Chapter 120

Ortes wiped one side of the scale with his sleeve. As the dust was brushed away, the golden plate beneath regained its shine.

The blue eyes of Ortes were reflected in the golden scales.

After gazing at the balance for a moment, Ortes finally placed it into his jacket’s inner pocket. Though physically too large to fit, magic easily overcame such limitations.

Each thread of his jacket pocket was infused with magical energy through spatial magic, making it larger on the inside than it appeared.

The lamp and scale jingled softly as they collided. Ortes patted his jacket to straighten it before glancing around the warehouse.

“Originally, my interest was solely in ancient relics…”

Secret warehouses storing such suspicious items inevitably also housed things meant to be hidden from sight.

Illegal experiments or secret ledgers. Perhaps records of prohibited items designated by the Ten Towers.

I rummaged through the warehouse without hesitation.

It was the final preparation to overthrow the master of Amimone Magic Tower.

***

The silver soldiers known as Drachma, produced by Argeyirion, possessed considerable magical prowess. Even under strict evaluation, they far surpassed novice magicians newly deployed into combat.

Firstly, they executed commanders’ orders without hesitation—whether engaging the enemy or serving as shields. This was an essential quality for frontline soldiers.

However, Sprigo failed to fully utilize the potential of the Drachma.

Sprigo did not lack qualifications as a commander. The issue lay in how the mages of Amimone Magic Tower maintained a blockade against collaboration between the Drachma and Sprigo during confrontations.

With their ability to endlessly recover as long as residual magical power remained, combined with the special circumstances of other-dimensional overflow, the mages couldn’t easily defeat the Drachma. Conversely, the Drachma couldn’t deliver fatal blows to the mages restraining them.

Such was the capability of Proper Tower’s mages. As long as the dimensional overflow persisted, prolonged attrition would ultimately favor the Drachma, though how much time that would take remained uncertain.

A decisive move had to be made.

Within Sprigo’s bark-like skin, wooden fibers composing his muscles shifted, relocating something stored within.

It was the elixir of angelic transformation used by the Argeyirion faction at the Pluto Temple.

For an ordinary mage, using the elixir of angelic transformation meant an irreversible decision—one could never return to their original form. However, this irreversible choice held little weight for Sprigo.

It wasn’t due to blind faith in some greater cause. Ascension into an angelic state carried a somewhat religious connotation, which might weigh heavier on someone with strong faith.

Sprigo was already a mage who had replaced his body with plant components. He had once abandoned his original flesh.

Thus, Sprigo swiftly made his decision and absorbed the elixir without hesitation. It spread through his bloodstream.

Gorgoph and Danao noticed parts of Sprigo gradually turning silvery white.

“Hmm?”

Gorgoph thought something might have gone wrong. That elegant silver transformation was characteristic of Argeyirion’s silver insect swarm. Could Blasphemia, and the Silver Iron Tower behind them, have replicated it so perfectly?

Danao’s thoughts were straightforward: he couldn’t allow the transformation to complete.

Without hesitation, Danao tore off his left prosthetic arm. Within it, countless reagents were stored in solidified form. The magic of toxic water saturated his hand, and the hardened reagents began to melt.

An indescribably horrific smell spread. A poison potent enough to dissolve lungs upon inhalation. Following Danao’s gestures, his left hand, now tinged with silver, shot toward Sprigo.

As the dissolved reagents increased, the poison transformed, gaining new properties. It became a kaleidoscopic toxin that constantly changed, rendering any developed antibodies ineffective.

Sprigo countered with surprising simplicity.

From beneath his silvery bark-like skin, root-like structures exploded outward. Every fiber of his muscles seemed to transform into roots, expanding dramatically.

The extreme poison created by Danao instantly corroded and destroyed whatever it touched, rendering regeneration impossible. However, the total volume of the poison couldn’t match the expanded size of Sprigo, whose body grew larger as he absorbed external-dimensional magic, anchoring himself deep within Algus City.

