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I Became the Mastermind in a Dark Fantasy Chapter 5

I Became the Mastermind in a Dark Fantasy

1.

 

The top floor of a splendid mansion.

 

In the most extravagant room, a bloated man quivered, pale with fear.

 

“Former A-rank knights! The mercenaries were all top-tier B-rank!”

 

The man hurriedly adorned himself with high-grade artifacts, his name—Viscount Louis Gapelt.

 

He was a skilled merchant and a kind noble of the Babylonian Empire.

 

Or rather—

 

“Did those damn sewer rats die and leave a trail? Damn it, who could it be? Who barged in? Did those captives’ families band together and hire one of the Continent’s Top Ten mercenaries?”

 

—One of the key figures of the corrupted noble alliance, pretending to be a paragon of virtue.

 

Clink!

 

His short, thick, greed-fattened fingers rummaged through a resplendent vault.

 

Transcendent-rank Necklace of Regeneration.

Mythical-rank Magic Nullification Ring,

Mythical-rank Aura Absorption Necklace, etc.

 

These were spoils of war he’d earned by supporting the <Hero Party>.

 

Artifacts that could be the lifelong dream of many poured out like water, coiling around his body.

 

“Good, with this…!”

 

Viscount Gapelt was an <A-rank> mage.

 

Though this rank wasn’t achieved through hard work but through pouring money into his training, the A-rank status remained unchanged.

 

And now, in this emergency, with five mythical-grade artifacts equipped, Gapelt thought himself capable of reaching S-rank.

 

Just as he finished his preparations—

 

– Should I go in first and ‘prepare the meal’? You’ll get the answers you want right away.
– No need for any harsh ‘cooking.’ A polite conversation should suffice.
– Hmm…?
– Just open the door already, will you?

 

From beyond the heavily enchanted and warded door, voices of intruders could be heard.

 

Creak!

 

Gapelt, now gulping down an elixir, grinned wickedly and glared at the door.

 

“…I’ll kill you all.”

 

If they were men, he’d dismember their limbs and display them in the dungeon. If they were women, he’d smear their bodies with honey and let them starve in the pitch-black cells.

 

He believed himself capable of overcoming even the Continent’s Top Ten mercenaries.

 

– Yes, Captain! At your command!

 

 

They were coming.

 

As the door’s protective enchantments broke, Viscount Gapelt prepared to unleash a 7th-tier spell.

 

Creak!

 

“…Huh?”

 

The door opened.

 

The S-tier defensive spell inscribed on an extravagant scroll worth a fortune, and the 8th-tier barrier personally crafted by the Great Mage of the Hero Party—

 

Shatter!

 

“Wh-what?!”

 

Both were destroyed in under a second, scattering into shards of white mana.

 

‘No, stay calm.’

 

Though his body was sluggish, Gapelt’s sharp mind quickly devised a strategy to negotiate or persuade.

 

“Hello. You must be Viscount Gapelt, right?”

 

 

Veil of Shadows (Ex) Activated.

Effects

  1. If the target feels even the slightest fear toward <You>, from that moment, the target perceives <You> as the embodiment of death itself. The status effect <Terror> will linger until their final breath.
  2. Restricted Access. (4/6)
  3. Restricted Access. (4/10)

 

Death loomed over him.

 

“G-gahhh! I-I can’t b-breathe, gahhh! Stay, stay away!!”

 

A thousand blades sliced into his body, cold hands grasped his heart.

 

The source of his terror was the monsters before him.

 

“…You said you’d ask politely, Captain.”

 

A suffocating scent of blood.
A red-stained white outfit.
Eyes brimming with madness.

 

Behind the woman, grotesque dolls, as if crafted from mangled corpses, twitched, ready to lunge.

 

But no.

 

The terrible fear that was weighing on him right now was not coming from the woman.

 

“…I thought that was polite enough.”

 

A chilling, deep voice drilled into his ears.
A cascade of black hair danced malevolently.
Eyes as deep as an abyss, dark and foreboding.

 

‘It’s him.’

 

The monster driving him to the brink of despair, pushing him to pray for oblivion, was—

 

“A-aah…! Hhhaaaah!!!”

