Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Doubled (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The stones mixed with demonic energy, the same kind I saw in Lagaris, were embedded throughout the entire city, planted even more densely and deeply.
I fiddled with the token the bishop had given me in my pocket. The training, however brief, must have had some effect, as my Spiritual Power wasn't fluctuating uncontrollably like it used to when I encountered demonic energy.
It had only grown a little rough, that's all.
"This is insane. They're out of their minds."
"What was that?"
"Ah, nothing. Let's head to the inn first."
*Damn it, is there not even a temple here? They're just letting this much demonic energy fester? This is crazy, absolutely insane! If this energy were to explode... the Demonic Realm itself would manifest in this city.*
*What the hell is their goal, to plant so many of these stones?*
Thwack—!
On the way to the inn, the sound of a punch suddenly echoed from somewhere, and a man came tumbling out of a building.
"You rotten bastard! Get the hell out!"
"You damn son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"
"Kill them all! Just kill them!"
The man who had been rolling on the ground drew a knife and charged at the one shouting at him.
"What a mess."
"They're drawing knives and fighting in the middle of the city, but the guards are nowhere to be seen?"
When one man drew a knife, the people inside the shop also drew theirs to respond. It was a scene straight out of a lawless zone.
But amidst all these fights, there wasn't a single guard in sight, even though I'd confirmed their presence at the train station and the city gates.
Nowhere in this city could I find any trace of the Granok that was once the starting point of the magitech revolution and a renowned tourist destination within the Empire.
It was literally Granok in appearance only. Inside, it was like a lawless city festering from within. I couldn't even count how many fights I'd seen on the way to the inn.
"The people here are seriously angry, aren't they?"
Upon arriving at the inn, the unit members scratched their heads, bewildered by the city's atmosphere, which was completely different from their first impression.
"It could be the influence of a black mage. Like in Lagaris."
"Huh? No way. Is that what you were talking about earlier?"
"We need to contact the Holy Kingdom separately. We can't just stand by and watch."
I lightly stomped my foot, and my Spiritual Power spread out, digging deep into the ground.
"Kratos, can you detect..."
Peri Batoni fell silent when he saw me close my eyes and focus on something. He already knew from Derek's report what those stones were and how the Holy Kingdom perceived them.
"It's worse than Lagaris. Honestly, I don't know what their goal is, but with the stones planted this deep and in such numbers, it wouldn't be surprising if something happened at any moment."
"Hah... again?"
Everywhere we go, it's one damn thing after another. A real bumper crop of trouble.
"Don't forget our objective is to rescue Unit 3. We'll leave this city's problems to the Holy Kingdom."
"Understood."
"Reinhardt, find a communications post and contact the Holy Kingdom. Seamus, look for traces of Unit 3. They stayed here, so there must be some clues left. Everyone, carry out your tasks and reconvene this evening. As soon as we're ready, we're heading up the Kalkis Mountains, so prepare yourselves."
The unit members left one by one to carry out Peri Batoni's orders. Just as I was about to leave the room, grabbing the doorknob...
"Do you have any particular thoughts on this situation?"
"My thoughts?"
"From what I've seen, you're not just a man of action. You only appear to be."
The report from Seamus detailing the journey to the mercenary corps. And watching Kratos perfectly execute two missions. Those things had convinced him.
Kratos's behavior was exceedingly rough. One might even call him brutish, just as the rumors among the members suggested. His fists and strength always seemed to come before his head.
But looking at the missions as a whole and the choices Kratos made during them, it was clear he was anything but a fool.
Had he not avoided any major losses throughout this entire process, while simultaneously gaining a great deal?
Things like trust, reputation, and standing among the mercenaries. He had especially blended into the corps naturally after the variant Death Worm incident.
Was all of this an unintentional outcome of split-second decisions? Peri Batoni was certain that wasn't the case. He believed it was the result of deliberate intent.
"Well, I'm just more comfortable using my body. If you're asking for my opinion, I'm not sure what to say..."
Seeing Kratos smile faintly as he gave his answer, Peri Batoni nodded. He took it to mean that Kratos didn't want to talk about it yet.
"Then, you do what you can. As you see fit. And I hope you'll offer the right opinion when it's truly needed."
*Sigh. I don't want to use my brain too much anymore. It's just easier to use my body. But I guess I can't help my underlying tendency to think before I act.*
*For the deputy commander, who receives all the mission reports, to say something like that means he must have picked up on my deliberate actions somewhere.*
*Still, what he just said was basically a green light. Telling me to do what I want.*
***
In that case, there was only one thing for me to do now.
Go to my old laboratory. I had to at least confirm whether my suspicion that those Empire bastards had found and were using my lab was correct. It wasn't often I had time to act alone like this.
"I never did any research on creating chimeras. Circumstantially, anyone can see that chimera is a product of black magic research. The black mages are connected to the Empire. So, the Empire bastards are occupying my old lab, is that it?"
When I reached the entrance to the Kalkis Mountains, I found a sign "kindly" informing me that this mountain was under the direct management of the Empire and that entry was strictly forbidden.
Turning away from the sign, I looked towards a fenced-off area. Tall bushes and trees stood there, with no trace of human passage.
One of the paths to my laboratory, which I hadn't visited in ten, no, nearly twenty years.
I climbed over the fence and pushed through the undergrowth, climbing for a while before I stopped. No, I was forced to stop. Even though I was still quite a distance from the lab.
