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

After giving orders to Lena and Ray, Emilia moved to a different location again.

Dungeon subjugation was just a process.

She was solely interested in Ethan.

“Friend….”

Emilia still remembered Ethan’s words when they escaped the underground mine.

– We’re friends, aren’t we?

Her first friend ever.

Ethan was her first friend and, at the same time, the Leader of Black Raven, whom she had to serve.

And he was also the one who gave her life a new purpose.

* * *

Emilia.

At a time when her hair was still blue.

One evening 11 years ago.

The still young girl Emilia was sitting huddled in a corner of the room, trembling.

Her body was already covered in bruises and wounds.

All injuries caused by her father.

Whenever Emilia’s father got drunk and was in a foul mood, he would mercilessly beat her.

Today was no exception.

“You useless thing!”

Along with relentless curses, her father’s fist flew. Her skin tore, and her bones ached.

But Emilia didn’t even have the strength to scream.

No, it was more accurate to say she had forgotten how to use her voice.

A daily routine that was painful and frightening, but now she was used to it.

She just curled up her small body and waited for her father’s anger to subside quickly.

“…..”

Without a word, without a thought, being engulfed in despair was all that was allowed to her.

Only after her father stopped venting and left the room did she barely get up.

She slowly looked out of the room, leading her aching body.

Her father collapsed in the living room, snoring in his sleep.

If she stabbed him with a knife in that state, could she kill him?

A momentary, cruel thought that was hard to believe came from a 6-year-old girl.

But Emilia shook her head.

Even if she stabbed with all her might with her small hands, would he really die? What if it failed?

“…..”

The scenery outside the window in the darkness caught Emilia’s eyes.

The starlight visible in the distance, the soft moonlight, the branches fluttering in the cold wind….

Suddenly, it felt as if all of this was calling to her.

“…..”

If she stayed home, all that was left for her was her father’s violence.

But Emilia couldn’t muster the courage to leave.

She realized she was weak.

The world outside was frightening, even if she had strength.

At least if she stayed here, she wouldn’t have to worry about food and a place to sleep, even if she got beaten.

In the end, she went to the corner of the room and quietly went to sleep.

“…?”

The next day and the day after, she spent her days being beaten by her father.

Then, one day.

Her father was unusually friendly.

Emilia, puzzled by the story of buying her something delicious, followed her father outside.

A glimmer of hope appeared on her face.

Perhaps her father wouldn’t hit her anymore?

But that expectation didn’t last long.

“Is this the girl? She looks too frail to work in the mines.”

A man she was seeing for the first time was smirking at Emilia.

She couldn’t understand what was happening.

But instinctively, she was afraid. She wanted to run away.

But her father’s grip tightened, not letting her go.

“No, this girl is quite strong despite her looks.”

The man handed a few silver coins to her father.

Only then did she realize her father’s ulterior motive.

He had sold her off.

And for a mere few coins at that.

Emilia had now lost the will to resist.

She was just pushed and loaded onto a carriage and silently wept until she reached the deep mine.

That’s how Emilia arrived at an underground mine.

Dark and damp tunnels, rough breaths, the sound of rusty chains…

“If you get caught trying to escape here, you’ll die!”

And even the sight of the scary-looking supervisor.

It was as if the gates of hell had opened.

“Hurry up and move!”

With the sound of a rough whip, Emilia was pushed into a group of miners.

The narrow passageway was filled with muddy dirt and debris, and rats crawled silently underfoot.

Emilia barely held back her vomit.

“Hurry up and work! Mine the stones!”

An old and rusty pickaxe was thrust into Emilia’s hand.

As rough shouts rang out, Emilia swung the pickaxe in fear.

It was a task too difficult for her small and frail body to handle.

Blisters formed on her palms and blood flowed from all over her body.

“Please… stop….”

Emilia muttered with a sob, but no one listened to her plea.

“Ah…”

If only she had strength…

Then she wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.

From then on, she blamed herself for being weak.

She regretted not leaving home that night when her father beat her.

But it was already in the past.

And so the hellish days continued.

She couldn’t adapt to the work in the mine.

Today, too, Emilia’s small hands feebly picked up the pickaxe.

Gritting her teeth and about to swing the pickaxe, an unbelievable sight appeared.

“Oh…?”

The people working together and the supervisors stopped.

They stood still without moving an inch, as if time had stopped.

And then, beings wearing black and red masks appeared.

