The Shadow Organization Members Raised Through Pay-To-Win Are Too Strong

The sunset sky was dyed a burning red.

The procession that left the forest path settled in a remote small village.

Cael, appointed as the commander of the subjugation party, walked over to the carriage I was riding in.

He politely bowed his head and spoke.

“I will report to you, Young Master. Today, we will prepare here. Starting tomorrow, we plan to officially scout the nearby mountains.”

He continued speaking without hesitation.

“I will prepare a place for the Young Master to stay and eat. Until then, have a light snack with this.”

He then handed me a bundle wrapped in cloth.

The salty smell of jerky wafted from inside.

“Thank you, Sir Cael. Let the soldiers rest comfortably to the extent that they don’t cause trouble in the village.”

Rest boosts the morale of soldiers.

As Cael said, it was right to rest in the village today and carry out the mission starting tomorrow.

“As you command!”

Cael responded respectfully and headed to where the soldiers were.

He was talented and would do well even if I didn’t explicitly order him.

‘Indeed, it seems good to keep Cael by my side.’

His skills were quite good since he received command authority from the Count. Above all, his reliable appearance made me feel inexplicably at ease.

Meanwhile, Lena, the older sister of the twin siblings, approached me and politely said.

“I will also prepare the Young Master’s meal together with Ray.”

I looked at Lena’s face with a smile.

Her efforts to do her best were admirable.

Feeling impressed, I decided to assign Emilia to Lena.

“Emilia, help them out too.”

I called for Emilia, but Lena’s face visibly turned pale without her realizing it.

Seeing Lena gaze at Emilia with fearful eyes made my heart ache.

‘Oh dear…’

It seemed to be due to the tension of adapting to an unfamiliar environment.

With that, Emilia took the twin siblings and exited the carriage.

Up to this point, it couldn’t be more peaceful.

‘The problem is the dungeon…’

The trigger for this expedition was the incident of the inquisitor’s attack.

If it was true that monsters attacked as the Holy Kingdom claimed, it was no simple matter.

Especially dungeons were places where unknown dangers lurked.

No one could know what kind of monsters would emerge from within.

‘We must be as careful as possible.’

Even if the subjugation succeeded, if the damage to our forces was significant, it would be right to consider this expedition a failure.

Of course, I had no intention of letting it fail.

“Come out.”

At my words, the shadow quivered. Soon, three monsters emerged from the shadow.

The identity of the monsters was none other than the shadow hounds.

With their red eyes open, they rubbed their faces against my hand, showing friendliness.

“Grrr…”

Seeing them like this, they seemed no different from puppies, but these creatures could tear people apart.

No, they were cruel beings that would tear apart and kill any enemy they encountered.

“Now, my little ones. Eat this and do one job for me.”

I distributed the jerky I received from Cael to them.

“Can you prevent monsters from coming near this area? If there happen to be strong monsters, let me know. Understood?”

I wasn’t worried about the likes of thieves.

With the family’s knights present, what daring fools would raid this place?

Right now, what I had to be wary of here were monsters.

They would rush in regardless of whether the opponent was a noble or commoner.

In preparation for such unforeseen circumstances, I planned to release Celestia’s hunting dogs in the vicinity.

“Woof!”

As if understanding my words, they nimbly leaped and disappeared into the forest.

Although there were only three of them, I wasn’t worried as they would multiply on their own if needed.

Now, only I remained inside the carriage.

In this situation bustling with soldiers, it would only make them uncomfortable if I, the Count’s son, personally stepped out.

I buried myself in the carriage and called up the status window.

“Let’s see what abilities appear.”

I had already received a notification message that a member had hunted a dark mage.

[You can absorb the abilities of the dark mages hunted by the members.]

I planned to absorb the dark mage’s abilities when no one was around.

‘I hope a good ability comes up.’

With anticipation, I gazed at the status window.

[Please select one of the dark mage ‘Shadwick’s abilities.]

– Skill ‘Death Tracker’

– Stat ‘Mana’

“Oh, something good appeared?”

It seemed the name of the dark mage hunted this time was Shadwick.

There were only two options, but there was a quite attractive skill.

Death Tracker.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a skill exclusive to dark mages.

It was a skill for tracking purposes that detected the energy of death.

