia smiled slyly.
The Vulcan family was an unknown noble family.
In fact, there was a record that the family had existed a long time ago.
However, it was unclear whether the lineage was still being passed down.
Freesia never revealed it herself.
She just acted like a spoiled brat and continued like a skunk in the Cloud Continent.
As Reed looked down at her, Freesia became aware of his gaze and met his eyes.
Her red eyes.
Similar to Rosaria's, but Freesia's were closer to a darker red.
"Are you curious about my past?"
"Uncovering what others don't know. Isn't that the duty of a magician and scholar?"
"If you want to see a woman's past, you must be able to take responsibility for it. Can you take responsibility for my past?"
Taking responsibility for the past.
That was a roundabout way of talking about marriage.
So Reed shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
"I really want to break you."
Freesia discreetly approached and took Reed's hand.
"Reed, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"How did you find out about my alias?"
A subtle chill could be felt in Freesia's words.
"It's tied to my past, and a man like you couldn't possibly know about it. So I can only think that you must have learned it through someone else."
"What do you plan to do once you find that person?"
"What do you think? If they won't let go of a lady's dirty past, I'll have to bury them whole."
A malicious woman.
Reed quietly withdrew his hand.
"That person is already dead."
"How?"
"They seem to have been killed as a guest. They were drinking at a tavern and got caught up in a brawl."
"Hmm... Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
What can be done about someone being dead?
Freesia didn't try to inquire any further.
Taking a step forward, Freesia said, "We've had enough of a walk, shall we now get down to business? Follow me."
Freesia left the main road and entered a back alley.
Buildings were tightly packed, and not a single ray of light could penetrate the area.
As soon as they entered, their eyes involuntarily squinted.
The smell of rotting garbage stung their noses.
Reed found it hard to bear the foul odor, but Freesia walked on unfazed.
After walking for a while, Freesia spun around on her right foot and faced Reed.
"Stay still. You might get hurt if you move."
As Freesia flicked her finger, her shadow rose from the ground and reached out to Reed.
He hesitated for a moment at the sight of her using magic, but realizing it wasn't an attack on him, he stood still.
Soon, the shadow wrapped around Reed and began to wriggle.
His red uniform on a black background turned all black, and his gray hair was dyed black.
Looking down at his chest pocket, there was a single black rose pinned there.
Reed wasn't the only one who changed.
Freesia's appearance had also changed slightly.
Her Gothic outfit was now a silk dress adorned with black roses, and a small silk hat was placed on her head.
'Strange.'
Freesia's presence wasn't felt at all.
If he hadn't known it was Freesia, he wouldn't have recognized her at all.
Freesia looked Reed up and down with a satisfied expression and patted his arm.
"Hmm, it turned out quite well. It suits you. How about giving up your position as the Tower Master of the Silence Tower and becoming a butler for our Black Sky Tower?"
"Why did you use disguise magic on me as well?"
"I thought you didn't want to get involved in this Brosa's business, Was I wrong?"
"..."
"Just keep your mouth shut. That way, you won't get entangled in this matter."
It was her own way of being considerate.
She walked a few more steps and turned a corner.
There, a man leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
Freesia approached the man and said, "The famished snake has finally opened its eyes."
A bizarre line of poetry.
Undoubtedly, it was a code phrase.
The man opened his eyes and glanced down at Freesia.
"Are you Broza?"
"Yes, I am."
She replied, sounding a bit surprised.
Freesia's tone had completely transformed from a cheeky child to a proper young lady.
It was refined and polite yet irritating.
It was an unusual combination of attributes, but she didn't seem to have any trouble pulling it off.
'Is it because of this that she told me to keep my mouth shut?'
The man stepped away from the wall and pushed a rough wooden panel.
With a creak, it slid like a poorly greased sliding door, revealing stairs leading down.
Freesia and Reed descended the stairs.
The smell of sewage made them think it was an abandoned sewer in the kingdom.
There was a single table and four men and women gathered around it.
They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, but they greeted Freesia and Reed warmly when they saw them.
"You've arrived, Broza."
One of the men greeted Freesia first.
"Do we really have to announce our plans in a place like this? You could have found a better location."
"If we had that kind of money, would we be gathered here like this?"
The bulky man with a scowl glared menacingly at Freesia.
Judging by his size, it wouldn't be surprising if he could engage in a bare-handed fight with a bear.
If it had been the usual Freesia, she would have been consumed by fear and tormented him endlessly, but now she just smiled brightly.
"By the way, who's the guy next to you? I heard you were coming alone."
A woman with her arms crossed pointed to Reed with her chin.
Freesia smirked and casually leaned on Reed.
Before he could react, she drove her point home.
