Levin returned to his chamber, massaging his temples as he organized the discoveries of the day.
The security checks for the speech could not detect magical scrolls, only conventional melee weapons and crossbows.
This was quite reasonable, considering that magical scrolls are as thin as paper—indeed, they are just paper. There are countless ways to smuggle them in; one could even conceal them beneath the skin. Surely, one cannot expect to strip every individual to check for scrolls? Moreover, magical scrolls are prohibited in Weimar City, effectively filtering them from the outset. Conducting further checks on scrolls would yield minimal returns.
The costs would outweigh the benefits, and those intent on smuggling would always find a way; it would be wiser to focus efforts on preventing the dissemination of magical scrolls.
If an assassination were to be carried out, magical scrolls would indeed be the superior choice, as their power surpasses that of bows and crossbows, rendering them more difficult to defend against—especially the high-tier Phantom Killer scroll in Levin's possession. Without a magical analysis, a victim's demise would appear as sudden as a heart attack to onlookers.
However, magical scrolls can be countered with opposing magic; for example, magical missiles could be thwarted by the low-tier Shield spell, while Levin's high-tier Phantom Killer could be obstructed by mind-protection spells.
A point in favor of assassination is that all mind-protection spells cannot fully block illusionary magic. To draw an analogy, mind-protection spells are like immunity-boosting medications—they alleviate the effects of illusion spells, making it easier to navigate through them, but they cannot obliterate the magic like antibiotics do to viruses.
Additionally, the most fundamental mind-protection spell, "Mind Barrier," is already high-tier magic. Unless cast through a scroll or by another high-tier mage, Harrington would be incapable of invoking such protective magic himself.
In other words, the probability of success for his assassination is quite high. Even with the simplest of disguises—a hooded cloak—if he tears a high-tier Invisibility scroll to enter, then activates the high-tier Phantom Killer during the speech, and finally tears another Invisibility scroll to escape, he would likely succeed.
The plans and tools provided by the Varkalis Church are remarkably feasible... Levin shuddered at the thought. They had managed to devise a high-probability assassination plan against a senator. If the executor were someone other than himself—perhaps a death knight from their church—Harrington would likely already be dead.
But why would they target Senator Harrington?
From today's investigation, Levin had learned that Harrington primarily represented those involved in the magical industrial sector within Weimar City and its surrounding industries, as well as immigrants from the Hein Empire who are pro-Empire.
This has nothing to do with the Varkalis Church, does it? What advantage could there be in assassinating a senator who supports the magical industry and is pro-Empire?
Could they be an environmental protection organization, akin to the Druids in the northwest, opposing industrial development?
Reining in his increasingly far-fetched thoughts, Levin sensed that the Varkalis Church must have a significant agenda behind this.
A high-tier Phantom Killer scroll is exceedingly rare. If they had deployed it against Inspector Arios on that day, he would likely have perished, creating a substantial advantage on the battlefield. The special operations team would inevitably need to intervene to control the situation, preventing further escalation, and the guard's upper echelons would suffer considerable losses.
Yet, they entrusted such a scroll to him, a recent defector. This indicates that he is indeed regarded as highly significant in their eyes, and it also suggests that they possess ample resources, allowing them to use such valuable assets to test his loyalty.
As far as Levin knew, the upper echelons of the Varkalis Church lacked arcanists. While they do have spellcasters—mainly priests and prophets—they are short on mages and sorcerers.
This correlates closely with the Church's organizational structure and nature. As an openly secretive cult, they primarily spread their doctrine through intimidation and enticement, with benefits focusing on divine magic and werewolf transformation rituals. These offerings lack appeal for knowledge-seeking mages and bloodline-advancing sorcerers, leading to a scarcity of arcane spellcasters among their ranks.
So where did this high-tier Phantom Killer scroll come from?
Smuggling? High-priced acquisition? Ancient magical relics? Or perhaps... assistance from a powerful faction?
If it involves the smuggling of military-grade materials... how corrupt must the army be for such high-tier combat power to leak? One must remember that, in this age where legends loom like nuclear warheads, high-tier combat capabilities represent the pinnacle of each nation's might.
