Chapter: 198
An unverified wizard from the Purple Magic Tower attempting to peddle fact-based slander to a small-time information dealer in a forgettable territory? That kind of gossip usually doesn’t spread far.
Selling uncertain information, in the long run, can ruin a business. Trust with customers gets shattered. So, this information dealer placed Evil God-chan’s credibility at an all-time low and shoved it into a corner of the cabinet.
Usually, such information wouldn’t see the light of day.
Only when a big-spending customer is in a major bind… For example, “Bring me all the information about this person, no holds barred!” or, “I’ll buy everything you have in this store!” would do the trick.
But this was the Elmest Territory—just a few weeks prior, succubi had been lurking under the Goddess Church’s buildings within the territory.
Naturally, the influence of Black Mages had permeated from top to bottom, and all Black Mages had recently received urgent orders to “gather all information about the Mad Wizard.”
Why the sudden spike in interest regarding the Mad Wizard?
Each named Black Mage operated independently but loosely cooperated; the sudden disappearance of the “Virgin Who Drinks Pleasure” had traveled fast.
One piece of the Four Heavenly Kings had disappeared overnight.
Thus, Duke Redburn, “The Despairing Snare,” had drastically raised the risk level regarding the Mad Wizard. This surpassed the weight of the Tower Masters in each Magic Tower.
The Succubus Queen had completed the Idol of the Evil God, hadn’t she? If she was able to exert the full power of the Evil God, there was a theory that even transcendent-level beings could be defeated, but that foundation had slightly shaken.
There are numerous reasons one could come up with for the Queen’s defeat.
Excluding mental manipulation, the physical abilities of Dream Demons were nothing to write home about; the illusion magic from the Purple Magic Tower provided a perfect counter.
Black Mages estimated it would take at least a year for them to master the abilities of the Idol of the Evil God. Therefore, at that time, the Queen likely had been inexperienced in manipulating its powers.
Moreover, it was highly likely that the Tower Master from the Purple Magic Tower had also been present, so she essentially faced a combination of transcendent-level beings and the Mad Wizard.
This could lead to the belief that the Mad Wizard wasn’t as powerful as anticipated… one could think this. In fact, the probabilities might be higher in this direction. Why?
If we consider the worst-case scenario, it would mean the Mad Wizard could be a force capable of transcending and fighting without succumbing to the enchantment. Ridiculous! Does that mean he would have to be a dragon or something?
No way.
The Mad Wizard’s past actions were well documented. Both his father and mother were human, and he wasn’t entangled in any magical experiments, being born as a human.
Even so, it’s always better to assume the worst.
“Should I have intervened back then…?”
During the time Roderus had pushed the Mad Wizard to the brink of death, if only he had sacrificed some resources to use the “Foreknowledge Lantern” and secured the kill. If only he had listened more seriously to the lamb’s advice.
No, no. It was too late to regret the past. Being able to reassess the variables now was rather lucky.
Duke Redburn’s Ascension, the “Foreknowledge Lantern,” required information gathering about the opponent. And based on that information, it forced fate.
The more prior knowledge he had, the more powerful that compulsion became. If the Mad Wizard was considered a potential enemy, preparation needed to start now.
Gather all information about the Mad Wizard!
Thus, the scandal spread that Evil God-chan had unleashed made its way directly to the Redburn family.
Duke Redburn assessed through his long political experience.
“This could be useful.”
The public perception of the Purple Magic Tower was quite negative. The lack of plausible external activities paired with their dealings with the human psyche made them seem quirky.
The Tower Master of the Red Magic Tower was also a bit eccentric, but his external perception was good. The social contributions of the Red Magic Tower provided a buffer against public scrutiny.
Thus, the Purple Magic Tower was left all exposed.
Until now, there were uncertainties about the connection between the Second Prince and the Purple Magic Tower, so strategies were held back to not provoke Yuna Yurenst Violet Iris.
But now was the time to play tricks.
Maximus Redburn ordered that the information gained be supplemented with an attack on the reputation of the Purple Magic Tower and the Mad Wizard, along with surveillance against the Second Prince’s faction.
