I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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"Boss."

Tap, tap. I knocked on the door, and it opened silently. It wasn't even locked; it seemed like it hadn't been properly closed in the first place.

Other than me, no one would come all the way to Carisia's private quarters to find her, not even to the CEO's office. But wasn't her security awareness a bit too lax?

I thought about saying something but decided against it. She'd handle it in her own way.

It wasn't Carisia I was worried about but potential intruders. If someone messed with her, they'd be obliterated by her death beam.

"Come in—"

A languid voice came from inside as I stood before the open door.

"Didn't you say you didn't want to be alone with the boss outside working hours?"

A mischievous smile accompanied the teasing comment.

…It was a joke, right?

"As your wise words suggest, I have to go on another business trip, so I came to report."

"What?"

Carisia's face showed utter disbelief. She must have thought something was wrong with me for wanting to work right after returning from a trip.

Other directors might not know me well, but Carisia should guess my general aversion to work.

"What is it?"

Her voice strangely turned curt.

"We've lost contact with Director Dimedes and all the beast tamers who accompanied him. Director Neuro and I will check and handle the situation."

"This is bigger than I thought."

Carisia propped her chin on her right hand. She might be wondering if Dimedes wasn't worth worrying about.

"The death of Dimedes itself isn't a big issue, but it will make it hard to meet the requirements for passing the listing review documents."

See? As expected.

From Carisia's perspective, Dimedes wasn't very valuable. Considering the chimera's preference for human flesh, he was more of a nuisance.

Even if a few civilians in border towns got eaten by chimera, it wouldn't catch the attention of the Ten Towers, but there's always a chance. This kind of self-destruction might actually be a boon.

I was surprised she even cared about the listing review I had proposed.

"Take this."

Carisia threw something shiny at me. It was the Phoibos's crystal I had given her on the way back to Etna city.

"…I gave this to you for your use, Boss."

"I'm going to be stuck in Etna city for a while, planning the urban redevelopment. What's going to put me in danger? You take it."

Feeling a bit uneasy, I accepted the crystal. It seemed like Carisia should have some means of protection.

But her determination was firm, and as a subordinate, I had no other choice. The crystal, a bit larger than my palm, seemed too big to fit in my pocket.

'So…'

I recalled the description from the original work. The crystal could be resized according to the user's will. The smaller it became, the narrower the range of its prophecy but the easier the interpretation. Conversely, the larger it was, the more complex the prophecy, but it could read further into the future.

Any danger that might befall me would likely be direct attacks. It's better to carry it in a smaller form.

As I focused on the crystal, it indeed shrunk in size. Now, it was small enough to fit unobtrusively in a pocket corner.

"Finish it as quickly as possible."

That was Carisia's parting message.

I bowed and left the room.

***

"On your last business trip, I heard you infiltrated one of the subcontracted organizations of the Ten Towers. How did you do it?"

Inside the magi-train departing from Etna city, Neuro asked.

It was complicated to simply call Blasphemia a 'subcontractor of the Ten Towers,' but Arabella, tasked by Carisia to extract information, had no time for detailed explanations.

Unless the directors had special pasts like Divius, they wouldn't know much about Blasphemia, a secret organization. Someone had to explain…

Arabella was nearly losing her mind over the last message from the Charlotte branch manager, stating, "Orthes is Blasphemia's secret inspector."

Orthes's request to send a message as he escaped the Charlotte branch only intensified her anguish. The address, presumably that of a high-ranking Blasphemia member, was indeed unclear.

Could Carisia's command to "explain about Blasphemia" be a test to see if Arabella had figured out Orthes's true identity?

One wrong word and who knows what might happen.

Arabella decided that 'what's important is the information, not the source,' and explained Blasphemia as vaguely as possible.

The only person who could guess where Orthes had gone and what he had done was Divius, who once belonged to Blasphemia.

Most Hydra Corporation directors thought of Blasphemia as just a highly secure information guild. They couldn't imagine it was a combat group where all members underwent special body modifications for battle magic.

Even so, the name Ten Towers carried weight.

