Chapter 132 : Social Ties and Cult Schemes (7)
Stay calm.
I repeated this to myself.
In fact, this unsettling intuition had crept into my mind the moment I heard about the creature’s ‘background.’
The mental parasite had recalled that it gained self-awareness during the middle of the Mythical Era. Given that timeline, the list of suspects who could have created such a being was quite limited.
If the parasite primarily dealt with divinity during its creation, there might have been room for doubt. But no—it had clearly demonstrated proficiency in ‘magic.’
And magic was the creation of the Mage King.
Unlike primitive sorceries such as spirit magic or shamanism, the origin of magic, as established under the modern Ten Towers system, always traces back to the Mage King.
If the parasite had emerged in the late Mythical Era—during the full-blown conflict between the Divine Cult and the Mage King—other suspects could have been considered.
But the parasite was created and sealed long before the Mage King’s name became known, even before the war between the Divine Cult and the Mage King escalated.
A creature that was optimized for the use of magic before the very concept of ‘magic’ had even been coined? It was absurd.
The most convincing hypothesis I could think of was that the Mage King had created the parasite ahead of time, before fully revealing his presence.
To weaken the Divine Cult as much as possible and fracture their unity before initiating the war.
He had meticulously prepared for the cult’s downfall from the shadows of history, and indeed, he had succeeded in bringing about that downfall.
‘And to think he went so far as to instill a species-wide instinct to destroy the Divine Cult, ensuring their continued decline.’
The sheer scale of such an idea was staggering.
I thought I had my own share of chaos-wreaking schemes, but it was clear that I couldn’t hold a candle to the exalted status of the original protagonist.
‘An auto-generated chaos spanning millennia?’
Even with a thousand administrators, it would be exhausting to keep up with such a malicious plot. This insane Mage King had essentially reached the level where even his chaos was set on automatic.
And if the number of surviving parasites exceeded a certain threshold, they would be sacrificed to resurrect him. How could any human being come up with such an idea?
Still, it was good news for me.
‘Because now I have a clue to prevent the Mage King’s resurrection.’
I slowly gripped my sword and took a step forward.
***
Orthes. The youngest of his kind and the cruelest of them all approached.
“Your life has been meaningless. The years you’ve lived are crimes in themselves. If you truly serve the creator, you should disappear swiftly.”
Could there be any reason to continue living for one whose very existence had been denied? The mental parasite found itself unable to answer that question.
Its failure to have a purpose after ascension wasn’t because ascension was the final stage of life…
‘It was because the creator had abandoned our species.’
The mental parasite began contemplating self-destruction, just as Orthes had suggested. After all, the joy of their lives came from fulfilling the creator’s will.
If the creator had withdrawn that mission, the right course of action would be to return their lives. The parasite was about to surrender to despair.
As it let go of everything—its regrets, its obsessions—it began to see the world more objectively. It looked, for the last time, at the messenger of the creator who had come to deliver its death sentence.
‘Wait a moment.’
The mental parasite noticed something strange. One of the abilities its species had been granted by the creator was the power to perceive mental activity. This ability extended to sensing all forms of perception, from basic sensory awareness to magical energy.
It was thanks to this power that it had first detected Orthes’ strange form of cognition. Overwhelmed by the sheer peculiarity of that sensation, it hadn’t been able to think clearly before…
But now, it began analyzing Orthes’ cognitive activity more carefully. His five senses, which any human would naturally possess.
His intuition, capable of interacting with spirits and other souls. His energy sense, which allowed him to faintly conceal his usage of combat aura like the knights do.
And then, there was that ‘incomprehensible perception’ that not even the parasite could fully grasp. Yet, adding everything together…
‘No magical energy?’
“…You.”
“Use magic.”
Damn, I’ve been found out.
“Magic, you say? Are you so outdated that you can’t even sense the magical power I wield—”
The mental parasite felt a surge of renewed vigor.
The fact that Orthes was trying to get by with such sly words instead of actually using magic was proof enough.
“You’re not one of us!”
Five distinct locations registered in Orthes’ senses—the parasite had begun casting spells. All of them were lethal. There was no more room for words, only a deadly exchange.
Tch.
Clicking his tongue once, Orthes leapt into action. The ground exploded beneath him as spire-like tree roots shot up to impale him. He swung his high-frequency blade, slicing off the tips of the roots.
The severed ends of the roots flew toward the incoming fireball. They wouldn’t block the path completely, but they would be enough to reduce the fire’s intensity for a moment.
