Chapter 1089 – The Demonic Lover’s Room

000

A device hidden in the room.

And hidden inside again was someone’s mummy.

Literally, in a scene that could only be seen in a dungeon, Sasha and Kuon looked appalled.

Even Amelia was speechless for a moment and could only stare at the mummy that appeared in the altar.

“That person. Are you saying he was hiding the body in the room?”

When Sasha, who had barely come to her senses, mumbled something like that, the other two people had no choice but to keep quiet.

What kind of person would hide a corpse in their bedroom while they sleep?

With a normal person’s mind, I didn’t want to consider this possibility, but unfortunately, I couldn’t help but remember that the owner of this room was a person who did not fall into the category of a normal person.

“… But it must be something important that it was so preciously hidden.”

After Amelia said that, she took a deep breath.

I mustered up my courage and approached the mummy more cautiously than when I had taken the mask off the wall.

“Joe, be careful, Amelia.”

“Yes, I know.”

In response to Kuon’s concern, Amelia’s gaze slowly surveyed the mummy from her head to her toes.

I don’t know how it was disposed of, but there was still hair on the mummy’s body, and although it had lost some of its color, it was still in shape enough to indicate that it was originally blonde.

Her face was dry and twisted as moisture evaporated, almost touching her bones, but even so, her characteristic physique was that of a man, not a woman.

In other words, it would have been possible to at least recognize that he was a young man who had clearly died at a young age.

Blonde hair is evidence of nobility from the past.

Then, was this young man also a nobleman?

However, to say that, the clothes she was wearing seemed a bit plain.

It may be an old mummy, but the material of the cloth she is wearing, and the decorations make it difficult to say that she is a member of the nobility.

This is all the information that can be inferred from physical characteristics and the clothes worn on the body.

Even if you look through magic power, you can’t see anything unusual.

“How is it…?”

When Sasha cautiously approached Amelia and asked, Amelia could only shake her head.

“This mummy itself can only be described as ordinary. There is almost no evidence of its identity, so I don’t even know why it was stored so carefully…”

It would be impossible to come to a conclusion in a situation where there are no clues as to the reason.

“… Maybe it has something to do with the relics around. Things like the saint’s diary and Tesca’s dagger that I discovered a while ago.”

And Kuon, perhaps thinking it would be a waste to give up here, was pointing to the pile of relics they had looked through a little while ago.

“Mummy… Saint’s diary… Dagger… Uhm…”

It was then that Amelia went through the pages of her mind once again, trying to find those three connections in the books she had read.

“It’s resurrection.”

When words that were not on Amelia’s bookshelf flowed in as if thrown from outside, her eyes twinkled and her gaze turned to the area near the door of the room.

And there, with her hair a little disheveled, was Artis, leaning against the threshold, looking at Amelia.

“Attis. … Resurrection, is it?”

“Okay.”

Artis nods his head at Amelia’s questioning words and enters her room.

And from the mountain of relics that the party had searched, pick up the saint’s journal and dagger and talk about it.

“I would have thought that the items that had disappeared in the distant past and that archaeologists were desperately searching for would have been left in such a haphazard manner. No, I expected it to some extent when it disappeared, but…”

The expression on her face when she says that must be one of extreme bitterness as a pure archaeologist.

“The girl known as the author of the saint’s diary… Is the one who achieved the ‘miracle of resurrection’, which was unprecedented in the past. There is an anecdote that she brought back to life her own brother who was buried in her tomb after his death.”

“That’s right… The content of her diary itself was that after the girl was revered as a saint, she was accused of being a heretic and ended up losing her life.”

Amelia nods her head as if she remembered it too.

“And this dagger… Tesca is also the god of living sacrifices, but his essence is ‘the god who grants wishes by consuming sacrifices.’ Therefore, there is also a tradition that in the past, if hundreds of humans were sacrificed, he would revive one person. Of course, like other wild gods, it disappeared due to the decline of faith.”

“Hmph. That guy was so greedy for sacrifices that he absorbed too many human souls.”

Sasha- No, Ruben responded that way in response to Artis’ words.

“And mummy. According to past beliefs, it is one of the funerary techniques created so that the soul that left the world of the dead can return to its original body when it returns to this world someday. Looking at it this way, you can see that all three are related to resurrection. You can do it, right?”

“Really… Then, what about the other artifacts here?”

Kuon asks a question, understanding Attis’ words.

What was at the end of her gaze were the relics piled up like a mountain in a corner of the room, like the journal and dagger.

“For the most part. … But as everyone knows, completely reviving the dead is impossible.”

The only thing that is similar is necromancy, but even that only involves moving the corpse like a puppet or temporarily infusing the soul with the magic power of the person using the magic.

When magical power runs out, the body reverts to a corpse, and unless special treatment is taken, the corpse continues to rot.

The magic of reviving the dead has been one of the secret wishes of humans since ancient times, and has never been realized in the human realm -.

