Divide and Conquer - 3
"What the hell are you doing?! Put out that fire at once!"
"The fire won't go out!"
In an instant, the top floor of the Magic Tower had transformed into a scorching hell. As the highest floor of the tower, it housed the Magic Tower Lord's most important documents, research records, and rare collections. But a fog imbued with the essence of fire had blanketed everything, burning it all away.
The Magic Tower Lord urgently mobilized every mage in the tower to begin firefighting efforts. They poured out water and ice magic of Rank 5 and above in alternating waves, yet the flames showed no sign of dying down. It seemed the fire would not subside until every object in the room had been reduced to ash.
"You useless idiots! All of you, out of the way!"
As a backup plan, the Magic Tower Lord chose to transfer the intact materials via teleportation magic. But even books that looked fine on the surface had already absorbed some of the fog's vapor, and before long they too began to burn.
"My Lord! The fire is spreading over here as well…!"
"What are you standing around for?! Are you imbeciles who can't even snuff out a tiny spark?!"
"Th-the thing is, when we pour water on it, the flames burn even more fiercely!"
"What kind of bullshit is that?! Water makes the fire bigger?!"
"It's true!"
The source of the fire was the fog. Fog is a phenomenon created by the condensation of water vapor—pouring water on it would naturally only make it denser. But the Magic Tower, unaware of this fact, simply concluded that the fire was devouring the water.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!! My lifelong ambition, ruined by this one absurd disaster!"
As his time, effort, and dreams all went up in flames, the Magic Tower Lord flew into a rage greater than ever before. When he had lost subordinates, he had reacted with indifference—yet the burning of his materials filled him with fury. The subordinates watching him felt an indescribable unease.
"What should we do now?"
The fog of fire that refused to die no matter what elemental magic was thrown at it was nothing short of a large-scale disaster. Even the Magic Tower Lord admitted there was nothing more he could do. He drew a deep, steadying breath.
"…Hss, haah! We abandon the Magic Tower."
"What?! Th-then are we going to build a new Magic Tower?"
"No. Prepare for war."
"W-war, you say?"
"Yes. From this moment on, our primary enemy is the Red Dragon!"
With a face twisted in rage, the Magic Tower Lord declared it thunderously before them all. His expression alone made clear just how furious he was.
If it's a flame that even water and ice can't extinguish, it can only be the fire of a Red Dragon.
Of course, there was a possibility that someone other than a dragon had ordered this arson attack. He had never heard of a Red Dragon keeping a black Pomeranian as a pet, after all.
"But Red Dragon fire isn't something you can just obtain easily. It's a flame he doesn't even bestow upon his own followers. The fact that he willingly handed it over means the Red Dragon himself is an accomplice."
Grind—!
His rage finally reached the point where veins stood out starkly on his forehead. He began radiating an aura that promised to kill without mercy anyone who got on his nerves. The Magic Tower Lord's disciples nearby kept their distance.
I don't care who's behind this. All I need to do is subjugate the Red Dragon and find the mastermind. So for now…!
He would kill the Red Dragon without fail. The Magic Tower Lord made that resolution, and among those watching the scene was a hooded mage.
Everything is proceeding according to my Lord's will. As expected of my Lord!
While everyone else trembled in fear, Hades alone sparkled with excitement, thrilling at the sight. The seeds of suspicion Bern had planted were gradually blooming. And she had no doubt that this would become the starting point of conflict.
"Looks like things are progressing nicely on that end."
Having received Hades's report via a crow messenger, Bern grinned. On his lap sat Chaos, who had approached the Magic Tower Lord earlier. Bern's hand gently stroked Chaos's head.
"Good work. Your mobility made this whole thing a lot easier."
"Grrr! Grrr!"
The Pomeranian made pleased sounds under Bern's touch, wagging its tail furiously. Despite having done something bad, it was being praised—and Chaos was thoroughly satisfied with the situation. It even felt proud of itself for having sworn loyalty and submission to Bern.
"That eyesore of a Magic Tower has gone up in spectacular flames, and the enraged Magic Tower Lord has declared war on the Red Dragon! Stage two cleared with flying colors!"
[To think you would use the Essence of Mist in such a way…….]
"Honestly, I was surprised myself. Who knew it would mix with Ignite's fire. I guess an artifact bestowed by a god really is on a different level from ordinary ones."
Though it was permanent in duration, it was single-use, which also meant its firepower was exceptional.
[But was it truly all right to use such a precious artifact so soon? Would it not have been better saved to annihilate enemy forces in the war to come…….]
"No, the timing is right now. Even if it's a card that could turn the tide of a war, I can only use it once—either against the Magic Tower or against the Red Scale Tribe, right?"
Bern had used the artifact as a tool for sowing discord, goading the Magic Tower and the Red Scale Tribe into war with each other. Thanks to that, the two forces would end up evenly exhausting their military strength. It might look like a waste in the short term, but looking at the bigger picture, it would return even greater profits.