Right now, in front of me, magical defense mechanisms were plastered everywhere as if someone had drawn a line.
"Tsk."
This alone was enough proof.
The moment I stepped over that line, the surroundings suddenly fell silent, as if I had entered another world. Not a single cry of an animal or chirp of an insect could be heard.
I moved erratically as I ascended. The higher I went, the stronger the eerie feeling grew. It was as if the place was screaming, "Do not approach."
Moreover, there seemed to be a wide-range disruption spell in place, as the emergency magic flare at my waist was acting strangely.
A double-layered barbed-wire fence appeared again, along with excavated ground. It looked impeccably clean, as if it had recently undergone major repairs.
Inside, instead of the tents I had seen in front of the ruins before, there was a cluster of wooden houses.
This meant they had been established here for quite some time and were living on-site.
*Either they haven't gotten everything yet, or even if they have, this place is just perfect for their research. And what do you know, my house is still here.*
Those bastards had preserved the lodgings I had set up for my research. The inside of the cave, too, of course.
I spread my Spiritual Power wide, and it felt like it penetrated deep underground, where I could sense demonic energy.
The demonic energy was too dense to determine the exact number of people.
"Bingo. Found them."
In the deepest, most remote part of that underground area, I could sense the presence of people from whom I felt no demonic energy.
I suspected it was a prison. I could sense about a hundred people there. I couldn't tell if they were mercenaries or kidnapped civilians, but one thing was certain: there were people who needed help.
"What is it?"
"The alarm went off again, they say."
"Isn't it just an animal? Last time it was some clueless beast that wandered in. The alarm's too sensitive."
"Still, we have to go check. Things are already chaotic everywhere. Especially for us recently. One wrong move and we'll end up as test subjects ourselves."
"Phew. You're right. Let's go right away."
There was no need to heighten their security, so I didn't take the lives of the passing soldiers.
For now, it was enough that I had confirmed my suspicions. I planned to destroy and burn everything inside—not just my research data, but all the remaining inventions, except for the ones I'd take with me.
After all, I had everything perfectly preserved in my head. There was nothing for me to regret.
Now that I've confirmed it, I should go back and rejoin the others. I can't wipe that place out on my own.
***
"We've received a message from headquarters."
Peri Batoni let out a disbelieving laugh and handed over a piece of paper.
"A mission came in from the Holy Kingdom. How strange."
The paper the deputy commander offered contained a brief summary of the mission from the Holy Kingdom.
"Investigate the Kalkis Mountains where the chimera appeared. Confirm the presence of black mages and eliminate them or request support?"
"Uh, well. That overlaps, doesn't it?"
"It does. Confirming the survival of Unit 3 somewhere in the Kalkis Mountains, eliminating the chimera, and confirming the existence of black mages and their laboratory. It all overlaps. I don't know if it's a coincidence or fate."
Thanks to that, they had the leeway to deploy another unit elsewhere.
"Unit 12 will be here soon. Not just to support us in the Kalkis Mountains, but also to deal with those unidentified stones scattered throughout Granok."
Batoni was showing the same neat and disciplined character he displayed at his desk.
That side of him that prepared for any unexpected situations and sought to resolve all missions cleanly.
"Seamus?"
"It's true that Unit 3 came here, but it doesn't seem like they stayed for long. A week at most? Nothing out of the ordinary, and the last place they were seen was at the entrance to the Kalkis Mountains."
Seamus continued his report with a serious expression.
"News of the chimera has spread this far, but there's been no word since it was sighted in Antica Village. What's certain, however, is that the state of this city is abnormal, just like in Lagaris. The people are generally filled with rage."
I guessed it was likely the demonic energy of wrath. Lagaris had the demonic energy of sloth, and this place had the demonic energy of wrath.
I don't have the ability to distinguish between different types of demonic energy, but I could make a rough guess just by observing people's dispositions.
The problem is, I have no idea what they hope to achieve by planting different kinds of demonic energy in each town.
Summoning the Seven Deadly Sins? The method was too cumbersome and unsophisticated for that. It would be much faster to summon them after a mass kidnapping or slaughter. The Empire certainly has the power to do that.
"The Holy Kingdom said they would dispatch priests, but they're apparently short-staffed everywhere. Evidence of black mages is popping up all over, and large-scale uprisings are breaking out. All their manpower is tied up dealing with that, and on top of it all, there are monster waves..."
After hearing the reports, Peri Batoni tapped the table with his fingertips as if in thought, then nodded a few times and met the eyes of his unit members.
"We leave immediately. I don't see any benefit in dragging our feet. If there's something related to black mages here, as the Holy Kingdom suspects, the survival chances of our comrades drop even lower. Assuming they're still alive, we don't know when or how their situation might change."
It was the right choice and a sound judgment. Moving quickly in a situation like this was the best way to increase the unit's chances of survival. Besides, the situation was developing in an unsettling way.
The difference between "it seems related" and "it is definitely related" was a whole other matter.
"I know you're tired, but I need you to push through. Our comrades are desperately waiting for our help."
"Understood."
"Of course. We can rest later."
Late in the evening, with the moon high in the sky. Having finished all their preparations, the unit members stepped into the entrance of the Kalkis Mountains, which looked even more gloomy than it had in the afternoon—though perhaps that was just their imagination.