Calm down, I chanted to myself.
Honestly, this unpleasant intuition arose the moment I heard his “resume.”
The Mental Parasite recalled that it became self-aware sometime during the Mythical Era. From this point onward, the candidates to create a Mental Parasite are limited.
Unless the parasite was handling the divine elements fitting its own birth era, wouldn’t it be suited to use “magic”?
Magic is the creation of the Mage King.
Not an ancient art treated as primitive sorcery like Spirit Magic or Shamanistic arts, but rather modern magic established under the Ten Towers system always traces back to the Mage King.
If the parasite was born at the end of the Mythical Era, when the Divine Cult and Mage King were in full conflict, one could think of other suspects apart from the Mage King.
However, the parasite was born and sealed before the war between the Divine Cult and the Mage King intensified, more precisely, before the name “Mage King” was even known.
Isn’t it absurd that there were beings optimized for using magic even before the term was coined?
The most convincing hypothesis I have is that the Mage King created the parasite beforehand, to inflict as much damage as possible on the Divine Cult’s capabilities and disrupt their internal cohesion, even before starting the war.
He had been meticulously preparing to topple the cult in the darkness of history and actually succeeded.
“And to prevent reconstruction, he implanted instincts to destroy the Divine Cult at the tribal level.”
Truly, a scale of thinking that was profound.
I think I did a bit of a riot myself, but I clearly fell short of the grand name of the original protagonist.
“Tens of thousands of years of automatic rioting…?”
A wicked act that could overwhelm even a hundred managers and leave them exhausted. This crazy Mage King had reached a level where his disturbances operated like automated hunting.
Once the number of disturbances that hadn’t been blocked exceeded a certain threshold, they were to be sacrificed for resurrection. How on earth could a person come up with such a thought?
However, right now, it was good news for me.
“I’ve obtained a clue to prevent the Mage King’s resurrection.”
I slowly grasped my sword and stepped forward.
*
Orthes. The youngest of his kind and the most brutal among them approaches.
“Your life was worthless. The years you spent are sins equivalent to their length. If you care for the Creator, disappear quickly.”
Is there a reason for life for one whose existence is denied? The Mental Parasite could not answer its own question.
It didn’t have a purpose after the transformation, not because the transformation was the final stage of life, but…
“Because the Creator had given up on our race.”
As Orthes said, the Mental Parasite attempted to self-destruct. Their joy in life was following the mission bestowed by the Creator.
If the Creator had taken away the mission, then it would be right to return life. The parasite tried to succumb to despair.
It relinquishes everything. Letting go of attachment and obsession allowed it to see the world more objectively. It finally looked at the Creator’s messenger, who had come to urge its death.
“Huh?”
The Mental Parasite realized something strange. Its race’s endowed trait, the ability to detect mental activity, could sense all kinds of cognitive abilities, including the five senses, inspiration, and even magic power.
It was this ability that helped it notice Orthes’s bizarre cognitive activity in the first place. Overwhelmed by that exceedingly strange sensation, it couldn’t think clearly…
The Mental Parasite slowly analyzed Orthes’s cognitive activity. The basic five senses that any human would naturally have.
Inspiration from interacting with spirits or other souls. And behind the scenes, it could confirm the energy from the fighting spirit used by knights.
And then, there was the “incomprehensible cognitive ability” even it couldn’t understand. No matter how it added everything.
“Is there no magic power?”
“…You.”
“Show me your magic.”
*
Busted, damn it.
*
“Magic? You must be so outdated that you can’t even feel my magic—”
The Mental Parasite regained its life force.
The fact that it tried to wriggle out of the situation with such a wicked statement without showing any magic was evidence.
“You! You weren’t one of my kind!”
Orthes sensed the incantation of magic at five different locations. Each one was lethal. It seemed that no language could intervene in the deadly attack.
Tch.
After clicking its tongue, Orthes launched himself first. Roots resembling skewers rose from the ground to pierce him. He swung the High-Frequency Blade to cut off the tip.
The severed root headed towards the fireball coming from behind. It couldn’t block its trajectory, but it was enough to momentarily reduce the fire essence.
