Chapter 104

I fled from the throbbing spot and went straight to Carisia.

“Chairman. We’re in big trouble. Lampades wants our company’s trade secrets.”

“Could you elaborate a bit more?”

For some reason, Carisia was already massaging her temples. There wasn’t much more to explain, really.

“At your request, Lampades brought Cnemon over, right? But Lampades isn’t asking for any material compensation. Instead, he wants to know what we intend to do with Cnemon.”

The moment it was explained that Cnemon had been brought in to obtain a list of magic towers secretly harboring ancient relics, it became clear that Lampades might have developed a very negative impression of our company.

Carisia slowly nodded, as if she could empathize with Lampades’ feelings.

“How did you explain Mr. Cnemon to Mr. Lampades?”

“Lampades knows that Cnemon and I were friends. I only mentioned that we’d grown distant without going into details.”

Though it felt somewhat embarrassing to delve into my own dark past, I explained to Carisia why Cnemon and I had grown apart.

“It seems like it was because you used half of an artifact without consulting anyone,” Carisia tilted her head in confusion.

“What exactly was the effect of this artifact that allowed you to so readily give away the rest?”

“It wasn’t anything special. You could call it a high-performance bomb. After testing its capabilities, I realized it wasn’t as good as I had hoped.”

Carisia’s gaze turned cold, as if questioning whether I still considered her naive enough to think bombs were harmless.

Hastily, I began to justify myself.

“I understand what you’re thinking, but the feature I requested from that artifact wasn’t about increasing firepower.”

“Then what was it?”

“Precision, I suppose. Hmm.”

It was strange; the more I spoke, the deeper I seemed to sink.

“First, let me explain how the artifact works. It allows someone who bursts a bubble to interfere with and annihilate whatever they are looking at through the bubble.”

“The ‘object being looked at’ is the target, correct?”

Carisia’s eyes focused on my face, specifically my eyes. Her penetrating gaze seemed to peer beneath my eyelids at my concealed blue irises.

“Yes. As you might suspect, I was curious about what would happen when combining the function of the artifact with my eyes.”

At the moment I burst the bubble, my eyes were wide open.

This meant that within my field of vision, the information and history inherent to all things were clearly reflected.

I hoped that the bubble’s interference could extend even to abstract realms such as ‘history’ or ‘the past.’

However, that wasn’t the case.

While my perception expanded, causing widespread destruction in the surrounding area, the damage also reached dimensions invisible to ordinary sight, temporarily flooding the space with extradimensional energy.

But it didn’t achieve the performance I desired.

Through the bubble, I was observing a ruin I had just exited.

What I was particularly focusing on was the information about the ‘facilities destroyed by explorers.’

If the bubble could interfere with the past, then perhaps it could undo the destruction caused by those explorers.

The facility in the ruins could be restored.

By erasing ‘events that occurred’ in the past, one could alter the present.

When I first understood the capabilities of the bubble and despaired at finding something akin to an unusual eraser after all that effort, this idea gave me renewed hope.

If it were possible to erase the fact of my existence in this world, I could return to the way things were.

Since I couldn’t fully articulate my thoughts at the time, I obfuscated the facts.

“For instance, imagine being able to erase scars or incurable diseases. What endless possibilities that would bring!”

“Seeing ‘history’ with normal sight is impossible. This is something only you can do with your eyes.”

“Yes. Therefore, I repeatedly experimented with the artifact while adjusting the capabilities of my eyes to see if I could interfere with the past.”

I shrugged at Carisia. The bubble could only erase tangible entities—those that could be interfered with through magical or physical means—not abstract concepts like ‘the past.’

“Still, it’s disappointing. It could have been quite useful during battles against the Ten Towers… Ah.”

A soft exclamation escaped Carisia’s lips. She was probably thinking about the Ten Sages.

“Yes. The Ten Sages have a foothold in the realm of ascension. Ascension transcends the material world. Though I’ve never directly experimented, pouring the remaining solution of the bubble onto the Ten Sages would likely yield no significant results.”

Likewise, it wouldn’t work on the masters of the towers connected to the Ten Sages or their subordinate elders.

While it might theoretically affect elders outside the towers, it would be meaningless in the areas under the influence of the Ten Sages’ authority within the domains of the Ten Towers.

“Frankly, it’s absurd. This Wizard King…”

Carisia was probably recalling my earlier words about the Wizard King arriving three years later.

“Haha. Our goal isn’t to defeat the Wizard King but to bring about Baegwang’s downfall, making everything much simpler, isn’t it?”

I swallowed the words threatening to escape my throat.

You too, having experienced ‘failure’ at the hands of that Wizard King, are terrifying enough. Ultimately, you succeeded in destroying the Ten Sages and Baegwang.

From the fact that the Ten Sages were shattered, it’s evident that the original Carisia and Baegmun, as magicians, had reached the realm of ascension.

As for the current Carisia, it’s unclear.

While the extreme determination and ruthlessness from the original story aren’t visible, her peculiar ingenuity and adaptability often shine through instead.

“Well, people don’t fundamentally change, so the potential to destroy the Ten Sages must still lie within her.”

“So, Chairman, how should we respond to Lampades?”

***

Carisia guessed the misunderstanding between Lampades and Cnemon.

“They probably think Ortes summoned Cnemon for some sinister purpose.”

It’s best not to reveal the Artificial Tenth Rank plan. With the Great Purge currently underway, where the Ten Towers lump Argeyirion and the sects together, creating artifacts to form the Ten Sages is a radical plan that invites trouble.

“On the other hand, leaving everything to Ortes might lead to other misunderstandings. It’s a dilemma.”

After pondering for a moment, Carisia made her decision.

“I’ll explain to them both, so bring them to my office. You stay silent or leave entirely.”

“Huh? I’m good at explaining.”

Memories of the past flashed through Carisia’s mind.

He does explain well—right up until the point where listeners become thoroughly confused. And it’s not just ordinary confusion either.

Take Kine, for example, who is torn between seeing Ortes as “a villain exploiting human souls” and “a prophet of Phobos.”

Ortes’ eloquence is truly extraordinary in its ability to instill two completely opposite misconceptions simultaneously.

“Regardless of whether that extraordinariness is positive…”

“…I’ll handle the explanation, so just bring them here.”

Ortes, who prided himself on his presentation skills, left the room looking slightly dejected.

***

“The Chairman has granted an audience.”

‘So, it was a lie that this was personal business after all.’

Ortes had indeed told Cnemon that the matter was personal and listening wouldn’t be interesting.

In reality, it was an issue requiring the chairman’s approval.

Even if Ortes and the chairman shared a ‘personal’ relationship, given that both were top figures in Hydra Corp involved in this matter, it was far beyond the scope of personal affairs.

Both Lampades and Cnemon followed Ortes with a peculiar tension.

Thud, thud. Their footsteps echoed discordantly in the dim corridor.

Creak. The door opened.

“Please enter.”

“…And you?”

An unstable voice questioned. It was Cnemon. Ortes’ smile seemed even deeper somehow.

“The Chairman commanded that only the two of you enter. I will guard outside.”

Ortes’ unwavering loyalty to the chairman was baffling to Lampades and Cnemon. It felt like getting hit over the head with a mallet every time they witnessed it.

Once the two entered the office, the door closed silently.

Through the massive glass window, the dim sky of Etna City was visible. Against the hazy backdrop, Carisia looked at them.

“Please take a seat.”

It was an awkward request.