Before the main meeting with the other board members, Carisia was having a private conversation with Ortes.
“The brain-dead bodies have been placed in preservation capsules, and the corpses of Sikton and Demedes require detailed analysis so they’ve been sent to Divius’s operating room….”
Tap, tap, tap. Carisia’s right index finger tapped against the armrest of her chair.
“Why are you doing that?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I understand everything else, but why are we preserving the brain-dead followers of the Bacchus Cult?”
“As I mentioned, it’s a measure to recruit the child we found on-site. They possess considerable talent.”
“Potential for dark magic, you said?”
Ortes nodded. Carisia already knew he was aware she had been observing his conversation with Kine through a screen.
“Perhaps sending them directly to Elysion wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“What about sacred power? If they grew up in the Bacchus Sect, surely they must have some potential there as well?”
“That will be difficult. A child who witnessed their friends betrayed and killed by members of their own sect would find it hard to restore faith in Bacchus, which is essential for wielding sacred power.”
Ortes answered without hesitation.
Carisia pouted slightly. Was collecting magically talented individuals his hobby now?
“Is this really recruitment?”
“Excuse me?”
“Listening to you, it doesn’t sound like an ordinary recruitment process. The child seemed close to fainting.”
“That’s not true.”
Ortes shrugged casually before continuing, presenting a truly eloquent excuse.
“I merely explained to the child the details of their inner self before they could decide on vengeance. You know how difficult it is to take revenge on such a massive entity, Chairman.”
That was certainly true. Even Carisia, who could claim to surpass anyone in magical talent in this era, would be at a disadvantage if pitted against the Ten Towers.
And that’s precisely why she went through the trouble of founding and managing this company to bridge that gap.
“The situation is understood. Since you’re fully responsible for the divine investigation and our objectives, proceed as you see fit.”
Ortes bowed deeply. Carisia waved her hand dismissively, signaling there was no need for such formality, then muttered softly.
“We’ll review the damage report in an hour. Please take care of it.”
“Yes, understood.”
By the time she descended to the conference room, everything would be meticulously prepared as usual—whether it was gathering the board members or summoning external guests like Caike and Geryon. Everything necessary would be perfectly arranged.
“Haaah…”
Stretching, Carisia thought to herself.
“If you prepared the vegetative-state followers of the Bacchus Cult to tie down Kine, then what did you prepare to tie me down?”
What would it take to bind you?
I glanced around at the attendees of the meeting. Neuro claimed fatigue and opted out of attending.
Since I had accompanied the group during both the hunt for Demedes and the exploration of the Bacchus Sect’s base, I alone could provide sufficient field reports. I offered him some polite words, telling him to rest after all his hard work.
Geryon looked confused as to why he had been summoned. It was to manipulate the situation into making it appear as though Demedes had died during the battle involving the Etna City Magic Towers.
Caike wore an expression of anticipation. He had rushed over upon hearing about the relics secured from the Bacchus Sect.
Seating arrangements were made according to protocol, and we waited. In the distance, the sound of footsteps echoed: click, click.
The door opened on schedule. Carisia stood before us.
We followed her as she entered the conference room.
Seated at the head of the table, Carisia began.
“Let’s begin the performance review of the recent Bacchus Sect investigation.”
“There’s an important matter I must address first. The d*ath of former board member Demedes has been confirmed.”
The news delivered by Ortes was shocking from the start.
“Former board member Demedes, along with thirty beast tamers and one hundred twenty magical beasts, have all perished. Circumstances, corpse conditions, and disposal of magical beast byproducts are detailed in the next section of the report.”
Half-elf Mecoonion showed little interest in such tedious meetings. Her pursuit was more about intense pleasure than fighting and destruction.
Mecoonion only attended because she wanted to see the items belonging to the Bacchus Sect, worshippers of the god of pleasure.
When briefing on Demedes’ cause of d*ath concluded, and the suggestion arose to stage his d*ath as caused by Geryon, Mecoonion raised her hand.
“Yes, Director Mecoonion.”
“So, what did you bring? Is there anything useful for my work?”
“Not entirely…but…”
Ortes manipulated the holographic display. A few clusters of grapes and seeds appeared.
“A grape variety cultivated by the sect. Interestingly, they grow well even in low-light underground environments.”
“Are there any artifacts imbued with sacred power?”
Caike carefully asked from his specially large chair.
“There are a few. However, items like the high priest’s ceremonial robes and golden chalices didn’t retain much power.”
“At least it’s better than nothing.” Divius, who had been dissecting Demedes when called away, muttered under his breath.
This skepticism stemmed from seeing too many counterfeit relics claimed to hold divine power while working at Blasphemia.
