I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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Carisia examined the dark elf introduced as Orthes' 'friend.'

The horizontal scar across his nose and the blade antennae replacing the long ears typical of elves were peculiar, but the most unusual thing was being introduced as Orthes' friend.

'For such an introduction…'

He seemed scared.

Tilting her head, Carisia decided to have a few words with him. He wasn't just introduced as Orthes' friend but also someone who could be useful for 'Hydra Corporation's purpose' and should be recruited.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lampades. I am Carisia, president of Hydra Corporation."

Lampades suddenly turned pale and looked up at Orthes.

Carisia couldn't understand his reaction.

"Aha, my manner of speaking might be a bit similar to how I was during my active duty. We must have grown alike after spending so much time together," Orthes joked. Lampades swallowed. Despite trying to hide it, the signs of tension were evident.

"I… It's nice to meet you, President Carisia. I'm Lampades from Lampades Magic Tower."

"Naming your tower after yourself shows great confidence," she lightly joked, but Lampades' reaction was different. He quietly glanced at Orthes. Without turning his head, he gauged Orthes' mood with his eyes—a technique used by warriors to estimate the distance of hidden enemies.

Orthes provided the explanation Carisia sought.

"Haha, it's because he kindly granted my request. I asked him to name it something easy to find if he ever succeeded, so he could treat me to a meal."

Lampades nodded.

"That's right. Though I didn't expect this friend to actually come looking for me."

Carisia thought, 'This doesn't feel like tension between friends…'

***

Lampades felt Orthes' shadow in Carisia's first words. It was a realization close to shock.

They grew alike after spending so much time together? It was a laughable story.

Orthes had not changed one bit. If anything had changed, it was Carisia.

Lampades had never seen Orthes speak so amicably to anyone.

Orthes' calm politeness usually had a cold, knife-like quality that drew boundaries between people. But there was a surprising warmth in how he talked to Carisia.

Lampades knew what could cause such a dramatic change. People who had a family or children sometimes became completely different.

But Orthes having a family was unimaginable.

'Then the answer is…'

An ideological successor.

Carisia might be Orthes' successor, the second Orthes.

'One of the most convincing theories about Orthes during his active duty was…'

A doomsday cultist.

There were many branches of apocalyptic beliefs, but one of the most widely known was the theory of the world ending due to the extra-dimension.

Doomsday believers thought the magic towers would reach a critical point where they could no longer prevent the extra-dimensional flood, bringing about an unavoidable end.

Those who went beyond belief to worship this theory were doomsday cultists.

They acted according to the belief in inevitable destruction, desiring the world's end without being corrupted by the extra-dimension.

Orthes often took on missions that brought him closer to the depths of the extra-dimension. It was natural for people to see him as a doomsday cultist fascinated by the extra-dimension.

But such things couldn't be spoken openly. If someone said this and Orthes happened to join their mission one day?

It would be the end for them. Lampades knew the names of at least three fixers who died after being on missions with Orthes.

'So, the faceless Orthes finally found a successor?'

And not just any successor, but one leading a company-level organization like Hydra Corporation?

Lampades' mind worked faster than ever. Hydra Corporation. The disappearance of Orthes and the four fixers.

'So, the magic towers, seeing Orthes as a threat, devised a fake mission to eliminate him. The real mission was for the other four participants to eliminate Orthes…!'

But the mission failed. Instead of killing Orthes, the four fixers were defeated.

'However, Orthes was also wounded and went into hiding for a long time. Realizing his limitations as an individual, Orthes decided to form an organization of doomsday cultists…'

Thus, Hydra Corporation was born. The name, feared even by gods for its poison, was likely aimed at the Ten Towers and the world.

Lampades took a deep breath.

Now, he stood before the leaders of a secret society aiming to end the world!

Fear and a sense of duty filled Lampades' heart equally. Just as he was about to say something, Orthes spoke first.

"President, let me explain my friend's field of research."

"Hold on a moment."

Orthes' words came out before Lampades could speak.

"As you can see, Lampades has a deep love for 'machines.' He believed that measurements using machines would be far more accurate and detailed in analyzing the mana in the atmosphere than the senses of traditional magicians."

***

On Earth, scientists trying to solve noise issues with antennas discovered evidence of the Big Bang. The remnants of the Big Bang wandered the universe as electromagnetic radiation, detected by their antennas.