 

Enveloped by a dense, consuming darkness, Viscount Gapelt’s body desperately clawed for survival.

 

Dilated pupils.
Legs floundering as if drowning.
Pants soaking with fear.

 

What was I thinking? Even with such a monster before me, how could I dare to attack, or worse, attempt to negotiate? I should’ve known—no one escapes primordial death. It’s a truth we are born with.

 

“Urk, ugh…!”

 

Even without being touched, just facing him drove Viscount Gapelt into such extreme despair that he clawed at his own body, sobbing uncontrollably.

 

Was it seconds?

Hours?

Days?

 

As he retched in overwhelming terror, Viscount Gapelt suddenly lifted his head.

 

‘Better to just die.’

 

The only way to escape this monster was to take his own life.

 

And honestly—

 

‘That would be happier.’

 

A smile unknowingly spread across his face as he reached to gouge out his own heart.

 

Whoosh!

 

Suddenly, as if someone had yanked him out of a swamp, the all-encompassing fear vanished in an instant.

 

Then came the next blow.

 

“Tell me everything about the Empress.”

 

The black monster’s whisper.

 

Despite his massive body, Gapelt’s mind was sharp. He recalled an earlier warning:

 

– Viscount Gapelt, if anyone dares to address the Empress without honorifics, never lower your guard. Watch them even more closely.

– Why?

– The most dangerous group opposing us is <Black Wolf>. They serve the Empress, but unlike us, they don’t use honorifics.

– How absurd. What are they, friends with the Empress, that monster of a woman?

– Don’t be curious. Never attempt to find out. The moment you do, they’ll already be after your neck.

 

The warning had come from the Archbishop of the Aria Church, an ally in their dealings with the Sewer Rats.

 

– Oh, and if you ever meet them, leave without hesitation.

– Leave? You mean run away?

– …You’ll understand when the time comes.

 

That memory resurfaced as Gapelt stammered.

 

“It’s you… Gahh… I knew it! You’re the Emperor’s Mad Dog, the Black Wolf!!”

 

Flinch.

 

The man’s brows furrowed sharply at the words.

 

Gapelt saw his reaction and became certain.

 

‘It’s Black Wolf.’

 

But so what if he was correct? What difference would it make?

 

“…Do you intend to make me ask a second time?”

 

The chilling voice and abyssal gaze remained fixed on him.

 

“I-I’ll talk! Everything about our plans, the actions we’ve taken for them, everything!”

 

Gripped by the fear of death, Gapelt’s mind raced to its limits.

 

‘I may be the lowest-ranked elder of <that>, but I don’t know nothing. If I hand over information about the <Empress> and <Hero>, perhaps Black Wolf will spare me.’

 

…Maybe I can survive.

 

Grin.

 

Greed and a desire for life lit up Gapelt’s bloated face.

 

‘I can live!’

 

A faint hope blooming from extreme fear made Gafeld open his mouth wide,

 

“Our <Eclipse> … is actually plotting to overthrow the Empress!!”

 

BOOM!

 

Viscount Gapelt exploded into a grotesque mess.

 

Only then did he fully realize the truth.

 

You’ll understand when the time comes.

 

The archbishop’s words weren’t a warning about the terror of <Black Wolf>—they were about the price of <Betrayal>.

 

“…What the hell just happened?”

 

Nahan stared dumbfounded at Viscount Gapelt (what used to be Gapelt), his expression frozen in disbelief. Meanwhile, Ruby erupted with uncontainable excitement.

 

“Kyaaa! He’s suddenly so adorable!! Thanks for the gift, Captain! It was you, wasn’t it?!”

 

.

.

.

 

Subquest Complete!

 

Bloodstained Gold (Complete!)
: Assassinate <Golden Merchant – Viscount Gapelt> and secure the Empress’s secret funds!

 

Conditions (Complete!)
: Take only one <Black Wolf> member.
: Rescue the <Nun> trapped in the underground chamber before she succumbs to <Corruption>.
: Complete all objectives before dawn tomorrow.

 

Reward (…Processing.)
: Receive the full content of <Babylonia> as the Savior – <Nahan>.

 

Failure or Refusal (…Deleting.)
: Trigger bad ending <4. Corrupted>, resulting in the annihilation of the Savior – <Nahan>.

