Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Invited to the Research Lab (1)
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"Well, I'll be damned. To actually send a proxy employee for real... Damn it, they don't give a damn about the situation here."
A grumpy man in a hood grumbled in discontent.
Creases were starting to form on his face. He was a researcher at the Herb Research Institute in Mountain Face, fairly old but not high in rank.
"I'm sorry. The professor was busy, so he sent me in his place. I'd appreciate your understanding."
Oliver politely asked for leniency, but the man had no intention of listening.
There was some negativity toward Oliver, but the guy's personality seemed inherently irritable anyway.
Not rational anger like Willis's, but emotional rage.
He snorted derisively and muttered.
"Hah! Busy? How busy can he possibly be..."
Jealousy and irritation shone through his emotions.
Oliver couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but it seemed tied to his exhaustion—life force so dim from fatigue—rough hands, and the dirt on his work clothes.
As Oliver pondered how to respond, a woman emerged from inside the lab.
"Watch your mouth. Chief Researcher Hayden. Professor Kevin is a Magic Tower master, higher status than you."
The woman who appeared out of nowhere was in her thirties, dressed in the same work clothes as the man.
The difference was that she brimmed with vitality and self-confidence.
As she approached, the hooded man fawned awkwardly.
"Y-Yes? Yes, Director."
"Get inside, Hayden."
At the woman's gentle command, the man named Hayden nodded repeatedly and scurried into the lab like he was fleeing.
Once the man was fully gone, the woman extended her dirt-stained hand to Oliver.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sophie, director of the Herb Research Institute here. I heard you were coming."
Oliver shook her hand courteously in response to her friendly greeting.
"I'm Xenon Bright, personal employee hired by Professor Kevin Dunba of the Elemental School. It's an honor to meet you, Director Sophie."
Sophie burst into laughter at Oliver's impeccably polite introduction.
"Ah, sorry. I was curious who Kevin hired, and you're as amusing as expected. Forgive Hayden's grumbling earlier. He's been cooped up here so long, he's got a lot of pent-up frustration."
"I'm fine. Do you know Professor Kevin?"
"Of course. We're alumni... Care to come in for a bit?"
Oliver nodded and stepped inside. Sophie suddenly held out her palm, stopping him.
"Hold on. Who's he?"
Sophie pointed to Willis, who wore a leather mask.
As prearranged, Oliver introduced Willis as a hired fixer.
"A fixer?"
"Yes, I heard this place could be rough."
"Hmm... Outsiders have a hard time getting in. For wizards, research and knowledge are life, so we're conservative about security."
"I'm aware the bylaws allow entry with a guarantor."
Sophie's eyes widened slightly.
"Ho... You read the entire Magic Tower Bylaws? That massive thing?"
"I'm going to work for the Magic Tower."
"You're dedicated... No one reads that boring brick these days just for that. No choice then. Come on in."
Sophie permitted Willis's entry.
"Just remember, if anything goes wrong, it could reflect badly on Kevin too."
"Yes, I understand. The professor will see it."
"Will he? He's a picky one."
"He sent me in his place, so I trust he'll allow this much discretion."
"Hah! Not just amusing, but gutsy too. I like it. I expect you'll be that helpful."
"I'll do my utmost, though I'm lacking."
"Good. Do you know the situation here?"
"Yes. A few staff from the Mountain Face labs have gone missing, and the wizards sent to investigate suddenly lost contact."
"Spot on. We've lost three from our lab."
Sophie pulled out a pipe, holding up three fingers.
She then took dried herbs from her work clothes pocket, stuffed them into the pipe, and lit it with mana.
Puff. Puff. Smoke rose with the sound. It smelled like tobacco, but sweeter.
"Sorry. I held back while working."
"I'm fine. Could I ask about the total staff here and who the three missing ones were?"
"Including all the laborers, we have fifty-four. The missing are two apprentices and one regular researcher overseeing them."
"How did they go missing?"
"While gathering necessary herbs. We'd normally leave it to nearby villagers, but these required mana to harvest properly, so we sent those guys... In hindsight, a mistake."
Sophie acted calm, but regret shone inwardly.
"Still... three out of fifty-four isn't that many."
"We restricted all external movement right after the incidents. Labs slower to respond took slightly heavier losses."