“World Tree…”

Gorgoph muttered blankly. A legendary tree often revered by the elves, surpassing the world in size.

Sprigo, glowing silver, grew into a massive tree reminiscent of the legendary World Tree. From roots to trunk and leaves, everything gleamed brilliantly, exuding a sense of sanctity.

“Truth and… grand purpose!”

Gorgoph felt even greater confusion. There was no reason to impersonate Argeyirion at this point.

‘Think. In a situation where there’s no need to impersonate Argeyirion, why claim to be them…’

There was none. If he still insisted on being Argeyirion, there could only be one reason.

“The real Argeyirion?”

What was going on? Hadn’t the mentor who revealed the truth been inside Amimone Magic Tower?

Sprigo experienced an expansion of his senses. Each branch extending from him and every leaf attached became his eyes and ears. With hundreds, thousands of eyes, he observed the two magicians opposing him.

Danao’s expression radiated frustration, while Gorgoph’s bewilderment was evident. Added to that were confusion and fear.

Once, Sprigo himself had worn a similar expression when faced with an adversary.

“Listen, Gorgoph. The true truth and grand purpose are with us.”

“No, it’s impossible! That can’t be right. I clearly received instructions from the mentor!”

While listening to the conversation between Gorgoph and Sprigo, Danao composed himself. Whatever their relationship, it was fortunate they were lost in their own world and hadn’t immediately attacked.

“That mentor? No! The one you met is not Argeyirion’s mentor!”

“Huh?”

Danao emitted a bewildered sound. The only person Gorgoph had encountered should have been the Blasphemia agent.

‘Did that guy claim to be Argeyirion’s mentor in front of Gorgoph? Then does that mean Gorgoph is a collaborator with Argeyirion?’

The plan to lure out Argeyirion’s collaborator using the Blasphemia agent as bait. If Gorgoph fell for it, why did the agent try to appoint Gorgoph as acting tower master?

Danao’s survival instincts quickly began reasoning.

‘The most ideal scenario… perhaps the agent just realized Gorgoph was the collaborator. That’s why he quietly pushed Gorgoph to the frontlines, forcing him into a civil war with the real Argeyirion.’

If the Blasphemia agent was also colluding with Argeyirion, there would be no reason to create the current conflict between Sprigo and Gorgoph. Once Gorgoph obtained access rights to the magic core as acting tower master, a dual attack would have put Danao at a greater disadvantage.

Yet Danao felt an inexplicable foreboding. The schemes of ‘the agent’ seemed deeper than this.

“There’s no way! He promised me the position of master of Amimone Tower!”

Even with Danao nearby, Gorgoph exclaimed in panic. He had already calculated that after unleashing the explosive venom from his prosthetic arm, there was no longer a significant need to guard against Danao.

“Is that so? Ha ha. Can you really trust that person?”

“Of course─”

“Can you really trust him if you haven’t continued attacking me? Haven’t you felt that I, with this sacred silver glow, am your true comrade? Tell me, Gorgoph.”

[Didn’t you feel unprovoked hostility when you first saw him?]

[And didn’t you find yourself instinctively drawn to him when you listened?]

[In the end, didn’t everything he said seem like the truth?]

Danao watched as Gorgoph’s eyes widened without managing to utter a word in response. Judging by these words, the Blasphemia agent must have repeatedly toyed with Argeyirion in their battles.

A sense of relief washed over Danao as Gorgoph clutched his head.

Everything matched what Sprigo described. Gorgoph trembled with doubt and confusion rising in his mind, then Sprigo delivered a stern verdict.

“Have you ever heard his name?”

“Name?”

“Have you ever heard his real name, even once?”

Gorgoph tried to recall, but his ‘mentor’ had never revealed his true name.

“That is our enemy. A demon lurking in anonymity, deceiving others. Something without a name or face.”

Unconsciously, Gorgoph turned to look back at Amimone Magic Tower.

At that moment, Danao realized he too had never heard the agent’s name.