What Orthes pulled out was a magic imprint drive. The lowest hierarchy of aqueous magic—Water Ball—was activated.
“Ha! That’s not enough firepower to block!”
However, what Orthes was waiting for was another lightning-elemental spell directed at him. The spear of lightning flew in a yellow line along the water’s flow. Orthes’s eyes captured the fleeting moment.
The lightning flowed with the water and touched the fireball.
The three attributes fused momentarily. The wildly mixed counter-elemental magic caused a backlash.
“You bastard!”
An explosion. Flash, mist, and a loud roar swept through Algoth City’s night.
Orthes hid amidst the chaos.
The Mental Parasite ground its teeth. To be swayed by such a guy and decide to self-destruct? If it had truly been charmed by that tongue, it would have brought shame to its race.
“Did he run away…?”
Orthes had vanished into the darkness of Algoth City. Considering his bizarre cognitive abilities, even if he marshaled his full strength, it would be hard to find him now that he had hidden.
The parasite slowly retraced the situation. Who could pretend to be one of its kind and also disgrace the will of the Creator?
“The Divine Cult?!”
Indeed, if that was the case, it could make sense. The sudden growth of a crumbling cult.
If the one toying with the world was behind them, it would be understandable. The cognitive abilities that defy logic could also be a manifestation of Divine Power.
No. Even if Divine Power were involved, it was an ability that was hard to accept.
“Is it a blessing from the divine or the intervention of a powerful relic? That level of power can’t be explained. It’s too bizarre to fall under the categories of Holy Power or Sacred Command. Rather…”
Unless it were a demigod directly descended from a god. The Mental Parasite recalled the ancient oddities. The majesty of the ancient rulers who once stood at the pinnacle of humanity.
The Mental Parasite was satisfied with its deduction. Whether Orthes was a true demigod or not, he certainly posed a significant threat. It was rational to assume he was the most formidable being imaginable.
“Just as we follow the Creator’s will, do our ancient foes follow an ancient monster?”
An unnamed demigod revived from ancient times, leading the Divine Cult. It was to break through their interference and achieve transformation.
The Mental Parasite was filled with a sense of duty.
*
Hiding in the darkness, I almost sighed as I eavesdropped on the parasitic being’s thoughts.
Realizing that if I made a loud noise here, it might sense me, I was thankful I barely suppressed it.
If I let my guard down, it would be a disaster; I must be overestimated by him too much.
“Who toys with the world with a tongue? Do you think I’m some cartoon villain?”
If I had that kind of ability, I would have long since retired without worrying about the Mage King.
Things had become quite complicated. Right now, I had no way to root out all of that parasite’s mind.
If I collaborated with Carisia, it would be easy to incinerate all the bodies in this city, but if he had hidden even one body in a distant place, capturing even that one would be uncertain.
“Let’s think calmly.”
As much as I was on guard against him, he was also on guard against me. Even now, he was slowly moving bodies to escape from here.
I closed my eyes as much as possible and shrank the Extraordinary Ability Field. If I were to be detected while he was trying to escape, it would become a hassle.
He wouldn’t be able to act immediately either. I would have a moment to gather my plans.
I was about to let out a sigh only after confirming that he had vanished.
“What are you doing?”
Hik.
A voice far more terrifying than the approaching threat of the Mental Parasite. A voice that pierced straight into my spine whispered right behind me.
Grabbing my tingly left ear, I quickly turned around.
“Boss?!”
“I wouldn’t have sent you to such a place.”
“Wait a moment, Boss. I can explain everything.”
Karisia, arms crossed, appeared. Her presence was clear even in the darkness. Those shining golden eyes seemed oddly sharp.
“While the boss is personally running around taking care of competitors, let’s hear what the secretary was up to.”
Karisia’s questioning had a mix of playfulness. In other words, half of it was serious.
Cold sweat began to trickle down my forehead.
But before anything, a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through my mind.
Karisia had outsourced the investigation of Argyrion’s suspects to me—though not precisely an outsourcing, as it was the same company. That explanation was more subtle.
If so, wouldn’t assassinating the false god be something I could hand over to the Divine Cult, which has a wealth of assassination experience?