 

.

.

 

…It wasn’t me, you lunatic.

 

2.

 

Before I ended up here, I remembered a conversation with my only friend.

 

-What happens when a cow climbs stairs?
-What?
-Cow-rifying!
-Pfft! Stop it! You’re killing me!

-What happens when a bowl breaks? It becomes a skeleton bowl.
-Kyaaah!! I’m laughing so hard I might explode!
-What are you saying? Who dies from laughing too hard?

 

And now, here I was again.

 

“Our <Eclipse> … is actually plotting to overthrow the Empress!!”

 

BOOM!

 

This time, someone really did die laughing—

 

“…What is this?”

 

I stared dumbfounded at the absurd situation. Ruby, who had jumped in front of me to shield me from the explosion, was now blushing furiously, her face smeared with remnants of the late Gapelt.

 

“Kyaaa! He’s suddenly so adorable!! Thanks for the gift, Captain! It was you, wasn’t it?!”

 

It wasn’t me, you lunatic.

 

Swallowing the retort rising in my throat, I glanced around to get a sense of the situation.

 

Ding!

 

A cheerful chime announced the appearance of a glowing blue system window in front of me.

 

<Bloodstained Gold> Complete!

 

As a reward, the full content of <Babylonia> has been delivered to the savior, <Nahan>!

Because more than six hours remain until dawn, <Additional Rewards> have been granted!

Additional Reward: <Author-Approved Encyclopedia – Unpublished Collector’s Edition>

Reward – <Babylonia Full Content> + <Encyclopedia>: Would you like to acquire?
Time required: 1 hour.

Accept / Postpone / Decline.

 

The system summarized that I had completed the damn subquest <Bloodstained Gold>, along with an additional reward.

 

“Postpone.”

 

The system window vanished, and moonlight flooded the room once more.

 

‘…I survived.’

 

The feeling of a blade pressed against my neck faded, and tension drained from my body.

 

‘…Surprisingly, I feel fine.’

 

Even after killing hundreds on my way here. Even after watching someone literally explode before my eyes.

 

My mind—<Nahan>’s mind—remained eerily calm, as though this were just another ordinary day.

 

‘Well, I am a mercenary captain, even if only C-rank.’

 

For mercenaries, who constantly risked their lives, scenes like this must have been routine.

 

“Huh!? It’s moving! It’s still moving!! What is this?! So cuteeeee!!!”

 

…Look at her.
She’s an A-rank mercenary and even more unbothered than me.

 

‘In any case, this is beneficial.’

 

Since there’s no guarantee another subquest won’t appear, it’s better to stay detached until I’ve prevented all the bad endings.

 

I resolved to fully adapt to the life of <Nahan>, the mercenary captain.

 

‘Eclipse, the Empress, EX-level skills… I need to sort through what I’ve gathered so far back at the base. But first, I need to handle the aftermath here.’

 

In this world, where magic exists instead of advanced science, mages could apparently recreate crime scenes—or even uncover what happened before an incident.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

I had no clue how to clean up this massive slaughter. After all, I’d spent most of my time hiding at the base, ordering my subordinates around.

 

“…Hah.”

 

Maybe I should just turn myself in and wait in prison?

 

‘This is the fourth bad ending I’ve prevented… But why is our group even called Black Wolf?’

 

At this pace, I could probably prevent all the bad endings within a year.

 

‘Or maybe I’ll be executed before that happens.’

 

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a solution.

I simply stood there, staring at the horrifying scene before me.

 

Click!

 

Ruby, who had just pocketed something, looked up at me with her ever-cheerful expression.

 

“Captain!! Shall we do ‘that’ now?”
“That?”
“Yes! If we’re going to leave, we need to clean up!”

 

Cleanup?

I asked calmly.

 

“Can you really clean this up as if it never happened?”
“Of course! It’s been a while since I’ve worked directly with you because of my undercover mission in the Mercenary Alliance, but cleanup has always been my job!”

 

She’s an A-rank mercenary—she must have some method. Ruby’s confident tone made me relax, almost unconsciously.