Lampades' methodology was similar. His theory suggested that the subtle dimensional noise contained traces of different extra-dimensions that magicians couldn't measure.

The extra-dimension posed both a risk of erosion and a golden land filled with immense mana.

Classifying the subtle dimensional noise to find a safe extra-dimension and creating a portal to it to usher in a golden age surpassing the Mage King's reign was Lampades' dream.

I focused on this method of analyzing the subtle dimensional noise.

To analyze this noise, one must filter out existing interfering factors, including the Decalogue attributes and leave only the pure noise from the extra-dimension.

This means that existing interference factors, naturally including 'divine power,' must be detected and filtered out in the technical base.

It was an incredibly useful ability for divine investigation.

Elysion could have the Ten Towers' eyes and ears anywhere. Thus, the explanation to Carisia excluded parts directly related to divine investigation, but she understood my intent.

"Ho. The technology of Lampades Magic Tower will greatly aid our business."

"Thank you, but our tower's technology is not yet complete…"

That guy. He's always been strangely self-deprecating. This is when he should confidently step up.

I added a word for my friend.

"Don't worry, Lampades. I guarantee your skill."

***

Don't.

Don't guarantee it.

Lampades felt cold sweat running down his back.

He desperately tried to change the subject.

"Um. Did you come here for certification? Have you completed the registration?"

Carisia shook her head.

"We did apply for certification, but we're not aiming for it this time. We're here to visit while submitting a transfer application for a corporate scholar to Museion."

'They've even infiltrated Museion with a spy…!'

It might not be just a spy. It could be a means to secretly recruit magical talents.

Lampades trembled with fear but could do nothing. He had no evidence to support his deduction.

'At least I should warn our scholar….'

"Amazing talent, I see! Our tower's scholar is also set to transfer to Museion. It would be nice if they became friends. What's their name?"

"Kine. Her name is Kine."

***

Kine was demonstrating simple magic in front of the Museion transfer officer. Since Hydra Corporation was newly registered this year, the records about Kine couldn't be fully trusted.

What particularly caught the transfer officer's suspicion was the state of her prosthetic hand. A left prosthetic attached to her right arm.

A proper company would have immediately provided a new prosthetic seeing such a poorly fitted one. If this was evidence of child abuse, it had to be reported to higher-ups.

Kine looked at her prosthetic hand.

It was a relic of memories.

The love of the Bacchus cult people, who cared for each other despite their poverty, was contained in this hand.

At the same time, it was proof of loss.

The only fragment of happy times that would never return.

As soon as she realized those conflicting emotions, dark magic poured out. A magician's strong emotions were the most efficient magic catalyst. Her prosthetic activated as a medium for those emotions.

An output unimaginable for a child. The transfer officer, concerned about a magical outburst, was about to shout 'Stop!' but Kine completed her magic first.

A faint star shone in the darkened night sky. It was a large-scale illusion magic implemented with dark attribute magic.

"Oh…!" The officer, astonished by the remarkable completeness for her age, cautiously asked.

"If you don't mind, may I ask why you keep that prosthetic?"

"…It's a keepsake."

A response filled with deep emotion. The officer apologized and took her documents.

Watching Kine answer carefully were a pair of eyes. A golden-haired child, a scholar from Lampades Magic Tower.

It was Astraphe.

***

Having somehow managed to secure a delay in Orthes' proposal for a technology partnership, Lampades sighed in relief.

'I must tell Astraphe to avoid this Kine girl.'

No, I should just warn everyone in our tower to be wary of Hydra Corporation.

As Lampades hurried to leave, Orthes approached.

"For this certification exam, take as much time as you can, or finish as quickly as possible."

"What?"

"As a friend, I'm advising you. Either drag out the exam to conserve mana or finish early to have time to recover."

"Are you telling me to deliberately fail?"

"I mean to leave yourself enough strength to protect yourself."

Orthes gave a cryptic smile.

"No, to protect your tower members. If it becomes too much to handle, come to Hydra Corporation."

Leaving those words, Orthes walked away.

Lampades, shaken by the ominous prediction, shook his head and headed to the certification venue.

Now, he had to focus on his task.

Even if it felt like Orthes was pushing him, founding the magic tower was indeed his dream.

***

'How could this…?!'

An hour later, a terrorist organization opposing the Ten Towers attacked Elysion.

'Did he know about the attack? No.'

Impossible.

Could the mastermind of the attack be…!

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