"How serious is it?"
"Not from the Magic Tower's view. Still manageable. They don't want a fuss over this, and it's a backwater post anyway."
Sophie's words carried weight. As Oliver grasped the implication, Willis chimed in from behind.
"Any rumors or talk going around?"
Sophie stared at Willis before replying.
"Rumors?"
"Yes. Disappearances always spawn weird tales. Monsters, ghosts, that sort."
"Same as what the villagers say. Did you stop by there?"
Sophie asked Oliver, who confirmed it.
"Yes, to see if there were other clues."
"Hm... Not a bad approach. The locals are suffering too. To answer, we haven't seen any."
"I see."
"Yes. External movement's restricted anyway. Tower-sent wizards searched but found nothing... So it's one of two things."
"What?"
"Baseless gossip, or the ghost's smart enough to evade wizard detection."
Oliver fell into thought at her words.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Could I ask what exactly this lab does?"
"Related to the disappearances?"
"A bit. And I'm curious."
Sophie smiled faintly.
"Kevin picked a fun one... We research herbs, as the name says. You might know superior potions need them. Not huge in Alchemy School, but vital."
"So, someone might covet that research?"
Oliver asked calmly but sharply. Sophie smirked, getting the point.
"Of course. Wizard research pays well. But thieves targeting lab data are rare these days. At least outsiders."
"Really?"
"Wizards face theft risks often, so they prepare. Each lab like this has security systems and guards. Hard to raid, and we can respond if hit."
"Security systems?"
"Yes. Daily reports to schools include unique codes. Any issue, we know instantly. Emergency networks alert nearby labs and Tower too. Impossible for problems to go unnoticed."
Oliver could only let out an "Ah..."
He'd wondered if the disappearances were a prelude to a raid, but per Sophie, that seemed unlikely.
"Any other questions?"
As dusk fell, Oliver left the Herb Research Institute with Willis and returned to the village.
He'd asked a few more, but gleaned nothing new.
Predictable questions got predictable answers—expected results.
"Sorry. Thought we'd get something, but no luck."
"Not really? It's fine. I didn't expect answers on the first try. Got useful info instead, so I'm satisfied."
"Useful info?"
"Yeah. Even Tower wizards found no traces, right? Means the culprit's no ordinary foe."
Willis meant the perpetrator behind the vanishings. Oliver agreed.
This wasn't ordinary. Human involvement was certain.
With wizards among the missing, the perp wasn't average either.
Hence Oliver's raid suspicion.
'Too black mage perspective? True, wizards have scale, systems, and law's protection unlike black mages. Raiding isn't easy.'
The lab's security made cleanup after a raid problematic too.
A researcher or worker vanishing versus a full assault were worlds apart.
The Tower would drop caution and send swarms of wizards.
No gain for raiders then.
'Figuring this out ain't easy.'
"Your guess wasn't bad."
Willis told Oliver approvingly.
"I figured human traffickers or body-experimenting black mages targeting villagers. But Mountain Face? Could be the labs."
"Ah, you're too kind."
"Not at all. Tower folk rarely think that way."
Oliver tilted his head.
"Not that much, I think?"
"Nah. Tower's so big now, they don't imagine getting hit first. Smart wizards stay vigilant, but most don't. They feel invincible. Your take was intriguing."
Willis eyed him sharply, suspicion flickering.
"Like I said, first time in the Tower this year."
"What before?"
"Pardon?"
"What'd you do pre-Tower? Waiter? Bellboy? Factory grunt? Fixer?"
Not casual—laden with certainty.
As Oliver opened his mouth, something approached from afar.
Oliver sensed via black mage sight; Willis via periodic detection spells.
Conversation halted. Without a word, they braced for the arrival.
Soon, someone pushed through the brush. A woman in outdoor gear, incongruously wearing an expensive necklace.
"Haa... Haa... Hello! I'm Lena, regular researcher from the Life School's Chimera Lab under the Life School. I got word from the Herb Lab—are you Xenon Bright, proxy for Professor Kevin Dunba?"
"They'll arrive soon, even if late. Didn't expect a ride—thanks."
Lena from the Life School Chimera Lab said this while riding in the truck bed with Oliver and Willis.
