Ch.66Negotiation (2)

I had confidently said I would recruit Lampades, but to change his mind, Carisia’s cooperation was essential.

The original gift had been contaminated with impurities, turning it into a dangerous substance. Cleaning up this mess required the abilities of an archmage.

Specifically, an archmage like the boss.

I placed the Thunder Orb—created by mixing lightning essence with silver thread and adding a few spoonfuls of my own effort—on the desk and rolled it toward Carisia.

Carisia caught it gently.

“A spirit compressed into the form of a tool. I’ve seen many processed spirits in forms like spirit intelligence or spirit poison, but this one is quite unique.”

Carisia slowly rotated the Thunder Orb in her hand, tilting her head slightly.

“But didn’t you say it was a talisman? This looks more like an orb.”

“Impurities entered during the manufacturing process. Originally, it was supposed to be completed as a pendant-type talisman… but it took on an unexpected form when combined with the silver thread worm, the source of the silver thread.”

Upon hearing the words “silver thread,” Carisia slowly infused magical power into the Thunder Orb. The orb greedily absorbed the power while simultaneously converting the surrounding mana into lightning attributes.

“The properties of silver thread truly remain. Good. Let’s process it to utilize those properties. I’ll leave all scheduling and negotiations with Lampades Tower to you.”

I bowed my head and headed out of the office. Carisia would surely handle the rest well.

***

Lampades Tower was receiving an unexpected visitor. Many people welcomed this foreigner.

“Do you know my mom?”

“Pardon?”

To be precise, they pretended to welcome him because Astrape, the youngest member of the tower, welcomed him.

“My mom. She lived in Etna City. She has blonde hair like me.”

Ortes broke into a cold sweat. What was this about? Children do say strange things, but do they normally ask strangers about their parents?

‘Lampades! Lampades!’

He mentally called out the name of both the tower and his friend. But Lampades, who was supposedly conducting experiments, had not yet come down.

Left with no choice, Ortes decided to use the most generic excuse.

“Haha. Actually, I haven’t been in Etna City for long. I’m still a newcomer, not even a year yet. I’m not really acquainted with the original residents.”

It was a perfect line for turning away suspicious strangers who approached asking for directions, claiming they were unfamiliar with the area because they had just moved.

Astrape tilted her head for a moment, then nodded a couple of times before leaving to continue her magic training. Ortes sighed in relief.

‘So this is what they mean when they say talking to kids drains your soul.’

The mages of Lampades Tower could infer several facts from that conversation. Despite Hydra Company being newly established, Ortes had come to offer gifts and sponsorship to other towers—a testament to his remarkable business acumen.

A child’s innocent question. A practical implication in response.

Of course, he wouldn’t have expected Astrape to understand the implication, so it must have been aimed at the other mages of Lampades Tower.

The mages present were also those who had received protection from Carisia in Elysion. With both financial and military power displayed, it wasn’t difficult to interpret the ultimate intention.

‘Submit.’

It was fortunate that he at least had the decency to speak indirectly in front of a child. The mages prayed that the tower master would return as soon as possible to drive away this strange man.

***

Meanwhile, Lampades pressed his forehead, thinking about Ortes who had undoubtedly come to demand an answer.

‘What is it about my technique that he covets so much…’

Let’s think from an apocalyptist’s perspective. What could be done with a method to find safe alternate dimensions?

Lost in thought, it didn’t take long for Lampades to realize Ortes’s sinister plan.

Being able to search for safe alternate dimensions inevitably meant being able to detect dangerous ones. Opening doors to such terrifying dimensions would be the ultimate goal of an apocalyptist!

Lampades recalled what Ortes’s boss had said: “I know he’s not trustworthy.”

And, “He’s someone I chose.”

It had been confusing at first, but now he could roughly guess the meaning.

She had employed Ortes despite knowing his dangerous nature, confident she could control him. If so, couldn’t she also control the impact and danger of this technology?

Lampades had witnessed Carisia’s personal abilities in Elysion, but he didn’t underestimate Ortes’s cunning either.

No matter how much he compared Carisia and Ortes, he couldn’t easily reach a conclusion. Considering the familiarity Ortes showed toward Carisia, perhaps Carisia’s mind was one step ahead of Ortes, but…

‘Do I have to meet her after all?’

Lampades steeled his resolve.

He said he brought a gift.

