In "Psychedelia," the Count Palatio's family is portrayed as a textbook example of an evil character in a sub-quest, serving as nothing more than fodder for the protagonist's experience points before disappearing.
In game terms, they're essentially extras. However, the reason Alon had quite a bit of information about the Count Palatio's family was that he had repeatedly dealt with sub-quests related to them while playing the game.
The experience points from the sub-quests involving the Count's family were quite generous.
In short, in the game, these characters were nothing more than extras meant to provide experience points to the protagonist.
But that was only true when seeing them through the lens of a game. For Alon, who now found himself in a reality where the game world had become his reality, his feelings about the Count's family were quite different.
The game merely described the family as "selling drugs and running a prostitution ring under the organization called Avalon," but now, Alon had seen the actual, albeit fragmented, reality with his own eyes.
Even now, he was witnessing it firsthand.
Alon subtly shifted his gaze forward. In front of him was the corpse of Tonio, the recently deceased, lying inside a coffin.
'Cause of death: accidental fall… right.'
For a man who was a major player in the kingdom's drug trade, it was an absurdly anticlimactic and empty death. But, naturally, Alon knew that Tonio's cause of death was not an accidental fall.
In fact, it would be strange if anyone present here didn't know the truth.
....
Alon turned his gaze to the side.
Next to him, bowing his head with a deep smile, was Leo, the eldest son of the Count Palatio's family, who had been locked in a power struggle with Tonio for the position of family head.
'His smile might split his face.'
Leo wasn't even trying to hide his grin anymore; his expression was practically unmanaged. Anyone could predict that Tonio's death wasn't due to an accidental fall.
Yet, despite everyone knowing this, no one voiced any objections to Leo. Not the knights, not the retainers, not even Aldimore, the current head of the Count Palatio's family, said a word to his eldest son.
'Well, Aldimore's too far gone from indulging in drugs and women to care whether his sons are tearing each other apart. Not like he's capable of saying anything anymore.'
Alon let out a small, sarcastic laugh as he watched the Count, who was so devoid of dignity that even during Tonio's funeral, he was surrounded by drugs and women.
'As expected of a dark fantasy, the state of this family is a complete mess.'
Of course, Alon had no special intention of doing anything about it.
From the beginning, Alon's plan was proceeding smoothly without him having to do much, and the only real problem he faced was the Five Great Sins.
'I need to find the rest quickly.'
As Alon thought about this, he watched the final stages of the funeral unfold.
As the coffin containing Tonio was about to be sealed, "Hmm…?"
A question suddenly crossed Alon's mind.
'Was Tonio's death supposed to happen like this…?'
When he played the episode involving the Count Palatio's family in the game, only Leo appeared, so it wasn't difficult for Alon to predict Tonio's death.
However, what made him question Tonio's death now was something Leo had said while being disciplined by the protagonist.
'…Didn't he mention, after suffering for years, that he finally killed Tonio and became the undisputed heir?'
Having played the game multiple times, and recalling how ridiculous Leo looked in his final moments, Alon couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
Still, he quickly shrugged it off.
After all, it wasn't something he was deeply concerned about.
A few days after Tonio's funeral, the Count Palatio's family, which had been in turmoil due to the second son's death, suddenly became remarkably peaceful.
The succession battle had ended.
Although the Count had a third son, Alon, in addition to Tonio, no one expected the family to descend into chaos again.
Everyone knew that unlike Tonio, who had aligned with the underworld and sold drugs to gain power to oppose the eldest son, Alon had no power whatsoever.
....
Even Leo, who was highly sensitive to the succession issue, showed no concern about Alon and didn't pay him any attention.
Instead, Leo seemed more preoccupied with swallowing up the drug trade that Tonio had left behind.
Anyway, with peace returning to the Count's family, Alon was reading a letter from Yutia.
"Hmm."
The letters they had exchanged for almost a year now were always the same, nothing special.
The content of the letter mostly revolved around the orphanage. She wrote about how some of the children were growing well, and there were also a few brief mentions of Deus, whom Alon had sent there.
'They're growing well without any issues…'
Alon smiled with satisfaction as he read the short line in Yutia's letter.
When he had sent Deus to the orphanage, he had asked Yutia to take special care of him since he was "a bit of a difficult child," and she always included a short update on Deus in her letters.
'…Talking to her through letters like this, she really comes off as a kind, innocent girl from the countryside.'
He briefly considered visiting her but quickly shook his head and continued reading the letter.
As he neared the end of the letter, Alon suddenly spoke.
"Evan."
"Yes, what is it?"
"…Do orphanages usually receive a lot of donations?"
"Hmm, usually… well, they probably receive some, but not too many, I'd think."
"That's what I thought."
The reason Alon had asked about donations was because of a donation list written at the end of Yutia's letter.
'…Was it three months ago, or four months?'
