Lampades struggled to push Orthes back. After skillfully wrapping his request for a bit of time in various ways, he finally gained a little leeway.
The Thunder Orb was far too dangerous. But as dangerous as it was, it was equally powerful.
“A gift for Astraphe, huh…”
Typically, if a powerful artifact were to be gifted to a Mage Tower, the Tower Master, who is usually the most outstanding mage in the tower, would be chosen as its user.
However, Orthes declared it “for Astraphe.”
‘…there’s an intention behind it.’
It’s not just a silly reason like wanting to enhance Astraphe’s magical capability.
Yet Lampades could not guess what the reason was. He analyzed whether there was some kind of mental magic hidden within the Thunder Orb for brainwashing, but he found no traps.
“Speaking of which, Astraphe said something strange.”
He had to hear the story. Lampades called for Astraphe.
*
The reception room, where he had come down to wait for a moment, was politely arranged with coffee and biscuits.
While munching on a cookie, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from afar. That distinctive shoe heel sound, considering its volume, could only belong to Lampades.
He had an oddly fatigued look on his face.
“…I know it’s a strange question, but may I ask one?”
“Yes. If it’s something I can answer, please go ahead.”
“Are you really unfamiliar with Astraphe’s mother?”
He almost dropped the coffee cup in his hand.
Why is that story coming up here again?
Lampades slowly opened his mouth.
“Astraphe said she had been living in Etna City with her mother. At least, that’s all she remembers from the distant past.”
Her mother was an outstanding mage who taught Astraphe the basics of magic, but advised her to keep it hidden as much as possible. And she warned her…
“…she heard that although it’s tough now, someday her father or his friends will come to help?”
“Yeah.”
I shook my head. The timing might seem coincidental, but I wasn’t a tall uncle figure.
Astraphe’s escape from the Torres Tower was not a benevolent deed but a product of chance and calculation. It was not something that should have happened to a child longing for her family, but I had no connection to Astraphe’s past.
“I saw the pendant her mother left behind. It had markings that anyone researching lightning-affiliated magic and its history would recognize.”
“Oh. If there’s such a sigil, we might be able to find her father. That’s a relief.”
I was nodding along with my mouth, but my head was getting complicated. Damn it, if Astraphe flies away like this, I’ll have fewer means to persuade Lampades!
“No. Finding him is impossible. That tower is already gone.”
“Gone?”
The tower was destroyed; was there any reason to remember it? I recalled a few names from the list of fallen towers that had some fame or had created unique magic.
Among the towers dealing with lightning magic…
“Manubia. They were once the ones who challenged the Thunder Lord, right?”
The description from the original work came to mind that ‘the Thunder Talisman’ was the most compatible with Astraphe, who hadn’t even completed her modifications yet, even compared to the Tower Master of Torres Tower at that time.
Uh-oh?
*
Lampades watched Orthes’s reaction. As soon as he brought it up, the hand holding the coffee cup trembled.
This kind of agitation was something Orthes wouldn’t normally show. Lampades was convinced Orthes knew something about Astraphe’s past and the Manubia Tower.
Orthes stroked his chin and asked back.
“The fall of Manubia Tower is a very old story, isn’t it? The last Tower Master was recorded to have lived over a thousand years ago.”
“That’s right. The last Tower Master of Manubia… Keranos, the Thunder Mage, had an unclear last act. He shifted hideouts several times with the Mage Tower Core and ultimately disappeared, causing Manubia to vanish from history. Astraphe’s father is likely a far descendant of the mage who fled when Manubia fell.”
Orthes chuckled. It was a given that the original didn’t capture all the truths of the world; he had already experienced that on Crete Island.
Still, to think that there was such a hidden history regarding Astraphe and the Thunder Talisman. For Orthes, it was indeed unexpected.
‘I thought I was just a main character with extraordinary talent.’
“If that’s the case, Astraphe will be the only mage inheriting the legacy of Manubia Tower. Lampades, she won’t just inherit your magic but will also thrive even more.”
“Yeah. That’s right…”
Lampades turned his head for a moment and took a deep breath. ‘Thunder Mage’ and ‘Thunder Orb.’ There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize the connection after hearing those names.
Orthes’s nonchalance about such connections was definitely a poker face to hide his embarrassment. The odd reaction when he heard the story about Astraphe’s mother.
In fact, Lampades didn’t tell Orthes every part of the story he heard from Astraphe.
The part he did not mention was when Astraphe was captured by the slave traders of the Torres Tower. He couldn’t imagine Orthes making an effort to search for Astraphe.
‘Let me think about why Orthes acted that way.’
Two reasons popped into Lampades’ mind. Ominous and uncertain.
The ominous reason was, of course, a scheme to use Astraphe. If so, Orthes would either be closely related to the cause of Astraphe’s father’s disappearance or…
The very cause itself.
Was it mere coincidence that Hydra Corporation was established in Etna City, where Astraphe and her mother lived?
Was it simply a coincidence that Orthes was waiting on the day Astraphe arrived in Elysion?
…There were too many suspicious clues.
On the other hand, the uncertain reason.
‘Is Orthes Astraphe’s father?’
He recalled the Orthes from Elysion. It was hard to believe he was the so-called ‘faceless Orthes’ when he showed such personal warmth toward Carisia.
Orthes seemed to extend extraordinary trust toward those who entered his circle. It’s just that the criteria for goodwill were extremely stringent.
‘I heard he didn’t threaten Astraphe while waiting in the lobby. If Astraphe were someone within Orthes’s circle…’
If he revealed that she was an artifact from the Torres Tower, the reason for giving the Thunder Orb would change. Instead of trying to control Lampades with the source of the Thunder Orb, it would serve as a safety measure to prevent Lampades from using Astraphe.
Lampades thought Orthes was a “man who couldn’t create a family,” but in such a bizarre situation, doubts inevitably flood in.
Wasn’t it the case that he had now delivered the last artifact of Manubia Tower to the last mage who preserved its legacy?
How could an outsider know that Astraphe had inherited the legacy of Manubia? Lampades could only think of one answer: “He must have known Astraphe from the past.”
The Thunder Orb was an artifact far too precious to be merely consumed as a leash.
But even considering it complete goodwill, the person who gifted it was Orthes.
Lampades sorted through his chaotic thoughts. One way or another, Orthes was clearly planning to pass that damned precious gift onto Lampades Tower.
In that case, I needed to secure the initiative in the situation.
“Astraphe really likes the Thunder Orb. Just as you expected, her compatibility with the artifact is beyond excellent. I’ll gladly accept your gift.”
“That’s wonderful. The boss will surely be pleased.”
“The prototype of the Extra-dimensional Radar is nearing completion. Once it’s finished, I’ll head to your Hydra Corporation.”
I would directly go to Etna City to chase after clues about Astraphe.
Whether my bewilderment about ‘Astraphe’s mother’ was the sadness of a man who failed to care for his family or a mistake of a villain trying to hide a crime; I would know then.
*
I played the role of an unexpected parent, chatting about how nice it would be if Kine and Astraphe became friends when they met in Museion.
In reality, Kine planned to shine in Museion and get recruited by the Black Abyss as an apprentice mage, so they wouldn’t have much free time to hang out.
‘A little friendship wouldn’t hurt. It’s not bad to have a couple of friends of the same age.’
Since Lampades had said he would come directly to Etna City with the Extra-dimensional Radar, this matter was roughly wrapped up.
‘Now…’
I read the holographic message projected from the gauntlet.
“The Divine Cult wishes to meet you.”
I needed to prepare for a business meeting with the cult.
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