Chapter 103

Cnemon’s confession-like tale left Lampades dumbfounded.

‘That bastard Ortes. Is he really going to add this destruction weapon into an already chaotic world?’

It was clear that Ortes, who stood behind the aggressive activities of Argeyirion, was the one responsible for the great turmoil currently spreading through the magical society.

Though it was unclear what methods he used, by employing his subordinates to overthrow the elders of the Ten Towers, Ortes managed to create cracks in the trust of the Ten Towers system and its absolute power.

And if the foam of annihilation were added into such a situation?

Lampades imagined a soldier of Argeyirion using the foam of annihilation. Quietly blowing soap bubbles in any downtown area before making them burst, causing an entire magic tower to vanish without a trace.

Since no magical energy could be sensed, the mages would have no idea what kind of force could cause such destruction.

‘Could this artifact from another dimension actually harm the Ten Towers?’

After much thought, Lampades realized that ‘it didn’t matter.’ Even if it couldn’t harm the Ten Towers directly, simply destroying other magic towers would be enough to inspire fear and reverence. Whether it was the grand magic of the Ten Towers or the artifacts from another dimension, they both lay beyond the understanding of ordinary magic towers.

The unmatched ‘incomprehensible power’ was the most powerful authority the Ten Towers possessed. And now, that same level of authority had been granted to Argeyirion.

The ‘authority based on power’ had been transferred from the religious sects to the Wizard King, symbolizing the fall of the mythic age.

This authority might once again shift from the Ten Towers to Argeyirion.

Truly, it was a terrifying plan. Not only was its scale and audacity enough to shake the structure of the mage society itself, but the truly frightening aspect was Ortes himself as the architect of the plan.

Currently, the only person who could connect Argeyirion with Ortes was Lampades himself. No one else in this world would know about Ortes lurking behind Argeyirion’s advances.

Even Lampades wouldn’t have known about the connection between the two if Ortes hadn’t revealed himself in Elysion. It was natural that others wouldn’t even hear the name ‘Ortes.’

Lampades’ eyes wavered as he looked at the foam of annihilation.

He couldn’t predict what the result would be if he handed this over to Ortes. Though it was a choice made to protect the members of the magic tower, what good would it do if the society to which the tower belonged collapsed entirely?

Sensing Lampades’ hesitation, Cnemon spoke up.

“Ortes is incomprehensible even to fellow doomsday enthusiasts. He feels like someone from a completely different world. I don’t know what he’ll do with this artifact, but it surely won’t benefit society.”

“That’s unexpected coming from you.”

The question carried the meaning: wasn’t Cnemon also a doomsday enthusiast? Cnemon nodded.

“I’ve stepped away. I’m scared of the future that faceless guy will bring.”

Lampades’ hesitation deepened. After rubbing his forehead in anguish, he let out a short sigh.

“There was another message he wanted me to deliver to you.”

“From Ortes?”

“‘I regret our previous dealings.'”

What intention did Ortes have by asking him to relay these words? Was it a hint regarding the use of the foam of annihilation?

Lampades tried to deduce Ortes’ intentions from Cnemon’s reaction. If there was some hidden plan in the message about the foam, Cnemon would surely be able to discern it.

‘If Ortes intends to use the foam to completely collapse the mage society…’

A gamble was necessary.

In a world where order had crumbled, there was no guarantee that the members of the magic tower could survive, let alone live happily.

“Was there anything else?”

After a moment of silence, Cnemon asked. Although he had accompanied Ortes on his exploration of other dimensions for a long time, this message felt too random. He needed more context.

‘Compensation has already been discussed.’

“Well, he mentioned that since you used too much of the foam, the remaining portion would all go to you. Also, that your relationship soured because of the distribution.”

It was then that Cnemon understood Ortes’ implication.

‘So he blamed our separation solely on the issue of distributing the foam?’

By doing so, Ortes clearly marked his disinterest in further ownership of the foam. Cnemon began to understand Ortes’ intent.

The real reason Cnemon fled—his fear of Ortes’ obsession with greater artifacts—was being buried under this excuse.

