Ch.150Internal Crackdown (2)

Carisia’s opinion was simple.

“You said the problem is that it’s difficult to justify why we need to fight the Ten Towers. Wouldn’t it be enough to prepare a convincing reason?”

In the current magical world, fighting against the Ten Towers immediately brought Arguirion to mind. I was about to voice the common-sense objection that our temple members didn’t aspire to become terrorists.

“The Succession Battle.”

“…Are you serious?”

A declaration to claim the name of the White Light for herself. Carisia harbored infinite hatred for the very existence of the Ten Artifacts’ White Light, so possessing it had never been a consideration for her.

“Of course, I have no intention of keeping the White Light. My resolve to destroy it remains firm. But listen.”

Couldn’t we use the pretext of claiming the White Light to our advantage?

Her tone was gentle, almost like a whisper.

“The board members would find it easier to accept that I want to possess the White Light rather than destroy it. Once I officially obtain ownership of the White Light, I could destroy it without anyone’s interference.”

And once the White Light was destroyed, Carisia would have no reason to maintain the Hydra Company. Even if the remaining nine towers declared her an enemy of the world, she could simply vanish without a trace.

“Using the Succession Battle as justification is quite persuasive. However, this creates a problem.”

“The Demon King.”

I nodded. If we destroyed the Ten Artifacts before the Demon King appeared, it would certainly create complications for his ascension attempt.

In the original story, the Demon King was reclaiming the authority of the Ten Artifacts to attempt ascension again. But whether the Nine Towers alone could defeat the Demon King remained uncertain.

‘Above all else…’

I’m concerned whether the original story accurately reflects the Demon King. In the original work, the Demon King was tyrannical and sometimes cunning, but still ultimately the “protagonist.”

There was no mention anywhere in the novel about him preparing a millennia-spanning plan to exterminate the Divine Light Order using mental parasites.

Actions unrecorded in the original story. A chilling obsession observable only from outside the novel.

‘Contextually, the mental parasites were likely sacrifices for the Demon King’s revival, so it’s not strange that his revival would be much later than in the original story now that the parasites are gone…’

The question was how many other means remained at his disposal.

Looking up suddenly, I found Carisia staring at my face.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Just continuing our previous discussion. The Demon King.”

***

Various thoughts swirled in Carisia’s mind. Something she had sensed since Ortes led her to Phoibos’s temple.

Ortes was unusually cautious about the Demon King.

According to his conjecture, even the mental parasites, which were essential elements for the Demon King’s revival, had been eliminated by Carisia’s magic bomb. Yet Ortes’s vigilance remained undiminished.

Despite having an early warning device for the Demon King’s revival made from Adusiam’s remains, he still seemed uneasy. There was a paradoxical conviction that without gathering the transcendental Ten Artifacts together, they couldn’t face the Demon King.

‘In that case…’

Let’s change our approach.

“Let’s postpone destroying the White Light.”

“Postpone?”

“Given the situation, let’s try to destroy all Ten Artifacts.”

“What?”

Clear bewilderment showed on Ortes’s face. Carisia spontaneously, yet confidently, formulated a new plan.

“Let’s assume we subdue one of the Ten Towers while keeping our artificial artifact intact. By simple calculation, we could then deploy the power of two artifacts to strike at another tower.”

And the power ratio would become increasingly overwhelming with each tower we defeated.

“Forgive my impertinence, but did you sleep properly last night, Director?”

“I’m saying this because you’re overthinking things. Anyway, hear me out.”

Though Ortes was pointing out the flawed scenario, he couldn’t dissuade Carisia, who maintained an attitude beyond composure to the point of shamelessness.

“And let’s assume the Demon King revives after we’ve claimed all Ten Artifacts.”

The Adusiam alarm signals the Demon King’s revival.

First, the White Light explodes.

Second, the Yellow Thunder explodes.

Third, fourth, fifth…

And so all ten artifacts detonate.

“If he’s still alive after that, we’ll detonate the artificial artifact too. Ta-da!”

Carisia spread her hands and smiled brightly. Watching her smile, Ortes couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

The truly absurd part was that even to Ortes, it seemed unlikely the Demon King could survive 11 consecutive artifact explosions.

“So you’re saying we should drive out all the Ten Towers to secure ammunition against the Demon King?”

“Yes. Simple, isn’t it?”

