Two years had passed since Alon gathered all Five Great Sins. It had now been four years since he first began exchanging letters with Yutia.
With only six years remaining until the start of the original story, Count Palatio died.
The official cause of death was a heart attack.
However, any vassal within the household or anyone with a keen ear for information could easily discern the true cause of the Count's passing: a drug overdose.
In a manner befitting a dark fantasy world, Count Palatio met his end.
Yet, no one mourned his passing. Even the servants and vassals accepted the news with total composure.
It was only natural. Before his death, the Count had already been utterly ruined. He had abused drugs as if sprinting toward the finish line of his life, so it would have been stranger if no one had anticipated this outcome.
Perhaps because he had squandered his life on lust and narcotics, not a single noble offered their condolences even after his death was made public.
His two remaining sons felt the same. Leo, the eldest, remained stoic, as if he had long expected this.
In fact, Leo seemed more concerned with his recent conflict with the Blue Moon than his father's death, constantly discussing the matter with the vassals who followed him.
Alon was no different.
To begin with, the man who was his father hadn't cared even when he saw his eldest and second sons openly tormenting Alon. Remarkably, Alon had never once spoken to the Count since his reincarnation.
Their relationship was one of mutual indifference.
Thus, the Count's passing concluded in silence, without a single sob to mark his departure.
*
A week after the Count's death.
The seat of the family head remained vacant due to a long-standing Palatio tradition: "A new head shall not be elected in the same year the previous head dies."
Even so, nothing really changed.
From the moment Alon had reincarnated, the Count hadn't done anything anyway. The vassals had been managing the estate while lining their own pockets.
And at that moment, Alon was...
"Young Master, I've said it before, but it really is astounding."
"What is?"
"You haven't entered a Magic Tower, and you don't even have a master... Do you think reaching the 2nd Tier in just two years is a normal level of talent?"
He was learning magic for the sake of self-preservation.
Even if it is half-baked.
Alon watched three small spheres rotating above his palm before dispelling them and letting out a light sigh.
It's great that I have talent, but...
Two years ago, Alon had been overjoyed to discover his aptitude for magic. In the world of Psychedelia, magic was something that could only be used if one possessed innate talent.
Furthermore, Alon's talent was quite exceptional.
Considering it took the average mage about four years to reach the 2nd Tier, his achievement of reaching it in two years without a teacher meant his talent—while perhaps not god-tier—was certainly a rare phenomenon.
Alon himself felt that his ability to delicately control mana was far superior to others.
Floating and orbiting three spheres of lightning on his palm just now was a useless trick, but it was a feat impossible without incredibly fine mana control.
...I just wish my Mana Hole was larger.
This was the reason Alon called his talent half-baked. The Mana Hole, which every human is born with, was small in his case.
And not just slightly small—it was significantly undersized.
Of course, a Mana Hole could be expanded slightly through constant training, but since his natural capacity was so absurdly small, it was better not to get his hopes up. A Mana Hole was essentially one's "weight class," determined at birth.
There is a way to fix this if it really comes down to it, but...
As Alon continued his train of thought, Evan asked, "Young Master, what do you plan to do now?"
"About what?"
"Next year, that scoun— I mean, the eldest young master will become the head of the family."
Evan, who had almost called Leo a "scoundrel" out of habit, quickly corrected himself. Realizing what he was asking, Alon replied.
"I'm leaving."
"...You're leaving the territory?"
"Not entirely. I'm just heading down."
"Down? You mean... Roadmill?"
Alon nodded at Evan's words.
"Exactly."
Roadmill.
On the map, it was a town about four days south of Pallion, the capital of the Palatio estate. It was a moderately prosperous place under the Palatio family's rule.
"I'm going there."
"...But why?" Evan asked, looking confused.
It was understandable why Evan wouldn't get it, but for Alon, this was the final destination of the plan he had been building all this time.
From the start, his goal was to save the Five Great Sins—who were destined to crush the United Kingdoms—from their tragedies, change the future, and live a long, leisurely life as a noble in a world that wasn't destroyed.
In that regard, Roadmill is a perfect location.
First, Roadmill housed the villa of the 3rd Count Palatio.
Second, it was a region with such mediocre growth that Leo, who would soon become the Count, wouldn't bother looking at it until the day he died.
Third, it was four days away from the main estate, meaning he could stay far away from the "justice prevails" storyline of the original protagonist once the plot kicked off.
In short, if Alon could just get to Roadmill, his plan would be a success. However, explaining all of this to Evan was a hassle, so he simply threw out a vague remark.
"Everything has its time."
"...Young Master, you do realize you always say that when you're too lazy to explain things?"
Alon didn't bother answering. Instead, he said, "Since we're talking about it, let's pack our bags."
