Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What a Feast of an Atmosphere

‘No way...’

The deepest floor of the underground prison.

The moment I saw this hellish scene, a certain place flashed through my mind.

One of the core factions under Kamel Blazer, the Mad Butcher—a deranged research group made up of shamans.

‘The Shamans’ Nest.’

The Shamans' Nest was an inhumane organization that researched or enhanced curses and sorcery by using sacrifices.

And of course, those sacrifices were humans.

The missing residents from burned-down villages… so this is where they all ended up.

“Follow me.”

“...”

I kept my mouth shut and followed behind Lyon down the long corridor. Every cell along the way was filled with captured people.

They all had the same empty eyes, gazes tinged with resignation. Though still alive, they looked no different from the dead.

When the shamans appeared, some prisoners begged for their lives.

There were signs of the shamans everywhere, leaving traces of their brutal work scattered throughout the space.

This place seemed like the Nest—or perhaps a preliminary stage for it.

‘So they’ve been quietly building up power with the shamans from the start.’

In the novel, the shamans only began appearing one by one after Kamel ascended as lord. But who would have thought Kamel had been methodically preparing even before the story began?

I had suspected as much when I eavesdropped on the assassins’ conversation, but this world was far from just a fictional setting.

The sense of realism and causality here was overwhelmingly strong.

It felt like a perfectly constructed world.

‘If I act according to the novel alone, I’ll end up getting my head cracked open.’

Lost in the gravity of the situation before me, I found myself standing in front of Kamel. When Kamel saw me, he gestured toward a seat beside him.

“Sit.”

At the end of the corridor was an open space decorated like a completely different world.

A grand, luxurious round table was laid out with an extravagant feast. High-end dishes I had never seen before were arranged on crystal plates, along with wines and liquors in dreamy hues and desserts that pleased the eye.

It was a perfect banquet.

If not for the harrowing screams echoing from the back.

‘What a feast of an atmosphere. Fucking psycho bastard.’

Dining in the middle of a prison that treats humans like animals...

Even the finest delicacies would feel like lead in my stomach.

‘Did he set all this up on purpose?’

If it was meant to apply psychological pressure, I wanted to admit it was working.

Fear began creeping in that I, too, could end up like the prisoners here.

Cursing inwardly, I sat down. Then I glanced to the side. I wasn’t the only guest.

A middle-aged man sat bound in the seat next to me. Judging by his rugged demeanor and solid physique, he seemed like a knight.

His expression, as he stared at Kamel, was filled with hopelessness.

It was as if all will to live had been crushed out of him.

When I arrived, Lyon untied the man’s restraints. The moment Lyon stepped closer, the knight’s expression turned ferocious.

He glared at Lyon with a gaze full of resentment.

“Lyon, vice-captain. Do you feel no shame?”

“I only chose one of the two young lords, Captain.”

Captain?

I widened my eyes and stared at the enraged knight.

Was this man the knight-captain of the Blyer Estate, Lochter Felice?

“Bullshit! It is not for you to choose, but for the lord to decide!”

“The lord has passed. Without even leaving a will.”

“The lord died because of you!”

“I heard the lord was devastated by the news of the first young master’s assassination. It’s unfortunate.”

“You bastard!!!”

With his restraints gone, Lochter snatched a knife from the table and swung it like lightning.

As the strongest knight of the Blyer Estate, even a small knife was more than enough for him to become a human weapon.

But the knife was blocked by Lyon with absurd ease. It was a pitiful sight, far from what one would expect from the estate’s only five-star knight.

‘Has his mana been sealed?’

Given that this was the Shamans' Nest, it was entirely possible. If it was the work of the shaman Rengua, sealing a knight-captain’s mana temporarily wouldn’t be a difficult task.

Defeated, Lochter glared at Kamel and let out a heavy sigh.

“Young lord! How could you commit such atrocities!?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Stop playing games! Wasn’t it you who killed the lord and the first young master!?”

Kamel smirked and sipped his tea. After savoring it for a moment, he calmly set the cup down and looked at Lochter with cold eyes.

“Lochter Felice. You already knew, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“That your lord hired assassins to kill me.”

“…That’s—!”

“You were the one who knew I’d be in the spire at that hour, who pulled back the guards from that area, and who provided the inner security details. Wasn’t it all your doing?”

“…”

“I only struck back to survive. And I won.”

“…Was it you who burned down the warehouse?”

“It was a necessary sacrifice to shift their attention.”

“You… insane bastard! That warehouse held the estate’s minerals—an entire year’s budget! Do you want everyone to starve!?”

“I’m not as kind or foolish as my brother. Do you think I’d do that without any preparation?”

