I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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Vicada swallowed hard as he found Orthes suddenly standing before him.

He was bewildered, but it was not entirely unexpected. It was widely believed that high-ranking mages had odd tempers.

After all, Orthes had already announced an unannounced inspection. In a way, appearing openly to inform them of the inspection's commencement was better than the cranky old folks of the White Light Magic Tower.

Those old geezers wouldn't even bother with prior notice and might whimsically rummage through the entire troupe for no reason.

"Well, troupe leader, could you show me the members' rooms one by one?"

"Yes…."

Orthes, setting aside the fierce attitude from their first encounter, showed a gentlemanly demeanor. Following the troupe leader's guidance, he visited each member's room, sending the leader outside momentarily while having one-on-one conversations with the members.

There was no sign of him using magical means for interrogation, which Vicada had worried about.

'Is he confident enough to discern everything just by looking? He might be carrying an artifact that records Geryon's magical power for tracking…'

Orthes meticulously inspected each room and member but was not intimidating.

"Please step outside for a moment."

Once again, it was an order to leave for a one-on-one conversation with the room's owner.

"But this one is just an apprentice…."

Despite his passive protest, Orthes' decision remained unchanged. Realizing he couldn't further provoke him, Vicada nodded obediently.

"Hey, just tell him everything as it is. Don't hide anything!"

***

Most people in the Vicada Traveling Troupe possessed the average disposition of this era's mages.

They craved pleasure, were sadistic, and disregarded life.

Unaffiliated primitive mages often indulged in the powers and ecstasies that magic brought, treating their bodies recklessly. Most of the troupe members were such individuals.

However, the member facing me now was quite the opposite.

A somewhat naive-looking face, short brown hair, and a small frame gave a youthful impression.

The well-groomed hair and flawless skin showed no signs of traditional drug injection scars or neural connectors for electronic drug administration.

This figure, differing from the troupe's overall vibe, halted my steps.

Still, I couldn't be certain of their identity just from this.

The faintly visible toned muscles under the seemingly ordinary body might just be from menial chores within the troupe.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. The functions of these heavy, burdensome eyes revealed hidden truths.

The flow of magic beneath the skin visualized. I controlled my sight, aiming to reflect the world's magical currents, focusing solely on the person before me.

Excluding the naturally inherited magic circuits, I searched for signs of artificial modifications.

While difficult to control the wandering vision, detecting traces of magic was simple.

Beneath the smoothly toned muscles, high-grade bodily enhancements were visible in each muscle fiber.

It wasn't some cheap enchantware that damages magic circuits with clumsy implants. This was top-notch, inscribed magic on natural muscle fibers.

Too expensive an enhancement for a mere apprentice's earnings in a traveling troupe.

'Wow, it's really here.'

A dangerous element I hadn't mentioned to Meconion. This was the unique physical enhancement method of the Blasphemia, the assassination unit directly under the Ten Magical Commandments.

'How should I use this one?'

Most Blasphemia I've encountered were assassins targeting Carisia. They came knowing her abilities and appearance, leaving no room for deception.

'But the situation is different now.'

This one didn't know who I was or that Carisia was behind me.

I could definitely use this.

I opened my mouth.

***

"I never thought I'd meet a comrade here."

"Comrade? What…?"

K17, a member of the Blasphemia sown across the world to enlighten superstition followers, was bewildered by the sudden words.

The man before her was said to be a high-ranking member of the newly established magic tower in this small city. He shouldn't have any connection to the Blasphemia, who specialized in eradicating superstition.

An old acquaintance?

That couldn't be. Before joining Blasphemia, she had been left alone in a burned village. She had no hometown left.

"Nice to meet you, Phlesion. I'm L13."

Phlesion was the term Blasphemia members used to address each other, with a nuance close to "comrade." Their simple names composed of letters and numbers were also code names given to Blasphemia members.

K17 drew her sword at the man who had suddenly introduced himself as L13. It took less than a second to pull the dagger hidden near her thigh and aim it at his throat.

"It's been a while. Isn't this our ceremonial weapon? Anti-magic equipment forged in the Silver Iron Magic Tower."

"Shut up."

Just as K17 tried to push the blade deeper, the man pressed his finger against the tip, slowly pushing it away.

"I know. Such actions violate our confidentiality oath. But Phlesion, please listen."

"Do you know how many oaths you've already broken? Die to preserve your honor!"

He pulled a chair in the room and sat down, still smiling without a hint of distortion. He seemed so relaxed that it felt disarming.

