Chapter 104 – Resolving Misunderstandings (1)
I escaped the troublesome situation and headed straight to Carisia.
“Boss, we have a problem. Lampades wants confidential company information.”
“Can you explain it in more detail?”
For some reason, Carisia was already massaging her temples. There wasn’t much more to explain, really.
“As you know, I had Lampades bring Kynemon here as a favor. But now, Lampades is asking what I’m planning to do with Kynemon, not for money or material rewards.”
If Lampades found out that I was seeking a list of mage towers hiding ancient relics, it would definitely give him a bad impression of our company.
Carisia slowly nodded, as if she understood how Lampades felt.
“What did you tell Lampades about Kynemon?”
“Lampades knows that Kynemon and I are friends. He just doesn’t know why we drifted apart, so I explained that part.”
I felt a bit embarrassed, as if I was digging up an old mistake, but I told Carisia how Kynemon and I had grown distant.
I explained that we had fallen out because I used half of the relic without discussing it with him. Carisia tilted her head, puzzled.
“What exactly did the relic do that made you so willing to give away the rest?”
“It’s nothing special. You could think of it like a high-powered bomb. After testing it, I realized it wasn’t as useful as I had hoped.”
Carisia’s gaze suddenly felt cold, almost as if she was silently asking, “And you think I’m some kind of mad bomber because of that?”
I hurried to explain myself.
“I think I understand what you’re thinking, but my expectation from the relic wasn’t for bigger explosions.”
“What was it, then?”
“Precision, I suppose.”
This conversation felt like it was dragging me deeper into a pit.
“Let me explain how the relic works first. It creates a bubble, and whoever pops the bubble can erase whatever they were looking at through the bubble.”
“The target is something you’re actively ‘seeing’ then.”
Carisia’s gaze shifted to my eyes, as if she was trying to peer into the blue irises hidden beneath my barely open eyelids.
“Yes. Just as you’re thinking, I was curious how my eyes would interact with the relic’s mechanism.”
When I popped the Bubble of Erasure, I had my eyes wide open.
What that means is, at that moment, I could see the entire history of everything in my view—everything about the world around me.
I hoped the Bubble of Erasure could interfere with not only physical objects but also abstract concepts like “history” or “the past.”
But it didn’t work out that way.
My increased awareness caused widespread destruction, even damaging dimensional walls, which led to a temporary flood of extra-dimensional chaos.
But it didn’t achieve the precision I desired.
I was specifically focusing on the part of the ruins that had been damaged by previous explorers.
If the Bubble of Erasure could interfere with the past and erase the damage caused by the explorers, then the ruins would have been restored.
It would erase past events, reshaping the present.
When I first realized the relic’s potential, I was disheartened, thinking it was just a peculiar eraser. But then this idea gave me hope again.
If I could erase my existence from the world’s history, I could go back.
Of course, I couldn’t explain all this to Carisia. I glossed over the details.
“For example, if it could erase scars or incurable diseases, imagine the limitless possibilities.”
“You can’t normally ‘see’ history, so only your eyes could pull that off, huh.”
“Exactly. So I tried using the relic multiple times, adjusting my vision’s power to see if I could interfere with the past.”
I shrugged. The Bubble of Erasure could erase tangible things—things that could be influenced by mana or physical forces—but it couldn’t touch abstract concepts like “the past.”
“It’s a shame, though. It would have been pretty useful in a fight against the Ten Commandments… Oh.”
Carisia sighed softly, likely thinking about the Ten Commandments.
“Yes. The Ten Commandments have one foot in the realm of ascension. Ascension transcends the material world. I’ve never tested it, but I doubt pouring the entire bubble’s liquid on a Ten Commandment would have any effect.”
The same would likely apply to any Elder connected to the Ten Commandments or even lower-ranking ones. However, if an Elder left the tower’s domain, there might be a chance, but inside their towers, it was probably useless.
“It’s absurd when you think about it. The Mage King…” Carisia mused, likely recalling my comments about the Mage King arriving in three years.
“Haha, but our goal is to bring down the White Light Tower, not the Mage King. That makes things much simpler, right?”
I swallowed the words I almost blurted out—*You’re plenty terrifying yourself. After all, you did manage to make the Mage King taste failure.* In the end, you succeeded in destroying the White Light Tower.
If you managed to break the Ten Commandments, your original self must have reached the level of ascension.
As for this Carisia? I wasn’t so sure.
She lacked the grim determination and ruthlessness of the original, but instead, she displayed strange ingenuity and creativity.
*Well, if her fundamental nature hasn’t changed, she probably still has the potential to destroy the Ten Commandments.*
“So, boss, how should I answer Lampades?”
***
Carisia could easily guess the misunderstanding that Lampades and Kynemon were under.
“They probably think Orthes is plotting something sinister and dragged Kynemon into it.”
It was best not to reveal the Artificial Commandments plan. Given that the Ten Towers were using Argyrion and other factions as an excuse to purge dissidents, making Commandments out of relics would just give them more reason to hunt us down.
“But if I leave Orthes to explain it, who knows what kind of misunderstanding they’ll end up with. This is tricky.”
After thinking it over for a moment, Carisia made up her mind.
“I’ll explain it to them. Bring them to my office. Just stand there quietly or leave altogether.”
“Wait, I can explain things just fine.”
Memories of past incidents flickered through Carisia’s mind.
Sure, he *can* explain things. In a way that makes people draw all the wrong conclusions. Not just any misunderstanding, but colossal ones.
Even now, Kine was stuck between thinking of Orthes as either a “villain who exploits souls” or “Phoibos’ prophet.” Two wildly conflicting images, and she couldn’t decide which one to believe.
Orthes’ talent for creating such conflicting impressions was truly impressive.
*Not that it’s a good kind of impressive.*
“…I’ll take care of it. Just bring them here.”
Feeling a bit sulky about her dismissal of his presentation skills, Orthes left the room.
***
“The boss will see you now.”
*So it wasn’t a personal matter after all.*
Orthes had said the task he had for Kynemon was “personal” and not worth sharing. But now it turned out he had to seek approval from the president.
Even if Orthes and the president were personally close, this was obviously a serious matter if both of Hydra Corporation’s top leaders were involved.
Lampades and Kynemon, both tense and uncertain, followed Orthes.
The sound of their footsteps echoed awkwardly down the dark corridor.
*Creak.* The door opened.
“Please, go in.”
“…What about you?” Kynemon asked, his voice shaky. Orthes’ smile seemed to deepen.
“The president ordered that only you two may enter. I’ll stand guard outside.”
Orthes’ display of unwavering loyalty to the president baffled Lampades and Kynemon. Every time they witnessed it, it felt like their sanity was being shaved down bit by bit.
As the two of them stepped into the office, the door silently closed behind them.
Through the large glass windows, the dim sky of Etna City stretched out. Carisia stood there, framed by the faint twilight, watching them.
“Please, have a seat.”
It was an impossible request. Neither of them could relax.
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