Simultaneously, it hinted that Ortes no longer placed significant value on the foam. The reason Ortes was summoning Cnemon must be due to finding something even stronger—”the great artifact” they failed to locate before.

An invitation to join Ortes’ plan to overturn the world.

Cnemon couldn’t imagine an artifact more dangerous than the foam of annihilation. Perhaps only the exceptional Ten Sages could challenge it.

“Hahaha…”

A laugh of resignation escaped him. All this time, he had fled with the foam of annihilation, fearing Ortes would burn the world.

But now, Ortes was calling him back, claiming to have found something even more powerful.

‘Whether I accept this invitation or not, the world will be overturned either way.’

No matter what desperate measures Cnemon took, Ortes’ endgame would proceed unshaken. A shadow of resignation enveloped Cnemon.

“Let’s go.”

“What?”

“To that faceless one. Things went wrong the moment I showed him the records of the extraplanar research.”

With his eyes closed, Cnemon muttered to himself. After he left, Ortes must have continued exploring the extraplanar contamination zones, eventually obtaining something that would destroy the world.

‘To witness the moment of destruction is perhaps the minimum responsibility left to me.’

The only choice available to the one who initiated the seeds of great ruin was to not turn away from his mistakes.

***

“He’s here.”

“…?”

I couldn’t make sense of the situation even after seeing the face of Cnemon brought by Lampades. How could he have brought him so quickly?

It hasn’t even been a week since we talked about it?

Do problem-solving industry group chats exist outside my knowledge? How did he manage this so fast?

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes. It has been a while, Mr. Cnemon. Have you been well?”

Despite the awkwardness, duties must be performed. I extended my hand as per usual etiquette, and Cnemon shook it with a strangely tired expression.

“Haha. Mr. Lampades, I didn’t expect you to handle things so swiftly. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“…I’m curious about the task you intend to assign to Cnemon. Can you tell me?”

“Excuse me?”

This was an unexpected response. Rather, if he had asked for an artifact or increased investment funds, I would have readily agreed.

What I intended to ask Cnemon was for a list of magic towers secretly possessing relics from ancient times. Given the current circumstances, it was information that could easily be used for black propaganda, agitation, or fabrication.

Cnemon was originally a revolutionary openly declaring, “I’ll overthrow this corrupt magocratic society!” So asking him wouldn’t seem strange.

However, making such a request in front of a self-made ‘Tower Master’ within that ‘magocratic society’ would sound like, “Hey, help me find weaknesses in other towers so I can do this and that.”

Even if I tried to justify it by saying I was looking for blackmail material rather than actual theft, it wouldn’t make much difference.

There are things you can say and cannot say depending on the friend. This definitely fell into the latter category.

“Haha, it’s a personal matter. You wouldn’t find it interesting anyway.”

I attempted to steer the topic away with a casual remark.

“No. I am also a party involved in this. Don’t I have the right to know?”

But Lampades was firm.

My head throbbed. If this were purely a personal matter, I could have just ignored it and spoken freely, but it was related to Hydra Corp’s divine investigation.

That is, the specific content of the request to Cnemon was also confidential company information. Talking about such matters recklessly…

Ah.

Is it a business secret?

“…It’s not something I can decide on my own. I’ll report to Chairman first and get back to you.”

I escaped the uncomfortable situation by leveraging Carisia’s position.

***

Both Lampades and Cnemon couldn’t help but be shocked by Ortes’ reaction.

They knew Ortes was plotting something massive using Cnemon. But Ortes reporting to someone and taking orders?

While Cnemon was surprised by the mere fact that someone controlled Ortes, Lampades, who had directly met Carisia, harbored more concrete doubts.

‘Was she not merely a figurehead set up to divert public attention?’

Initially, Lampades had thought Carisia was a scapegoat for Ortes.

Then, he considered the possibility that she was an ambitious individual who knowingly employed Ortes despite knowing his true nature.

And now…

‘What exactly is she?’

An unfathomable mystery that defied every conjecture and hypothesis seemed to loom heavily over Carisia and Hydra Corp.