“Ah…”

Emilia’s heart pounded.

She realized they had done something strange.

She didn’t know why.

She just had that feeling.

A shudder ran through her body.

An emotion she couldn’t tell if it was fear or awe.

If only she had such strong power, she wouldn’t have to live this life…

‘I want to become strong.’

For the first time, Emilia, who yearned for something, locked eyes with the masked beings.

Seeing Emilia move, they instantly arrived in front of her.

“I didn’t expect there would be a being our abilities wouldn’t work on.”

The first to speak was the one wearing the red mask. And the black mask followed.

“Shock. Irregular confirmed, dissection necessary.”

That was the moment Emilia first encountered the Phantoms.

* * *

Emilia touched her ashen hair.

The process of becoming a Phantom was so painful it couldn’t be expressed in words.

Accepting all kinds of cursed powers and engraving dangerous enhancement spells not on equipment but on the body.

The fading of her once blue hair color was a trivial price compared to that arduous journey.

Emilia had no regrets.

Because at the end of all the hardships, she became strong.

Not long after officially becoming a Phantom, she asked the black mask.

– What kind of person is the Leader?

But by then, the Leader had already disappeared.

The black mask only answered like this.

– Unknown. Leader, absolute loyalty. Necessary.

When she asked the red mask the same question, they smiled mysteriously and replied.

– The Leader is like a dragon.

Emilia pondered those words.

‘Dragon, a being with overwhelming power.’

Then, what she had to do became clear.

The Leader was an omnipotent being and one to whom absolute loyalty must be pledged.

That was the moment Emilia’s new life course was determined.

Even after becoming a Phantom, she didn’t leave the mine.

With her newfound strength, controlling the supervisors was no big deal.

And so, while waiting for the Leader to return, she met someone.

It was Ethan.

Who would have thought she would spend 10 years with the Leader of Black Raven in the mine?

It was that perfect.

At that moment, the red mask’s words came to Emilia’s mind.

‘The Leader is like a dragon.’

Emilia opened her eyes.

“…..”

Recalling old memories, the night had deepened before she knew it.

Silence flowed through the Hartwell Count’s mansion.

Darkness seeped into every corner, and a stillness hung as if time itself had stopped.

But even in the tranquility, Emilia did not sleep.

For her, the night was a time for duty, not rest.

Before the dungeon subjugation that would take place soon, the mansion needed to be cleaned once.

Walking down the corridor faintly illuminated by moonlight, Emilia moved like a shadow.

Her footsteps silently traversed the corridor like a ghost gliding through the night sky.

When she reached a certain point in the corridor, Emilia paused and gazed at a door.

Then, she amplified her senses and focused on the sounds beyond the door.

Beyond it was Lavender, Count Benedict’s wife.

“My son Bastel is in that state, and you dare teach magic to that bastard child?!”

She was screaming at her bodyguard, irritated.

Magic was cast in the room, so she boldly shouted without worrying about the sound leaking out.

Of course, it didn’t work on Emilia, but Lavender continued speaking, unaware of that fact.

“This time, we can’t make a mistake! Get rid of that Ethan guy no matter what!”

As the priest murder case was also officially concluded, Lavender’s actions became even more brazen.

At the Countess’s command, the knight immediately responded.

“Don’t worry. I will naturally dispose of Young Master Ethan during this dungeon subjugation.”

“And.”

Lavender added.

“I think the shares of the company Bastel was operating went to that mage wench. Figure out a way to get that back, too. Don’t hold back on the means and methods. Got it?”

“I will do as you command.”

Standing outside the door, Emilia heard the entire conversation from beginning to end.

The conversation was about killing Ethan and retrieving the shares of the Golden Wing Company.

Everything was related to Ethan.

Emilia was Ethan’s faithful sword, protecting her master.

She wasn’t one to overlook the current situation when someone was trying to take her master’s life.

And if she was deployed in this dungeon subjugation, no one would be left in the mansion to keep the Countess in check.

“…..”

Emilia’s deliberation wasn’t long.

She immediately flung open the door to the Countess’s room.

“What!”

Lavender was startled by Emilia’s sudden entrance and expressed her anger.

“How dare a mere servant enter here so recklessly!”

Lavender’s bodyguard approached Emilia with his sword drawn.

But before his attack could reach Emilia, he collapsed.

“Urk…!”

Lavender was shocked at the sight of the knight suddenly collapsing.

