WeTried Translations
Translator: Botanica
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Slit-Eyed Henchman of the Evil Boss
Chapter 20
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Bikada Traveling Troupe (3)
The interview ran rather long. Bikada struggled to hide his anxiety.
‘Hoo, he doesn’t seem like the type to do that...’
High-ranking mages often look for test subjects under the name of disciples when they get bored. For a humble traveling troupe like this, taking someone without consent wouldn’t even count as an act of violence.
Surely he wasn’t trying to take Niobe as a disciple. She was a newcomer who hadn’t been here long, but she was quite useful, skilled at various odd jobs.
If he were to sell her off, it wouldn’t be a violent deal with a high-ranking mage, he’d have to put her up at an auction and get proper payment.
Just as Bikada, lost in worry, was pacing in front of the door, Ortes came out. Bikada checked Niobe’s expression inside the door. She looked a bit tense, but her face wasn’t much different from usual.
“Niobe is innocent. Hmm, I mistook her, she seemed quite talented in magic, so I thought she might be Geryones’s contact.”
“Th-That’s what I’m saying! Our group is innocent!”
Ortes’s remark that she was ‘talented in magic’ sent a surge of tension through Bikada’s insides. But Ortes, without saying anything about taking Niobe, silently headed to the next room.
***
“…That concludes the investigation results of the Bikada Traveling Troupe.”
Ortes presented the following findings at the directors meeting.
1. Within the Bikada Traveling Troupe, something ‘resembling’ a Bacchus worship ritual had been performed.
2. However, it was too crude to be called a worship ritual, no proper ceremonial procedures were in place.
3. No sacred relics or priests with divine power were found, it appeared to be mere superstition that had not reached the level of religion.
“It seems they either heard of a ritual that was subtly distorted, such as a spell to bring good luck, or came across fragments of an old cult that circulate secretly among wanderers.”
The directors read the subtle current flowing between the President and Ortes. Clearly, this was the moment Ortes was reporting his first failure.
It wasn’t enough to harm the company’s main objective, just a minor delay, but a failure was a failure nonetheless. From the directors perspective, who had seen Ortes’s fanatical devotion to Karisia, they thought Ortes might even beg Karisia for forgiveness with a truly sorrowful face.
Failure in a mission entrusted by the object of worship is not something a fanatic can tolerate.
“President, there are no leads to be obtained from the Bikada Troupe.”
Yet why was Ortes, far from being sorrowful, facing Karisia with his usual smile?
“I see. Then, I shall conclude the meeting here.”
The directors moved to fulfill their respective organizations roles in the war play. What stopped them was Karisia’s voice.
“Ah. Director Arabel and Director Divius, please stay a moment.”
The other six directors could not fathom why those two were being kept behind. Arabel of the Intelligence Guild, whom Ortes had been visiting frequently, was one thing, but Divius the body modification specialist, why?
Divius nodded, fiddling with the dentist-style drill attached to one side of his medieval-style helmet.
“Make it quick. I have a surgery appointment.”
***
In Divius's view, the president of Hydra Corporation and her lover were completely insane.
‘Well, slashing and shooting beams and fighting, that’s fine, I guess...’
The problem was what came next. If they simply wanted to rule Etna City for wealth and glory-
‘No. If it’s dominion over Pithos Tower maybe, but the underworld has no honor.’
If they wanted to get rich, they would have been a somewhat understandable bunch. But Karisia and Ortes made entirely different choices.
They destroyed the Lernian Magic Tower and unified the underworld. Then they captured Geryones, and whether they brainwashed him or not, Kaicel swore absolute obedience.
Normally, seizing all the Magic Towers of a city means obtaining power that could last a lifetime. Most people’s ambitions stop there, or at the point of becoming a new member of an Apex Magic Tower using that power.
But those two wanted to become a new ‘king.’
The title of the Ten Towers is given to those who possess a Commandment. In ancient times, before the power of the Ten Towers was as solid as it is now, succession wars for the Commandments did occur, and the titles of the Ten Towers were actually passed down.
But now, the succession war for the Commandments was practically a nominal, dead law. Anyone has the right to challenge, but no one does.
That’s how immense the presence and terror of the Ten Towers is.
Yet those two were trying to avoid war with the Ten Towers in an unprecedented way and create a new throne.
