Chapter 33

“Chairman.”

When I knocked twice, the door opened silently. It wasn’t that there was no lock—it seemed like it hadn’t been properly closed in the first place.

There aren’t many people who would come to look for Carisia all the way to the chairman’s personal bedroom aside from me, but isn’t this lack of security awareness excessive?

I considered saying something but decided against it. She’ll manage well enough on her own.

Actually, I shouldn’t be worried about Carisia; I should be concerned about intruders. If you get caught by someone skilled in Death Beam, you’re gone in an instant.

“Come in—”

As I waited in front of the open door, a lazy voice reached my ears.

“Isn’t it your principle not to have private meetings with the chairman outside of work hours?”

A mischievous joke thrown out with a smirk.

…Is this really a joke?

“The words of our astute chairman are correct. I’ve come to report before heading out on another business trip.”

“Huh?”

Carisia’s expression was filled with disbelief. She must think this guy has gone mad to want to go back to work so soon after returning from a trip.

Other Board Members might not know me well, but Carisia must have some idea of my nature—how I generally avoid work if I can.

“What is it?”

Her tone suddenly became curt.

“All contact has been lost with all beast tamers accompanying Director Demedes. Neuro Director and I will investigate and handle the situation.”

“It seems to be more serious than expected.”

Carisia rested her chin on her right hand. She might be thinking that losing someone like Demedes wouldn’t matter much.

“Though Demedes’ death itself isn’t a big issue, we won’t meet the criteria for passing the listing review without him.”

See? That’s exactly what I thought.

From Carisia’s perspective, Demedes’ value isn’t significant. Considering Chimera’s taste for humans, he could even be considered a headache.

If a few civilians in the changing city were eaten by Chimeras, it probably wouldn’t attract the attention of the Ten Towers. However, accidents do happen sometimes, and this kind of self-destruction could ironically turn into a good opportunity.

It’s rather surprising that she’s even paying attention to the listing review I proposed.

“Take this.”

Carisia threw me something that sparkled. It was the Phobos’s Sacred Artifact Crystal that I had handed over to her on my way back to Etna City.

“…I gave it to you to use, Chairman.”

“For now, I’ll be holed up in Etna City drafting urban redevelopment plans. What danger could possibly come to me? You take it.”

I felt a slight unease as I accepted the crystal. Still, it seems like some means to protect Carisia would be necessary.

But since the Chairman’s resolve is so firm, there’s nothing else I can do as an employee. The crystal, slightly larger than the palm of my hand, seemed too big to fit in my pocket.

‘Recalling the original description…’

The crystal can shrink or grow according to the user’s will. The smaller it gets, the narrower the range of prophecy it covers, but the interpretation becomes easier. Conversely, the larger it grows, the more complex the prophecy becomes, but it allows one to see further into the future.

The risks I might face would likely involve direct attacks, so it’s better to shrink it for portability.

When I focused on the crystal of Phobos, its size indeed decreased. This size should fit comfortably in the corner of my pocket.

“Finish quickly and come back.”

That concluded Carisia’s farewell.

I bowed respectfully and left the room.

***

“I heard you infiltrated one of the subcontracted organizations of the Ten Towers during your last business trip. How did you do it?”

Inside the magical train departing from Etna City, Neuro asked.

Blasphemia was far too complex to simply dismiss as “a subcontractor of the Ten Towers,” but Arabel, who had received the order from Carisia to “explain since you extracted the information,” didn’t have time for detailed explanations.

Even among the Board Members, unless they had a special past like Divius, it was difficult to know much about Blasphemia, so someone needed to explain.

Arabel was already at her wit’s end trying to analyze the final message from the Charlotte Branch Leader: “Ortes is Blasphemia’s secret inspector.”

The request for a message transmission made by Ortes upon escaping the Charlotte branch only added to her confusion. The recipient address, which was unknown in detail, was undoubtedly from a high-ranking member of Blasphemia.

Could Carisia’s command to “explain Blasphemia” be a test to see if Arabel had uncovered Ortes’ true identity?

You never know what trouble you might get into if you say the wrong thing.

After much deliberation, Arabel judged that “the content of the information is more important than its source” and provided as vague an explanation of Blasphemia as possible.

The only person who could reasonably guess where Ortes had been and what he had done was Divius, who had once been part of Blasphemia.

Therefore, most of Hydra Corp’s Board Members viewed Blasphemia as merely a highly secure information guild, unaware that all its members were combat mages modified through special physical enhancements.

Nevertheless, the name Ten Towers carried weight.