“There’s a lunatic wizard by the side of the Second Prince! He’s clouding the Second Prince’s clarity!”
“The crazy wizard from the Purple Magic Tower has an unusual head and possesses all sorts of perverse interests!”
“According to internal documents from the Defense Bureau, his identifier was ‘Mad Wizard’—imagine how far they must have gone to name him that!”
“Someone once said we need to chase him out before the Mad Wizard lays his hands on the Academy’s female students and male students!”
Despite the outrageous claims… these were merely hearsay.
At this moment, it was just a subtle rumor with no known source. It was said casually, just something someone mentioned.
However, the moment the Mad Wizard ever commits any public misstep, it would be an explosive situation. The Black Mages would make it happen. Duke Redburn quietly prepared for a social assassination.
===============================================================
Naturally, Roderus Redburn was aware of the scheme.
However, he was too enthralled by the Magical Girl “Blue Rose,” and he ended up leaking family secrets.
Magical Girl Odaesu then shared this with Envers Redburn.
Envers could only glance at the enchanting Magical Girl with a troubled and displeased expression. He bitterly remarked,
“…I told you not to approach my brother.”
“Then you should raise your position within the Redburn family.”
“I’ve been taking classes under the professor. These days, I’m being subjected to increasing scrutiny. They think I might be an internal spy… If my brother didn’t trust me, I’d have died long ago.”
“Then, you should behave a bit better internally.”
Odaesu clicked her tongue. This brother of hers had no idea how to manage his reputation. He should give off a semblance of snobbery, show some much-needed pressure to the family members, and thus gain the Duke’s trust.
“Let’s settle this through a fair duel. If I win, stop humiliating me, you commoner servant.”
At this rate, when would he earn any trust? Roderus would have already beaten him half to death.
But speaking of the Mad Wizard…
Odaesu shuddered as thoughts of the phantom menaces slipped into her mind. In retrospect, his fighting style was strange—absurd even.
In a world where ascensions exist, having “special abilities” isn’t strange at all. Summoning living armor out of nowhere and having a wizard engage in close combat is somewhat understandable.
But confidence…?
It’s not easy to describe, but it felt like he was looking down from a level above. Even when bleeding from Roderus’s attacks, there wasn’t a sense of desperation from him.
If he were to exert himself, burning his soul, throwing himself fully into the battle, what chaos would ensue? That was a thought she really didn’t want to confirm or confront.
Odaesu reset her thoughts and returned to a more pressing matter, casually inquiring to Envers about the rumors being spread by the Redburn family. Were they true or just baseless slander?
Envers, having seen the Mad Wizard during their academy days, could provide some insight.
“…That professor, what’s he like? Is he really as the rumors say?”
“Hmm. I don’t think he’s a bad person… though he is suspiciously fond of tentacles.”
“?”
“The female classmates often struggled against his tentacles…”
“…”
Odaesu shivered at the memory of her past nightmares. It brought to mind the ruthless tentacle assaults of the Four Heavenly Kings, “Yuri the Frost Lover.”
It’s a little strange to think about.
In her present life, she fought mainly in melee combat and couldn’t control plants or tentacle-like appendages. Of course, given that the power of a monster is apart from human attributes, it could have different capabilities…
Typically, one would think they’d stick to their main talents.
For Odaesu, her primary weapon was the rapier. She’d practiced her skills for a lifetime—abandoning that for some weird new techniques wasn’t something she’d do.
This was just hypothetical. What if, among the Four Heavenly Kings… there was a Mad Wizard?
Did those slippery tentacles come from some shared development?
If that were the case, then the Mad Wizard was right in line for the title!
Unresolvable queries were shelved for later. There were plenty of other things to think about.
Odaesu and Namgoong Cheong-hwi decided to not take further action regarding the information leak, leaving the counter-tricks and political maneuvers to the Second Prince’s faction. They had more important tasks at hand.
“Let’s use the competition for the throne as bait. If the competition heats up, the entire Empire will be in turmoil, and the Duke won’t be able to resist stepping in.”
