Chapter 142

Unrelated to Ortes’ perplexity, Niobe’s judgment was accurate. The false god on the verge of birth was an entity that couldn’t be stopped by the half-hearted resolve to leave behind the foundation stones of a magic tower.

Even if Ortes had taken control of all Blasphemia forces and systematically dismantled each enchantment of the false god’s parable magic, there simply wasn’t enough time or communication for such an endeavor.

Ortes quickly grasped this fact and acknowledged it.

“Amimone Magic Tower….”

It’s shutting down.

Ortes clenched his eyes shut. Damn it. What do I tell Cnemon?

Thinking about it, the original request—to eliminate a magic tower from the world—had come true exactly as asked. Everything unfolded just as spoken.

Ortes didn’t consider himself some kind of monkey’s paw granting wishes indiscriminately, but he believed the unseen hand of Carisia—truly invisible due to her activation of concealment magic—had carelessly cast a spell on the Amimone Magic Tower, leading to this situation.

With a bitter laugh, Ortes looked down at the ground—a gesture mixed with resignation and sorrow for the Amimone Magic Tower.

However, Nastiorn, observing the parable of the parasite, thought differently. This person likely never cared about “Amimone Magic Tower” from the start.

The moment signs of parable appeared, they mobilized such strategic weapons to halt its growth and threw all reserve forces into attacking it.

“Did he know from the beginning?”

The idea conceived from the parasite’s final struggle was simple: transform the object intended for parable into the magic core of the Amimone Magic Tower.

The magic core housed within the tower fell under the influence of the Ten Sages. As long as the connection to the Ten Sages was maintained, they wouldn’t be detected even by fanatics. Thus, if they could infiltrate without being noticed just once, it would serve as a surprise attack on Ortes.

Fortunately, Nastiorn knew a secret path for covert infiltration.

The remnants of Sprigo, who met a grisly end after confronting Ortes earlier, provided the clue.

Through scars scattered across the city, Nastiorn deduced that Sprigo had used angelic transformation elixir, rooting himself into the city as a silver tree. He must have utilized his silvery abilities to absorb mana from the city’s mana conduits and convert it into nutrients.

Though Panoptes had attempted to repair the city facilities, thoroughly inspecting every underground facility in Algus City would have been impossible given the time constraints.

Of course, the mana conduits were surrounded by alarm spells. However, Sprigo had already taken measures to ensure the conduits treated his silvery essence as non-foreign material.

In honor of his fallen comrade, Nastiorn infused the silvery essence-fused mana core with the mental parasite and sent it back into the mana conduit.

The mental parasite climbed through the conduit, anchoring itself to the mana core of the Amimone Magic Tower. Now, it only awaited the moment of parable to strike Ortes, who was deeply engrossed in the decision battle for the tower master position.

Even if Ortes wouldn’t fall easily, they could at least inflict deep wounds that would hinder his activities.

At least, that was the story when calculating based solely on the false god’s ambush. With Nastiorn assisting from the shadows, there was a sufficient possibility of not just incapacitating but outright killing him.

But what was this scene before him?

As soon as the parable began, Ortes launched a counterattack. Nastiorn couldn’t help but entertain ominous possibilities.

Had Ortes always been confident in his ability to hunt the false god?

What Ortes feared most wasn’t the final battle against the false god, but rather the scenario where the mental parasite continued to grow its terminal nodes as a parasite. Without a priest specializing in spirits like Bacchus, eradicating the parasite would have been impossible.

However, if all the spirits were concentrated into one entity for the parable, then it would meet permanent silence with a single death.

A trap covered by an even greater trap.

Somehow, the situation needed to be turned around.

Ortes, with a smirk full of mockery, gazed downward. But he wasn’t merely looking at the ground.

He must be observing the deeper layers beneath the surface—the mana conduits through which the mental parasite had infiltrated.

Was he analyzing the intrusion route to reverse-calculate the location of the mental parasite’s accomplice, Nastiorn?

If so, it was a poor choice. Nastiorn had already evacuated far away after pushing the silvery essence-infused mana core into the conduit.

“…No.”

For several days, the pursuit by the Theistic Order targeting him had lessened. Initially, he assumed it was due to their need for reorganization after over-consuming divine power beyond the limits of their demigod. Or perhaps they were preparing for a more powerful ability.