With a confident smile, Bern lifted his hand from Chaos's head.
"Kyuuung…!"
"Sorry, we need to move on to the next stage of the plan. But if you keep following my orders well next time, I'll reward you with something even better."
"Wang wang!"
Chaos, who had been reluctant to end the reward session, brightened at Bern's promise of future rewards and hopped down from his lap with a smile. It swayed its tail, showing its readiness to do anything—only to be shocked when Bern said there was no mission to give right now, and slowly sank into the shadows.
[What is the next operation?]
"We landed a solid hit on the Magic Tower, so there's a friend who deserves a fair hit of his own."
[Did you not say that sowing discord would not work on the Red Scale Tribe?]
"That's why I found a different way to serve them a massive middle finger."
Bern casually looked out the window. At the end of his gaze was a man—the man in the red headscarf he had seen at Sestia's mansion. A member of the Red Scale Tribe who had come to Yuran to post Bern's wanted posters. And the next target who would become Bern's prey.
Something was wrong. The situation was unfolding strangely.
It had already been three days since he had visited the leader of Yuran and handed over all the wanted posters. Not only had no wanted notices gone up, but Sestia herself had completely vanished without a word.
I only planned to confirm the posters were up and leave, but they still haven't been posted…….
He resolved to return to Sestia's mansion and urge her to post the wanted notices at once. He still had other villages to visit, and being stuck in Yuran was thoroughly irritating. But just as he was approaching the mansion, unexpected news reached his ears.
"Hey, you hear the news?"
"Ahh! You mean about the Magic Tower formally declaring war on the Red Dragon?"
"Yeah. Rumor has it the Red Scale Tribe struck first with a terrorist attack on the Magic Tower."
"Terrorism? The world's getting pretty rough."
"Tell me about it."
Hearing the news, the man stopped dead in his tracks and swallowed hard. He had just heard something he simply could not comprehend. There had never been any bad blood between the Magic Tower and the Red Dragon. Those two forces clashing? It was unthinkable. Moreover, the Red Scale Tribe was a warrior group that pledged absolute loyalty to the Red Dragon while holding honesty as their motto. For them to commit terrorism? Impossible.
This is no time to stand around!
To him, the truth of the matter was irrelevant. If there was even the slightest sign of war, he had to return home and prepare. That was what he needed to do…….
"I'm sorry, but the city is under lockdown for the next six hours. Please turn back at once."
"What are you talking about?! I need to return to my homeland right now! Get out of my way!"
"Impossible. Lady Sestia has issued a firm order. You may not pass."
"On what grounds?"
"An assault case. A dangerous individual is currently roaming free inside the city. We are conducting a large-scale arrest operation."
"Kh!"
It might even be the wanted man he had been searching for. Ordinarily he would have turned back to assist with the arrest operation, but he couldn't afford that now. For the survival of his tribe, he had to return and lead his comrades in the coming war. To him, getting home was far more urgent than any manhunt.
"Even so, I must leave immediately. So clear the path."
"This is your final warning. You absolutely may not leave."
"Then I'll have no choice but to use force… Guh?!"
Sssssk—!
The moment the man drew his sword, the sound of a snake slithering filled the air. At the same time, he suddenly dropped to his knees. Feeling something snap inside him, he vomited a massive amount of blood.
"Since you attempted to draw your sword, this is self-defense."
"Y-you…!"
"Please rest in peace."
Thud—!
As Liri returned her sword to its sheath, the man died without another word. A fight that ended in less than five seconds. Unlike in the original work of The Absolute Poison Beauty, Liri had grown into an untouchable powerhouse—even if he was one of the commanders of the Red Scale Tribe.
"Good work handling that."
"Ah, Master, you've arrived."
"Yeah. Perfect timing."
"As you requested, Master, I cut primarily through the internal organs so no external wounds would remain. There was a bit of hemoptysis, however……"
"That's fine."
"But why did you ask me to leave the exterior intact?"
"Ah, that? I'll show you right now."
Bern approached the lying man carrying a bucket. Carefully setting the bucket down beside him, Bern yanked the man's pants down—then lifted the bucket and began pouring its contents over the man's groin. What flowed out of the bucket was none other than manure.
"What are you doing?"
"Cause of death: AIDS contracted through frequent homosexual intercourse."
"……Excuse me?"
"Just spread the rumor among the public that way."
With a bright smile, Bern left the cleanup to Liri and walked away. As a result, the Red Scale Tribe would be branded as both terrorists and a tribe that practiced homosexuality. In an instant, the mighty warriors of the desert had been reduced to terrifying desert gays. And even the Red Dragon they idolized could not escape the resulting suspicions.
[Contractor.]
Hmm?
[Just call yourself the Demon King already.]
It was Frach's heartfelt remark.