Changing the Keywords of the Dark Lords (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

“Potential mastermind”? Just hearing the term sent chills down her spine. Soon, the alarm rang once more.

‘Add keywords?’

Four names appeared side by side in the notification window. Now Delina could compare the four children standing before her with their displayed names.

Vancent.

He was a child with fiery red hair blazing in the sunlight and yellow eyes. Yet, unlike his striking appearance, his expression and gaze were utterly dry and emotionless. Unlike the other children, he carried no weapon, but held various tools in his hands.

They said he was a genius with machinery—anyway, next was…

Noah.

A child with violet eyes and silver hair. At first, she thought he wasn’t holding a weapon, but then noticed a small silver knife in his hand. Seeing it, Delina deliberately turned her head away.

Calix.

Black hair, red eyes. The boy holding the most menacing-looking sword stared at Delina with an expressionless face.

And finally… Ashud.

She never dreamed she’d see the Imperial Crown Prince this close. Though he wore a thick hat as if hiding his identity, his name appeared in the notification window, so Delina knew exactly who he was.

But how do I even use this?

It seemed the ability activated whenever she did something related to the children. Confused about what “adding keywords” even meant, Delina furrowed her brow—when suddenly, the stick she was holding snapped cleanly in half.

“……!”

As the startled Delina took a step back, Noah—the one who’d sliced her stick—spoke.

“They told us four of us should fight her, so I wondered just how impressive she’d be…”

“…….”

“But she can’t do anything at all.”

Noah smiled, narrowing his eyes, though his smile didn’t look particularly pleasant. Vancent chimed in, as if agreeing.

“She’s useless even for my experiments.”

They already seemed to have gauged Delina’s abilities. Calix didn’t say anything, but his brow furrowed slightly.

“What kind of skill got her into this exam anyway?”

Then Ashud spoke up, his voice more irritated than anyone else’s. Delina, rolling her eyes, shot back.

“I broke into His Grace the Archduke’s bedroom!”

She’d meant it as a defiant retort to stand up to the masterminds’ intimidating aura, but it had far more impact than she’d expected.

“…You entered that bedroom?”

“What? So she’s hiding something.”

The children’s expressions grew serious—the fact that she’d entered Bellion’s bedroom clearly shocked them. Delina panicked inwardly.

‘Don’t get serious!’

She’d lose even if they fought using only their feet—let alone if they charged at her recklessly like this. Delina could only stare helplessly at the notification window.

Whatever ability this is, please just work, please…!

At that moment, countless words flooded the window. Delina focused intently on reading them.

Sweet Guy, Obsessive Guy, Big Dog Guy… What even is this?

Just as Delina frowned at these incomprehensible terms, something flew toward her from the side with a loud whoosh.

“……!”

Delina barely dodged the dagger that thudded into the wall. She turned to look at the four children, who were slowly approaching.

“Step aside. I’ll handle her.”

“…I’ll do it.”

“What are you talking about? First one to grab her wins.”

“If we’re talking odds of victory here, it’s clearly me.”

‘Hey, hey, kids?’

Even facing them one by one would be tough—but watching them volunteer to attack first made cold sweat pour down her back.

“…Haven’t you been hit much lately?”

“Then go ahead and try.”

“Seriously, you’re acting like monkeys.”

“Idiots.”

Soon enough, they were even fighting among themselves over who’d attack first. Delina wanted to cry. The idea that they’d brawl just to deal with her—she’d rather die than have this kind of popularity.

‘Wait—popularity? Ah…!’

A scenario where multiple men compete over one woman. Of course, this situation was completely different, but it reminded her of something similar—maids gossiping in the hallway long ago.

[“So, have you read the new novel? The male lead is definitely the Sweet Guy type—he just hands flowers to the heroine and confesses like that—”] [“No way! The male lead’s gotta be the Obsessive Guy! He clings only to his one woman!”]