Considering the spare time given to the order and the nature of their “demigod,” they must have stockpiled enough divine power to utilize saint-level capabilities.

While binding the false god to prevent Ortes from overpowering it in a direct confrontation, they must have reserved their accumulated divine power to annihilate the remaining variable—Nastiorn himself.

Despite the escalating chaos, none of the Theistic Order’s trackers appeared to confront the false god. They must have been positioned as backup assassins targeting him.

Nastiorn’s survival instinct kicked into high gear. Though it seemed clear that Ortes had gained control of the Blasphemia forces dispatched to Algus City, he couldn’t command all of Panoptes.

Chaos wasn’t a tactic exclusive to Ortes.

***

Mainly thanks to my employer, the construction site changed its focus from redevelopment to demolition. As dizziness crept up on me, I briefly glanced at the ground and immediately noticed the disarray of the underground infrastructure.

Signs of erosion were visible throughout the mana conduits. While I previously disregarded them, assuming they were results of Sprigo’s large-scale bioterrorism, now, seeing the parasitic entity nesting inside the mana core and using the tower as a canvas for surreal art, I instantly understood the role these poorly-maintained conduits played in this commotion.

Damn, those Argeyirion bastards. If they damaged public facilities, they should have repaired them properly before leaving.

Infiltration through mana conduits. Conduits connected to the mana core. And my eyes combined with overlay magic.

Just as I was calculating what I could do, a thunderous cry reverberated behind me.

“Heretic!”

Another layer of confusion was added to the already chaotic center of Algus City. Near the Amimone Magic Tower, where Cnemon and his patron Hydra Corp resided, along with their nominal employers, the Theistic Order.

The source of the shout was from there.

Beyond the limits of human sight, I saw a mage hurling flames and lightning toward the residence.

The mage had no distinguishing features. Average height, wearing a robe, holding a staff with a few incantation-engraved drive slots—an impression of a typical modern mage.

But what my eyes revealed wasn’t limited to that. Beneath the cloak of humanity lay a shadowy, bubbling form. He was no ordinary human.

“…This changes things.”

There must be an ally to the mental parasite.

***

How about it?

Nastiorn couldn’t read any emotion from Ortes’ gaze, obscured by his half-closed eyes.

But he did notice Ortes turning toward him with unusually tense movements. Even for Ortes, it must have been an unexpected blow.

Ortes mobilized all the forces of Blasphemia under his command to suppress the false god preemptively. It was undoubtedly the right decision.

Yet sometimes, the “right decision” leaves you vulnerable. Just like how he opposed Haltos’ deployment.

For the first time in a long while, Nastiorn felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Because the parasite continued to consume the city’s mana to facilitate its parable, even the barrier serving as the stage for the tower master selection collapsed. Now, other Panoptes agents, excluded by Ortes under the pretext of supervising the exam, could finally move.

Adding to the Panoptes agents, the participants taking the exam also began moving to condemn the Theistic Order. With the exam rendered void, they judged it best to earn points by punishing those who violated the order of the Ten Towers.

If Ortes couldn’t be removed through the false god, then the most efficient attack during this delay must be executed.

Nastiorn well knew that the most “efficient” attack wasn’t aimed at Ortes personally but at his forces.

If the collusion between Hydra Corp and the Theistic Order were exposed, Ortes himself would become an enemy of the Ten Towers.

As Nastiorn prepared the next spell to orchestrate the battle, a clear voice accompanied by harsh words reached his ears.

“That brat! That absolutely terrible brat!”

***

Kine learned magic from Carisia and doctrines from the priests of the Theistic Order.

But these two weren’t all she learned from.

Although unintentional, the two adults Kine interacted with most while staying at Hydra Corp were Carisia and Ortes.

Just as Carisia unconsciously absorbed Ortes’ eloquence while being with him, Kine consciously studied Ortes’ actions.

Unlike Carisia, Kine’s learning was deliberate. After the scam in Elysion, Kine meticulously observed every word and action of her teacher and former family associate.

And finally, now—when her mentors and old relatives were under threat—what she had learned blossomed into something new.

Using magic to dismantle people’s resistance, twisting psychological directions with doctrines, and ultimately guiding actions through words.

A fusion of magic and doctrine, requiring a name distinct from mere abilities.

It was called Political Art (Politike Techne).

A mystery that the god of wine and chaos, Bacchus, would find truly satisfying.