Chapter 300: The Grand Campaign (2)
3.
"The Magic Tower has officially started tracking us down."
Thud.
A bundle of papers was placed on the old table. It was moved by [a.s.sistant Writer]. She sighed, wiping her forehead as she looked at me.
"The city has officially announced a decree for our extermination. A substantial reward for anyone who captures Hamustra"s follower who escaped from prison. For anyone who captures or informs on the "unidentified rogue" who aided the escape, the reward is twenty-eight times greater. ...It seems they found the mark you left at the entrance of the secret pa.s.sage."
"That"s good news."
I skimmed through the doc.u.ments.
The papers were filled with information about the Magic Tower. Especially about the head of the Magic Tower, the so-called elder.
"I was anxious about when they would discover it. Surprisingly, their response was slow."
"...Exactly what did you write there?"
"Sword Emperor"s Return."
I smiled.
"I only wrote those three characters. Nothing much."
"...."
The a.s.sistant Writer"s mouth fell open.
"You"re really insane."
"What is insane? Ms. Writer. It"s probably the average, the norm of this world. And this world is, on average, a complete mess. Being called insane, abnormal, means being the exact opposite of this mess. It might as well be called normal."
"Yeah. You madman."
Strange.
Why does n.o.body take my serious words seriously?
Holding her forehead, the a.s.sistant Writer sighed deeply, as though to drill a hole in the cave"s floor."
"...I admit you are impressive. You have gained the trust of the Hamustra and persuaded numerous other Constellations. Perhaps you are the first in history to have [Simultaneous Joining] with double-digit Constellations."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"But you shouldn"t provoke the Magic Tower recklessly."
The a.s.sistant Writer said.
"The two syllables the Magic Tower hates the most in the universe. That"s the Sword Emperor. The elder of the Magic Tower considers herself to be the exact opposite of the Sword Emperor. In terms of the story, an archnemesis. A sworn enemy."
"I"m aware."
I flicked my finger.
Sssrrk.
Letters appeared before my eyes. A quest window. Although I had received quests dozens of times before, the hologram I was looking at now was different.
It looked as if it was handwritten, with the characters s.h.i.+mmering and cute.
+
[Great Strategy! Shake the Elder"s Heart★]
Constellation: The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t
Difficulty: SSS
Mission Objective: Oh my. Someone claiming to be the reincarnation of the Sword Emperor has appeared. His alias is the Death King! A warrior who has just reached the 50th floor is causing a stir!
Is he really the Sword Emperor"s successor? Or maybe the Sword Emperor himself…!? (Thump)
If the Death King really has a connection with the Sword Emperor, oh my! The elder of the Magic Tower won"t sit still. Because he is the one who has driven a stake into her icy heart! (Dramatic)
Will the Death King rekindle the most sinister spider"s heart?
If so, what rhythm will that heart"s beating indicate? Love? Hatred? Or perhaps bittersweet love? (Wink) Any rhythm is fine. What Babit expects from the Death King is just one thing, the sound of the elder"s heart tearing apart!
Shatter the elder"s heart.
To all followers serving Babit. Support the Death King with all your might.
Prove yourselves worthy of stepping beyond the 50th floor.
※Currently partic.i.p.ating in the quest as a [Temporary Follower].
+
I nodded.
"That"s why I claimed to be the successor of the Sword Emperor."
"Right now, the Magic Tower must be treating me as a highly suspicious person."
I casually placed the bundle of papers down.
Before the last vote, [The Lady Who Walks the Mirage] had informed us about the history of the Magic Tower and its members.
However, there was no information about the elder who rules the Magic Tower. When she was born, why she stopped at the 50th floor, and even why she blocked other hunters from ascending further was unknown.
The situation was the same for the hunters residing on the 50th floor. No one knew about the elder of the Magic Tower. The materials provided by [Paparazzo] contained plausible speculations and inferences, but no truth.