“In any case, please conduct research to extract sacred power from these Bacchus artifacts.”
Upon receiving Ortes’ order, Caike nodded reluctantly.
What was lost in the Bacchus Sect expedition: Demedes and his organization. What was gained: a handful of artifacts imbued with sacred power.
“This is quite a loss…”
Arabel was the first among the board members to calculate the cost-benefit ratio. Other board members silently agreed. Who would have thought investigating a supposedly declining sect would result in the complete disappearance of one of Hydra Corp’s major divisions?
Despite the coincidences leading to this outcome, the perceived risk of “divine investigations” had skyrocketed instantly.
“Firstly,”
Carisia’s golden eyes gleamed.
“We will leave the vacant board position unfilled for now. For future divine investigation missions, personnel deployment must be reviewed and approved by the director of the Divine Investigation Division.”
With that, the meeting was roughly concluded. Demedes was declared dead, and his d*ath would be staged as a conflict with Geryon. Sacred artifacts would be investigated by Caike.
Byproducts from Demedes’ magical beasts and Chimera would be processed by the Hunters Guild. Mecoonion would receive Bacchus grapevines for her garden.
Just as everyone expected Carisia to adjourn the meeting, an unexpected announcement came.
“And I propose enrolling a surviving member of the Bacchus Sect as a corporate scholar at Hydra Corp, sending them to Elysion.”
Elysion. The paradise of wizards.
If you draw a decagon using the locations of the Ten Towers as vertices, Elysion lies precisely at its center.
Known as the place where the Wizard King ascended, Elysion is akin to a holy site for countless wizards. It is a place where the purest mana flows ceaselessly, connected to all ten towers of the Ethereal Network, making it the fastest hub for magical information.
Being located at the exact center of the Ten Sages, the ambient mana here is perfectly balanced, free from any elemental bias. This unique characteristic makes Elysion the epicenter for diverse magical studies.
In precise magical experiments or large-scale tests, the elemental bias of external mana can introduce complex variables that are difficult to calculate.
However, Elysion is theoretically filled with “perfectly balanced elemental forces,” making it an ideal location.
Due to these properties, significant events like upper-level mage tower certifications or Proper Tower registration exams are invariably held here. Exceptions include contests like the Fire Magic Competition or the Annual Snow Study Conferences, which emphasize specific magical elements.
Naturally, core facilities influencing numerous mage towers, such as the Central Exchange of Upper Mage Towers or the Magic Patent Management Office, were built in Elysion due to the congregation of mages.
Among these facilities, the most coveted destination for many mage towers is…
“I plan to write a recommendation letter for enrollment into Mouseion Academy.”
Mouseion Academy. An institution accessible only through recommendations, considered the cradle of prodigies. Only those recommended by mage towers can take the entrance exam, marking the pinnacle of all magical educational institutions.
“Grrrr…”
From Taros, the representative of Etna City’s mutants, came a low growl. The bronze-scaled half-dragon giant’s sigh effectively chilled the atmosphere.
“Director Taros, please speak.”
Granted permission by Carisia, Taros, who struggled to articulate words, adjusted his voice several times before slowly speaking.
“The enrollment period for Mouseion…”
“…has already passed, correct?”
Taros nodded slowly in agreement with Ortes’ summary.
Ortes was surprised that Taros, someone presumed to only care for mutants, had knowledge of the academy’s enrollment timeline.
‘He wasn’t concerned about hiding sacred power practically?’
Ortes wondered if Taros perhaps had children.
‘In the original story, he’s only ever depicted as possessing immense strength.’
It was surprising to encounter such an unexpected comment.
“Indeed, the regular enrollment period for Mouseion has passed. However, students with recommendation letters from prestigious mage towers can take mid-term admission exams. These occur every three months, so the next one will be in Ice Month, following this month of Flame.”
Suddenly sensing unease, Arabel questioned.
“Prestigious…?”
“Yes. Essentially…”
Ortes smiled.
“As long as your accomplishments pass the documentation for mage tower senior certification, it suffices. Board members who haven’t been assigned to divine investigation duties recently should focus on capturing fugitives listed by mage towers. It’s easier to build magical research credits that way.”
Did Demedes d*e failing to capture criminals, thus jeopardizing the mage tower senior certification paperwork?
Just delegate excuses to the other board members and take a break.
Finally relieved of duties, I reveled in joy.
*
The gathered board members interpreted Ortes’ smile differently.
A declaration by Ortes, disappointed in the board members’ ‘abilities’ after Demedes’ sudden d*ath: “You’re not helpful, so I’ll handle divine investigations alone.”
Arabel marveled at Ortes’ perfectionism.
‘Really, if it’s related to the chairman, he insists on handling everything himself…’
