I Became the Narrow-Eyed Henchman of the Evil Boss – Chapter 66

Chapter 66 – Negotiation (2)

I spoke confidently about recruiting Lampades, but I knew that convincing him would require Carisia’s cooperation.

The gift I had planned to give had turned into a hazardous material due to some impurities. To clean up a mess like this, I’d need the skills of a Grand Mage.

Specifically, a Grand Mage like the boss.

I placed the Thunder Orb, which was created by combining the Thunderbolt Lord’s power with the Silver Thread Worm and a few extra touches of my own, on the desk and rolled it toward Carisia.

Carisia caught it gently.

“A spirit compressed into a tool. I’ve seen spirits processed into forms like spirit intelligence or spirit poison, but this one is particularly unique.”

Carisia slowly turned the Thunder Orb in her hand, tilting her head slightly.

“But didn’t you say it was a talisman? This looks more like an orb.”

“Some impurities got mixed in during the manufacturing process. Originally, it was supposed to be completed as a pendant-shaped talisman… but it took on an unexpected form after merging with the Silver Thread Worm, the progenitor of the Silver Thread.”

Hearing the mention of Silver Thread, Carisia slowly infused the Thunder Orb with her magic. The orb greedily absorbed the magic while simultaneously converting the surrounding mana into a lightning attribute.

“It truly retains the properties of the Silver Thread. Alright, I’ll process it so that its properties can be utilized. I’ll leave the scheduling and negotiations with the Lampades Tower entirely to you.”

I bowed my head and exited the office. The rest would be handled skillfully by Carisia.

***

The Lampades Tower was receiving an unexpected visitor. Most people welcomed the stranger.

“Do you know my mom?”

“Huh?”

To be precise, the youngest member of the tower, Astraphe, pretended to welcome the visitor.

“My mom. She used to live in Etna City. She has blonde hair like me.”

Orthes broke out in a cold sweat. What the hell was this about? Kids say strange things all the time, but do they usually ask about their parents’ whereabouts?

‘Lampades! Lampades!’

He called out inwardly to his friend and the tower’s namesake. But Lampades, who was supposedly in the middle of an experiment, had yet to come down.

With no other option, Orthes decided to offer the most universal excuse he could think of.

“Haha. The truth is, I’ve only just arrived in Etna City. It hasn’t even been a year yet. I’m not familiar with the people who lived here before.”

It was a line that worked wonders when you needed to fend off suspicious strangers asking for directions because you didn’t know the area well after just moving in.

Astraphe tilted her head for a moment, then nodded a couple of times before leaving to resume her magical training. Orthes sighed in relief.

‘So this is what they mean when they say talking to kids drains your soul.’

The mages of the Lampades Tower could deduce a few things from that conversation. Despite Hydra Corporation’s recent establishment, the fact that Orthes had come to offer gifts and support to another tower was a testament to his considerable abilities.

The child’s innocent question. The practical hint that came in response.

Obviously, Orthes didn’t expect Astraphe to understand the implication, so it must have been aimed at the other mages of the Lampades Tower.

The mages present were those who had been under Carisia’s protection in Elysion. Money and power. With both forces revealed, it wasn’t hard to decipher the ultimate intent.

‘Submit.’

At least Orthes had the decency to speak indirectly through a child. The mages silently prayed for their tower master to return quickly and drive away this peculiar man.

***

Meanwhile, Lampades rubbed his forehead, dreading the thought of Orthes showing up to demand an answer.

‘What in the world does he want with my skills…?’

Let’s think from the perspective of a doomsday cultist. What could you do with a method to find a safe extra-dimension?

It didn’t take long for Lampades to figure out Orthes’s nefarious plan.

If you can detect safe extra-dimensions, it follows that you can also detect dangerous ones. Opening the door to such a terrifying extra-dimension would be every doomsday cultist’s dream!

Lampades recalled the words left by Orthes’s boss. ‘I know he is not trustworthy.’

And, ‘He’s someone I chose.’

It was confusing when he first heard it, but now he could roughly understand what it meant.

Carisia must have known about Orthes’s dangers and still chose to employ him, believing she could control him. If that’s the case, maybe handing over this technique wouldn’t be so dangerous?

Lampades had witnessed Carisia’s personal abilities in Elysion, but he didn’t underestimate Orthes’s cunning either.

No matter how he compared Carisia and Orthes, it wasn’t easy to reach a conclusion. Given Orthes’s apparent closeness to Carisia, perhaps Carisia’s mind was a step ahead of Orthes’s…

‘Do I have to meet him?’

