Chapter 7

A giant man with six arms and a witch with flowing white hair sat facing each other across a table.

Geryon, the newly emerged powerhouse in Etna City, glared at the unnamed witch of Hydra Corp.

“You’ve been awfully arrogant.”

Aside from the two hands crossed under his chin, magic gathered in Geryon’s four remaining hands. Though the scene was undeniably threatening, it wasn’t enough to crack the witch’s stoic expression.

“Your operations have started encroaching on our territory. The number of our residents being lured away by your cursed drugs keeps increasing. How do you plan to compensate for this?”

The witch blinked twice. Beneath her eyelids, golden irises burned ominously.

As she idly stroked the black gauntlet on her hand, she slowly spoke.

“Is that so?”

It wasn’t an answer to the question but rather seemed like a mutter to herself. Just as Geryon was about to flare up in anger, the witch stood up.

Thud. Thud.

There was no hostility in her movements, which delayed any reaction.

The witch’s right hand, adorned with the black gauntlet, rested atop Geryon’s head, as if a parent were petting their child.

At first, he was bewildered, then furious. Just as curses were about to burst from Geryon’s lips—

White light gathered in Baegmun’s palm.

Five beams of light emanating from the fingers soon exploded into a blinding white radiance, illuminating the entire room.

When those temporarily blinded by the flash regained their senses, they saw Geryon’s decapitated body.

The searing light had vaporized his flesh, leaving no trace of blood. His proud six arms now hung limp, testifying to his death.

Baegmun surveyed the room.

“Is there anyone who objects to the merger? Anyone else?”

…

This was all I remembered from the original novel regarding Geryon.

The protagonist’s group used various means to uncover clues about Baegmun. Among these, a brief memory reading through necromancy revealed Geryon as a minor character.

He must have had considerable strength as one of the tower masters in Etna City, and his words suggested a strong attachment to his own faction.

However, his role was merely to highlight Baegmun’s cruelty, and nothing personal about him was revealed.

Comparing his defiant stance against Baegmun in the original story to his current crumpled state made him seem somewhat pitiable.

At least in the original, he died, whereas now he’s still alive—perhaps that should be considered fortunate?

I looked at Geryon with mixed feelings.

***

“Sir, who is this gentleman?”

Ortes glanced at Geryon and asked Carisia. As someone in the number two position overseeing Hydra Corp, Ortes couldn’t possibly not know who Geryon was.

For various reasons aside, Geryon was undoubtedly a business competitor of Hydra Corp.

“This is Geryon. He’s our guest.”

The board members interpreted the seemingly ritualistic exchange as a deliberate humiliation orchestrated between the two.

Geryon had attacked Carisia while she was registering as a Tower Master but was defeated and captured. Calling a prisoner a “guest” while pretending to meet him for the first time in Etna City was nothing short of an insult.

If Ortes had known what the board members were thinking, he would have felt wronged. To him, the conversation was merely a way to gauge Carisia’s mood.

Ortes had too many memories of being reprimanded for acting without consulting Carisia.

‘So, he doesn’t intend to kill him. Although, judging by his current state, he doesn’t seem inclined to fight anyway.’

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Geryon. It’s an honor to encounter such a renowned magician of Etna City.”

Not only the board members but also Geryon himself perceived every word as a provocation.

Geryon recalled the rumors about the man standing behind Carisia.

Ortes, shrouded in mystery almost as much as Carisia herself, had only one verified piece of information: he wielded a sword.

“So, why did you visit us?”

Ortes genuinely wanted to know how Geryon ended up in this situation and why it involved him personally.

Few people knew the answer to this question.

Most of the board members, including Kreton, had simply arrived for a meeting and were surprised to find Geryon, half his arms missing, held captive.

Arabel bit her lip, knowing more than most.

‘Dear heavens. Advising her beforehand and then pulling this off so naturally?’

Arabel remembered something Ortes had casually said before Carisia left to register as a Tower Master.

“Don’t plan on dying.”

Initially, she thought it was a warning to the board members who might take advantage of Carisia’s absence to plot rebellion.

