“Yes. Have the auditors left already? So soon?”
“They only came to do a formal report after fully granting access to the Mage Tower Core and opening the Ether Space secret documents.”
“Good grief. You can’t handle things so sloppily.”
Orthes shook his head vigorously.
‘These days, the agents have really slacked off. Blasphemia used to work so diligently and passionately back when we played tag.’
If the Panoptes agents knew Orthes’s thoughts, they would have dropped dead from high blood pressure on the spot.
Ninety percent of the increased workload was directly tied to Orthes, and if you looked closely at the remaining ten percent, nine parts of it could be traced back to the butterfly effect caused by Orthes.
It wouldn’t have been odd for a passing Panoptes agent to charge in saying, “If I eliminate you, the world will return to normal!”
But such a future was impossible.
Even Orthes himself didn’t fully understand the consequences of his own actions.
The butterfly that stirred up the storm didn’t know it was the cause, so the others caught in the storm couldn’t hold a grudge against the butterfly.
What Orthes did know was that every word he spoke was increasing the per capita workload of Panoptes today.
“Oh, boss. Don’t you think Geryon could be effectively utilized in the Divine Investigation tasks? It would be best to leave the detailed schedule adjustments to Arabella, who should have a bit more time now that the auditors have left early.”
Plus, Arabella as well.
*
After some time passed, when he returned to the reception room, Lampades voiced a few requirements.
“Could you possibly move our Mage Tower’s accommodation? I’ve heard there are still conflicts ongoing. A safer place, preferably.”
Thinking back, that was indeed the case. In Etna City, destruction and reconstruction had almost become daily life, and though it had entered a state of relative calm, outsiders would perceive it differently.
Sudden death due to being caught up in tower wars. Or being invited as a guest of Hydra Corporation, then kidnapped and used as a hostage by a rival tower.
There were an endless number of ominous futures that could arise from Mage Tower conflicts.
‘Could it be that the Panoptes agents conducted a loose inspection for a reason like that?’
If they had assessed that the reason for the preemptive check was to avoid being wronged by rival towers, it made sense for the agents to be lax.
A classic method in tower disputes involves tying up the rival tower while controlling the battlefield, pushing them into the Ten Towers.
Although it had become so classic that it held little utility now, if it was an exceptional situation like the current one where the Ten Towers revealed their fangs, things could be different.
From Panoptes agents’ perspectives, it was reasonable to assume, “After all, these guys have no reason or leisure to engage in treasonous activity while fighting each other, so let’s wrap this up and hit other suspicious places.”
“It’s unexpected…”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh. Just talking to myself. Of course, we can move you. Please wait a moment.”
The Hydra Corporation headquarters had quite a few vacant rooms. Even the top floor where Kine and I are using has several empty rooms.
Back in the Lernian Tower days, it housed at least dozens, if not hundreds, and if you included test subjects, over hundreds.
Now, the only people permanently residing in the Hydra Corporation headquarters are Kine and myself.
Ah. Perhaps Arabella conditionally? Kine seems to be working her to the bone. Poor thing.
Excluding exceptions like Arabella, most tasks other than Divine Investigation are handled at the individual organization level by the directors, while the Hydra headquarters only sees visits during total business reports or meetings.
‘Let’s rule out the top floor. Kine wouldn’t want to see someone in her space.’
The middle floor probably wouldn’t suffice for Lampades, who requested “safety.”
It’s tough to escape from either the top or bottom. Hence, the only option left is the underground level…
“Is there a problem?”
“No. I’ll move you to the basement of Hydra Corporation HQ… essentially to a kind of shelter.”
“A shelter, huh.”
“The protection level and facility convenience are both excellent. I’ll give you the master key for the underground area.”
*
Orthes took out the card key from his pocket and handed it to Lampades with a surprisingly light gesture.
Lampades read the heavy meaning behind that casual movement.
The authority to manage the Hydra Corporation building without even needing to report to the boss. Either Orthes was trusted that much, or the boss was just a puppet of Orthes.
Memories of their conversation in Elysion resurfaced. Orthes had said that he wasn’t the nice person you might think he was, to which the Hydra Corporation boss had replied she already knew that.
Could she possibly knowOrthes’s true nature and still trust him? Or was she deceived to the point of not realizing such unauthorized actions?
“However, from the third basement floor down, those are storage areas of Hydra Corporation, so they’re unsuitable for living quarters. There are quite sensitive items to changes in conditions, so please avoid approaching them as much as possible.”
“Understood. Thanks.”
Lampades slowly contemplated how to draw Knemon out. Where should he start to track down his traces and whether he was still using his own name or not.
He had to find him within ten days to ensure his family’s safety.
*
Kine faced Orthes after a long time.
Ever since Orthes’s plan to enroll her in Museion fell through, he had been busily running around.
She had been practicing magic in the spare time left over, but it was hard to shake off the feeling of being a dried-up burlap sack.
Then today, a sudden new mission was assigned.
‘Do you remember Astraphe, whom we met last time in Elysion? You two are around the same age, so why not have a chat together?’
She didn’t know the reason behind being told to form a bond, but Kine faithfully followed Orthes’s orders. Until now, none of the bodies of the cult family had been returned.
If she worked hard even in such matters, the day of rest for her family might come just a bit sooner.
After praying to Bacchus while hurling curses and wishes, Kine carried out her mission to converse with Astraphe.
In truth, calling it a mission was a bit childish.
It turned into a classic and deeply entrenched debate disguised as a discussion about ‘What is the strongest magic attribute?’
‘At first, I brought it up to ease the awkward atmosphere, but how did it escalate into a matter of pride between electricity and darkness…!’
Kine couldn’t believe how sensitive she had reacted to the disparagement of dark magic. She knew in the end, magic was merely a means of revenge.
‘While learning magic is fun, I suppose.’
She had been tasked to build a friendship, but instead, she returned after wasting time debating who was stronger, her or Astraphe. She wondered how Orthes would react to such a report.
With a bit of tension and fear, Kine opened her mouth in front of Orthes.
“So, um, you weren’t seriously fighting, right?”
“Ah… It just got a bit heated while joking around.”
Orthes’s response was completely different from what she had expected. She was ready for a scolding about how she couldn’t even manage that, but instead, he simply asked about the contents of their conversation.
“That’s good to hear. Please be good friends while Astraphe is here.”
Kine’s mind became a jumble. What on earth was this guy thinking?
It couldn’t just be because they were of similar ages that he asked them to become friends, right?
Feeling as if she had plunged into a maze, Kine asked again, “What specifically should I do?”
“Eh, there’s nothing specific to becoming friends, is there? If you’re seriously asking, I don’t have many friends either, so I can’t answer that.”
“…Did you just ask about how to make friends?!”
“Ooops, was it not that?”
Her blood pressure rose every time she saw that cocky smile. Kine heaved a deep sigh and weakly responded.
“It was supposed to be about enrolling in Museion originally, right? That’s how we can free the people of Bacchus’s cult.”
“It’s not that you can only get into the Ten Towers through Museion.”
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