Chapter 112: The Storm Sweeping Amimone (3)
“So, Blasphemia is in quite a predicament. All the external evidence is solid, but there’s nothing that links it directly to an insider,” Niobe said, leading me into a private room at a nearby restaurant. She scanned the room with an artifact-detecting magical device, checking for any eavesdropping spells with a practiced ease.
‘She’s been climbing the ranks quickly, both in skill and position, even in the short time since I last saw her.’
She was a remarkable talent. Had she not been affiliated with Blasphemia, I might have considered recruiting her for Hydra Corporation.
I briefly recalled the vacant position at Hydra left after Dimedes’ sudden death. It wasn’t a critical issue that one of our executive positions remained unfilled. The real problem was that he’d taken his entire organization with him, leaving a sizable gap in our manpower.
‘If I could sway Niobe and her subordinates, it would more than make up for the loss of Dimedes and his Chimera unit.’
But such thoughts were nothing more than fantasies. Unless Blasphemia were to collapse entirely, its agents’ loyalty wouldn’t falter.
‘Not unless they drank the same extra-dimensional madness as Argyrion…’
Then again, even if they were tainted by the extradimensional realm, it was unlikely they would turn into the kind of people I wanted. In fact, they’d be useless.
Their unwavering loyalty to the Ten Magic Towers would simply shift to the extradimensional forces. Whether Argyrion or Blasphemia, the fanatical devotion was essentially the same, only directed differently.
“Senior, are you even listening?”
Did my distraction show? Usually, with my eyes half-closed all the time, it was hard for people to tell even when I was dozing off. Niobe’s sharp observational skills made me reevaluate her once again.
“Haha, of course. You’re saying Amimone Tower hasn’t revealed anything yet, which is becoming problematic.”
“I thought you were nodding off for a second there.”
Having survived both my time as a troubleshooter and my escapades with Carisia, my multitasking abilities had only improved over time.
If I were a mage, I could’ve used these skills for something like multi-casting, but since I lacked any magical power, all I could do was split my focus between other tasks—like listening to a briefing while daydreaming.
“Let’s summarize. So, the accusations against the Argos agents from Amimone Tower have yielded no concrete evidence?”
“We interrogated them thoroughly after receiving the tip, but nothing came up. And without any substantial proof, and Argos backing them, we can’t resort to physical means either.”
Of course, there was no evidence. This entire situation had been fabricated from the start, with me, under the alias L13, pulling the strings.
“At this rate, we would’ve been pushed back by Argos’ counterattack, but then the sudden discovery of those relics in Algoth City gave us a lifeline.”
“Even with that, it’s still difficult to charge the entire tower with treason? I’d say the relics are pretty damning evidence.”
“Well, Amimone Tower is a legitimate magic tower, after all. Their defense is that it’s all a plot by ‘superstitious cultists’ to isolate them from magical society, and that excuse is holding up for now.”
“Hm…”
I stroked my chin. Amimone Tower was handling the attacks far more calmly than expected, parrying the blows with the poise of a legitimate magic tower. Centuries of political machinations had clearly honed their defenses.
But with my arrival, things were about to change.
“Very well. Let’s wait patiently for now. There’s a limit to how long they can keep covering their tracks. If Amimone Tower really does have a collaborator, they’ll eventually reach out to Argyrion for further instructions on their next move.”
“You’re talking about the communication signal we picked up? They don’t know we’ve intercepted it, so if we wait long enough, they’re bound to attempt contact.”
Niobe nodded, then sighed deeply.
“But without any real evidence, time is on their side, not ours.”
“Argos again?”
“Yeah. Right now, Algoth City is like the eye of a storm. Blasphemia and Argos are locked in a power struggle over Amimone Tower, which is why everything seems so calm. But as soon as one side shows a weakness, there will be a fierce strike.”
Niobe’s insight was impressive. I gave her an encouraging smile and nodded.
“I understand your concern, but impatience leads to mistakes. Our enemies are just as anxious as we are. This is a battle of who blinks first.”
