“Our company’s services won’t waver even if the sky falls and the earth splits. So, what do you think? Changed your mind a bit?”
Knemon nodded. The thought of taking everything they had under his control was indeed an enticing temptation, not just mere destruction.
‘The fact that I repay what I’ve received…’
The Apex Towers that trampled Knemon’s Mage Tower had taken everything that should have belonged to him. Just as Orthes explained, returning the favor, Knemon could now seize their glory and wealth.
Bolting up from his seat, Knemon wanted to carry out the tasks assigned to him as soon as possible.
‘A list of relics secretly hidden by the Mage Towers. I must have investigated that material at some point.’
Using relics infused with the power of old gods instead of believing directly in them had always been a gray area. He had collected information, thinking maybe he could instigate division among the Mage Towers.
After years of retreating from magic and all, he had become distant from the latest information. But there shouldn’t have been significant changes in the data he had accumulated in the past.
‘Relics, including artifacts, are the Mage Towers’ trump cards. They’re not easily bought or sold.’
Given they were not common items, the interest focused on them once they were revealed would be high.
By supplementing the records he had collected in the past with a list of relics that might have traded at auctions over the past few years, he would likely yield decent results.
He heard Orthes’s voice from behind him.
“Oh. If you need manpower or equipment for the information investigation, go see Arabella Director. If you mention the Head of Divine Investigation Office sent you, she’ll treat you well.”
…What is he even thinking? It’s all in Orthes’s hands, isn’t it? Creepy but well played.
Good or bad, since they were in the same boat, it was better to have capable allies.
*
Carisia was slowly reading the reports from the Directors. The propulsion development entrusted to Bertrand was proceeding fairly smoothly.
“So, what is the compensation your friend is asking for?”
“Yes. Apparently, he wanted to blow up a Mage Tower. Given the current situation, that’s a no-go. I convinced him to reduce it.”
A request to destroy the Mage Tower. Carisia could understand that sentiment. Wasn’t she also maneuvering to destroy White Light?
On the flip side, Orthes’s claim about ‘reducing the price’ puzzled her. The thirst for revenge doesn’t simply fizzle out. Trying to persuade with some clumsy words would only stoke the flames of revenge even more, wouldn’t it?
“What did you say?”
“Oh. Nothing much. I just asked if he was satisfied with blowing it up, given how many years of hardship he endured because of that Mage Tower. I suggested he should swallow the entire tower instead.”
Carisia sighed.
She could roughly picture the situation. Orthes often – honestly, way too often – made statements that were suspicious to the extreme.
Pointing out all those comments would be meaningless. Orthes thought of his way of speaking as ‘politeness to avoid raising suspicion,’ and above all, the biggest root of suspicion stemmed from his uniquely otherworldly presence.
Accepting that in her heart, Carisia raised her gaze to meet Orthes’s. Purely judging by his facial features, he was flawless, but that usual squint of his was still an issue.
“Hah.”
Shaking off her thoughts like a sigh, Carisia considered the compensation she would give to Knemon.
“Can I hear why you think taking it over is cheaper than destroying it?”
“Yes. Destruction leaves us with no benefit. But the situation shakes up significantly. If the Apex Tower suddenly collapses, the Ten Towers will pay close attention, and we’ll need more time and resources for recovery.”
“But couldn’t the ease of process outweigh the trouble of recovery?”
“Boss, you’re not seriously thinking of sending me out alone, right?”
“Oh, I could do it, you know?”
Carisia shot a sideways glance at Orthes, questioning where he was complaining. Orthes shrugged.
“You might be overestimating me, Boss. What have I even done?”
Oh, he’s done quite a lot. Carisia recalled Orthes’s activities ever since she opened her eyes in this world.
Realizing that the topic was turning against him the more Carisia spoke, Orthes hurriedly continued.
“Ease of process and difficulty of recovery can offset each other. However, the situation post-recovery changes drastically.”
