Episode 5 – Charles, who thought he might have to do both, checked the enlightenment stats. There wasn’t much fluctuation, perhaps because he dealt with the monster quickly.
Charles predicted that once the other believers would get a good night’s sleep, the enlightenment they gained might dissipate, so he disbanded them.
Afterwards, Charles dissected the corpse with Plona. It was a gruesome task, but a necessary one. Once human, it had transformed too much and was now just a lump of meat.
- "Ugh. Is this your thing?"
- "Stop talking nonsense. We need to find out who the culprit is."
As he expected, Charles found a "bolt" in its head. Just like the bolt of nuts and bolts. The mechanical pieces symbolized civilization. Thus, the more modern the equipment, the more likely it was to receive his blessing. The bolt was the most fundamental unit.
- "What’s with the bolt?"
- "Now we know who the culprit is."
- "Who is it?"
- "The puppeteer."
- "??"
Indeed, his prediction was correct. Among the early rescuers, the only existence that could set such a trap was "Puppeteer Hare." Charles told Plona as he looked back at her.
"Make sure no one talks about what happened today."
"Yes."
"The Rescue Association seems to be reaching its hands everywhere."
"Rescue Association? Should we deal with them?"
"No, not yet. They’ve only planted spies. But since this information is out, we will need to change the meeting place."
"Alright. I’ll look for another warehouse site."
Charles speculated on how the opponent might react. The puppeteer enjoyed remote attacks, making dolls to torment his opponents. His class was a mage.
“When I played as Jonas Shaft, the leader of the Rescue Association, Hare was quite a useful character.”
However, due to its extreme cruelty, he ended up using it less frequently. Having finished everything, Charles decided to head back to his mansion. The coachman was already waiting, so he went back with Plona.
The outside of the mansion was so dark that nothing could be seen. Upon entering, he saw that candles were lit here and there.
When Charles entered his room, fatigue overwhelmed him. The things he did today were unimaginable. Identifying the Puppeteer Hare as the enemy, Charles pondered how to handle him.
Of course, he couldn’t go after him right away. Now was the time to grow. In reality, Charles was the leader of a minor cult, without any proper abilities, except the power of domination.
This power of domination was conditional and not for combat. First, he needed to find a way to protect himself. For mages, that meant learning spells.
Simultaneously, the expansion of the cult’s influence was also a goal.
“But making the cult’s growth too noticeable is risky.”
Charles counted the enemies within the city of Metropole.
The cult was surrounded by many enemies. The first were the four other cults besides the Unnamed Cult.
The Rescue Association, which was wary enough to plant spies. The Dark Saint Society, operating in the shadows. The Hellfire Club embedded among the city’s high officials and the Fishermen’s Brotherhood active near the southern port.
Apart from these four cults, many other enemies posed threats. The Sealing Foundation, the Police Bureau, the main cult that dominated Metropole, the Light Church, and their Knight Templar.
Among these, the Police Bureau and the Rescue Association were the most troublesome early in the game.
The Police Bureau was the most annoying entity in this game. They got entangled with the five main cults of Metropole at every turn. If caught, the situation would become extremely dangerous.
These entities had public power. The Police Bureau was armed with revolvers, rifles, and hunting dogs and wielded legitimate public authority. Fighting them would gain nothing but notoriety.
“But what if I think the opposite?”
Being an experienced player of the Cult Leader Simulator, Charles knew everything about the internal workings of the Police Bureau. In other words, it meant that infiltrating and controlling the Police Bureau might not be too difficult. Then, controlling them at his will might just be possible.
“To do that, I have to start with legitimate activities rather than shady ones. Fortunately, the legitimate identity of Charles is quite a good front.”
Thus, he had to focus not only on acting as a cult leader in secret but also on his public activities.
Charles reflected on the background of Charles Hexen. Charles Hexen. An illegitimate child of the Hexen family, one of the largest families in Metropole, and the leader of the Unnamed Cult in the secret world.
Furthermore, Charles served as a professor at Mistweaver University. As an adjunct lecturer, he specialized in teaching ancient Hermes languages.
The young professor, aged 25, though an illegitimate child, would receive a huge inheritance if the head of the Hexen family died. Reflecting on this formidable background, Charles felt a renewed sense of self.
In reality? His family was eternally poor, and he couldn’t even afford to go to university. As soon as he graduated from high school, he hurriedly found a job to contribute financially until the family’s situation improved.
Considering such circumstances, it was as if Charles was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
“Come to think of it, I’ve possessed the body of an extraordinary person.”
Thinking about this, he fell into a deep sleep. After a few hours of sleep, the door creaked open.
Creak.
Despite the noise, Charles was deeply asleep. Plona approached him slowly, moving closer until their faces were almost touching. Staring at Charles from such a close distance that she could feel his breath, Plona quietly observed him.
“My impulses have been growing stronger lately.”
Since Charles woke up, it had become even more intense. Plona remembered that snowy day.
It was an unusually cold autumn. The prostitute who raised her from infancy had died. She had been coughing for a while and eventually was diagnosed with tuberculosis by a quack doctor.
The medicine given by the quack doctor was useless, and she died in a cold, dreary place. Plona didn’t feel a sense of blame towards anyone. Perhaps, she simply didn’t have any feelings left.
