I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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

"Aren't there other things you should explain first? Like whether the Mage King's resurrection is true, and why you kept it hidden until now?"

"Uh, it's the truth, really."

Carisia asked in a calm manner, as if she were inquiring, "Did you have breakfast this morning?" I hesitated but then nodded awkwardly.

"…Yes, it's true. At least, I'm convinced it is."

"Then there's no reason to dwell on it. Unless hearing your reasons for hiding the prophecy somehow helps us defeat the Mage King."

An unexpected show of trust.

"But, did you hide it on purpose? I'm a bit hurt. Who could possibly trust you more than I do?"

Her tone was light, almost playful, but I didn't let my guard down. I knew that since Carisia had caught me slipping, it would likely come back to haunt me later in the form of extra work.

"It wasn't intentional. I meant to tell you eventually, but…"

"But?"

"I forgot."

Carisia's gaze felt piercing. She let out a "Hmm," followed by a peculiar smile, then shook her head.

"You're not someone who tells lies, so… The Mage King, huh."

"Aren't you afraid, Madam President?"

"He's a person from thousands of years ago, isn't he? Before fear or terror, it doesn't really feel real to me. Plus, he's already been defeated once."

Carisia murmured to herself, seemingly lost in thought. I caught her mumbling something about how using a bomb would be the most certain way.

Why is she so obsessed with explosions?

Unlike other times she talked about bombs, this time, I actually considered her idea seriously. It could be a legitimate strategy to defeat the Mage King. If we were to detonate the Artificial Commandments right at the location of his resurrection, could it be enough to bring him down?

According to the original story, the Mage King was at his weakest immediately after his resurrection. Even so, his overwhelming mana control and magical abilities would still far surpass the ordinary.

If we timed the explosion of the Commandments perfectly with his resurrection, it might inflict a significant wound, even on someone as formidable as the Mage King…

The original story didn't delve much into the immediate aftermath of the Mage King's resurrection. He opened his eyes, raged at the betrayal, and, driven by that anger, sought to punish his disciples, only to find himself facing the neon-mana signs of a glittering 2077 skyline, with the prologue ending on a note of confusion.

After that, the Mage King traveled the world, gathering information and making plans to reclaim the Commandments. The story's first chapter picks up after some time has passed since his resurrection.

In other words, the resurrection site wasn't specified, and the Mage King quickly left the area.

"If we assume the Mage King isn't prepared for an attack, it could deal substantial damage."

"You're not saying we can kill him?"

"I've never seen him in person, after all."

From Argyrion to the Divine Cult, many aspects of this world had already diverged significantly from the original narrative. I was now certain that the world wasn't following the novel's plot.

Yet, my vigilance towards the Mage King couldn't wane, not because he was the protagonist, but because he was the world's most powerful mage.

"There's still time left, so I plan to deal with more immediate issues before focusing on the Mage King. We need to wait for the Divine Cult to contact me first─"

Bzzz.

A vibration accompanied the hologram that appeared over the gauntlet. An email had arrived in the L13 account. The name in the sender's field was a meaningless jumble, likely generated by a random algorithm.

The Divine Cult.

Just as I was about to open it, another vibration followed. This time, the sender was Niobe.

Both the Divine Cult and Blasphemia had contacted me.

I looked at Carisia, and she nodded in approval. With her permission, I quickly began reading through the emails.

***

Orthes was casually scanning the emails as usual, while Carisia's thoughts grew more complicated.

The resurrection of the Mage King, a cataclysmic event, had been dismissed with a mere "I forgot" by Orthes.

Rationally, Carisia knew Orthes had no reason to lie to her. But at the same time…

'How can someone forget something like that?'

It was hard not to feel suspicious. Orthes, despite being somewhat impulsive at times, wasn't someone so scatterbrained that he would forget something of such importance.

To be precise, he hadn't forgotten that the Mage King would be resurrected. He remembered it well enough to use it as a bargaining chip during his negotiations with the Divine Cult.

He simply "forgot" to mention it to her.

'But how could he?'