 

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Got it! It should take about an hour, so you can rest for now. And you lot! From here to there, guard the captain!”
“…Fine, but—ugh—just hurry up.”
“Oh, come on! My babies may not be as good as you, Captain, but appearances are important!”

 

Who’s even going to see this mess?

 

Wanting to leave as soon as possible, I nodded.

 

“Alright then!”

 

Clap!

 

Ruby clapped her hands, and about a hundred flesh dolls began to move, starting their grotesque cleanup process.

 

“Use erasure magic properly, everyone! We’ll burn the rest anyway, so focus on the big chunks!”

 

The dolls sprayed crimson mana like mist, covering every nook and cranny.

They tore away bloodstained sections, stuffing them into their mouths that stretched grotesquely wide.

 

“…Urgh.”

 

While my mind remained calm, my stomach churned at the sight. I turned away, unwilling to watch any longer.

 

“One hour, huh…”

 

Perfect timing. I summoned the system window displaying the rewards once again.

 

Rewards – <Babylonia Full Content> + <Author-Approved Encyclopedia>: Would you like to acquire?
Time required: 1 hour.
Accept / Postpone / Decline.

 

Viscount Gapelt was the kind of man who locked the mansion doors after 10 PM for his private pleasures.

 

With Ruby’s barriers set up and her dolls guarding the perimeter, I decided it was safe to proceed.

 

‘Now’s the time to check.’

 

Whether or not I knew the original story could mean the difference between survival and death.

 

Click.

 

I settled on the least bloodstained couch and pressed the “Accept” button. My eyes gently closed.

 

Delivering Rewards!
<Babylonia Full Content> + <Author-Approved Encyclopedia> has been transferred to <Savior – Nahan>.

 

It was a bit late, but let’s see.

 

How “well-written” could this story possibly be to drag me into this mess?

 

3.

 

One hour later.

 

“…What the f*ck.”

 

Having fully absorbed the contents of <Babylonia> and the <Encyclopedia>, I shot to my feet.

 

I had to run.

 

Even if I couldn’t return to my original world, I needed to abandon everything and flee to the farthest corner of this one.

 

“A D-rank mercenary group, my a*s! This is a death sentence…!”

 

I cursed uncontrollably, frustration bubbling over. Then, outside the closed door, I heard a faint knock.

 

Knock.
Knock-knock-knock.

 

“Captain? Are you up?”
“Gasp!”

 

I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth, pretending not to exist—but of course, it was futile.

 

“The cleanup’s done. Can I come in?”

 

Creak.

 

The door threatened to open at any moment.

Panicking, I removed my hand and called out hastily.

 

“W-wait! Hold on… No, stop! Don’t come in, Ruby!”
“…Huh? Oh, okay, Captain!”

 

Ruby must’ve thought it strange, but she complied.

I had no choice but to keep her outside.

 

The reason?

 

Congratulations!
You are the leader of <Black Wolf>, the most notorious underworld organization in <Babylonia>.

 

I had just learned that I wasn’t a mere C-rank mercenary but the leader of the most dangerous shadow group in this grimdark fantasy novel.

 

And worse still—

 

─『Subquest Activated!』─

 

Puppet Play.
: The 6th member of <Black Wolf>, <Ruby Red (S-)>, is beginning to suspect your identity. Choose: fool her completely, kill her, or turn her into the perfect puppet friend.

 

Conditions
: Kill <Ruby Red (S-)> or deceive her flawlessly.

 

Reward
: If Ruby Red dies – <None>.
: If Ruby Red survives – <Memories of Black Wolf>.

 

Failure or Refusal

: Special Ending – <?. Puppet Friend>.

 

“…Captain?”

 

I had just discovered that this crazy woman was beginning to suspect me.

 

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I Became the Mastermind in a Dark Fantasy

I Became the Mastermind in a Dark Fantasy

다크 판타지의 흑막 수장이 되었다
Score 8
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2025 Native Language: Korean
I didn’t know. “We killed all the trash just as the Captain wanted!” “He told us to take care of it, so we cleaned it all out.” “Order. Carried out─with utmost resolve.” I just thought they were a bit ... dim-witted. “Kyahaha, Captain, can I kill more!?” Not that they were S-rank monsters.

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