“A truly simple and definitive solution. Except for the fact that we’re not even sure if we can defeat a single tower right now.”

Ortes replied with a smirk. Assuming that someone who came up with such a preposterous plan must have some hidden strategy.

But Carisia shook her head.

“Figuring out how to realize this goal is your job, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know my original plan was just the modest idea of destroying the White Light, right?”

It was questionable whether overthrowing the highest ruling class of magical society could be described as “modest.” Normally, Ortes would have complained about his boss’s tyranny in presenting an unreasonable goal and then delegating all the detailed planning to him.

But today was different. Upon hearing that bizarre plan, he felt relief instead.

The conviction that ‘even the Demon King would die if hit by that.’

It was the most appropriate comfort now that his identity had been exposed to Arguirion and he sensed the Demon King’s shadow looming behind them.

“Since the boss changed the company’s goal to suit the employee, I believe you’ll figure out how to achieve it.”

Ortes’s passion began to ignite, now with a lighter burden. Quite enjoyably so.

“The idea of a Succession Battle is very useful. Let’s start from there.”

***

Question: Defeat the Demon King.

Answer: 11 consecutive artifact bombs.

A truly simple principle. If 10 artifacts together defeated the Demon King, wouldn’t 11 make it even easier?

Carisia’s reckless calculation was usually troublesome, but today was different. Setting aside everything else, let’s think about securing the Ten Artifacts.

“The Ten Towers will embark on an expedition against Arguirion. Since Arguirion has continuously challenged the magical system—”

“Weren’t most of those things done by you, not Arguirion?”

“That’s not what matters. What’s important is that the Ten Towers believe Arguirion did it.”

Gently setting aside the truth Carisia had pointed out, I continued my explanation.

Even the Ten Towers would feel burdened by an expedition against Arguirion’s main base lurking somewhere in another dimension.

To prepare for spatial movement completely free from extra-dimensional contamination, they would need to use the magic stored in the Ten Artifacts. While the magic stored in the artifacts might be limitless, the individual mages handling them have limitations.

“When the powerful mages, including the elders of the Ten Towers, leave for the Arguirion expedition, it will shake the magical society.”

“In what way?”

“The Succession Battle. The elders who have handled the Ten Artifacts for a long time will be absent, right? Given the current atmosphere in magical society, no one dares to attempt it, but when the Ten Towers leave for the Arguirion expedition, that would be the most suitable time for a Succession Battle.”

Until now, my instigation has occurred between groups that were enemies from the start—Arguirion and the Ten Towers, the Ten Towers and the Divine Light Order, Blasphemia and Argos.

Now it’s time to move to bigger waters.

The time has come for a grand deception targeting the entire magical society.

“How do you plan to determine when the Ten Towers will depart?”

“We can use Kine, who received a scout offer from the Black Magic Tower, to obtain information from inside the Ten Towers. Even as a newcomer, she would inevitably notice if several elders were absent at once.”

…No. Relying on just one method could lead to disaster.

“Lampades’s radar. Extra-dimensional expeditions inevitably create massive ripples that can be observed. If we constantly monitor other dimensions, like Eidolorn does, we can pinpoint the departure time.”

“We could also divert information from Blasphemia. If Niobe contacts me out of trust, we can receive internal information from her.”

“Of course, the most hopeful scenario is if the Ten Towers themselves announce their departure time. Given how Arguirion has continuously undermined their authority, they might hold a grand departure ceremony to display their power. In that case, we’d automatically know the perfect time to incite the magical society.”

Perhaps because my mind feels lighter, ideas flow endlessly. Carisia nodded and asked:

“And then?”

“We incite the other towers. The destruction of Arguirion is a foregone conclusion, so we suggest holding the Succession Battle to claim the Ten Artifacts before the elders return.”

Until now, the Ten Towers have solidified their system through their military might. In these times, with dissidents like Arguirion standing out, they’ve wielded fear even more strongly.

Edicts like artifact control or immediate execution orders for suspected Arguirion sympathizers inevitably provoked resistance. Until now, people have been suppressed by the Ten Towers’ power.

But what if the Ten Towers’ “power” is away on an expedition against Arguirion?

“They’ll regret relying solely on force for internal control.”

At some point, dividing the world into three powers became mundane. How could the entire world be divided into just three?

Why limit possibilities?

Now, it’s time for the era of complete world fragmentation.