Evan D. Sherden, Manipulated Scenarios (2)

“I’ll report it to you.”

Shine, who came in with a thin file in his arms, politely spoke up. His regular reporting time was one of the few times he was courteous to Evan.

“Let’s start with a report on the Ironwall Knights…Master.”

“Why?”

“Here.”

Shine tapped around his neck. Evan looked down at his neck and immediately stiffened.

“Didn’t you say that rest is only at night?”

“I’ve only been with her for a while, having dinner and resting. Just a little while ago…”

The traces that Belois left on Evan’s neck disappeared about 30 seconds later because they couldn’t withstand Evan’s natural healing power. Perhaps his high natural healing power was responsible for Belois’ desire for a challenge.

“It’s even more surprising that she broke through your defenses in the first place.”

“Hmm…I don’t do defense checks on all approaches that don’t harm me. Didn’t I explain that principle before?”

“So, you’ll have to be careful from now on. I’m glad I found it. If it were Maybell, the entire headquarters might’ve been turned upside down.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Evan nodded at Shine’s sincere words and sighed. Belois had grown up much earlier than other rookie children, but since Evan found her in the slave market, she had been living only for Evan with a hard-hearted attitude. Evan didn’t know she could joke, and now she had been playing these tricks…

“Lua. She knows me, but she does it intentionally. Maybe it was true that she wanted to feel superior to the other girls.”

“She’s like that, isn’t she? I can see that you like Belois the most. I would’ve been mad if I were Belois. Since Arisha was an aristocrat, she has been your fiancé for a long time.”

Evan, of course, was terrible at hiding his feelings, so that would have been too much, to begin with.

“So, let her be for a while. Now she’s at the peak of her life, so she’s just a little excited. Sooner or later, she will calm down.”

“I’ll…she is so cute even when she does that.”

“…I see you’re enjoying it, too.”

Shine was smiling, and Evan knocked on the desk to urge him to report. Shine read the report after taking a deep breath.

“There is no indication of an internal split in the Ironwall Knights. Welfare, which was implemented nine years ago at your suggestion, is continuing without any problems. There are no other signs that you were worried about, including wizards and shrines, and even ordinary soldiers.”

“Yeah, I’ve always believed. Then, how about the collateral line?”

“Very good.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, at this point, I’m sure I’ve got the colors of their wives’ underwear by sending too many missives.”

Evan’s forehead was wrinkled. Shine was slightly taken aback as Evan’s response was different from what he had expected.

“No, you know it too. With the purge from the Demon Invasion three years ago, they don’t dare to cross the line.”

“But.”

“And they don’t have to go against it. With Astray’s power, explorers aren’t considering overcoming the nobility’s authority, and simply getting some tips from the Brotherhood Corporation is enough to benefit the Marquis and the collateral families. They don’t have to be greedy because they can live a luxurious life as capital noblemen in the capital city.”

More technically, even if they wanted to be greedy, they wouldn’t be able to. Evan, the strongest officially, perhaps the world’s strongest unofficially, had his eyes open wide. How could they think about deceiving the eyes of their immediate family and taking care of their interests? It could be different if there were only Evan, but he held the Astray Knights’ leadership, who could turn a city upside down with just one person, and Evan was also Maybell’s master, the chairwoman of Brotherhood Corporation. So, if they had any forethought, they would have to hide their breath and live there calmly.

“I can’t see a scenario where a main story villain, or even an ordinary villain, would pop out in Sherden.”

Today, Sherden was a place where corruption couldn’t exist. Everyone was under Evan’s control, so it was hard to find a thief, let alone a villain who had appeared in the game! In terms of security, it had become a great city where everyone could live their daily lives with confidence. It was lightyears away from the chaotic space where light and darkness coexisted, and the future changed depending on the player’s choice!

Such a situation made it hard for Save and his group to grow organically.

“That’s why there’s less chance for the main character to grow since I can’t just give him an item for free.”

“Well…Master? It seems to me that you’re already giving him too much.”

“It’s nothing. We need to make him grow faster, but if I went any further, I thought he would be deeply involved with Astray, so I gave up.”

Evan was trying to support Save on the premise that he wouldn’t have direct contact with him. That was why his disciple Princess Louise Merdin was considered an ‘apprentice.’

“But Save is a little dangerous. I agree with not wanting to meet him in person.”