K17 felt a sense of futility from his defenseless appearance. Such a lack of tension. The irreverence of abandoning the great mission entrusted by the Ten Towers!

"First, please take a seat. Here, I go by the name Orthes. And you?"

"…Niobe."

"Nice to meet you, Niobe. Isn't it tough for Phlesion to suffer outside?"

"Tough? While you occupy a high position in the magic tower?"

Niobe glared at Orthes incredulously. From her perspective, Orthes was a blasphemer who abandoned the mission of the Ten Towers and lived a life of luxury attached to an outer magic tower.

"Please listen. I had my circumstances. Even if you search my serial number in the Blasphemia branch, you won't find it."

Orthes began his story. It started with an old order to investigate Kaicle of the Pythos Tower, suspected of being a superstitious follower.

Old incidents flashed through Niobe's mind. If it was Kaicle…

"That was decades ago!"

"I tracked Kaicle to this city but failed to lure him out of hiding. Still, abandoning a genius who had passed through two of the Ten Towers went against our principles, didn't it?"

He recounted his operations over the decades to lure Kaicle. Hacking into the Pythos Tower, covertly supporting Lernian and Geryon.

"Who do you think spread rumors about the Artificial Commandments in this city years ago?"

But despite all these schemes, Kaicle did not appear.

"So I had no choice but to request a return to headquarters. About a decade ago."

"At that time…."

Orthes nodded heavily.

"During that time, we faced the most intense sin by the most fervent follower we couldn't capture."

Once, Blasphemia had designated the Flash Mage as the top priority target for elimination.

For years, this mage clashed with Blasphemia, leaving deep scars on the organization, and was never captured.

Blasphemia's elite forces reportedly perished with him in the Screaming Desert, but his body was never found.

"The branch I requested return to was one of those annihilated during that turmoil. No response came."

"So, you continued your original mission in Etna City?"

"Exactly. With no answer from headquarters, I assumed it meant to continue my task. I only learned of those horrific events much later."

Repeating his attempts to lure Kaicle, the scale of his operations grew until he ended up establishing a magic tower. Orthes' explanation was absurd, but…

'It makes sense!'

Even Niobe herself was newly recruited after the Flash Mage incident, which significantly reduced Blasphemia's manpower.

Blasphemia had not yet fully recovered, and it was common for agents on remote missions to find their reporting branches gone and feel lost.

Though lengthy, it wasn't impossible.

"I'm now in a situation where I've lost all means to contact headquarters. So, could you please contact them on my behalf?"

"Uh, um…."

Niobe hesitated. She had her own mission to fulfill.

As she pondered, something odd struck her.

"Wait a moment. How did you know I was Blasphemia?"

***

What an annoying question. What should I say to Niobe? After a moment of thought, I decided to mix truth with lies.

"Because I know our organization well. Niobe, aren't you infiltrating this Vicada Traveling Troupe to verify if they are Bacchus followers?"

"…Yes."

"As Blasphemia, it was natural to expect a Phlesion dispatched to supervise such superstitious acts. And Phlesion always retains a straight mind amidst such depravity and decadence."

My answer combined Blasphemia's operational style with flattery toward Niobe.

Though there were Blasphemia signals I knew, those might have changed over time.

Although one cannot determine a mage's age by appearance, Niobe's actions suggested she was an inexperienced newcomer.

A properly trained Blasphemia wouldn't reveal such a sense of alienation in their disguise.

If this rookie with a strong sense of humanity was truly new, she would certainly appreciate the validation of her sense of recognition.

***

"Mm, mm!"

Niobe nodded. It was a pure joy, hard to find amidst those who indulged in drugs and satisfied sadistic desires with androids every night.

"Yes! Even in this cesspool of depravity, I tried not to forget my duties as a Blasphemia. I really tried hard!"

The pleasure of being recognized by a senior in the same field dulled Niobe's thinking.

A seasoned Blasphemia agent might have understood Orthes' implied criticism in his remark, "I recognized you because you retained a straight mind," which hinted that she had not disguised herself well.

"Impressive. It seems like this is your first mission…."

"Yes. This is the first. Someday, I might also become a purifier of the Ten Magical Commandments!"

Niobe was just a novice who had recently completed her training.

Orthes was confident of his success as he observed Niobe's naïve demeanor.

'Blasphemia is one of the organizations with the most information about the sacred. Hence.'

They were the most suitable individuals to use for tracking holy artifacts.

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