Ortes read that half of Carisia’s emotion was jest, while the other half contained anger as he had guessed.
However, it wasn’t the kind of anger Ortes expected.
What on earth is this supposed to mean?
It was clearly an agreement: if either felt danger approaching, they would call the other.
Carisia, sensing a surge of magical energy from afar, immediately stopped everything she was doing and rushed toward the epicenter of the explosion.
When she arrived, Ortes greeted her with a grin despite being covered in soot. His usual demeanor made her feel both relieved and slightly irritated.
“Didn’t we agree to call each other if things seemed dangerous?”
He appeared unharmed, at most having suffered some minor abrasions. Even though he’d narrowly escaped the blast radius by luck, it could have easily caused severe injuries.
“Oh, don’t worry. I set it off myself.”
Ortes offered a ridiculous excuse. From just one sentence meant to evade responsibility, Carisia deduced the truth.
“So you say you caused the explosion. Since you can’t use magic, there must’ve been a mage nearby who knows how to cast such spells. And given the traces of multiple elements lingering in the air, several mages likely gathered to chase after you.”
‘d*mn.’
This was frustrating. Ortes silently grumbled about the inconvenience of working under such an astute superior.
“Chairman, before we talk further, let’s move somewhere else. While the Ten Towers may have hinted at ‘killing each other if necessary’ by choosing Algus City as the testing ground—despite its outer-dimensional containment work not being fully completed—it wouldn’t look good for us to get into trouble on the very first day of assembly before the tests even began.”
After briefly scrutinizing Ortes’ face, Carisia nodded in agreement.
Though Argeyirion hadn’t shown up yet despite their somewhat aggressive efforts to lure them out tonight, nothing significant had come of it. If Argeyirion had appeared, the Ten Towers’ attention would’ve shifted entirely to them, but that wasn’t the case now.
With muttered complaints directed at each other, Ortes and Carisia returned to their quarters on the outskirts of Algus City.
Their lodging, which they had reserved, was now in shambles. The ceiling had collapsed, and beneath it lay what appeared to be wounded or dead mages, groaning in pain.
“You did it like this!”
Kine shouted furiously. Attempting to grab my collar but failing due to the height difference, Kine instead clutched my clothes, displaying childish frustration.
“An ambush.”
This wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, we had prepared for such situations by assigning Kine as backup. However, it still surpassed our expectations.
Who would attempt assassination during the pre-test festivities, before the format of the exam was even announced?
“It’s strange. They’re not usually the type to act so quickly…”
Hearing my mutterings, Kine looked up and met my eyes.
“You and Chairman were tearing Algus City apart, weren’t you?”
“Hmm? I’m ‘me,’ and Chairman is ‘sir.’”
Ignoring my subtle complaint, Kine continued. Well, Carisia is the highest authority, so it seems young ones do have good instincts.
“Well, Chairman was causing quite a scene anyway.”
“That’s why. Someone—I don’t know who—said, ‘Since they’re making such a ruckus, we can’t afford to fall behind.’ We’re relatively unknown, after all.”
From Kine’s murmurs about how weaker individuals are targeted first in chaotic situations came a maturity beyond their years, likely gained through real experiences as a wanderer among Bacchus’ followers.
“Excellent job. Dark attribute magic without proper catalysts isn’t suited for direct combat, but your application of curses seems quite effective.”
“Well…”
Kine hesitated, then gestured me closer. Leaning in, they whispered,
“I used Bacchus’ doctrines to destabilize their minds and subdue them. But I’m not sure if Mr. Cnemon noticed or not.”
The doctrines of Bacchus, which entice confusion, indeed paired well with mind-eroding curses. Impressed by the synergy between magic and doctrine, I replied to Kine.
“It’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t matter whether he noticed or not. In fact, it might be better if he did.”
“What?”
“I was going to tell him soon anyway.”
I intended to bring people from the Theistic Order, but hiding it forever wasn’t possible.
“He’s not the type to obediently follow rules, so he might actually enjoy it.”
Cnemon’s expression was stiff.
“You’re quite ruthless when it comes to manipulating people.”