Rather than lament to Orthes, Carisia chose to focus on the potential impact this could have on the world's balance of power. If the Mage King wielded his authority once more, the Ten Towers would either bow to him or be forced to fight.

The Mage King could have no other reason for returning to the world than to reclaim the Commandments. The Ten Towers, unable to surrender the Commandments, would inevitably resist.

The decisive factor that had allowed the first ten disciples to defeat the Mage King was the Commandments. Infinite power provided by the Commandments, coupled with betrayal. If either of these had been absent, it would have been impossible to defeat the Mage King.

As ancient memories resurfaced, Carisia was struck by a pain that felt like a fissure tearing through her mind, a searing agony that seemed to rip apart her very marrow.

Before meeting Orthes, this pain had been a familiar companion. Carisia calmly gathered her thoughts.

It was like a seesaw. No matter how hard the opposite side tried to lift, the weights needed to match. Against the overwhelming presence of the Mage King, the only counterbalance was the Commandments. The Ten Towers, having lost the Commandments, had no means to stand against the Mage King.

"To destroy White Light and then face the Mage King, or to defeat the Mage King and then destroy White Light…."

It was a fork in the road of the future.

The resurrected Mage King would inevitably clash with Carisia if he sought the Commandments while she pursued the overarching goal of destroying White Light.

"Do we really need to separate those tasks?"

Orthes responded to Carisia's musing.

"Pardon?"

"I thought about the Artificial Commandments bomb strategy. If we were to use it as a last resort, if we really needed to use it as a bomb."

Orthes's gaze lit up with interest. Carisia tried to read his thoughts. Often, just as Orthes attempted to decipher Carisia's mind, she found Orthes's thoughts equally inscrutable.

"We should aim to achieve the greatest effect with a single detonation, shouldn't we? Perhaps we should detonate it before the Commandments when the Mage King personally arrives to reclaim White Light."

"…Are you serious?"

Orthes put on a slightly indignant expression in response to Carisia's stern question.

"No, no. I just thought of it because you kept talking about bombs."

Orthes hastily started offering excuses, saying he wasn't really fond of such brute-force methods like bombs. Carisia couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight.

"Let's leave discussions about the distant future for now. What's the Divine Cult's response?"

Orthes, who had been grumbling, straightened up.

"It's a secondary option. For some reason, they've decided to actively cooperate in retrieving the relics. Perhaps they need the relics for the Pope's 'blasphemous plan.'"

"And?"

"I've managed to secure access to both the Blasphemia database and the ancient ruins recorded by the Divine Cult for our investigation."

Orthes began to lay out his plan.

The Divine Cult saw Orthes as a Blasphemia insider. Under the pretense of revealing where Blasphemia's surveillance was weakest, he could obtain information about ancient temple locations from the Divine Cult.

Meanwhile, Orthes's status as a secret investigator within L13 of Blasphemia was still valid, as was his connection with Niobe, who served as a liaison. He could also gain partial access to Blasphemia's surveillance network.

"This alone won't be enough. However, the Divine Cult can track and tip me off to Argyrion's location."

Magical means were nearly useless in tracking Argyrion. After all, they were once Blasphemia agents, the very ones who had once excelled at magical pursuit.

There's no more challenging prey than a skilled hunter.

But the Divine Cult could mobilize the Holy Incantations. With the blessings of the god of archery or the god of hunting, or through Phoibos's prophecy, finding Argyrion wouldn't be difficult.

What if I then relayed Argyrion's location to Blasphemia under the L13 name?

Blasphemia would have no choice but to deploy agents to that area. Consequently, there would be gaps in their surveillance of the Cult's ruins.

The Divine Cult could then collect relics during these gaps.

In other words…

"I can use Argyrion's location to manipulate Blasphemia, and by informing the Divine Cult of the areas with weakened surveillance, I can also guide their actions."

"The ruins that neither the Divine Cult nor Blasphemia can touch will be left for Hydra Corporation."

Orthes nodded in satisfaction. He had successfully balanced his role between Blasphemia and the Divine Cult.

"It's time to officially commence the Divine Investigation."

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