Chapter: 97
Lorei, a seasoned battle magician, had explored countless dungeons and successfully completed countless adventures.
She had faced sudden zombies leaping out from corners and skeletons grabbing at her ankles from graveyards. She even experienced the moment when the jaws of a dragon snapped shut right in front of her; surely, she had more experience than most adventurers.
With perseverance, one can become tougher, and her nerves, honed by numerous 4D jump scares, allowed her to maintain composure in most situations.
Thus, the Pink-Haired Agent loosening her hands nearby didn’t scare her in the slightest.
Sure, she felt the pressure of a formidable opponent. The refined flow of magical energy indicated that this was no ordinary disposable agent but definitely an elite agent.
If the charges against Lorei were not cleared, the agent would likely seize the opportunity to attack. The Martial Arts Faction closing in fast was certainly not a favorable matchup. If a fight broke out, there would be a 70% chance of defeat.
Still, Lorei didn’t feel afraid. She knew that what one needed to overcome adversity was not fear, but courage.
Yet…
Creeeaaak.
“…”
The gaze of the Tower Master, staring wide-eyed at her, was incredibly terrifying. There was no sign of courage, and it felt as if she might faint at any moment.
The same kind of magical energy quietly undulated around the Tower Master.
Lorei vividly remembered the small animal-like figure of the Purple Tower Master. In most situations, she resembled an adorable bunny. Sometimes, her appearance was so harmless and friendly that it gave people the urge to tease her.
That’s why…
When the Tower Master was currently casting an expectant gaze as if to say “I believe in you, Lorei, but if my faith is betrayed, I don’t know how I’ll react,” it felt akin to…
A pet rabbit suddenly splitting its head into four, readying an artillery cannon in its throat.
It seemed the Tower Master wasn’t just joking when she advised not to underestimate the situation. Charlie-Senpai’s warning was certainly not without merit!
Lorei quickly racked her brain. Observing how things were unfolding, it appeared that someone had skillfully prepared to pin the blame on her.
Using her trademark magic, 『Puppet Technique』, they had created hypnosis magic.
They disguised themselves as Lorei and cast the hypnosis magic.
How could she prove her innocence in this situation? There was too much time that had gone unaccounted for to just claim an alibi.
The fact that she had spent so much time wandering around was, in fact, a liability. It wasn’t possible to recount every outing one by one.
As a last resort that she preferred to avoid, she could release all her mental barriers and let her interrogators read her mind directly, but… even that couldn’t provide 100% proof of her innocence.
The accusations of having erased memories, or having stored crucial ones in an external medium before coming here, would constantly follow her.
Then…
“Wouldn’t it prove my innocence if I catch the real culprit?”
“?”
“There’s a hidden backdoor in my 『Puppet Technique』. If someone used the base structure as it is, the backdoor would have come along too.”
The Pink-Haired Agent lightly tapped her junior, seeming to have not understood the explanation due to not being a magician; she appeared to be asking for a translation.
The junior simplified it for the Pink-Haired Agent.
“It means they deliberately left a vulnerable part within their own magic and hid it.”
“…Why would anyone do something like that?”
“…To mess with those who steal their magic?”
That explanation captured the intent perfectly.
===============================================================
The Scarred Face Senior eagerly collaborated with us. Considering she revealed even the vulnerabilities hidden within her magic, the probability of her being the culprit was extremely low.
Thus, both I and the Tower Master felt rather cheerful.
While proving the Scarred Face Senior’s innocence was one thing, it was also enjoyable to hear detailed accounts from the very person who created the amusing magic titled 『Puppet』. It wasn’t intended, but it meant one more useful magic we could utilize.
Copy complete.
The Scarred Face Senior, who planted traps within her own magical thesis, advised while examining the statue entangled with 『Big Brother.』
“It’s advisable to implement these kinds of devices when sharing magic with someone or publishing a thesis. You never know when an arrow may come back your way.”
Seeing her make her magic accessible for anyone in the Purple Tower to view made me think she had a generous heart, but the Scarred Face Senior had more cunning than I expected.
I felt a sudden pang of guilt as I was just about to steal her 『Puppet』 magic.
I had read her thesis before. Hearing that she had installed a backdoor, I recalled specific parts that hinted at it.
“Ah, then that… was the part inscribed with runes as a backdoor? I thought you just liked to waste magical energy…”
“Not that part, junior.”
“Oh.”
So it was just a poorly executed part then.
Receiving information about the backdoor from the Scarred Face Senior, I tested whether it could be applied to 『Big Brother.』 And it worked! The backdoor was opened.
What significance does a backdoor hold? It’s easy to understand by thinking of a burglar needing to break into a house.
To invade the house of 『Big Brother,』 earlier one would have had to breach the front door explosively. Naturally, this would cause a commotion, prompting those within to grab their shotguns or hide valuables.
But now, it was as if one held the key to the backdoor. A simple click would let one in unnoticed. One could sweep everything away without causing a stir.
I placed my hand on the statue and gently infused magical energy. Through the backdoor, I violated the defenseless magic and seized control. I would take over without giving it a chance to resist.
After about 20 minutes of fiddling, outlines started to emerge.
If I handled it carefully, I could likely uncover all the artifacts ensnared by 『Big Brother.』 I explained while grasping the structure of the magic.
“I think if we connect this like so, it could function as a radar. It should detect any similar objects!”
“…Um, to connect like that, wouldn’t it take a day to calculate the appropriate values, junior? I’m already getting a headache. Should I fetch a magic engineering calculator?”
“Oh, no, Lorei. With just paper and a pen, if I scribble for half a day…”
“Can’t you do it in your head?”