Though undignified, in urgent situations, one could find fault with the gift and send it back.

Wasn’t the future of Astrape and the entire tower more important than Lampades’s personal dignity?

“This is the artifact I prepared as a gift. It has the effect of extremely increasing the efficiency of mana-to-magic power conversion, reducing the loss to zero.”

“What?”

It was too precious a gift to refuse.

***

I could clearly read the bewilderment in Lampades’s eyes. Well, it was only natural.

After all, this artifact defied the common sense of magic. Normally, while the loss during mana-to-magic power conversion could be reduced, it could never be reduced to zero.

‘Since it contains the wisdom of the Ten Realms, I suppose it’s natural in a way.’

I thought of the Ten Towers that had subdued the Demon King, treating even this impossible artifact as merely a byproduct of wisdom. How did they capture him?

The fact that ten tower masters were each synchronized with the Ten Realms for consciousness support—it’s not unreasonable to think that ten tower masters with the Ten Realms buff could have defeated the Demon King in a surprise attack.

“What on earth is this…?”

I heard Lampades’s voice filled with doubt. It was natural. Such performance was unbelievable by words alone.

“Of course, to draw out its true ability, the wearer’s capacity must support it. Let’s try infusing it with magic power.”

Lampades carefully held the orb in his right hand and let his magic power flow into it. First, the silver thread surrounding the orb slowly unwound and wrapped around his arm, forming what looked like the skeleton of a glove made of wire.

Then the golden orb melted. Gold filled the spaces between the silver framework. Finally, a splendid gauntlet of gold and silver covered the forearm of Lampades’s right arm.

Thunder roaring in that grip. Lampades must be feeling an unprecedented powerful grasp of mana. This was the result of Carisia processing the mana-accumulating properties of silver thread.

When Lampades raised his arm, a vortex of magic power began to form around it. The magic power that had filled the room, befitting a tower master’s chamber, was instantly absorbed by Lampades.

“Indeed… it’s exactly as described.”

When he withdrew the magic power from the gauntlet, it returned to its orb form.

“It’s called the Thunder Orb.”

“How did you make… no, how did you obtain something like this?”

That’s quite difficult to explain. I habitually stroked my chin.

“Hehe. I obtained it through rather secretive channels, but I can tell you, Lampades.”

“Then you don’t have to—”

“Haha. What are friends for? Just keep it a secret.”

***

Lampades regretted his rashness and greed. No matter how precious the Thunder Orb was, something with the same performance…

‘Would be impossible to obtain elsewhere.’

His rationality as a mage blocked the unreasonable speculation. Lampades deliberately turned his gaze away from the Thunder Orb.

“This is a relic excavated from Crete Island. To be precise, it should be called a processed artifact.”

“Crete?”

That name sounds familiar. And recently too…

“Torres Tower’s?!”

“Shh. Shh. I told you to keep it a secret, didn’t I?”

Lampades trembled with fear. The final legacy of a tower that had been issued an extermination order on charges of alliance with Argyrion. How had it ended up in Ortes’s hands?

The inference he had made during the Elysion terror resurfaced—that even Argyrion might be a decoy to hide Hydra Company.

“Why would you give us something like this…?”

“Haha. Don’t worry. It’s a precious relic, but is it more precious than friendship with a friend and the future of a talented mage?”

“No. No. Our tower has nothing worthy to give in return.”

Lampades desperately tried to avoid accepting the relic. The ability of the artifact was extraordinary, but the danger it would bring was also fatal.

The moment he accepted the Thunder Orb, Lampades could be accused of being entangled with Argyrion, just like Torres Tower.

Just as Lampades himself hadn’t guessed the origin of the artifact, it would be difficult for others to realize that the Thunder Orb had been excavated from Torres Tower’s site.

The exception was Ortes, the very person who had given the “gift.”

By “gifting” this, Ortes had gained the detonator for a bomb that could disintegrate Lampades Tower.

“What are you saying? This is just a gift. A relic that would suit Miss Astrape very well, don’t you think?”

“Something else…”

He had to stop this. He had to refuse. But Ortes was one step ahead of Lampades, who was trying to say something.

“Come now. No compensation or negotiation is needed. They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but this truly is a gift without strings attached.”

All you have to do is accept it.

Lampades slowly raised his head.

The faceless Ortes was still smiling.