I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord-Chapter 50: Vincent’s Plan (The Art of Weaponized Devotion)

Darin narrowed his eyes at Vincent. "Oh no. You’re smiling."

Vincent smirked. "I always smile."

"No, no," Darin waved his hand. "That’s your scheming smile. That’s your ’I’m about to make someone suffer for my own amusement’ smile."

Vincent placed a hand over his chest, feigning offense. "Darin, how little you think of me."

The Sorceress didn’t even look up from her comically large book. "He’s not wrong."

Vincent’s grin widened. "Well, maybe a little."

Darin groaned. "Just, please, tell me this plan doesn’t involve me embarrassing myself in public, i’m so tired of that."

Vincent’s expression turned outright delighted.

"Oh, Darin." He leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "It’s so much worse than that."

Darin’s scowled. "My hate on you keep filing up you know?"

Vincent gestured dramatically. "Hate me later. Right now, we have work to do."

Vincent stood, clapping his hands together. "Alright, let’s break this down. The Church wants to get rid of Darin, but they can’t do it through force."

Darin muttered, "Not for lack of trying."

Vincent ignored him. "So, instead, they’ll probably go for a political move. Something that forces the King to act against Darin, or at the very least, isolates him from public support."

The Sorceress nodded. "If Darin is seen as a threat to the kingdom’s stability, the King will have to make a choice. No ruler can afford to look weak."

Darin groaned, sinking further into the couch. "So we’re screwed."

Vincent’s smirk returned. "Oh, we would be… if we didn’t have an army of lunatics on our side."

Darin blinked.

The Sorceress sighed. "You’re planning to use the cultists."

Vincent snapped his fingers. "Exactly!"

Darin sat up so fast he almost knocked Steve off his lap. "Absolutely not. No. I refuse."

Vincent tilted his head. "And why not?"

"Because they’re insane!" Darin threw up his hands. "They call me ’Overlord’ and keep trying to sacrifice things in my name!"

Vincent waved off his concerns. "Details, details. The point is, they worship you. And more importantly, they listen to you."

Darin scowled. "No, they misinterpret everything I say and then go on a rampage."

Vincent beamed. "Exactly! And this time, we’re going to direct that energy."

The Sorceress sighed again, rubbing her temples. "I can’t believe I’m saying this… but how do you intend to make use of them?"

Vincent grinned. "Simple. We take control of the narrative before the Church does."

Darin frowned. "Meaning?"

Vincent’s smirk sharpened. "Meaning, if the Church wants to use faith against you… we use faith first."

Darin’s stomach dropped. "Oh no."

Vincent strode across the room, pacing dramatically. "The Church operates on authority. They claim to speak for the Goddess, and their power comes from the people believing them."

The Sorceress nodded slowly. "So if public opinion shifts…"

Vincent snapped his fingers. "Then they become the ones under scrutiny."

Darin blinked. "Wait, wait, wait. You’re saying we use the cultists… to out-religion the Church?"

Vincent’s grin was nothing short of evil. "Exactly."

Darin’s brain stalled.

"That… shouldn’t work."

Vincent patted his shoulder. "Oh yes, it will."

Darin buried his face in his hands. "Gaaahh, I should have never appeared in this kingdom."

Vincent chuckled. "You say that, but you thrive in it."

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

The Sorceress tapped her fingers against her book, deep in thought. "The cultists alone won’t be enough. They’re seen as radicals. If we want real traction, we’ll need more than just their blind devotion."

Vincent nodded. "Which is why we expand the movement."

Darin groaned. "I swear, if you say we should recruit more lunatics—"

"Oh, no, no." Vincent waved a hand. "We use the ones you already have."

Darin froze.

"…What?"

Vincent grinned. "Your villagers, Darin. Your adoring little hometown. The ones who’ve been waving banners with your face on them. The ones who already think you’re some kind of hero."

Darin paled. "Oh gods."

Vincent clapped his hands. "We turn them into your official followers."

Darin froze.

Vincent continued, voice smooth and confident. "And then, of course, there’s him."

Darin blinked. "Him?"

Vincent turned toward the door. "You can come in now."

The door creaked open.

And standing there, grinning like a man who had just been blessed by fate itself, was the Stranger.

Darin immediately backed up. "NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT."

The Stranger beamed. "My lord! I have awaited your summons!"

Darin grabbed Vincent’s arm. "I swear to every god, if you let this lunatic—"

Vincent chuckled, prying Darin’s grip off. "Darin. He’s perfect for this."

The Stranger’s eyes practically glowed. "I live to serve!"

Darin turned to the Sorceress, pleading. "Please talk some sense into them."