What kind of lives had they lived to have such ideas, such ambitions?
They didn’t seem like novices or fools challenging without knowing the Ten Towers true power. The formidable skill to control an entire city was not something ignorant people could possess.
“Director Divius.”
Karisia looked at him. The pressure reminiscent of the high-ranking mages of the Ten Towers, who had once been his employers.
Karisia’s head tilted slightly. It was Ortes who responded to that gesture.
“The President is asking if Director Divius still remembers the body modification methods of Blasphemia.”
A completely unexpected word struck at an unexpected moment. Divius felt a phantom pain as if his lungs had been pierced by a blade.
“Blasphemia? The Ten Towers’ Execution Squad? Why that name all of a sudden?”
It was Arabel who spoke before Divius. Arabel looked puzzled as to why that word was being asked of Divius.
…But then, with an ‘ah,’ her eyes flashed.
“You were Blasphemia’s body reconstruction officer? No wonder you were exceptionally skilled. It makes sense that where you studied wasn’t known. Your records would have been erased when you joined Blasphemia.”
Divius raised a hand and scratched his helmet. Even his old clients wouldn’t know his identity.
He recalled the time he had faked his death to escape Blasphemia. At the time, Blasphemia was in such a desperate situation that it couldn’t waste resources on trivial matters like his life or death.
Then how in the world did Karisia find out?
To recognize an individual like Divius, she would have had to be a member of Blasphemia or a member of the Ten Towers-
Divius recalled the light-attribute magic that was practically Karisia’s signature. The five-pronged heat rays compressed and emitted through gauntlets.
That unique combat style, using light-attribute magic, typically for long-range projection in close combat, was favored by certain mages who employed light-attribute magic, which is inherently flashy, for assassination.
“President. You came from the Ten Towers, didn’t you?”
Karisia smiled. It was a cool smile, different from the one she gave Ortes.
“From the Ten Towers? Hmm, should I say discarded?”
The Ten Towers possess countless armed forces besides Blasphemia. Though forces shared by the entire Ten Towers like Blasphemia are rare. Naturally, they have forces to check each other and govern within.
“…I see. Now I understand. You two were the commander and subordinate of a discarded armed force? You got caught up in a power struggle among the elders, and your whole force got wiped out?”
“Haha, if you wish to believe that, believe it. But Director. Shouldn’t you answer the President’s question first?”
It was Ortes who gave a non-answer. Divius frowned and nodded.
“I called the two directors here because of another matter Ortes reported before the meeting.”
Karisia snapped her fingers. A three-dimensional image of Niobe’s figure appeared in the center of the conference room.
“This is a member of Blasphemia who had infiltrated the Bikada Traveling Troupe. She goes by the name Niobe.”
“To be caught so sloppily. The rumors that standards have lowered due to the hasty recruitment after the incident a few years ago must be true.”
Arabel swallowed the words she left unsaid. ‘Or. Ortes is so deeply connected to Blasphemia that he could identify them instantly.’
“Office Head Ortes of the Divinity Investigation Office plans to use Niobe to spy on the Blasphemia branch in a few days. Under the pretext of a missing Blasphemia agent returning. Is it possible to create artificial skin similar to their reinforced muscles, so as not to be detected by Blasphemia’s checkpoints?”
“It’s been far too long since I last did that work. And there’s no wielder of special mana to engrave the seal of a Ten Towers member.”
“I will do that. What Director Divius needs to answer is whether or not you can create the artificial skin.”
Divius thought it was truly fortunate that he was wearing a helmet covering his entire face. A high-ranking mage capable of engraving the seal of the Ten Towers?
He didn’t know for sure, but Karisia had clearly held a high position within the Ten Towers. Perhaps the head of a fallen faction.
Ortes might be a guard protecting the faction’s direct line. Divius had heard rumors of artificial humans created to serve a single bloodline for life.
‘Indeed, that would explain this relationship of trust...’
As Divius silently nodded, Arabel raised a question.
“Well. If it’s just to pass Blasphemia’s skin recognition checkpoints, it seems summoning only Director Divius would have sufficed. Why me?”
“Ah. I need to borrow a drone from Director Arabel. It seems I’ll need to hack into the Blasphemia branch’s database.”
This damn bastard. Arabel felt a surge of anger toward Ortes, who was casually trying to foist another outrageous task on her.
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