He immediately began preparing for the journey to Roadmill.
*
Exactly one month later.
Leo—the eldest son of the Palatio family and a man currently operating in the shadows as a heavyweight of the underworld known as 'Avalon'—watched his younger brother board a carriage leaving the estate with a single knight. He was deep in thought.
What should I do?
He was debating whether or not to kill Alon.
"..."
In truth, Alon wasn't much of a nuisance to Leo.
It had been that way since they were children. While Tonio, who had died suddenly a few years ago, had always bared his teeth and vied for the position of successor, Alon had done the opposite—constantly walking on eggshells and bowing his head.
Of course, something about him had changed slightly a few years back, but his fundamental attitude remained the same.
Even now, Alon had volunteered to go to the outskirts of his own accord just to stay out of Leo's sight.
"Hmm..."
Actually, Leo had originally planned to have Alon poisoned with drugs and quietly disposed of around the time the Count died. But if the boy was leaving for Roadmill on his own, there was no reason to go through the trouble.
Alon was already groveling, and he didn't seem to have any intention of opposing him.
There was clearly no longer a reason to kill Alon.
And yet, the eldest son was still hesitating.
Ridiculously enough, there wasn't a profound reason. It wasn't that he feared Alon might one day return from the outskirts to steal the succession. Nor was it because he hated seeing his brother grovel so much.
Leo had never felt anything resembling familial love for Alon—or for anyone in this entire household.
"..."
Ultimately, the reason Leo was considering killing him was simply because he found him annoying.
He found it irritating for some reason that Alon had come to him a month ago, bowed his head, and asked to go to Roadmill first.
Perhaps he was just in a bad mood because he'd heard that one of Avalon's branches hadn't met its quota.
On a whim like that, Alon's life was placed on the chopping block.
"Alman."
"Yes."
"Follow the carriage quietly."
In a span of less than a minute, Alon's fate was decided. To Leo, Alon was someone who could be killed based on a momentary flicker of emotion.
He gave the order with that sentiment.
But the figure who had appeared behind his back...
"...By that, do you mean I should kill him?"
...asked a strange question.
"...?"
Leo felt a flicker of doubt. Since joining Leo's service two years ago, this man—who had proven himself useful despite his youth and had passed countless tests to become Leo's right hand—had never questioned an order.
He simply did as he was told. He never asked questions.
"Do you think family means anything to me—"
Leo began to speak, frowning slightly as he prepared to clarify any misunderstanding the man might have.
Thwack!
"Guh...?"
Instead, what erupted from Leo's mouth was bright red blood.
He coughed up blood with an expression of utter disbelief. He stood there dazed, still failing to grasp the situation, before finally looking down.
A sword was buried in his heart.
"You... betray..."
A vivid sense of rage began to flow from Leo's eyes, but the man who had thrust the sword from behind replied impassively.
"It is not betrayal. I was never your subordinate to begin with."
"What... did you say?"
"I was simply waiting for you to say those words."
"!"
At those words, Leo's expression, which had been stained with rage and confusion, slowly began to turn into horror. Finally, a single face flashed through his mind.
The face of the third son, Alon.
But at the same time, Leo looked bewildered.
After all, Alman—no, 'Hidan'—had been by his side for over two years. Leo had allowed Hidan at his back for a year now, having cleared him of all suspicion.
In other words, Hidan could have killed him whenever he wanted.
As Leo stared at Hidan with eyes full of shock and questioning, he finally received his answer.
"We cannot move unless ordered. We are merely That Person's swords, moving only as He wields us. This is our creed, and the creed taught by the Red Moon that must never be broken. However—"
Twist!
"Agh!"
"As an exception, if someone directly attempts to harm the Great Moon... our swords are permitted to move on their own."
Schlick.
"That is the only reason you were allowed to live until now."
Thud!
As soon as the sword was withdrawn, Leo collapsed face-first onto the ground. Yet, he still hadn't let go of his rage as he forced out his last words.
"My men... won't... stay—"
"Do not worry. The moment you uttered those words, Avalon ceased to exist on this continent."
Hidan, a member of the Blue Moon and one of Yutia's direct subordinates, spoke coldly.
"...It is a pity. The Great Moon gave you a chance."
With those final words, he turned away.
Leo died without ever understanding the meaning behind those words.
It was a cold, lonely death.
*
Three days after arriving in Roadmill, Alon returned to the Palatio estate.
The reason was the death of Leo, the eldest son of the Palatio family.
And along with that mysterious death...
Alon, who had been leisurely grilling toast in a corner of the villa because there were no maids, had suddenly acquired an alias that others whispered in hushed tones.
The Mastermind of the Count's Family.
"..."
...Excuse me?