Chapter 3
“At that age, having a morality of just 20%, huh? Admirable.”
“Ugh! Di…!”
“Quiet down. Lower your voice.”
This time, I completely muted the sound.
“Your voice won’t come out. I’ll adjust it again in two hours.”
Though Catherine seemed to curse, her lips only twitched.
That’s how it was.
With the mark engraved on my wrist, I could open and manipulate the characters’ ‘control window’.
It was like a remote control that moved on its own once commands were given.
“Catherine, you’re just sitting there with your mouth shut, looking like a goldfish.”
“…!”
“Goldfish, even if they escape after getting caught on a fishhook, they go back to the same bait. Because they’re stupid.”
I whispered quietly towards Catherine like that.
“Be careful.”
“…!”
“Next time, I’ll open up your head and modify everything.”
It sounded harsh, but it was meant to raise her fear level.
However, Catherine’s eyes shook as if she had seen a ghost.
― Baek Ju-ah are you crazy? Why is that mark still there? Hey! Turn it back now. If you mess with the characters like that, it’ll be a problem, zzt, a big problem!
The team leader’s frantic voice pierced my eardrums.
“You told me to adapt well here, didn’t you? I usually obey your orders, right?”
― Wha, what, ack!
But that was the end of it.
Since the earring had become useless, I just tore it off.
“What? The final command?”
Pushing the broken earring roughly into the pocket, he walked out into the hallway.
“Adapt as much as possible?”
As a sense of reality dawned on him, laughter bubbled up.
I didn’t know our team leader had such a knack for comedy.
Alright. Since it’s come to this…
“I have no choice but to escape on my own.”
Beyond the window spread the vast landscape of Lecaten Manor.
The azure sky, verdant gardens, the roses and sculptures within.
Even the wind tousling his hair and the warm sunlight.
Everything felt as real as it could be to his own eyes.
“This isn’t reality.”
But I knew. This was just a world within the pages of a book.
So, there was no need to be afraid.
Now that I’ve cried enough, it’s time to get to work.
“As such, change the access code.”
[Would you like to change the access code for “Everyone is Afraid of Me”?]
Simultaneously, the voice of ‘As such,’ who manages the dimensions, could be heard.
Let’s start by hitting them where it hurts the most!
“Yes, yes, yes!”
[Executing the command of Special Agent Back Ju-ah Yoon, the main controller of “Everyone is Afraid of Me.”]
The main controller of “Everyone is Afraid of Me,” or what we call Monamu, is none other than me.
If I change the access code, no one will be able to access this dimension.
“I can’t be the only one who’s at a disadvantage.”
It’s like sharing your Netflix ID and then suddenly changing the password without warning.
“Phew, there it is. The orders of the little master.”
But then, footsteps were heard from behind.
“Capture them and tie them up immediately.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Pff! I collapsed to the ground with my knees buckling in an instant.
It was due to something blunt striking my leg.
“It’s because of you that I…”
“…Ugh.”
I couldn’t even feel the pain.
“You were trying to harm Arno. Saying it was a poisonous plant smuggled from the Eastern Continent?”
A scathing voice poured down from above my head.
“To dare to meddle with a priest. You’re truly insane.”
As I lifted my head, a boy was looking down at me.
“Yeah, as if you can’t leave here anyway? You’re just making me tired.”
Despite his cute appearance, his gaze was sharp.
Just by looking at his face, I couldn’t tell who he was.
‘He was trying to harm Arno with Eastern Continent herbs… Has this incident happened by now?’
Ah, recalling the original work, I had a rough idea of what he was saying.
“Take him to the Imperial Palace. He’ll probably be detained for about two months this time.”
“Yes!”
The boy turned his back, and the knights rushed forward to bind my shoulders.
Diel Yekaterina was always such a character.
A troublemaker in every novel.
I knew it, but I never thought I’d actually experience it.
“Hey, do you have any evidence that I did it?”
But there was no way I could become a real troublemaker like this.
“What, what? Hey?”
I called out to the boy while still bound.
“I supposedly procured the poison by manipulating the upper echelons of the Eastern Continent? How? As you know, I’m stuck in a remote corner palace and can’t even move a muscle.”
When our eyes met, the boy’s control window popped up.
[Jin Lecaten, F-rank, a distant relative of the Lecaten Duke]
As I examined that window, I thought to myself.
‘He’s indeed an F-rank.’