“William loved this estate. He was nothing like you!”

“I love the estate too. I just express it differently.”

Lochter pointed at the imprisoned estate residents with a look of disbelief.

“…Is this your way of expressing love?”

“They’re sacrificing themselves for me. Isn’t it an honor?”

“You… You’re mad!”

“If madness brought me this far, then it’s proof I made the right choices. I survived. And I’ll continue to survive.”

Lochter gritted his teeth so hard his lips bled.

‘What a twisted belief.’

The second young master, who had hidden his claws all along, had now revealed them.

And not only had he killed his father and brother, but he also treated his people like mere objects. He was a madman beyond imagination.

Lochter sank into despair, thinking of the dark days ahead for the estate. His life, devoted to the estate, now felt like a betrayal of everything he stood for.

“Let’s end the gloomy conversation here.”

With a snap of Kamel’s fingers, servants swarmed in, setting out cutlery before Lochter and me. Kamel picked up his knife and fork, smiling as he looked at us.

“I’ve prepared this feast just for you.”

Lochter glared at him with pure contempt.

And me?

‘What the hell am I supposed to eat in this atmosphere?’

I furrowed my brow, staring down at the steak before me. At that moment, I envied Lochter’s defiance. But I wasn’t brave enough to act like him.

My decision didn’t take long. Kamel was chewing on his bloody steak, staring at me with a cold, expressionless gaze.

“W-Well then, bon appétit.”

I forced an awkward smile and picked up my utensils. Even my favorite red combo meal would’ve felt nauseating in this situation, but refusing wasn’t an option.

I had to play my role as “the messenger”—a greedy coward who valued his life above all else.

As I poked at the steak like a child, Kamel poured wine into my glass and asked casually.

“Rengua said there’s a self-detonation worm nested in your heart.”

“…”

“Why didn’t you blow yourself up?”

“Thanks to him, I… resisted the suggestion.”

“Ah, that cursed ‘blessing,’ I see. Understood.”

No further questions followed.

We ate in heavy silence.

I felt like throwing up.

After this experience, I’d probably be able to crack jokes at a one-on-one dinner with the CEO of a conglomerate.

Eventually, Kamel finished his meal and made a proposal.

“I have an offer for both of you.”

‘An offer?’

What could he possibly offer here?

Lochter wanted nothing more than to kill him, and I just wanted to escape.

“Serve under me.”

“...!”

For a moment, I wanted to peek inside Kamel’s head. What kind of twisted mind would come up with such a ridiculous offer?

“In return, I’ll let you live.”

But his next words made me reconsider.

I needed to stay alive, even as a token of alliance.

To survive.

“Ridiculous,” Lochter scoffed without a second’s hesitation.

It was a clear rejection.

Kamel smirked at Lochter’s defiance.

“Do you want to die?”

“Kill me.”

“Pity. I had planned to execute all your loyal followers as well.”

“What!? They’ve done nothing wrong!”

Kamel leaned closer, smiling.

“In times like these, the one pulling the strings gets to decide who the traitors are.”

Then he turned to me.

And smiled.

The realization hit me like a hammer.

Right— I was captured under the false pretense of being the assassin responsible for killing the first young master. If Kamel wanted, he could frame me further and link all the blame to Lochter’s loyal men, sentencing them to death as traitors.

Even if Lochter were to die, his death wouldn’t end the nightmare. The entire faction loyal to the previous lord and his heir would be purged.

Loyalty, logic—none of it mattered.

In this world, the one in power determined the truth.

Kamel’s smile widened slightly as if he could read my thoughts.

“You see, Lochter... I can twist any story however I like. That’s the privilege of being the victor.”

Lochter trembled, his jaw clenched so tight it looked as if his teeth would shatter. The overwhelming weight of powerlessness pressed down on him, suffocating any last shred of pride or hope he had left.

“What do you want from me…?” Lochter asked, his voice hoarse and bitter.

Kamel’s cold gaze didn’t waver. “Swear your loyalty to me. In front of everyone.”

“…That’s it?”

“No.” Kamel’s smile thinned, as if savoring the moment. “You’ll also take responsibility for the burned warehouse. Six months of labor in the mines should be a fitting penance. But—your men will live.”

Lochter ground his teeth hard enough to make a grating sound. His head drooped as he fought back the overwhelming despair.

It was a deal designed to crush any sense of honor. Sacrifice himself to save his men. Refusing would result in all of them being slaughtered, but accepting meant throwing away everything he believed in.

‘What a fucking villain.’

