ALL NOVEL Chapter 156
After the fall of Amimone Tower, a new question had arisen in Orthes’s mind.
‘Why isn’t Aegio’s scales working?’
The scales of Aegio, one of the most historic relics that Orthes had obtained. After smuggling the scales into Amimone Tower—although, considering that Aegio Tower now belonged to Knemon, one could argue he had received posthumous permission—Orthes had expected the ghost of an ancient priest to manifest, just as it had when he acquired other relics.
However, nothing of the sort occurred. Whether he slept with the scales beside his head or merely placed them on top, the ancient priest remained silent, neither in dreams nor in waking life.
“Faulty product?”
Yet Kaicle had confirmed that Aegio’s scales were indeed relics filled with immense divine power. The previous discussion with Estia’s priest had left Orthes with only questions, so it was only natural that seeking another ancient priest would be the conclusion to resolve these inquiries.
Phoibos’s priest had claimed that Estia’s ghost would “know the most facts,” but after some mysterious words, had ascended. Nonetheless, Orthes held expectations for Aegio’s priest. Aegio was considered one of the foremost deities, and the head of the Aegio Cult was treated as a rank above other priests, save for the Pope.
It was highly likely that Aegio’s priest played a pivotal role in the plans of the ancient Divine Cult that had summoned Orthes.
However, recent circumstances made it urgent to study a non-functional relic. He had bundled up both the reactionaries and the tower owner within Amimone Tower and sent them off on a one-way train to Blasphemia, but hadn’t he also needed to focus directly on the tower owner selection battle right after that?
Even after the tower owner selection battle ended, Orthes busied himself making presentation materials for the Hydra Corporation’s meeting.
To be precise, most of the research and organization for the presentation were handled by Arabella, and Orthes only contributed to editing and script writing, which was still quite a busy schedule. He thoroughly prepared for expected questions and answers, regardless of whether they were internal or external directors.
While he couldn’t exactly say it was unbearably tight, it was certainly a hectic schedule. It was inevitable that Orthes would have to postpone the priority of investigating Aegio’s scales.
Orthes decided to place Aegio’s scales in the corner of his bedroom and return to the research when he had more time.
And today was the day. The Hydra Corporation’s meeting had achieved its intended goals, and Orthes and Carisia were satisfied with taking the first step in their plans, deciding to “rest early today and get to work tomorrow.”
Just as Orthes was about to close his eyes without any tricky ideas or schemes for the first time in a while, Carisia barged into his room like a holiday invasion and claimed the bed!
Orthes was taken aback, but he, being the loyal subordinate to his boss regardless, yielded the bed despite the boss’s suggestion to simply lie next to her. He leaned back on the sofa and began dozing off.
In a hazy slumber, the two of them shared their thoughts until they suddenly fell asleep.
At last, the weighted pendulums were positioned on either side of the scales.
*
Where am I again?
A strange sensation of floating, a distant feeling characteristic of dreams. It was simple to grasp the situation. Wasn’t this my third time meeting the ancient priest?
This must mean it was finally Aegio’s turn to appear.
Strangely enough, the odd part was why it took so long for them to show up. Did they need some kind of charging time?
What initially looked like a foggy vision within the dream gradually became clearer. A vast expanse of blue sky. Where I stood was atop a white cloud.
“On a cloud, huh? Very romantic and eco-friendly of you.”
Even when looking around, there was no sight of the ancient priest. I tossed out a suitable comment and lay back down. The purpose of these priest fellows was fundamentally to gain ‘recognition for having done enough’ and then enter eternal rest.
They would eventually show themselves if I waited.
Just as I lay there comfortably, suddenly, THUNDER, echoed loudly. It sounded like the roar that follows a lightning strike.
I turned my head upwards, following the sound. The clouds stayed still, as if there was no wind. But something felt off.
‘Huh?’
What had I thought was the sun so far appeared to be growing slightly larger. It continued to swell.
No, it was getting closer.
Only when the sun was sufficiently near could I recognize its true form. It was the head of a giant made of lightning. It emerged, shrouded in white clouds like a toga.
「I shall ask─.」
The majestic voice boomed through the heavens, each word sounding like countless thunders layered upon one another, a unique tone.
「What do you choose: the treasures that guarantee your lifetime’s comfort, or your return to your world?」
It was an unexpected question. The first was my current goal, while the latter was what I sought when I first fell into this world.
He raised his right hand. An almost mythical giant version of Aegio’s scales, far larger than the one in my room, was in that hand.
On the left dish of the scales, strictly speaking, were heaps of treasure piled as high as a mountain, while on the right dish, there was a very ordinary door.
Though it was a considerable distance away, I could see the door’s form clear as day. A door lock attached to a metal door.
The door from my own small room.
“…Is this some kind of psychological test?”
The thunder giant did not respond. I could sense a firm resolve that he wouldn’t speak until I answered first.
“Could you at least shrink it a little? My neck hurts trying to look up!”
No matter how much I grumbled, the silence continued, deepening my dilemma.
“I’ll choose the return.”
Though I had built much here, I definitely wasn’t a millionaire back in my original world, so it seemed more luxurious to stay and live in this world instead.
Yet there was no Mage King in my original world.
Given my lack of full knowledge about the original source material, it might be premature to assert anything. But I would prefer comfortably sleeping in a small room over feeling a life-threatening danger in a grand mansion.
The thunder giant continued to ask me a few more questions. After wealth came honor, and after honor, power.
Each time the giant shifted his query, clouds obscured the left dish. Only when the clouds cleared did the objects on the dish transform into symbols fitting the questions.
When it came to wielding the greatest power, a sword was placed atop. I involuntarily muttered, “Will that help me defeat the Mage King?”
The giant didn’t answer, so I chose return again.
An unparalleled mage or a tyrant from myth—so long as that Mage King existed, I’d choose to return regardless of what I placed on the opposite dish.
「This is the last question-.」
Just as the giant began to speak, the clouds parted.
“….”
I rubbed my temples.
*
Just a moment before Orthes pondered his answer, Carisia found herself facing a similar question. In her case, instead of return, the Destruction of White Light had appeared on the right dish.
「Choose.」
Carisia had also reached the giant’s final question. The giant she faced held scales with his left hand. This held no special significance; it was just that when Carisia saw the giant, she instantly gathered magic and unleashed a maximum output beam, obliterating the giant’s upper body.
Normally, the dream’s providence would have regenerated the giant, but when a magician like Carisia decided to rampage in the mental world, stopping it was exceedingly difficult. The thunder giant used the giant’s disintegrated upper body as a sacrifice to barely restrain Carisia’s magic use.
The giant secretly felt grateful that the chosen one did not lose control. Had Orthes attempted to escape from the dream as well, the relic itself might have shattered into pieces.
“Orthes and the Destruction of White Light…”
Carisia closed her eyes.
Then quickly opened them again. It was a brief moment of turmoil, lasting less than a second.
“Orthes.”
「W-Why?」
It seemed like she would be happier. Carisia’s response was simple, yet she didn’t reveal it to the thunder giant.
Carisia tilted her head.
“Didn’t you just say it was the last question?”
「…」
“I’ve asked all the questions I wanted, so let me ask a few. Are you the creators of Orthes?”
「Impossible.」
The thunder giant, an ancient priest of Aegio, was thankful that he did not take on the form of an ordinary human.
In Carisia’s golden eyes, there was a chill reminiscent of the Mage King. He explained as quickly as possible without losing his dignity.
「There still remains the choice of the one we have selected, the one you call Orthes.」