Carisia didn’t respond. She simply observed the scene and let out a short sound, indistinguishable between a sigh or a murmur.
“I understand that Chairman is trying to control the situation of the Magic Tower Master Selection by shaking things up herself. And I see you’re also testing my abilities in the process. But…”
Cnemon glanced at Kine.
“Is that child not one raised by Hydra Corp.? To leave such a child in such a battlefield feels too harsh to be called a test.”
Only then did Carisia turn her head toward Cnemon.
Many thoughts crossed her mind. Truth and lies. Which response would best allow her to control this man?
‘It would be most effective to claim this entire ordeal was planned by Hydra Corp., as Cnemon seems to believe.’
But…
Behind Cnemon, she saw Kine conversing with Ortes. For some reason, she trusted that whatever she said, Ortes’ additional input would only cause more confusion. Empowered by this trust, she decided to tell the truth.
“To be honest, I didn’t anticipate this. We were focused on uncovering enemies and neglected our allies. My apologies.”
“Don’t give me nonsense. I know the capabilities of your subordinate, Ortes. Not to mention you, his master, allowing an attack to go unnoticed?”
“That’s because Ortes was attacked.”
“What…?”
“For more details, you should hear it from him.”
Carisia extended her arm toward Ortes. Seeing this, Ortes began walking over slowly.
*
“Mr. Cnemon.”
Upon arriving, Ortes surveyed the surroundings. The attackers had been appropriately dealt with and rendered unconscious. No magical surveillance devices could be sensed in the area.
Now it should be safe to speak honestly.
“To be honest, the city’s situation has become rather complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“Yes. A suspicious lifeform that’s lived for an extremely long time has secretly infiltrated the Magic Tower Master Selection.”
Absurd. Cnemon suspected that this “lifeform that’s lived for an extremely long time” might be Ortes himself.
“In truth, it’s quite dangerous. Even if I step in, or borrow someone else’s help, there’s no guarantee we can capture it.”
This was shocking. Cnemon knew the scale of destruction Ortes could unleash using water magic. If such a creature exceeded Ortes’ ability to handle it, questioning whether it could even be called a living thing seemed reasonable.
“So you were busy dealing with that and couldn’t focus here?”
“No matter how I tried to persuade it with words, it ignored me completely.”
Cnemon instinctively understood the wisdom of the lifeform, which had detected and cut off the hidden poison in Ortes’ speech. Such a wise entity would undoubtedly be a formidable adversary.
“So I called in a specialized pest control company with relevant experience…”
It was a peculiar description. A group capable of surviving encounters with something as dangerous as Ortes must surely be known within the resolution industry. If they belonged to a Mage Tower faction, they’d already be participating in Amimone’s selection for the tower master position.
“They prefer to operate privately.”
“…Surely not?”
Dangerous names surfaced in Cnemon’s mind. Organizations akin to societal poisons, possessing plans to burn the world, naturally aligning themselves with Hydra Corp.
“It’s called the Theistic Order. The most powerful group among those often labeled as superstitious worshippers.”
Cnemon felt dizzy. Now it made sense.
‘Come to think of it, there was that incident where a member of the Ten Towers was killed by Argeyirion.’
The Ten Towers cited the wicked methods of superstitious worshippers as the reason Argeyirion could k*ll one of their elders. And Ortes mentioned summoning the strongest priests to deal with the mysterious lifeform.
This implied that the lifeform Ortes struggled against was none other than an elder of the Ten Towers.
Of course. What other opponent could the priests, with their ‘specialized handling experience,’ possibly face besides the mages of the Ten Towers?
‘Indeed, it must take an elder-level figure to escape Ortes.’
A strange understanding.
‘And telling me this story means…’
That Cnemon himself had finally passed the test. He was now officially part of the plan to burn the world.
“I understand. I’ll do my best to cooperate.”
“Of course! I knew we could count on you, Mr. Cnemon.”
Ortes laughed heartily and patted Cnemon on the shoulder. Carisia watched them while feeding Kine chocolate.
‘And I didn’t lie at all this time…’
How do people keep falling for it?
I don’t know whether to sigh or laugh.
