They Were the Cultists

The headquarters of the Blue Magic Tower stood in the great city of Eisenhafen.

Hosting the main branch of one of the ten great towers meant the city boasted heavy foot traffic, immense scale, and a level of development that put most others to shame.

“Are you sure it’s all right to meet in a place like this?”

Lim Dojun found Olivia seated at a teahouse near the plaza, dressed in her robe. She was being remarkably bold, sitting without even a hood, calmly sipping her tea.

“What’s wrong with this place? Sneaking off to some secluded spot just to hide would actually be more suspicious.”

“True. As the saying goes, to hide a tree, hide it in the forest.”

“Where is that from? It sounds clever, but I’ve never heard it before.”

“I’m not entirely sure myself. The memory’s a bit fuzzy.”

Lim Dojun gave a light shrug.

It was a Korean proverb; of course Olivia wouldn’t know it.

“It’s been a while… or maybe not.”

“It’s been several months. I’d say that counts as a while, wouldn’t you?”

“Already that long? I’ve been so busy the time just slipped away.”

Olivia’s face showed clear exhaustion. Dark circles shadowed her eyes and her skin looked dull; she clearly hadn’t been sleeping properly. It was obvious she had been pouring every waking hour into rebuilding the Rodonos House.

The same was true for Dojun. Between nonstop work in both Astelgard and on Earth, the past few months had vanished in what felt like the blink of an eye.

“I received your gift. Thank you.”

“Did it please you?”

“It wasn’t bad.”

Lim Dojun shrugged again.

The gift had raised his Dragon’s Body ratio. In truth it had nearly made his eyes roll back in his head, but admitting that would be the mark of an amateur.

Stay composed. Look as relaxed as possible.

Seeing his attitude, Olivia let out a quiet sigh.

“I’m glad. There isn’t much else the Rodonos House can offer you right now.”

Their relationship was clearly defined: one side held all the leverage. The Rodonos House desperately needed Dojun’s help, yet what he wanted was neither money nor ordinary treasure. That made things far more complicated.

The only items that had drawn a positive reaction from him were odd trinkets carrying a peculiar energy even Olivia could sense. They had worked tirelessly to gather more.

“It was useful. If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have agreed to this meeting.”

“That’s a relief. I’ve secured two more similar artifacts. I lost countless nights of sleep examining endless piles of objects to find them, so I’m happy the effort paid off.”

“Where are they?”

Lim Dojun asked before he could stop himself, swallowing involuntarily. No matter how hard he tried to appear casual, the anticipation tightened his nerves.

“Before I hand them over, I have one request.”

“No advance payment?”

“I already gave you one. You’ll get the rest after you help me.”

It was a fair condition, but Dojun still clicked his tongue inwardly. He had hoped to receive them first.

“Fine. What do you need?”

“I want revenge on the Baran House.”

The Rodonos House had been destroyed because of the Baran House. They had spread rumors that the Rodonos family was colluding with cultists, then launched a surprise assault that shattered the entire lineage.

“Of course we never did any such thing, but the matter was quietly buried afterward.”

The Baran House hadn’t kept ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the spoils for themselves. They had invited multiple other factions to share in the plunder. No one refuses free gains, and the Rodonos House was wiped out as a result.

It was only natural that the survivors dreamed of vengeance.

“That’s quite a few targets, isn’t it?”

“The other families don’t matter. If our positions were reversed, we would have done the same. Our blades are aimed solely at the Baran House.”

But it would not be easy. The Rodonos survivors had originally planned to wait years before striking. Then, without warning, Lim Dojun had become an Elder.

“I regularly checked Blue Magic Tower intelligence on your activities. When I heard you had suddenly become an Elder, I was so shocked I verified the source multiple times.”

Olivia and the Rodonos survivors had always believed in Dojun’s eventual success. After fighting him personally, they knew he was destined to rise. Their early friendship had been like planting seeds for the future.

They simply hadn’t expected the harvest to come this quickly.

As a first-year mage, he should have needed at least three years to become a branch head or even challenge for an Elder seat. Instead he had skipped every step and claimed the position in an instant.

“I did rise rather quickly.”

“That’s an understatement. I know better than most how close to impossible it is to shatter the rules of a major magic tower like that.”

Olivia was a mage herself; she understood how strictly the community thought. Only someone truly exceptional could achieve what he had.

“In any case, it worked out well for us.”

“Let me be clear upfront. Don’t ask me to help you with your revenge openly.”

Even with his connection to the Rodonos House, Dojun could not afford to clash directly with a powerful noble family like the Baran House. They were not that close, and he was not merely a mage—he was an Elder of the Blue Magic Tower. Any misstep could spark a war between factions.

“I would never ask for something like that. The revenge must be carried out by our own hands.”

“Then what do you need from me?”

“The Baran House is hiding something. We’ve confirmed it. To discover exactly what, we would need access to the deepest parts of their main mansion, but that’s impossible for us. I’d like you to investigate it.”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

Lim Dojun stared at her, incredulous. He was not a trained intelligence operative, and this sort of work was far outside his expertise.

