I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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Q: What is the correct response for an ordinary employee when the boss suggests they accompany them on a business trip?

1. "I'm sorry, what?"

2. "It would be an honor."

3. "You don't need to use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken."

4. "Actually, I was planning to resign starting yesterday."

…None of these responses seem appropriate.

I felt my mind go blank momentarily. Why would she insist?

If I were in a position to manipulate people with just a fingertip like Carisia, I would spend my life holed up in a back room, doing nothing. It's clear that a capable and diligent superior is bound to cause headaches for their subordinates.

"Don't you need to oversee the fortification work in Etna City?"

That was one reason we roped in Kaicle and Geryon to create a war scenario. The pretext of a war among the three towers made it plausible to redevelop the entire city.

Carisia didn't want just a mock war; she wanted Etna City to have sufficient defenses in a real war against the White Light Tower.

"Everyone has their assigned tasks at this point."

"What if an unexpected accident or emergency occurs? Your decisive leadership would be necessary."

"If a top manager's brief absence disrupts decision-making, it can't be considered a proper organization. I plan to use this as an opportunity to evaluate our flexibility in response."

Carisia's resolve was firm. I rubbed my temple.

"If that is your wish, President, then I have no choice. The next destination I had in mind is here."

I pointed to a location on the map. The annotation from Blasphemia described it as 'one of the ruins of the vanished gods, no signs of divine power, original purpose unknown,' but I knew its true nature.

"A ruin of unknown details. You always liked adventure."

"Hardly. I prioritize safety and comfort. There is simply a compelling reason to visit this place. In fact, this location isn't as unknown as it appears."

***

Orthes began speaking confidently in front of Carisia, as he always did.

"That place is Phoibos Proopsios. In contemporary language, it is the temple of the 'Radiant Prophet.'"

Carisia recognized the name. It was a divine name that frequently appeared even in old stories, without needing the information the White Light Tower had implanted.

The god of prophecy who looked down from the highest heavens, seeing far and wide.

"There should be a relic of that god in that location. Though not certain, it likely has the function of foreseeing the future and warning of impending dangers."

Though his words claimed uncertainty, his tone was filled with deep conviction. At times like this, Carisia felt she didn't fully understand Orthes.

Carisia thought of Blasphemia. The deep enmity between Orthes and Blasphemia was also enmity between Carisia and Blasphemia.

This meant that as much as Orthes knew Blasphemia's secrets, Carisia also knew them.

'They divided the followers of superstition into three tiers…'

Laypersons, priests, cult leaders. This was the general classification of superstition followers.

However, theoretically, there were more ranks. There were the popes, who commanded the loyalty of all cult leaders.

And the demigods, those with divine blood whom even cult leaders dared not treat lightly.

As far as Carisia knew, Orthes had a deeper understanding of gods and their relics than anyone else in the world.

And Orthes's 'eyes' were an enigma even the wisdom transplanted into Carisia from the White Light couldn't easily fathom.

If it were a power that even the wisdom inherited from the Ten Commandments couldn't grasp, the identity of such a power was limited.

Not knowing was a clue in itself.

Several hypotheses flashed through Carisia's mind before sinking again.

'Well, it's not important right now.'

What mattered more than Orthes's identity was that he was currently by her side.

***

'Thank you, protagonist…!'

Naturally, the ruin of Phoibos and its relic that I confidently pointed out were from the original work.

I recognized the grey temple resembling the ancient Petra on Earth, carved out of sandstone.

It was an artifact the protagonist sought, worrying about the pursuers the Ten Towers might send. 'There were indeed such temples I had demolished back when I was the Mage King,' he remembered, and went searching for it.

Originally, it was an item that operated on divine power, which rejected the mage's power that had toppled the age of gods. The protagonist showcased his competence by modifying it on the spot.

'Once he regained some of his power, he would always carry it with him under alert spells or foresight magic, but he used it as a warning device maybe a couple of times…'

If I wanted the world to follow the 'original story,' I wouldn't touch such items.

