Ch.100Unexpected Visit (5)

“What do you mean?”

“It means that if you distinguish yourself somewhere other than here, depending on the situation, we might consider accepting you as a disciple of the Tower.”

“So there’s another way besides the orthodox elite course through Mouseion?”

“The Ten Towers have their limitations too. Not in the magical abilities of the Tower Lords, but in the processing capacity of the Towers as a whole. The Ten Towers are already very busy, and I intend to make them even busier.”

‘Is Ortes already thinking of other ways to utilize me? Is building a relationship with Astrape part of that plan?’

Seeing Kine’s contemplative expression, I shrugged. In truth, from my perspective, building relationships with both Kine and Astrape meant recruiting allies of the Magic King in advance, rather than just weakening the Ten Towers.

I couldn’t tell them that directly, so I just gave them plausible-sounding reasons. If Kine seizes Spartoi and shouts “I have control!” like in the original work, that would be good for me.

But that’s just a bonus. My plan is essentially accomplished just by keeping them from working alongside the Magic King.

It would be nice if they could enter the Ten Towers and send me inside information, but is that really as easy as it sounds?

The methods to enter the Ten Towers without a Mouseion diploma are limited. Either accumulate years of service at Panoptes and get promoted…

Or achieve magical accomplishments impressive enough to catch the Ten Towers’ attention, publish a special invention or a paradigm-shifting academic paper…

Or perhaps accomplish some combat feat like resolving an extra-dimensional contamination zone. In the current situation, even solo subjugation of an Argyrion executive might work.

But these kinds of achievements are too difficult for a child to accomplish. I should be satisfied just with them not attacking Hydra Company from the Magic King’s side.

I handed Kine an employee welfare ice cream to ease his complicated thoughts and stepped outside. Since I’ve assigned the task to Lampades, we should be able to find Knemon within one to three months.

‘What I need to do now is…’

Modify the extra-dimensional radar Lampades brought to turn it into a sacred relic detection device for divine investigations.

I’ve assigned this to old man Bertrand and Geryones, who doesn’t have much work these days.

Actually use the sacred relic detector for divine investigations.

…The timing isn’t good. With the Ten Towers watching closely, now is not an appropriate time to actively engage in divine investigations.

Do I really have to just sit around doing nothing until we find Knemon?

Can I really do nothing?

***

Ortes felt bored by the fact that he had nothing to do. Though he would never admit it.

That’s why he found himself thoroughly reading through the work records of Hydra Company’s Ether Space.

“I really have nothing to do…”

Ortes muttered bitterly. To think that I have nothing to do inside the company.

Must I waste these few months until meeting Knemon like this?

‘No, it’s not a waste. I need to be on standby in case Blasphemia or the Divine Name Order requests cooperation.’

Then, a flash of inspiration struck Ortes’s mind.

‘Divine Name Order? Blasphemia?’

…External partner organizations!

‘I have nothing to do within Hydra Company, right?’

I was thinking about it all wrong.

‘My identity is quite diverse.’

Ortes himself was involved with at least three organizations: Hydra Company, the Divine Name Order, and Blasphemia.

Although Hydra Company—or more precisely, Carisia—was the only organization he pledged loyalty to, there was no rule against taking work from other organizations!

Performing various “external tasks” to benefit Hydra Company. Ortes devised creative disruption plans he could execute with his L13 status.

“Blasphemia already tasked me with finding Argyrion spies within Argos.”

Although he hadn’t had the chance to use it since Argyrion first spread propaganda and fabrications about magic towers supporting them on the Ether Space, Ortes still had the list of suspected spies within Argos that he received from Salmoshia, the audit director of Blasphemia.

It was a potential bombshell, especially now that Argos and Blasphemia were operating together under the name Panoptes.

Ortes smiled quietly.

‘Right. I shouldn’t rely solely on my friend’s abilities. It’s only proper to create an environment where I can focus on work before Knemon arrives.’

There were people who witnessed his deepening smile.