The Sorceress sighed. "He’s not wrong, Darin. The Stranger has… influence."

Darin groaned. "You mean rabid devotion."

Vincent shrugged. "Same thing."

The Stranger stepped forward. "My lord, the faithful await your command. Give us the word, and we shall spread your truth to all corners of the kingdom."

Darin rubbed his face. "This is going to be a disaster."

Vincent threw an arm around his shoulders. "A glorious disaster."

Darin glared at him. "This better work!"

Vincent grinned. "You’ll love me when this works."

The Sorceress nodded approvingly. "We’ll need to act quickly. If the Church makes their move first, we’ll lose control of the message."

Vincent nodded.

The Stranger straightened, thrilled to be included. "Shall I gather the faithful?"

Darin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"…Just… don’t start any riots."

The Stranger gasped, horrified. "My lord! I would never!"

Darin squinted.

"…Wouldn’t you?"

The Stranger hesitated.

"…I will try not to."

"Close enough."

The Sorceress crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she studied the Stranger. "You know… we’ve known about you for a while."

The Stranger turned to her, his expression bright with enthusiasm. "Oh? Have I made an impression, my lady?"

Darin groaned. "Unfortunately."

The Sorceress ignored Darin’s suffering and continued. "You’ve been lurking around since the very beginning. Appearing at the most inconvenient times, spreading your… doctrine to anyone who would listen."

The Stranger beamed. "I do take my duties seriously!"

Vincent chuckled. "Oh, we’ve noticed."

The Sorceress narrowed her eyes slightly. "And yet, we know nothing about you."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Darin blinked. "Huh. That’s actually true. We don’t even know your name."

The Stranger perked up.

And then, he laughed.

Not an embarrassed laugh. Not a nervous one.

But a full, dramatic, hands-on-hips kind of laugh.

Vincent’s grin widened. "Oh, this is going to be good."

The Sorceress remained unamused. "What’s so funny?"

The Stranger’s eyes practically gleamed. "We have no names."

Darin frowned. "Wait, what?"

The Stranger straightened, his posture full of eerie confidence. "We are born into service. From the moment we take our first breath, we are given code names, nothing more. We exist to serve, to follow, to witness."

Darin slowly turned to Vincent. "Am I the only one getting very creepy cult vibes from this guy?"

Vincent patted his shoulder. "Darin, he’s literally a cultist."

Darin groaned. "Right. Forgot."

The Stranger wasn’t finished. He placed a dramatic hand over his chest, eyes shining with passion.

"Throughout my journey, many have called me by different names. The Overlord’s Dark Stranger."

Darin flinched. "Oh no."

"The Stranger of the Abyss!"

Vincent nodded approvingly. "Dramatic."

"The One Who Walks Between Fate and Chaos!"

The Sorceress blinked. "That’s… long."

"The Silent Stranger of the Void!"

Darin ran a hand down his face. "Please stop."

"The Nameless Stranger of Shadows!"

Vincent chuckled. "Not bad."

"The Overlord’s Unseen Hand, Moving Pieces in the Grand Game of Destiny!"

Darin nearly fell over. "WHAT KIND OF TITLE IS THAT?!"

The Stranger clasped his hands together, sighing. "Poetic, isn’t it?"

The Sorceress pinched the bridge of her nose. "So. What should we call you, then?"

The Stranger brightened. "Well, since most have taken to calling me The Stranger, I have decided—"

he straightened, puffing his chest out proudly "that I shall officially be known as…"

He quickly got a pen and paper out of nowhere, wrote quickly, then—

A dramatic pause.

Darin braced himself.

"THE STRANGER!"

Silence.

Vincent blinked. "So… the same thing, but now capitalized?"

The Stranger nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Darin inhaled deeply. "You just picked the simplest one, didn’t you?"

The Stranger smirked. "It sounds cool."

The Sorceress let out a slow exhale. "We are doomed."

Vincent clapped his hands. "Perfect. The Stranger, welcome to the official team."

Darin groaned. "Why are we making this official?!"

Vincent just grinned. "Because, Darin, you’re going to need every lunatic you can get."

The Stranger beamed. "Then it shall be so! I will gather the faithful, spread the word, and ensure the Overlord’s name echoes through history!"

Darin massaged his temples. "What am I even worrying about, my life’s not even in my hand anymore."

The Stranger bowed. "As expected of my lord, ever the humble one."

Darin twitched.

Vincent patted his back. "Breathe, Darin. Just breathe."

The Sorceress sighed. "Well. We might as well get started, no more wasting time."

Darin let out a long, exhausted groan.

This was going to be hell.