She explained the Chimera Lab researched chimeras using Mountain Face beasts.
Luckily, her lab heard of Oliver's arrival via the Herb Lab and sent her—the one out at the time—to fetch him.
"Really lucky. I was nearby. Thrilled to meet so easily."
"Glad you think so... Just a proxy, yet the warm welcome is too much."
Willis's eyes glinted at Oliver's shift—polite but not servile.
Lena waved her hand with her signature bright smile.
"No, no! We're just relieved the Tower sent support. Even passing on our words is enough!"
"Words?"
"Oh, didn't I mention? We found some traces."
"Traces?"
"Yes! Of the disappearances! Can't say details yet, but we've figured some out."
"Impressive."
"Not really. Our lab's sizable here, with many missing. As they say, the thirsty dig the well."
"Heard from the Herb Lab. One of the hardest hit..."
"Ah, not that. Out for an experiment. Checking marked beasts for observation. Can't stop research amid chaos. Many want results fast to leave... You might not know."
"Heard a bit earlier. Mountain Face is a backwater for the whole Tower."
"Yes. Decent work, but no recognition. Most aim to achieve here and return to Tower... Haven't had outsiders in ages, so I'm chatty."
Lena laughed. Her words held emotion, some sincerity—like she truly felt that way.
Oliver watched intrigued, questioning till the truck reached the Chimera Lab.
About their specific research, staff numbers, missing count, other details.
Lena answered naturally, matching the Herb Lab's info.
The truck stopped.
The driver called through the cab slits.
"We're here."
Lena, Willis, and Oliver disembarked.
The sky was already dark.
Oliver approached the cab.
"Driver."
"Yes?"
"I left luggage in the village. Could you fetch it? If tired, rest there and come tomorrow."
The driver's brow furrowed at Oliver's abrupt request. After hauling up late, now errands without rest.
But as Willis's helper, he was sharp—glanced at Willis wordlessly.
Willis, catching on, nodded slightly.
"Yes... Got it."
The driver replied and started the truck.
Lena reacted.
"It's late—better rest and go tomorrow?"
"Sorry. Want to, but it's important. He's fine, so no worries."
"Aha..."
Lena said no more; the driver descended unhindered.
Probably not back till before dawn.
"Could you show us to the lab?"
"Ah, yes! Follow me."
She snapped to and led to the Chimera Lab.
Her claim of size wasn't bluff—bigger than the Herb Lab.
Herb Lab was greenhouse-like atop ground.
Chimera Lab was a secret fortress carved into sheer cliffside.
Same Tower labs, vast intimidation gap.
"Life School obsesses over security more than others. Follow."
Lena led; Oliver and Willis followed.
The Life School lab had thick iron doors. Hand to it, mana reacted—grrr—heavy opening.
"Like the Magic Tower library's auto-doors."
"Oh, you know it. Inspired by that, fused with Life School tech for security."
Inside, eight presumed guards awaited.
As if expecting them, they gestured to escort without a word, surrounding Oliver and Willis.
Escort or encirclement.
Door shut behind, sealing off outside.
Only faint ceiling bulbs lit the veiled-dim interior.
Oliver eyed the bulbs.
"How's Life School tech integrated?"
"Tower auto-doors use World Tree settings—input set mana, door opens. Know that?"
"Yes."
"Similar principle. Tap World Tree for comms, apply Life School settings for authorized entry only."
"Life School settings?"
As Oliver asked, dim bulbs flickered.
Tidip— Tidip— Tic—
"Yes. Everyone's mana flow is unique. Like fingerprints."
Lena pointed to her fingertips.
"No matching flow and print opens it. For security, one researcher tests daily."
"No intruder worries then?"
"Nope."
"But can leather masks replicate prints perfectly?"
Everyone halted.
Lena, Willis, surrounding guards—all.
"One thing I don't get. Mana flows differ per person—I know that. But mimic easily? Seems finicky and precise."
"Oh... Really?"
Lena turned, face unnaturally mask-like, turning vicious.
Veins bulging, muscles rippling, fangs elongating.
"Fun bluffer. We'll check slowly... Bite."
At Lena's order, surrounding guards roared beast-like and lunged. Corridor bulbs pop!—went dark.
Darkness engulfed all.