Chapter 511: Purpose
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 511: Purpose
"I found another document."
After a careful search, Celicia picked up a damaged piece of paper from a corner. Half of it bore scorch marks; the researchers here must have been in too much of a panic to dispose of everything properly.
"What’s it about?"
"About... the specific function of this research institute."
Celicia carefully read the legible script. The fact that it had been overlooked suggested it wasn't vital information regarding their core secrets, yet the coldness in her eyes deepened as she scanned the lines.
"Medicine. They were researching a drug."
"A drug?"
As if triggered by a keyword, Muen snapped his head around to look at her.
"Yes. A drug that can stimulate a person's potential to an extreme degree, making them incredibly powerful. Even an ordinary person could become comparable to a well-trained soldier in a short amount of time."
Stimulating potential.
Becoming stronger.
Muen’s eyes flickered. As I thought.
"Impressive. It sounds like if they had enough of it, they could raise an invincible army in no time at all."
"You know of this drug?"
Celicia looked away from the difficult-to-read document and fixed her gaze on Muen. His tone suggested a deep familiarity with the substance.
"I do. Because only two days ago, I witnessed its power firsthand."
Muen recounted his encounter with Wood, the former subordinate of the Rat King. He placed particular emphasis on the drug's effects; as someone who had fought a user, Muen understood the terrifying strength it granted better than anyone.
"I see. A drug that turns people into monsters would indeed grant a massive power boost. No wonder... they needed so many people for human experimentation."
As her grip tightened, the already fragile document began to develop radial creases. On the back of her fair hand, faint blue veins pulsed with suppressed anger.
In her peripheral vision, she saw the corner of the room where Muen had neatly lined up the corpses of the experimental subjects. Though they were covered with white cloths, the sight remained harrowing.
"But to hide in a place like the Shadow of Belland... Setting aside the secrecy, where did they get so many subjects for these experiments?"
Celicia rested her chin on her hand, her other hand tapping rhythmically against her elbow as her mind raced.
Suddenly, she froze.
It was as if a thread she had been puzzled by for a long time had finally snagged on a clue hidden in the dark. Celicia looked stunned for a moment, and then her beautiful face darkened considerably.
"...So that's it. I understand now."
"Understand what?"
"The disappearances in the Lower District, and... your question from earlier. The reason why the people of the Inner Council are so desperate to regain control of the Lower District!"
"..."
Muen, who had been tending to the bodies, paused. He stared into Celicia’s eyes, silently waiting for her deduction.
"During the Silent Moon incident, I discovered a massive number of missing person cases in the Lower District," Celicia said slowly.
"I know about that." Muen nodded.
After becoming the so-called "Dark Emperor," the primary reason he had established the rule against human trafficking in the Lower District was that he knew how rampant it had once been. Countless families had been torn apart. For Muen, who possessed memories of his previous life, there was no way he could tolerate such behavior, whether out of logic or morality.
"At the time, I thought most of those people had been sold to evil cultists to serve as catalysts for the Silent Moon incident. However, I recently reorganized and reviewed those cases. I found that a significant number of disappearances still couldn't be accounted for."
"Recently?"
Muen’s eyebrows shot up as he caught a detail. Don't tell me it was after my night raid? Even though she says she doesn't care about me, she still re-examined every Lower District incident related to me after I left?
Muen knew now wasn't the time to tease a tsundere beauty, so before her icy gaze could pierce him, he quickly said, "Please, continue."
"The cases don't match up. A vast number of trafficked people are unaccounted for. If they didn't end up in the hands of those cultists, where do you think... they went?"
"Where?" Muen let out a cold laugh.
Where else could they go? The question required no thought and no answer. They were currently standing in the middle of the answer.
"Yes. Barring any accidents, those missing person cases were the source of the victims for these human experiments. This makes it very clear why the Inner Council is so desperate to retake the Lower District—even at the cost of exposing this drug prematurely."
Celicia spoke each word with deliberate weight: "Their experiments aren't over. It’s not just the drug; they have a specific goal they haven't reached yet. They need more human subjects to complete it. To get them, they must regain control of the Lower District."
In front of Celicia stood a unique cultivation vessel. It was larger than the others, and the machinery connected to it appeared far more sophisticated.
Most importantly, while almost all the other vessels had been smashed by hand, killing the subjects inside, this one was perfectly intact. It was empty. Neither the green fluid nor the thing that should have been inside remained. Only a few small, sharp tubes lay discarded haphazardly at the bottom.
This indicated that, unlike the others, the contents of this vessel had been taken away.
In a situation where they were fleeing in such haste that they were willing to abandon most of their subjects and lose years of progress, the fact that they still took the contents of this vessel spoke volumes about its importance.
Muen also noticed the special vessel, his eyes flickering with a mix of dark thoughts.
"Those people have been rotting away at the Empire's foundations for a long time. They possess staggering wealth; they wouldn't risk their lives just for a few business routes. Therefore, their goal can only be people! People to use as test subjects!"
"And whether it's obtaining trafficked people from the Lower District or smuggling them in from outside Belland, the channels in the Lower District are essential. They can't bypass them... so they have no choice but to try and seize control again!"
Celicia slowly clenched her slender fingers into a fist.
The fragile documents finally gave way, crumbling into frost-like dust that dissolved into the green solution covering the floor.
"..."
"Waaaaah—"
The cry of an infant suddenly shattered the silence following Celicia’s words.
An experimental subject they had thought dead began to wail, letting out a mournful, agonized sound.
Muen looked down and took out the Goddess Statue once more, easing the infant's pain before granting it a final release. He had performed this action so many times now that it had become hauntingly familiar.
"I won't let them succeed."
Blood splattered onto his face, still warm. After the infant's final cry faded, Muen spoke slowly: "On the dignity of the Campbell name, I absolutely will not."
"...I hope so."
In Celicia’s eyes, which resembled frozen lakes, Muen’s reflection was clear. He looked like a beast silently sharpening its claws, suppressing its emotions—rational, yet consumed by fury.
"And what about you?" Muen asked suddenly.
"Me?"
"Yes. Now that you've seen this, Celicia, are you still going to choose to be a bystander?"
Muen stared into her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of a clear emotion beneath the surface of that frozen lake.
"...Me?"
Celicia closed her eyes, hiding everything even deeper.
"Let me meet with my Father... before we speak of that."