Ch.147Intermission (1)

Niobe was barely alive. It was because Carisia’s prepared explosion had been concentrated solely on the space where the Amimone Tower had stood.

However, even though she hadn’t taken a direct hit, she had been within the influence of transcendental heat. As a result of staying at the frontline of Amimone Tower to draw the attention of the mental parasite, Niobe couldn’t completely escape the explosion when the grand magic activated.

After the battle ended, it was Ortes who excavated Niobe from the buried debris. It was an action based on Carisia’s advice.

‘Look near the debris since she was confronting the mental parasite until the last moment.’ And one request.

“Are you alright?”

“Senior…”

Grinning. Niobe suddenly smiled.

“That artifact was quite intense.”

“Uh…”

Niobe seemed to regard Carisia’s “magic” as some ancient artifact that Ortes had prepared. As the person who witnessed Carisia up close, there was concern she might notice her true identity, but fortunately, it was needless worry.

“You were lucky. I overloaded the opponent’s spatial magic, causing it to self-destruct. As for you getting caught up in it—”

Niobe shook her head. It was an expression that there was no need to apologize. Her trust was deeper than expected. Ortes recalled Carisia’s request.

Rather than simply hiding the truth and using her as a collaborator, what about assigning her the role of a catalyst to create friendly forces for Hydra Company within Blasphemia? It was a dangerous gamble.

“Senior. Do you think I was worthy of my position?”

Ortes nodded. From the inexperienced rookie who first fell for Ortes’s deception until now, Niobe’s growth had been remarkable.

Conversely, if someone this capable turned against them, it would be extremely dangerous. After deliberating until the end, Ortes decided to trust Carisia’s judgment.

“Yes. Niobe, you did excellently. Your decision to evacuate your subordinate troops first and remain at the frontline until the end to buy time was exemplary.”

Niobe murmured in a small voice, “That’s a relief then,” and smiled shyly. Ortes waited for the right moment to continue.

“However…”

“Hm?”

“I’m not sure if this organization is worthy of you.”

“Senior?”

Confusion filled Niobe’s expression. Ortes carefully chose his words. How much of a line should he walk to maintain a cooperative relationship? How far would Niobe’s trust extend?

“There must be constant questions within Blasphemia. Why so many people are recruited by Arguirion.”

“That’s—”

“It was something that couldn’t be fully explained by simple ambition or desire for wealth and glory. Having fought against Arguirion more than anyone, I’ve come to somewhat guess the means they use to persuade other mages.”

This wasn’t a lie. Considering the cooperation between Nastion and the mental parasite, it was clear that the Demon King’s influence had reached the unconscious minds of those behind Arguirion, or at least their unconscious.

The recruitment method that Ortes half-jokingly, half-seriously called a “hypnosis app.” If the Demon King was involved, there was only one “truth” that could fundamentally shake the thinking of mages.

‘It must be the origin of the Ten Towers.’

The truth that the Demon King’s foremost disciples betrayed him. The shame of hiding it for thousands of years. They must have persuaded other mages with the cause of serving the Demon King.

“What are you saying right now?”

“My thoughts on Arguirion remain unchanged. They are clearly dangerous elements enthralled by another dimension. But our organization…”

“Senior. Any further—”

Would make you a traitor. Niobe was trying to stop Ortes with her eyes.

“It might have more terrible secrets than we think.”

Niobe’s mind was filled with confusion. Her expression was half bewildered, half tearful. Ortes played his final gambit.

“…You may report this thought to the higher-ups. I won’t do anything. If you make up your mind, please contact Hydra Company.”

Ortes handed Niobe over to another member of Blasphemia. Niobe agonized in deep confusion.

***

Knemon thought.

‘Those damn Arguirion bastards…’

The Amimone Tower, which would have been in his hands if he had taken just one more step, had evaporated.