‘It’s a useful skill for me who needs to find dark mages.’

However, as the name implies, the skill literally tracked the energy of death.

This meant it tracked not only dark mages but also the energy of death, such as corpses and undead.

Of course, it was better than nothing, so I didn’t hesitate.

“Shall I try using it?”

As it was the first skill I acquired, I didn’t know how to use it.

I merely thought of activating it in my mind.

“…”

At that moment, the surrounding noise disappeared, and silence descended.

An eerie and cold energy slowly began to spread throughout my body.

‘This is…?’

Holding my breath and waiting quietly, a strange sensation soon permeated.

A peculiar tremor felt from the forest.

It felt as if a radar-detecting death was implanted in my head.

‘A familiar energy…’

I recognized the identity of this sensation. It was the trace of Shadwick, the original owner of the ‘Death Tracker’ skill.

It meant he had met his end somewhere in this vicinity.

Shortly after, a sound came from outside the carriage.

“Woof woof-!”

The hounds that had run into the mountains had returned.

They wandered around the carriage I was riding in, wagging their tails.

They also seemed to have discovered traces of the dark mage.

‘What do I do with this…’

Just bringing the dark mage’s corpse would serve as quite important evidence.

However, it was dangerous for me to go and retrieve the corpse alone.

‘Should I utilize the current situation?’

A good idea came to me.

I immediately got out of the carriage and headed to where Cael was.

* * *

“Young Master, is there really the energy of a dark mage in this direction?”

Currently, Cael was wandering through the dark mountains with the knights of the advance party, following Ethan’s instructions.

Normally, entering the mountains after sunset was a reckless act.

However, at Ethan’s words that he had sensed the energy of a dark mage, Cael moved immediately without hesitation.

“…”

Actually, at first, he didn’t believe it.

The mention of a dark mage out of the blue was too absurd.

But because it was the words of Young Master Ethan, Cael believed and acted.

‘They say the Young Master said he quickly awakened to mana.’

He said he sensed mana not long after starting magic.

Cael, who knew well how remarkable that was, harbored hope that perhaps Ethan had truly sensed the energy of a dark mage.

The other knights were the same.

They had heard many stories about Ethan’s extraordinary nature while staying at the mansion.

If a dark mage had truly appeared, it would be an even more critical matter than the dungeon subjugation.

‘If it’s really true, I must immediately report to the Count.’

Cael inwardly resolved.

If Ethan had accurately sensed the energy of a dark mage, it meant he had a talent for sensing their mana.

Perhaps they would witness the birth of a mage surpassing Albert, the eldest son.

‘With this incident, a storm might blow through the mansion.’

If competition arose between Ethan and Albert over the successor position, it would cause no small turmoil in the family.

While Cael was lost in thought, a suspicious figure entered his field of vision in the distance.

That being, draped in a black robe, instinctively emanated a dangerous aura.

As a knight, Cael couldn’t fail to recognize this energy.

“A, a dark mage! Everyone, draw your swords!”

Suppressing his surprise, Cael quickly issued orders to the knights.

‘Young Master Ethan’s words were true!’

Now that a dark mage had appeared, he had to immediately inform the family.

Right now, the Young Master’s safety is the top priority.

Cael hurriedly ran to Ethan’s side and shouted.

“Everyone, protect the Young Master…”

But at that moment, Cael’s consciousness began to blur.

Suddenly, extreme fatigue weighed down his entire body.

“No…”

This can’t be.

The other knights around him were in a similar state.

Someone stumbled while trying to draw their sword and collapsed.

Even as he fell, Cael desperately shouted.

“Young Master… escape…”

But Cael also immediately lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.

* * *

The knights, including Cael, who were searching the mountains suddenly collapsed.

Even Emilia, who had been covertly following behind, weakly fell to the ground.

“…”

Fortunately, they were all just in a deep sleep, and their lives were not in danger.

Although startled by the sudden situation, the status window that appeared before my eyes made my mind clear.

[Celestia casts ‘Charm’ on the Leader.]

[‘Leader’s Majesty’ is urgently activated to resist the ‘Charm.’]

[‘Leader’s Majesty’ resists Celestia’s ‘Charm.’]

It was a message stating I wasn’t affected by the Charm.

