Chapter 118

Since the emergence of the Gates, the importance of the Magic Towers has been higher than anything else.

They are storehouses of knowledge where the genealogy of the study of magic is preserved. They are barracks that train combat personnel—mages—who rival the Awakened. They even serve as communication hubs that allow for the limited sharing of information and supplies between isolated cities.

And above all, the four Magic Towers served as humanity’s early warning system, borrowing the power of the Outer Gods to predict the appearance of Gates.

“By destroying the Magic Towers, we sever the connection between those pests and the Outer Gods. Once we do that, humanity will no longer have any means to prepare for our invasion in advance.”

“Respected Lord Kravec. Your words are perfectly reasonable, but it is an impossible task with our current strength.”

Even if it was an agenda launched by the Chairperson, as long as one was a member of the Council, they weren’t strictly required to agree. True to his snake-like nature, Karzos was the first to voice his opposition. However, considering his current situation, his passive stance was quite understandable.

The influence of Furcas had been significantly weakened on the continent. Not only were they defeated by the sudden appearance of the Apostle of the Outer God in the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness, but they were also currently being hunted by the White Lotus Union. In particular, the Blade Emperor, who had returned to China, seemed determined to uproot the remnants of the Black Shadow Society for some reason.

Rumor had it that it was because of a promise he made to a woman he met at the villa of The Old Gods’ Wound, but I hadn’t the faintest idea who that could be.

Anyway, when he expressed a roundabout refusal, Kravec asked for our opinion.

“We, the Seats of Silence, will not support this agenda. Please understand that this is not merely for our own safety, but a step backward for the eventual prosperity of all demons.”

“…And what does the Archduke of Flames think?”

Since Flauros originally only desired to fight the Apostle of the Outer God, it wouldn’t have been strange if she rejected it flatly like Karzos. However, surprisingly, she turned her head to look at me.

“What is your decision?”

“Decision? You mean me?”

“Yes. Do you sympathize with their opinion and think the Magic Towers should be brought down?”

“Ah, I…”

“I object! That filthy black mage has no right to speak in this Council until he has paid for his sins!”

Just as I was about to give my opinion, Karzos, who had just sat down, leaped up and pointed his finger at me.

Look at that—look at that nasty temper. This is exactly why the Apostle of the Outer God goes, “You rascal!” at him. But regardless of that, it was true that I currently had no right to speak.

It was then that Ha Yeri, sitting on my shoulders, leaned down and whispered into my ear.

‘Please let me speak.’

‘You, Commander Ha Yeri?’

‘Yes. I have a good way to lead them into a trap.’

‘Hmm…’

Should I?

The fact that she was currently the “shell of an avatar” meant she also lacked the right to speak, but there was a way around that. I reached out via Channel to Rubietta, who was watching the scene from behind the benches as usual. As the mistress of the Witch Trade Association, she was someone who could speak in the Council if she put her mind to it, just as she had during the last two sessions.

『I’d like you to relay some words to Lord Flauros on my behalf.』

『My, you mean me? Surely you haven’t forgotten that my mouth was nearly torn for helping Lord Patel a little bit last time?』

『I will compensate you accordingly.』

『Trying to buy a favor with money? You’re the worst. A woman’s wounds do not heal easily, you know.』

『…….』

Without another word, I accessed the Witch Trade Association through the smartwatch I’d received from Norkel. I entered a random catalog and purchased 100 “Kandu Bailanish Mirror Balls”—the item at the very top of the popularity rankings.

An enormous amount of MP (Witch Points) vanished in an instant. Immediately, a smile spread across Rubietta’s face.

『Thank you for your purchase! What words should I relay for you?』

『I thought you said buying favors with money was “the worst”?』

『Don’t be so dense~ For a black mage, that’s the highest compliment.』

『And the woman’s wounds?』

『They’re all healed now since you paid for the treatment!』

As expected of a witch, money solves everything. I relayed Ha Yeri’s words, which she whispered from my shoulders, directly to Rubietta via the Channel.

She was slightly taken aback after hearing the content, but soon, she waved her hand in her usual leisurely manner and raised her voice.

“Um, I have something to say to the Chairperson of the Seat of Flame~.”

“Rubietta! What insolence to speak so boldly in the face of an Archduke! Have you forgotten your place?!”

“My apologies. It’s just that the secret magic techniques and products of magi-tech within the Magic Towers are such tempting items for a sale… Anyway! If you agree to the raid, our side will provide support to those in the Seat of Flame!”

The Seat of Flame lacked a central pivot compared to the other two factions. Even with Flauros joining, the fact that their faction was weak remained unchanged. The demons were quite surprised by the offer of the witches taking the lead to draw away the defensive magic surrounding the towers and the mages’ attention.

Of course, Flauros, who was well aware of their nature, did not let it slide so easily.

“What is the price?”

“Free! I told you, it’s free!”

“I know your witches wouldn’t even offer a bowl of priming water for nothing. Speak. If the price is reasonable, I will pay it.”

