Chapter 47

Carisia glanced at the dark elf Ortes had introduced as a “friend.”

The horizontal scar on his nose bridge and the blade antenna attached where his elfish long ears once were certainly stood out, but what was truly unusual was Ortes’ introduction of him as a “friend.”

“Compared to the introduction…”

It seems he’s rather intimidating.

Tilting her head, Carisia decided to exchange a few words. Before anything, this person was someone who needed to be recruited for the benefit of Hydra Corp’s objectives, regardless of being Ortes’ friend.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lampades. I am Carisia, the chairman of Hydra Corp.”

Upon hearing this, Lampades suddenly paled and looked up at Ortes.

To Carisia, it was an incomprehensible reaction.

“Ah, well… Our speaking styles are somewhat similar due to spending so much time together. Guess we’ve rubbed off on each other.”

Ortes tried to lighten the mood. Hearing this, Lampades swallowed hard, though he attempted to hide his evident tension.

“I… am also pleased to meet you, Chairman Carisia. I am Lampades of the Lampades Magic Tower.”

“Confident enough to use your tower’s name as your own. You must be brimming with self-assurance.”

Though intended as light-hearted banter, Lampades’ response was far from lighthearted. He subtly scanned Ortes, using a technique warriors employ when gauging the distance of an ambushed enemy—a method involving only eye movements without turning the head.

The explanation Carisia sought came from Ortes.

“Heh. This fellow has done me a great favor. I asked him to make himself easy to find if I ever succeeded, and to treat me to a meal someday.”

Lampades nodded.

“Yes, though I never expected this friend to actually come looking.”

Carisia thought.

‘This isn’t the kind of tension that exists between friends…’

***

From the first words Carisia spoke, Lampades sensed the deep shadow of Ortes.

After all this time spent together, they resemble each other? What a laughable tale.

Ortes hadn’t changed in the slightest. If anyone had undergone change, it could only have been this person named Carisia.

By the Ten Sages and the great Wizard King, Lampades had never seen Ortes speak so amiably to anyone.

Within Ortes’ calm respectfulness lay a cold edge, like a blade drawing boundaries between people. Yet surprisingly, a sense of intimacy was present in how he addressed Carisia.

Lampades knew of a factor capable of causing such dramatic changes. People who start families or have children often become entirely different individuals compared to their former selves.

But Ortes was not the type to form a family.

‘Then the answer must be…’

An ideological successor.

Could Carisia be Ortes’ successor, perhaps even a second Ortes?

‘The most convincing hypothesis about Ortes’ identity during his active years was…’

An apocalypticist.

There were many branches of apocalyptic theories, but one of the most widely known suggested that an apocalypse brought by extradimensional forces would occur when magic towers reached a critical threshold, leading to an inevitable end.

Apocalypticists were those who believed in this theory.

Going beyond mere belief, there were those who worshipped this theory—these were the apocalyptic zealots.

They lived according to the doctrine of the apocalypse, desiring the world’s destruction even though they themselves were not invaders.

Ortes had consistently chosen missions that took him closer to the depths of extradimensional realms, even in the frontlines. It was no surprise that some began to suspect him of being an apocalypticist captivated by the extradimensional.

However, such suspicions couldn’t be voiced openly. Imagine if one day, while discussing such rumors, Ortes appeared on the same mission?

That would be the end. Lampades could recall the names of at least three solvers who participated in the same mission as Ortes and perished.

‘Did faceless Ortes finally find his successor?’

And not just any successor, but one who commands a collective entity like Hydra Corp?

Lampades’ mind raced. Hydra Corp. The disappearance of five solvers, including Ortes.

‘So, the magic towers, seeing Ortes as a threat, fabricated a false mission to eliminate him. The real mission, aimed at removing Ortes, was given to the other four participants…!’

But the mission failed. Not only did they fail to remove Ortes, but the four solvers were defeated instead.

‘Yet Ortes too was injured, retreating into seclusion for a long time. Realizing the limits of an individual, Ortes decided to create an organization of apocalypticists…’

Thus, Hydra Corp was born. Its name, associated with a mythical venom feared even by gods, was likely aimed at the Ten Towers and this world.

Lampades took a breath.

Now, he stood before the leader and mastermind of a secret society aiming for the world’s end!

Fear and a sense of duty rose equally within him. Just as he was about to say something…

“Chairman, let me explain my friend’s area of research.”

“Hold on.”

Ortes’ words preceded Lampades’.

“As you can see, Lampades has a deep affection for ‘machines.’ He believed that measurements through machinery could analyze atmospheric mana more accurately and intricately than traditional mage senses.”

