Ch.149Internal Crackdown (1)

Upon returning to Etna City, Ortes first sought out Lampades.

“I heard about the situation in Algoth City. Seems like it was quite a fierce battle.”

Lampades maintained a calm expression while observing Ortes’s reaction. Knemon, who was in a similar predicament, had informed him about the series of events in Algoth City.

What shocked Lampades was Argyrion’s betrayal. To plot such a scheme against Ortes, and to succeed at it.

According to the circumstances, the corrupted entity from Amimoné Tower, which Argyrion had prepared to confront Ortes, had also vanished in an instant.

Lampades had heard from Knemon about the ‘Erasure Bubble’ and how Ortes had easily abandoned him. It wasn’t difficult to deduce that the ‘great explosion’ that eliminated the corrupted entity was caused by some means Ortes had created to replace the bubble.

Lampades felt as if his lips were drying up. While Ortes and Carisia were away, their subordinate directors carried out orders like machines.

One thing was certain, though: the directors’ work had become several times more efficient after receiving the ‘radar’ provided by Lampades.

Terrible screams could be heard until dawn from one director’s office. What kind of terrifying research was being conducted in that office, whose occupant had a spider-like impression, was unknown.

Lampades derived hypotheses from several facts.

Fact one: The radar provided by Lampades dramatically increased the search efficiency for something essential to Ortes’s plan.

Fact two: The directors, under Ortes’s orders, used the improved radar to secure that ‘something’ more than necessary.

Fact three: Ortes completely eliminated Argyrion’s secret weapon through some means.

Fact four: The existence of such special means was a secret even to the directors. If there was an exception…

Kaicle.

Lampades had met Kaicle, who called himself a low-level employee, several more times after their accidental (as he claimed) encounter in the president’s office.

It was to request that the radar be calibrated for a specific purpose.

After news of the corrupted entity’s appearance and the great explosion in Algoth City was transmitted through the ether network, Hydra Company was engulfed in an uneasy atmosphere. This was because Ortes and Carisia’s survival had not been confirmed.

Even amid this, Kaicle calmly approached Lampades to request performance improvements.

From this comes the hypothesis:

The great explosion Ortes used in Algoth City was created using some resource that could be located through the radar.

That resource was extremely rare, but thanks to Lampades’s radar, they were finally able to secure surplus amounts.

Lampades recalled old legends. Ghastly tales of how researchers mercilessly purged their subordinates to keep the secrets of arcane magic.

‘If Ortes wants to silence me to maintain secrecy…’

The radar theory he had established had no room for further development at this point. In other words, he was a component that could be disposed of.

But Astrapé, the central axis operating the radar, was different. Without her, the performance of the search formula would dramatically decrease. The same applied to the regular mages of Lampades Tower who worked in harmony with Astrapé.

Preparing arguments to save Astrapé and the other tower members, Lampades anxiously waited for Ortes’s words.

“Mr. Lampades. What do you think about the Ten Towers?”

‘So it’s this question after all…’

From the time he recruited the apocalyptist Knemon, Ortes seemed genuinely intent on burning the world.

“Ah. I’m not asking about your stance on the system, but about their combat power.”

“…If it’s just one member of the Ten Towers, there might be a possibility of defeating them. But is there any group that could defeat all ten towers?”

Hearing that answer, Ortes slowly nodded.

“I understand you’ve had many conversations with Mr. Knemon.”

Flinch. Lampades’s body stiffened.

“As you suspect, Mr. Knemon’s and our goals are partly the same. So I’m telling you this.”

Whether the next words would be a notification or persuasion, Lampades’s tension heightened.

“How about returning to your tower at this point?”

“What?”

It was an unexpected question. It wasn’t about handing over everything he had, nor was it revealing his true colors by asking him to join.

“You see, Mr. Knemon has been… ideologically radical since his troubleshooter days, hasn’t he?”

“…He has.”

“That’s why Mr. Knemon and I could join hands. But your goals are different. The conflict between Hydra Company and the Ten Towers is a foregone conclusion.”

“If Hydra Company fights the Ten Towers, won’t our tower also be eliminated as an accomplice?”