However, the plan hadn’t failed. Knemon himself had recorded the highest score in the final selection, and it was Kine, who was officially registered as a member of the Tabning School, who had delivered a fatal counterattack against Arguirion when they raided the Tower Master selection site.

Recognized for the achievement of repelling the executive named Nastion—a title Ortes had informed him of—under Kine’s direct command as a demonstration of the Tabning School’s capability, Knemon became the Tower Master of Amimone Tower.

It was an ironic situation where only the branch remained while all the main tower facilities had been blown away.

“It’s truly regrettable. Things turned out this way because of Arguirion.”

Ortes’s consolation continued in a quite gloomy voice. Although it was natural for Knemon to feel regret, he couldn’t blame Ortes for this.

“Ha. Who would have known? That those Arguirion bastards would act so viciously as to vaporize a tower. It’s certainly shortsighted considering the retaliation from the Ten Towers that will follow, but effective for demonstrating power.”

“…Arguirion! It’s all because of those fellows’ wrong choices!”

Ortes was unusually passionate in denouncing Arguirion. Knemon recalled Lampades’s conjecture that “Ortes is using Arguirion as a smokescreen for Hydra Company.”

‘I see. Perhaps Arguirion noticed Ortes’s plan and bared their teeth first. The situation has become complicated.’

According to what he heard from Lampades, Ortes was preparing a plan to overturn the world while cleverly avoiding the attention of the Ten Towers by using Arguirion. The structure at that time was simple: Hydra Company hidden under the wrapper of Arguirion, and the confrontation with the Ten Towers.

However, after the incident in Algoth City, Arguirion completely declared their separation from Ortes.

‘Now the situation has become a three-way battle…!’

But Hydra Company would be in a more advantageous position. The Divine Light Order, known to be on Arguirion’s side, was actually a collaborator of Ortes personally, not Arguirion.

If Ortes and Arguirion split, they would side with Ortes. The attackers from Arguirion tried to eliminate the Order first because they knew this and wanted to remove Ortes’s limbs in advance.

‘But thanks to Kine’s counterattack, the accusation of being cult followers was returned to Arguirion…’

In reality, the Order was on Ortes’s side, but their accusations were entirely transferred to Arguirion. It was truly a terrifying scheme.

Having grasped the situation, Knemon nodded toward Ortes, who was still denouncing Arguirion.

“There’s no need to worry about it. Come to think of it, you’ve fulfilled my first request.”

“Your first request? Ah.”

Knemon had originally wanted the annihilation of Amimone Tower as compensation. The current situation, where not even a single brick of the tower remained, was a perfect realization beyond what he had desired.

“At the same time, I’ve become the Tower Master, even if in name only. Both plans have succeeded halfway, I suppose.”

Knemon felt somewhat satisfied with the current situation where two half-successes overlapped. It was evidence that Ortes’s plans didn’t always succeed perfectly.

Perhaps the world might not perish after all.

Because Ortes’s plans don’t all succeed, but only “halfway.” Perhaps only the rotten parts will be purified instead of burning the entire world.

The hope that the plan of annihilation prepared by the great evil might stop at an appropriate point. Knemon gained such hope.

‘Though I, who am serving this great evil, have no right to think this way.’

With a bitter smile, Knemon asked Ortes with a lighter heart.

“What will you do now?”

The fact that Kine, who played a decisive role in Knemon’s selection as Tower Master, was not originally from Tabning Tower but a kind of mercenary, was something anyone with proper intuition could notice.

And that the provider of such a mercenary was Hydra Company, the sponsor of the Tabning School. Already, Carisia was receiving an explosive number of inquiries about lending the “mercenary.”

Particularly highly valued was the ability to deal with Arguirion. Because of this, even Panoptes, and beyond them, the Ten Towers, were showing interest in Kine.

“For now, we’re all planning to return to Etna City. The situation has changed in many ways, so there’s much preparation to be done.”

‘I suppose so. It makes sense since the tool you trusted has betrayed you.’