I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

To read over 200 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02

I can't accept this.

'What? How can he say that when he's the one who deceives people the most?'

Kine couldn't contain her rising anger and fumed.

"So what is it? Are you saying that Argyron implanting Silver Threads in the cult members is also a lie?"

"Oh, that part is true. We found Silver Threads in Sikton's brain. Didn't you hear?"

It was news to her.

"Why are you telling me this just now?"

"Sorry. I got so busy learning the control methods of divine power that I forgot to tell you once I was done."

Orthes shrugged. Although he apologized, his attitude didn't reflect any remorse. It was clear that withholding this information until now was a deliberate act of information control.

'He must have wanted to prevent any unexpected situations by blocking any chance of me rushing off for revenge. He thinks he can control things since I'm right beside him now.'

Despite her frustration, Kine followed Orthes. She knew she'd be caught immediately if she tried to dash off to eliminate Argyron.

'…The capsules holding my family are still with Hydra Corporation.'

Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over her again.

***

'Why is everyone suddenly treating Carisia like she's some kind of deity…?'

Back in the examination hall, I was perplexed by the storm of attention focused on Carisia.

Seeing the sprawled automaton and a corpse at the entrance, I could guess what had happened.

The admissions officer, who saw me return with Kine, kept bowing. I waved back and approached Carisia directly.

Though the crowd was watching Carisia, none dared to get too close. The reverence in their eyes hinted at the power Carisia had displayed.

Still, it was best to hear it from her.

"Boss, what happened?"

"You're late, aren't you?"

Such a kind rebuke upon my return. The boss sure is punctual.

I glanced around at the party I sent to the examination hall first. Neither Niobe nor the admissions officer knew about my relationship with Carisia. Thus, the idea of explaining the situation to her on my behalf wouldn't have crossed their minds.

Oh, if Blasphemia agents did their information gathering thoroughly, Niobe might know Carisia is Orthes' superior. But since she thinks I'm an inspector disguised as Orthes, it's meaningless.

But Lampades, you're a bit different, aren't you?

I turned my gaze to Lampades. Couldn't he have said, 'The friend had some urgent matters and might be a bit late'?

Lampades, noticing my gaze, suddenly shook his head. What is he denying?

Behind Lampades, I saw the members of his magic tower comforting each other. Seeing them gathered around Astraphe, they seemed worried about their youngest mage.

'I see. He was too busy taking care of his people to inform Carisia.'

In that case, there's no helping it. I nodded to signal that it was alright.

***

Upon arriving at the examination hall, Lampades pondered about Orthes.

'Orthes clearly said he attended as the chief secretary of Hydra Corporation.'

But what did the Musaeion admission officer call him?

'Emergency Rescue Team Leader. Moreover, even that young mage from the real emergency rescue team didn't deny it.'

Can someone attending the examination also be the emergency rescue team leader?

If the rescue team was a pre-existing position, it might barely make sense. But it's an 'emergency' rescue team. It implies personnel hastily dispatched after the terror attack occurred.

It's impossible to hold both roles simultaneously.

The words of the scruffy man exuding ominous energy plunged Lampades into further confusion. The inexplicable word, Blasphemia.

It was a term he had vaguely heard in a classified mission once. Could it be a clue to Orthes' true identity?

Deep in thought, Lampades suddenly noticed Orthes looking at him.

Not at the other people who escaped from the Musaeion admission office with them, but solely at him. Lampades was the only one who knew about the relationship between Carisia and Orthes.

The unspoken question was evident—had he told Carisia about Orthes' various identities and faces?

Lampades shook his head earnestly, expressing that he hadn't said anything.

In a state of intense concentration due to extreme tension, Lampades noticed a slight change in Orthes' gaze. Not the atmosphere, but a physical detail—the direction of his eyes beneath his eyelids had shifted slightly.

And that gaze was directed towards his subordinates from the magic tower.

Whether it implied the price of talking recklessly or came from a desire for the talented individuals needed by Hydra Corporation, he couldn't tell.