“I’ve made preparations to prevent that. If things go as I expect, the Ten Towers will lack even the resources to purge Mr. Lampades’s tower. Each tower will feel precious, so they’re likely to bury the charges.”

‘The Ten Towers, with their Ten Realms as an inexhaustible source of magical power, lacking resources? What on earth is he planning to do?’

After gathering his thoughts, Lampades spoke.

“I have a few questions.”

“By all means.”

“Isn’t the supply of resources through the radar essential for that magic you used in Algoth City? Are you willing to give up such an advantage?”

“…I’m impressed. First, I should clarify that it wasn’t me who used that magic. Indeed, Mr. Lampades’s radar was an essential element in Hydra Company’s plan. However,”

Ortes shrugged.

“We’ve already secured enough for our plan. We also have many locations recorded that we couldn’t mine due to lack of manpower.”

A response indicating they had already secured sufficient quantities. It was chillingly nonchalant.

***

Hmm. This guy is smart too.

In fact, Lampades’s radar was a tool needed not for creating magic bombs but for producing artificial Ten Realms, though magic bombs were a byproduct of creating the Ten Realms.

While there were many omissions in between, he had essentially guessed correctly.

“Then my second question. Does ‘enough quantity’ include the amount that would be consumed in response to Argyrion?”

“We’ll try to avoid conflict with them as much as possible. Even if Hydra Company doesn’t step in, the Ten Towers will try to eliminate them.”

Lampades fell into thought. At first, I had considered recruiting Lampades, but it seemed like too heavy a burden for this friend, so I gave up.

Unless the entire Lampades Tower relocated to Etna City, I couldn’t protect all the mages under Lampades. If we engaged in all-out war with the Ten Towers, they would immediately rush to destroy the tower, and it would be wrong to ask a friend to give up his dream.

It was also a precaution in case Astrapé came into contact with the Archmage. I understood Kiné’s thinking after spending a long time together, but I wasn’t confident about Astrapé, whom I had only met a few times.

“Using the enemy against the enemy. Effective. Then my last question.”

“Oh? If you’re curious about anything, feel free to ask.”

“Don’t you usually only fight battles you can win? Are you not confident in victory against the Ten Towers?”

Lampades hit my weak spot.

***

“It’s different from your troubleshooter days or usual behavior. You moved with confidence in your plans. But…”

“Part of it is because the opponent is the Ten Towers. But that’s not all.”

“Not all?”

“It’s difficult to explain properly, but the final opponent we must face might be beyond my expectations… No. There’s a high possibility that my expectations themselves are meaningless against such an entity. Lampades Tower is, so to speak, an insurance policy.”

“You want to make it appear as if it has no connection to Hydra Company on the surface, to use as a channel for someone to seek asylum if necessary?”

Ortes nodded. Lampades found it hard to believe what Ortes had said. That Ortes could be an incomprehensible entity.

Perhaps only the gods of ancient legends were like that. Lampades found it strange that Ortes would consider defeat.

But it was a welcome situation. Keeping each other’s secrets and returning home with the tower’s forces intact. There was no reason to refuse.

“I’m going back on my word about this being the last question, but let me ask one more. Is your anxiety related to Argyrion?”

Ortes gave a bitter smile. An unexpected show of humanity.

“Argyrion, huh. It’s similar. Or rather, it’s about the entity behind them.”

***

After finishing my conversation with Lampades, I headed to Carisia. Now that I had concluded with the external contractor, it was time to decide how to treat the people within the company.

“No one in the company properly knows our plan right now, correct?”

“Kiné and Knemon are in the midst of reconstruction work in Algoth City. No one should know about the plan to create artificial Ten Realms and engage in all-out war with the Ten Towers.”

Carisia rubbed her temple. Now was the perfect time to make a clean sweep, as the conflict between the Ten Towers and Argyrion was about to intensify.

To enable Hydra Company’s employees to fully demonstrate their capabilities, the truth would have to be revealed.

“But you know,”

“Yes?”

“If we’re going to fight the Ten Towers, is there really a need to reveal the truth?”

“…Pardon?”