“We’ll be fixing that extended hand and striking the neck off!”
“Right, the opportunity will eventually appear… Just focus your attention. It will happen, just like when I finally procured a famed pastry chef’s roll cake.”
“That metaphor seems rather girly…?”
And thus, this was the beginning of the Duke Redburn Hunting Plan.
===============================================================
Inside a tavern in the Elmest Territory, a pair of men and women clinked their beer mugs together.
One side was a handsome man with his hair parted 2:8, notable for a tear-shaped mole below his eye. His fox-like eyes emphasized charm over suspicion.
He wore finely made leather armor. An insightful observer would quickly discern he was a seasoned adventurer.
He was Rowillen, a mercenary who had once teamed up with the Mad Wizard, known to Mima as Crying Mole.
On the opposite table sat a woman with practical adventurer’s attire, bearing a large scar across her left eye.
This was Lorei, the wizard from the Purple Magic Tower, known to Mima as Scarred Senior.
Lorei had been hunting monsters for materials for magical research and had hired Rowillen for the front-line work. They were enjoying a drink after finishing their tasks.
Lorei tilted back her beer mug and savored a sip before making a satisfied kha sound and wiping her mouth. Then she casually asked, “So how has it been lately? I heard both of your companions are pregnant.”
“Going well. Everything is great. I never knew every day could feel this happy. Thinking I’ll be a dad soon has put a weight on my shoulders though…”
“It’ll all work out. If you only had one wife, I would’ve told you to have a couple at a time. Well, having one child each still results in siblings—so that’s a perk of harem life.”
“It seems my wives want a bit more. They’re working hard on missions, just as they say a mouth needs feeding twice as much.”
With a kid on the way, he would need to stay close to his wives, so Rowillen figured he’d earn plenty for some time during the pregnancy. That’s why he’d come all the way to the far-off Elmest Territory for long-distance work.
“Hmm… If you keep making such appeals, I might need to raise your pay a bit. Don’t want to come across as a bad guy,” she said with a grin.
“Ahaha. Did that show too much on my face? Thanks,” Rowillen replied.
“If you do, then send me a portrait of the baby later. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a half-elf and half-feral child being born.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure to send it,” Rowillen promised.
Lorei mentally calculated while wondering about the heaps of reagents she would need to extend the duration of body replacement spells… but, with a baby on the way? There was no way she could save money.
Children needed parents. If spending a bit more money could provide peace for a family, it wasn’t a bad deal at all.
The warm atmosphere continued, but then Rowillen lowered his voice and carefully asked, “By the way, Lorei, I’ve been hearing somewhat disturbing rumors about the Purple Magic Tower around the Elmest Territory lately. Is there something going on?”
“Ah, that… it’s about that rumor saying one of the tower’s wizards has a rather strange head, right?”
“Yeah. I think it might be the same fellow who called me Crying Mole upon first meeting. It’s said he’s laid hands on a young girl, so if I’ve asked something I shouldn’t have—”
“No, it’s not that. That slander is fake. Our junior may be a bit peculiar, but he does uphold a sense of duty. The rumor likely distorted after people saw him getting cozy with the Tower Master…”
Bang!
A money pouch fell onto the table.
Startled, Lorei and Rowillen widened their eyes and turned to see a girl with an ill-tempered expression standing confidently with her arms crossed.
The girl confidently declared, “No.”
“?”
“The rumor is fact. At least the part about him laying hands on a young girl is true. That’s something I personally experienced!”
“…Who are you?!”
While Lorei was stunned by this unexpected direct assault on her junior, the seasoned adventurer Rowillen slyly opened the pouch that the girl threw down to check the amount.
It was enough for a commissioning fee.
The girl, Evil God-chan, puffed out her chest, declaring, “The illegitimate child of the Mad Wizard.”
“What?!”
“And your client. I’ll give you all of this money, so I’d like you to escort me to the Academy. You’re capable adventurers, right?”
“…Wait, an illegitimate child? With the Tower Master? No way. I can’t see that happening. If so, then with whom…?”
Evil God-chan had found her guide.
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