Mastermind
Copyright© 2026 by FantasyTranslater
Chapter 15
In the Kingdom of Asteria, there are three major clandestine families.
One is the Ducal House of Altia in the north.
Another is the Count’s House of Zenonia in the west.
And lastly, the Count’s House of Palatio in the east.
These three families, originally, divided the underworld of the Kingdom of Asteria into three parts, forming a massive shadow organization. By the time the original story begins, these families have grown powerful enough to subtly manipulate the kingdom from the shadows.
The House of Palatio, however, had long since fallen from power after the assassination of Leo, which led to the complete disintegration of their organization. Thus, only the Ducal House of Altia and the Count’s House of Zenonia remain as shadowy forces within the kingdom.
... At first glance, the alliance between the two doesn’t seem to be a major issue.
“Is that true?”
“Have you ever seen me lie, Count?”
“ ... That’s true.”
“Of course, since the agreement was made in the underworld, there might not be any obvious signs on the surface, but it appears that the alliance is genuine.”
The reason Alon was so alarmed was that he roughly understood the situation of the shadow forces at the beginning of the original story.
When the protagonist arrives in the Kingdom of Asteria, the three families possess immense power but are unable to wield it properly due to their constant checks on each other. However, with the House of Palatio now out of the picture, if the House of Zenonia and the House of Altia were to join forces, there would be no one left in the kingdom capable of stopping them.
In other words, if things continue as they are, the two shadow forces could end up ruling the kingdom as if it were their own playground.
‘Hmm.’
As Alon pondered how the situation had reached this point, he suddenly recalled something he had said to Lady Zenonia a few months prior.
‘Could it be...?’
He wondered if the alliance, which should never have blossomed within the Kingdom of Asteria, had somehow come about because of something he said. But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Even if he didn’t fully understand the character of Roria—the Duke of Altia—he knew Lady Kalia of the House of Zenonia all too well. She was the epitome of a villainess, the type who could not stand being on the same level as others or beneath anyone. She would stop at nothing, including committing the most brutal acts, to climb higher.
“Hmm...”
With that thought, Alon felt a bit more at ease. Knowing Kalia’s personality, the alliance was bound to be temporary.
“Evan.”
“Yes.”
“Bring me some stationery later.”
“Stationery?”
“Yes.”
Still, knowing that nothing in life is 100% certain, Alon decided to take some precautionary measures.
“Speaking of which, Count, I looked into the rumors about Seolrang you asked about earlier. It seems the rumors have been spreading recently.”
“Really?”
At Evan’s words, Alon turned his head.
“What kind of rumors?”
“I heard that he’s been very active recently in the Colony. He’s even earned the nickname ‘Golden Flash.’”
“The Golden Flash...”
With a brief sense of familiarity with the name, Alon sighed in relief. Although he had always believed that Seolrang would never die in obscurity, he had been worried, which is why he had included a note in his last letter to Yutia asking about Seolrang.
“I’m glad he’s doing well.”
“Indeed. In that place, if you gain enough fame as a fighter, you can be treated even better than a noble.”
“If you’re strong enough, you can even stand on equal footing with the king.”
With those brief thoughts, Alon accepted the stationery Evan handed him and spoke.
“Oh, and I’m planning to visit the tower in about a week.”
“The tower?”
“Yes, it might take some time.”
“It’ll only be two weeks, right?”
At Evan’s puzzled question, Alon shook his head.
“It’ll probably take about a month.”
“A month? As far as I know, the Green Tower is only about a week’s journey from the Count’s estate.”
“I’m not going to the Green Tower; I’m going to the Blue Tower.”
“ ... If it’s the Blue Tower, then it will take a while, but is there a particular reason to go there? The Blue Tower is located between Caliburn and the Labyrinth City, isn’t it?”
As Evan said, the Blue Tower was much farther away, taking more than three weeks to reach.
“I have some business at the Blue Tower.”
Alon gave a brief answer and continued writing his letter, signaling that the conversation was over. Realizing this, Evan clicked his tongue in resignation and said.
“Then I’ll start preparing in advance.”
“Please do.”
With a light bow, Evan left the room.
For a while, Alon wrote a letter to Lady Zenonia in silence. Once he finished sealing the letter, he let out a light sigh.
‘It’s going to be tough living in a carriage for three weeks just to reach the Blue Tower.’
Although Alon inwardly grumbled about how exhausting it would be, he was determined to go to the Blue Tower because there was something there he needed to obtain.
‘I have no choice but to do this for the sake of my magic.’
At the Blue Tower, there was an item that could assist with his half-baked talent, which only allowed him to properly study magic once a day.
As Alon thought about this, he suddenly remembered the Labyrinth City next to the Blue Tower.
‘Labyrinth City... ‘
Labyrinth City Lartania. In the heart of this city, fitting its name, there lies an endless labyrinth extending underground. It was one of the few places in Psychedelia where players could grind for experience and items without progressing the story.
As the name suggests, the deeper one went into the labyrinth, the more experience and treasures they could obtain. However, no one who played Psychedelia ever reached the end of the labyrinth. Although it allowed players to level up without advancing the story, the game required players to return to the surface every five floors, which caused a day to pass in-game.
Even though the story didn’t progress, time still moved forward. If a player focused on exploring the labyrinth and neglected the story, they might one day emerge to find the world in chaos.
To avoid this outcome, players had to advance the story while exploring the labyrinth. Naturally, as players balanced both, they usually reached the 70th floor of the labyrinth before the game ended. Thus, no one ever reached the end of the labyrinth in Psychedelia.
... There was a rumor that someone using cheats had made it to the 150th floor, but there were more floors beyond that...
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