Chapter 100 – An Unexpected Visitor (5)
“What do you mean by that?” Kine asked.
“It means that if you distinguish yourself in other ways, there’s a chance they might consider taking you as an apprentice at one of the towers.”
“You’re saying there’s another way to get into the Ten Towers besides the traditional elite route through Musaeion?”
“Even the Ten Towers have their limits. Not in terms of magical prowess, but in their overall capacity to handle things. The Ten Towers are already busy, and I plan to make them even busier.”
Kine’s face reflected her deep contemplation. Orthes’ words seemed to hint that he had other plans for her, possibly even the friendship with Astraphe being part of a larger strategy.
I shrugged at her expression. From my perspective, forming a bond with Kine and Astraphe wasn’t just about weakening the Ten Towers’ power; it was more about securing allies before they fell into the Mage King’s hands.
Of course, I couldn’t tell her that directly. Instead, I gave plausible reasons. If Kine eventually seized control of the **Spartoi** and yelled, “I have control!” as she had in the original story, it would certainly benefit me.
But that was just a bonus. As long as she didn’t side with the Mage King, my plans would still succeed.
It would be great if she entered the Ten Towers and provided insider information, but such things were never that easy.
There were limited ways to join the Ten Towers without a Musaeion diploma: she could rise through the ranks by serving in Panoptes, or she could make a significant magical breakthrough that attracted their attention.
Perhaps she could perform an outstanding feat in battle, such as resolving an extra-dimensional incursion or, in the current situation, defeating a high-ranking member of Argyrion single-handedly.
But such accomplishments were far too difficult for someone so young. It was enough for me that she didn’t fight for the Mage King.
I handed Kine a company-provided ice cream to distract her from her complex thoughts and then left the room. I had assigned the task of finding Kynemon to Lampades, and I expected results within one to three months.
‘Now, as for the tasks at hand…’
First, I had to modify the extra-dimensional radar Lampades brought into a relic-detecting device for divine investigations.
I had left that job to Bertrand and Geryones, who had little work these days.
Next, I needed to actually use the relic-detecting device for the divine investigation.
But now wasn’t the right time for that. The Ten Towers had their eyes wide open, and it wasn’t a good time to engage in divine investigations openly.
Was I really going to sit idle until Kynemon was found?
Could I really do nothing?
***
Orthes found himself bored, though he would never admit it.
Reading through Hydra Corporation’s internal Ether Space work records was a sign of just how little he had to do.
“I really have nothing to do…”
Orthes muttered bitterly. Here he was, with no tasks left within the company.
Would he really have to waste the months until he met Kynemon?
‘No, it’s not a waste. After all, Blasphemia or the Divine Cult could call for assistance at any moment. It’s more like being on standby.’
Then, a sudden thought struck Orthes.
‘The Divine Cult? Blasphemia?’
…External contracts!
‘I don’t have nothing to do within Hydra Corporation. I’ve been thinking about this all wrong.’
‘After all, I wear many hats.’
Orthes was tied to three organizations: **Hydra Corporation**, the **Divine Cult**, and **Blasphemia**.
While his loyalty was solely to Hydra Corporation—and more specifically, to Carisia—that didn’t mean he couldn’t take on jobs from the others!
He could carry out various “external” tasks for Hydra Corporation’s benefit. Orthes began to devise a creative scheme under his L13 identity.
“Blasphemia already asked me to track down Argyrion spies within Argos.”
Though Argyrion had no time to spread propaganda on the Ether Space, Orthes still had a list of suspected spies within Argos, handed to him by **Salmosia**, Blasphemia’s head inspector.
With Panoptes, Argos, and Blasphemia now entangled in a precarious alliance, this list had the potential to cause a major explosion.
Orthes smiled quietly.
‘Right. Relying solely on a friend’s abilities is foolish. I should be creating a more focused environment to work in before Kynemon arrives.’
