If one thought reasonably, it was clear that Utes had noticed the pursuit and fled, leaving behind his powered armor.
The trackers who chased after Utes were largely divided into two groups. The first group consisted of trackers acting on orders from the Torres Tower.
Torres Tower was not an organization that would let someone suspicious like Utes disappear without a trace so easily. If a mage from the tower were to take charge of the tracking, they likely subcontracted out of concern for being detected.
These individuals made a logical assessment of the situation: an unknown figure named Utes had fled.
The other group comprised problem-solvers acquainted with the field office director. The director had tried hard to forget the rumors but considered the possibility that this might be some kind of omen.
He subtly informed only the hunters he trusted about Utes, who contracted solely through paperwork—”someone who leaves no trace of magical energy.”
Upon hearing the rumors, the problem-solvers initially marveled at the miraculous speed Utes displayed, but when he turned around and declared, “Beyond this door lies nothing but misfortune,” they were enveloped by unease.
And now, the problem-solvers faced the disappearance of Utes, who had left behind only his clothes like a discarded shell.
One of them spoke up.
“Did anyone see what was inside his visor?”
No one did.
Fear began to grow stronger.
As several situations overlapped, dread seeped into the second group of problem-solvers. They shouted.
“It’s the rumors! The rumors were true!”
The trackers who intended to contact Torres Tower expressed doubts at their strange reactions. A sense of relief washed over them as they found someone to share their rising fear. Muted whispers spread, and the story of the field office director began to circulate.
Among those using the alias Utes, there was one particularly notable individual.
The most ominous Utes. Wherever the Utes who leaves no footprints appeared, accidents always followed.
The subcontractors of Torres Tower shook their heads, trying not to be swayed by such uncertain rumors. Rather, they should focus on the special rewards from this additional commission. One of them suddenly looked back.
“…How did we get here?”
“We followed Utes.”
“How do we get out again?”
“…”
They examined the passage they had entered following Utes.
In fact, this passage was still an unexplored area. It was one of the many places discovered by Utes as he descended to the very bottom of the underground, then neglected due to his lack of interest.
There was still a slight sense of unease about the unexplored zone. But every place Utes had stepped into so far had been safe.
It was because they trusted Utes’ instincts that they decided to follow him.
But now, wasn’t Utes nowhere to be seen?
The problem-solvers realized they needed to escape from the intricately tangled unexplored zone.
Surrounded by ancient silence and darkness, they were isolated.
I feel a little sorry for the problem-solvers who followed me. The structure is slightly complex, so it will probably take some trial and error to get out.
At first glance, there are no fatal traps. The passage itself is just complicated and confusing. If you’re not overly cautious, you should be able to get out in about 30 minutes.
“If I’m late for the meal distribution, I sincerely apologize.”
Coming all this way and not being able to eat properly is one of the most heartbreaking things. Recalling the bitterness of my days as a problem-solver, I quickened my pace.
My intuition that most of the mages from Torres Tower on Crete Island had gathered in the deeper levels was correct.
There were hardly any personnel left above ground. Although it was natural not to see any external problem-solvers during this time since everyone was supposed to be exploring, there should have been some supervisors to prevent escapes.
Apparently, even the mages who were supposed to act as supervisors had gathered in the depths.
I recalled my way to the rendezvous point of the mid-level exploration team.
“The teams gathering by location this morning—this was where the mid-level group met separately.”
Finding the entrance to the mid-level from the rendezvous point wasn’t difficult. When large numbers of people move, they inevitably leave footprints. The traces of dozens or hundreds of steps were clearly visible.
Although the entrances to the surface and deep levels were in different places, the mid-level entrance was located even further away.
“It’s like the control tower part of the ruins. Is it for security?”
Even if you install the entrance in an out-of-the-way place and strictly select the people entering for security reasons, ultimately, if people don’t do their jobs properly, it ends up like this.
I opened my eyes slightly. To anyone other than Carisia, it would look like slitted eyes barely open.
That alone changes the perception significantly. While everything doesn’t transform into text as it does when your eyes are fully open, intangible information that shouldn’t normally be visible is injected.
For instance, these magic fields. Areas occupied by beings with special abilities, exerting influence through their powers. I could see a few magic fields wandering within the mid-level.
The fields appeared saturated with magical energy. They were magic fields characteristic of mages.
Perhaps because the mid-level was an important area, it seemed there were still mages remaining who hadn’t gone to the deeper levels. I explored the mid-level while avoiding the presence of these magic fields.
The silver corridors meticulously maintained by Torres Tower gleamed, exuding a futuristic atmosphere unusual for ancient ruins. Perhaps they had modernized the site for long-term occupation.
“Fortunately, they haven’t laid down an extensive surveillance network. That would’ve been inconvenient.”
I arrived in front of a certain door. Looking beyond this door caused an unusually severe headache, unlike observing ordinary matter.
It was the same kind of headache one feels when trying to interpret entities with magic fields, like beings with special abilities or artifacts with highly concentrated structures.
“There’s no sense of the mages’ unique magic field. This must be the artifact storage room.”
