Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 123
The 7th day since the war began.
The vast white sandy beach spread out below Atlantis's walls.
The forces of Dragon-Human soldiers and Skeletons that had been fiercely rolling around the beach had temporarily disappeared from sight.
A ceasefire negotiation between the two forces had been arranged.
Click-click-.
With the rebellion's great army lined up on one side of the conference hall and Atlantis's knights on the other side.
"I feel honored to preside over such a meaningful occasion."
Haizen bowed his head in greeting to the tribal chiefs sitting across from each other with long tables on either side.
It was Darkrock's Haizen who came to host this ceasefire negotiation.
Under the mediation of the foreign enterprise, the tribal chiefs of Atlantis and the rebellion had entered into ceasefire talks.
On one side sat Lunaria and the five tribal chiefs who followed her along with their guards, while on the opposite side sat seven tribal chiefs including Leila.
"......"
Though no one was saying anything, their gazes glaring at each other were filled with enough hostility to make one's skin sting.
Haizen continued speaking.
"Then first, these are Lunaria's demands."
Lunaria's demands were as follows:
Independence for the five races currently being discriminated against in Atlantis, and support for the construction of a new city where they could live together.
Next were Atlantis's demands:
They would recognize the independence and autonomy of the five races but could not support the construction of a new city, and additionally demanded the disarmament of all armed forces and acceptance of periodic inspections from Atlantis.
Looking at just the demands from both sides, there was no way the ceasefire talks could progress.
In the first place, it would be difficult to create a new city without Atlantis's support, and the conditions of disarmament and inspection were no different from not recognizing autonomy.
But it didn't matter.
"......"
The three figures present here.
Neither Lunaria, nor Leila, nor Darkrock.
Not a single one of them had attended this place for the purpose of a ceasefire.
But the tribal chiefs who were unaware of this began pointing fingers at each other and shouting.
"Ridiculous! Who would accept such conditions!"
"This is already a great concession! How can we divide the racial unity we've achieved back in half!"
"That's what you've been doing all along..."
Loud voices going back and forth across the long table.
Haizen watched the situation before him and suppressed the smile trying to form on his lips.
'Heh, it's going according to plan as expected.'
While Darkrock had certainly made this conference happen, Nova's help was crucial in getting them to sit at the table.
Without his cooperation, Atlantis would not have accepted Darkrock's mediation.
It was entirely Nova's achievement to persuade Leila to come to this place in person.
Also.
Haizen glanced sideways at Lunaria.
'That Sea Dragon also came to this place because of Leila.'
She was in a state of great distrust toward Darkrock's lukewarm response since the war began.
It took considerable effort to lead her to the conference hall.
First, he conveyed the fact that it was Atlantis's side, not Darkrock, that had extracted the hostages from the citadel.
He persuaded her that the lack of contact for the past three days and the failure to extract Leila were all work to make this conference happen.
The logic was that if there had been noticeable attacks and kidnapping operations, the royal family would have distrusted the enterprise, making it difficult to achieve the ceasefire talks.
He persuaded her that they would use this opportunity to lure Leila to the conference hall, and then secure her person to achieve Leviathan's resurrection, and Lunaria agreed to this and attended the conference.
Of course.
'Such a thing cannot happen.'
Haizen slightly twisted the corner of his mouth.
The moment Lunaria launched her attack, he planned to immediately stop her and reveal the 'truth' to pin all the evil deeds on her.
Amplification magic and magical tools for this purpose were already prepared.
Haizen smiled as he pressed the magical tool inserted in his ear.
'If I can just succeed with today's plan, I'll gain the trust of Leila and Atlantis's tribal chiefs, and the 20th floor business will proceed more smoothly.'
This plan set up by Nova was quite to his liking.
Having finished his thoughts, Haizen mediated the chaotic conference.
"Now, now, don't get too angry. This can be resolved if we each compromise a little. How about Atlantis provides construction funds in the form of loans, and the revolutionary army allows only inspections?"