If the Mage Tower was destroyed, the added value created afterward would be zero. While one could profit from selling the remnants of the Mage Tower, compared to its proper operation, that might as well be considered zero.
“But if we appoint Knemon as the Tower Master, we can calculate future gains rather than recovery costs. Even if the process gets a bit complicated, we can secure more definite benefits.”
“True, the Ten Towers don’t pay much attention to the succession wars of other towers. It’s not like it’s a fresh occurrence for Mages to assassinate for the Tower Master position.”
Carisia nodded. She did not intend to outright oppose Orthes’s plan. She was merely weighing the feasibility of it lightly.
“Then we should start from the most basic part. What name should we give the Mage Tower to hand over to Knemon?”
“Amimone Tower.”
Amimone Tower. Carisia felt a sense of déjà vu. Was it related to White Light, which gave her birth?
No, it wasn’t such an ancient memory. It felt like not too long ago…
“The root of the Lernian Tower, huh?”
Amimone Tower could be said to be the original place of what had been the rightful owner of the Hydra Corporation’s buildings, the Lernian Tower.
This didn’t mean the Lernian Tower was a branch of the Amimone Tower; rather, it was almost the opposite.
The Lernian Tower was founded by those who were expelled from the Amimone Tower.
“Isn’t it quite a coincidence? I didn’t think history would intertwine like this.”
“Coincidence, huh.”
While she knew all this was coincidence, did Knemon feel the same way?
“Our company has no official connection with the Lernian Tower. If anything happens to Amimone Tower, it’s safe to say that we won’t be pointed as the culprits.”
“Seeing you say it so confidently, have you already laid out plans?”
“Plans aren’t that grand, to be honest.”
Orthes combined the clues Knemon had shared with him first. As Knemon held the deepest grudge against that tower, it was Amimone Tower that he had meticulously gathered intel about.
“Amimone Tower possesses a solid foundation and strong capabilities to rise to the Apex Tower level. This is not merely due to direct combat strength via Magic Power, but also due to political maneuvers inserting tower-origin Mages into key positions within law enforcement bodies like Argos.”
Even if Knemon’s Tower was small in scale, there couldn’t possibly be no legal issues at all when swallowing it whole. Resolving those would be a network of connections grateful to the Apex Tower’s power.
Orthes focused on that network.
“By the way, Blasphemia’s L13 was tasked with tracking down Argyrion’s traitor inside Argos, right?”
The corners of Orthes’s mouth lifted.
Principally, Panoptes members should not be affiliated with specific towers. This was to ensure fair judgment without any interests connected to specific groups.
But that was all theoretical. It was only natural to bend an arm towards the tower where one had built their career before joining Panoptes.
“By raising suspicions about Argos agents from Amimone Tower regarding Argyrion’s espionage, it will influence Amimone Tower, which produced them. We’ll begin by leaking information about the hidden relics to create a stir.”
That’s how it starts, huh.
“Have you explained the plan to Knemon already?”
“Of course. I made sure to clarify that this is just the beginning, in case he gets disappointed. Please feel free to mention any points for improvement.”
Carisia sometimes worried that Orthes misjudged the weight of the words he spoke.
Today, he seemed to be misjudging significantly.
*
Recently, Salmosia, the Auditor General of Blasphemia, had been in a rather sour mood.
His authority to track Argyrion had ultimately been revoked from Blasphemia.
Of course, he knew the reason. The sensible judgment that a group with the power to assassinate a Ten Towers elder could not be left to face Blasphemia alone.
‘The conclusion that the whole of Panoptes should step forward rather than just part of it is undoubtedly rational. However…’
How many Argyrion spies do you think there are inside Argos, which is the largest subset of Panoptes?
Anxiety, and though unspoken, jealousy wrapped around Salmosia.
At that moment, a message came through the direct line reserved for inspectors.
The sender was L13.
Upon seeing that name, Salmosia felt a sudden rush of excitement.
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