I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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

To conduct regular transactions between the Torres Faction and Argyron, the second ruin site seems more suitable than the first.

This conclusion is based on an analysis of the size and excavation state of the two ruins. The first site is larger, with more personnel involved and at an early stage of excavation, making frequent personnel changes less suspicious.

For Argyron, who needs to exchange Silver Thread hosts regularly…

Arabella, excitedly presenting her theory, realized she had said 'too much.' At some point, Orthes had left the room.

Only Carisia and herself remained in the office.

Arabella tried hard to maintain a neutral expression. She hadn't yet mentioned anything about the secret inspector.

'I only suggested there might be something between the Torres Faction and Argyron…'

But Carisia, like all great mages, had extraordinary insight. She must have realized Orthes' hidden identity from Arabella's confident demeanor.

Waiting in fear for her judgment, Arabella noticed a peculiar smile forming on Carisia's lips.

"I've heard enough, Director Arabella. You may go now."

'What, what is this?'

Arabella realized she had been spared. Perhaps her informational prowess or insight had been appreciated?

An unexpected mercy. It might even be a declaration of shared secrets to some extent.

Feeling conflicted, Arabella…

"Let's get back to sleep."

She decided to return to the dreamland from which she had been summoned so abruptly.

***

Arabella's reasoning seemed quite plausible at first glance.

However, there was another issue.

Time.

For Argyron to cooperate so extensively with the Torres Tower, a business relationship built on mutual trust over time would be necessary.

It's illogical to establish such a cooperative system right after the Elysion terror attack.

For this reason, I half-jokingly dismissed Arabella's theory, but Carisia seemed to think differently.

If we had to choose one of the sites, Carisia advised heading to the first excavation site, where Arabella suspected the dealings between Argyron and the Torres Tower were happening.

In truth, Carisia's advice was more of an implicit order. I followed without further comment.

Conveniently labeled as the first excavation site in Arabella's report, the site naturally had its own formal name.

"Cretera…"

An island floating alone on a vast lake, currently abandoned and not used as a city. Large-scale excavation using portable mana cores typically used in magi-engine trains was underway.

I took a moment to connect to the Ether Network, searching the FixerNet, where troubleshooters post reviews and client evaluations.

I quickly skimmed through the reviews related to the Torres Tower's commissions.

The first post I saw advised avoiding assignments involving slave transport due to poor management. I filtered out posts mentioning slaves.

Other than describing the arduous labor typical of excavation work, there were no notable comments.

The mundane and weary reviews actually reassured me.

'If the Talisman of Thunder had been discovered, FixerNet would be abuzz.'

If the Talisman were already in the Torres Tower's possession, retrieving it would become a significant hassle.

'If it were being transported to the main tower or studied by a faction, it might go unnoticed, but if it's in the main tower's vault, it would cause a major commotion.'

Having reviewed FixerNet, I decided on my next course of action.

'It seems there are quite a few hazardous environments inside the ruins. I'll enter as a day laborer troubleshooter to get a feel for the place…'

If things go south, I'll keep my eyes open and just take the artifact.

***

The mages of the Torres Faction conducting the excavation at Cretera Island were always in need of new personnel.

Excavations naturally come with high casualty rates.

Mythical Era ruins, spaces originally dedicated to gods, were filled with mechanisms designed to instantly eliminate unauthorized intruders. Ruins from the end of the Mythical Era, having undergone wars with mages, were saturated with anti-magic traps.

Mage Era ruins were no more favorable to mages.

The current trend of assassinations and espionage among mage towers, aiming to steal each other's secrets, originated from the Mage Era.

Mages of that era were ruthless, unkind to future generations, disposing of anyone attempting to steal their magic.

Thus, it was common for ruins to be filled with traps and monsters. The mana-rich environment of the ruins preserved these traps over time.

Mage towers disliked wasting precious mages on such trivial and tedious tasks.

Hence, outsourcing to troubleshooters and mercenaries was an inevitable conclusion.

The mage Sumithia, assigned as the interviewer on Cretera Island, was taken aback by the troubleshooter who came in response to the recruitment notice.

Dressed in a visor and reinforced suit, he resembled the infamous Spartoi of the Black Dark Magic Tower.

More bluntly, he looked like a golem or undead.

"I don't know where you saw the recruitment notice…"

Sumithia said with a sour expression, pulling out three contracts.

One for mercenaries affiliated with large companies. One for troubleshooters from small offices. And one for solo troubleshooters.

Of these, solo freelancers were preferred over corporate-affiliated mercenaries or office-based troubleshooters. Most of the time, they had no legal representatives to demand compensation if they died.

The visor-clad stranger chose the last contract without hesitation.

"Do you know how to activate the contract? Infuse it with mana."

Magical contracts, activated by infusing mana, are widely used for their difficulty in forgery.

However, the visor-wearing stranger shook his head. A heavily altered voice emerged.

"There's an issue with my magi-cybernetic implant's mana release mechanism. Let's use a signed contract."

"You wouldn't survive with that… but it's none of my concern."

Sumithia, setting aside curiosity, handed over a pen. The stranger signed without hesitation.

"Utis (Ουτις)? Obviously a pseudonym."

"People in this line of work often have a few secrets. It's nothing unusual."

"Hmph. Just know that the Torres Tower won't protect you if someone comes looking for you."

"I understand."

A curt reply. Losing interest, Sumithia responded in a businesslike manner.

"For further details, head to the personnel management office."

***

This is why I like being a troubleshooter.

I thought as I read through the contract in my hand. It was a scam contract, filled with tricks to exploit freelance troubleshooters without any affiliation or track record.

It was clear why a troubleshooter would have to sign such a contract, and it meant that even a suspicious appearance wouldn't raise too many questions.

There were plenty of bottom-tier troubleshooters hiding illegal or borderline secrets. Trying to select only verified personnel wouldn't be cost-effective.

The personnel manager overseeing all outsourced workers glanced at my contract and sent an Ether Network address and password.

"The excavation teams depart every morning. They're divided into surface and deep teams. You need to sign up on the webpage beforehand. Detailed descriptions, including difficulty levels, are also on the page, so familiarize yourself."

The password seemed to be for the entry to the accommodation for external personnel. I nodded slightly and turned away.

'Since today's excavation is done, I'll get a feel for the site's atmosphere…'

***

The site manager felt his heart pounding. Utis, meaning "no one," was a common pseudonym in the troubleshooter world.

However, some Utis had unique characteristics.

Such individuals, despite using the pseudonym Utis, were specially treated and distinguished from other Utis.

Four-eyed or flaming-headed Utis.

And those who never used magical contracts, only paper ones.

'…'

Stories about these distinctive Utis were akin to urban legends in the troubleshooter community. Rumors said that if a four-eyed Utis participated, it was a jackpot, and the flaming-headed Utis was actually a scout for the Crimson Flame Tower.

There were also stories, more like horror tales, about Utis who never used magical contracts.

'Wherever he goes, accidents are bound to happen.'

Only a few veteran troubleshooters knew this rumor.

High-ranking members of the mage towers dismissed such urban legends as irrational superstitions of those who couldn't make it into the towers. Reporting them would only earn ridicule, like, 'Think more rationally if you're a mage.'

The site manager swallowed.

'It's been years since any stories about Utis who doesn't use magical contracts have circulated. It's probably just a coincidence…'

***

Squeezing myself into a six-person dorm brought back old memories.

'I used to use such pseudonyms to clean up my tracks when being chased around.'

It was tough then, but now it's a time I can nostalgically look back on.

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