episode_0074

A serial murder case occurred in the neighboring territory.

Surprisingly, it is said that the incident was caused by a puppet master.

I was able to find out a few more facts here.

First, the puppet master moved first.

Second, the puppet company is probably nearby.

And thirdly.

“It looks like the serial killer has already been caught?”

“Yes, that’s right. A security guard on patrol at night witnessed the scene and arrested him.”

Yeah, now that we have the killer’s identity, we can confirm that he’s been brainwashed.

Because in order to confirm brainwashing, a priest must first get close.

“Oh no… I should’ve caught it before it moved.”

“That’s right.”

The faces of the party members harden a little. It looks like they are in pain because the guy moved and caused damage everywhere.

But my thoughts were a little different.

‘Well… it doesn’t seem like such a bad situation.’

Of course, it’s not good. It’s average, so to speak.

If I were a puppet, I would have moved as late as possible.

By hiding in the human world as much as possible, completely brainwashing those in power, and engaging in politics that cause discord among themselves.

It would have slowly and steadily brought chaos to the entire human world.

In the meantime, the central government is preparing another big move.

But it’s already moving.

It’s too trivial to be considered a big deal, and too quick to be considered a finished plan.

So I did some careful deduction.

‘Are you by any chance impatient?’

Guards are keeping a close eye on everything, and priests are performing brainwashing tests under the pretext of blessing. And this is not just happening in one territory, it is happening all over the empire.

From the guy’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if he got caught at any time.

So, let’s strike first before we get caught.

‘hmm.’

Up to this point, the guy’s behavior was inferable.

Of course, this inference may not be entirely correct.

It could be a wild fantasy, or I could be missing something.

But if you think about the psychology of the guy we looked at 999 times…

Rather than being treated like this, the guy would rather attack first.

This case is very similar to that time in the game.

As I was thinking this, the messenger continued speaking.

“Thanks to you, there’s chaos in the territory right now. All the high-ranking officials are coming and it’s not chaos.”

“Who specifically came looking for you?”

Camilla asks the messenger. The messenger takes a moment to collect his thoughts and then continues.

“That’s… Mr. Farrell, Mr. Jess, and Sir Bali McGuff.”

“Yes?”

“What!?”

“Really??”

And at the messenger’s words, the eyes of three of the party members widened. These were the reactions of Yulysse, Lily, and Camilla, respectively.

In some ways, he looked even more surprised than when he heard the news about the puppet company.

It was worth it. The names there were famous and deeply related to them.

These are names I’ve heard dozens or hundreds of times while playing games.

Vice-captain of the Paladins, Lord of the Yellow Tower, and the Sword Master of the Empire.

The strongest line in the empire, no, even in the human world.

Now everyone was gathered in one place.

*

“It’s so crowded.”

“··· Since so many people came, there must have been a lot of attendants.”

When I spoke, Lily answered with a nervous expression.

As soon as I arrived at the next territory, my first impression was that it was chaotic.

Perhaps because of the news of the puppet master’s appearance, the city was filled with various related people. From the attendants of high-ranking officials to their followers and even the imperial inspectors.

“Yeah, you witnessed a murder while on patrol at night and caught him at the scene?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“Yeah, but I heard there were already 7 more victims before that. What kind of operation was the Coast Guard conducting during that time?”

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Really. I’m just curious. It’s good that you caught the culprit. But I just wanted to record the whole process in detail···.”

Because of that, only the poor guards were sweating profusely.

He must have been thinking of going on patrol or something like that and having a good time, but it must have been chaotic with the high-ranking officials barging in.

It was a sad sight, but there was nothing I could do.

If things hadn’t broken out here, the soldiers of the non-clone territory would have been raided by the investigators.

‘Um, wait?’

As I thought about that, I suddenly realized that the situation was turning out in my favor.

‘If you think about it, it’s really cool, isn’t it?’

The non-clone territory and this territory are connected to each other. In short, this means that even the puppet master has to visit the non-clone territory to get here.

And I made the non-clone a puppet through incitement and fabrication, and here the real puppet was discovered.

They are close to each other in terms of movement.

What do you mean?