"I don"t think they really believe the Sword Emperor has returned. Not yet."
But there was one truth everyone knew.
The elder of the Magic Tower hates the Sword Emperor.
"[Not yet], you say...?"
"Yes. Not yet."
Therefore, to shake the elder"s heart, one must aptly use the existence of the Sword Emperor.
"I have information known only to the Sword Emperor and the elder. For example, um, let"s say, the words the Sword Emperor said to the elder when he destroyed the spire."
"...."
"Releasing such information would make the elder realize in an instant. Ah, this guy really is the successor of the Sword Emperor. I need to crush this guy as soon as possible."
In the past. Such an incident happened when I was with [Constellation Killer].
I used the words left by the Sword Emperor in the past. Without missing a single detail. Upon hearing my words, the elder of the Magic Tower immediately attacked us in a rage.
-Zombie. Just so you know, I also know a lot of other things that will p.i.s.s her off.
"That"s really rea.s.suring."
-Right?
"Yes. Your integrity is so rea.s.suring."
In short, I have several trump cards to draw in the elder.
Perhaps only the Sword Saint and I, just the two of us in this world, know these cards.
"...How do you have such information?"
The a.s.sistant Writer looked at me with a skeptical gaze.
"Do you have a skill that reads people"s pasts? Or, don"t tell me, are you really the successor of the Sword Emperor?"
"That"s not important. What matters is that I have the means to provoke the elder. And now, we need to [appropriately] provoke her."
I lightly touched the doc.u.ments.
"Appropriately? What do you mean?"
"Simply angering the elder is not enough. [The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t] very clearly, explicitly demands in the quest. Overturn the elder from the roots. Therefore, I—."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Step by step. Slowly. I will shake the elder"s heart."
「Could the Sword Emperor really have returned?」
「No. That can"t be.」
「The evidence is insufficient.」
「But what if he really has returned?」
"We can"t reveal that the Sword Emperor has returned in a flash. It"s weak. The impact is weak. The truth, when discovered by oneself rather than handed down from the sky, causes a greater disturbance in a person"s heart."
"...."
"Do you understand? Ms. Writer. We need to show the elder directly at the optimal place, at the best moment, that the Sword Emperor has returned. For that,"
"We need a script."
The a.s.sistant Writer spoke softly.
She wore the same expression as me. The eyes of a schemer. The gleam seen in someone when they intend to draw another person in, to steal their heart.
The same as Hamustra"s eyes.
"What do you want from me?"
Now we"re getting somewhere.
"First, spread rumors on the city streets."
"Huh."
"The Magic Tower hasn"t officially acknowledged the return of the Sword Emperor. The elder thinks, "Some madman is impersonating the Sword Emperor to provoke us." But if the story, the rumor, that the Sword Emperor has returned, begins to spread publicly."
"It"ll start to bother her. Even if she doesn"t want it to."
The a.s.sistant Writer"s eyes sparkled.
"Alright. What"s next?"
4.
Hey, Death King. What"s going on?
What"s the matter? Berserker. You seem fl.u.s.tered.
What do you mean, what"s the matter? Right now, those Magic Tower folks are going crazy. Just yesterday they issued a decree to hunt us down and were waiting for info, but suddenly they formed search parties and are scouring the streets!
5.
"Merely spreading rumors that the Sword Emperor has returned won"t affect the elder"s heart much. It would just be a mild annoyance. We need to go further. We must target the vulnerabilities in the elder"s heart."
"Go on."
The a.s.sistant Writer swiftly moved her quill pen.
"I"m writing it down now. Tell me all of your strategies. If anything seems off, I"ll make the necessary adjustments."
"We will stir up the resentment and anger that has acc.u.mulated among the hunters on the 50th floor."
I enjoyed the sound of the pen scratching on paper.