I emptied my cup of tea and let a brief silence linger before continuing, projecting the image of a composed senior agent.
“We’ll wait and see.”
Tonight, I’d activate Adoosiam’s core.
***
Danao was losing his mind. Blasphemia and Argos were in a deadlock, neither side willing to back down an inch.
Blasphemia was dead set on conducting a full investigation of Amimone Tower, while Argos insisted that the internal affairs of magical society fell under their jurisdiction, staunchly blocking the way.
Although the relics unearthed in Algoth City had slightly tipped the scales in Blasphemia’s favor, it seemed like they could drag things out for some time.
Danao had no intention of wasting this precious time. He gathered the Argos agents who had been accused alongside Amimone Tower members and began a meeting.
“What the hell were you all doing?!”
It was less a meeting and more of an outburst.
“If you make enemies, at least clean up after yourselves! The fact that such a precise operation was pulled off means this wasn’t the work of a bunch of failed rejects. Someone powerful must be backing this. Did you cross someone inside Argos?”
What baffled Danao most was the discovery of the relics buried in Algoth City. How had someone managed to break through the tower’s defenses and the city’s surveillance without leaving a trace?
This was not something an ordinary mage could accomplish. Even after reviewing all the CCTV footage, there was no sign of anyone planting the relics, which only attested to the skill of whoever had done it.
…Or perhaps, it was the CCTV manager. It hinted that Amimone Tower might have been in league with whoever had planted the relics.
Blasphemia had seized on this suspicion to pressure Danao.
It was a crude form of manipulation, achieved through high-level magical prowess. Yet it was a deft political move, one that made all the evidence point toward a collaborator within Amimone Tower.
Grinding his teeth, Danao looked around the room once more.
“Talk! Did any of you stash too much on the side? Did you execute someone who turned out to be the illegitimate child of a magic tower master? If you have any suspicions, spill them now!”
But silence was all that greeted him. With a deep sigh, Danao waved them off.
It was a silent command to leave. Slowly, the mages of Amimone Tower filtered out of the room.
“Which bastard… What the hell started all this?”
Danao growled in frustration, unaware that the real reason behind the plot was his tower’s substantial value. The opportunity cost of destroying Amimone Tower was simply too great.
As Danao seethed, one of the dismissed Argos agents, Gorgov, had his own thoughts.
‘It’s time to awaken my fellow brothers of the tower to the cause.’
His sunken eyes scanned his surroundings. Surely there were other Argos agents—technically, full Argos employees, but most of those recommended by magic towers considered themselves more affiliated with their original tower than Argos. These individuals still called themselves “dispatch agents.”
Gorgov was certain that some among them had been contacted by Argyrion as well.
The truth that Argyrion had revealed—the primordial truth—was nothing short of shocking. It had made their current lives of obedience to the Ten Magic Towers feel utterly disgraceful.
‘If I can reach out to those who’ve joined Argyrion’s cause, things will become much easier…’
Gorgov briefly considered sharing Argyrion’s truth with Danao, wondering if he could sway him to their side. But he shook his head.
‘That pig is too far gone.’
Danao was a bloated swine, contentedly feasting on the sweet fruits of the Ten Magic Towers’ order. Even if he were told the truth, he’d likely scoff and dismiss it with a “What’s that got to do with me?”
Gorgov stroked his mana proxy device. He could enter a secret code at any moment to send a support request to Argyrion. But it wasn’t the right time.
First, he needed to connect with the hidden allies who shared his views. Only after taking control of Amimone Tower’s secrets and ousting Danao would it be worth sending that request.
As Gorgov schemed his next move and Danao fumed in frustration, Orthes, with his half-lidded eyes, was already slipping past Amimone Tower’s surveillance.
In a quiet, empty room within Amimone Tower, Orthes opened the box containing Adoosiam’s core.
The box that had shielded Adoosiam from the outside world was now open.
Click.
It was the sound of Danao and Gorgov’s desperate efforts being undone.
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