But my goal was to change the disastrous future of the original and live quietly in luxury. I have no shame in commandeering the protagonist's tools.

Or maybe I should.

After all, it was due to that protagonist that Carisia died, leading to the world's ruin.

'Forget the gratitude.'

***

The directors of Hydra Corporation received an email. It was a video conference messenger link. The announcement was simple.

Carisia would accompany Orthes on his business trip.

Arabella could tell from the screen that Orthes's expression twisted subtly.

Whether it was joy from accompanying Carisia, or guilt for failing to manage without troubling the president, she couldn't discern.

'With that man's temperament, it could be both.'

"Divine power…"

After a video conference that was more like a notification, Arabella reflected on Hydra Corporation's goals.

'If Orthes was really a secret supervisor for Blasphemia…'

Many mysteries would be solved if the basis for finding Kaicle's hideout, which had remained hidden for decades, was Blasphemia's intelligence.

Blasphemia had known the location of the Ten Towers' heretic, Kaicle, but hadn't eliminated him because they deemed the completion of the Artificial Commandments impossible.

However, for some reason, Orthes knew that Kaicle had the potential to complete the Artificial Commandments and used that information to find his hideout.

That connection probably explains much.

But it also raises new questions.

'If ascension is the process of becoming a god as Kaicle said, did the Ten Towers already know ascension through divine power was possible?'

If so, why have they continued to persecute the cults as superstition followers? Is there a reason they can't tolerate a different path to ascension?

Amidst the endless questions, one question stood out.

"What on earth is Orthes truly…?"

If it weren't for that desperate email from the branch manager, identifying Orthes as a secret supervisor, she wouldn't have to deal with such headaches.

Arabella stared at the blank screen in annoyance.

***

One reason I readily accepted Carisia's company was my assessment that this task wouldn't be particularly difficult.

It's an artifact the protagonist obtains in the very early stages of the original story. If the difficulty of acquisition were high, he would have sought it after growing stronger.

Blasphemia's report also reinforced my conviction.

They evaluated it as just an ordinary ruin, with no investigation value. This ruin, like the protagonist had done, requires a special method to be authenticated; otherwise, it's just an old pile of stones.

Since Blasphemia didn't know this, they likely touched some stones and concluded there was no need for further investigation.

'They definitely wrote the report hastily because of the cold.'

Damn it. The Temple of Phoibos Proopsios was atop a snowy mountain.

Even if extra-dimensional magic often caused bizarre changes in the natural environment, the cold at such a moderate height was unusual.

Blasphemia agents must have thought, 'It's too cold, let's wrap up the investigation here and go home.'

This wasn't just cold; it felt like the malicious presence of some transcendent being was seeping through the cracks in my skin.

It was a magical, extreme cold.

"Are you cold?"

"More than I expected. It's strange. The radiant Phoibos's divinity is akin to the sun, not a god of snow or winter."

Carisia must have felt this extreme cold as 'slightly chilly.' Perhaps because of her high magic power.

It was particularly colder for those without magic. Clearly, some twisted person cast an abnormal spell.

"At least the mountain isn't that high. Look, we can see the ruins from here."

In the distance, I could see ancient myth-engraved stone pillars coming into view.

***

Carisia could now see the ruins Orthes had mentioned.

The structure was carved into the cliff at the top of the mountain. The grey granite doors spanned the entire cliff face, casting shadows that seemed to hold ancient mysteries.

The grandeur was awe-inspiring even to Carisia, accustomed to the skyscrapers of this era. But as they got closer, the scars left by snow and rain became evident.

Parts of the mythological carvings had eroded, making their forms hard to recognize, and the once-smooth floors were pitted and uneven.

It was clear the elements had worn it down over a long period. Upon closer inspection, the darkness within the ruins felt less mystical and more desolate.

Orthes took a step into the long-abandoned darkness.

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