Calling him a villain was almost an understatement. This man, Kamel Blazer, was the epitome of a perfect villain. Ruthless, calculating, and terrifyingly efficient.

And worse—his cunning ran deep.

‘He’s planning to use Lochter as a hostage to slowly absorb the remaining factions.’

Though Kamel had already seized control of the Blyer Estate, factions loyal to the previous lord and the first young master still lingered. Given that both had died on the same day, suspicions naturally fell on Kamel, creating the risk of a full-blown civil war.

With the mineral warehouse destroyed and resources running thin, even a minor rebellion would plunge the estate into chaos.

Kamel couldn’t afford that.

So, what better way to solidify his rule than by publicly forcing Lochter—someone with immense influence over the remaining factions—to kneel and pledge his loyalty?

‘Without a leader to stabilize them, the factions would collapse into disorder. And while Lochter toiled away in the mines, Kamel would slowly weed out and eliminate any lingering opposition.’

It was a flawless strategy.

I could almost admire it.

Almost.

But then came the nagging thought: Why is he trying to recruit me?

I had no value beyond being a mere messenger. My only leverage was knowing a few things from the novel that no one else did. Yet Kamel was treating me with unexpected care, even going as far as offering me a way out.

‘Why does he want me? What’s his angle?’

The more I thought about it, the more I felt like a fish caught in a web of hooks. Every possibility seemed to lead to the same conclusion—there was no way out unless I played along.

Kamel’s gaze shifted back to me, waiting expectantly.

“Fine,” I said with a forced smile. “I swear my loyalty.”

Lochter shot me a look of pure disgust, as if I had just betrayed every principle under the sun. But I wasn’t exactly in the business of heroic sacrifices.

Besides, seeing Lochter’s tragic future play out in the novel had been more than enough to warn me—I wasn’t about to end up like him.

Kamel gave a satisfied nod. “Good. Quick to catch on. I appreciate that.”

Then, with a predatory grin, he added, “Once you’ve conveyed the news of our alliance and returned to the estate, I’ll have Rengua remove the self-detonation worm from your heart.”

So, that was his bait.

The worm.

‘He thinks I’ll come back willingly once the mission is done? This psycho must be delusional.’

The worm wasn’t even a threat—unless I suddenly decided I wanted to blow myself up. But Kamel didn’t know that. As far as he was concerned, I’d come crawling back to have it removed, just as he planned.

“Also...” Kamel said, his tone casual, but with a sharp edge underneath, “I’ll assign an escort to accompany you.”

“…What?”

“You heard me. I want to ensure you return safely.”

Escort, my ass. This wasn’t protection—it was surveillance.

Kamel was playing it nice, but it was obvious what he was really doing. He wasn’t going to let me out of his sight. The moment I showed any signs of straying from the path, they’d drag me right back to this hellhole.

But the real question was—why?

Why go to such lengths for me?

‘...Ah.’

The answer hit me like a punch to the gut. It was the blessing.

The blessing that ‘he’—the Astrologer Arcane, the Prophet of Fate—had given me.

Kamel wanted to ensure I stayed alive long enough for the blessing to wear off. Once it did, he could extract my memories, uncover any secrets I held about Arcane, and discard me like trash.

‘When the blessing fades, they’ll rip my memories out—and that process will leave me either dead or brain-dead.’

“...You insane bastard.”

The words almost slipped from my mouth, but I bit them back, suppressing the urge to slam my head against the table in frustration.

Just then, my gaze met Lyon’s cold, unwavering eyes, and my body instinctively recoiled.

What was I thinking? Was I really ready to blow myself up here and now?

Of course not. It was just a momentary lapse—a suicidal urge born from frustration.

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

‘It’s fine. I expected this much.’

Sure, I didn’t think they’d assign someone to tail me so blatantly, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Once I was outside, I’d still have options.

And if all else failed, I could head to that place.

I had about two weeks. That was plenty of time to figure something out.

And besides... I had something else going for me.

The man sitting beside me.

‘Lochter Felice.’

The knight-captain of the Blyer Estate. A man destined to become one of the key figures in the story.

In the original timeline, Kamel’s promise to spare Lochter’s faction was nothing but a lie. While Lochter slaved away in the mines, Kamel systematically purged his remaining supporters.

A blood-soaked purge.

It was that betrayal that transformed Lochter’s life, turning him into the infamous rebel leader—Lochter Felice, the Knight of Betrayal.

After escaping the mines, Lochter would go on to lead the resistance against Kamel Blazer, becoming the first hero to rise in opposition to the villainous forces in When Villains Get Stronger.

And now, I had a golden opportunity to forge a connection with him.

An opportunity to align myself with the future leader of the resistance.