"He's my older brother. He loves his little sister more than anyone, so he came with me."
"..."
Was his black hair made for this?
She portrayed the image of a loving younger sister clinging to her brother.
He wanted to make a fed-up expression, but since he had vowed not to get involved, he just stood still.
"It would've been nice if you had told us beforehand."
"I'm sorry. But what can we do? He's inseparable from me."
"Enough. Let's stop the chitchat."
They didn't care about trivial matters.
The only thing that mattered to them was keeping their promise.
That's why they focused on their plans, treating Reed as if he were just a folding screen.
Reed sneakily took a peek at what plans they were making.
It was a common event that occurred on the royal road in fantasy games.
'Are these guys criminals?'
Of course, he had suspected this to some extent when they entered the dark alley.
Reed examined them with an eye for talent.
———————————
Name: Sneaky John
Occupation: Thief
Age: 21 years old
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Health: 500/500
Stamina: 310/310
Mana: 0/0
[Traits]
「Quick Hands」
[Abilities]
"Stealth Lv. 2", "Eloquence Lv. 3", "Agility Lv. 3", "Thievery Lv. 2"
[Unreleased Traits & Abilities]
None
———————————
Thieves, bandits, swindlers...
They were just mediocre people, living off the crimes they committed in the shadows.
'Even if they do commit crimes, they'll be easily subdued, right?'
At best, their highest level was a measly 3, just small-fry specs.
Reed was expecting a blockbuster but ended up watching a low-budget film.
He couldn't understand why Freesia was working with such people.
She was helping with their crimes under the name of Brosa.
Reed became curious about the crime that the Black Tower Tower Master was involved in and examined their plans more closely.
And if he were to evaluate their plans honestly...
'Crude.'
It was just like the hostage drama and swift heist commonly seen in movies, followed by escaping over the city gates.
That was all.
'Without any countermeasures, they just planned whatever they wanted.'
Reed couldn't help but sigh at the plan, but what would Freesia say about it?
A moment later, Freesia opened her mouth.
"That's a good plan."
Reed could tell that she was subtly mocking their plan.
"However, I'm still worried about the escape. Isn't it difficult to steal the guild's cargo and leave through the city gates?"
"We know it's impossible. That's why we called you, Brosa, isn't it so?"
Freesia smiled slyly.
Then, Reed saw mana bursting from her body.
It wouldn't have been strange for the people of the tower to step back at the ominous presence, but the rest of the people, who couldn't feel mana, showed no reaction at all.
"What I do is amplify your desires. Do you know what that means?"
"It means you give us the power to become superhuman, like the knights and wizards of the kingdom, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Some people even say it's a power given by a demon. Do you know why?"
Shriek!
Freesia's mana engulfed the men and women surrounding the table.
"Ugh!"
Their bodies stiffened as if they were being electrocuted.
Not knowing why, they rolled their eyes, bewildered by the strange sensation in their bodies.
Freesia answered the question she had asked.
"Because no human who has ever been under my spell has remained sane."
"Ugh!"
"Do you think you can overcome your desires?"
For a moment, they looked at each other.
And they nodded at her question once more.
"We understand."
With those words, Freesia snapped her fingers.
Snap!
With a clear sound, her shadow enveloped their entire bodies.
A moment later, their bodies, completely swallowed by the shadows, began to squirm.
Crack! Crunch!
The sound of something breaking and being crushed.
Despite the terrifying sound that should have elicited screams, they didn't even let out a small moan.
How much time had passed?
The shadow curtain that had tightly wrapped the thieves began to melt.
Soon, their figures were revealed to Reed and Freesia.
The atmosphere of just moments ago, like a bunch of weaklings, was completely gone.
Even Reed felt a little cautious at first glance.
Moreover, their bodies had grown 1.5 times larger, and the once bulky man had turned into a bear itself.
"Huff, huff...!"
"Is this, is this me?"
"Why does everything feel so slow?"
"Aren't you just speaking slowly?"
Their consciousness speed had increased, making others' speech seem slow.
They all looked at their bodies with eyes full of ecstasy.
'Could it be the magic she used on them was...'
At that moment, Reed realized what it was.
The worst magic Freesia had suggested to the protagonist when he was playing "Disaster 7".
A skill that could be considered the identity of the character Freesia.
"Desire Massacre".
Unlike ordinary buff magic, this dark magic was characterized by consuming mental power and using desire as a medium to maximize abilities.
'With this, their pathetic planning won't be a problem at all.'
The party, which had been full of weakling vibes, transformed into a monstrous party in an instant.
With them turning into monsters, such a crude plan wouldn't pose any problem at all.
"Ha-ha-ha! This is amazing! Yes! With this level of power, it won't be a big deal at all!"