F-rank, meaning a supporting character with no conditions or restrictions on control.
It was a level that a rookie would handle, not someone I would deal with.
‘I wonder what the relationship is between Diel and him?’
[Exchange extremely limited. Primary emotion: distrust]
The relationship between the two was curious, so the relationship gauge inside the control window unfolded.
“How do you think you got the toxic plants without me knowing? I’m just here for the academy break, but because of you, every day.”
The central emotions are quite distant.
Now, let’s decrease suspicion by about 30%.
“Stop beating around the bush… Huh?”
Then, let’s increase trust by about 60%.
“Hmm? Well, you have a point. How could you know about the toxic plants in the northern part of the continent?”
The numbers in my mind quickly changed following my thoughts.
“But why did I suspect you?”
The look in his eyes toward me also changed in an instant.
Dealing with such supporting roles is easy enough.
“Is it because of Catherine?”
“Catherine?”
“They said there’s a side effect where you can’t hear voices near the toxic plants on the continent.”
I casually responded.
“There must be a reason Catherine came all the way here without any maids. As you know, my room is a place where everyone avoids, so it’s a good place to hide.”
Then I pointed at the door.
By now, the team leader would probably be freaking out because they found out the access code has been changed, but oh well.
“Whether you say it or not.”
He’s not my superior anymore, after all.
“I’m inside. Go in and check if you can hear any voices.”
“Uh, Catherine?”
Jin hesitated as if he was close to Catherine.
Even that wasn’t difficult.
“Max out the trust in D.L.”
If I can control Jin to trust me more than Catherine, that’s enough.
“Okay, I’ll go check myself!”
Jin, whose attitude changed immediately, took a step forward.
“D.L., you can’t be wrong. I can trust you completely!”
Even the non-existent extra knights followed him like robots.
“Wait. But us, I mean, you.”
At that moment, Jin, who was confidently walking away, turned around.
“What?”
“Did you always speak informally to me?”
“Uh.”
“Yeah, yeah. I see. Right! If that’s the case, then that’s how it is! By the way, make sure to visit Sogongjak-nim!”
The boy vigorously nodded his head and then walked away.
From now on, let the extras fight among themselves.
“Sogongjak, Evan Rekaten.”
I turned my gaze towards the main house where Sogongjak was supposed to be.
“One of the five male leads.”
And the protagonist, also a B-grade.
The A, B, and C grades were the protagonists driving this novel.
They’re harder to control than supporting characters.
That’s because they come with more “constraints.”
“I wonder what’s going to stand out this time.”
I headed towards Sogongjak’s office.
“Evan Raketan, huh?”
This guy was a wealthy man who could freely use expensive movement scrolls and portals.
So, he mostly spent his time here in the Star Palace rather than in the capital.
Of course, it’s probably also to keep a close watch on Diel.
“Why does it feel so gloomy here?”
Even though I’ve seen this place through headquarters’ monitors, it felt unfamiliar in person.
“How should I talk?”
First, I need to let them know I’m here.
Thinking about the original work, I opened my mouth.
“Hey, is tormenting people your hobby?”
Diel and Evan had a close relationship, to the point of overflowing with interactions.
“They grew up together since they were kids.”
So, as long as I copy their tone, they’ll catch on.
“Why do you come and go as you please? Are you missing a foot or a leg?”
Then.
“….”
Amidst the dimly lit darkness, a man raised his head.
Flowing light blonde hair and grass-green eyes.
His eyes, between the long eyelashes, scanned me up and down.
“Hmm, definitely lacks realism.”
It was a tense, chilling gaze.
But strangely, I felt lighter.
“Just look at that face.”
Not just in Korea, but he’s a handsome man rarely seen even at headquarters.
“Strange.”
Therefore, no matter how twisted his expression may be, it was fine.
It just made the fact that this was a world made of words more real.
“I distinctly remember sending you to capture the attempted assassin of Jin.”
Evan muttered as he stared at me.
“How did you manage to walk here with both your feet intact?”
[Evan Rekaten, B-grade, son of the Rekaten Marquis.]
At the same time, his control panel came to mind.
[One of the five male protagonists. Agents, pay attention.]
Evan was familiar. After all, I’ve dealt with him not too long ago.
“Even if you were dragged here in chains, it still wouldn’t be enough, huh?”
So he knows too well.
That this guy is an incredibly stubborn bastard.