"Shut up, you bastard! You're just a foreigner who sided with that traitor group!"
"You, did you perhaps receive orders from Atlantis?"
The tribal chiefs from both sides, unaware of the underwater dealings, shouted loudly and criticized Haizen.
But Haizen just shrugged his shoulders.
As a mediator, getting cursed at by both sides was a common occurrence.
The conference continued to drag on listlessly after that.
The atmosphere only became more intense and louder shouts were exchanged, but there was no sign of the dialogue progressing.
Confirming that the time had come, Haizen exchanged glances with the hunting dogs who had infiltrated the conference hall and began the operation.
'It's about time.'
Haizen tapped his wristwatch and sent a signal to Lunaria.
It was a signal indicating it was time to kidnap Leila.
Lunaria, who received the signal, moved.
Flash-.
"Attack!"
With her shout, the tribal chiefs and guards beside her all stood up at once and rushed toward Leila.
"Wh-what!"
"Protect the High Priestess!"
At the sudden attack, Atlantis's tribal chiefs also hastily stood up and protected Leila.
Thwack-. Thud-.
The two forces engaged in hand-to-hand combat due to the prohibition on bringing weapons.
The sight of the Sea Folk hitting each other was quite ridiculous.
Haizen watched the scene and snorted.
'According to what was discussed with Lunaria, I should cooperate with the rebellion side to secure Leila's person.'
However.
Click-.
Haizen pressed the magical tool in his ear and joined the battle.
Contrary to what he had promised Lunaria.
"Protect the High Priestess!"
At Haizen's command, hunting dogs who had been hiding throughout the conference hall jumped out.
They began subduing the rebellion-side figures who had attacked Leila.
"Wh-what?"
"You bastards!"
The rebels were bewildered by the enterprise side moving in the exact opposite direction from what was planned.
When the ones who should have been helping them instead stood up to protect their enemies, it was natural to be confused.
Lunaria also shouted at Haizen with an indignant voice.
"What the hell are you doing!"
At that outcry, Haizen said with a feigned resolute expression.
"What am I doing? I gathered courage because I no longer want to move as your puppet."
Then he performed energetically as if for everyone gathered here to hear.
"Look at this! The Sea Dragon Queen has tried to kidnap High Priestess Leila, even abusing the ceasefire talks! While forcing us to mediate! However!"
He clenched his fist and shouted in a speech-like manner.
"We Darkrock made the right decision! Instead of following that evil queen's scheme, we decided to stand on Atlantis's side!"
The resounding voice transmitted through the magical tool in Haizen's ear.
That voice was conveyed not only to this conference hall but also to the Sea Folk waiting near the beach.
Then he testified that all the events so far were due to Lunaria's threats, and that they, as powerless foreigners, had to reluctantly comply with unreasonable demands for the sake of their distribution network.
"Is, is that really true?"
"...No, that can't be."
The five tribal people who had sided with the rebellion clutched their heads and desperately denied those words.
"I knew that woman was the source of all evil."
"Kill her!"
Atlantis's citizens condemned Lunaria as if they had expected this.
Confirming that the intended reaction was coming, Haizen prepared to move to the next stage.
"This is no longer our concern. We'll leave the judgment to your discretion."
Haizen had the hunting dogs hand over Lunaria and her subordinates to Leila.
However, he didn't restrain them completely.
The restraints were loose enough that Lunaria could attempt Leviathan's resurrection at any time.
"Let's withdraw now."
When Haizen flicked his hand, the hunting dogs bowed their heads and exited the conference hall.
Haizen, who had withdrawn to the back of the stage.
Click-.
He turned off the power of the magical tool in his ear and encouraged the hunting dogs.
"Good work so far. Now for the final stage."
"As expected of you, Manager. That was a magnificent speech."
At one hunting dog's praise, Haizen shrugged his shoulders.
"This much is nothing. Cooking and boiling inferior Sea Folk is an easy task."
To deceive stupid Sea Folk doesn't require great logic or acting.