Someone with the infiltration and tracking skills to penetrate an organization associated with the Ten Towers alone would surely have something to teach even a hunter.

Neuro expected some kind of secret method. Perhaps a disguise or tracking spell using special magic.

While such methods would be hard for a hunter to use, there were also ways to control internal members through mental manipulation magic.

What ingenious means had the Chairman’s confidant used to deceive the ears of the Ten Towers and delve into their shadows?

“There’s no special method to speak of. I persuaded someone who knew the entrance and entered through the main gate.”

“The main gate!”

“Yes. There was a bit of a commotion when I came out, but there’s no trace left behind.”

Indeed, his arrogance matched his skill. Entering through the main gate indicated mastery of a high-level disguise technique that went unnoticed even by the organization’s members.

The commotion during the escape also made sense. Given the statement “there’s no trace left behind,” it was clear that sabotage had been inflicted on the organization’s database that recorded CCTV-like footage.

“Indeed. One must be at this level to become the Chairman’s confidant…”

Neuro murmured in admiration.

‘What is this? Is this uncle also aiming for a higher position?’

Ortes was perplexed by the unexpected ambition. Even after experiencing how skillfully Carisia managed people, why would anyone still want to get closer?

‘Divius is like that too. Why do these Board Members have such a strong desire for work?’

Normally, those in high positions should be lazily letting their subordinates work comfortably, shouldn’t they?

***

The location where the beast tamer Demedes headed was a barren wasteland full of strange rocks.

Although magical stones are unearthed here, the costs outweigh the benefits, and more importantly, there’s no Magic Tower supervising the area, attracting fugitives.

It was quite a distance from the nearest magical train station. After disembarking, Ortes entrusted the task of tracking any traces left by Demedes and his gang to Neuro.

Of course, Ortes had no specialized training in tracking techniques. His motto was always to delegate tasks to experts.

‘How could someone skilled enough to infiltrate through the main gate without anyone noticing lack expertise in tracking? Is this just a pretense to share credit?’

This story of sharing achievements was likely just a facade. Neuro easily grasped Ortes’ intentions.

‘Testing my abilities, is he? I can imagine what might happen if I don’t meet his standards.’

…Or so he thought he understood.

‘This blunder by Demedes may lead to reevaluation of the usefulness of the Board Members. I must give my best effort.’

Neuro took out reagents to track the beasts controlled by Demedes. He equipped the reagent into the input slot of his gauntlet and entered the command.

Typically, when one thinks of magical calculation auxiliary devices, they picture enchantware implants that cut into the body. However, the types of mana proxies known as magical calculation auxiliary devices vary widely.

The proxy gauntlet Neuro used was linked with augmented reality displayed on his gas mask. Components like saliva or fur from the beasts reacting to tracking spells appeared on the display inside his gas mask.

“As you might have guessed, this way. Fortunately, Demedes’ lax management of his beasts works in our favor. There are still plenty of traces left.”

***

I followed Neuro, who was explaining various things like a guide.

“Hmm. There are signs that they loitered around here for a while. Probably because of the butcher shop. The beasts seemed somewhat hungry. But they didn’t cause chaos here. They headed straight out of the city.”

“Does that match the report?”

During the journey on the magical train, I skimmed through the report submitted by Demedes. It clearly stated that he immediately sought out the Bacchus Cult upon arrival on the first day.

Neuro said hurriedly.

“No matter how strange Demedes is, he wouldn’t falsify reports to the chairman. All the directors possess that degree of loyalty.”

***

“How could I doubt the loyalty of the directors?”

Phew. Neuro sighed in relief. He hadn’t expected the verification to start from such a fundamental point.

With this single mistake by Demedes, Ortes was considering firing the entire board. It was best to clear up unnecessary misunderstandings quickly.

“Still…”

Neuro tensed.

“This incident is simply beyond comprehension.”

For the director himself and all his close associates to go missing while chasing after some drug addicts—it was indeed beyond reason.

Neuro cursed Demedes under his breath. He had disliked the guy from the start, but he hadn’t expected to get his neck choked because of him.

He’d better find the corpse as soon as possible and present it to Ortes.

“The trail of the beasts follows the report, leading to the rocky field. Let’s move immediately.”

Apparently pleased with the swift action, Ortes nodded readily.

Neuro decided that upon returning, he would boast to the other directors that it was thanks to him that their heads remained attached.

***

Damn. I should’ve bought something to eat when we got off at the station.

I lamented my lack of preparedness for not bringing a lunch box.

Neuro was so enthusiastic about the mission that suggesting we stop for food wasn’t an option. There was nothing to do but follow along with a forced smile.

***