The Scarred Face Senior and the Tower Master glared at me with their brows furrowed at my declaration of mental math. It seemed I unintentionally pulled a clever trick.
“Tsk, this is why smart people…”
“Why is it that a smart kid is so oblivious elsewhere…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. But what am I to do? I can’t help being smart!”
We bickered as we spent about 30 minutes modifying the magic. Pink-Balrez was visibly uneasy, covering her ears with both hands. Is she particularly bad with numbers?
After several twists and turns, we finally crafted this radar.
Beep beep.
The flow of magical waves tuned to the frequency started resonating, pinpointing the echoing points. Red dots began to surface on the grid-marked green screen.
“It seems there are several more statues in the vicinity.”
“What’s the detection range for this?”
“Theoretically, a radius of 10 km. Let’s surf through and grab them all. Pink-Balrez, bring the map here. Where exactly is this?”
“Therefore, this is…”
Calculating the directions and distances, we marked each one down on the Crownhall map. There was one in the back alley on the opposite side and one hiding in the Adventurer’s Guild. And…
“…Could you please check this once more? Is it accurate that it’s being detected here?”
“It’s precise. There shouldn’t be any errors… but where is this?”
“It’s Baron Dompel’s mansion. They’re a noble without a fief, operating a trader and a loan business in Crownhall.”
“A baron can be pushed over easily, can’t they?”
Not having lived in the Tower, I didn’t know the extent of someone’s power based on their title. However, a baron was one step above a baronet.
If a Duke with a bloodline and the title of Tower Master gives a tiny puff, they could easily be pushed off, right? Like a fight between a T-Rex and a raptor, it seemed obvious who would win.
Pink-Balrez nodded, initially affirming the claim, but she added more details.
“Baron Dompel is under the protection of Duke Redburn. So to put it, he’s well-connected.”
“Oh.”
“Baron Dompel is essentially functioning as Duke Redburn’s wallet, so he enjoys quite a bit of favoritism.”
Even if he’s a raptor, he’s still a raptor backing another T-Rex.
When it comes to Dukes, I had heard they were nearly equally powered to Tower Masters. I did not mean their physical strength but including the indirect influence of wealth and power.
“…This is going to be troublesome.”
A noble was involved.
It was suspicious enough that even Pink-Balrez, the agent, felt it was an issue that needed insight, but if a Duke was backing him, the overall vibe changed.
If we were to probe clumsily, a sharp counterattack might just fly back at us. It was clear she was discerning things that way.
I hesitated.
That Baron likely knew a lot more than he let on. Isn’t it suspicious for a statue, which had been installed and left to roll around, to be detected at a noble’s mansion?
What are the odds that he didn’t know he bought a piece of hypnotic artwork? The chances are low.
Being a noble, he might even run to the temple for healing of common colds, so if he were to fall under hypnosis, he would’ve noticed it long ago.
I believed the Baron was connected to the black organization.
While it seemed stable to step back, explain the situation to the Second Prince, and quietly prepare to probe once things were settled, I thought differently.
The culprit seemed to have sent the boy my way as if waiting for me and tried to frame the Scarred Face Senior. Overall, it felt like a grand scheme plotting to lead us all into traps.
I could label the suspect as a planning-type villain.
That realization burned me up. It felt unpleasant to think I was being played with.
Surely, this must be a case meticulously planned for over a year. I couldn’t discern where the plans began and ended; in my current state, I couldn’t make sense of it.
Perhaps, our thoughts were being led astray. They’d expect that I wouldn’t move like this. “Oh, if they seem to have the Duke’s backing, they must be anxious and cautious.”
If I thought rationally like this, I wouldn’t be able to escape from the person who set the board.
And the wisest way to disrupt such a plan was to act without thinking.
I asked myself. I questioned my heart, which was beating vigorously. What do you desire? What is the appetite you deeply, instinctively wish for?
My mouth and tongue moved naturally.
“I got hit first. Now I hit back!”
“…???”
“Mad magician, are you feeling alright?”
Worried looks poured in as if I had eaten something strange. But no, my judgment was right. It needed a manly boldness to escape the spider web!
My very first TRPG character… a barbarian whispered to me. If someone seems suspicious, you hit them first and think later. Damage control? That’s the future me’s problem!
I leaped to my feet.
“I’m going to knock over that Baron!”
“Oh boy, that lunatic…!!”
I opened the window and leaped out. I intended to just crash right into the Baron’s mansion. Of course, I didn’t genuinely mean to dive in like a fool.
Having a connection with the Second Prince allowed me to share political risks, and the purple tower was operated on funding from the royal family as opposed to the nobles, so it shouldn’t change anything even if they grew wary of me.
Additionally, at this timing, it felt we were the ones who should be rushing in.
If that Baron made a fuss claiming “I was manipulated by the Purple Tower, and I had no idea!” it would become troublesome.
If he planned to frame the Scarred Face Senior, he would have surely prepared robust fake evidence too. I thought we needed to hit first and seize all related materials.
And…
…If it really goes sideways, we always have the option to use the hypnosis app as a last resort!
===============================================================
The Pig Baron boldly presented a small statue to Pink-Balrez and the Tower Master.
“If you weren’t under hypnosis, I would put you under it! Now, look this way! Kuhuhuh… And everyone becomes my sex slave!”
From a size that fit in one hand, designs flashed out as a potent wave of hypnosis burst forth.
We were hit head-on by the hypnosis app.
Pink-Balrez flushed, staring blankly as if entranced by something, while the Tower Master squirmed, nervously twisting her twin tails.
A wicked grin spread across the smug face of the Pig Baron.
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