Knemon was perplexed by Carisia’s sudden summoning.
He had never slacked off on the tasks assigned to him. In fact, he hadn’t even had the time to consider slacking off before this.
It had been less than three days since he was dragged to Etna City. Even if he hadn’t done his job properly for three days, anyone would understand if he claimed it was an adjustment period for work.
‘Was my demand for compensation too excessive? …No.’
Knemon shook his head as he pondered over his compensation.
Orthes had promised Knemon the position of the tower master of Amimone Tower. Initially, his request was simply for destruction. Orthes’ proposal was a far more sophisticated and intelligent act of revenge than he had imagined.
Hydra Corporation’s capability was formidable enough to suggest such a thing. If it were something that Hydra could not accomplish, Orthes wouldn’t have even proposed it.
Knemon made his way to the President’s Office, burdened with unresolved questions.
Inside the office, Carisia sat alone. With even Lampades absent, the oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on Knemon’s shoulders.
“Please, have a seat.”
Carisia gestured. In her graceful demeanor, one could sense the composure of an absolute ruler reigning in the shadows.
“I apologize for disturbing you during your busy schedule.”
“…What were you summoned for?”
An inscrutable smile crept across Carisia’s lips. Knemon thought that smile resembled Orthes in some way.
‘Lampades did say he’s truly a human who resembles Orthes…’
He felt he understood what was meant by that in some sense.
“I’m curious about something.”
“Are you referring to Amimone Tower? I’ve already reported everything I’ve investigated to the Head of the Divine Investigation Office, and I’m conducting additional research on the relic possession statuses of other towers.”
“Ah, that’s not what I mean. It’s about Knemon’s ‘friend.'”
“Orthes?”
You know him better than I do. Knemon refrained from voicing the thought that sprang to his mind.
‘…There have been rumors that Orthes can read thoughts, but surely the President doesn’t possess such abilities…’
If the President could handle everything alone, subordinates would serve no purpose. Since he had brought Orthes under his wing, there must be some irreplaceable aspect to him.
“Yes. It’s about Orthes, the Head of the Divine Investigation Office.”
Knemon awaited the next part of the conversation with a chilling sense of tension.
“During your days as a Troubleshooter, what on earth were you doing?”
“…?”
Knemon’s confusion amplified at the unexpected question.
Ding-dong!
I worked hard to churn out my phone calls. I’m toiling away diligently to live a life of inaction, yet I’m realizing these days that even low activity can be painfully exhausting.
“Yes. Auditor General. The line security is assured….”
Lately, the person I called most frequently was Salmosia. I should set the bait in advance so that the net to catch Amimone Tower becomes even tighter.
“Demus. It’s me. Are you ready?”
The second call was to Demus, who was probably something like a negotiation proxy for the Divine Cult. When Lampades brought Knemon in, this was the request he made.
‘The surveillance network of the Ten Towers has become more refined due to ties with Argyrion. How can we overcome this crisis?’
He added that ‘extracting the power of the relics and having the blessings of the Great Temple would prepare us with the power to contend against the Ten Towers in no time.’ I judged this to be somewhat of a boast.
While his capabilities might increase to some extent, it wouldn’t be possible to possess overwhelmingly powerful strength to tackle the entire Ten Towers.
Even if a single Great Temple had a few more relics added, if it were possible to fight the Ten Towers, then why was it that there were at least thirteen Great Temples on the Divine Cult’s side during the Mage King era, yet they still lost?
Thus, I didn’t bother to inquire or raise doubts about empty bravado. The likelihood of sparking resentment with harsh words was high.
Instead of harsh words, I offered a means to resolve the situation.
To be honest, it was a means to resolve the situation ‘in my favor.’
And this method was the most crucial element to overturn Amimone Tower.
Bzzz!
Demus gazed at the high priest Erictonia of Glaucus standing before him. After acquiring the Great Temple of Pluton, the Divine Cult underwent a massive transformation.
The biggest change among them was the rise of ‘factions.’
For a cult initially united for survival, faction fighting was a luxury.
