IWRIT-04

Chapter 4 – She Became the Lord (3)

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The most popular character in the game is the mastermind?

Surprisingly…

Yes.

Because Jehar wasn’t an ordinary mastermind.

He was a mastermind with a tragic story.

His true identity was one of the transcendents who had created the Tower alongside the First Lord.

He had been the First Lord’s partner.

Closest friend.

Perhaps even something more.

So why had Jehar nailed the Previous Lord to that stone monument?

Because the Previous Lord was a fake.

As the First Lord continued reincarnating into one homunculus body after another, their soul gradually began to break apart.

Eventually, it deteriorated to the point where it could no longer endure.

To recover even a little, the First Lord decided to temporarily seal away their soul.

The Previous Lord was created to conceal that fact and fill the vacancy.

A homunculus possessing neither the First Lord’s soul nor memories.

Nothing more than a convincing imitation.

A fake built to be replaced at any time.

One of dark fantasy’s unwritten rules: if a character is constantly called a fake or a substitute, they’ll inevitably try to become the real thing.

The Previous Lord was no exception.

Desperate to become the genuine article rather than a mere replacement, the homunculus shattered the sealed soul of the First Lord into countless fragments.

Even that wasn’t enough.

Using the power of those broken soul fragments, they attempted to seize control of the Tower itself and usurp the position of Administrator.

But just before the ritual was completed…

Jehar discovered everything.

Driven into a frenzy, he killed the Previous Lord.

Yet even then, he didn’t stop.

Half out of his mind, Jehar gathered every ounce of power that had been maintaining the Tower’s seal…

And cast a grand spell intended to resurrect the First Lord.

That… was how the protagonist was born.

The new Lord.

Of course, the new Lord wasn’t truly “real,” either.

They were merely another fake—a homunculus containing only the largest fragment of the First Lord’s shattered soul.

To create even such an incomplete being…

Jehar broke the Tower’s seal…

Becoming the very person responsible for bringing about the end of the world.

A mad mastermind.

Yet also a victim.

The most trustworthy companion.

And the most dangerous one.

That was Jehar.

He was practically a collection of every character trope guaranteed to make someone popular.

Which was exactly why…

He’s the biggest obstacle in the early game.

Early-game Jehar wasn’t in his right mind.

Choose even a single wrong dialogue option…

And he’d cry,

“My Lady would never do such a thing!”

…before immediately triggering a bad ending.

So what would happen if he learned the truth?

That she wasn’t carrying a fragment of the First Lord’s soul…

But was actually just a half-unemployed gaming addict from South Korea?

What do you think?

I’d be dead.

She pulled herself together.

“I’m tired.”

She carefully slipped her hand free before Jehar noticed it trembling.

“If it isn’t urgent, we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”

“I wish to rest.”

“…Very well.”

“You’ve only just awakened.”

“You must still be exhausted… and confused.”

Even though she’d blatantly changed the subject, Jehar remained impeccably polite.

Taking a step back, he explained how to ring the servant’s bell if she needed anything before quietly leaving the room.

Only long after the heavy oak door had closed behind him…

Did she flop face-first onto the bed.

“Haaah…”

Whew…

One bad ending successfully avoided.

If she’d eagerly answered Jehar’s “Trust only me” with…

“Yes! I’ll trust only you!”

…she would’ve gone straight into the mastermind’s Captive Isolation Ending.

Wonderful character or not…

He was unbelievably difficult to handle.

Damn this dark fantasy.

Not a single easy character in the cast.

Alright… let’s sort this out.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she calmly reviewed her current situation.

First.

She had transmigrated into the protagonist of The Darkness Tower—the Lord.

Second.

The character she’d created was a complete disaster.

Third.

If she failed to conquer the Tower with that disaster of a build…

The world would end.

Yeah…

This is completely hopeless.

Conquering Hardcore Mode as a Mind Sorcerer?

Honestly…

It was almost impossible.

To clear the Tower, she needed to recruit as many companions as possible.

Only then could she build a stable party capable of handling unexpected situations.

Unfortunately…

A Mind Sorcerer couldn’t do that.

The moment they used mental magic…

Companions disappeared.

That was simply the nature of mind-affecting spells.

Then why not just avoid using them?

Because Sorcerers were essentially fantasy psychics.

They couldn’t learn other kinds of magic.

Brainwashing was their entire toolkit.

I could always brainwash every companion like I used to in the game…

Or fill the party with homunculi instead…

But that approach was far too unstable.

The moment an enemy dispelled the brainwashing from even one companion…

The entire party would collapse.

And if she relied only on homunculi, her reputation would plummet, leading to rebellions and foreign intervention.

There were no save files anymore.

No reloading mistakes.

She couldn’t afford such an unstable build.

Giving up on conquering the Tower isn’t an option either.

Failing to reseal the Tower meant…

Dying and going to hell.

Being offered as a sacrifice to an evil god.

Becoming nothing more than a brain floating inside a jar.

Those were considered the mild bad endings.

She had to try everything.

No…

She would.

Companions?

She’d scrape together every usable one she could.

Dark Tower had an enormous companion roster.

A handful of characters either didn’t react strongly to mental magic…

Or simply didn’t care.

Granted…

They were usually criminals.

Madmen.

Or people whose backstories rivaled the masterminds themselves.

Hard to manage…

But still usable.

She’d recruit everyone except the ones who immediately led to bad endings.

She’d grind for gold.

Exploit glitches.

Farm treasure chests.

Every trick she’d avoided using in the game because it wasn’t “fun.”

Every strategy she’d only theorized about because the game mechanics made it impossible.

She’d try all of them.

There was no time to hesitate.

First…

She had to survive.

Having steeled her resolve, she lifted her head.

Across from the bed stood a large window.

