Chapter 155

I painstakingly explained the “Heaven-Sundering Stratagem.” It was a plan for a simultaneous succession war, using the Argheirion expedition of the Ten Towers as a trigger.

When all the main forces of the towers, including the elders, would be absent, we would launch a surprise declaration of war. And Hydra Corp would intervene when other magic towers had depleted the reserve combat strength of the Ten Towers. Ultimately, we would take over the Ten Sages by putting forward the Artificial Tenth Rank.

With that, I had finished explaining all the plans that could be disclosed.

The board members did not immediately applaud and welcome the plan just because they heard it. Given that our opponents were the Ten Towers, it was only natural that they deliberate carefully.

“…There’s an issue.”

This remark came from Neuro.

“When wolves go hunting, there is always a leader who commands the hunt. Is there anyone in the current magic tower society who can serve as the head wolf and challenge the tiger?”

“Don’t worry. Hasn’t the new tower master of Amimone Magic Tower already received our backing?”

Cnemon and Amimone Magic Tower were set to act as the catalysts for the succession wars. To be precise, they weren’t planning to fight properly.

Their role was to apply for a succession war against the Ten Towers and then maintain a prolonged stalemate after the announcement.

“A proper tower without its magic core. Even against such a weakened opponent, if the Ten Towers cannot easily conclude the succession war, the magical community will soon think this:”

“‘Are the Ten Towers weaker than we thought?'”

In fact, Cnemon’s ‘stall at all costs’ strategy was planned with assistance from the Theistic Order. With their main forces all away, the Ten Towers wouldn’t be able to deploy troops easily. Meanwhile, Amimone Magic Tower could use its followers to gain advantages in most defensive battles.

These conditions were sufficient to sustain the stalemate.

“The Ten Towers will no longer seem like tigers. Even if they do, they’ll appear as toothless ones. Of course, everyone will know that those dangerous teeth will grow back soon.”

“…However, precisely because of that, there will be those who seek to kill the tiger before its teeth regrow, aiming for wealth and fame.”

I nodded. Mr. Neuro was giving a very reasonable explanation within common sense. He was making it unnecessary for me to persuade each of the other board members individually.

“And if Director Mecoonion lends her help, we can empower one of those dreamers.”

“Huh? Me?”

Mecoonion likely cared little for the honorific titles of magicians like the Ten Sages. That made her easier to persuade. If she learned that there were magical aids or yet-unseen plant seeds near Green Wood Tower that could benefit the plants she cultivated, she’d readily agree.

We needed the network created by her side business — the illegal drug trade — while cultivating plants. More specifically:

“Didn’t you have connections with certain mages who were researching your half-human, half-elemental constitution for study purposes?”

“Yeah, but since the director told me to wrap up my business and stay out of sight from the Ten Towers for now, I’ve mostly cut off those transactions too.”

“Contact them. Ask if they desire the pinnacle of all plant magic — the Green Wood of the Ten Sages. Let Cnemon’s Amimone Tower be the first step. Then, start a second succession war aimed at Green Wood Tower. Once that happens, declarations of succession wars against the other Ten Towers will naturally follow.”

In case two provocations weren’t enough, we also had a third contingency — Lampades’ Tower, which we wanted to keep as a fallback in case something went wrong.

“We’ll gauge the moment when the Ten Towers’ combat capabilities are exhausted. We have infiltrators inside the Ten Towers who can help with information gathering to some extent. And when the critical moment arrives—”

“—Hydra Corp declares the succession war…”

Geryon muttered this under his breath. There must have been a time when he, too, dreamed of acquiring the great legacy of the Ten Sages as a magician.

Now living as a warlord in Etna City, ironically captured by his rival, he found himself closer to the Ten Sages than ever before. It was a poignant situation.

Until now, Divius had remained silent but now raised his hand.

“Listen, Chairman and Director. You two might know this, but I’ve lived off the stipend of the Ten Towers. From that perspective, I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“The Heaven-Sundering Stratagem is so well-crafted that even the old gods’ sect might applaud it. But the biggest problem with this plan is relying on Argheirion.”

Kreton, sitting next to Divius, showed a strange expression. The meaning of “relying on Argheirion” wasn’t immediately clear.

On the contrary, Arabel, who had survived in Etna City purely on her instincts, let out a small gasp of understanding and looked at me. This was indeed a significant problem.

“If Argheirion isn’t strong enough to establish a ‘fight’ against the Ten Towers’ expeditionary force, we might not even buy the time necessary for the succession wars to occur. Do we have any grasp of their capabilities?”

“Hmm, how about the incident where Silver Iron Daro died?”

