I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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

My head hurt.

It wasn't just a simple headache. I could feel the ruptured capillaries unable to process the overwhelming amount of violent information transmitted through my eyes.

Damn it. My eyes and nose are bleeding.

It almost reminded me of the time when I was being relentlessly chased by Blasphemia.

The pain caused by the buildup in my eyes was worse than when I was electrocuted by the lightning inside the Thunderbolt Lord.

'Still, it's a better situation than the life-or-death struggle in the desert against Blasphemia…'

I looked at the orb in my hand.

Inside the resplendent golden sphere, the swirling torrent of lightning was constantly visible. The result of a reckless seal that hadn't stabilized properly.

However, the power wasn't leaking outside. The silver threads absorbed the lightning, which looked like it could explode at any moment, and circulated it internally.

With each bizarre cycle, the silver threads surrounding the orb twitched.

It was as if they were still alive and moving.

If this orb were to be seen as a massive eye, then the condensed lightning within would be the iris, and the clinging silver threads would be the blood vessels.

'This thing isn't stable at all.'

Originally, I hadn't intended to balance two life forms against each other in such a precarious manner.

What I wanted was nothing more, nothing less than the original performance of the Talisman of Thunder.

Compared to the original, the addition of the Silver Thread Worm might have enhanced the mana-to-magic conversion speed significantly.

But if used incorrectly, it could end up being something that fries me with the leaking electricity or gets me eaten away by the threads.

'This won't do. I'll have to take this to Carisia and ask her to fix it.'

I tucked the Thunder Orb into my chest and turned around.

In the distance, the troubleshooters approached, while the trembling mages of the Torres Tower quivered in fear.

How should I handle this?

***

Lugret witnessed the man carefully tucking the ominous orb into his chest.

From the moment she approached the Thunderbolt Lord's lair, the possibility had crossed her mind.

That smiling man might not just be a mere agent of Blasphemia.

They don't behave that way. The agents of Blasphemia, who work to preserve the Ten Towers' self-preservation and maintain the system, prefer proven methods—in other words, stable methods.

I can be sure because I was once a Blasphemia agent.

The nearly insane recklessness he just displayed…

'A doomsday cultist.'

Only those who can laugh even as the flames they scattered to destroy the world consume them can make such a destructive choice and still smile.

The man who had just been in the middle of a thunderstorm had his clothes singed in various places. The flesh exposed beneath the burnt and torn garments was in tatters.

Even so, the faint smile on his lips did not disappear.

The blood streaming down from his eyes was likely a side effect of magic that pushed him to his limits. The smiling man raised his hand and wiped his face. His face, once cleaned of the blood, appeared more pale and blurred than spotless.

It was a strange impression, as if he might vanish at any moment, even while I was looking directly at him.

Lugret glanced around and sensed that the mages of the Torres Tower had already lost their will to resist. They must have judged that it was pointless to oppose the terrifying mage who had single-handedly ended the battle between two colossal forces, which was akin to a natural disaster.

The call of 'duty' rang in her mind. That man should not exist in this world.

He must be taken down here, no matter what.

She slowly reconsidered the situation. At this point, it was impossible for a single mage to independently develop magic to control the Silver Thread Worm. From obtaining a sample to having the time to do so, everything was lacking.

So, he must have learned the magic from someone or something.

In Argyrion, those who handle the Silver Thread Worm are limited. If someone approached to learn control magic, there should be records. Naturally, there was no mage with that kind of appearance in Argyrion.

If it wasn't independent development or information leakage from Argyrion, then the only explanation left was that this man learned the control magic from Blasphemia.

A chilling fear crept into Lugret. Could it be that a doomsday cultist had infiltrated not just any subcontracting organization but Blasphemia itself?

Had he hidden his true nature so perfectly that he received the most cutting-edge classified magic?

As she suppressed her fear and searched for an opportunity to attack, the smiling man turned his gaze toward the mages of Torres Tower.

"Members of the Torres Tower. You've gone too far. Not only did you collude with the mastermind behind the Elysion terror attack, but you also caused this magical disaster."

His tone, continuing to mimic a Blasphemia agent, carried a de facto death sentence for the Torres Tower.

Lugret saw a glimmer of hope in the provocative declaration. If you press people too hard, there's bound to be a backlash.

The rule with enemies of the Ten Towers is immediate execution. But are the people of the Torres Tower, who were so captivated by the Ten Commandments that they allied with Argyrion, going to meekly accept their fate?

Right now, the mages are enthralled by the overwhelming might the smiling man just displayed. But once they shake off the fear and start thinking rationally, they'll realize that using such a colossal magic must have drained a significant amount of his power.

If they realize that and start resisting, they might be able to stop this wicked doomsday cultist.

The smiling man shifted his gaze behind the mages.

"Did the troubleshooters and mercenaries sign contracts fully aware that Torres Tower has allied with Argyrion, an enemy of the Ten Towers?"

Lugret understood the man's intention.

"I have the authority for summary judgment regarding this situation related to Argyrion as an agent dispatched by the Ten Towers. If you want your circumstances to be considered, show it through your actions."

The smiling man had no intention of directly confronting Lugret and the mages of Torres Tower.

He planned to let the troubleshooters and mercenaries, who had scattered all over Crete Island, finish them off.