“What? Hasn’t the Baran House contacted you yet? I was certain they would have reached out.”

“To me?”

“I heard the youngest daughter of their family head has outstanding magical talent. They’ve been desperate to enroll her in one of the great towers. A newly appointed genius Elder of the Blue Magic Tower? They would have contacted you without fail.”

“I have received quite a few gifts… there were so many I haven’t gone through them all yet. I’ll check.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

After exchanging a few more words about recent events, the two parted ways.

Back at the Blue Magic Tower, Lim Dojun returned to his office and began sorting through the mountain of gifts and parcels stacked there.

“Ah. Here it is.”

Just as Olivia had predicted, there was a package from the Baran House. It contained an extravagantly expensive jeweled necklace. To Dojun’s eyes it might as well have been a roadside pebble.

“What is this even for…? Completely useless.”

He tossed it aside and opened the enclosed letter.

The letter was filled with flowery language, but the core request was simple: come and examine their child’s talent.

Normally Dojun would have ignored such a bothersome invitation, but this time he took the letter and left immediately.

The Baran House mansion in the great city of Eisenhafen.

Powerful families usually purchased property in multiple locations. Eisenhafen contained several such noble estates.

Lim Dojun arrived at one of them.

“Welcome, Elder. We are deeply honored by your visit.”

An elderly butler greeted him with impeccable politeness.

“I apologize, but the family head will be delayed.”

“That’s quite all right. I arrived earlier than expected.”

When Dojun had sent word that he would visit, the Baran House had welcomed the news enthusiastically. He had come straight away, so the marquis himself was currently elsewhere.

In truth, Dojun had planned it this way on purpose. Meeting the family head would require his full attention; he wanted to survey the mansion first.

“I received a magnificent gift from the Baran House and found myself eager to visit at once.”

“Oh… I will be sure to convey your words to the family head. He will be most pleased.”

Dojun had barely glanced at the gift before tossing it aside, but it was indeed valuable. The butler, aware of what had been sent, wore a satisfied smile.

“Then allow me to escort you inside. If you wait here a moment, I will bring Lady Celine.”

Celine Baran.

A collateral descendant who had been adopted into the direct line after her exceptional magical talent was confirmed. She was the child the Baran House wanted Dojun to evaluate.

What they hoped for was that she would become his disciple, or at the very least the disciple of some other high-ranking figure within the Blue Magic Tower. Even a marquis family could not simply order a major magic tower around; only pure talent and skill mattered.

“This way, please.”

The mansion was enormous. The area Dojun was led into was deep within the private quarters reserved exclusively for direct family members.

Perfect. This is exactly where I needed access.

The location Olivia had asked him to investigate was precisely this kind of restricted inner sanctum. The first step had gone smoothly.

The butler guided him to a large room.

“Please wait here. I will bring Lady Celine shortly.”

“Of course.”

Once the butler left, Dojun was alone. He immediately began examining the room.

The lavish materials and exquisite craftsmanship made the wealth and splendor of the Baran House obvious at a glance.

Nothing obviously suspicious…

It looked like nothing more than the grand residence of a powerful noble family. But Olivia would not have asked for such an ordinary result.

-Whirr!

Dojun activated his Dragon Soul Magic. His pupils stretched into vertical slits as the Dragon’s Eyes opened.

The ordinary world vanished. Instead, every flow of mana and magical phenomenon became visible to him.

“Well, well.”

Looking downward, Dojun let out a hollow laugh.

Now he could see what had been hidden. Beneath the mansion, in what appeared to be an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underground chamber, a sinister energy churned ominously. A powerful magic circle had been laid over it to contain the aura. The circle was so expertly crafted that even Dojun’s normally keen senses had detected nothing unusual from outside.

What now…

Learning more from the surface would be nearly impossible. He would have to go inside. Naturally, they would never allow an outsider like him into such a place.

After a moment’s thought, Dojun decided against overcomplicating things. The direct approach would be best.

-Craaaack!

Ice walls sealed the room while a layer of mana prevented any sound from escaping. No one outside would hear what happened within, and even if someone tried to open the door, they would find it difficult to enter.

-Boom!

He struck the floor with tremendous force, punching straight through it.

The protective magic circle was meaningless before the Dragon’s Eyes. Dojun could instantly spot its weak points and shatter them with only a trace of mana around his fist.

As the circle broke, a menacing aura surged outward. At his feet now lay a wide, gaping hole leading underground.

He leaped down without hesitation.

-Thud.

Upon landing, he cast a Light spell to illuminate the space. The scene that appeared made everything clear at once: snake-like statues, splattered blood, the heavy aura of forbidden dark magic, and intricate magic circles covering the floor.

“So they accused the Rodonos House of colluding with cultists.”

He understood everything the moment he saw it.

“The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cultists were them all along.”

The evidence Olivia wanted had been found far faster than expected.