It had been a long time since Oscar had slept so soundly.
Even then, it had only been about three hours, but even that was enough for him to feel that his condition had improved.
"...Mm."
Of course, his thoughts still felt sluggish.
That part would need more time before it fully recovered.
As soon as Oscar stepped out of the capsule, the airport director, who had been waiting outside, greeted him with a respectful bow.
A surprised Oscar asked,
"Don't tell me you've been waiting here this whole time?"
"No. It was about time for you to wake up, so I came to escort you."
Relieved, Oscar lightly tapped the capsule.
"This is more comfortable than I expected. Crawling into it made me feel like I'd turned into an ant."
"We devoted every effort to reducing our customers' fatigue. We entrusted the design to an architect renowned for making efficient use of space and compression techniques."
"If that was the goal, I'd say you succeeded."
Of course, he doubted many nobles would use it.
People who cared about appearances would probably think sleeping in a place like this was beneath their dignity.
When they stepped outside with the airport director, the runway beyond the glass was visible beneath the evening sky.
"It's quiet."
"It won't stay that way for long. Not once today's inauguration ceremony is over."
"I'd like to hear what happened after I fell asleep."
"Fortunately, none of the passengers realized a hijacking had taken place."
That figured.
No matter how violently the airship had shaken, no one would have found it strange.
After all, today had been everyone's first flight.
"How exactly did the intrusion happen?"
"It seems several people boarded disguised as passengers without carrying any weapons, then pulled the emergency barrier release lever. After that, the enemies pursuing us while riding sky rays infiltrated from outside."
A coordinated operation from both inside and outside.
Oscar let out a hollow laugh.
"We were too optimistic. Honestly, I thought there was no way anyone could break through. Never imagined it'd happen on the very first day."
"My apologies."
"You've come up with countermeasures, I assume?"
"Yes. First, we've decided to modify the emergency lever so it only operates after authentication through two magic devices. The captain and first officer will each carry one."
"Not bad."
"In addition, the cockpit door will be changed to a double-lock structure to make outside intrusion much more difficult."
Meaning that even if terrorists struck again in the worst-case scenario, seizing the cockpit would be nearly impossible.
That would allow the soldiers to focus entirely on protecting the passengers.
"What about the communication problem?"
"The enemy blocked the flow of mana, which caused it. We're currently searching for a solution."
Well, no matter how advanced magic and magitech became, they were useless if mana itself was blocked.
It had been a problem ever since wars in the distant past, and if no one had solved it yet, that said enough.
Still, coming up with this many countermeasures in only a few hours meant they were fairly capable.
"How are the auction preparations?"
"The seating and stage on the deck have been fully set up, and since everything was handled in secret, there were no thefts of the items."
"Good."
"All of the VIPs have already boarded the airship."
"They've taken time out of their busy schedules. We can't afford to waste it. Let's get moving."
In the end, the Sky Auction was an overwhelming success.
Honestly, it had been practically impossible for the concept to fail from the very beginning.
Watching the excited VIPs disembark from the airship with flushed faces, Oscar thought,
‘Once they start bragging to everyone in high society who couldn't make it today...’
The next auction might require connecting several airships together.
Or perhaps they would need to build a special airship solely for the auction.
Oscar leaned against the deck for a while.
Then the atmosphere around him changed.
The surroundings, already quiet, somehow became even quieter.
"So, did it meet your expectations?"
"It was quite an interesting idea."
Smiling at the praise, Oscar turned around.
It was the VIP of all VIPs who had personally come to grace the occasion—the Emperor himself.
Oscar respectfully bowed, but the Emperor merely snorted.
"Act as you usually do."
"Aw, don't say that. When have I ever not treated you respectfully?"
"I remember someone lecturing me because I drank the last glass without consulting him first."
"W-Well, back then... I was drunk..."
Oscar gave a light cough before asking,
"What do you think?"
After a brief silence, the Emperor let out a heavy sigh.
"The Imperial Family has already weathered one great ordeal."
He was probably referring to the massive purge of traitors within the Imperial Family.
The Emperor wore a somewhat weary expression.
"Even the worm that had nested inside my head... I lived believing one of them had planted it there. Or perhaps... I merely wanted to believe that."
But this incident as well—the crucial information had leaked from within the Imperial Family.
The Imperial soldier disguised as a passenger, the airship's route, even the existence of the emergency lever.
Though he gazed across the open runway, it felt as though his chest was tightly constricted.
"The only ones who possessed that information were the heads of the departments connected to the airship project and the direct members of the Imperial Family. Altogether, there are fewer than twenty people."
Oscar swallowed hard.
Only twenty.
And judging from the Emperor's reaction, he apparently hadn't suspected any of them.
"The heads of those departments have been with me for many years. Though we share no blood, I have always believed them to be trustworthy."
Men like old Andre, no doubt.
By the time he finished hearing that much, Oscar had figured out whom the Emperor suspected.
‘...His bloodline.’
His own children.
Looking at it now, it was only natural.
‘I'd assumed someone planted the worm simply because the Empire would descend into chaos if Uncle Emperor died of illness...’
If the Emperor disappeared, the greatest beneficiaries would undoubtedly be those next in line for succession.
