I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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

Salmosia slowly left the safehouse. I say "slowly," but that was only until he reached the exit. As soon as he stepped outside, his figure seemed to dissolve into thin air.

"Space magic…"

Spatial distortion is an advanced magic that's rarely used because it invites interference from the extra-dimension. It must be a special magic granted by a relic given to him as a high-ranking officer of Panoptes.

"Uh, how have you been, senior?"

Niobe, left behind in the safehouse, greeted me awkwardly. I responded appropriately, so as not to arouse any suspicion.

"Well, as long as a field agent has all their limbs intact, that's doing well enough. How about you, Ms. Niobe?"

"I've been fine. I have some documents that the Auditor General asked me to give you after he left. You'll know once you read them, right?"

"Yes, I'll handle it appropriately."

The stack of documents Niobe handed me contained a list of Argos officers suspected of being traitors.

"I see why Salmosia wanted me to open this after he left."

Although they're suspected of being traitors, this list is based more on suspicion than solid evidence. Essentially, the Auditor General of Blasphemia has illegally leaked personal information of another organization's members.

By having Niobe deliver the documents, he created a layer of plausible deniability, distancing himself in case things went awry.

Even in a situation where the chances of this information leaking out were extremely low, he prepared this insurance. Is this just excessive caution, or is it a deeply ingrained habit?

"Ms. Niobe, will you be heading directly back to the field?"

"Huh? No, I'll report to the Auditor General about you first. I didn't intend it, but you could say I've been fast-tracked in the Auditor Office. I was listed as part of the operation to track Argyrion, but I'll be returning soon."

Salmosia called Niobe by her name rather than her code name "K17," indicating her respected position within Blasphemia.

Though it's somewhat different from what I imagined, I now had a source within Blasphemia who could be easily approached for information.

Since we're already here, I might as well ask her a few things.

***

My conversation with the respected senior began with gentle chiding.

"Ms. Niobe, it seems you've directly reported my whereabouts to the Auditor General."

"Huh? Yeah, it's information you found, isn't it?"

L13 sighed softly. Niobe might not have realized it, but this was a deliberate gesture.

"The reason I passed that information to you was to help you rise to a position where you could root out reactionaries. Reporting directly to the Auditor General was a risky move."

"Risky?"

"If a low-level operative suddenly meets with the Auditor General, and the very next day a traitor hunt begins, wouldn't anyone who knows the circumstances find that suspicious?"

Orthes pointed out that Niobe's actions were very dangerous. It would have been safer to report only after securing a level of authority where meeting the Auditor General wouldn't raise eyebrows.

But he also added:

"It was a courageous action. It's rare to find someone who chooses the right path over their own safety."

"Th-thank you?"

Niobe's slightly slumped shoulders straightened again, a feeling of pride welling up within her. Orthes waited for the right moment before continuing.

"Ms. Niobe, how many people within Blasphemia do you think are trustworthy, people you and the Auditor General can rely on?"

"Well, let's see… At least within the Auditor Office, everyone seems trustworthy…"

Orthes carefully noted the list of "trustworthy people" Niobe mentioned. They were the ones to avoid when trying to recruit insiders within Blasphemia and the ones who could potentially become allies when acting as L13.

"There's no one who openly opposes the Auditor General?"

"Right. The chief is still in seclusion, and the deputy chief position is vacant. So there's really no one who could challenge the Auditor General's authority."

The chief in seclusion. Orthes recalled the Blasphemia deputy chief he had faced before.

He had been deployed as the top commander in the Golden Desert Operation. His name was Halto, if he remembered correctly. It seemed Halto hadn't returned from the Golden Desert Operation.

'So they haven't appointed a successor to Halto? Or did they appoint someone, and now the position is vacant again? Either way…'

A sudden realization struck Orthes like a bolt of lightning. The core leadership of Argyrion consisted of Blasphemia's former eroders, whom Orthes and Carisia had ejected into the extra-dimension during the Golden Desert Operation.

