Nastiorn felt the urge to massage his temples.
Strictly speaking, his limbs and brain had little significance. Though he primarily took on a human form, his true essence was shadow—an amorphous body unconstrained by physical shape.
He had long transcended the standard human form of two arms, two legs, and one head.
Yet now, Nastiorn felt an inexplicable headache, as if his non-existent brain were throbbing.
……
Back in the ancient times, after the ten traitors committed unspeakable sins, the decline of the Ten Towers’ integrity was no secret.
But how could it have come to this?
All the moves Nastiorn had orchestrated, even at the cost of sacrificing multiple alliances, were aimed at ensnaring Hydra Corp entirely. So how could Hydra Corp keep slipping through every time?
“Even if Hydra Corp bribed Panoptes extensively, the level of exposure now is impossible to ignore.”
It was clear that Ortes had ties with the Theistic Order. Otherwise, how could the Order’s hunters have been dispatched to Algus City immediately after Ortes clashed with the mental parasite?
A deal with a force as significant as the Theistic Order couldn’t remain entirely hidden. There must be traces—perhaps relics or something else—left behind somewhere within Hydra Corp.
Or perhaps on Ortes himself.
According to information from Argeyirion’s officers, Ortes was known for being ruthless and cunning, skilled at deceiving others with words and preferring to manipulate enemies against each other rather than dirtying his own hands—a master of “killing with another’s staff.”
The more devious someone like Ortes, the more likely they’d keep their most important secrets close to themselves. If Ortes were detained and interrogated, there should be some clue to uncover.
And yet…
Despite numerous tips pouring in, not a single strand of Ortes’ hair had been harmed by Panoptes.
Instead, the Panoptes agents gathering in Algus City began targeting so-called “counter-revolutionaries” who dirtied the sacred competition to elect a new Tower Master with false reports.
While the entity hunting the mental parasite had shifted from the Theistic Order to Panoptes, the fact remained unchanged: he was still being pursued.
Though it was easier to evade Panoptes compared to the Theistic Order, there had been several instances where they’d come alarmingly close to discovering his hidden refuge.
Coincidences repeated often enough become inevitabilities. Nastiorn assumed that Ortes had discovered his location and leaked the information to Panoptes.
But one question lingered.
“Until the Theistic Order was tracking the parasite, my existence wasn’t exposed. How did he find out about me?”
“Senior, can you explain what we’re chasing?”
Niobe, busy with fire-prevention work near Algus City—though her efforts mainly involved wand-waving or cerebral labor—looked thoroughly confused about why she’d been called here.
“Hmm, didn’t I once mention that I’m borrowing the face of a friend from Hydra Corp named Ortes?”
Niobe nodded. It wasn’t exactly a lie; the face I wore now wasn’t the same as the one I used in the real world.
“In truth, things are a bit complicated. During some business, I ended up killing the original owner of the identity I’m using now. Since it proved useful, I decided to take over the whole package.”
“So… Senior L13 is using Ortes’ identity as a cover for laundering purposes?”
More accurately, L13 was using Ortes, but in broad strokes, her understanding was correct. I nodded.
Niobe might technically outrank Kine, but from my perspective, both were still novices. Kine might have better social skills and political acumen due to years of experience, but neither could match the diversity of my experiences—being chased by Blasphemia, revered as a prophet by the Theistic Order, and labeled an adversary by Argeyirion.
Thus, fabricating a plausible excuse for this rookie was simple.
“Normally, if relics belonging to superstitious followers could help, we’d use them while pretending otherwise, right? I’ve been doing something similar to track Argeyirion.”
“What happened? Did your illegal methods get exposed to Argeyirion, and now they’re trying to ruin your cover company?”
Niobe tilted her head, clearly skeptical. Her expression seemed to say, “If Argeyirion had its wits about it, it wouldn’t report a Blasphemia agent to Blasphemia…”
“Argeyirion consists of Blasphemia’s traitors, don’t they? They probably expected Blasphemia to investigate even harder upon hearing of a traitor group.”