In an independent region like Weimar City, there are barely a dozen high-tier mages, relying on the falling stars magic ritual to rival legends. If not for the high-tier mages of the Sage Council excavating such experimental arrays from ancient relics and formalizing them, the Duchy of Weimar would likely have been absorbed by the Hein Empire or the Frigid Federation long ago.
Precious scrolls capable of producing such high-tier combat power are the most elite items among military supplies, just below legendary scrolls. If they were to fall into the hands of the Varkalis Church, deemed a terrorist organization by most nations, the logistical operations would likely require a significant number of casualties.
High-priced anonymous acquisitions are indeed a possibility; however, high-tier mages at this level generally lack for nothing, making it hard to envision a scenario where a renowned mage would fall so low as to barter their own crafted scrolls for gold. Simply put, high-tier mages represent the utmost combat prowess available in the current world order; it is difficult to conceive that a high-tier mage would be swayed by the Varkalis Church's monetary offerings to create scrolls for them.
Unearthing scrolls from ancient magical relics is another plausible avenue. After all, Weimar City has benefited from ancient magic remnants, having unearthed the foundational elements of the Falling Stars ritual. It is not inconceivable that the Varkalis Church could discover several high-tier magical scrolls through their explorations.
Yet, if the scrolls were indeed obtained from magical ruins, they would be akin to non-renewable resources. After all, such sites are not as common as wild vegetables sprouting annually; their rarity is undeniable. Unless the Varkalis Church has excavated the grave of a deceased legend, where high-tier scrolls are plentiful enough to serve as toilet paper, it seems unlikely they would part with a scroll merely to test a spy's loyalty.
If a powerful faction were involved...
This, in many respects, is the most plausible explanation.
Linking back to earlier thoughts, the assassination of Senator Harrington offers negligible benefits to the Varkalis Church. Apart from unsettling the citizens of Weimar City, there seems to be little gain. However, for other factions, eliminating Harrington could yield significant advantages, prompting them to supply the scroll to the Varkalis Church as a means to conceal their own culpability.
Levin felt he was edging closer to the truth.
So, the question arises: which faction stands to gain the most from Harrington's assassination?
A senator who supports the advancement of the magical industry and is pro-Empire, if assassinated, would inevitably diminish the influence of progressive voices advocating for magical industry growth, thereby amplifying the voice of traditional industries.
However, the traditional industry representatives in Weimar City... frankly, they are not particularly formidable. They are, by nature, quite conservative, lacking the resources and audacity to muster a high-tier magical scroll to eliminate their political adversaries.
The crux of the matter likely lies in Harrington's diplomatic stance.
As a pro-Empire senator, Harrington is well-known both in Weimar City and the Hein Empire; he is even referred to as "a good friend of the Hein Empire." In a sovereign nation, such a label could almost be considered treasonous, but within the free city of Weimar, it is widely accepted, and few see anything amiss in this designation.
Therefore, if Senator Harrington is assassinated, the immediate beneficiary would be the Frigid Federation, a powerful nation standing in opposition to the Hein Empire.
The assassination of a pro-Empire senator would inevitably bolster the influence of pro-Federation representatives within the council, resulting in positive shifts in the relationship between Weimar City and the Frigid Federation for a time.
But would the Hein Empire suffer entirely? Not necessarily.
The expansionist ambitions of the Hein Empire are exceedingly strong. Over the past few decades, their expansionist march has never faltered, absorbing numerous smaller nations devoid of legendary figures. Should "a good friend of the Hein Empire" be assassinated, the factions within the Empire advocating for peaceful coexistence with Weimar would likely be overpowered by the hawks eager to annex Weimar by force, potentially inciting a wave of hostility towards Weimar within the Empire itself.
It seems I have inadvertently become ensnared in a significant maelstrom. Levin felt a headache coming on.
Moreover, today's investigation yielded an unexpected revelation concerning Senator Harrington... Levin recalled the information he had gleaned through the Chaos Investigation.
Harrington's bodyguard is a pedophile...
Does Harrington know? What role does he play in this tangled web?