“At that time, there was only one elder, but this time, if each tower sends just two representatives, that’s twenty people. Can Argheirion hold out against twenty elders?”

“The fact that Argheirion’s base is in another dimension won’t be much help either.”

“It’s a full-scale punitive expedition by the Ten Towers. They should be able to overcome dimensional hazards to some extent.”

This was indeed a perspective I hadn’t anticipated. Could Argheirion buy enough time?

“While it may be difficult to call it a solution, there is a way to buy minimal time.”

Surprisingly, the speaker was Geryon.

“While living with Old Man Bertrand, I was dragged into various odd jobs. As a prisoner, I didn’t have many complaints. But the more work I did, the more something akin to an engineering mindset opened up for me.”

Could this situation be resolved through engineering knowledge? Bertrand himself seemed surprised, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

“I picked up a few things while modifying Lampades’ radar for divine investigation tasks. Originally, it was supposed to be a radar for finding safe dimensions. I don’t know much, but the Ten Towers must either have similar observation devices or use divination magic to secure spatial coordinates.”

Bertrand understood Geryon’s words first. He murmured quietly to himself.

“Turning Lampades’ radar into a kind of jamming transmitter to confuse the Ten Towers’ spatial coordinate interpretation. Delaying the clash between Argheirion and the Ten Towers as much as possible, and forcing the Ten Towers to spend more time returning after the expedition.”

“You know, spatial magic is the most dangerous magic. Even the Ten Towers would prioritize safety above all else. This should be enough to buy us time, wouldn’t it?”

I looked at Divius. After hearing Geryon’s proposal, he seemed deep in thought but eventually nodded.

“Interference with spatial travel… Given that this extradimensional radar itself is unprecedented, the Ten Towers probably couldn’t predict it. We should be able to secure the necessary amount of time.”

This was the moment when Divius, the board member most knowledgeable about the current power of the Ten Towers, acknowledged the possibility.

The first stage of the Heaven-Sundering Stratagem — persuasion — was successful.

***

After the meeting, only Ortes and Carisia remained in the upper echelons of Hydra Corp.

“Divius’ insight was sharp. Without him, we might have failed due to an unforeseen aspect.”

Ortes chuckled. Once the plan was on track, Hydra Corp, with the ability to deploy the Artificial Tenth Rank, would surely gain an advantage in a full-scale war against one of the Ten Towers.

“What’s next? A review of collaborators?”

“Yes. Negotiations with the Theistic Order and waiting for contact from Niobe remain. But neither is urgent. Let’s take a break today.”

Carisia nodded. Since there was free time, she decided to ask something she had been curious about.

“Ortes, you don’t have anything pressing to do right now, do you?”

“Hmm? No, I do plan to review the plan further, but since it’s essentially complete, there’s nothing that needs immediate attention.”

“In that case, could you explain this ‘Tax-Evasion Wizard’ to me?”

Ortes nodded as if it were no trouble. Carisia pointed to the chair in front of her.

“Where should I start? He was my first friend.”

“First?”

“When I woke up, his old face was the first thing I saw. We’ve known each other for quite a while.”

Ortes revealed that he had learned a lot from ‘the old man.’

“The overlaying of magical formulas that I currently use requires an understanding of those formulas. While I can understand them at a glance now, the foundational knowledge necessary for that understanding was taught to me by the old man.”

“Someone with detailed knowledge of the structure and dismantling of magical formulas… Is that related to why he’s called the Tax-Evasion Wizard?”

“There are usage fees for patents and principles, aren’t there?”

Magic patents. The modern magic system is built upon the principles proven by previous magic research. Among the functions of the Ten Towers extracting mana from various magic towers is the collection of royalties for the use of principles derived from the Ten Sages.

In addition to these principles, very unique methods of mana manipulation and other distinctive magics are recognized as patents, granting rights to their creators.

Those like Proper Tower, who own numerous patents, often sue various magic towers for patent infringement, collecting fees or sometimes even entire towers as compensation.

“This old man meticulously disassembles the structure of magic to find another angle. He persistently argues that this magic and that magic are different based on that. Being old, he’s also an expert in precedents, so none of Panoptes’ judges can handle him.”

After achieving tax evasion — or rather, legitimate tax reduction — he disappears without a trace.

“It’s been a long time since I last heard from him, but he contacted me recently after seeing news of Cnemon sponsoring the new Amimone Tower master. His connections are wide-ranging, so he’s a perfect fit for our plan, isn’t he?”

Carisia felt hopeful.

Unlike the other two, he contacted Ortes ‘first.’

Perhaps he really is a true friend.