The problem was that there were quite a few of them.
"This is giving me a headache."
"That's exactly how I feel. Dizzy. I always knew this was a lonely seat. That's why I prided myself on never growing too attached to anyone... Yet to think the day would come when I couldn't even trust my own children."
Oscar gently patted the shoulder of the bitterly smiling Emperor.
The Emperor slowly turned his head and stared at Oscar's hand.
Then his eyes silently asked what exactly he thought he was doing.
"Comforting you. In my own way."
Oscar shrugged.
The Emperor let out a small chuckle.
"That's enough. History has taught me countless times that a day like this might eventually come."
The Emperor had become a man of iron to prevent exactly this.
He had consolidated all authority into his own hands and had declared the Crown Prince long ago.
And yet this still happened...
‘Most likely the work of someone who fell behind in the succession struggle.’
The problem was figuring out who.
Among twenty people, every one of them would hold considerable influence within the Imperial Family.
It wasn't as though they could simply abduct and torture them.
"How do you intend to root them out?"
"For the time being, I won't lay a finger on them."
Oscar frowned at the Emperor's calm reply.
"Of course, cornering a rat too much may cause it to bite the cat. But if you do nothing at all, they'll stay hidden for a thousand years, or even ten thousand."
"That would be true if we had no leads."
"You mean..."
"Recently, the Shadow Trackers landed a big catch."
"A big catch?"
"They discovered what is believed to be the Black Finger's headquarters."
Oscar's eyes widened.
If that was true, there was no need to pressure the traitor inside the Imperial Family.
‘As long as we wipe out their main base and deliberately let a few rumors leak...’
The anxious traitor would crawl out of hiding on their own.
"So there'll be a large-scale purge."
"That's right. And I'd like your help with it."
"My help? Why... Ah!"
Everything suddenly clicked together inside Oscar's head, and he could see the bigger picture the Emperor had drawn.
"You're not planning to let the enemy know we're searching on our own, are you? Instead, you'll make it seem as though you're focusing on catching the traitor inside the Imperial Family."
"Just as sharp as ever. Correct. Outwardly, it'll appear that we're tightening security within the Imperial Palace. The enemy will keep their heads down and watch our movements."
"The Imperial Family's elites won't be leaving the palace, so they'll assume their headquarters is safe... and that's when I strike."
"For the same reason, the whereabouts of those representing each Magic Tower must be obvious. That's why I need capable individuals who can operate beneath the surface. Can the White Tower's Special Operations Department handle it?"
Including himself, the White Tower's Special Operations Department only had four members.
But those troublemakers had all reached at least Level 6 now.
‘Especially Fran. Levels hardly mean anything in his case.’
If he made proper use of the Colorless Spirit, he could put up a good fight even against most late Level 7 opponents.
Oscar asked,
"How strong are the forces at the location believed to be their headquarters?"
"According to the report, two of the Fingers are currently staying there."
They had crossed paths with the Black Finger countless times before, yet never once encountered a Finger directly.
Which meant the place they had found this time was highly likely to be the organization's true headquarters.
"I realize this may be unnecessary to ask, but this information..."
"It came directly to me. Furthermore, the people who identified the location are currently waiting at one of my secret safe houses. They cannot contact anyone without my permission."
"Waiting" was little different from being detained.
In other words, security was being kept airtight to ensure this information leaked nowhere.
Oscar's mind spun rapidly.
‘In this situation... we can definitely catch them.’
The traitor inside the Imperial Family wouldn't know they possessed this trump card.
Which meant, to avoid drawing suspicion during the upcoming investigation, they would most likely cut off all contact with the headquarters themselves.
That was an enormous advantage.
It meant the traitor wouldn't even think of cutting their own tail.
"The question is whether the White Tower's Special Operations Department alone can accomplish this."
"We can."
Oscar answered confidently.
Not only were the troublemakers—excluding himself—already remarkably capable, they also possessed a hidden trump card.
"I'll be taking the Mad Fiend. Gilliot."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed.
"...Hasn't he still not fully recovered his memories?"
"That's true. But even so, he has no trouble distinguishing friend from foe."
Someone who had reached the late stages of Level 7 would undoubtedly be a tremendous asset.
More importantly, he was a perfect joker card whose very existence was known to only a handful of people, even within the White Tower.
"The other elders of the White Tower—especially the Tower Master, Sasha, and Lloyd—must have clearly established whereabouts. Judging from this latest terrorist attack, the enemy is already wary of your spatial movement magic."
"I know."
Lloyd was currently staying in the Kingdom of Yan.
He had originally gone there to search for Gilliot, but the last letter Oscar had received said he had discovered something new to learn.
As for Sasha, who would have returned after the Mage's Night, they would also need to establish a clear explanation for her whereabouts.
For the first time in a long while, Oscar felt his heart burning with excitement.
"Leave it to me. This time, we'll wipe out every last one of those bastards connected to the demon race."
The moment the secret meeting with Uncle Emperor ended, Oscar returned to the White Tower.
And when he stepped into his room—
The Mad Fiend, having returned from Magiro's dungeon, was sitting in a chair.
With an aura entirely unlike his usual self.

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