I Became the Narrow-Eyed Henchman of the Evil Boss – Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Receiving a Guest (3)

The most ridiculous part was how the structure of the misunderstanding kept growing more intricate.

Carisia glanced up at the ceiling. How did I end up surrounded by people like this?

‘…Well, let’s try to think positively!’

At least this old man, Hector, didn’t seem to be openly hostile toward Orthes, even though he viewed Orthes’ nature as “extremely dangerous.”

Out of Orthes’ three so-called “friends” — Lampades, Kynemon, and Hector — Hector was arguably the closest to what you’d call a “normal friend.”

Still, the fact that the person who sincerely believed Orthes was the reincarnation of a mythical tyrant was the closest thing to a friend he had… it was a little sad.

With a deep breath, Carisia firmed up her resolve.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You fear the Mage King, don’t you, Hector? At the very least, you’re not looking at him with kindness.”

The old man closed his eyes and nodded heavily.

“You’re right. I fear the Mage King.”

“Then why do you maintain a friendship with Orthes?”

“Because I want him not to become the Mage King.”

“…Not to become, you say?”

Hector’s words were in the future tense.

He believed that Orthes might someday awaken as the Mage King.

And in that moment of awakening, the only possible “variable” that could change the outcome would be Orthes’ memories.

“A person’s life is, at its core, the sum of the relationships they build with others. If, at the decisive moment, the memories Orthes has built in this era become a moment of hesitation for him… if that hesitation can delay his inevitable destruction… I would call that a success.”

“Delaying destruction. Is that really all you’re aiming for?”

Hector’s brow twitched. Carisia had pointed out the unspoken part of his statement.

“You could have killed Orthes.”

If Hector had truly been the one who discovered Orthes right after he had “activated,” it would have been simple to eliminate him on the spot, before he had a chance to come to his senses.

“…What if I didn’t have certainty at the time?”

Carisia stretched out her hand and pointed at the sword hanging at Hector’s waist.

“That’s a rare item in this day and age. You discovered Orthes, you use a sword, and Orthes has used a sword from his fixer days to now. It’s only reasonable to infer some kind of connection between the two of you.”

Even if he hadn’t been sure at first, he could have figured it out over time while teaching Orthes swordsmanship. Considering Hector cited Spell Overwriting as a core piece of evidence for his “Orthes is the Mage King” theory, it was clear that he had arrived at that conclusion well after his initial discovery.

“…Did Orthes not tell you about me?”

“He only answers what I ask him directly. I usually wait for him to share his personal matters on his own.”

Hector found that response unexpected. If she were lying to deceive him, she wouldn’t say something so easy to verify. After all, she could just ask Orthes later to confirm.

“…Yes. I taught Orthes how to wield a sword. In that sense, you could say I’m his mentor.”

Carisia stared at him. A swordsman who fears the Mage King.

Warriors who wielded aura often held jealousy or envy toward mages, especially in the early days of the Mage Era when warriors had their own influence and authority.

However, unlike holy power, aura was never a direct target of suppression. So while warriors might feel jealousy toward mages, it was rare for them to feel fear.

“And yes, it’s true. I taught him the fundamentals of spell structure analysis, which he later used as the basis for Spell Overwriting.”

“Fascinating. So you’re telling me you taught the Mage King a sword technique that denies magic itself?”

“…Orthes’ eye. That eye which perceives the essence of all things in a single glance is one of the simplest ways to comprehend the truth of magic. If Orthes chose to use it, he could easily grasp the most profound secrets hidden in the Commandments.”

Hector explained that the intellect that could comprehend all magic could also unravel all magic.

“The sword I inherited was designed solely to fight magic. It’s been refined over thousands of years for that purpose. When I saw someone who had the potential to not only perfect that sword but surpass it, I knew.”

Carisia thought of Talo, the enemy Orthes had faced at the Temple of Pluton.

According to Orthes, Talo had mistaken him for the descendant of a long-lost knightly house.

The secret organization of fallen knights that had been sharpening their blades against the Ten Towers for centuries. Their hatred of the Mage King. Their quest for a sword that could shatter magic itself.

‘So Talo’s suspicion wasn’t entirely baseless after all.’

“Hector.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you the one leading the knights?”

***

After being subtly kicked out of the reception room with the silent message of “go do something else while I conduct this interview,” I realized something.

I really don’t have much to do.

“Can’t start recruiting for the Plan of World Division until we’ve laid more groundwork…”

I wandered over to check on Arabella, only to find her half-dead from overwork. I gave her a pep talk, saying, “Hang in there!” But she responded so aggressively that I made a hasty retreat.

The task of moving Aegio’s Scale to Carisia’s room had already been handled while I was tidying up her clothes this morning.

Rather than feeling liberated by having no tasks left, I just felt bored.

‘If I don’t tackle some work now, I’ll regret it later when I actually want free time.’

Out of sheer boredom, I checked my email to see if any work requests had come in.

A new message.

The sender’s name was a jumbled mess of letters and numbers, like it had been randomly generated. Spam? A virus, maybe?

I glanced at the subject line.

“Senior.”

It’s Niobe.

Good. I opened the email, hoping for a positive reply.

And thankfully, my expectations were met.

***

Carisia called Orthes back to the reception room.

The conversation had gone on long enough.

The analysis from an unusual perspective, as well as the insight into the past, had value. Hector’s personal skills and connections would also undoubtedly prove useful.

‘But it’s this persistent misunderstanding that’s the problem.’

What this situation called for was shock therapy.

And the best person to deliver that shock was Orthes himself.

Orthes arrived promptly, as always.

Knock, knock. Two sharp raps at the door.

“Come in.”

Orthes entered with his usual narrow-eyed smile, though his grin was a bit wider than usual. Must have heard some good news.

Hector glanced at Carisia with suspicion. You said you were going to prove that Orthes isn’t the Mage King, and you bring him here?

What was her plan?

Was she seriously going to ask Orthes, “Are you the Mage King?”

If her plan was to ask such a blunt, direct question, it could backfire horribly. According to Hector’s theory, Orthes wasn’t yet aware of his identity as the Mage King. If she triggered that self-realization, it could lead to disaster.

He was about to voice his concerns when—

“Oh, Boss. How did the interview go?”

“…It was your recommendation, so I don’t have any objections. But Hector here seems to have some doubts about our company. So I told him you’d answer any questions he has.”

“Come on, old man. You should’ve just asked the boss from the start.”

Orthes shrugged, waiting for Carisia’s question.

“When is the Mage King supposed to be resurrected?”

It was a shocking question.

But the truly shocking part was Orthes’ calm, straightforward reply.

“2077, if I remember correctly. Though it might be sooner. He still seems to be dead, though.”

“…What the hell did you just say?”

“Uh. I’m talking about the Mage King’s resurrection. Weren’t you briefed on all this?”

“I heard you were planning to overthrow the Ten Towers, that’s all.”

Orthes scratched his head. Looks like Carisia only gave him the start and end of the story, skipping the whole middle part.

“Okay, so here’s the thing. Ever hear of the Divine Cult?”

“I know about them.”

“Then I can skip the explanation about the parasitic mental entity.”

“…What?”

“Oh, it’s just a monster raised on divine faith that was supposed to be the Mage King’s backup body.”

Hector felt a headache coming on. Not from his concern over his disciple. But from the sheer onslaught of information.