Chapter 116: Amidst the Storm (3)
As Gorgov chanted a soundproofing spell, Orthes immediately recognized the magic. It was one that had originated in a mage tower specializing in creating high-frequency blades.
‘The kind that drowns out voices with noise, huh?’
Once the spell was fully activated, Gorgov’s suspicion became evident as he asked cautiously.
“What’s your game?”
“What do you mean?” Orthes replied innocently.
“I’m asking why you uttered such ominous words.”
‘Ah, he’s deflecting,’ Orthes thought, unsurprised.
“There’s no need for that. I already know the situation.”
“…”
Silence—a sign of distrust, but still within expectations. Orthes slowly raised his hand, slipping it into his coat.
Gorgov’s suspicion deepened, his eyes narrowing. Orthes moved too slowly for an ambush, which was why Gorgov didn’t immediately retaliate.
What Orthes pulled out was… a lantern.
“…?”
“Look closely, not with your mortal eyes, but with the eyes of truth. You’ll feel a power that’s not from the Ten Towers.”
Gorgov activated his mana to examine it. Sure enough, the energy emanating from the lantern was distinctly different from mana or magical power.
“This… is from the cultists!”
“If I truly served Blasphemia, would I have kept this artifact intact? If I were following their orders, I would’ve destroyed it by now.”
It was a clever manipulation. While not every Blasphemia agent destroys relics immediately upon discovery, they do hold on to them for analysis. Artifacts are only destroyed after thorough research deems them unfit for the Ten Towers’ use.
However, this nuanced truth wasn’t common knowledge, especially outside the inner circles. And now, with the Ten Towers enforcing a strict relic ban, Orthes was using public perception to his advantage.
Gorgov hesitated, still trying to argue, though now less certain.
“If you were really on our side, you wouldn’t have acted that way with Danao. He’ll sniff out and imprison our comrades one by one.”
‘Ah, I figured he’d bring that up.’
“Think about it differently.”
“Differently?”
“Yes. There are definitely comrades within Amimone Tower. But you only know that they exist—you don’t know exactly who they are, do you?”
“How are you so sure?”
Gorgov tried to bluster. His annoyance stemmed from Orthes acting as though he knew more than a mage who had been stationed here for some time. It was a light power struggle, a bid to regain control of the conversation.
“Don’t doubt the cause. …Well, you probably will anyway. But the reason is simple.”
Orthes smiled as he answered.
“You weren’t the one who sent the distress signal, were you?”
***
Gorgov’s face stiffened at my words. He must be wondering how I know this.
Of course, I sent the distress signal myself. Gorgov has no idea who actually sent it.
“If someone else sent the signal, it means there’s at least one more person aside from you—someone who can contact Argyrion. Your dedication to the cause is plain to see, but it seems you lacked the charisma to gather more followers.”
“…I admit that.”
“Now, we don’t have much time before Blasphemia’s purge squad arrives. You need to gather your comrades as quickly as possible.”
“And then what? Even if we gather them, like you said, if the purge squad breaks through the extradimensional contamination zone, we’re finished. Unless Argyrion sends more than just you, there’s no hope.”
Gorgov, rubbing his forehead as if a headache were setting in, suddenly looked up sharply.
“Is that it? Are you suggesting we break through the contamination zone with the comrades? There will be losses, but it’s not a bad idea—”
“You lack imagination.”
“What?”
Gorgov was taken aback by my sudden remark. I slowly looked him over, as if appraising him.
He didn’t display the unique otherworldly aura of a fully inducted Argyrion member. I still couldn’t figure out how Argyrion managed to recruit people.
‘Do they really have some kind of hypnotic device?’
“I mean exactly what I said. What you need to do doesn’t change.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t change? You just said if we turn over the traitors to Danao, we’ll be spared! You’re telling me to hand over my comrades?”
“No, I’m telling you the opposite.”
Gorgov’s expression now hovered somewhere between anger and confusion—a fascinating sight, really.
“Why should *you* be the traitor?”
“What are you getting at…?”