“Yes, and now that we have a new danger coming, we need an elite party to keep the Demon King and the Demon races in check, replacing us who will be busy in the future. I’m going to give Save’s party such an honor.”

It was called ‘multi’ in game terminology. It was necessary to create and manage several parties according to the level of difficulty of the enemy. It was the right-man-in-the-right- place strategy. Louise wouldn’t become an official member of Astray until the Demon King was defeated. It was hard enough that the prerequisite of joining the Knights was to defeat the Demon King. But this was the situation for the time being.

“That means you need someone, an agent of sorts, to induce that party’s progress without exposing yourself.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean. I wish there were villains, but I can’t help it if we don’t have one…”

So far, Evan had supported in many ways through Louise, but most of them were passive and indirect. He couldn’t offer a direct request or set specific goals, so he could only use Louise to meddle a little in their training method.

“I think they would follow you if you told them what to do, Master.”

If Evan didn’t want to meet Save that much, Shine couldn’t help it. He sighed and suggested an alternative.

“Then I’ll set up an agent. An agent with a hypothetical scenario.”

“Scenario?”

“Yeah…”

“Agent, agent…”

A great idea popped up in Evan’s mind. Shine’s idea seemed very plausible.

‘Yes, why was I so anxious to find a villain that doesn’t exist? The results will be more perfect if I make the right fake!’

“Yes, villains, good characters, scenarios…from activities in the dungeon city to the dispatch of nearby cities to the capital, to trade with foreign countries, to the conquest of a dungeon, and even taking down the Demon King, I can pave the way!”

“Uh…I think you’re taking this too seriously.”

Shine was stiff. He just thought they could create an agent to direct the Save Party instead of Evan. ‘What did Evan mean when he said to pave the way?’

“I’ve memorized the scenarios of Yo-Ma Great War 3 anyway. We can make up characters and fill the gaps. I can invest the necessary funds…! All right, let’s get started!”

“Master…?”

“Evan!”

It was just when Evan made a slightly dangerous decision that his office door burst open, and someone came in. Usually, there should be a maid guarding the front…

“Oh, Mother Miriam? What’s going on?”

“What have you done to my daughter, Evan?”

Miriam, who came close with her red hair flying, cried out and slammed Evan’s desk. Evan had done so many things to Elizabeth that he was still thinking about what to say first. After seeing Evan agonize, the face of the second wife of Marquis Soline Sherden, distorted in an expression like a demon.

“My daughter is breaking a dragon statue in the garden with two ugly blunt weapons! She dances around with a scary morning star in each hand that even the knights can’t lift easily!”

“Liz is doing well.”

“Evan, Liz is only seven years old…!”

“That’s right. At that age, she shouldn’t be able to master such a great weapon skill only with effort. Isn’t Liz amazing?”

“No, that’s not what I wanted for my daughter…!”

Shine, who was listening quietly, sympathized with Miriam. She then spent a long time talking about Elizabeth’s remarkable performance, regarding Evan with a weary face.

“So…Evan, how’s Liz’s morality class going?”

“Well…”

Evan couldn’t honestly tell Miriam that he had spent most of his time investing in her weapon skill education and physical training. Evan slipped away from Miriam’s red eyes.

“I’m about to get started, Mother Miriam. I’ll at least teach her to avoid any embarrassment.”

“You’re a fast talker…I can’t let it be this way. Evan, Liz needs common sense more than anything else right now!”

“Don’t worry. She’s my sister, so I have to teach her well.”

“Can I believe it…?”

The red-haired beauty looked at Evan with suspicion. Evan’s eyes flashed.

‘Well, Miriam was one of the main villains of Yo-Ma Great War 3.’

Miriam had red hair, red eyes, gorgeous and overwhelming beauty. She had bitter spite and resentment in her and had boldly used the Marquis’ resources to please herself! She was a wicked woman who even the Demon King would give up on in the game. The couple’s relationship was perfect now, though, after Elizabeth’s birth. It was completely different from the game, but her appearance was still the same. Instead, she was more beautiful now than the illustrations in the game. Thus, if she managed her facial expression a little bit, the atmosphere would be better.

“Mother Miriam, could you do me a favor? I think we can better execute Liz’s morality class.”

“What?”

Miriam’s ears pricked. Evan declared with a rugged look, facing Miriam.

“Please be Sherden’s dark secret, Mother Miriam.”