I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

To read over 260 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02

The 'Divine Investigation' had essentially been suspended since the untimely demise of Dimedes.

Orthes had been conducting his search for relics alone, without anyone's approval, and had restricted his requests for the directors' cooperation to non-relic-related tasks that required force, such as apprehending magical fugitives for meeting the requirements of stock listing documents.

Except for the work assigned to Meconion, the Dryad half-breed.

Meconion took a long drag from her pipe, exhaling a breath that glowed green. Orthes was watching her from behind.

'Or is he merely resting his eyes?'

"That's it."

At the center of Meconion's underground cavern, a cleverly designed skylight focused sunlight onto a single spot. While most of Meconion's drug den was dark and damp, this particular place was the exception.

In that focused light stood a tree.

A tree that had sprouted from the grape seeds taken from the Bacchus cult's meeting hall.

Meconion had a personal interest in the liquor produced by the Cult of Pleasure, while Orthes was intrigued by the symbolic grapevine of Bacchus.

Because of this, Meconion's cooperation with the Divine Investigation Office was the only collaboration within the directors' organization that didn't involve the use of force: growing a grapevine.

"It was too easy to kill them when I tried to grow the seeds one by one. So, I combined them into a single growth."

"Can that even work? It reminds me of the magic of the Green Wood."

"It's not really magic, just a racial trait. I extracted the life force from each seed and gathered it in one place."

As a descendant of the Dryads, Meconion had an exceptional talent for handling plants. Until now, her abilities had primarily been used to rapidly grow narcotic plants, but her talent wasn't limited to any particular species.

Orthes carefully touched the newly ripening cluster of grapes. His touch was notably cautious.

"No matter how quickly I accelerate its growth, it's not ready for harvest yet. Do you need it soon?"

"It would be nice if we could make some wine from it…"

Orthes's response almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

'Wine? Is he planning to entertain someone?' Meconion wondered who Orthes might want to "entertain."

The first candidate that came to mind was Lampades, the tower master he had met in Elysion. But it was hard to imagine Orthes preparing a gift and taking a deferential approach with him.

As Orthes calmly observed the grapevine, he finally made his request.

"To improve the quality of the grapes, it will be necessary to thin out the clusters, removing some of the grapes and branches. Could you prepare those byproducts for me?"

"Huh? The unripe grapes and cut branches?"

"I have a use for them."

***

When I asked Meconion to thin out the grapevine by tomorrow, she immediately replied with a puzzled, "Why all of a sudden?" But I didn't fall for it.

Even though Meconion's drug den seemed more like a gathering of junkies than an organized establishment, the fact that she could keep such junkies under control meant she had a certain level of charisma and leadership.

And as a director of Hydra Corporation, she had the authority to handle something as simple as thinning out a grapevine and vacuum-sealing the byproducts.

There were murmurs about how the other subordinates were good at injecting drugs and snorting them but knew nothing about growing plants. But I was too busy to listen to them.

The place I headed to was, of course, Carisia's office. I had to inform my superior before going on a business trip.

"I smell grapes?"

Carisia, who had been looking at me curiously, asked the question. I nodded.

"I just checked on the grapevine that Director Meconion is tending."

"Did you go straight to check on work instead of coming to see me first?"

As usual, Carisia's jokes were hard to understand. I met her smile with one of my own and continued speaking.

"There was a good reason for it."

"A reason. If you need Bacchus's grapevine, is it for the Divine Cult?"

"Yes. They've requested to see me. Personally, face to face."

Carisia's expression hardened as she listened to my report.

"They're being more aggressive than I expected. To convincingly pose as Phoibos's prophet, you'll need a relic."

"I'm confident I can take care of myself without one. In fact, it might be better not to show it."

The relic I had excavated from Phoibos was found in a temple that the Mage King had personally sealed. The seal was so perfect that even Blasphemia had overlooked the relic's existence, leaving it forgotten. But if anyone were to realize where it came from, they would inevitably question, 'How did you break through the Mage King's seal to obtain this relic?'

And since I couldn't use magic at all, they would easily deduce that I had assistance.

If Carisia's involvement were to be revealed, all of my plans would fall apart. Carisia was the White Light Magic Tower's greatest masterpiece. Regardless of her hatred for the White Light, her mere existence was enough to incur the wrath of the Divine Cult.

It was easier to keep the relic hidden and claim, 'This too was an action guided by divine revelation.'

Carisia's expression soured, showing a hint of disappointment. I quickly continued speaking.

"Please trust me, Boss. I need to remain an enigma to the Divine Cult. The more they learn about which relics I supposedly receive revelations from, the less mysterious I become."

"Do you really think you can deceive the cult on your own? It might be better to take Kine with you."

"Kine lacks the acting skills. She would need to treat me as if I were truly Phoibos's prophet, and it would be difficult for her to perform well enough to fool the cult's priests."

"I don't think so."

Carisia was nitpicking, but I let it slide.

"I've made the necessary preparations. The grapevine that Meconion is growing is part of that."

Bacchus's grapevine.

The harvest from it would serve as evidence that I had predicted the fall of the Bacchus cult and collected its legacy.

***

Carisia approved Orthes's business trip request. The Divine Cult's invitation had a time limit.

Their meetings were held in secrecy to avoid Blasphemia's notice and disbanded quickly.

Even though Blasphemia's surveillance had loosened somewhat due to the chaos caused by Argyrion, the Divine Cult still had to be wary of them. The mere fact that they were inviting Orthes and waiting for him was unusual.

Orthes was scheduled to meet with the bishop of Enyalius today and then proceed to the location where the Divine Cult was gathering.

Carisia tapped the table nervously. She felt uneasy about sending him off alone.

She understood, but…

Wasn't he taking on too much by himself? Carisia couldn't help but feel a bit worried as she headed to the tower's training room.

Kine was waiting there. She was there to learn the basics of magic and how to control her abilities from Carisia.

The fact that Kine was a survivor of the Bacchus cult was well-known among the directors, thanks to Neuro, who had accompanied Orthes. However, only Orthes and Carisia knew that Kine possessed divine power.

Even using relics imbued with divine power was considered nearly illegal under the order dictated by the Ten Towers. A priest openly wielding divine power was an existence that common sense could not tolerate.

At first, they had assumed Kine's divine power would gradually fade, but as it only grew stronger, it became essential for her to learn how to conceal it effectively.

Both divine power and magic fall under the broad category of extraordinary abilities. Carisia, who had exceptional control over her own vast magic power, had insights into how to help Kine hide her divine power.

They had been using dark magic to conceal her divine power or applying techniques used by combat mages to suppress magic for some time. Suddenly, Kine spoke up.

"Wait. Where's that guy?"

Strangely enough, Orthes always seemed to immediately sense whenever Kine's divine power concealment faltered. So he usually waited nearby whenever they trained.

But today, he was nowhere to be seen.

'He returned from a business trip yesterday, didn't he? Maybe he's resting today because he's tired? So that guy has a human side after all.'

"He's with the Divine Cult."

"…That bastard finally got summoned by the Divine Cult. Playing the role of Phoibos's prophet? Can he really pull off that disguise?"

Carisia responded in a confident tone.

"No one will be able to doubt Orthes's identity. But…"

"But?"

"I have a feeling he's going to cause some sort of trouble."

Kine looked up at Carisia. There was a touch of resignation in Carisia's golden eyes.

***

Damn it.

"Speak! You, who dare to call yourself a prophet! What is the greatest tribulation that will befall this world?"

"Say 'fuck the Ten Towers.'"

"Can you read my love fortune?"

What the hell is wrong with this place?

To read over 260 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02