Chapter 134: Mercury
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Mercury
"A torn-out heart..."
Celicia stared at the gruesome hole in the corpse's chest, her expression growing increasingly grim.
"Was it the direct cause of death?"
"Most likely, but we can't be a hundred percent certain," the balding middle-aged man replied.
"We’ve performed a preliminary examination of the body. Aside from the cavity in the chest, there are no other external injuries. Our initial assessment is that the cause of death was the forceful removal of the heart. However, since a detailed autopsy hasn't been conducted yet, we can't rule out the possibility that the victim was first killed by poison or a curse."
"There are far too many ways to kill someone without leaving external marks, so there's no need to dwell on that. What I want to know is how his heart was removed."
Celicia pulled on a pair of gloves and gently pulled back the tattered clothing on the victim's chest to peer into the jagged wound.
"These marks... they don't look like they were made by a blade."
"They weren't..." The middle-aged man paused, a hint of dread creeping into his voice. "Our initial finding is that it was done with bare hands. Someone reached in and ripped the heart out with their naked fist."
"A magical beast?"
"A person," the man said. "And based on the marks, we suspect it might have been a woman."
"A woman..." Celicia’s gaze sharpened. "I recall a rumor circulating in the Lower District. A legend about a Heart-Devouring Banshee who lures men in on nights of the full moon, only to tear out their hearts and consume them."
Celicia glanced up at the pitch-black sky. "The weather is foul, but according to the calendar, tonight is indeed a full moon. Does that mean the rumor might be true?"
"There... there is such a legend." The balding man wiped his forehead more frequently and with more force, making one worry he might accidentally scrub off the few pathetic hairs remaining on his scalp. "But the Lower District is a melting pot of all sorts; it's far too chaotic. We pull at least a dozen bodies out of the alleys and gutters every day, so we’ve never been able to verify if the rumor is true."
"Whether it's true or not, it's a lead."
"Yes, we'll investigate. We'll look into it immediately."
"Any other information?"
"Not... not for the moment," the man said, trembling. "By the time we arrived, the heavy rain had washed away almost all traces. Furthermore, the killer didn't even use a weapon. It’s incredibly difficult to find any other clues."
"So, we can only start with the victim himself?"
Celicia lowered her eyelids, her gaze sweeping over the body.
It was no wonder the middle-aged man looked so stressed. A rainy night, a murder, a torn-out heart, the son of a Count, and even a terrifying urban legend—if any part of this was handled poorly, it would be enough to cost him his position, or even his life.
"You all can withdraw for now," Celicia suddenly said, as if she had spotted something.
"Eh? No... we're stopping the investigation?" The man was stunned.
"This has moved beyond the scope of what you can handle."
Celicia looked at the victim's hand.
Due to rigor mortis, the bloodless hand was twisted like a frozen chicken claw, as if it had been desperately trying to grab onto something in its final moments. And beneath the blood-stained nails of those contorted fingers, Celicia saw something different.
Scales.
Fine, black scales.
They looked like snake scales.
"Snake People..."
As if a realization had struck her, a cold light flashed in Celicia's eyes as she whispered the name.
*
"What... is this?"
Teacher Mela, of course, hadn't actually pulled out hammers and drills to haphazardly modify Muen like some mad scientist from a story. Instead, she had brought him to a lake that looked as though it were filled with molten mercury.
No, it wasn't so much a lake as it was a well of unspeakable proportions.
"This is the Silver Well."
Mela pointed toward it and said, "It is both the foundation of the Academy and the cage that suppresses that thing."
"That thing?"
"I know you're curious, but regarding that thing, I advise you not to ask until you become a Crown Bearer."
Mela gave Muen a cold look, causing him to shut his mouth instantly.
"Well, since this isn't a tour of a prison for a lecture on ethics, what are we doing here?"
"Strengthening you, obviously."
"Strengthening?"
"To become a vessel for the Eternal Clock, the most important thing is that your 'foundation' is stable enough," Mela explained. "Therefore, I need to perform a certain degree of enhancement on you so that you can develop a resistance to the complex laws of Time."
"Resistance?"
"To put it simply, I'm making you more durable."
"Durable?" Muen was becoming increasingly confused.
"Why do you have to ask about everything?" Teacher Mela couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Because I don't know anything!"
"Sigh." Mela let out a long-suffering sigh, wearing an expression that clearly said how did I end up with such a stupid disciple? She pointed at the Mercury Well. "Forget it. Don't overthink. Just jump in."
"Oh, okay, so I just have to jump—like hell I will!" Muen roared in terror. "Anyone can see you can't just jump into a place like this! That's mercury! It's poisonous!"
"I don't know what your definition of mercury is, but in alchemy, pure mercury is one of the fundamental elements that make up all things."
"Oh, I see." Muen breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't the mercury he was thinking of.
"Though, it is extremely toxic. I hope you don't die too quickly."
"Eh?"
Before Muen could react, he turned his head only to see Teacher Mela’s dainty, white foot rapidly expanding in his field of vision.
"What do you mean 'eh'? Get in there!"
The impatient Teacher Mela leaped into the air, delivering a loli-kick that sent Muen flying into the well.
"Dammit!"
Feeling the sharp pain in his cheek from the kick and the intense discomfort of weightlessness, Muen let out a tragic wail mid-air.
"Why do godforsaken tropes like anti-gravity skirts have to exist in reality too?!"
*
Muen plunged into the Mercury Well.
It felt like falling into thick sludge. In an instant, Muen was enveloped by the dense, flowing liquid. He instinctively held his breath.
But the endless mercury seemed to possess a will of its own. It surged through his nostrils, his ear canals, his pores—every possible opening—and flooded into his body with a vengeance.
Agonizing pain flared instantly. Muen felt the mercury begin to systematically corrode his body, spreading rapidly like ink dropped into clear water.
Everywhere the mercury touched, his body seemed to experience the passage of countless eons, rapidly rotting away into scattered dust.
"Use the fire."
Teacher Mela’s voice echoed in his ear.
Without a moment's hesitation, Muen snapped his eyes open. Within those azure pupils, a fire suddenly ignited.
The Withered King's Crimson Flame was both a flame of death that incinerated all and a flame of vitality that brought forth new life. This was why he hadn't died even after taking a direct hit from a Crown Bearer.
Under the searing heat of that flame, Muen’s lost flesh began to rapidly regenerate. The new flesh seemed to shimmer with a mercurial luster.
But this brought him no relief.
The mercury’s erosion continued, seemingly without end.
The agonizing pain of rotting flesh, the itching sensation of limbs regenerating like the biting of a thousand ants—two diametrically opposed yet equally horrific sensations were driving Muen’s consciousness to the brink of madness.
Any ordinary person would have lost their mind long ago.
But—
"Who the hell—do you think—I am?!"
Surrounded by the infinite mercury, Muen’s face contorted into a snarl. A beast-like roar escaped his clenched teeth.
"I’ve experienced—death—countless times! You think—I’m afraid of you?!"
Muen threw his mouth open and began to gulp down the mercury, swallowing it directly into his stomach.
It was like pouring cold water into boiling oil. Two incompatible, powerful forces collided violently within his body.
If you're going for thrills, then take it all the way!
*
"Yes, yes! That’s it!"
Watching the changes occurring in Muen as he was submerged in the endless mercury, Mela’s vibrant red eyes flashed with excitement.
"The Withered King's flame only accelerates the process and increases your survival rate by a mere ten percent. What you truly rely on is yourself, Muen Campbell!"
"Only with a will this powerful is it possible to one day truly master this supreme Authority!"
"And only then... can you help me achieve my final goal."