Ch.68Business? Meeting (1)

The ‘Sacred Investigation’ work had been effectively suspended since Dimedes’ untimely death.

This was because Ortes had been operating alone on the full-scale search for sacred artifacts without giving approval to anyone else.

The cooperation Ortes demanded from the directors while conducting sacred investigations alone was limited to tasks that involved force but were unrelated to sacred artifacts, such as arresting magic fugitives to fulfill the requirements for stock market review documents.

Except for the work assigned to Mekonion, the Alraune hybrid.

Mekonion took a long drag from her pipe. Her exhaled breath glowed green. Ortes was watching her from behind.

‘No. Is he closing his eyes?’

“There it is.”

In the center of Mekonion’s underground cave. A cleverly designed skylight concentrated the surface light onto a single point. While Mekonion’s drug den was typically damp and dark, this place was an exception.

At that spot where the light converged stood a single tree.

A tree sprouted from grape seeds taken from the Bacchus cult’s gathering place.

Mekonion personally was interested in the alcohol made by the pleasure cult, while Ortes was interested in the symbolism of Bacchus’s grapevine.

Because of this, Mekonion’s cooperation with the Sacred Investigation Department was uniquely accomplished through non-violent means among the directors’ organizations. Growing grapevines.

“Growing them from individual seeds was too difficult as they died too easily. So I combined them and grew them as one.”

“Is that possible? It reminds me of the magic of Greenwood.”

“It’s less magic and more a racial trait. I extracted the life force from each seed and gathered it in one place.”

Born with Alraune lineage, Mekonion had exceptional talent in handling plants. Until now, this ability had been used to rapidly grow narcotic plants, but her ability actually didn’t discriminate between plant species.

Ortes caressed a bunch of grapes that had just begun to ripen. His touch was remarkably gentle.

“No matter how fast I make it grow, it’s not ready for immediate harvest. Do you need it somewhere?”

“It would be nice if we could brew some wine…”

Ortes’s answer almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

‘He needs wine? Is he planning to invite someone?’ Mekonion tried to think of someone Ortes might ‘invite.’

The immediate candidate that came to mind was the Lampades Tower Master he had met in Elysion. But she questioned whether Ortes would prepare gifts and take a humble attitude toward such a person.

After calmly observing the grapevine, Ortes finally stated his request.

“To improve the quality of the grapes, we need a thinning process to remove some of the grape berries and small branches. Could you prepare the byproducts from that thinning process for me?”

“Huh? The unripe grape berries?”

“I have a use for them.”

***

When I asked Mekonion to thin the grapevine by tomorrow, she responded with confusion, but I wasn’t fooled.

While Mekonion’s drug den gives the impression of being more a gathering of addicts than an organized system, someone who can control such addicts must have a certain charisma and leadership.

With her authority as a Hydra Company director, vacuum-packing byproducts from thinning one grapevine should be simple.

I vaguely heard her complaining that her other subordinates only knew how to inject drugs and snort them, not how to grow things, but I was too busy to listen.

My destination was, of course, Karisia’s room. I needed to inform my boss before going on a business trip.

“I smell grapes?”

Karisia’s question as she stared at me. I nodded.

“I was checking on the status of the grapevine entrusted to Director Mekonion.”

“Did you go to check on work before even seeing me?”

Karisia’s jokes are still difficult to understand. Responding to her smile with one of my own, I continued.

“I had good reason.”

“A reason. If you need Bacchus’s grapevine, the Divine Name Cult?”

“Yes. They want to see me. In person, face to face.”

Karisia’s expression hardened as she heard my report.

“They’re being more proactive than expected. You’ll need sacred artifacts to convincingly disguise yourself as Phoebus’s prophet.”

“I’m confident I can take care of myself even without sacred artifacts. It might be better not to show them at all.”