Delina never read romance novels—or books much at all—so back then, she hadn’t understood what the maids were talking about. But now, seeing terms like “Sweet Guy” and “Obsessive Guy,” she vaguely grasped their meaning. Still, understanding the words didn’t change her situation.

If anything, removing keywords would’ve been better than adding them.

What difference would adding anything make to these kids who’d become masterminds in the future? Then Delina’s eyes landed on the keyword “Sweet Guy.”

What if I use this on them—will they become sweet?

Judging by the words alone, it probably meant “sweet guy.” Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try.

No—what if they kill me sweetly?

They might politely take turns: “This leg’s mine, that leg’s yours.” Unable to decide rashly, Delina hesitated—just as the arguing children seemed to reach a conclusion and turned to look at her.

“Fine. Whoever grabs her first wins.”

Noah grinned cheerfully, and the others nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Delina, who’d been tapping the children’s full names with her finger, instinctively shuffled backward.

“Wait, wait just a second…!”

Of course, they weren’t about to listen. All four children simultaneously kicked off the ground and charged at Delina. Startled, Delina flailed her hands and pressed hard on one of the many keywords.

“Will you really leave things like this?”

Bellion was still staring at the door Delina had entered. Felick, standing beside him, asked.

“At this rate, she won’t just hold out—she’ll die outright.”

“She chose to go in herself.”

“Well, yes… Still, it’s truly a shame. She was quite an entertaining young lady.”

Naturally, neither of them believed Delina—who’d struggled even to lift the smallest sword—could possibly defeat those children.

“How much time is left for the exam?”

“It’ll end soon.”

The exam period hadn’t been very long to begin with. But what did the duration matter? Whether long or short, Delina’s result was obvious. Felick shook his head, still gazing at the silent door.

“She couldn’t even run away, I suppose.”

Of course, even if she escaped the room, she’d still fail the exam. Looking at the unusually quiet door, Felick silently offered a moment of remembrance for Delina.

“Will you go in yourself?”

It was time. Bellion slowly moved. Felick, too, began walking slowly toward the door to check the results.

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

Bellion’s hand, about to open the door, stopped.

“…I hear a sound.”

“Huh? Could they still be fighting?”

“It’s not fighting sounds.”

“Then what?”

“Dog sounds.”

“What?”

Felick’s eyebrows shot up at the baffling statement. Bellion soon opened the door. Felick leaned forward to see inside—and an incredible sight met his eyes.

“Woof woof!”

True to Bellion’s words, dog sounds echoed—but more precisely, human imitations of barking.

“Grrrrr…”

And the four children were crawling on all fours like dogs.

“Kang!”

It was absolute chaos. The children genuinely acted as if they were dogs—barking at each other, growling, even scratching the backs of their necks with their feet.

“No, seriously, stop coming at me!”

“Kang!”

“Alright! This is really the last one!”

And at the center of the four children stood Delina. She tossed the broken-in-half stick she’d brought in earlier—and all four kids immediately lunged for it. Felick and Bellion could only stare silently at Delina in utter astonishment.

“Oh, um… is it over?”

Surrounded by four dogs—or rather, children—Delina finally noticed Felick and Bellion and quickly rolled her eyes.

“Oh, um, this, I mean, well…”

“…….”

“Ta-da! It was a clown show!”

Even after Delina’s explanation, the two remained speechless. After a moment, Felick clicked his tongue.

“This… this… Did you do this, miss?”

“Yes! Well… actually, as Your Grace said, I do have a bit of talent in this area… um… it’s a secret family technique, unknown even to my daughter-in-law…”

The keyword Delina had pressed as the children charged.

‘I never thought “Big Dog Guy” would make them actually act like dogs…’

Delina gave a bitter smile as she watched the children still charging at her like dogs. Bellion and Felick stared at her and the kids with dumbfounded expressions—and Felick’s belated laughter soon filled the entire examination hall.