Niobe frowned again. d*mn. She used to be so innocent just a few months ago, but working under the Auditor General must’ve tainted her too much.
“Well, this is confidential. Just between you and me, Niobe.”
“Huh?”
“Niobe, do you really think Argeyirion collaborates with superstitious followers?”
Niobe paused. In this era, when Argeyirion was often equated with superstition, she would have automatically answered “yes” under normal circumstances.
But this question from her respected senior seemed anything but routine. Niobe fell into deep thought.
Ortes offered a hint, opening his mouth as if to assist her reasoning.
“There might be capable individuals within Argeyirion who handle such ‘superstitions,’ carrying on the traditions of ancient priests. However, not all superstitious followers align with Argeyirion, right?”
“Not all superstitious followers… Are there ones hostile to them?”
“To be precise, it’s uncertain whether there are superstitious followers hostile to Argeyirion.”
The puzzle pieces clicked into place. Why would a model agent like L13 resort to illegal means to track Argeyirion?
Of course, it could simply be because those methods were efficient. But excellent agents often embed multiple intentions within a single strategy.
“The existence of hostile superstitious followers isn’t important! All that matters is that Argeyirion perceives them as such!”
Niobe jumped up, shouting triumphantly as enlightenment struck her. Ortes slowly nodded.
“I’ve laid groundwork to make Argeyirion see me as a hostile superstitious follower. Moving forward, Argeyirion will likely become less aggressive toward other superstitious forces, weakening the influence of any superstitious followers within their ranks, and possibly causing internal fractures.”
Indeed, it was a brilliant plan. If Argeyirion viewed L13 as a superstitious follower and Hydra Corp as their front company, they might consider using Blasphemia to play one group against the other.
“But surely Senior anticipated all this, right? That’s why you’re operating in Algus City?”
“Hardly. Would Argeyirion ever think of reporting us through public whistleblowing channels?”
Ortes chuckled softly. To Niobe, it merely appeared as a modest smile.
*
In reality, contrary to Nastiorn’s suspicions, Ortes hadn’t detected Nastiorn’s presence.
Nastiorn’s unintended pursuit stemmed from Carisia’s idea.
“The Saint of Tracking Prey, you said?”
This saint boasted an extensive search range, capable of tracking entities living in the spiritual realm, provided there was a catalyst. Naturally, Carisia proposed using it to chase Argeyirion.
However, there was a difference between spiritual parasites and Argeyirion.
After Ortes fought the parasite, they managed to secure fragments of the possessed body. Since the parasite’s essence was singular despite multiple hosts, these fragments sufficed for tracking.
But Argeyirion wasn’t a unified entity. Even if they obtained traces of someone, it would only lead to that individual, not the entire organization.
Moreover, Carisia hadn’t yet found any traces of Argeyirion infiltrating Algus City. After learning about the saint’s mechanics from Ortes, she chewed her lip thoughtfully before pulling out an object that might serve as a catalyst.
A sample of silver thread.
Based on empirical reasoning, wherever silver threads resided, there would be members of Argeyirion nearby. This indirect method aimed to locate silver thread hosts instead of directly finding Argeyirion members.
For Nastiorn, it was an unfortunate turn of events.
He possessed a synthetic magic core designed to contain the mental parasite.
Thus, an unusual situation unfolded in Algus City.
While the Theistic Order collected data on the locations of the parasite and Argeyirion—Ortes having warned Niobe beforehand about possible divine energy detection at Hydra Corp buildings—the actual pursuit was handled by Blasphemia.
Two opposing factions moved in unison under Ortes’ guidance to surround Argeyirion.
Ortes, however, stayed back, content to let others do the dirty work.
On the other hand, Nastiorn, sensing the shadow of the Theistic Order lurking behind Blasphemia’s pursuit, felt a growing unease bordering on fear.
This tracking speed couldn’t be explained by mere information leaks. It required direct updates from the Theistic Order to achieve such swift pursuit.
It was as though Panoptes was acting as the public face for the Theistic Order, which couldn’t openly intervene.
Who—or what—was Ortes, capable of manipulating both the Theistic Order and Panoptes to serve his will?
