Chapter 248
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 248
Chapter Title: A Flawed Solution
Loan tilted his head at the dark priest's reaction.
His attitude had changed far too dramatically.
Facing the ice wall, Loan asked.
“Are you happy to see me?”
“Ah… Of course. You are the only savior who can get me out of this place.”
“Savior?”
Finding the dark priest's choice of words strange, Loan glanced back.
Magda answered for him.
“He's a prisoner captured by a Runner of the Faith Division, is he not? The power over his life and death rests with you, Loan.”
“Ah…”
When Loan looked back at the dark priest, the man’s eyes were welling with tears as he pressed both hands against the ice wall.
His palms were dark and necrotic, but it seemed he had no trouble moving them or using their functions.
The dark priest pleaded.
“Please, continue. There isn't much left. When this is all over, you will see just how useful I can be.”
Loan tilted his head once more.
It didn't seem to be merely because he held the man's life in his hands.
If he was in so much pain, he should have been begging for a quick death, not asking to continue.
The dark priest now seemed to be filled with some kind of hope.
“He really seems to think he's getting out of here. How can he have such hope, given the sins he's committed?”
Just then, Werner handed Loan a record sheet detailing the research.
It was an action that suggested a reversal of roles, but neither Loan nor Werner paid it any mind. Only Magda covered her mouth and smiled.
Loan read through the research log carefully.
It started with basic information about the test subject, the dark priest. Seeing the things he had done, killing him immediately seemed the most natural course of action.
He might have suffered from torture and plague experiments, but what he had inflicted on others was far worse.
So many had been sacrificed for his human modification and brainwashing experiments. Even children.
Loan suppressed the anger boiling inside him and turned the page.
The next section was about the plague.
‘The plague, created through the authority of the Lord of Disease, Marbas, is feared even within the Grave. One might assume the threat of the plague vanished with Marbas's death, but according to the dark priest's testimony, that is not the case…’
Among the Grave, only humans or humanoids were affected and feared the plague. The named demons did not fear it.
While it was true that Marbas, specializing in disease and poison, had developed the most potent plague, it wasn't that other demons couldn't handle it.
It was the same principle as some mages having unique magic while others could use commonly available spells.
However, it was said that even demons could not eliminate or alter the plague.
The log included a note from Magda stating that the plague's unique properties could not be compromised in any way.
Loan asked.
“So you're saying the Grave still possesses a large amount of the plague?”
“That's right…”
The dark priest trailed off, glancing around nervously.
The research record continued with a little more explanation about the plague.
Following that were the detailed records of the experiments conducted on the dark priest and their results.
The plague was divided into ten stages. The experiment began with an injection of the Stage 9 plague, the weakest.
It was noted that the dark priest suffered greatly.
His hand, touched by the plague, turned into something like rotten wood, but the spread was not severe and stopped there.
After the dark priest stabilized, the Stage 8 plague was administered.
They tried it on his other hand, and the reaction was the same as with Stage 9.
The plague was stronger, but the damage didn't worsen, remaining at a similar level.
They proceeded this way down to Stage 4. Despite it all, he did not die, and only the skin on his hands, arms, and both legs had turned dark.
“That's incredible.”
Loan was genuinely impressed.
His body had clearly adapted to the previously administered plague, allowing him to resist the stronger versions.
Otherwise, the plague would have already invaded his entire body and killed him.
Magda said.
“There are four stages left. If he makes it to Stage 1, and then endures Stage 10, the most potent of all, we can consider him to have completely overcome the plague. He won't die even if exposed to it afterward. It can't get any worse for him.”
Loan nodded, but his brow furrowed as he looked at the dark priest's necrotic skin.
“But… if this is to be a preventative measure, would other people have to sacrifice their skin like that?”
Prevention was essential for Union members, who had a high probability of encountering the plague on the battlefield, even if not for ordinary people.
It was why even Loan, who rarely feared anything, couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
Magda smiled and shook her head.
“That's the last thing I want to happen. Of course, you wouldn't fall to the plague even without turning into that.”
That wasn't necessarily true.
Even with his record of defeating Marbas, a momentary lapse was all it would take for Loan to be infected by the plague.
Werner said.
“As the one leading the mages of the tower, I was in a similar predicament. I couldn't just send them to their deaths without a viable solution, nor could I tell them to end up like that. But then, something strange happened during the experiment on that dark priest.”
“Something strange?”
“To be precise, it started when we began using the Stage 5 plague. Before I could even move the plague with telekinesis, the subject's body was already drawing it in.”
“So it's not just resisting the plague, his body is actively pulling it in from the outside?”
“Yes. And with Stage 4, the pulling force became even stronger. We're about to test Stage 3, so we'll have to see how it's changed again.”
At Werner's words, the dark priest pounded on the ice wall—*bang, bang*—and shouted that he was more than ready. To continue at once.
Loan thought for a moment.
There was no need to contemplate the human dignity of a member of the Grave.
