Ch.123Neither Truth Nor Greater Good (4)

Sprigo did not seek expansion solely through his own power. While the silver soldiers, Drachma, that he brought along were useful as mass-produced troops, the now-gigantic Sprigo saw a different way to utilize them.

Drachma was filled with extradimensional magical power. As a master of plant magic, Sprigo could naturally absorb the extradimensional power contained within the Drachma.

At the same time, Sprigo was also the commander of the Drachma. He repositioned all Drachma throughout Algoth City to locations where he could easily absorb them.

During this process, the mages of Amimone Tower, who had been caught in a stalemate, were finally able to catch their breath. They suspected some connection between the giant tree that had sprouted in the center of the city and the Drachma’s retreat, but they couldn’t move carelessly.

This was because all communications had been cut off almost simultaneously with the explosive growth of the silver giant tree. In this ominous silence, the surviving mages of Amimone focused on their immediate survival.

At the root of this silence was Ortes.

***

Sprigo’s expansion was endless. Perhaps thinking it would be dangerous to be detected if he expanded in the area I was watching, he was continuously expanding underwater by using roots that extended beneath Algoth City to devour the silver worm subspecies.

I was waiting for Sprigo to consume all the silver worm subspecies. If by chance there were any forces left reserved for communication with Arguirion Headquarters, my future plans would face massive and beautiful problems.

‘No. I should consider that problems have already arisen.’

That Haltos fellow—I don’t know what grudge he has against me, but he immediately points to me as the culprit whenever something strange happens.

Sprigo has now consumed all the Drachma. This means I only need to focus on Sprigo alone, without having to strain myself to keep an eye on multiple locations.

I quickly reached into my pocket and grabbed the container with the bubbles. Sprigo reacted swiftly.

“Gorgoph! Stop the enemy!”

I could see magical power concentrating in each stem of the tree. It was likely gathering the enormous magical power flowing from the roots to project a message with enough power to surpass a storm.

Despite his depleted magical power and injuries, Gorgoph attacked without hesitation. However, it was unfortunate.

Before he could imbue his body with poison properties or transform the ground beneath my feet into a swamp, I already had a bubble wand in my hand.

Whoo.

Bubbles formed with my breath. Through the bubbles floating toward the sky, I could see Gorgoph’s face grotesquely distorted.

That’s just what was visible to the naked eye. My eyes could see not just physical characteristics but information accumulated in the existence itself.

I remove what is unnecessary. What I need to erase is not Algoth City or Amimone Tower. Given that the tower’s magical core is connected to the Ten Realms, it’s questionable whether I could have erased it smoothly anyway, and Amimone Tower must fall into Knemon’s hands.

Therefore, the information visible to my eyes was limited to the physical entity comprising Sprigo and the approaching Gorgoph.

Gorgoph’s expression reflected his confusion. In this situation? That thing?

Several types of magic were already explosively erupting from the traitor’s grasp. Normally, mages primarily hone a few attributes they have talent in, but by using enchantware or magic inscription devices, they can temporarily bypass those limitations.

The first thing Gorgoph fired was lightning, the epitome of offensive magic attributes. Once that initial shot hit, numerous spells would follow in succession along the traces of magical power. It was a clever choice.

But it was too slow.

The lightning magic, which should have hit at the speed of light upon firing, was fortunately delayed by the magical absorption phenomenon of Sprigo, who had transformed into a giant tree.

An effect that even Sprigo himself hadn’t anticipated. This was natural. The magical absorption phenomenon wasn’t a spell that Sprigo had intentionally constructed, but rather a kind of racial characteristic that came with transforming his body into a gigantic tree.

Just as ordinary plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, trees infected by extradimensional forces absorb magical power and return it transformed into extradimensional magic.

It’s as natural as breathing for humans. Part of the magical power charged within the enchantware was drawn by Sprigo’s gravity, reducing the completeness of the spell. It was extra time granted to me.

Each trace of magical power flowing through the structure of Gorgoph’s prepared spell was projected into the bubble.

I had seen everything I needed.

I raised my finger.

Pop.

***

Danao opened his eyes. The sky was still shining with chaotic colors, but the silver spire-like mage who had divided his field of vision was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, only the self-proclaimed “agent” with bright blue eyes stood before him.

