167. A Villain's Loyalty
167. A Villain's Loyalty
- 1 -
The most senior members of my information network were all Cerebrum Skulls.
They possessed a cunning on an entirely different level from ordinary Skeletons, and an intelligence befitting that cunning.
"Thank you!"
- Greater... loyalty...
"I expect continued diligence and results from you."
"Yes!"
- Yes...!
To those who desired greater power, I granted abilities or True Evolution into higher entities. To those who yearned for self-realization over mere strength, I bestowed mutations into other species.
For those born with loyalty toward me, I granted their desires as the price of that loyalty.
"You had best come to the dungeon for now."
"I shall visit at the earliest opportunity."
Talhan, the most senior and highly capable, had to be given a grand reward.
Since he had already declined a reward more than once, a more decisive reward—something with a great display effect for others—was needed.
And for that reward, I already had something in mind.
"But before that, let us have a look."
"Pardon? At what...?"
"At how much karma you have accumulated."
Talhan's eyes wavered for a moment. It seemed the anxiety dormant within him had been stirred.
"Set your mind at ease."
"Yes, Master."
As I placed my hand on the head of Talhan, who inhabited the body of Jason, the branch chief of the Information Guild's Copherin branch, a dark energy bloomed.
And that energy soon transformed into violet flames, burrowing into his soul.
'It does not look pleasant.'
I thought that as I examined his inner self.
- Let me go - !!!!
- Kyaaaahk!!!
Screams echoed from within him. They were the shrieks of those he had sacrificed.
The grudges and pain still remained vividly, becoming the very source of power for the path he sought to walk.
[You become my nourishment.]
[I will take good care of your karmic connections.]
The thoughts and attitudes he had held at the moment of creating those sacrifices were also plainly revealed.
A ruthless and cruel heart.
But even while acting upon all those desires, he had never forgotten to reflect upon one thing.
The mindset of desiring in order to be loyal, and remaining loyal in order to fulfill his greed.
"That was impressive."
"I..."
Even after exposing his inner self like that, Talhan just watched my reaction without any thought of defiance.
Even though he must have already guessed what I had seen inside him, and knew I might dispose of him right then and there.
"Do not worry. I saw clearly."
"That means..."
"A reward has been decided for you; look forward to it."
"Ahh..."
Only then did Talhan let out a sigh of relief and bow deeply to me.
"I shall offer unwavering loyalty, as ever..."
"I do not expect such a thing. You know your way is not like that, and I know it as well."
"Haha... You are cruel, Master."
"You state the obvious."
His loyalty, though it might waver with anxiety, remained unchanged.
And because of this reward, that loyalty would be further strengthened.
- 2 -
The information merchants' surveillance system was quite elaborately structured.
Direct reports by executives, and indirect reports by watchers monitoring those executives.
"In the end, it is still the work of humans."
Talhan's words struck the heart of the matter.
A system that utilized human nature.
Not one that eliminated self-interest from work, but a method of controlling it through thorough surveillance.
It was a unique way of instilling loyalty in a group gathered by self-interest.
"But if it ends there, a weakness is bound to appear."
If an executive and their watcher were in cahoots, loyalty could easily be feigned.
"So they implemented a rotating duty system for watchers and executives."
To put it simply.
Like clockwork, watchers rotated clockwise and executives counter-clockwise, ensuring they monitored different counterparts each cycle.
"So, how will you exploit it?"
Talhan's eyes glinted at my question.
"I intend to target the personnel below the executives, not the executives themselves. The adjutants and ordinary members, that is..."
"A good thought."
No matter how often the upper echelon was replaced, the field informants could not all be changed.
Even if executives were replaced, informants well-versed in local circumstances were absolutely necessary.
And they were precisely the blind spot of this system.
"How do you plan to use their... 'special loyalty'?"
A serpentine smile flickered across Talhan's lips.
His eyes held both the schemer and the predator.
"Among the information merchants, there are many similar to myself. Their loyalty is tied entirely to profit."
In that voice, acknowledging his own imperfect loyalty, there was no longer any sign of his earlier wavering.