Junior employees from the board of directors’ organization who were dispatched to handle administrative work at Hydra Company.

They couldn’t dare defy the Divine Investigation Director who had suddenly barged into the office asking to see work records.

In a dark room, Ortes smiling with his eyes while displaying some unknown hologram footage was…

No matter how positively one tried to view it, it was just eerie and frightening.

The employees shuddered at the untimely ill omen.

‘A month should be enough time to lay the groundwork.’

Before Knemon arrives, divert Panoptes’ attention elsewhere to create an environment conducive to reclaiming sacred relics.

And when Knemon arrives, use the information he has to steal—no, reclaim—the ancient sacred relics.

Ortes smiled as he began searching through each person on the list he had received from Salmoshia.

***

Lampades moved quickly.

‘The official schedule only includes the demonstration of the extra-dimensional radar.’

Rest on the first day due to travel fatigue. Technology demonstration and prototype supply on the second day.

After that, he would stay only to repair any errors that occurred while using the product.

And if it was just repairs, other magicians from the magic tower could handle it sufficiently, not necessarily Lampades himself.

Lampades fully trusted his people’s abilities and focused on tracking Knemon.

He needed to find Knemon within the next ten days to ensure the safety of the magic tower.

Though his mind was complicated, Lampades tried not to lose his composure. He had told his people at the magic tower that he would be away for a few days on business, so they wouldn’t worry too much.

‘I discreetly asked my contacts from my problem-solver days, but there’s no active problem-solver matching Knemon’s description. He must have either changed his face or quit being a problem-solver.’

He most likely quit being a problem-solver. He would have gone into hiding to avoid Ortes.

‘It’s too risky to continue as a problem-solver with a changed face, relying only on the saying “it’s darkest under the lamp.” Especially since he seems to be at odds with Ortes. I should start tracking from his hometown…’

***

“By the way, Ortes. How many friends have you not introduced to me?”

This conversation followed after Ortes mentioned that “a new friend would be helpful for Hydra Company’s business.” After Lampades, who developed the extra-dimensional explorer, now another friend would help with his objectives.

What kind of friends did he have that such impossible coincidences kept occurring?

‘Are they really friends…?’

Carisia recalled how Lampades, whom Ortes had called a “friend,” had actually behaved like a lead antelope before a lion—fearful and terrified but willing to sacrifice himself to protect his herd.

“Haha. I don’t have a particularly wide circle of friends. Including Lampades, there are about three.”

“Lampades is a magic tower lord, and the other two?”

“The one who might help with our current situation is Knemon. He was like a revolutionary dreaming of social reform.”

“A revolutionary.”

Carisia could imagine several ominous possibilities from that short word. Come to think of it, wasn’t she herself opposed to the Ten Towers system?

Going further, beyond reform, there were doomsday believers who thought the world needed to collapse first. Carisia trusted many aspects of Ortes, but not his interpersonal relationships.

Her hand was naturally massaging her temple.

“I was too busy making ends meet to join him in changing the world, so I treated him rather coldly. I plan to apologize when I see him again.”

If Lampades, who was supposedly just a friend to Ortes, behaved that way, how would Knemon, whom Ortes had “treated coldly,” react upon reuniting with him?

Reading Carisia’s doubtful expression, Ortes waved his hands and added:

“Unlike with Lampades, I didn’t tell him he could visit anytime… but he won’t mistreat me if I contact him.”

The meeting with Lampades gave Ortes one inspiration.

‘There aren’t many trustworthy people among problem-solvers or mercenaries, but I can trust the character of my friends!’

How many magicians would risk themselves to save a newcomer to a magic tower, even for calculated reasons? Ortes realized his judgment of friends had been accurate.

‘He had quite a good personality too. He would certainly refuse to fight against the Ten Towers, but he might accept a simple task like finding relics.’

***

“Y-You faceless messenger of Ortes!!”

Knemon exclaimed in shock.

Lampades’s face crumpled at the outrageous accusation.