The sacred artifact of Phoebus that I excavated came from a temple sealed by the Mage King himself. Although the seal was so perfect that even Blasphemia couldn’t detect the artifact’s existence and it was forgotten, if someone were to figure out its origin, they would demand to know how I broke through the Mage King’s seal to obtain it.

Since I can’t handle magical power at all, they would naturally realize I had another collaborator.

If Karisia’s existence were revealed, all my plans would fall apart. Karisia is the White Light Tower’s greatest masterpiece. Regardless of her hatred for White Light, her very existence is enough to incur the Divine Name Cult’s wrath.

It would be easier to just hide the sacred artifact and claim “This too was done according to divine revelation.”

Karisia’s expression soured. Some kind of disappointment. I hastily continued.

“Please trust me, Director. I must remain a mysterious figure to the Divine Name Cult. The more information revealed about which sacred artifacts I receive revelations from, the less mystique I maintain.”

“Can you deceive the cult alone without anything? It might be better to take Kine with you.”

“Miss Kine lacks acting skills. She would need to treat me like a genuine prophet of Phoebus, and it would be difficult for her to act convincingly enough for the Divine Name Cult’s priests.”

“I don’t think so.”

Karisia was picking unnecessary fights. I let her sulking slide.

“I’ve made minimal preparations. The grapevine Mekonion is growing is part of that.”

Bacchus’s grapevine.

It would serve as evidence that I had foreseen the destruction of the Bacchus cult and salvaged its legacy.

***

Karisia approved Ortes’s business trip plan. The Divine Name Cult’s invitation had a time limit.

Their gatherings were conducted secretly and disbanded quickly to avoid Blasphemia’s attention.

Although Argyrion’s chaos had somewhat loosened Blasphemia’s surveillance network, the Divine Name Cult still needed to be wary of Blasphemia. The fact that they were inviting and waiting for Ortes was unusual in itself.

Ortes was to meet with the bishop of Enyalios today and then head to the Divine Name Cult’s meeting place.

Karisia tapped the table restlessly. She felt uneasy about sending him alone.

She understood, but still.

He really does take on too much by himself. Feeling inwardly concerned, Karisia headed to the tower’s training room.

Kine was waiting in the training room. She was there to learn magical basics and control methods for her abilities from Karisia.

The fact that Kine was a survivor of the Bacchus cult was well-known among the directors due to her accompanying Ortes and Noiro. However, only Ortes and Karisia knew that Kine possessed divine power.

Even using artifacts with divine properties bordered on illegal in the Ten Towers’ order. A priest openly using divine power was unacceptable by conventional standards.

Unlike their initial belief that Kine’s divine power would gradually disappear, it only grew stronger, making training to efficiently conceal it essential.

Both divine power and magical power fall under the broader classification of abilities. Karisia, who excelled at controlling vast magical power, had insights into methods for hiding Kine’s divine power.

After spending considerable time trying to conceal divine power with dark magical power or applying magical suppression techniques used by battle mages to divine power, Kine suddenly spoke up.

“Wait. Where did he go?”

Strangely, Ortes had always shown the ability to immediately notice when the disguise on divine power failed. That’s why he usually stood by during these training sessions.

But today he wasn’t there.

‘He returned from a business trip yesterday. Maybe he’s resting because he’s tired? So that guy has a human side too.’

“To the Divine Name Cult.”

“…That man, he finally got called to the Divine Name Cult. To play the role of Phoebus’s prophet? Can he disguise himself properly?”

Karisia answered with a confident tone.

“No one could doubt Ortes’s identity. However.”

“However?”

“I’m certain he’ll cause some kind of trouble before returning.”

Kine looked up at Karisia. Somehow, there was a sense of resignation mixed in Karisia’s golden eyes.

***

Damn it.

“Speak, you who falsely claim to be a prophet! What is the greatest calamity that will befall this world?”

“Try saying ‘Ten Towers bastards.'”

“Can you read my love fortune?”

Why is everything such a mess here?