On the contrary, he was trying to use the flexibility of thought he had gained from it.
A sinister energy slowly crept into his voice.
"Their profits do not stray from the ordinary line."
He paused briefly and drank some water before him.
It seemed he could not help but be nervous, as I was the supreme leader.
"Money and power. It is simple."
That was the nature of information merchants.
Unlike the guilds, they did not hesitate at any evil deed for the sake of profit.
As long as they maintained a line of 'sincerity' toward their superiors.
Ironically, their corruption was justified under the guise of loyalty.
"Therefore..."
Talhan laid out five differently colored chips on the table. His hand movements were as skillful as a dealer in a gambling den.
"First, it would be best to start with the disciples of 'Thousand Faces'."
His fingers moved smoothly, arranging the chips.
Each chip sorted into equal numbers, the sight resembling a small war board.
"Each disciple is already building their own power base. They keep each other in check, maintaining a balance while watching their master's mood. But..."
A few white chips were scattered among the others.
Like throwing a stone into a placid pond.
"Thousand Faces has many children. Not only those from his legal wife and later wives, but also numerous hidden illegitimate children. The rumor that he wishes to pass the organization on to one of these children..."
He took a breath and gave a meaningful smile.
"...is what we will spread."
Overachieving.
I covered my mouth with my hand and smiled.
And Talhan, too, had a sharper, more sinister glint in his eyes.
"We will leak different information to each of them. Mixing truths that seem like lies, and lies that seem like truths. That someone is receiving favoritism, or that another is preparing a betrayal..."
This time, he took hold of the wine that had been poured before each of us.
He swallowed just enough to wet his throat, then whispered to me in a slightly clearer voice.
"Once we have control over the subordinates, we could make it so that all this information appears to have come from different disciples."
"That would be the case."
I nodded.
Given the nature of information merchants, they were more interested in the profit a piece of information might generate than in whether it was true.
They would use that information, or the mere fact that such information existed, without caring whether it was truth or lie.
"Lastly... Hoo."
Talhan inhaled, and his eyes grew darker and more sunken.
"We additionally spread rumors about his remaining lifespan."
"The disciples will grow more impatient."
"It would be best if even one of them, fighting over the succession, questioned Thousand Faces about it. For that absolute being would never tolerate being questioned."
"And that will fuel suspicion."
I tapped the table and fell into thought for a moment. Then I turned my gaze toward Evangeline, who had been quietly listening beside me.
"What do you think?"
"Overall, it seems acceptable, but..."
She spoke while filling a wine glass with the gesture of an attendant thoroughly drilled in etiquette.
"There are clumsy parts."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
She placed the wine glass down atop the chips Talhan had arranged.
The crimson liquid swirled elegantly within the crystal glass.
"The one called Thousand Faces will be a person who lives up to the value of his name. There must be a reason he rose to such a position."
"You are saying he would have a separate information network to detect signs of internal strife."
"That is correct."
Moreover, it was possible he had already anticipated such a situation and prepared countermeasures.
Perhaps he might even be testing their loyalty by using the conflict among his disciples.
"Anything else?"
"Among the disciples, there will be some who possess pure loyalty."
Evangeline's observation was sharp.
There would certainly be those who, outwardly pretending to indulge in self-interest so as not to disturb the atmosphere among their colleagues, actually prioritized the interests of 'Thousand Faces' or 'Gray Eye'.
"Also, the longer it takes..."
"The higher the chance our tail will be stepped on. We must conduct a trial on a minimal scale."
"Yes. Once it begins, it cannot be undone."
She handed me the wine glass.
Savoring the aroma rising from the glass, I took out the final puzzle piece.
"Coincidentally, is there not already a fragmented 'Gray Eye' around here?"
Arpina Mailtrom had controlled Oyson's adjutant and subordinates to take control of a part of the information merchants.
And the information merchants who noticed this chose to boldly expel them, rather than recover them.
Because they judged that Arpina could not be completely eliminated.
Rumors of 'the one who escaped from Abelus' or 'the one who returned from death' were still circulating.
As a result, there was currently a considerable hole in Hysen's information network.
