Chapter Four

Pizzero was too dangerous to be left alive. As a villain, he would persistently interfere with the player’s actions, even going so far as to provide valuable intel to rival factions to sabotage the Lord of Eiota. Therefore, in the early stages of the game, Otto’s progress depended on whether or not the player could eliminate Pizzero.

That wasn’t all. Eliminating Pizzero could partially recover the poor reputation Otto had in his territory. Pizzero, after all, was also a hated figure, both by his noble peers and the commoners.

[Eiota]

Public Sentiment: 11/100 Danger

Provisions: 9/100 Critical

Treasury: 11/100 Danger

Public Order: 37/100 Caution

The Public Sentiment in Eiota stood at a mere eleven points. Numbers below twenty for that stat increased the chance of a rebellion by 150 percent. Falling below ten points and going down into Critical territory was a whole new ballgame—it guaranteed a rebellion to arise in exactly forty-eight hours. One didn’t have to be a genius to know what would happen after a rebellion.

My head will be strung up high above the castle... Let’s not go there for now. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down Otto’s spine. Giving out food would boost Public Sentiment by five points and alleviate unrest among the populace, but that wasn’t enough to get him completely out of the woods.

He needed to quickly increase Public Sentiment, and publicly executing Pizzero was the most effective way to achieve that. The act would net him thirty temporary points in that category.

“It won’t be easy to get rid of that man,” Camille said. “Go about this the wrong way, and you might find yourself on the gallows, my lord. Though, I’m sure you already know this.”

“I do.”

“Even the knights guarding Pizzero are all highly trained. In addition, he has several men and women acting as his eyes and ears throughout the territory.”

Otto nodded along. “He also has connections with Solun.”

“What...?”

“He has Solun spies hidden among the populace. Even if we succeed in executing Pizzero, those spies will instigate a rebellion by agitating the commoners. Then, amid that chaos, the Lord of Solun will come thundering into my lands with his army.”

“How do you know this, my lord?”

“I have my sources.”

“Of course, but how exactly?”

Otto winked in response. “That’s a trade secret I’m afraid I can’t disclose.”

Camille shot him a deadpan look.

“In any case,” Otto said, changing the topic, “Pizzero must be disposed of… Tonight.”

“Didn’t you say that his spies would incite a rebellion using the commoners? Then Solun will march here and take advantage of our situation.”

“I did,” Otto replied with a slight nod.

“And we’re still going to kill the bastard?”

“We are.”

“Aren’t you at all concerned about the repercussions, my lord?” Camille cast a skeptical glance at Otto.

“Don’t give me that look. I have a plan. Trust me.”

The knight offered no response. He didn’t appear convinced at all.

“I really have a plan, all right?”

Camille did not respond.

“Oh, come on. I’m being serious, Camille! It’s all up here! In my head! I swear!” Otto’s frustration grew as Camille began to look like he was doubting his intentions.

“Let’s hear it, then. This brilliant plan of yours.”

“What if I tell you that I know the exact locations and details of Pizzero’s spies?”

Dojin, an avid gamer of Territory Wars, endured countless trials and tribulations while playing Otto de Scuderia. In his up-and-down journey, he uncovered the identities of Pizzero’s spies. He acquired this invaluable information after going through hundreds of deaths.

“I also know how we could eliminate Pizzero’s spies in one fell swoop before they could set their plans in motion.”

A faint smile appeared on Otto’s lips.

* * *

That very afternoon, Pizzero headed to the throne room in response to Otto’s summons.

That worm-brained rake must’ve finally realized his place. Haha. I’m not surprised. A beast can only pretend to be human for so long. Pizzero’s strides as he entered the castle halls were full of confidence.

When Otto rejected his suggestion, he instructed some loan sharks to pressure the lord into repaying his debt. Many of the men who had lent money to Otto in the gambling den were affiliated with Pizzero, making this maneuver possible for him.

