A giant man with six arms and a witch with flowing white hair sat across a table from each other.
Geryon, the six-armed one, eyed the nameless witch of Hydra Corporation, the new powerhouse that had appeared in Etna City.
“You’ve got some nerve.”
Magic power swirled around his four hands, except for the two clasped before his mouth. It was quite a threatening sight, but it was insufficient to break the witch’s expressionless demeanor.
“Your business has begun to intrude on our territory. The number of our residents getting entangled in your damn drugs keeps increasing. How do you plan to compensate?”
The witch blinked twice. Her golden eyes glimmered ominously beneath her eyelids.
As she fiddled with the black gauntlet on her hand, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Is that so.”
Not an answer to the question. Just as Geryon was about to explode in anger at her cryptic muttering, she stood up.
Thud. Thud.
Because there was no sense of hostility, his reaction was delayed.
The right hand of the witch in the black gauntlet rose above Geryon’s head—reminiscent of a parent patting a child.
First confusion, then anger. Just as vulgar curses were about to erupt from Geryon’s mouth.
White light gathered in the hand of the white-clad witch.
Strands of light poured from her five fingers, bursting forth as a white light that filled the entire room.
As those momentarily blinded by the flash regained their senses, they were met with the sight of Geryon, his jaw having evaporated.
The scorching heat of the light had seared his flesh, leaving even blood absent. His proud six arms drooped, proving their master’s death.
The white-clad witch surveyed the room.
“Anyone care to challenge this merger?”
…The description of Geryon I read in the original novel was this alone.
To get a clue about the white-clad witch, the protagonist’s party employed various means.
Among them was a past scene where an extra briefly appeared while reading the memories of souls through necromancy.
Being one of the Tower Masters in Etna City, he must have had some power, and judging by his words, he had considerable affection for his own forces.
However, he had only played the role of emphasizing the white-clad witch’s ruthlessness, exiting without any backstory.
Comparing his proud defiance in the original to his now torn-apart self was a little pathetic.
At least in the original, he was a victim of death, but now he was alive, so perhaps that’s something to be thankful for?
I looked at Geryon with mixed feelings.
*
“Boss. Who is that?”
Orthes, glancing at Geryon, asked Carisia. Those in the second-in-command position overseeing Hydra Corporation couldn’t possibly not know who Geryon was.
Setting aside various reasons, Geryon was a business competitor of Hydra Corporation, after all.
“Geryon. He’s our guest.”
The directors accepted the current Q&A, nearly ceremonial in nature, as a plan between the two to humiliate Geryon.
Geryon had attacked Carisia while she was registering as a Tower Master but had been captured in retaliation. Calling a captive a guest and casually dismissing someone of strength in Etna City was an insult, wasn’t it?
Had Orthes known the directors’ intentions, he would have felt wronged. From his perspective, the recent conversation was merely a way to test Carisia’s mood.
He had way too many memories of being reprimanded for acting without asking Carisia’s intention after having been told not to.
‘Does this mean they don’t plan to kill him? Well, looking at the current state, he seems like he doesn’t even have the will to fight.’
“Nice to meet you, Geryon. It’s an honor to meet a renowned mage of Etna City.”
It wasn’t just the directors who felt that every word sounded full of provocation. Geryon felt the same way.
He recalled the rumors about the man standing behind Carisia.
Orthes, shrouded in as much mystery as Carisia, had only one credible piece of information: he had always been using a sword.
“But, what brings you here?”
Orthes asked genuinely curious. He couldn’t fathom how someone of Geryon’s stature ended up in this state and why it involved him.
There weren’t many directors who knew the answer to this question.
Most of the directors, including Cretone, had only heard there was a meeting, and instead found Geryon, whose half his arms were missing, captured.
Arabella, who was somewhat aware of the background story, bit her lip.
‘Oh my god. Did he really give that advice to Carisia and act so nonchalantly?’
Arabella remembered Orthes’ sudden remark to Carisia before she had begun moving to register as a Tower Master.
“Don’t be a fool and plan on dying,” a rather insubordinate, nearly insulting piece of advice for a subordinate to give their superior.
Initially, she had guessed it was a warning towards the directors orchestrating a rebellion, given the circumstances at the time due to Carisia’s absence.
‘But that’s not all. Though directed towards us, it was also a piece of advice for Carisia, too.’
It was a double hint not to kill Geryon but to capture him instead.
Utilizing a corpse had its limitations. A pathetic death would only provide grounds for Geryon’s underlings to ally together.
Summoning a necromancer to control the dead, turning them into puppets, seemed to be the best plan.
But what if it was a living hostage?
As a being, they could serve as a stone that would prevent Geryon’s remnants from moving recklessly and also act as bait to guide their actions.