Though the door was sealed with complex security magic, breaking into such a stable magical structure was, ironically, easier.
There was no need for flashy techniques like overlaying incantations, which are used when dealing with attack magic. I simply took out a magic-imprinted drive and activated it. It was the most basic attack magic—a tiny flame.
Cheap as it was, the flame rose quite slowly, exactly as I intended.
Because its output was too low, it took considerable time for the security magic to recognize it as an attack.
The gradually increasing magical density. The sensors detecting the attack began to activate.
I analyzed the structure of the circuits supplying magic to the sensors. There were three active circuits currently running, with one backup. Even if all three were cut, the design ensured normal operation thanks to the backup circuit.
With three seconds left until the activation of the magic-imprinted drive. And three seconds until the security magic emitted a warning sound.
It was enough time to sever the circuits connected to the spell.
In one swift motion, I cut the four magic-supplying circuits, including the backup.
Sometimes, even when you destroy the magic-supplying circuits like this, there are magic circles that periodically self-repair, so there’s no time to waste. I quickly cut the remaining physical lock with a high-frequency blade.
Confidently, I opened the door.
Without a sound, behind the opened door…
Geeeeeek…
There lay an unimaginably dense mass of silver threads.
“Huh?”
Ortes dismissed Arabel’s ‘Torres-Argeyirion Secret Trade Theory’ for a simple reason: time.
It had been less than ten days since the Elysion terrorist attack. There simply wasn’t enough time for Argeyirion to convince Torres Tower that they had attractive merchandise worth risking the Ten Towers’ extermination order.
He was right.
Assuming the recruitment of Argeyirion started after the Elysion terrorist attack,
Ortes had once told the vanished god’s priest in Elysion that “the terrorist attack was merely a show, and the actual silver thread hosts had already been scattered across the world.”
“Already.”
There was over a month between the day Sikton was killed and Kine was rescued, and the day of the Elysion upper review. Plenty of time for Argeyirion to make secret alliances.
At that time, Argeyirion didn’t even have the image of being “Elysion terrorists.” After the terror attack, Argeyirion could instead pressure their covert allies.
“If our deal is exposed, do you think you’ll be safe?”
Thus, the trade between Torres Tower and Argeyirion continued. The manufacturing of silver thread hosts in restricted areas of the ruins’ mid-levels. The manufactured silver thread hosts were mixed into Torres Tower’s slave trafficking network and dispersed across the world.
Argeyirion kept a single mother body of silver threads in the Cretan ruins for the efficient production of silver thread hosts. In normal times, it existed in an inactive state, and even if an accident activated it, it was sealed with strict security magic, making a runaway scenario extremely unlikely.
“d*mn it, we messed this up.”
Then, Ortes appeared…
An alarm rang throughout the mid-level. The agents of Argeyirion frowned.
“The bastards from Torres Tower. They ran off claiming the treasures in the deep level might be stolen, but are they getting hunted by that problem-solver instead?”
“If this base disappears, it’ll be troublesome. We may have to intervene directly if necessary.”
While saying this, the agents of Argeyirion calmly prepared their equipment. Though they weren’t among the elite operatives who participated in the Golden Desert Operation, they were skilled enough to join Argeyirion while evading Blasphemia’s surveillance network.
With their original talents enhanced by the blessings of “justice,” they were no longer beings that ordinary mages could reach.
“Hmm? Wait.”
Being exceptional mages, the two operatives noticed something odd. They felt a massive presence not from the deep level but nearby.
“d*mn, it’s a silver thread swarm?!”
“How did it escape?! The seal should have triggered the security magic!”
“Maybe the swarm consumed the magic and broke through!”
“No. Silver thread swarms not under mage control only have the primitive instinct to devour nearby lifeforms! If the backup circuits were intact, the security magic should have activated! Someone must’ve…”
As they hurried forward, a human shadow loomed before them.
Despite the silver threads surging like a tide from behind, the figure walked slowly as if on a leisurely stroll.
The silver threads dared not approach this silent intruder.
The master.
The master has released the silver thread swarm and is driving it towards us.
There is only one organization capable of figuring out the activation and control methods of silver thread swarms so quickly—our former comrades, now traitors.
“Blasphemia! How did you find this place?!”
No answer came. The silver thread swarm extended its needle-sharp filaments towards its old masters. Instinctively, the two mages of Argeyirion prepared for battle.
What the hell are those guys doing?
I watched the mages battling the mass of silver threads.
‘They seem sensitive to vibrations or sounds, so I’ve been moving as quietly as possible…’
Every time I said a word, the silver mass tried to stab me with its threads. Evidence that its sensory organs relied on touch or hearing. Moving with a vibration-reducing step, I managed to evade detection, and the silver threads stretched toward another source of magical energy instead.
Since the mass was growing by consuming magic, I figured there might be an artifact nearby, so I followed quietly.
Why are these guys shouting and provoking it all of a sudden?
‘Ah, but this isn’t necessarily bad.’
Let’s ransack the mid-level while these two are fighting!
*
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