Even with Yune’s death, the cold and icy nail embedded in her heart did not generate any emotions. After a fleeting moment, she threw herself into the harsh and cold reality and was driven out to the streets.
With Yune dead, the pimp no longer kept Plona. She was too young, expressionless, and devoid of emotions to be raised and used.
The pimp, calling her a devil’s child, expelled her.
Should she beg? Is it meaningful to live like that? Plona, still a child, just crouched down and accepted her fate.
She survived one day. The next day, she was dying. Then, on the first day of snowfall, Plona met a boy.
“Don’t you find it a waste to give up like this?”
The boy who took the exhausted Plona was Charles. Plona, who had completely closed off her heart, was drawn to the bizarre amount of magical power this young nobleman possessed.
“You have spiritual power.”
“Spiritual power?”
“The power of the heart.”
“What can I do with spiritual power?”
“Wouldn’t world conquest be possible?”
Looking at the young man, who spoke nonchalantly about childish fantasies, Plona felt that he was genuinely serious. He genuinely believed in such absurd fantasies.
For Plona, who had no meaning in living or dying, Charles’ fantasies were so ridiculous but shiningly brilliant. Charles was like a burning sun. A sun that no longer froze in the sky.
Since that day, Plona had a target for the first time. After accepting Charles’ “Contract Ritual” and becoming his first disciple, her obsession grew stronger.
Everyone wants to possess the sun, especially when it feels so close as if they can reach out and grab it.
The touch of lips lightly brushed against Charles’ invoked a strange impulse. She thought about taking those lips just for herself.
If she did such a thing, she’d never hear Charles’ voice again. For that reason, Plona could still control her impulses.
Watching this scene with crossed arms and a seemingly amused look was Paginarécor.
- "This is getting interesting."
The next day, Charles woke up and sat up in bed. It was a refreshing morning. Opening the window, he saw the view below. A Western-style mansion with a garden.
It was an inheritance he received after his mother ended her life in a peculiar and tragic incident.
“But why does it feel like my lips are moist?”
- "Hehehe. Did you enjoy it?"
- "Huh? What are you talking about?"
-
"Better be careful. You might soon have a responsibility without pleasure."
- "What nonsense is that?"
Knock, knock.
“Master. It’s time for breakfast.”
“Bring it in.”
The conversation with Paginarécor was interrupted as a well-dressed white butler entered. His name was Jaken, a burly man with a rugged beard who had worked in Charles’ household since his mother was alive.
Seeing that he brought breakfast himself instead of sending it through a servant, he seemed to have something to say. Though initially unfamiliar with the Western culture of eating in bed, Charles had grown to like it.
“Here are the financial statements for the vineyard for this quarter.”
“Hmm. Place it next to me. There’s no particular problem in the mansion, is there?”
“No, the vineyard and the mansion are fine. However, there is a letter from the main family.”
“…….”
A letter from the Hexen family. Charles took the letter from Jaken and opened it. It was an invitation to the family head’s wife’s birthday. What would the family head’s wife have to say to an illegitimate child? It seemed like an annual event to harass him.
“Hm. I’ll ignore this letter.”
There’s nothing to do there anyway. The matters of the Hexen family were to be dealt with later in Charles’ plan. The priority was to become stronger. For that, he needed to search the warehouse.
He planned to feed a talent to Paginarécor and acquire a spell. There should be at least one talent hidden somewhere in the warehouse.
Tearing up the letter and throwing it into the fireplace, Charles continued his breakfast.
Today’s schedule was quite packed. Having taken medical leave, he had to meet with the dean and the head of the Exploration Department to arrange lecture schedules and regain his influence.
But before that, he went to the study. He had woken up early to address something before today’s schedule. Last night, before falling asleep, Charles had looked around the house.
Although it wasn’t his house, since he had already played the game, he could move around as if it were his own. He already knew there was a secret space under the study.
-
"Hey, Pagy. Can I choose which spell to get if I feed you a talent?"
-
"Hmm. Your name seems to be getting shorter."
-
"Shut up."
-
"Ugh. I can’t let you choose when you trade with me for a spell. It’s random."
-
"But if I get a spell separately, can I add it to your page?"
- "Hmph. Yes."
Clearly annoyed, Paginarécor puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms. Finding it cute, Charles patted its head. Oh, it had a tactile sensation, despite being a semi-transparent hologram.
“Anyway, Paginarécor’s functions are similar to those in the game, even though it has awakened in a spirit form.”
Charles grabbed the door to the secret study. It was a place Charles had used before he became possessed.
A mage’s workshop equipped for handling and ventilating chemicals, preventing the mystical tracking of adversaries, sealing and managing items—a place stocked with all necessary items.
First, he went to the warehouse.
- "The warehouse is empty."
- "Hmm."
Paginarécor teased, but there was nothing to do. Charles had traded the mystical items in the warehouse to Hermes to gain his power of "Dominion."
"The previous period of unconsciousness before the game’s prologue was due to my prolonged stay in the otherworld to make a deal with Hermes."
Charles, who had awakened from his coma, was now himself. In several ways, it made him feel complicated. What had happened to the original Charles, and why had Kim Yeon-su possessed this body?
These were questions with no answers. But he didn’t want to dwell too long on unsolvable issues.
"Hmm."
