I Became the Narrow-Eyed Henchman of the Evil Boss – Chapter 108

Chapter 108- Request (3)

Kynemon stood up abruptly, the thought of finally getting his revenge on the Dark Mage Tower igniting a fire in him. The notion of not just destroying them, but also bringing everything they once took from him under his control, was too alluring to resist.

“I’ll need to start working on that list of sacred artifacts hidden by the mage towers,” Kynemon muttered to himself.

It had been years since he’d collected that information, back when he still believed he could leverage it to drive divisions between the mage towers by exploiting the grey areas of using the power of ancient gods through sacred artifacts. He wasn’t up-to-date on the latest trades and dealings of the mage towers, but his old records should still hold some value.

Artifacts and relics are the hidden trump cards of the towers. They’re not something you can just buy and sell openly.

The fact that these items rarely changed hands only increased the attention they attracted when revealed.

By combining his old records with more recent auction transactions, Kynemon felt confident he could compile a useful report.

As he walked out, Orthes’ voice called after him.

“Oh, and if you need any manpower or equipment for your investigation, just go to Director Arabella. Tell her the Divine Investigation Office sent you, and she’ll take care of you.”

Kynemon couldn’t help but shudder. It seemed that no matter what he thought or planned, it all led back to Orthes. A chilling but convenient truth. He had no choice but to acknowledge that the more capable his allies were, the better.

***

Carisia was carefully reviewing the directors’ reports. The propulsion system development overseen by Bertrand was progressing smoothly.

“So, what exactly did your friend request as compensation?” she asked, not looking up from her documents.

“Ah, he initially wanted me to destroy one of the Dark Mage Towers. But, given the current circumstances, I convinced him otherwise,” Orthes replied.

Carisia paused and raised an eyebrow. A request to destroy a mage tower wasn’t so different from her own mission to bring down the White Light Tower. She could understand such a desire for revenge.

What puzzled her, though, was Orthes’ claim that he had talked him down. After all, vengeful desires rarely subsided so easily, and without proper care, they could easily grow more intense if one tried to temper them.

“What exactly did you say to convince him?” she asked, now fully attentive.

“Not much. I just asked him if he was really satisfied with destroying them after everything they put him through. Why not take over the tower instead and make them suffer under his control?”

Carisia sighed, the situation now clearer. Orthes, in his characteristic way, had likely said something so suspicious that it defied logic. There was no point in critiquing his words—Orthes believed his respectful tone helped avoid suspicion. But it was Orthes himself, with his odd presence, who always came off as suspicious.

She looked at him, considering his appearance. His face, if taken purely by facial structure, was flawless. But it was always those half-closed eyes that caused trouble.

“Sigh.”

She exhaled, pushing aside her wandering thoughts to focus on the compensation for Kynemon.

“So, tell me, why is taking over the tower a cheaper solution than destroying it?”

“Simple. Destroying it would bring us no profit. It would create chaos and force us to expend resources cleaning up the aftermath. A tower collapsing out of nowhere would draw attention from the Ten Towers and require us to handle the fallout for a long time.”

“But couldn’t the ease of the destruction outweigh the cost of managing the fallout?” she countered.

“Madam, you’re not thinking of sending me on a solo mission for this, are you?” Orthes shot back with mock indignation.

“You can handle it, can’t you?”

Carisia’s gaze cut into him as if asking, Why the complaints now?

Orthes shrugged, realizing he was pushing his luck.

“You’re overestimating me, Madam. I haven’t done that much,” he said, trying to steer the conversation back on track before she could dwell on his past achievements.

Carisia, having witnessed Orthes’ many feats, raised an eyebrow. Hasn’t done much? He’s practically done everything, she thought.

Realizing he was at a disadvantage, Orthes quickly continued, “But the point is, even if the ease of destruction balances the aftermath, the profits afterward are non-existent. We’d have nothing to gain from the ruins, maybe a bit from selling scraps, but that’s negligible compared to the tower’s operational value.”

“However, if we install Kynemon as the new tower master, we don’t have to deal with cleanup costs. Instead, we get long-term returns. Even if the process is a bit more complicated, the outcome is far more profitable.”

Carisia nodded slowly. “You’re right, the Ten Towers don’t usually interfere with succession battles. Assassinations over tower seats are just business as usual in our world.”

She understood that Orthes was making a pragmatic choice, and she didn’t oppose it. She had only been scrutinizing the logic to ensure it held up under consideration.

“So, what’s the name of the tower we’ll be handing to Kynemon?”

“Amimone Tower,” Orthes answered.

Amimone Tower? Carisia felt a pang of recognition. There was something familiar about that name, something tied to her own past and the White Light Tower.

No… it wasn’t that old a connection. It felt more recent.

“Ah, of course. It’s one of the roots of the Lernian faction.”

Amimone Tower had been the origin of the Lernian faction, the very tower that had once owned the Hydra Corporation’s current headquarters. However, it wasn’t a matter of the Lernian faction being a splinter from Amimone—rather, the opposite was true.

Amimone Tower had cast out the individuals who later founded the Lernian faction.

“A curious coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” Orthes commented, flashing his usual knowing smile. “I hadn’t expected our paths to cross like this.”

“A coincidence?”

Carisia knew, of course, that all of this was just a series of unintended circumstances. But would Kynemon see it that way?

“Our company has no formal ties to the Lernian faction, so even if something happens to Amimone Tower, no one would suspect us of being behind it.”

“You sound confident. Does that mean you’ve already planned everything out?”

“Nothing so grand,” Orthes chuckled.

He pieced together the clues from Kynemon. Being the tower that Kynemon harbored the greatest grudge against, Amimone was also the one he had collected the most dirt on over the years.

“Amimone Tower is solid enough to be considered a Dark Mage Tower candidate. Its strength lies not just in raw magical power, but in its political maneuvering. They’ve placed many of their mages into key positions in security forces like Argos.”

It was impossible for them to have absorbed Kynemon’s tower without resorting to underhanded tactics—most of which were likely covered up by Amimone’s wide-reaching network of connections.

Orthes planned to target those very connections.

“Besides, wasn’t L13 from Blasphemia just ordered to investigate Argyreon’s infiltrators within Argos?”

Orthes’ smile widened.

By Panoptes’ rules, its members were supposed to be independent from any particular tower, ensuring they could make unbiased judgments. But, of course, that was only the official stance. Everyone knew that old allegiances ran deep, and most mages leaned towards the towers they were once part of.

“As we start casting doubt on the Amimone-affiliated Argos agents, suspicion will eventually reach the tower itself. And to stir things further, we can leak some information about their hidden sacred artifacts, which will destabilize the situation even more.”

That’s only the beginning?

“And have you explained this to Kynemon?”

“Of course. I made sure to let him know this is just the start, so he wouldn’t be disappointed.”

Carisia had the distinct feeling that Orthes wasn’t fully aware of the weight his words carried—or if he was, he didn’t care.

Today seemed like one of those times when he severely underestimated their gravity.

***

Meanwhile, Salmosia, head of inspections at Blasphemia, was in a foul mood.

The authority to pursue Argyreon had been stripped from Blasphemia altogether.

She knew the reason. It was a reasonable decision to prevent Blasphemia from facing a group powerful enough to kill a Ten Tower Elder alone. But still…

Panoptes should investigate as a whole unit, not leave it to just a part.

But how could they trust Argos, knowing Argyreon might have infiltrated them? The jealousy and insecurity gnawed at her.

Just then, a message popped up on the restricted channel used exclusively by inspectors.

It was from L13.

Seeing that name, a surge of anticipation welled up within Salmosia.

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