I Became the Narrow-Eyed Henchman of the Evil Boss

Carisia suddenly placed a crown on my head, causing a severe headache to hit me out of nowhere.

Damn it. I can be a happy salary thief even receiving an empty container.

The boss wants me to work, huh?!

I can understand that after bringing Kaicle, she wants a future plan ready in five minutes.

The fake war using Geryon was your plan, Carisia, but the idea to use Kaicle and the Artificial Ten Commandments? That was mine!

Let’s set aside the fact that I borrowed that method from your original tracks.

What to do with the Artificial Ten Commandments moving forward? I didn’t just shake the bait of ascension in front of the directors to lead their impulses, did I?

After all I’ve done, coming back with extra tasks?! How could you do this to me?!

I vented my grievances to Carisia.

Only in my imagination, of course.

Saying this to the real Carisia would only bring more work. She’d probably give her usual deadly smile and elegantly demand, “Do as I say.”

I better write up a few proposals before sleeping.

Tomorrow is a holiday, after all. It’s best to finish everything today so I’m not called in on my day off.

*

Around midnight, Carisia was reading a report sent directly from Orthes.

It was about the space Kaicle had created under Mount Etna.

According to Orthes’s analysis, the place where the Artificial Ten Commandments were stored was a type of Ether Space.

Ether Space is a half-realistic space — a middle ground between the material and non-material worlds.

Typically, mages attempting to access Ether Space move from the non-material world towards it.

Connecting to a spirit through meditation is the most representative example. The reason physical connection from the material world is not preferred boils down to two main issues.

First, the risk.

Most spirit connections merely require a few days of recovery if they fail, but physical connections always bear the possibility of brain death.

Just consider connecting through nerve terminals, the most common method for physical access. If you stumble into a firewall, your brain could be fried instantly.

Secondly, accessibility.

Spirit connections can be made without any equipment by simply meditating with your bare body to enter Ether Space.

In contrast, physical access requires a modified body with nerve terminals and additional equipment.

It’s incredibly rare for an entire body to connect to Ether Space without devices like nerve terminals.

Usually, a full dive into Ether Space refers to connecting in such a way that all five senses are engaged. Nerve terminal connections typically fall under this category.

Taking one further step from these full dives is connecting with the entire body, referred to as Eleusis.

To succeed in Eleusis, the Ether Space attempting to be accessed must be sufficiently solid.

It requires enough stability to overcome the inherent instability between the real and the unreal.

Although the structure of the Ether Space created by Kaicle wasn’t perfect, it had an ample amount of magic power that more than compensated for its structural deficiencies.

Using Mount Etna itself as a sort of auxiliary power source for the Ether Space was why both Orthes and Kaicle could enter while maintaining their physical forms.

Orthes’s proposal included modifying that space created by Kaicle into a sort of shelter.

A refuge in case they used a city-wide large spell against the White Light Tower.

It was a typical Orthes opinion, always prioritizing Carisia’s safety. Feeling a faint sense of satisfaction, Carisia sent a brief reply.

《My dear, I’m concerned that modifying it into a shelter may reduce the explosive efficiency of the Artificial Ten Commandments.》

She had no intention of giving up her dream of creating the largest magic bomb in history.

*

The short message sent by Carisia was enough to give me a headache. Why does she love explosions so much?

As a subordinate, I had given all the advice I could. Now, I’m lost.

Tomorrow is the holiday. I’ve been busy running around lately; I should just sleep well.

“Let me see you.”

Oh dear, boss.

Why are you in my room?!

*

I woke up at dawn. Yes, a holiday dawn.

I sensed suspicious movement in the room and cautiously lifted my eyelids.

It’s a hassle because if I open my eyes all the way, I’ll see too much. It requires carefulness to open and close them, ugh.

In my careful vision, I saw a pair of golden eyes shining brilliantly even in the darkness.

It was Carisia.

“Isn’t today a holiday?”

I clutched my throbbing head and looked at Carisia.

I’ve been tumbling through this magic power disparity society for a while now, but having the boss invade a subordinate’s room on a holiday dawn is a rare occurrence in this world.

“So?”

What’s this “so”? Are you unhappy that I’m resting on a holiday? I don’t think I’ve done anything to annoy you lately.

“No, ma’am. Even the great Mage King should take a rest.”

What I mentioned was one of the myths of this world. It was about the origin of the calendar created by the Mage King.

He went into meditation for ten days to comprehend the principles of magic, and when he opened his eyes, he’d mastered the ten main attributes of magic represented by the Ten Commandments.

The first day he began meditation and the tenth day he finished were specially considered holidays.

So, yes. In this world, a week is ten days. A month consists of three weeks, making date calculations convenient.

However, the sheer horror of it cannot be justified by mere convenience.

There are only two holidays in a week. A month has three weeks.

That means you can only take six days off per month!

I did not want to spend my precious holiday with my boss.

“Aren’t you here to rest?”

Carisia sat down on one side of the bed, right next to me.

I stifled a sigh and turned back to lie down, making space for one more person.

“What do you think of the directors?”

Carisia, now lying next to me, asked.

“…We formed Hydra Corporation last month, so it was during the first week of the month of Light, right? It’s only been a month, how can I know everything about them?”

“By date, it’s already been 30 days. Now. Speak.”

Does she view me as some employee from the advisory office? I kept my eyes closed and just started rambling.

After all, she came by at this late hour, I hope she wouldn’t critique my preparation.

“The slave trading business of Cretone could catch the attention of other magic towers, so I’ve taken care of it in advance. His personal faction is weakened with his source of income eliminated. During the city reconstruction, there’ll be a need for strength and magic power in the construction department, so utilize them for that, but make sure to put them on a leash.”

*

Half-asleep, Carisia listened to Orthes’s whispers.

In truth, from her perspective, her will was Orthes’s will, and Orthes’s will was her will.

There was no need to confirm again the future blueprint created by Orthes. If she desired it, he would prepare it.

“Arabella is clever, and Bertrand is diligent. Neither is likely to cause major issues. I’m worried about the miner guild’s decline, but having recruited Kaicle, the risk factor has been temporarily dealt with.”

Yet, the reason she still visited Orthes’s room was that.

“Beast tamer Dimedes is somewhat dangerous. The beasts he sculpts long for blood. Assign the role of chasing down the wanted individuals from the Great Temple as a cover for the activities in the Divine Investigation Office to satisfy their desires.”

Literally, it was meant to “rest.”

“Use the magic waste disposal Tarros, it’s not particularly threatening. The mutants follow him, and the organization’s strength lies in its excellency or merely survival instincts that aren’t hard to manage. They’ll gradually become more favorable just by treating them equally.”

He was the one person capable of reassuring her that she hadn’t lost her way on this long road of revenge.

“The Hunter Neuro and the expert in illegal body modifications Divius both have their own hidden agendas. But for now, they are still swayed by your prestige, and I haven’t fully grasped their intentions, so I plan to investigate a bit more before making a judgment.”

Listening to Orthes’s vision for the future offered Carisia a sense of reassurance that she was walking the right path.

‘…No, not really.’

It might not be the right path. The White Light Tower is nearly akin to a colossal nation, and if it faces destruction, there will certainly be innocent lives caught in the aftermath.

Yet still, this path of revenge was the one she “desired.”

“By the way, the demi-spirit Meconion is…”

Only Orthes could give her this assurance. Since the moment she stepped out of the research lab of the White Light Tower, he had stood by her without any conditions.

“Boss?”

“Employer?”

“Carisia?”

“…You are really you.”

Hearing the voice of the only person with whom she could fully relax, Carisia drifted into a peaceful slumber.

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