My mind grew complicated. The little girl timidly raising her hand to greet from behind the president of the audit department was indeed Niobe that I knew.
Yet, why did Ms. Salmosia pop up here? She was someone I had only seen in the address book I found when infiltrating Blasphemia’s archive.
Salmosia first examined my skin tissue. It was the same procedure I went through when entering the Charlotte Branch. Since I had come prepared with artificial skin as instructed by Divius, there was no chance of being caught.
“Can you recall the address you reported regarding Nardanit’s betrayal?”
“It’s a random address hidden in the database’s internal BS 52:5 section. It’s an exclusive address linked to the president’s office, renewed daily, so an exact format doesn’t exist.”
Salmosia nodded vigorously and extended her hand.
I accepted the handshake. There was no sudden activation of assassination curses from the ring she wore on her hand.
“I’ve been eagerly waiting to meet you. Meeting a surveillance officer whose whereabouts have become obscure is… a rare occurrence. Indeed, worthy of our top agent in the audit department.”
“You flatter me. By sheer luck, I survived and have been arduously chasing the trails of traitors.”
Through this reaction, several facts became clear. Either Salmosia knew about the excuse I gave to Niobe — “this face is a fake one for infiltration” — or it’s common practice for secret inspectors to disguise themselves, which is why there were no suspicions about L13’s changed appearance.
Besides Niobe and Salmosia within my line of sight, I couldn’t sense any other presence. This meant this meeting wasn’t a trap set by Blasphemia to capture me.
Salmosia sat down at the safe house’s chair and invited me to sit in front of her. I shook my head.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I will not take a seat. This area falls under Argeyirion’s operational territory, and you, sir, are an important figure. I must remain vigilant against their attacks.”
It was a strong display of caution. Salmosia highly appreciated L13’s stance. This was also another test, gauging whether L13 maintained the duties of an agent while acting independently.
Most of the information Blasphemia has collected on Argeyirion came through L13. Such vigilance was likely the reason L13 managed to return from dangerous espionage missions unscathed.
“That’s right. Then listen standing. As you told Niobe, the eschatologist within the Ten Towers poses a significant danger, but it’s still manageable for now.”
With L13 almost solely handling the investigation of Argeyirion, other auditors finally had some room to handle new tasks.
There were quite a few instances where we arrived at scenes after receiving tips about Argeyirion’s presence only to find nothing, yet compared to having to collect information from scratch, it was much better.
Salmosia used this leeway to start an internal audit, aiming to root out spies hiding within Blasphemia. The public announcement of the audit caused the spies’ movements to become restrained.
“The Audit Department is striving to filter out impure elements. Your burden in investigating Argeyirion is great, but hold on, the time for counterattack will soon come.”
“What you mean by ‘soon’… Is it because of the risk factor that falls outside the ‘manageable’ category that we cannot launch an immediate counterattack?”
L13’s response was swift. His ability to read the double meaning implied in the sentence was impressive.
He must have dedicated himself to tracking Argeyirion for several years now. A task requiring survival and combat skills over eloquence or rhetoric. I worried his social functions might have rusted, but apparently, it was unfounded.
Salmosia inwardly satisfied, subtly lowered her voice.
“Yes. There are those we cannot directly deal with.”
Ortes identified candidates that Blasphemia could not handle. Though Blasphemia operates in the shadows, its influence is not insignificant. While difficult to assert authority over wizards due to their focus on superstition, if there’s even a hint of connection to superstition, even major Magic Towers would have to bow their heads.
“Since Blasphemia is a secret organization, it can’t reveal its true identity except in situations where official credibility is necessary. In such cases, they act as members of Panoptes.”
Panoptes means “all-seeing” or “watcher.” They serve roles akin to the police or public security bureau within the magical society, acting as agents of the Ten Towers.
In reality, Blasphemia is officially considered a subordinate organization of Panoptes within the hierarchy of the Ten Towers. Thus, Blasphemia’s cover isn’t entirely false.
There was another secret organization under Panoptes aimed at maintaining the system of the Ten Towers:
Eidolon (εἴδωλον), those who prevent the overflow from other dimensions and correct eschatologists.