'This cunning…!'

Elimination became impossible. Even if I had my full mana reserves enhanced by blessings, facing that doomsday cultist along with the troubleshooters and mercenaries in this situation would be pure suicide.

Just as Lugret was about to flee, a cold blade stabbed into her back.

"Kuh!"

"P-please spare me! I'll tell you everything I know!"

The trembling one who had bowed before Orthes was Sumithia.

A mage of the Torres Tower who had been acting as the interviewer for the excavation team on Crete Island.

***

As soon as Sumithia stabbed Lugret and threw herself to the ground, the other mages of Torres Tower followed suit, pleading for their lives.

The reason for this sudden change of heart was simple. The person with the highest authority among the mages sent to Crete Island had already been burned to death by the Thunderbolt Lord.

The remaining mages were those who had been pushed out of the internal politics to the point of not being able to participate in the Thunderbolt Lord's excavation, or those who had fled from deep within, unable to confront the Thunderbolt Lord.

They knew better than anyone that they had no chance of defeating the Thunderbolt Lord.

Rather than opposing the mage who had defeated such a Thunderbolt Lord, it was better to sell out their colleagues and superiors in hopes of living a bit longer.

Behind the mages who were prostrating themselves, the troubleshooters and mercenaries were pointing their weapons. Orthes raised a hand to stop them.

"Very well. Then, without missing a single detail, tell me what happened."

***

"…That's how it went down."

It was Orthes's report after returning from the field. Carisia, who had a holographic screen on, was watching an urgent bulletin announcing the official decree to eliminate Torres Tower.

"The Silver Thread Worms ran rampant, destroying the communication relay… So you gathered the remaining personnel on Crete Island and handed them over to the nearest tower before returning?"

"Yes. I tried contacting Blasphemia to pass the situation over to them, but the communication equipment wouldn't work properly. I had no other choice."

Orthes continued explaining.

To avoid being traced, she didn't visit the tower directly but sent a troubleshooter as a messenger, and while instructing them to take away the personnel of Torres Tower who were tied up on the outskirts of the city, she used the identity of a Blasphemia Inspector, so there was nothing to worry about, and so on.

Carisia pointed to the email log displayed on Orthes's gauntlet-style communicator.

"What is this?"

"Ah. That's a record of a conversation with a priest of Enyalius whom I contacted earlier. I received the message while waiting on the outskirts of the city to hand over the mages from Torres."

『I'm not sure how the vote will turn out. The Divine Cult seems to think it's reasonable to leave Argyrion alone if it can blind the Ten Towers.』

『There are also those who suspect that you might not really be Phoibos's prophet but a spy from the Ten Towers.』

『The prophetic aura that is unique to the prophet can only be felt by those who've met him in person. I hate to ask this, but if you can show evidence of being the prophet…』

Evidence of being the prophet of Phoibos would be a prophecy. Orthes shrugged once.

"I told them that a decree would soon be issued to eliminate Torres Tower for their alliance with Argyrion. I thought they might doubt it, suspecting I was a Blasphemia insider, but fortunately, it seems they believed it."

There was no reason not to believe it. The alliance between Torres Tower and Argyrion was something even Blasphemia didn't know about.

"Soon, the Divine Cult will have to solidify its stance on Argyrion. However, there is still some time left before the cult's vote is finalized. In the meantime, I'll review the plan to recruit Lampades."

***

The troubleshooters who were climbing back up from the depths of the ruins slowly divided the remaining food.

Their bodies were exhausted, but their minds were sharp.

The air quality had changed. They could reach the surface soon!

The group that had discovered Utis's remnants had been down in the depths for several hours, or perhaps days.

At first, they had tried to return to the surface immediately. However, as they cautiously felt their way forward—

Rumble! Screeaaach!

The sound of roaring thunder mixed with human screams reverberated in a dissonant cacophony. Then the entire depth shook, followed by the sound of something collapsing.

It wasn't hard to guess what had happened. Just as Utis had prophesied, something terrible had been unleashed.

The unleashed calamity was sweeping through people. The troubleshooters had survived by being isolated in the dark.

But at the same time, the path they had intended to take out was blocked. They could have forced their way through the debris with magic, but…

They feared the traps hidden in the rubble and the possibility of being caught by whatever might be drawn to the use of magic, so they didn't dare move.

The loud noise ceased, and silence ensued. After two meals in the darkness, the troubleshooters resolved to climb back up to the surface.

They didn't plan to take the same path they had used when exploring the depths. Given that the epicenter of the prophecy had been in that place, there was no telling what might have changed.

They decided to put their skills as ruin explorers to full use and to detour around the blocked passage, carving out a new path. It was better to die challenging than to slowly die in the dark.

"I see it! I see light!"

The lead companion shouted. The troubleshooters, who had been reinforcing the passage to prevent further collapses, rushed forward and broke through the ground.

Finally, the brilliant sunlight bathed their hair.

As they relished the surface air, the troubleshooters looked around. Something felt off. They could understand the signs of destruction, but…

There was no sign of life.

Even after searching the entirety of Crete Island, there was no trace of human presence. One of them muttered blankly.

"Utis (Ουτις)…."

The entity named "No One."

But even that "No One" wasn't left on Crete Island.

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