I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

“Oh dear, what brings you here at this late hour? If you had called for me, I would have come to you myself.”Count Lort bowed repeatedly as he looked at the man seated at the head of the reception room.A masked man was sitting in the highest seat.“So, you’re asking why I’m here.”“N-No, of course not. I’m just grateful that you went through the trouble of coming to see me in person.”The Count quickly corrected himself in a flustered voice, grumbling inwardly.‘He was never friendly, but today he feels even colder than usual.’Thinking that something bad might have happened, the count carefully took a seat.Silence filled the space between them.The Count was usually good at pleasing those above him, but with the man being so cold from the start, he had no idea what to say.‘I can’t just ask outright why he came…’As the Count forced an awkward smile, a maid entered with tea.Seeing a chance for conversation, the count eagerly handed a cup to the man.“This tea was brought from across the sea. The scent is wonderful, you should—”Midway through his introduction, the count glanced at the man’s mask and realized his mistake, cutting himself off.“…My apologies.”He quickly pulled the tea away and scolded the maid for no reason.“Are you blind or just stupid? Take it away, now.”The masked man’s red eyes grew colder as he watched the count, though the count failed to notice.“S-Sorry.”The maid bowed her head repeatedly before hastily carrying the tea back out of the room.As she left, the Count observed the man’s reaction.“If I have offended you, I apologize. It was my fault for not training my servants properly.”The man said nothing. He simply radiated an icy presence, making it impossible to tell if he was angry or indifferent.The count hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.After a long silence, the man finally spoke.“You were supposed to open the door this time, correct?”“Ah, y-yes. That’s right.”“Do it today.”The Count’s eyes widened.“T-Today? Right now?”“Yes.”“Here…?”“We can move to the forest.”“Well, the schedule has moved up too much… I need more time to prepare. Besides, a banquet is being held at the mansion right now.”“Is that a problem?”The man’s eyes didn’t grow any colder, nor did his tone change.Yet his voice carried an undeniable pressure.Avoiding his gaze, the count lowered his eyes and answered.“I-I’ll prepare it.”He rang the bell beside him.But even after waiting, no servants or knights arrived. There wasn’t even a sound of movement.Feeling uneasy in the suffocating silence, the Count lost his temper and stood up.“What are those fools doing?!”At that moment, a sharp scent reached the masked man’s nose.His eyes narrowed.A burning smell.Just as he recognized it, the door suddenly burst open, and two hooded black magicians rushed in.The count, who had been about to open the door himself, let go of the handle in surprise, stumbling awkwardly before barely regaining his balance.Holding back his anger, he looked at the black magicians with confusion.These were the very ones who were supposed to be performing brainwashing magic in the main building.“Why are you two here—”“My lord, you must leave at once. The fire has spread from the third floor.”“Fire? What do you mean, fire?!”The Count’s eyes widened as he questioned them, then wrinkled his nose at the burning scent once more.“We don’t know the cause… We rushed here as soon as we heard.”“Then why aren’t you putting it out?!”The Count raged upon hearing the mansion was on fire.One of the black magicians quickly explained.“The knights are trying to contain it, but it would be safer if you evacuated.”Cursing under his breath, the count turned back to the masked man.“My deepest apologies for such an unfortunate incident on the day of your visit. It would be best to leave for now.”Despite hearing that the mansion was burning, the masked man remained calm as he leisurely rose from his seat.“What about the ‘door’?”“Ah, I was just about to retrieve it. We can take this opportunity to move to the forest.”The Count then turned to one of the black magicians and gave an order.“You. Go get the child from the basement.”“…The child?”“Oh, the sacrifice. The one for the door.”The Count answered shamelessly, and the masked man’s eyes narrowed beneath his mask.The black magician, momentarily startled by his gaze, hesitated before turning and leaving the room.The Count looked back at the masked man and spoke.“Would you like to wait outside first? I’ll bring the fragment and come right out.”“No, I’m coming with you.”Hearing the unexpected response, the count hesitated for a moment but still led the way out of the reception room with the masked man.The Count led the masked man and the black magician to a spot beneath the staircase leading to the mansion’s second floor.“This is the place. Please wait a moment.”As the count stood under the stairs, a blue glow surrounded the pendant hanging from his neck, and a magic circle appeared beneath his feet.He removed the pendant and handed it to the black magician.“Go in and bring back the fragment.”The black magician carefully took the pendant and stepped onto the spot where the magic circle had just appeared.At once, the magic circle reappeared, lifted into the air, and the black magician vanished.Now left alone with the masked man once again, the count nervously fiddled with his thick mustache, sneaking glances at him.‘Why does he feel even colder than usual today…?’A tense silence passed.Then, the magic circle flared up again, and the black magician reappeared.The count quickly snatched the pendant from his hands and asked,“You got the fragment?”“…Yes.”“Hand it over.”The Count reached out for the small box the black magician was holding.But just as the black magician hesitated to give it to him, something unexpected happened.A sudden burst of magical energy wrapped tightly around both the count and the black magician.The force knocked the small box from the black magician’s grasp, causing the fragment inside to roll onto the floor.“Hrk…!”Panicked, the count struggled and turned to look at the spellcaster.The masked man stood there, watching him with calm, emotionless eyes.“W-Why are you doing this…?”“Why not use you as the sacrifice?”As the meaning of those words sank in, the Count’s face drained of all color.The man intended to use him as the final sacrifice to open the dimensional rift.The magic constricting his body tightened even more.He couldn’t even cry out properly—the pressure suffocated him, and a terrifying realization struck.If this continued, he would die.The count screamed in desperation.“P-Please spare me! You know you can’t open the door by killing me like this!”He babbled whatever came to mind, and in his frantic gaze, he caught sight of the black magician trapped beside him.“Him! Use him as the sacrifice instead!”To open the dimensional rift, black magic was needed. And a black magician was required to cast it.However, only a handful of high-ranking black magicians could perform the ritual, and the one capable of doing so was currently in the banquet hall, casting a brainwashing spell.This lowly black magician, who was only running errands, was expendable.The masked man must have known this as well.‘If he dies, I might have a chance to escape.’The Count calculated his escape route, waiting for the masked man to shift his target.But the man didn’t even glance at the black magician.Instead, the magic constricting the count tightened further. That was his answer.“Ugh…! S-Spare… me…!”The Count struggled desperately, but he was just an ordinary man with no magical ability or physical strength to resist.His movements grew weaker. His eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.Then, just as his consciousness was slipping away—A sudden surge of power erupted from the black magician.In an instant, the magic binding them was torn apart.Seizing the moment of hesitation from the masked man, the black magician swiftly lunged forward.His fist, wrapped in swirling mana, shot toward the masked man.And in that moment, a low voice came from within the black hood.“Sorry, but…”The swift motion of his attack sent a gust of wind whipping through the air, blowing back the large hood.Revealing golden eyes like a sunset and shining platinum hair.A sharp grin formed on her crimson lips.“It won’t go your way.”I want to kill this bastard too, but not like this.As Elsez finished speaking, her fist flew toward the masked man.