If Argyrion had simply transplanted Blasphemia's command structure, then Halto was likely the leader of Argyrion as well.

'Could this be something I could use?'

Salmosia's suspicion of Argos and the possible presence of Halto at the helm of Argyrion. These two clues swirled in Orthes's mind.

As he organized his thoughts, he crafted a sentence to conclude the conversation.

"Please share my information only with those trustworthy individuals. But if a situation arises where even they must be suspected of treachery, don't hesitate to contact me."

Niobe nodded with a firm expression. It was hard to imagine the mindset of L13, fighting on the front lines against Argyrion, who were once comrades.

"Well, then. I hope we meet again in good health."

***

"Directors Neuro and Divius have successfully completed the Divine Investigation and returned. However, it has been detected that Blasphemia is now aware of the investigation. I will devise countermeasures."

After returning from the investigation, Orthes had his usual private meeting with Carisia. Along with reporting on the investigation, he also relayed information about his contact with Blasphemia.

With the addition of his deductions about the leadership of Argyrion, the meeting went on later than usual.

"Halto…"

Carisia began twirling the hair in front of her right forehead around her index finger. From this, Orthes inferred that Carisia was organizing memories from the past.

"The information we obtained from Blasphemia's branch was also limited regarding high-ranking officials. I don't recall fighting him during the operation in the desert."

"I didn't engage Halto directly either. He mostly interfered slightly whenever I tried to approach you."

He had bought time until the extra-dimensional storm arrived, then escaped using the space magic Carisia had prepared in advance.

The imbalance in space-time caused by the space magic made the extra-dimensional storm arrive much sooner, forcing Blasphemia's pursuit team to retreat.

The operation had been too successful, to the point that Argyrion had emerged.

"There doesn't seem to be a way to draw Halto out immediately. How do you plan to handle Argos?"

"Yes. I've received a list of suspected traitors from Blasphemia."

"You can't interrogate suspicious individuals if you want to drive a wedge between the two groups, can you?"

Carisia's question.

It isn't unfair for a suspicious person to be detained for being suspicious. But when someone who appears diligent, honest, and trustworthy is suddenly detained as a suspect, people perceive that as unfair.

To incite real conflict between Argyrion and Argos, it would be best to target someone who isn't suspected at all.

So that Argos would be outraged by the false accusations against their colleagues.

But Orthes shook his head.

Orthes believed that Salmosia was overestimating Argyrion's capabilities. The reason Argyrion had been able to contact Blasphemia's leadership was because Argyrion's members were originally from Blasphemia.

'Even in the military, when corruption occurs, it typically happens within a single branch—army, navy, or air force—not across multiple branches working together in a conspiracy.'

Even though they are part of the same overarching organization, Argos and Blasphemia are separate entities. It would be difficult for them to cooperate seamlessly.

Unless the extra-dimension had given Argyrion some kind of mind-control app…

"Simply detaining one or two individuals isn't enough. No matter what, they have the means to cover up something as minor as a few detentions."

If they were to detain a suspect, Blasphemia could fabricate numerous grounds for suspicion from that person. Unless Argos responded with immediate and severe action, their protests would be blocked by the justification that Blasphemia's actions were a legitimate exercise of authority under reasonable suspicion.

"The best way to create conflict is through the existence of a secret itself."

Orthes slowly introduced the seed of discord. The impact of concrete facts has its limits.

"Blasphemia's attempt to illegally spy on Argos… That's a good headline. How outraged would Argos be if they heard that there was such an 'attempt' within their ranks?"

But speculation is different. Since no one knows exactly how much Blasphemia planned to spy on Argos, it can be inflated to any degree.

"The act of trying to cover up a secret will cause even greater public outrage. I'll need to refine the exact plan since Salmosia might suspect me if I deliver this directly to Argos."

Orthes began devising a method to leak this information to Argos.

However, his plan began to unravel when urgent news struck the Ether Network.

"List of Magic Towers Affiliated with Argyrion"

It was a major exposé that shook the social order within the magic towers.

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