"The Sword Emperor is more than just a hunter. He"s a symbol. The elder, who blocks and seals the 50th floor, and the Sword Emperor who broke through and moved beyond… The rumor of the Sword Emperor"s return is, in itself, an attack on the elder. [We dislike the current situation where the elder rules the 50th floor. We are tired of it. We want someone like the Sword Emperor. We want the Sword Emperor to return and shatter this nightmarish existence.]"
"Indeed. So…, yes. I get what you mean."
Vulnerability.
The hand of the a.s.sistant Writer, moving the pen, became even faster.
"It"s like, you"re crafting the rumor to declare to the elder, [You are wrong], right?"
"Exactly."
"Ha."
The a.s.sistant Writer did not look at me. Her eyes were fixed on the words her pen was scribbling. A hint of a smile from the a.s.sistant Writer seeped onto the paper.
"Okay. The return of the Sword Emperor is just a pretext. A tool to incite and agitate hunters dissatisfied with the rule of the Magic Tower."
"Yes."
I nodded.
"And at the same time, it"s a blade targeting the elder"s heart."
Look, elder.
I have died.
I fell pathetically on the 99th floor.
But why do hunters still remember me, long dead? What makes them enthralled by me?
Simple.
I was right, and you were wrong.
"The more the city buzzes with the rumor of the Sword Emperor, the more the resentment against the Magic Tower surfaces."
You are alive, yet even in death, I am stronger than you.
Even as a mere ghost, I am stronger than you are now.
"If the elder thinks of the Sword Emperor as just an annoying guy… She won"t react much. It"s just a rumor. She"ll think it will die down on its own. But if the Sword Emperor still occupies a place in the elder"s heart. If she truly detests him to the bone. She will definitely react."
"...."
"Excessively. More than necessary, irritably."
How about that?
"...How can you be so sure?"
"Because that"s what hatred is."
Do you still want to kill me?
"The elder will react vehemently. Definitely."
6.
Those Magic Tower guys, they"ve lost their minds.
They were always a bit unhinged, but this time it"s excessive.
Merely mentioning the Sword Emperor"s name makes them want to lock everyone up. This is just madness. I mean, it"s only a bunch of idle gossip in taverns. Why are they reacting so strongly? Something hit a nerve?
At this rate, even those without a clue might start believing that the Sword Emperor really has returned.
Even though it"s a rumor we spread, this is strange.
7.
"I"ve learned something since I came to the 50th floor."
"What"s that?"
"From this stage onwards, we have to win with agitation and fabrication."
[The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t issues a quest to its followers.]
"Whether the Sword Emperor has really returned or not, whether the rumors are true or false, that"s not important to ordinary hunters."
[The Last Sword in the Wilderness issues a quest to its followers.]
"They all serve the Constellations."
[The Lone Seeker of Truth issues a quest to its followers.]
"The words of the Constellations are the truth, and the contents written in the quest are the reality. If the quest window implies the return of the Sword Emperor, regardless of its truth, the hunters will act under the premise that "the Sword Emperor has returned.""
[The Eye Living in the Labyrinth issues a quest to its followers.]
"Just like when I was falsely accused of being an evil lich and hunted down."
[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains issues a quest to its followers.]
"Spread the rumor in the city. When the Magic Tower aggressively suppresses the hunters, issue quests through the Constellations. And make sure each quest hints at the return of the Sword Emperor."
「Could he really be the successor of the Sword Emperor?」
「Recently, in the Monopolized City, rumors are circulating that the Sword Emperor has returned.」
「You might still remember, in the past, when he destroyed the spire….」
「Warriors!」
「Why is the Magic Tower oppressing you so violently?」
「Perhaps he is the Sword Emperor himself.」
"That will decide the overall trend."
"...."
The tip of the a.s.sistant Writer"s pen abruptly stopped. She slowly lifted her head and our eyes met.
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket. The soft texture wrapped around my fingertips. A comforting sensation. It was a unique spell that calmed the mind.
And then I said,
"An alliance opposing the Magic Tower will be formed."