The ability to infiltrate an organization associated with the Ten Towers alone demonstrated a level of infiltration and tracking skill valuable to a hunter like Neuro.

Neuro expected some secretive methods—perhaps a special magic for disguise or tracking.

There might have been mental manipulation magic to control internal members, a method difficult for hunters to use but plausible.

What kind of extraordinary method had the boss's confidant used to deceive the Ten Towers and infiltrate their shadow?

"There wasn't any particular method. I persuaded someone who knew the entrance and walked in through the front door."

"Through the front door!"

"Yes. There was a bit of a commotion when leaving, but I left no traces."

His skills matched his arrogance. Infiltrating through the front door implied a level of disguise so high that even the organization's members didn't notice.

The commotion during his escape suggested sabotage of the organization's database, ensuring no evidence remained.

"Indeed. One must have this level of skill to be the boss's confidant…."

Neuro muttered in admiration.

'What's with him? Is he aiming for a higher position?'

Orthes was bewildered by Neuro's unusual ambition. Even after experiencing Carisia's manipulative skills, did he want to get closer?

'Divius too. Why do these directors have such a drive for work?'

High-ranking officials are supposed to be moderately lazy for the sake of their subordinates' comfort.

***

The location where beast tamer Dimedes had gone was a barren wilderness filled with jagged rocks.

While magi-stones were mined here, it wasn't profitable. Without a magic tower to oversee the region, fugitives often hid in the stone plains.

It was a long walk from the nearest magi-train station. Upon disembarking, Orthes entrusted Neuro with tracking the traces left by Dimedes and his party.

Naturally, Orthes had never trained in tracking. His policy was to leave specialized tasks to experts.

'If someone could infiltrate an information organization without anyone noticing, it's unlikely they wouldn't have tracking skills. But he delegates this task to me?'

It wasn't some noble gesture of sharing the glory. Neuro quickly grasped Orthes's intention.

'He's testing my skills. I can imagine what will happen if I fall short of his standards.'

…Or so he thought.

'The recent failure of Dimedes might have made him reconsider the usefulness of the directors. I must give it my all.'

Neuro prepared the reagents for tracking the beasts controlled by Dimedes. He inserted the reagents into the slots of his gauntlet and input commands.

While magic computation devices typically bring to mind enchanted implants grafted into the body, the range of mana proxies was diverse.

Neuro used a proxy gauntlet linked to the augmented reality displayed in his gas mask. The display showed the composition of saliva or hair from the beasts reacting to tracking magic.

"As you might have noticed, it's this way. Fortunately, Dimedes isn't meticulous about managing his beasts, leaving plenty of traces."

***

I have no idea.

I followed behind Neuro, who explained various things as if he were a guide.

"There's evidence they lingered around here for a while. Maybe it was the butcher. The beasts seemed somewhat starved but didn't rampage here. They headed straight out of town."

"Just as the reports said?"

During the magi-train ride, I reviewed Dimedes's reports. He had indeed stated in his first report that he began searching for the Bacchus Cult immediately upon arrival.

Neuro spoke hurriedly.

"Dimedes may be peculiar, but he wouldn't send false reports to the boss. All directors maintain at least that level of loyalty."

***

"How could I doubt the directors' loyalty?"

Phew. Neuro sighed in relief. He didn't expect Orthes to verify from such a fundamental level.

Given that Orthes was now considering dismissing the entire board due to Dimedes's failure, clearing up unnecessary misunderstandings was essential.

"But."

Neuro's nerves tightened.

"This situation is beyond ordinary."

Indeed, the idea of a director and all his aides going missing while chasing down drug addicts was unprecedented.

Neuro cursed Dimedes. He'd never liked him, but he hadn't expected to be dragged down like this.

He had to find Dimedes's body and present it to Orthes as soon as possible.

"The traces lead to the reported rocky plain. Let's move."

Pleased with Neuro's promptness, Orthes nodded readily.

Neuro resolved to boast to the other directors that they owed their necks to him.

***

Damn it. I should have grabbed a bite before disembarking.

I lamented my lack of preparation, having not packed a lunch.

Neuro was so absorbed in his work that there was no opportunity to stop for a meal. I could only smile and follow.

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