Witnessing his deepening smile were a few low-ranking employees from one of Hydra Corporation’s divisions, tasked with paperwork.
They couldn’t refuse the sudden demand of the head of the Divine Investigation Office to review work records.
Orthes sat in a dark room, a mysterious hologram screen glowing before him as he smiled. His unsettling grin struck fear into the hearts of the employees.
They shivered in dread at the bad omen before them.
‘A month should be enough to set the stage.’
Orthes planned to divert Panoptes’ attention elsewhere before Kynemon arrived, making it easier to retrieve the ancient relics.
Once Kynemon was here, they would recover the relics together, based on the information Kynemon had.
With a smile, Orthes began searching for each name on Salmosia’s list of suspected spies.
***
Lampades moved swiftly.
‘The only official task is to demonstrate the extra-dimensional radar.’
The first day was for rest due to travel fatigue. On the second day, he would perform the demonstration and supply the prototype.
The rest of the stay would be spent fixing any malfunctions, a task that didn’t necessarily require Lampades himself—any of the other mages from his tower could handle that.
Lampades trusted his subordinates completely and focused on tracking Kynemon.
He had to find Kynemon within ten days to ensure the safety of his tower.
Though his mind was racing, Lampades did his best to remain calm. He had already informed his tower members that he would be gone for a few days on business, so they wouldn’t worry too much.
‘I’ve quietly asked some of my contacts from my time as a troubleshooter, but there are no active troubleshooters who match Kynemon’s description. He’s probably changed his face or retired.’
Kynemon had most likely quit the troubleshooter business. He would’ve gone into hiding to avoid Orthes.
‘He wouldn’t keep working as a troubleshooter, not with Orthes after him. Maybe I should start by checking his hometown…’
***
“By the way, Orthes. How many of these ‘friends’ of yours haven’t you introduced me to?”
Carisia asked after Orthes mentioned that his “new friend” would also be useful for Hydra Corporation’s business. With Lampades already working on the extra-dimensional radar, this new friend seemed to add to a streak of unlikely coincidences.
‘Are they even really friends?’
Carisia recalled how Lampades had behaved like a lion at the mercy of Orthes, much like the head of a herd of wildebeest sacrificing himself for the rest. His fear was palpable, yet he seemed willing to endure it for the sake of his group.
“Haha, I don’t exactly have a wide social circle. Including Lampades, there are about three.”
“Lampades is a tower lord, but who are the other two?”
“The one that might help us now is **Kynemon**. He’s a revolutionary type who once dreamed of reforming society.”
“A revolutionary?”
Carisia could think of several grim possibilities from that single word. After all, she herself was opposed to the Ten Towers’ regime.
Going further, though, the term “revolutionary” could easily spiral into something far worse—a doomsayer, like the kind who believed the world needed to end before it could be rebuilt. While Carisia trusted Orthes in many ways, she remained skeptical about his choice of friends.
Her hand instinctively moved to massage her temple.
“He once asked me to join him in changing the world, but I was too busy making a living to pay him much attention. I plan to apologize when I see him again.”
Orthes might have seen Lampades as just a “friend,” but if Kynemon had received the cold shoulder, how would he react when they met again?
Noticing Carisia’s suspicious expression, Orthes waved his hands in reassurance.
“I haven’t told him he can show up unannounced like Lampades. But he won’t ignore me if I contact him.”
Meeting Lampades again had given Orthes an idea.
‘There aren’t many trustworthy mercenaries or troubleshooters, but I can trust my friends’ character.’
Even if they were motivated by self-interest, there weren’t many mages who would risk their lives to save an underling from a magic tower. Orthes was pleased to find his judgment of people had been accurate.
‘He’s got a good personality too. Kynemon would refuse to fight the Ten Towers, but he might accept a simpler job, like recovering relics.’
***
“What?! You’re Orthes’ faceless messenger?!”
Kynemon shot back in alarm.
Lampades’ face contorted at the outrageous accusation.