“Is it Eidolon? I thought they wouldn’t interfere since the traitors in Argeyirion belong to us.”
“No. They are actively cooperating. Even in the Panoptes meeting attended by the elders of the Ten Towers, they supported us. The problem lies with Argos.”
Argos (Αργος) handles the typical duties associated with public security forces. Unlike Eidolon or Blasphemia, they are officially recognized police forces.
They define magical criminals, issue wanted notices, and formally punish grand acts of treason that exceed what Blasphemia or Eidolon can handle “secretly.”
Generally speaking, the monitoring of magic towers and capturing of criminals fall under the jurisdiction of Argos when referring to “Panoptes.”
“Argos? Isn’t that a division approved by the Ten Towers? How dare they!”
“Of course, they cannot openly interfere. But…”
Salmosia threw a black cube onto the table. A hologram unfolded over the dice-like object, showing a map marking recent areas where Argeyirion sightings were reported.
“In our re-examination of Argeyirion’s appearances, we discovered an uncomfortable fact. Several ruins under Blasphemia’s surveillance had their seals broken.”
Ortes stiffened. Was it Hydra Corp or the Theistic Order? Although it was inevitable that tomb-raiding attempts would eventually be uncovered, it happened sooner than expected.
“While we diverted manpower to track Argeyirion, creating gaps in our surveillance, continuous sabotage occurred. Argos is undoubtedly behind it.”
Salmosia didn’t notice Ortes’ change in expression. He was focused on the story he was revealing, and fundamentally, Ortes’ lips remained steady despite the faint smile.
Not many people could discern emotional changes solely from the flicker in half-closed eyes.
“Do you have reasons to suspect Argos rather than the superstitious followers?”
“Isn’t it simple? How could the superstitious followers know our operation details and tamper with the seals near our operation sites one by one?”
The answer was filled with confidence. Ortes sensed Blasphemia’s unwavering belief in the sects of the vanished gods. The sects hunted for centuries could never dare to oppose them.
Argos, Eidolon, and Blasphemia all belong to Panoptes. To prevent conflicts and promote cooperation, limited operational information is shared among high-ranking officials.
“I’m listening carefully to the high-level intelligence provided by the auditor general. If Eidolon is involved, it suggests special signs from other dimensions. Perhaps it’s a magical omen indicating the return of the Wizard King.”
“It’s delicate to ask, but does Argos have a reason to slander us?”
“Ho. Haven’t they always been greedy? Their desire to control all of Panoptes. During the Elysion terror attack, a few eschatologist guards contributed to the chaos. They want to pin the blame entirely on us since the infiltrators of Argeyirion were part of our group.”
“Indeed…”
‘The investigation of the ruins was either done by the Theistic Order or our company.’
It was a rather reckless assumption. Despite the fierce power struggles within Panoptes, they are ultimately organizations under the Ten Towers. They shouldn’t blatantly obstruct each other like this.
But if Blasphemia’s suspicion shifts elsewhere, it’s beneficial, so Ortes decided not to argue.
“Or…”
At that moment, Salmosia’s voice dropped even lower, almost whispering.
“There are betrayers within their ranks, just as there are within ours. Much higher up than the low-ranking guards like those in Elysion.”
‘Aha.’
Salmosia was suspicious.
A senior official-level traitor like Branch Director Nardanit appeared within Blasphemia.
This revealed that Argeyirion’s allure extends not just to the lower ranks but also to the upper echelons.
Meanwhile, there were traitors among the low-ranking guards responsible for Elysion’s security, i.e., within Argos.
It became evident that Argeyirion had planted spies not only within Blasphemia but also within other branches of Panoptes.
Then, how should the current situation be interpreted, where sabotage occurred at a level impossible without access to Blasphemia’s operational information?
Salmosia concluded that “a high-ranking eschatologist operating secretly within Argos is moving to hinder Blasphemia.”
“I understand why you wished to meet me. I’ll do my utmost to uncover the collaborators.”
New complications presented themselves automatically.