The Union had already been trained to be free of such concerns, and simply recalling the atrocities they had committed was enough to cast aside any such hesitation.
Still, it wasn't normal for someone to desire pain to that extent.
He disliked the feeling of being led along by the priest's desires even more.
Loan asked.
“What's your game?”
“I've already told you. I simply wish to show you how useful I am.”
Pain has a funny quality to it.
If you experience it repeatedly, you grow accustomed to it. Moreover, once the agony subsides, you might find yourself wondering what it felt like, becoming curious about the pain itself.
During the six experiments where the plague seeped into his skin, the dark priest realized he possessed a special power.
He realized that if he used this power well, the Union wouldn't be able to kill him so easily.
“Once I pass Stage 10 and prove that I am free from the plague—that I can no longer be infected by it—the Union will surely recognize my usefulness. I will serve as a living antidote and cooperate with the Union.”
“How do you intend to cooperate?”
“Wherever there is plague, I will stand at the vanguard and absorb it all. I will suck up every last bit of plague in the world. So please, proceed with the next test!”
If he could remain uninfected and absorb the plague from the air or from others, using him would clearly be more advantageous than killing him.
But Loan couldn't, and wouldn't, make that promise.
Still, he was curious about the experiment's outcome.
“Please continue.”
He said, looking at Magda and Werner in turn.
Soon, a bottle sealed with freezing magic entered the space where the dark priest was confined.
It contained the Stage 3 plague. The lid opened.
Just as the man had so confidently claimed, the plague rushed out of the glass bottle and poured toward him.
It was not a natural flow.
It was swiftly drawn in, as if it had been waiting.
The dark priest soon began to writhe in agony. But his screams did not last long.
The plague stained the man's chest.
The dark priest proudly showed off his dark, necrotic skin.
“Please continue.”
At Loan's request, the Stage 2 and Stage 1 plagues seeped into the man's body.
Soon after, the final Stage 10 plague was brought inside the ice walls.
As Magda was about to unseal the glass bottle containing the plague, Loan stopped her.
“To confirm it properly, I need to see if the plague heads only for him.”
With that, he opened a part of the ice wall and stepped inside himself.
Werner, Magda, and the other mages were startled by Loan's sudden action.
“Loan!”
Loan gave a bright smile at Magda's cry.
“Just as you said, Commander, I won't fall to the plague so easily. Besides, I want to check it up close.”
“…”
Since that was Loan's will, the others could no longer stop him.
The dark priest was greatly surprised that someone so young, a mere Runner, possessed such immense authority.
It was enough to make him understand all the ruthless actions they had shown him.
Now, all that remained was the thought that he only had one more hurdle to overcome, and that he needed to make a good impression on Loan.
“Please, begin!”
With a blank expression, Loan levitated the glass bottle containing the plague between himself and the dark priest, then flicked his finger.
The opening unsealed, and the plague surged up. Then it poured toward the dark priest.
It was a one-sided flow, as if drawn by a powerful suction.
The plague covered the dark priest's face, staining his skin.
As the life drained from him, the dark priest's screams grew louder.
And following the screams came laughter. As if he were enjoying the pain. Or perhaps, rejoicing in his future prospects.
“Aaaaargh, ahahahaha!”
Loan watched the scene in silence.
He focused not just on the phenomenon itself, but on the flow of mana that caused it.
He grasped it. Understood it. And was certain.
Slowly, Loan's head nodded.
Seeing this, the dark priest, in his hideous state after completely absorbing the plague, bared his white teeth in a grin.
“How was that? You saw, didn't you? I have completely conquered the plague. Moreover, the plague cannot escape me. I, at the forefront of the Union…”
But his eyes widened, and he could not continue his words.
An expression of disbelief slid sideways and fell to the floor with a thud.
A slash of Convection had sliced clean through the man's neck.
The mages outside were just as shocked.
Loan said.
“The Union will not be led by the Grave. No matter how advantageous it may be, we cannot set such a precedent.”
Of course, he also didn't like the idea of putting that hideous face at the vanguard of the Union.
Magda and Werner agreed with Loan's words, but they couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
As if oblivious to their feelings.
Loan did not step outside, but suddenly summoned Aul.
“Aul.”
Footprints pattered through the air. Then, Aul appeared.
The creature looked around the unfamiliar, narrow space before spotting the dark priest's head on the floor and seeming pleased.
Its reaction was unusual, considering it wasn't a demon's head.
“Aul!”
Seeing the drool leaking from the side of its beak, Loan said.
“It's okay. You can eat it.”
Aul opened its mouth wide and swallowed the dark priest's head in one gulp.
It was only the size of a normal human head, so digestion was quick.
Aul, quickly returning to its usual form, fluttered charmingly in front of Loan as if asking for more.
“Aul. That thing you just ate. Sorry, but I'm going to have to take it right back out.”
Loan gently stroked Aul's head, then stuck his hand into its mouth.