In the end, the reason they collapsed was because of the Charm.

And the dark mage was also under the Charm, standing still.

‘But this one is alive?’

The owner of the skill I acquired was definitely dead.

However, the dark mage before me was merely under Celestia’s Charm, not in a state of death.

‘By the way, what is Leader’s Majesty?’

Another system I hadn’t seen in the game appeared.

But now wasn’t the time to be curious about those things.

‘That was close.’

Concealing my tension, I calmly spoke.

“Celestia. Come out now.”

The fact that she created this situation meant she already knew my identity.

There was no way I could deceive her by pretending not to be the Leader here.

In this case, it was right for me to take a strong stance first.

“Hmm…?”

As if drawn by my voice, Celestia revealed herself from the darkness with an elegant gesture.

Seeing me, she showed a captivating smile. Her alluring eyes gazed at me as if examining me, slowly approaching.

“Oh my, to think you’d figure out my identity so quickly… As expected of my master?”

She whispered softly, wrapping her tongue around her red lips. Her appearance was so beautiful and enchanting that I almost lost myself staring at her.

“I had my doubts, but you really are my master. What kind of fun mischief are you planning this time?”

Celestia, who had been quietly observing me, approached me closely with a coquettish gesture.

A sweet fragrance tickled the tip of my nose.

Her soft flesh came in contact with my skin.

“I will always love any side of my master. Especially when you’re in such an adorable form like now. Fufu.”

Fortunately, she didn’t question my appearance.

‘Is it because she’s a monster?’

Perhaps she didn’t mind because their races were fundamentally different.

‘More importantly, she’s quite different from what I imagined.’

In the game, Celestia had a strong, cold image.

But the Celestia in front of me gave off a bold impression rather than a cold one.

She pressed herself against me as if seducing me. Then she whispered softly in my ear.

“Master, you can have all of me right now. My body and soul are always ready to accept my master’s?”

Her hot breath tickled my ear.

Her snow-white hand slowly slid downward.

If I got caught up in her pace here, my dignity as a leader would disappear, let alone anything else.

I needed to cut her off at this point.

I gathered my senses once more and showed a cold attitude.

“Why did you appear here?”

At my chillingly subdued voice, she let out a playful laugh.

“Didn’t you tell my children to find me? To think you’d play such a naughty trick, master, you’re quite mischievous.”

“…What?”

The children Celestia referred to were the hunting dogs.

But I had never ordered them to find Celestia.

I had instructed them only to prevent monsters from approaching the village and to inform me if there were strong monsters…

‘Ah.’

Now I understood.

The hounds had recognized Celestia as the strong monster I mentioned.

In fact, she was a 7-star legendary succubus, a powerful being.

She would naturally be the strongest monster.

“Grrr.”

Having fulfilled my order, the hounds wagged their tails as if delighted.

Yes, the hounds were not at fault.

It was not something I could blame them for.

‘Rather than that.’

If there was one problem, it was that I had deactivated Celestia in the past game.

Now that it had become reality, I needed to gauge how she would react.

“Celestia, I-”

“Shh.”

The moment I tried to speak, Celestia’s finger touched my lips.

I flinched at the chilly touch, but I couldn’t strongly push her away.

“I know your heart completely, master. You sealed me because you wanted to fully possess me, right? Fufu.”

What is she talking about now?

I couldn’t keep up with the conversation with her.

“Ah, we can’t have any disturbances while sharing love with master, can we?”

As if remembering something, Celestia snapped her fingers.

Then, the dark mage, standing still, approached Cael and drew the sword at his waist.

The next occurrence was obvious even without looking.

‘Ah, she’s indeed Celestia.’

I thought the cold image of Celestia was showing different behavior in front of me, so I assumed the setting was different from the game, but that was a misconception.

‘Should I like this?’

Her cruel personality remained the same.

Under Celestia’s Charm, the dark mage grasped Cael’s sword in reverse.

Then he took a stance, plunging the sword towards himself.

The dark mage’s eyes returned at that moment, but the sword was already slicing through the air.

“Ah… no…”

The dark mage, who regained his senses too late, let out a short groan, but soon, with a dull sound, the blade deeply pierced his heart.

Only blood droplets flowed from the hand of the dark mage holding the sword.