Using Geryon as a bargaining chip to control his subordinates would be entirely possible. Geryon could become a useful tool.
However, Arabella didn’t explain her reasoning to the other directors. Carisia was moving alone for the Tower Master registration. If Arabella explained the circumstances, it would essentially be an admission that they had placed surveillance.
“Among the directors, there are likely many who are unaware of the situation. Allow me to explain.”
As silence fell over the directors, Carisia finally spoke up.
*
The power structure of this world is simple.
The ten towers that manage the Ten Commandments form the upper echelon of the Mage Federation. They are effectively equivalent to royalty. The towers authorized to access the Ten Commandments can be likened to high nobles.
Being a mage grants privileges, but towers linked to the Ten Commandments are even more special among mages.
These formidable towers are called Apex Towers, as they sit at the peak.
The registration process for Tower Masters begins with the emerging Tower Master announcing, “I shall manage this tower in this city,” at the Apex Towers.
When a report is received, the Apex Towers validate the Tower Master’s qualifications.
First, they must verify whether the mage claiming to be the Tower Master has control over the Mage Tower Core of that tower.
The Mage Tower Cores are all connected to the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Apex Towers can easily determine who has control over the Mage Tower Core. It’s usually a simple procedure that takes around 5 minutes.
The real test comes next: the Magic Injection Measurement.
The tower’s most crucial function is to purify extra-dimensional magic.
Originally, the purification magic of the tower uses the excess magic collected from the atmosphere, automatically using charged magic.
However, if an incident occurs and all the magic charged in the Mage Tower Core is exhausted, the Tower Master and the affiliated mages must step in to manually recharge the magic.
‘Can they indeed supply enough magic to the Mage Tower Core in an emergency?’ is the core of the Magic Injection Measurement.
In this test, if they achieve the necessary amount of recharge through magic injection, they pass.
The required recharge amount varies according to the rank of the Mage Tower Core, but the standard remains that it must hold enough magic to maintain spells for 24 hours.
Managing the amount of magic needed to sustain magic for 24 hours is extremely challenging.
Therefore, anyone among the Tower Master’s subordinates, not just the Tower Master themselves, may participate in this test. Regardless, any member under the Tower Master has the obligation to ensure the magic core is charged.
In areas with many affiliates, a large-scale strategy could potentially ensure success.
However, Carisia appeared alone for the test. Thus, there were no comrades to distribute the magic burden.
Geryon had intended to ambush Carisia as she returned to Etna City after completing this measurement, easily dealing with a magic user who was low on power.
…And as you can see, Carisia brought back Geryon, only barely alive.
“I remembered your advice: don’t plan on dying.”
I truly didn’t mean it like that. Sigh.
Geryon’s expression seemed to suggest, ‘How did that kid know I was going to ambush?!’
Time to collect my thoughts.
First, part of the reason Carisia spared Geryon’s life was because of my words, but there must be other reasons as well.
Using my words as an excuse might be a form of ‘disciplining’ for the directors. Specifically, it might hint that I, as well as my subordinate, were already aware of such emergencies, so they should stop harboring foolish thoughts.
Throwing Geryon’s lifeline based merely on my words? Carisia doesn’t live so aimlessly. She certainly has something she’s aiming for.
What could Carisia’s true intention be?
If I don’t figure it out, I’ll end up getting scolded again. Hoping my employer’s temperament becomes a bit better, I loosened my tongue.
*
“Dead foes are but corpses, yet living foes can be put to use.”
Geryon listened to Orthes’s cold words. It was evident that the fate of the defeated depended on Orthes, the Boss’s confidant.
What was hopeful was that Orthes had uttered the word ‘use.’ They had to be alive to use them, right?
He was grateful that among the directors of Hydra Corporation, there were no mages specializing in darkness or lightning. If they had employed brainwashing through electrical manipulation or even killed him to control his soul through necromancy, he might appear alive, but in reality, he would be dead.
As Geryon waited with held breath for Orthes’ verdict, he caught a glimpse of Carisia and Orthes making eye contact.
In an instant, a silent conversation passed between their gazes. Finally, Carisia nodded. She had approved Orthes’ actions.
“Directors, I would like to inquire daringly.”
Geryon instinctively sensed that he was about to hear something he shouldn’t.
“Do you know the founding purpose of Hydra Corporation? The Boss’s goal?”
*
It was just a coincidental glance, yet Carisia nodded. Having seen her for a long time, I could tell. Her eyes were sparkling with high expectations.
The real problem was that I had no idea what she was expecting.
I don’t have mind-reading powers, so it would be nice if she just told me straightforwardly.
Damn it.
I must be right in thinking that Geryon was brought here for the reasons I imagined, right?
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