Now, only Lavender and Emilia remained in this room.

Lavender hurriedly screamed for help but to no avail.

Wasn’t magic installed in this room?

In the end, she fell into her own trap.

“S-Stay away!”

Lavender shouted at Emilia, who was slowly approaching her.

She threw nearby objects and backed away.

But soon, her back hit the wall with nowhere else to retreat, and Lavender’s legs gave out.

Slumped on the floor, there was nowhere for Lavender to run.

“P-Please… spare me….”

Despite her desperate plea, Emilia’s expression remained unchanging.

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, like the gaze of a beast.

A chilling voice flowed from Emilia’s mouth.

“He is the purpose of my life. I can never forgive anyone who tries to harm him.”

With a coldly subdued tone, Emilia’s hand aimed for the Countess’s neck.

At that moment, the room was engulfed in pitch-black darkness.

In the darkness, a sharp scream lasted but an instant, and then a suffocating silence flowed.

The next day, the Hartwell Count’s mansion was in an uproar.

A servant had discovered the Countess’s body hanging in her room.

It was suicide.

“I can’t believe that bodyguard tried to do such a despicable thing.”

“Of all people, that knight came from a viscount family? How humiliated she must have been to make such a choice….”

There was another reason the mansion was in turmoil.

It was because the bodyguard protecting Countess Lavender had tried to violate his own master.

In fact, Lavender’s clothes were torn, and beside her lay the corpse of the bodyguard, stabbed with a dagger.

* * *

“The world has gone mad.”

I hurried to the Count’s office.

Currently, the mansion was in utter chaos.

Who would have imagined?

No one knew the knight, who had always been loyal, would commit such an atrocity.

“You’ve come, Young Master.”

Edgar, the head butler waiting outside the office, bowed politely.

“You are likely already aware of the situation, but the Count is in a foul mood right now. Please be especially mindful of your actions.”

“Thank you, Edgar.”

Edgar showed a warm smile as if treating his grandson.

It meant he had now fully opened his heart to me.

And this wasn’t just Edgar.

One change occurred as news spread in the mansion that I was going on a dungeon subjugation.

Some of the retainers and knights who supported Bastel had a change of heart toward me.

Now, they must have clearly realized which side to stand on.

Above all, today’s incident was the biggest wedge.

With the disappearance of the Countess, Bastel had become unable to recover.

Although the eldest son, Albert, was still active, even the current situation was a huge boon for me.

‘Things are unfolding strangely, but it’s not bad.’

Of course, it was unfortunate that Bastel became a reclusive loner and the Countess died.

But to the question of ‘me dying or someone else dying,’ the answer was naturally predetermined.

This is human instinct.

Edgar knocked on the office door.

“Yes, come in.”

The Count’s expression, having lost his wife, wasn’t dark. But he didn’t look sad either.

Rather, he seemed no different than usual.

‘Cold-hearted.’

To have no emotional change when a family member died.

Perhaps the Count was deliberately suppressing his emotions because he was the Count.

“Sit.”

I gave a brief greeting and sat on the chair as the Count said.

“You must be well aware of the situation that has occurred?”

As I lightly nodded, the Count immediately got to the point.

“You should know that an inquisitor came to investigate the territory not long ago. That alone made all the people of the territory tremble in fear.”

I thought it would be a story related to death, but the Count brought up a completely different topic.

The point was clear.

It was a wariness that the series of incidents could increase the chaos in the territory.

Mourning for family was important, but the Count was, above all, responsible for governing the territory.

As such, he had no choice but to prioritize the well-being of the territory.

“But now, another incident has occurred. No matter how much we try to cover up what happened in the mansion, there’s a limit.”

It couldn’t be helped.

With so many servants in the mansion, it was impossible to stop everything.

At the latest, by tomorrow, the story would start spreading outside the mansion.

“Keep this in mind, Ethan. Humans are originally like this. Once a rumor spreads, it spreads uncontrollably. If an unpleasant incident occurs, it must be swiftly covered with another topic. Like hiding thorns with wild roses.”

Count Benedict gave teachings in a benevolent tone.

Covering this incident with another topic.

Before I could even ponder what that might be, the Count spoke.

“I summoned all the knights a moment ago. We decided to move up the dungeon subjugation. We leave tomorrow, so Ethan, prepare immediately.”

The date of the dungeon subjugation was moved up to tomorrow.