The darkness outside turned the glass into a mirror, reflecting the face of an impossibly beautiful woman.

She still couldn’t get used to it.

But…

It was her face now.

Silently, she made herself a promise.

From this moment on…

I am Camellia.

Camellia Lord.

Lord of the cursed city of Needstar.

No matter what happens…

I’ll survive.

And I’ll reach a proper ending.

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The following morning…

After doing the bare minimum to tidy herself up, Camellia headed straight for her office.

As expected, both the Commander of the Knights, Rohengrin Eschen, and the Chief Steward, Jehar al Rashid, were already waiting.

One was a silver-haired knight who looked like virtue made flesh.

The other, a black-haired mage who seemed the very embodiment of temptation.

They were so striking that even the dreary office felt brighter just because they were standing inside it.

Camellia deliberately avoided looking at either of them.

Both were indispensable.

She couldn’t afford to lose either one.

If I accidentally raise their affection and they start stabbing each other…

The Tower run is over.

Loyalty.

Only loyalty.

That was all she wanted.

Reaffirming her resolve, she walked toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

The first thing she saw…

Was the Tower standing at the center of her domain.

Wrapped in a blood-red hemispherical barrier while bolts of lightning continually struck its surface…

It was obvious at a glance that something was terribly wrong.

She had seen the sight countless times in the game.

Yet witnessing it in person was overwhelming.

Mistaking the direction of her gaze, Jehar cautiously spoke.

“I was unable to report it yesterday because of your condition, my Lady.”

“But the Tower’s state is more precarious than we anticipated.”

He explained.

The seal on the First Floor had been damaged.

Monsters were continuously pouring out.

They had erected a defensive barrier, but even under ideal circumstances…

It would hold for only two days.

Before then, they needed a solution.

“You needn’t worry,” Jehar said gently.

“Just as you have returned, the Tower can be restored as well.”

“We need only reactivate the sealing formation inside.”

He was right.

Reactivating the seal would stop the monsters from pouring out.

It would also prevent the ancient evil imprisoned within from escaping.

The problem…

Was that only the Lord could manipulate the seal.

Which meant…

She had to do it herself.

Ninety-nine times.

What an absolutely miserable game…

Just thinking about it made her dizzy.

Still…

It had to be done.

“What about the citizens?”

Jehar answered immediately.

“As soon as the monsters appeared, we deployed the barrier.”

“Fortunately, casualties have been minimal.”

“Even so, we’ve evacuated everyone to shelters.”

“We’ve also stationed guards near the barrier in preparation for any emergencies.”

“And the adventurers?”

Whatever ancient evil the Tower sealed away…

It was still a dungeon.

An unconquered dungeon that had stood proudly for over a thousand years.

Adventurers seeking fame and fortune flocked there endlessly.

The city’s economy depended on them just as much as its citizens.

Jehar’s expression darkened.

“…The situation isn’t good.”

“The barrier had to be raised so suddenly that most of the adventurers inside the Tower couldn’t escape.”

She wasn’t surprised.

She already knew that.

“And the adventurers who remained outside?”

“Many refuse to understand the situation.”

“The Guild Master, along with several renowned adventurers, has been particularly vocal in protesting.”

Apparently deciding that explanation wasn’t enough…

Rohengrin suddenly cut in.

“They understand perfectly.”

“They’re simply frustrated.”

“Blocking the Tower with a barrier won’t solve anything.”

“Sir Eschen.”

Jehar spoke his name in warning.

Rohengrin ignored him.

“My Lord.”

“Monsters are pouring out of the Tower.”

“The seal must be repaired immediately.”

“If possible…”

“Today.”

Jehar shot him a glare.

“My Lady has only just recovered.”

“What if something happens because we rushed her?”

“So waiting another two days will somehow improve matters?”

Rohengrin shot back.

“Monsters are still appearing even as we speak.”

“All the more reason to proceed carefully.”

Jehar replied.

“We don’t even know the situation inside the Tower.”

“I refuse to send my Lady in.”

“I’m against it.”

Well…

They’re arguing just as expected.

Nothing about this surprised her.

Dark Tower was filled with companions whose personalities were strong enough to exhaust even the most outgoing person.

They argued constantly.

And every so often they’d corner the protagonist with…

“Who will you choose?”

“Them… or me?”

If things escalated…

One companion killed another before leaving the party.

Or…

They stabbed the protagonist while shouting,

“This is all your fault, my Lord!”

Fortunately…

Preventing that sort of insanity was surprisingly simple.

Strike first.

Become the craziest person in the room.

How dare you raise your voices without my permission?

Do you want to see your Lord lose her mind?

“Enough.”

Camellia cast Domination without hesitation.

The result…

Needless to say…

Was another Critical Success.

Both Jehar and Rohengrin fell silent as though neither had ever raised their voices.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the Tower outside, she spoke.

I don’t take advice from people worse at this game than I am.

Nobody knows how to conquer the Tower better than me.

“I never granted either of you permission to voice your opinions.”

“And yet you chatter so freely.”

“How insolent.”

Most Hardcore clears in the country.

World-record Hardcore speedrunner.

First person in the world to solo-clear Hardcore.

A veteran among veterans.

That’s me.

“The Tower falls under my authority.”

“I alone will decide what is to be done with it.”

Thank you, Immortal Charm.

For translating gamer nonsense into something worthy of a ruler.

Turning toward the two men, Camellia declared,

I’ll carry this run.

Just follow me.

“There is nothing to fear.”

“There is nothing to worry about.”

“You need only follow me.”

Otherwise… you’re not joining my party.

“Do you understand?”

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[Rohengrin Eschen’s Loyalty has increased.]

[Jehar al Rashid’s Loyalty has increased.]

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Good.

That’s more like it.