The moneylenders would press Otto for repayment, which would cause the suspension of grain distribution. With insufficient funds to settle the loan, the once-generous food distributions to the public would become unattainable.

“You all can wait here.”

“Yes, Master Pizzero.”

Pizzero left his six bodyguards, all of them knights, at the castle gates and headed for the throne room.

“Greetings, my lord.”

“Ah, you’ve arrived earlier than expected,” Otto responded.

“Why, of course! I, your humble servant, always arrive like lightning to your summon—”

“Pizzero, you are under arrest for charges of treason.”

Four armed knights appeared from the sides and blocked Pizzero’s path.

“Wh-what’s the meaning of this?” Panic painted Pizzero’s face. “My lord, why am I being arrested? I’ve done nothing to warrant charges of treason.”

“You conspired with Solun against me, against your people.”

“I-I didn’t! That’s a lie! Why would I conspire with them?” Despite feeling his guilty conscience, he outwardly refuted the accusation and feigned innocence.

“All right. Just forget I said that.”

“What? You’ve lost me, my lord.”

“It’s not really important whether you’re colluding with them or not.”

“Please, my lord! Where are these baseless accusations coming from? I implore you to be reasonable. You’re making a grave mistake, right now—”

A scream interrupted him.

“Ack!”

“Ahhh!”

“Gahh!”

Bloodcurdling cries were heard from the direction that Pizzero had entered. Then, suddenly, it stopped, replaced by an eerie silence. After a few seconds, the heavy steps of Camille’s sabatons echoed, and as the knight drew near, Pizzero saw blood dripping from his blade.

The great knight strode past Pizzero toward the throne and dropped on one knee before his lord. “My liege, your loyal servant, Sir Camille, has slain the guards of the traitor Pizzero as you commanded.” Camille delivered his words without stuttering, and there was not a single trace of hesitation in his movement. He was strangely calm for someone who had struck down six men just a minute ago.

“Well done...” As Otto praised the knight, his voice sounded a bit strained.

“My lord, you’ve made a mistake, a grave one!” Pizzero exclaimed. “You’ll regret making this decision for the rest of your life! You’ll never be able to undo this!”

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” Otto replied coolly. “Take him away.”

At his command, the knights bound Pizzero and escorted him down to the castle dungeon.

The captured villain chuckled viciously as he was being dragged away. “You damned fool, how dare you accuse me of treason! Very well. Let’s see whose head will get cut off first, boy.”

Pizzero’s ominous laughter faded as he disappeared behind the wall’s corner. Even in the dungeon, he remained unwaveringly arrogant. He knew his spies would soon commence the plan to stir a rebellion. He was sure that Otto would be captured by the enraged citizens before he could face execution.

I’ll seize the opportunity to escape once the rebellion starts. Heh heh heh.

Unfortunately for Pizzero, however, his plans were about to come crashing down on him.

“You filthy traitorous bastards, hurry up and move those legs, lest you want a whipping!”

“Heads down, scoundrels!”

Before long, soldiers began hauling rows of men into the dungeon cells where Pizzero was held captive.

“Wh-what the...?” Pizzero was stunned as he watched the spies he was relying on to start a rebellion be rounded up and brought into the dungeon.

Could Otto have known all along? Pizzaro felt as if someone had snuck up behind him and hit him on the back of the head. The identities of the spies were a secret known only to him, which meant...

H-have I been played for a fool? By that dimwitted, skirt-chasing fool of a lord? I-Impossible! That simply can’t be! Pizzero adamantly refused to accept his reality. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had been outsmarted by someone as inept as Otto.

* * *

The next day, Pizzero and his spies were put on a public trial.

“Pizzero has been found guilty of clouding the lord’s judgment and manipulating his authority to commit various wicked acts...” The list of his wrongdoings went on and on, and the enumeration alone took over thirty minutes.