Orthes drew out a magic-engraved drive. A simple Water Ball—the lowest-tier water spell—activated.
“Hah! Do you think that weak splash will stop this firepower?”
But Orthes had been waiting for the lightning spell, a bolt of yellow lightning that streaked toward him. The lightning flowed along the water’s path. Orthes’ eyes caught the split-second moment.
The lightning traveled along the water and collided with the fireball.
The three elements—lightning, fire, and water—momentarily fused. The conflicting magic from the different attributes caused a violent reaction.
“You bastard!”
BOOM!
The explosion sent a blinding flash, a cloud of mist, and a deafening roar across the night streets of Algoth City.
In the midst of the chaos, Orthes used the cover to vanish.
The mental parasite gritted its teeth. It had nearly been fooled into killing itself by such a scoundrel. If it had truly fallen for that tongue, it would have brought shame upon its entire species.
“Did he escape…?”
Orthes had disappeared into the darkness of Algoth City. Given his bizarre cognitive abilities, even with the parasite’s full power, finding him would be no easy task now that he was hiding.
The parasite slowly reviewed the situation. Who would dare impersonate its kind and mock the will of the creator?
‘The Divine Cult!’
Indeed, it made sense. The sudden resurgence of the cult after its long decline.
If that silver-tongued trickster was behind their revival, it all started to make sense. Even his anomalous cognitive abilities—if they were related to divine power, it might explain things.
No. Even considering divine power, his abilities were too strange.
‘God’s blessing or a powerful holy relic? No, that still wouldn’t explain his capabilities. This isn’t something that can be categorized under divine powers or spirits. Perhaps…’
It could only be explained if he were a demigod, directly inheriting divine blood. The mental parasite conjured images of the ancient monstrosities—the rulers who had once stood at the pinnacle of this world.
The parasite was satisfied with its theory. Whether or not Orthes was truly a demigod, it was clear he posed a threat of similar magnitude. It was logical to assume that he was the most powerful enemy imaginable.
‘Just as we follow the creator’s will, could it be that our old enemies have revived an ancient monster of their own?’
An unnamed demigod resurrected from antiquity, leading the Divine Cult. Overcoming their interference to complete ascension—
The mental parasite felt a renewed sense of purpose.
***
As I eavesdropped on the parasite’s thoughts from the shadows, I nearly let out a sigh out of habit.
Fortunately, I realized in time that making a sound might alert the creature, so I managed to hold it in.
If only it would let its guard down a bit. It’s really overestimating me.
‘A trickster manipulating the world with his silver tongue, huh? Does it think I’m some kind of comic book villain mastermind?’
If I had that level of ability, I’d have retired long ago without worrying about the likes of the Mage King.
Things had gotten far more complicated. Right now, I had no way to wipe out the parasite’s consciousness entirely.
If I worked with Carisia, burning all the bodies in this city would be simple enough, but if the parasite had hidden even one of its bodies somewhere far away, capturing it would be a gamble.
‘Let’s think this through carefully.’
As much as I was wary of the parasite, it was also wary of me. Even now, it was quietly moving its bodies, trying to slip away from this place.
I closed my eyes as tightly as possible, shrinking my supernatural field. If the parasite detected me, things would get annoying.
It wouldn’t be able to act immediately either. That meant I had a bit of time to revise my plans.
I waited until I was sure the parasite had left before I tried to finally exhale.
“What are you doing?”
Gah!
A voice far more terrifying than the looming threat of the mental parasite whispered directly into my ear, as though piercing my spine.
I clutched my left ear, which now tingled uncomfortably, and turned around quickly.
“Boss?”
“I don’t recall sending you here for something like this.”
“Wait, boss. I can explain everything.”
Carisia stood there, arms crossed. Her presence was palpable even in the darkness, her golden eyes glinting dangerously.
“While the boss was personally out there dealing with competitors, what exactly was the chief of staff up to? Care to explain?”
Carisia’s tone was half-teasing, but that only meant the other half was serious.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, starting to trickle down.
But just before the panic set in, an idea flickered in my mind.
Carisia had outsourced—well, not quite ‘outsourced’ since we’re technically part of the same organization—but she had tasked me with investigating the suspicions surrounding the Argyrion.
Because my particular abilities were well-suited for that kind of work.
In that case, wouldn’t it make sense to subcontract the extermination of the false gods?
Who better for that job than the Divine Cult, with all their experience in executing heretics?
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