Chapter 160: Receiving a Guest (1)
Work life is a pain. No matter how exhausted you were the night before, the time to clock in comes all the same.
I glanced at the dawn breaking outside and let out a hollow laugh. We’d been talking, and now it was this late.
“Boss, time to get up. If you want to get ready for work, you’ll need to head back to your room.”
“Ugh, what a hassle…”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m the boss, aren’t I? Bosses are supposed to be able to show up to work a little late.”
What a ridiculous excuse. Without Carisia, so many things wouldn’t move forward. Even for the Artificial Commandments activation tests, they needed a mage to use the Commandments — and that mage was Carisia.
Rubbing my temples, I checked the time. Based on the schedule and how much time we had to spare…
“You can lie down for another 30 minutes. I’ll bring your clothes so you can change right here.”
Carisia nodded in response, and I started listing off today’s schedule. Most of it was groundwork before the full implementation of the Plan of World Division.
“Oh, and my friend is supposed to be arriving today. Should I schedule some time to meet with him during our free period?”
Carisia suddenly sat up. The drowsiness that had lingered on her face moments before was completely gone.
“Let me know as soon as he arrives. I want to meet him personally.”
“Fair enough. He’s the guy who’s provided tax… no, tax evasion advice to multiple Magic Towers, so he’s got useful connections. I’ll inform you as soon as he arrives.”
***
Carisia’s reason for wanting to meet that “old man,” Orthes’ so-called friend, wasn’t solely for the Plan of World Division.
Of course, his skills would be immensely helpful in carrying out the strategy. After all, there was probably no better person to stir up simultaneous succession battles across multiple Magic Towers.
But the biggest reason occupying Carisia’s mind was a simple one:
‘A friend? Really?’
Orthes had claimed he had three friends. But for two of those so-called “friends,” it was clear that Orthes was the only one who considered them as such. From their perspective, Orthes was closer to a supernatural calamity than a friend.
So could this third “friend” possibly think of Orthes as a friend too? Carisia was skeptical.
At the same time, she wondered, If he doesn’t think of Orthes as a friend, then what reason could he have for contacting him first?
For some reason, Orthes never used his “eye” abilities on his acquaintances. Which meant Carisia would have to do it herself.
***
Orthes fiddled with the comms device embedded in his gauntlet.
It had already been 15 minutes since he’d left a message telling his friend to contact him upon arrival. The guy wasn’t the type to die a dog’s death somewhere, but still, could something have happened?
Then again, that old man was known for his unpredictability. Even if Orthes went out to search for him, it wasn’t guaranteed he’d find him. More likely, he’d just waste time and tire out his eyes.
As Orthes scratched his head, he noticed a silhouette approaching from afar.
He raised his hand and waved.
“Old man! Over here!”
“Tch! Listen to that mouth on you!”
The old man approached, clicking his tongue. His outfit was flashy. The complete opposite of Orthes’ plain black suit.
The old man wore a red shirt covered in bright, lively patterns — something that would be called an “aloha shirt” back on Earth. He paired it with loose-fitting shorts and sandals that flapped against his heels as he walked.
If not for the long stick slung over his back, he would have looked like one of the leisurely retirees you’d see wandering around Elysion on a weekend.
The only thing that didn’t fit was his face.
His white hair had a slight wave to it and was neatly groomed, giving off a touch of vintage elegance. His face resembled that of a classic actor from the films Orthes had watched back on Earth. But Orthes thought the old man’s fashion sense didn’t do his looks justice.
“Hector. Long time no see. Still dressing like that, huh?”
“This is the most comfortable way to dress. You should try wearing something besides a suit once in a while.”
Orthes shrugged. Just as this old man was stubborn about his sense of style, Orthes had his own preferences too.
“Let’s head up. I’ll contact the boss and have a room set up for us.”
A glint of crystal light flickered in Hector’s eyes — curiosity, amusement, and a hint of surprise.
“So it’s true. You’re actually working under someone?”
“Ugh, seriously. Every person I know says that. I’m a functional member of society, believe it or not.”
“Yeah, sure. Functional, but definitely not the kind of person who’d work as a middle manager under someone else.”
Following Orthes into the Hydra Corporation building, Hector glanced around.
The number of employees walking the halls was fewer than he’d expected, considering the grand scale of the plan Orthes had described.
“Ah, most of them are out handling other tasks. The ones here have specific jobs that require them to be in this building.”
“Is that so… Hmm, I’m impressed.”
“About what?”
“That you’re trying to bring down the Ten Towers with a plan like this. Wasn’t your focus elsewhere before?”
“You’re not wrong. I did struggle with that. But for now, I’m focusing on this.”
Orthes didn’t notice, but for a brief moment, Hector’s expression hardened. A moment later, his face returned to the soft, sly smile of a seasoned old man.
“This is the reception room. Wait here a moment.”
Orthes left the room to call Carisia. He wasn’t trying to keep his voice down, so even without focusing, Hector could hear him say, “Boss.”
Hector thought to himself.
‘Is this “boss” person using Orthes?’
If so, that would be a shame. From their conversation, he could hear the trust between them. Trust was something Orthes rarely granted others.
If Orthes had set aside his own dreams to devote himself to someone, only for that person to exploit him, Hector would have no choice but to feel profound sorrow.
At the same time, however, he felt relief.
Relief that Orthes wasn’t using his full potential.
If he were, then Hector might have had to face him in a battle to the death today.
Click. The door opened.
“She’s on her way. Let’s kill some time until she gets here.”
“Huh, for a boss, she sure moves fast. Either she doesn’t have much to do, or she’s good at offloading work onto her subordinates.”
“It’s the latter. I’ve never seen anyone more skilled at wringing work out of people.”
“Even more than you?”
“Me? Come on.”
Hector let out a dry chuckle. It reminded him of Orthes’ early days as a fixer. Back then, Orthes had ruled over his temporary teammates with a grim smile and cold, cutting words.
They’d stormed an abandoned research lab in an extra-dimensional contamination zone in a single night. The moment the mission ended, his team members fled the city, swearing to never cross paths with him again.
“Yeah, yeah. If you say so, then I guess that’s how it is.”
Hector shrugged and asked,
“Still using the sword?”
“Yeah. It’s all I know.”
“Tch. I taught you better than that. You just refuse to use it properly.”
“Cut the crap. That wasn’t swordsmanship. It was anti-mage disruption tactics.“
Hector shrugged again. Passing that technique on to Orthes was something he considered both his best and worst decision.
Orthes’ “eye” made all magical formulas meaningless. Hector believed that eye could complete or even surpass his swordsmanship.
But after much internal conflict, he decided to teach him.
Orthes later refined it into a technique called spell formula overwriting, which was rooted in Hector’s anti-mage swordsmanship.
It was a style that hunted mages by intricately analyzing their spells and collapsing the formula before it could be completed.
***
Carisia entered the reception room.
Contrary to her worries, the conversation between Orthes and Hector seemed friendly.
‘They’re… actually getting along?’
As she watched them, Carisia wondered.
Why do all of Orthes’ friends have to misunderstand something about him?