“Hehe…”

Her red eyes glanced toward me. The target she wanted to extract the price for participation from was someone else, but she had to demand something for appearance’s sake. I nodded silently, giving her the sign to do as she pleased. Having received permission, Rubietta cooked up a suitable excuse.

Unexpectedly, it was me.

“Then, I’ll borrow Lord Patel for a while!”

“Absolutely not.”

“This is a total clearance sale service, isn’t it? To think you could borrow the strength of all witches for just one black mage… Wait, what? You’re saying no?!”

“Did I not say I forbid it? Patel is my kin. I have not the slightest intention of handing him over to your hands for even a single second.”

“No! Patel is my contractor!”

“Stop, stop it!”

As Velada cut in and the atmosphere instantly turned rowdy, Kravec declared a recess. It seemed he found it troublesome that the situation was turning complicated just because I got involved, even though there was only one agenda on the table.

I was equally confused since I hadn’t heard Ha Yeri’s true intentions yet. If we didn’t cooperate with the attack on the Magic Towers, more than half of the Council would be opposed to it; yet, she seemed to have a reason for wanting to fan the flames of war.

“We will have a ten-minute recess, so settle that deal smoothly during that time. And Rubietta.”

“Yes, Vice-Chairman.”

“All witches are under a blood pact with the Chairperson. Even if you mask it as being for the benefit of all demons, there will be a price for trying to join another faction of your own accord.”

“As you say. I expect nothing less than a proper sentence once this Council ends.”

“Honestly, that woman is a problem, trying to make you her kin every chance she gets, Patel.”

While Flauros and Rubietta finalized their deal, Velada, who had stepped outside the Council, voiced her complaints while popping a tentacle candy into her mouth.

“At this point, I’m confused whether her goal is to defeat the Apostle of the Outer God or to claim you for herself. Go and tell her something.”

“Tell her what?”

“That I am your one and only contractor, your soul partner bound by destiny to be together for a lifetime.”

It was obvious that the moment I said that, one of us would be crossing the River Styx. Ha Yeri, who was listening, also expressed her displeasure by tightening her legs around my neck.

‘You must have been busy running around in that mask. Not only is the Archduke everyone thought was dead coddling you like that, but nightmare demons and witches are even adding their strength. I suppose the trust you’ve built up is quite massive?’

‘Ahem, it’s all thanks to my wonderful character. More importantly, why are you letting the demons attack the Magic Towers?’

‘This isn’t the place to talk about that. First, find out the Chairperson’s true identity.’

Right. First, I had to figure out what kind of person the Chairperson was to be able to carry out such a large-scale operation. I bought Velada one more tentacle candy and asked her. Since she seemed to have known Trishy for quite a long time, I thought she would know her identity.

“Who exactly is the Chairperson?”

“Hmm, you mean Trishy?”

“Yeah, her real identity.”

“She’s an Archduke. You must have guessed that much, right?”

I had known that since the first time I saw her. Her body, which appeared to be an avatar, and her particularly wary attitude toward the Apostle of the Outer God—above all, the fact that she created this space called the Council made it clear she wasn’t just a simple demon.

What I was curious about was which rank of Archduke she held. If she was of a high enough rank to possess a Star Scar, it would be difficult for the entire Special Unit to even cut off one of her fingers. However, Velada’s answer was unexpected.

“Unknown.”

“You don’t know either?”

“It’s not that I don’t know; it’s that nothing has been revealed. She has thoroughly hidden her identity for over hundreds of years.”

The ultimate goal of the Archdukes who pursue power is to devour the Outer Gods. For a mere creature born in the wasteland of the Demon Realm to reach the stars, they naturally needed a Star Scar. Just as the Outer Gods who felt threatened by them fled to Earth, there were high-ranking Archdukes who hid their identities within the Demon Realm to avoid having their Star Scars stolen by even stronger beings.

Velada said the Chairperson was one of those individuals.

“All I know is that her rank is lower than the Hooves of the Statue. That’s why she covets me but dares not stretch out her demonic hand.”

“If she coveted you, was the Star Scar her goal after all?”

“Shh! Don’t mention that word anywhere! What if others hear you?!”

Velada was showing wariness, saying that even Flauros seemed to have noticed the existence of the Star Scar recently. She didn’t seem to realize yet that her precious hidden horn was slowly disappearing because I ground it with a cheese grater every time I made pasta.

“Right, I get the gist of it.”

“What do you get? Don’t tell me you know Trishy’s identity…?”

“No, something more important.”

I could roughly guess her identity by looking back at the Archdukes I had already dealt with or knew the identities of. She was likely ranked somewhere around the top 10. The important thing was why she was trying to attack the Magic Towers at this timing—especially since the demons’ momentum had only recently been dampened.

“Time’s up, let’s go back in.”

“Wait, Patel!”

“And you’re participating in this operation too, so when the Council ends, pack your bags and head to Busan… No, just stay outside Ground Zero. I’ll come find you.”

The Chairperson’s target wasn’t the Magic Towers or humanity. It was the Outer Gods with Star Scars who resided even higher up. I accessed the Witch Trade Association and purchased a few robes. They were the yellow robes worn by the mages of the Yellow Magic Tower, where the Outer God of Salvation resided.