Mastermind

"Stop doing that."

"B-but…"

Sorath got up from his seat and patted Albert on the back gently.

"Let the maid clean this mess. Your job here is to write for me, not cleaning the mess you accidentally created." Then Sorath smiled. "Do you understand?"

It felt like a threat. But, the vibe Sorath gave off made Albert calm down.

"Understood…"

With a sigh, they sat back on their chairs.

Sorath called Marie to clean up the mess. Once she did, they continued their talks.

Albert was still bewildered that the Young Master of Shedever hired him to write a prophecy book. In the first place, how did Sorath knew about the future? He wanted to ask that, but he was too afraid. Also, was it truly a prophecy, or just a kid thinking that his dream was true? After all, Sorath hadn't awakened yet.

Even though he doubted his client's story, Albert didn't think about it too much afterward. In the end, his job was to write. He didn't care whether this so-called prophecy was true or not.

If it turned out to be false, nothing would change. But if it came as a truth, he could use the knowledge to his advantage.

As long as he didn't tell anyone about the content, he would be safe from the Spell's harm, right?

That was the turning point of his life.

Three days later…

Albert only needed to write a few more sentences before he could wrap it all up. Money. Fame. Everything. After that, he would need to prepare for the change in his life.

He glanced at his phone, noticing it was already at 2 p.m. That motivated him to work faster and go back home. He knew that in just a few hours, his world would never be the same again.

"What's come after the Hero killed the Architect on the 91st floor?" Albert asked enthusiastically.

"He gained authority over the tutorial floors and restored the first floor."

Then.

"So, when the seven families reached the 94th floor, five of them plotted to destroy the Shedever and Aquila?" Albert said carefully.

"Yes."

Then one last question to end the book.

"Wait! No one from our side was able to conquer the 96th floor, you say? Even the Hero?! On top of that, the five families were wiped out?!"

Sorath nodded. "That's where the prophecy I saw ends."

Albert swallowed his saliva. He couldn't believe the prophecy ended abruptly like that. Curiosity engulfed his mind. He wondered about what would happen next after the seven families were wiped out.

Hearing this novel-like prophecy made him hope that the prophecy would turn out to be false.

"I think they're overestimating themselves."

Sorath raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Noticing the Young Master's attention on him, Albert clarified:

"I mean the five families!"

Interested in hearing the writer's opinion, Sorath leaned forward and said.

"Please, continue."

Albert nodded.

"Their reason to crush the Shedever and Aquila family isn't making sense. They were afraid that the two would avenge the death of their heirs so the five crushed them first. Whereas, if the two wanted to do that, they could have done it from the start. Especially your family, Young Master."

'That's right, my father will absolutely declare war against the five families for his son's death. But, that's not the case in the novel. I'm not sure which is true. And honestly, there are some parts I have forgotten in the novel already,' Sorath thought.

'However, everything written in the novel, whether the old or the remake, matched with the events occurring in the real world.'

After hearing Albert's opinion about the prophecy, or the story, Sorath gained new knowledge about it. And because of that, he realized the importance of hearing someone else's perspective. This time, he would at least listen to what the other wanted to say first.

Not because it was the right to do, but just for extra information.

After Albert finished his job, he immediately returned to his office. When he arrived at his workplace, he walked while jumping for joy. At that moment, Albert was in a euphoric embrace. But when he sat down in his chair, all those emotions vanished.

He looked like a lifeless doll for a short while. All parts of his body didn't move an inch.

Then as he regained his senses, he looked around his office, feeling confused.

Ring! Ring!

The sudden notification sound of his phone startled him. When he looked at his phone screen, his jaw dropped.

"What?!"

He got up from his chair while looking at his phone.

"Did my eyes deceive me? Did that Shedever family really donate this bunch of money to me?! For what reason?!"

Unbeknownst to him, he had lost the Spell engraved on his skin. Moreover, all the knowledge he had accumulated while doing his job in the Shedever family was all lost. Not a single memory of those 4 days working for Sorath remained. They were all erased by the "erasure" of the spell.

Hovering outside his office, a drone cloaked in invisibility spied him. That drone belonged to Sorath. The mastermind behind all of this.

***

"Thanks for your effort, old man."

Sorath switched the drone control to auto and put it down on the table. Then he got up from his chair and picked up his phone.

"How's the progress?" Sorath asked.

"{I've just arrived at the outside world.}"

"Good. Make sure to kill that person quickly."

"{Affirmative. Oh, by the way, can you tell me what that person looks like again?}"

"A boy of my age. Light blond hair. Blue eyes. And, I hate to say this but, his face is as handsome as mine."

There was a short silence in the call.

"{Got it. I will call you again after I get the job done.}"

Beep!

He looked at the time on his phone before shoving it into his pocket.

"It's 3 p.m. I wonder what should I do next…"

On the next day, at the same time, Sorath was taking a walk in his family's maze-like garden. As he walked alone while playing with his phone, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Before he could reach the source of the voice, the world before him distorted. The view of his garden blurred out of his vision. And when he realized, he was standing in the mansion's hall.

"What?"