Though opinions might diverge on certain matters, once a decision was made, absolute obedience to that outcome was the policy of wholeheartedly supporting it.
If that weren’t the case, they would have already been crushed by the power of the Ten Towers long ago.
However, the new power that had come into their hands—relics and Great Temples—offered the cult a future unlike before.
Not everyone had to submit to one unified will. With divided power, survival, or even more, could be pursued.
And the potential for such division became most dramatically apparent with regard to the Pope’s plan.
Although there had always been those who disagreed with the Pope’s plans, the voting results of the meeting had barely favored the Pope, allowing dissent to be set aside.
Even during the times when the Pope’s plan appeared to be the only means of survival, quite a few dissenting votes were cast. The shock and divergence that the Pope envisioned for the future ran deep.
But now, the situation had changed.
A new means of survival had appeared that didn’t rely on the Pope. The cult had succeeded in uncovering the remnants of the long-forgotten mythological age.
Of course, this alone would not have been sufficient to create a faction against the Pope.
What could barely be called a faction—a mere vague sentiment of rejection—was uniting these individuals under one banner: the Great Temple of Pluton.
More precisely, it was the Saintess of Pluton controlling him.
After the Great Temple fell into the hands of the Divine Cult, the Pluton Cult had no choice but to withdraw the veil of shadows and step forward. The Saintess of Pluton, as the unique and rightful successor, acquired authority rivalling that of the Pope.
At some point, news spread that the Saintess had opposed the Pope’s plans but had been forced to cooperate. No one could trace it, as it spread so subtly.
Thus, the Divine Cult became divided into two factions.
Those who sided with the Pope and those who supported the Saintess. The impending division that the Saintess of Pluton, Kore, had feared had come to pass.
Dum-dum…
However, not everyone could quickly decide their stance, like Hyacinth on the Pope’s side or Proditor supporting the Saintess.
Demus was one of those centrists—more precisely, among those who were still hesitant and had yet to make a decision.
“Right. Erictonia. What’s your assessment of Orthes’ response?”
Erictonia was the one who decided to support the Saintess upon her arrival. She largely agreed with Kore’s assertions but refrained from making a judgment on ‘Orthes being dangerous.’
To test Orthes, she asked through Demus.
“Well, when I asked how we could hide our existence, didn’t he reply that we shouldn’t hide at all? I feel like that’s not a proper answer.”
“To dismiss it as such might overlook the brilliance of that scheme.”
When she asked about ‘how to momentarily evade the attention of the Ten Towers,’ Orthes had offered an entirely different response.
“Do not try to hide.”
“You were merely brought in as a pretext to justify Argyrion’s propaganda. I will indeed believe the justification bestowed upon you by the elders of the Ten Towers.”
“So, ordinarily, your traces shouldn’t have been discovered at all. However, if your traces did become evident, the magical society would fall into greater chaos.”
In the current situation, where the scrutiny of the Ten Towers had intensified under the pretext of relic control, Orthes suggested flipping the narrative back on them.
By actively leaving false traces, if the world came to truly believe that Argyrion and the Divine Cult were moving together, the attention on the Divine Cult would surely diminish.
“If the Saintess truly views him as a threat, he wouldn’t have presented such an effective method…”
The Saintess remained tight-lipped about why she regarded Orthes as a dangerous element.
Thus, to validate Orthes’ potential danger, she posed such a question. If Orthes genuinely intended to betray the Divine Cult, he would surely provide a trap-laden answer, seeking to exploit the church’s vulnerable growth period.
With the power of the Great Temple firmly at the Divine Cult’s disposal, they would possess strength comparable to the Ten Towers of old.
Nevertheless, Orthes’ reply was daring yet devoid of traps.
Erictonia nodded. It was recognition of Orthes’ plot.
“Right. Not bad. But I have doubts about the feasibility. At the very least, wouldn’t the situation have to escalate to the Apex Towers level for it to create chaos in the magical society?”
“I’ve prepared for it.”
“Prepared?”
Demus murmured the name of the Mage Tower Orthes had pointed out as the most suitable place to leave traces.
“Amimone Tower.”
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