“Kill Danao and present his head to Blasphemia. Then you’ll be able to serve the cause with the full resources of a legitimate mage tower.”
“…!”
As Gorgov gaped in astonishment, I shook my head, raising a finger to my lips to signal silence.
“Don’t speak too loudly. I’ll stall for time, gain Danao’s trust, and make him lower his guard. Meanwhile, you gather our comrades. Understood?”
“I understand now. So this is why Argyrion didn’t send additional forces—they didn’t need to!”
I shrugged. ‘Let him believe whatever he wants,’ I thought.
“Now, I’ll go out and tell Danao that you’ve been cleared of suspicion and will assist me as my aide. Use that opportunity to identify our comrades. When I give the signal, you’ll know what to do, right?”
Gorgov’s eyes lit up as if he’d found a lifeline. I added one more piece of advice.
“If someone approaches from outside, remember my words and act accordingly.”
After confirming Gorgov’s enthusiastic nod, I opened the door and shouted loudly.
“Tower Master Danao! Please come here!”
***
Danao stood face-to-face with Orthes, deeply displeased by the audacity of this Blasphemia agent.
“First, would you kindly cast a soundproofing spell?”
“What? Did Blasphemia abandon all their so-called skills?”
“I’m only trying to ensure no extradimensional mana is detected in the magic’s mana trace.”
Danao’s face twisted with irritation, but he snapped his fingers, casting the spell.
“You think I’m one of those Argyrion scum?”
“No, Tower Master, please hear me out.”
Orthes, who had been so domineering outside, now took a completely different tone. Danao’s brow twitched at the sudden shift to deference, with Orthes even adding the honorific “sir.”
“Let me first clarify. Most of what I said outside was grossly exaggerated.”
“What?”
Orthes calmly explained.
While it was true that a distress signal had been sent, gathering enough forces to deal with a mage tower of this scale was unrealistic.
“As you likely guessed, the surveillance of Amimone Tower is more of a political struggle between Argos and Blasphemia. Argos will vehemently oppose any full-scale purge of this tower.”
“Even after all this?”
“It’s precisely because of all this. Would Argos prefer the narrative that ‘Amimone Tower was entirely infiltrated, and Argos was unaware’? Or would they prefer ‘there were a few traitors within the tower, but they were provoked by Blasphemia, and the Tower Master and core members were innocent’?”
Danao paused to consider this. True, even after all this, he had been maintaining his connections with Argos. At the very least, Argos would believe he wasn’t a traitor.
“So, why are you telling me this, Blasphemia agent?”
Referring to Orthes’s title was Danao’s way of probing his ulterior motives. Orthes handled the challenge deftly.
“At this moment, I’m keeping everyone intimidated with threats of a purge squad. But what happens if someone starts thinking and realizes there’s no such squad?”
“Ah. So your life is still intact because of the threat of retaliation.”
Blasphemia agents could only make such brazen threats if they were sure that any attempt to kill them would result in everyone’s death. But if the threat turned out to be an illusion?
Then Orthes’s life would be worth nothing.
“Which is why, Tower Master Danao, I propose a temporary alliance to ensure both our heads stay attached.”
“Brutal interrogations and threats alone won’t root out traitors. Do you have a plan to draw them out?”
Orthes pulled out Estia’s lantern from his coat. Danao sensed the ominous power emanating from the artifact, a blasphemous energy as deep as history itself.
‘To possess such a dangerous relic… He must be a high-ranking member of Blasphemia!’
“This is a relic I confiscated from a cultist nearby. I was on my way to submit it for analysis when I was urgently dispatched to Algoth City, so I haven’t had time to turn it in. With this, I’ll frame myself as an Argyrion spy.”
“You’ll use yourself as bait to lure the traitors, and then I and the loyalists will subdue them, presenting them to the Ten Towers?”
“Yes. When the time comes, I’ll give the signal. If everything goes smoothly, both your position and my life will be spared.”
Two birds, one stone. Orthes smiled inwardly at his clever manipulation.
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