Finally, Orthes smiled and nodded.

Lampades found hope in that interrogation.

'Orthes is hiding his true identity even from his boss. He must think it's not time to reveal his true self yet. This means there is a significant difference between the humanity of Hydra Corporation's boss and Orthes…!'

***

Carisia was listening to Orthes' hushed explanation—more like a whisper.

The voice whispering in her ear was pleasing.

"I'll explain the details once we return to Etna City. For now, just know that we've gained an effective countermeasure against the terrorist group Argyron."

As soon as Orthes heard he was late, he reported succinctly about what happened in his absence.

'It was just a comment because I couldn't see anyone else but him.'

With an extremely businesslike attitude, Carisia shook her head lightly.

"So, how are things on your end, boss?"

"An Argyron mage attacked directly, and I took them down. I didn't expect them to reach the examination hall."

Orthes furrowed his brows as if perplexed. The change in Orthes' expression was so subtle that only someone familiar with him, like Carisia, would notice.

"Didn't the crystal warn you?"

"No. The crystal showed no premonition. I sensed the barrier shaking, so I was prepared. I caught them with a preemptive strike as soon as they broke in."

Carisia briefly explained the battle. She isolated herself and the Argyron mage in a temporary barrier created by releasing her magic and then took them down with a death curse.

"A death curse?"

"Yes. Due to its structure, it won't work on higher-level Eroders or stronger mages. The method to break through the magic barrier is also problematic, and it's useless if they regenerate after their brain gets burned."

At this point, Orthes realized why Phoibos' crystal didn't work.

It warns of future dangers.

'The Argyron mage didn't even register as a threat to Carisia!'

How could someone fighting well just collapse upon seeing Carisia be considered a threat or danger? Orthes, laughing incredulously at Carisia's absurd magical prowess, asked seriously.

"It seems the situation will end soon. Shall we head straight to Etna City?"

"Yes. Though taking down one mage won't draw interest from the Ten Towers, let's return swiftly just in case."

"In that case, I'll stay here a bit longer to wrap things up."

***

The first person I approached was Niobe. She seemed unexpectedly adept at the emergency rescue role, administering mana ampoules and performing first aid with skill.

"Niobe."

"Oh, senior. What about that girl?"

She gestured toward Kine, who was chattering with Carisia.

"Thank goodness… So, what happened?"

Seeing that the emergency treatment for the patients was roughly done, I handed Niobe a piece of paper. It instructed her to read and memorize the following sheets before burning them.

Niobe looked at me with a stern face.

"Relax, Niobe. You should always wear a bright face, no matter where you are."

"Indeed. Senior always smiles to make it hard for others to read his emotions…!"

Not really. I just smiled a lot to lower others' guard because they were so wary of me. It became a habit.

But there was no need to correct her if she thought of me as an exemplary senior agent.

I pulled out another memo and quickly jotted down my deductions.

This was more fact than conjecture. The fire mage who fought Niobe belonged to that faction. The rest was also close to the truth.

The discovery of one traitor led to the suspicion of more.

The final note included measures to overcome the crisis.

But would a regular agent find it easier to contact the Chief Auditor or a friendly senior?

Moreover, the Chief Auditor had multiple email addresses. Apart from the publicly disclosed one for general tips, there was a special emergency contact address.

The address used to report via Arabelle after defeating Nardanit was that emergency contact. In such situations, handling the emergency contact address would be hectic, and the general tip address that Niobe knew would likely be neglected.

Niobe read all the messages and nodded.

This prepared us as much as possible against Argyron.

Niobe was a regular agent. She might not get top-secret information, but she could provide enough to understand Blasphemia's general behavior.

If the Divine Cult pursued Argyron, they'd contact me, giving me channels to both the Divine Cult and Blasphemia.

'By leaking information from both sides to each other, I can somewhat control their actions.'

In other words, it's a strategy to divide Argyron,

Blasphemia, and the Divine Cult.

I deeply thanked the super-contractor who had met his employer three times, Zhuge Liang.

To read over 200 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02