People might think, “Ah, the puppet master passed by and brainwashed even the non-clones”.

Thanks to this, my lie became even more solid.

“Everyone is gathered here at that moment.”

As I was thinking about that, I was able to arrive at my destination. It was the detention center where the brainwashed murderer was being held.

Perhaps because he was an important person, there were a lot of people gathered around him.

Suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Oh?”

In an atmosphere that is filled with seriousness, even the slightest sound of a door closing causes a reaction.

As we entered, many eyes gathered around us. Some of them recognized us and looked at us with interest.

Among them were the three strongest ones I mentioned earlier.

“I’m finally meeting a famous person.”

As the awkward silence continued, someone broke the silence and approached me. It was an old man with a kind expression and a yellow robe.

Luckily I knew him.

Your eyes automatically turn to the floating level above his head.

“Hello. My name is Jess Cuban.”

The Yellow Tower Lord of the Tower located in the Empire.

And a level 82 strong man. He’s 2 levels higher than me.

Considering that even a difference of just 1 level can be huge at higher levels, it was a truly incredible monster.

“Nice to meet you.”

I put on my thug mode and took his hand. It was quite rude, and he didn’t seem too offended even though he was probably cursed.

“Haha, now that you mention it, you screwed the Red Tower in a flashy way last time. How fun it was! Haha, thanks to that, I enjoyed seeing the Red Tower owner frown.”

In addition, he showed a cheerful appearance. Since they were rivals, I guess the memories from that time were memorable.

After seeing it that far, I gave him a one-line review.

‘You’re a smart old man.’

He’s basically a guy who walks around with an iron plate on his face.

It seems genuine that he was happy to have been given candy by the Red Tower, but other than that, I can’t understand his intentions.

But I think it’s safe to say that he appears as a good guy in the game…

I asked him while thinking about that.

“Are you here to catch the puppet too?”

“That’s right. He’s someone I’m personally curious about. You know. In a way, he’s my senior.”

It’s a somewhat misleading statement, but it’s not wrong.

Puppet Master, Net deals with magic, especially lightning magic. So, from the perspective of the Yellow Magic Tower Master, who mainly deals with the thunder attribute, he can’t help but be interested.

Anyway, after greeting this inspiration, I turned my gaze.

I saw a handsome blue-haired man standing behind Jess. Their eyes met and he nodded in greeting.

“···Nice to meet you.”

Although he had a humble attitude, the level above his head was not humble.

[Lv 79]

Pharrell Douglas.

The next leader of the solar army belonging to the church. Although his level is slightly lower than mine, his abilities cannot be ignored.

Of course, that’s because he’s the youngest among the strongest line. He’s probably in his mid-to-late 20s at best. If I didn’t have the skill of the Heavenly Warrior, he might have been the most talented.

Considering the church’s generous support, it was clear that the future was very promising.

“It’s been a while, Pharrell. What brings you here?”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Saint. Enen led me here.”

If Jess was wearing a mask, he wasn’t interested in me at all. No, he was trying to ignore me as much as possible.

Talking to him would only make him feel worse, so I try my best to keep it out of his mind.

Although it was bitter, it was more comfortable for me this way.

So I decided to just let him talk to the saint.

“Top Lord, it’s been a while!”

“Oh, Lily! Long time no see!”

Likewise, Jess was also taken care of by Lily.

Next person.

He didn’t even need me to find him.

Thump, thump, thump.

After exchanging greetings with the two people and taking a short break, a person walks up to me.

A man wearing plate armor all over his body, and carrying a greatsword on his back that was taller than me. Although he is in his mid-50s, he exudes an intimidating aura all over his body.

I knew him well. I had collaborated with him dozens of times in games and sparred with him dozens of times.

The numbers above his head flashed brightly.

[Lv 87]

Bali MacGuff.

The Imperial Sword Master. Commander-in-Chief of the Demon Realm’s Anti-Magic Forces.

A living great man who has created dozens of lines of history alone.

The true and strongest being in humanity looks at me and says:

“You’re a warrior. I’m not so happy about that.”

From the start, it seemed like it wasn’t going to be a very pleasant meeting.