Lampades steeled himself.

He mentioned bringing a gift.

Though it might be a bit undignified, in a dire situation, one could always find fault with the gift and send him away.

But Lampades knew that the future of Astraphe and the entire tower was more important than his personal dignity.

“This is the artifact I prepared as a gift. It dramatically increases the efficiency of mana-to-magic conversion, reducing energy loss to zero.”

“What?”

It was too precious a gift to refuse.

***

I could clearly see the confusion on Lampades’s face. Of course, it made sense.

This artifact defied common magical knowledge. Normally, you can reduce energy loss during mana-to-magic conversion, but you can’t eliminate it entirely.

‘Well, it’s only natural, considering it’s an item imbued with the wisdom of the Ten Commandments.’

I recalled the Ten Towers that managed to take down the Mage King, who would’ve treated even this absurd artifact as nothing more than a byproduct of his wisdom. How did they manage it?

Considering that the ten tower masters were each aligned with a Commandment to assist their rituals, it made sense if you think they ambushed and defeated the Mage King with the buff from the Ten Commandments.

“What on earth is this…”

I heard Lampades’s voice, tinged with suspicion. Naturally, it was hard to believe its capabilities just from words.

“Of course, to fully unlock its true power, the wearer’s abilities must support it. Try channeling your magic into it.”

Lampades cautiously held the orb in his right hand and infused it with his magic. First, the Silver Thread that wrapped the orb slowly unwound and coiled around his arm. It looked like a wireframe glove.

Then the golden orb melted. The gold filled the gaps between the silver framework. Finally, a splendid gauntlet of gold and silver wrapped around Lampades’s right forearm.

The roar of thunder echoed from his grasp. Lampades must have been feeling an unprecedented sense of powerful mana control. This was the result of Carisia’s refinement of the Silver Thread’s mana-accumulating properties.

As Lampades raised his arm, a vortex of magic began to swirl around it. The vast mana reserves that filled the room of the tower master were instantly absorbed into Lampades.

“It’s exactly as you said…”

When he retracted the magic from the gauntlet, it reverted to its orb form.

“It’s called the Thunder Orb.”

“How did you make… I mean, how did you obtain something like this?”

That was a tough question. I habitually stroked my chin.

“Heh heh. I acquired it through rather secretive means, but I can tell you, Lampades.”

“If that’s the case, then you don’t have to—”

“Haha. What’s the point of being friends if I can’t share a secret? Just keep it to yourself.”

***

Lampades regretted his rashness and greed. No matter how precious that Thunder Orb was, finding another with the same capabilities…

‘Would be impossible.’

His rational mind as a mage blocked out any unreasonable assumptions. Lampades forced hisself to look away from the Thunder Orb.

“This was excavated from Crete Island. Well, technically, it’s a processed artifact.”

“Crete?”

That name sounds familiar… And recent…

“From the Torres Tower?!”

“Shh. Shh. Remember, it’s a secret?”

Lampades trembled with fear. The final relic of a tower that had been condemned to destruction due to its alliance with Argyrion. How could such a thing end up in Orthes’s hands?

The theory he had considered after the Elysion terror incident—where he wondered if even Argyrion was merely a decoy to conceal Hydra Corporation—resurfaced once again.

“Why would you give us something like that…?”

“Haha. Don’t worry. It’s a valuable artifact, yes, but is it more valuable than friendship or the future of a talented mage?”

“No. No, our tower has nothing to offer in return.”

Lampades desperately tried to refuse the artifact. The artifact’s abilities were tremendous, but the dangers it posed were equally fatal.

The moment Lampades accepted the Thunder Orb, he could be accused of collusion with Argyrion and the Torres Tower at any time.

Even though he hadn’t guessed the origin of the artifact, others might not realize that the Thunder Orb had been excavated from the ruins of the Torres Tower.

Except for the person who gave it as a gift, Orthes.

By “gifting” this item, Orthes would hold the detonator of a bomb that could obliterate the Lampades Tower.

“What are you saying? It’s just a gift. Don’t

you think this artifact would suit Astraphe perfectly?”

“Perhaps something else…”

It had to be stopped. It had to be refused. Lampades was about to say something, but Orthes was quicker.

“Oh, come on now. No payment or negotiation is needed. They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but this really is a gift with no strings attached.”

All you have to do is accept it.

Lampades slowly lifted his head.

The faceless Orthes was still smiling.

______________

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