***

On Earth, scientists trying to resolve antenna noise ended up discovering evidence of the Big Bang. Cosmic microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang was detected by antennas.

Lampades’ methodology was similar. His theory posited that the noise in micro-dimensions carried traces of various extradimensional origins.

Extradimensional realms posed risks of corruption but were also lands rich with infinite mana.

Classifying micro-dimensional noise to discover safe extradimensional realms and creating pathways to them—to bring about a golden age surpassing the reign of the Wizard King—was Lampades’ dream.

I focused on analyzing this micro-dimensional noise.

To do so, existing interferences, including the ten attributes of power from the Ten Sages, had to be filtered out, leaving only pure extradimensional noise.

Naturally, among these interferences was ‘sacred power,’ meaning filters capable of detecting and filtering sacred power were necessary.

This ability proved invaluable for investigating sacred matters.

Elysion could easily have spies anywhere, which is why the part directly related to sacred investigations was omitted in Carisia’s briefing. Nevertheless, Carisia understood my intentions from what was said.

“Hmm. The technological capabilities of the Lampades Magic Tower will greatly assist our company’s ventures.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but our technology is still incomplete…”

That guy. He’s always underestimated himself since old times. In situations like this, it wouldn’t hurt to step forward confidently.

I added a word on behalf of my friend.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lampades. I vouch for your skills.”

***

Don’t.

Please don’t vouch for me.

Lampades felt cold sweat trickling down.

He desperately tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“S-so, are you here because of the certification? Have you completed the registration?”

Carisia shook her head.

“We did apply for the certification review, but we’re not targeting this opportunity. I’m here more out of interest, as we’re also handling the application for one of our corporate protégés to transfer to Museion.”

‘You mean you’ve infiltrated spies even into Museion…?’

It wasn’t merely sending spies. It might also be a strategy to discreetly recruit prodigies in the magical community.

Though trembling with fear, Lampades could do nothing. There was no evidence to back his deductions.

‘At the very least, I should warn our protégé…’

“Sounds like quite a talent! Our protégé is also set to transfer to Museion. Perhaps they could be friends. What’s their name?”

“Kine. Her name is Kine.”

***

Kine was demonstrating a simple magic in front of the Museion admission officer. Since Hydra Corp was a newly registered company this year, it was difficult for them to fully trust Kine’s records.

What particularly raised suspicion was the state of her prosthetic arm. The left prosthetic attached to her right arm seemed improperly fitted.

A proper company would have immediately provided her with a new prosthetic upon noticing such a mismatch. If this constituted child neglect, it needed immediate reporting.

Kine looked at her prosthetic arm.

It was proof of cherished memories.

Despite living in poverty, the hearts of the Bacchus Cult members were embedded in this hand.

Simultaneously, it was proof of loss.

The sole fragment of a happy past that would never return.

As soon as she became aware of these conflicting emotions, dark magical energy surged forth. A strong emotion in a mage served as one of the most effective catalysts for magic. Her prosthetic acted as a medium to activate these emotions.

The output displayed by such a young child was unimaginable. Concerned about a potential magical overload, the officer was about to shout “Stop!” but Kine completed the spell faster.

The night sky, cloaked in darkness, shimmered faintly with stars—an expansive illusion magic created using dark elemental powers.

“Wow…!” The officer, amazed by the unbelievable level of completion for someone so young, cautiously inquired, “If I may ask, why do you maintain this prosthetic?”

“…It’s a keepsake.”

A reply tinged with heavy emotion. The officer apologized and accepted the documents.

Watching Kine respond gently was a pair of eyes. A blond-haired child, a protégé of the Lampades Magic Tower.

It was Astrape.

***

Sighing in relief after somehow delaying the immediate signing of a technical partnership with Ortes, Lampades caught his breath.

‘I must tell Astrape to stay away from that girl named Kine.’

No, I should warn everyone in our tower to be cautious of Hydra Corp.

Just as Lampades was about to leave hastily, Ortes approached him.

“For this certification review, try to either stretch the process as long as possible or finish the exam as quickly as you can.”

“What?”

“It’s advice from a friend. Either drag the time to conserve your mana or end the test early to recover your strength.”

“You’re telling me to deliberately fail?”

“To preserve the strength to protect yourself.”

Ortes smiled enigmatically.

“No, to preserve the strength to protect your family. If things get too overwhelming, seek out Hydra Corp.”

With that, Ortes departed.

Though feeling somewhat pushed around by Ortes, Lampades acknowledged that founding the magic tower was undoubtedly his own dream.

***

‘How could this happen?!’

One hour later, a terrorist group under the banner against the Ten Towers attacked Elysion.

‘Was he aware of the terrorist attack? No.’

Impossible.

The mastermind behind the terrorism…!