‘But it wasn’t just that. It was advice for her too.’

An implicit double suggestion: don’t let Geryon die; capture him instead of killing him.

There are limited ways to use a corpse. A tragic death could unite Geryon’s followers.

Summoning a necromancer to control the body like a puppet might be the best option.

But what about a live hostage?

Such a presence could serve as both a deterrent, preventing Geryon’s remnants from acting rashly, and as bait to manipulate their actions.

Moreover, freedom for Geryon could be traded for cooperation from his followers. Geryon could prove useful.

However, Arabel didn’t share her deductions with the other board members. If she explained everything, it would imply she had been spying on Carisia.

“There are still some board members unfamiliar with the situation. Allow me to explain.”

With the silence of the board members lingering, Carisia finally spoke.

***

The structure of power in this world is simple.

The ten great towers, overseen by the Ten Sages, form the uppermost echelon of the Magic Guild. They’re akin to royalty. Towers granted access to the Ten Sages can be compared to great nobles.

Even regular magicians enjoy privileges, but those connected to the Ten Sages are especially distinguished.

These powerful towers are called Proper Towers because they stand at the summit of magical towers.

The registration process begins when a new Tower Master appears at a Proper Tower and announces, “I will manage the tower in this city.”

Once the announcement is made, the Proper Tower verifies the Tower Master’s qualifications.

First, they check whether the claimant has control over the tower’s magic core.

Since all magic cores are linked to the Ten Sages, verifying ownership is straightforward and usually takes less than five minutes.

The real test comes second: magic infusion measurement.

The primary function of a tower is to purify extradimensional magic.

Normally, the purification magic uses automatically charged power from the atmosphere collected by the magic core.

However, in emergencies where the magic core runs out, the Tower Master and subordinate magicians must manually recharge it.

The essence of the test is to determine whether the magic core can be sufficiently recharged in times of crisis.

Passing requires reaching the necessary charge level. Depending on the grade of the magic core, the amount varies, but the standard remains the same: enough magic to sustain 24 hours of operation.

Maintaining 24 hours of magic alone is incredibly difficult.

Thus, anyone from the Tower Master’s subordinates can participate. Since everyone shares the responsibility of charging the core, it’s a test passable even through sheer numbers.

However, Carisia faced the test alone, without any allies to share the burden.

Geryon planned to ambush Carisia after the test, assuming her depleted magic would make her easy prey.

And as you can see, Carisia returned with Geryon, barely alive.

“Your advice came to mind. About not planning for death, wasn’t it?”

I really didn’t mean it that way. This sighs.

Geryon wore an expression wondering, ‘How did this guy know I’d attack?!’

Let’s organize my thoughts.

First, part of the reason Carisia spared Geryon might be due to my words, but there must be other factors too.

Using my words as an excuse probably served as a kind of discipline for the board—a subtle hint that we foresee and handle situations like this.

Would she really spare an enemy’s life solely based on my words? Carisia doesn’t operate without a plan. She must have something else in mind.

What exactly does Carisia want?

If I can’t figure it out, she’ll surely criticize me later. Hoping her temperament improves, I loosened my tongue.

***

“A dead enemy is just a corpse, but a living enemy can be utilized.”

Geryon heard Ortes’ stern words. It was clear his fate as a defeated general lay in the hands of Ortes, a trusted confidant of the chairman.

Encouragingly, Ortes mentioned “utilization.” After all, one must be alive to be useful.

Geryon silently thanked the absence of dark or lightning mages among the Hydra Corp board. Had they used electrical manipulation for brainwashing or killed him outright before controlling his soul via necromancy, he would have been alive in name only.

As Geryon waited anxiously for Ortes’ verdict, he noticed a brief exchange of glances between Carisia and Ortes. Carisia nodded, granting Ortes permission.

“Esteemed board members, may I humbly inquire…”

Geryon instinctively felt he shouldn’t be hearing what followed.

“Do you know the founding purpose of Hydra Corp? The goal of our chairman?”