Anyone could do it, not just Haizen, as long as a proper stage is set up. It's just that creating that stage is difficult.
"What's left is waiting for that woman to struggle and try to resurrect Leviathan. The mission ends by pretending to subdue that."
Since the sample is fake, there's no way Leviathan could return, so all situations will end just by pretending to stop it appropriately.
With that, he could gain the royal family's trust perfectly.
At this, a hunting dog asked a question.
"Cooking and boiling Sea Folk? Wasn't the speech you just gave true?"
"Of course it wasn't true. We guided them to move like that in the first place. The drug distribution, the Dragon-Human soldier production, even this rebellion..."
Haizen, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
'What?'
As if possessed by something, he had been babbling dangerous content.
Such sensitive information shouldn't be spoken until the work was finished.
This was like a rule he had maintained all along.
In addition to that, what was bothering him was...
'Who is this guy?'
Haizen looked at the hunting dog who had asked him the question.
Hunting dogs are originally trained to maintain silence during work.
Such open chattering, and asking questions to their superior, should be impossible.
But the hunting dog in front of him continued asking questions regardless.
"Ah, then how did that just happen? You said all the enterprise's actions were due to Lunaria's threats?"
"...That's naturally a scheme. We need to blame all incidents on that woman to gain the royal family's trust. Then we can proceed with business comfortably afterward, can't we?"
Crack-.
Haizen tried to forcibly cover his babbling mouth with his hand. But his body wouldn't move at all.
The hunting dog in front of him grinned.
"Ah, I see. So it was all lies in the end?"
Simultaneously with those words, the hunting dog removed his mask.
Swoosh-.
The original appearance revealed as the Mask of Ten Thousand Forms was removed.
It was the silver-haired phantom thief, Francesca.
She looked at Haizen and stuck out her tongue slightly, then pulled out and destroyed the magical tool in his ear.
Crack-.
Haizen thought he had turned off the magical tool's power, but all the conversation they had just had was transmitted to Atlantis.
For the client, adjusting the magical tool's circuits was no big deal.
Francesca's job was just to swap it out slightly.
"Hehe. Were you surprised?"
'You, you woman.'
Haizen glared at Francesca and could only gape his mouth, unable to say anything.
"......"
The hunting dogs nearby also couldn't move and were just trembling as if poisoned by something.
Francesca lifted Haizen's chin with her finger and asked.
"Why and how did you betray us, those eyes are asking? I got a new client, you see. Though it wasn't my will."
Francesca continued speaking.
"I'll extract my 'siblings' that you were keeping soon. No worries about child support costs either. This client has quite deep pockets, you see."
Francesca's successors.
The children who had been forged as the enterprise's blade like her had barely managed to live ordinary lives with the commission fees Francesca earned.
Of course, as hostages in the orphanage run by Darkrock.
Darkrock had used this as leverage to employ Francesca.
Because of this, they had never once considered the possibility of her betrayal.
"You know who ordered this and who the new client is without me saying, right?"
Looking at the [Mask of Ten Thousand Forms] in Francesca's hand, Haizen narrowed his eyes.
'Nova? How did that bastard...'
He should have contracted to cooperate unconditionally with Darkrock regarding this matter.
If he plotted such a scheme, the penalty for contract violation would be the Upper Altar...
'Ah.'
Suddenly his thoughts reached the contract contents.
One clause that Nova had revised just before the contract was concluded.
Surely the contract's activation condition was preventing Leviathan's resurrection.
Then right now...
Haizen gathered all his strength and concentrated his mind to shout.
A voice containing power strong enough to break even Nam-gung Rin's Soul Absorption Technique.
"Stop it!"
But it was far too late.
Rumble-.
Vibrations that shook heaven and earth.
The ground they stood on trembled.
No, the sea that embraced thousands, hundreds of millions of lives trembled.
The ocean's water danced as if alive, and the mana dissolved within it also sang while trembling in fear.
As if welcoming their god who would descend upon this place once again.