Curiously, starting a few months ago, someone else had begun donating to the orphanage that Alon had been supporting.
Of course, the letter only mentioned that a merchant named Malano had made a donation, so he didn't know the exact amount, but…
'This month, five people, including me, donated to the orphanage…'
Though his expression grew puzzled while reading the letter, Alon quickly dismissed it.
'Well, the more donations, the better.'
With that, Alon wrote a reply to Yutia, half-heartedly agreeing with her stories, and handed it to Evan.
"Are you going to deliver it personally again?"
"No, didn't I go there just a few months ago?"
....
"Three months ago, I believe."
"And… what did you say back then?"
"If you're asking about the orphanage, I reported that it was running well. Deus, who I delivered there, also seemed to be much better."
"Really?"
Alon nodded with satisfaction at Evan's report.
'As I thought, even though they're destined to become the Five Great Sins, they couldn't have been evil from the beginning. It feels good to see that the kids are growing up well. It must've been their environment that turned them into killers in the first place.'
Alon was once again struck by how crucial a person's environment is for their growth, and he added, "This time, there's no need to go in person. Just ask someone from the mercenary guild to deliver it."
"Understood."
Evan nodded and was about to leave when something seemed to dawn on him.
"And… do you remember that thing you mentioned last time?"
"Thing I mentioned?"
"The ancient book."
"Did you find it?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I found a lead."
"Tell me about it."
At Alon's command, Evan began to relay the information he had gathered from the intelligence guild, piece by piece.
And eventually,
"I've found it."
He discovered the location of the third Sin.
***
Margot, the estate of a Viscount located beside a small village in the eastern part of the Asteria Kingdom, was known for its beautiful glass crafts as its specialty.
However, that was only the surface of Margot's reputation. In reality, the true source of wealth for the Margot Viscount's family was drugs.
More specifically, a group called "Phalan" used Margot as a distribution hub, providing the Viscount's family with a hefty income.
Phalan, which had been steadily growing its power by using Margot as a distribution point, had now become a massive organization with hundreds of members, each led by over ten expert-level fighters.
Because of this, Rauton, the leader of Phalan and an expert mercenary like the other executives, believed that Phalan would continue to grow even more.
…At least, that's what he thought until yesterday.
....
Rauton looked around with fearful eyes.
In front of him were dozens of corpses drenched in blood, lying on the ground.
"P-please, spare me! Spare me!!"
"Please, I beg you~!"
"Aaaahhh!!"
There were only a few remaining members of the organization left, screaming desperately.
Rauton looked at them with trembling eyes.
Normally, he would have felt reassured by the sight of his remaining men, who should have been like a sturdy shield.
Even if they were weaker than him, their sheer number should have been enough to provide some sense of security.
Yet despite this, Rauton felt nothing but fear as he looked at them.
"Uh… Ugh…"
"P-please…"
The surviving members of the organization were all holding their swords in reverse grips, pressing the blades against their own necks.
"No! No, don't! No, no, no~!"
"Aaaahhh~!!"
"Stop, please stop! I beg you… Please!!"
Each of their faces was filled with desperation and pleading.
But despite this, their bodies, as if moving naturally, pressed the reversed blades into their own throats.
Schlack!
The last remaining dozen or so members took their own lives.
And then,
"!"
Rauton's body began to move on its own.
"N-no…!"
He gripped his sword in a reverse grip.
"P-please!"
No matter how hard he tried to resist, his body, once taken over, no longer listened to him and only trembled.
In his final moments,
"…"
Rauton saw it.
In the darkness of the hideout, violet eyes staring directly at him.
....
But the moment he saw them—
Shlunk!
Rauton plunged his sword into his own throat.
Thud.
With that, Deus, who had been shrouded in darkness, silently stepped forward and walked out.
"Well done."
Likewise, Yutia, who had been with Deus, naturally followed him outside.
"Is there any point in killing these people?"
As if he had been waiting, Deus asked the question as Yutia walked out.
Unlike a year ago, there was a clear light of reason in his eyes.
"Are you feeling sympathetic?"
"No. I know these people were grinding up humans to make drugs."
"Then?"
"I'm just wondering if killing them will help us kill those bastards."
In response to Deus's question, Yutia smiled and said, "Of course."
Her answer was clear.
"This is just laying the groundwork for his return."
Thud.
With her words, a pattern began to form beneath her feet.
Engraved in the magic circle was a giant eye with a crescent moon inside.
"When he arrives, we wouldn't want his place to be in squalor, would we?"
"…I understand."
Deus, who had been staring at the pattern beneath her feet, nodded as if he had grasped her intent. He said nothing more.
"All is as he wills."
Muttering those words, which he had repeated countless times, the two finished drawing the magic circle beneath them and disappeared into the darkness.
Leaving no one behind in Phalan's hideout.