"They probably know we are preventing information leaks. But..."
"They would not know that some of their own have been 'changed'."
We could use this to test our plan.
'Initially, it was only an irritation...'
To think her actions would prove this helpful.
Talhan nodded at our words.
"It is exactly as you say. If we utilize this, we should be able to gather sufficient data soon."
"Good. I leave it to you; do well."
What I needed was not Thousand Faces and his disciples or children. It was the informants and information merchants running the field operations.
It was rather a good thing if those leaders collapsed from tearing each other apart.
If this plan succeeded, I could absorb the information merchants and the intelligence of the regions they handled, piece by piece, like slicing a cake.
The 'high-grade information' they currently possess could be extracted by other means.
"Of course, let us begin this work after finalizing your reward."
"Ah, yes."
"Go and stay at the dungeon. I shall look around elsewhere and return myself."
"Understood, Master."
Talhan smiled and bowed his back deeply, and I lightly patted his shoulder.
After that, the remaining time was devoted to enjoying the dinner he had carefully prepared.
It was not a bad meal.
- 3 -
I needed another half-day in Copherin.
Because what Eve had prepared was more than I had expected.
Though she had not cooked it herself, it was a date course she had painstakingly tasted and prepared with care.
I could not simply pass it by.
"If I were an ordinary person, I would have gained weight right away."
When I said this with a laugh, Evangeline wore a slightly troubled look.
"Is that... not fortunate?"
"If anyone else had been here, they would have seen me not as a Dungeon Lord, but as a starving ghoul."
At my teasing, Evangeline's expression became even more troubled.
Even knowing she would react this way, I could not help teasing her, probably because her reactions were so honest and endearing.
"Mm... I apologize."
"It is fine. It was enjoyable. Thanks to the company I kept."
"Ah..."
Evangeline's face flushed red. Faced with that irresistible charm, I could not hide my own smile either.
The joy these light, trivial conversations bring.
The next destination was Guileus County.
It was where Solemio, the city I practically ruled, had originally belonged.
Actually, since I had come up north anyway, it would not have been bad to go as far as Gremit, where Haley was, but...
'There is no time, and the distance is far.'
The carriage I was riding was special.
An undead carriage that could run for twenty-four hours without the coachman or horses tiring. But that did not mean it could overcome physical limits.
If that were the case, I would have built a flying carriage instead.
Even if I passed through Tribres City in the southern part of the royal capital, one of the entrances to my 'mansion,' the distance to Gremit City was formidable.
Regrettably, I would not be able to meet Haley this time.
"I am sorry about this."
At my words, carrying that sentiment, Haley's voice through the communication crystal was very urgent.
- That was not what I wanted to hear...! I am grateful just for the thought, Master.
"Alright. Let us meet once the entrance there is installed."
- Of course! I shall wait impatiently.
"Then, rest well."
- May your journey be free of trouble too, Master!
In the end, I decided to postpone Haley's additional reward.
It was an unavoidable choice.
A banquet with the lords of the southern riverbank region was scheduled for about a week later.
That occasion would also serve to reward Echidna for her particularly great contributions to this war.
In importance, this took priority.
Dagak-dagak...
Listening to the sound of the carriage wheels, I fell into thought.
In Guileus County, my lord and second disciple, Amelia, would be waiting.
She had already sent word that she had arrived there and was waiting for me.
"Let us see just what kind of fellow he is."
A smile crept onto my lips.
The news that Amelia had a suitor had come right around when the territorial war was beginning.
From the moment I heard that news, I had been waiting for this moment.
Whether the noble who proposed to her had the proper qualifications, and how Amelia was taking the situation.
The carriage continued racing toward the county, and I closed my eyes, imagining those I would soon meet.
- 4 -
"Haa..."
Elena looked at the source of the sigh beside her.
Yuran, uncharacteristically, let out a sigh, yet characteristically for her, stared wistfully toward the dungeon.
'She seems to have some worry.'
'I want to stay up all night with my lord and do this and that...'
The two's thoughts, seemingly matching yet not matching at all, were intersecting.