“You…”

“Rest assured. Amimone Tower is safe.”

“What?”

“The mages who rushed out to follow you in pursuit of Arguirion. They didn’t die. The tower’s capabilities remain intact.”

Danao couldn’t sense any emotion in the man’s words. No mockery, no deception—just indifference.

‘Whatever reason he has for keeping me alive…’

If he wanted to live, he had to struggle as much as possible.

“Do you have some use for me?”

“No.”

The answer was calm. But to Danao, it was the cruelest sentence possible.

“Then why bother keeping me alive?” Danao’s gaze swept around. Somehow, neither the now-gigantic Arguirion executive nor the tower’s traitor was anywhere to be seen.

“Because I must keep my promise. Please listen to me for a moment.”

Click. The agent took something out from inside his clothes. It was the “sacred artifact” he had said he would use to lure Arguirion.

“Actually, this artifact has already been used once. Not as bait, but for its original function.”

“What?”

“This is Hestia’s Lamp.”

Slowly, the smiling man began to explain what he had done while remaining at Amimone Tower.

***

Hestia’s Lamp isn’t very useful in combat. It simply grants peaceful sleep to people who doze off while basking in its light.

Hmm, I thought you might pay close attention to that part.

Yes, it’s an item used on “people.” I researched various ways to use it since it grants peaceful sleep.

People interpret “peacefulness” differently. For some, a deep, dreamless sleep might be peaceful, while for others, peaceful sleep might mean waking up refreshed after dreaming of good old times.

The standard for peaceful sleep according to this artifact is determined by its user.

When you and Gorgoph began to converse in earnest with Sprigo, I knocked out everyone gathered in the tower master’s chamber and damaged the magical core’s communication relay function.

Then I lit the lamp.

Yes, even if they were unconscious when the light was lit, the condition of “falling asleep while basking in the light” was still met.

I showed them a dream.

In the dream, after being knocked unconscious by me, they woke up tied up, and a communication was being broadcast through the magical core revealing that both you, Danao, and Gorgoph were Arguirion’s moles.

In the dream, I revealed myself as a Blasphemia agent and declared that this blasphemous conspiracy had ended.

The dream would have ended with the bound traitors losing consciousness again.

***

Danao muttered in confusion.

“You… why…?”

His first question was that whatever the man intended, his method was unnecessarily convoluted. Whether he wanted to kill him or spare him, acting directly would have achieved his goal much faster than manipulating things from behind the scenes like this.

Yet this man had deliberately implanted the false idea that he was Arguirion’s mole into the actual moles.

The answer flowed out as smoothly as a teacher responding to a student’s question in class.

“My goal is not to kill you. It’s to transfer your position to someone else. Therefore, you cannot simply die in battle. I needed to create a situation where Danao would be fundamentally disqualified as tower master.”

“So, you’re making me out to be Arguirion’s mole?”

“Yes. Your qualification as tower master will be completely revoked, and the position will go to one of the ideologically pure members among Amimone Tower’s numerous factions.”

“Ha. Haha…”

Ha—hahahaha! Danao burst into maniacal laughter. The position of tower master, which he had tried to protect until the end, would now be lost forever.

“One… no, let me ask two questions.”

Once he resigned himself to everything, his hesitation disappeared. Seeing the man before him nod, Danao asked:

“Who will succeed me?”

“Knemon.”

“…Who?”

“The last direct descendant of Tabning Tower, which you destroyed with your own hands long ago. This is his revenge.”

It was a faint memory for Danao. He had destroyed countless towers.

“A friend of mine once said at a drinking party that he wanted to recite to you, one by one, how he destroyed your tower just as you did, while carving his name into your memory.”

This was exactly that situation.

“I came to fulfill that request.”

Danao laughed quietly and asked his final question.

“A name, you say. Yes. Your name.”

It was because of that “name” that he suddenly realized everything was going wrong.

“What is your name?”

“How many characters would you like me to answer with?”

“All of them, starting with the shortest.”

“If it’s a three-character name, then I am Outis—”

No one, no one at all.

What an absurd name.

The irony created by a name meaning “no one”—that was the last emotion Danao felt.