Otto intended to use Pizzero as a scapegoat for all of his own past crimes, thereby redirecting the citizens’ anger toward him. So far, the plan has been a resounding success.

“You worthless clod! Flog him to death!”

The people unleashed slur upon slur, hurled rock after rock, and spit on Pizzero and his cronies. With their long-standing discontent seeking an outlet, Pizzero became the perfect sacrificial lamb. The fact that his own extensive list of villainy was comparable to Otto’s just made things worse for him.

“Thus, it is decreed that Pizzero and his accomplices shall face execution by guillotine for their acts of treachery.”

As the one who was overseeing the trial, per the laws of the state, Camille pronounced the death sentence upon the traitors.

“Take those treacherous hounds to the scaffold!”

“Yes, Sir Camille!”

As the soldiers bound the men to the guillotine blocks, Camille turned to Otto, as if awaiting something.

“Execute... the traitors,” Otto ordered after taking a moment to steady his breath.

As soon as the words left his lips, a soldier cut the ropes, and the gleaming blades of the guillotine descended upon the exposed napes of the traitors.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Soon, the ground was littered with severed heads, drenched in blood. At last, Pizerro, the relentless tormentor of the players in the game’s early stages, met his demise, albeit in a somewhat anticlimactic manner.

[Notification: You have eliminated Pizzero!]

[Notification: Public Sentiment will be temporarily boosted by thirty points!]

The notification box popped up before Otto.

[Eiota]

Public Sentiment: 41/100 Caution

Provisions: 9/100 Critical

Treasury: 11/100 Danger

Public Order: 37/100 Caution

Pizzero’s execution helped improve Public Sentiment from Danger to Caution.

That’s one weight off my shoulders. So long as Public Sentiment remained in Caution, the people of the territory wouldn’t initiate a rebellion on their own.

Otto was still not in the clear, though. Pizerro’s elimination granted these boosts, but they were only temporary. In thirty days, it would drop back down again. He had merely doused the fire in the short term and hadn’t addressed the root causes of the people’s unrest.

* * *

The moment Otto returned to the study, he collapsed limply on his chair.

“I had just ordered some people’s execution, and now, they’re dead.”

The stark difference between the game world and the real world was only now sinking in for him. The gruesome sight of the severed heads was hard to stomach, and Otto barely managed to quell his churning insides.

The image of Pizzero’s severed head tumbling down the scaffolding, eyes wide open, was burning into Otto’s mind, almost driving him close to madness. Ironically, it was he who had Pizzero and his men executed.

I’ve got to get used to this as soon as possible. This isn’t a mere dream. It’s as real as it gets. I won’t survive if I don’t toughen up. I’ll likely have to kill countless more people in the future. Otto poured himself a glass of whiskey from the bottle before him and downed it in one gulp.

“Woah, that’s strong.”

The whiskey burned like fire, yet it failed to calm his racing heart. Then again, it would have been odd if he had quickly gotten over this. After all, the soul inside this body belonged to Dojin, an ordinary young man who enjoyed playing Territory Wars as Otto de Scuderia—he was not a psychopath.

* * *

The moment Otto opened his eyes the next day, he donned his full armor with the help of servants. Since he had no way of knowing when another attempt on his life would be made or if the curse would hit him again, he had to use the armor to increase his chance of survival.

Years of playing the game as Otto de Scuderia had taught him this habit. Living in full-plate armor enabled him to evade most assassination attempts and Random Misfortune events.

It can’t be helped. Until I can lift the curse and awaken this character’s true potential, I must put up with the inconveniences. Playing as Otto and managing to survive would provide the player with an opportunity to lift [Unlucky Scumbag] and awaken the character. And if one were to awaken Otto de Scuderia...

Otto undergoes a complete transformation, evolving from trash-tier to god-tier. His eyes flashed with determination.

I just have to endure everything until then. Otto resolved to endure the drawbacks and annoyances of the character and survive until he no longer had to deal with those hardships.