Even if it was realized, it was a miracle of the type that could only be used by a limited number of beings or would only be effective on a limited number of subjects.

“So Maxwell… Was trying to resurrect this mummy?”

If we think about it based on the evidence gathered so far, it would be so.

There is a body called a mummy, which is like a vessel symbolizing resurrection, and its surroundings are full of materials (relics) related to the secrets of resurrection.

“Well, that guy, from what I understand, he was crazy in a way that made all the other regressors lose their minds.”

“… Yes. I agree. His goal was to return this world to its original state.”

Artis spoke as if he had no idea, but Kuon answered Sasha’s question with confidence.

“But I don’t think there’s any point in being here. If only I could find out who this mummy is…”

At the same time, as Kuon talks about not giving up the possibility, Artis passes through the door and enters the room, standing next to Sasha and Amelia and looking at Mira together.

If you stare at my face-

“Huh…? This face…”

If Artis mutters that at the unexpected familiarity.

“Do you know?”

“Oh, no. Should I say I know? Should I say I saw it a little while ago…”

Although Artis was embarrassed, he scratched his cheek and answered Amelia’s question.

“… There was a framed portrait in Darwin’s room. Darwin and two men who appeared to be his son.”

There was a boy and a young man, but it is unknown how much time passed there.

Therefore, Attis could not be sure that the mummy in front of him was the ‘younger one.’

Nevertheless, it is clear that it is one of the two.

“You were trying to resurrect her flesh and blood…?”

“… It’s possible. Maybe that’s why Darwin was working as a regressor…”

Artis tried to answer Sasha’s guess by nodding her head.

But at that very moment.

Bang!

The sound must have come from a nearby room.

“W-what are you talking about!?”

“Someone must have stepped on a trap again…”

Attis sighs.

“There may be injuries. If we don’t hurry up and go check…!”

When Amelia says that and runs out of her room, Kuon nods and follows her.

Attis followed the two people with his eyes, then looked intently at the mummy lying in the room.

“Does it mean that even the wicked who turn the world upside down feel pity for their own flesh and blood…”

If twisted family love is the culprit behind all of this—.

Artis stops thinking there for a moment and shakes his head.

“No. Still, I can’t be forgiven.”

It seemed that there was no room left for her to feel sympathy for her, who had gone far beyond her established line.

001

“Wow.”

Draene reacted to the sight seen beyond the opened room while making such a short voice.

What you feel as soon as you open the door is the smell of chemicals used to treat leather to prevent it from rotting.

And inside, it was a place decorated with numerous stuffed animals or specimens.

Except for the bed, everything is full of such decorations.

I would have known whose room it was without having to guess.

“Laplace’s room… It is.”

At Zwei’s words, Kshat would nod his head.

To Kshat, Laplace is the creator who created him in this form, but at the same time, he is an object of hatred.

The memories of controlling his body to fight against his comrades still vividly come back to him.

So, it may have been a place you were a little reluctant to enter.

“Let’s search. Maybe there’s the brain of that female wyvern in here… The wife of the wild god.”

As Melusine spoke, she took the lead and tried to walk into her room.

“Wow. Just like that!”

Dryne barely catches Melusine.

“Oh, there might be a trap inside! We’ll search for it! Please wait here!”

“What Draene said is correct, Melusine. Gathering information in places like this is one of the roles of the Anti-Ghost Unit.”

Aine was talking about protecting Meluzin, who was also an honored guest from Fairy Village, but Meluzin shook her head at the two’s concerns.

“You don’t have to worry that much. As a knight of Fairy Village, I have also undergone various trainings. I won’t get hurt by most traps, so don’t worry.”

When Melusine said that, armor made of water magic appeared on her entire body.

Even with the metals that exist in the human world, there are only a handful of types that can scratch her armor.

“Besides, I also have a grudge against Laplace. If I think there might be a clue to how to deal with that guy who is still alive, I can’t let him go.”

Her name, memories, and her appearance were taken away and driven away by the witch commotion of Fairy Incense, and her current appearance is completely unimaginable –

She came into the human world in the form of a demonic beast with pink fur.

In that state, she was discovered by Laplace and subjected to numerous experiments.

Although name, power, appearance, memory. Even if she had been stripped of everything, she would not have been mutated because she would not have lost the power of existence as a pure fairy –

The pain of the countless experiments she went through in the process still remained intact in Melusine’s memory.

In keeping with her spirit of chivalry, she tended to bury her personal grudges out of loyalty to her queen, but if Laplace was still alive, she would not be forgiven if she did not end his life.

“So. I’ll go in and check it myself!”

Saying so, the moment Melusine passed Laplace’s threshold, all three sisters of the Bangui University closed their eyes tightly.

Except for Quartz, who was watching from a little behind.

However, what was expected did not happen, and Melusine was able to enter Laplace’s room without any problems.

“… Well, it looks like there wasn’t a trap on the door.”

“Okay… Then we can go inside too, right?”

When Zwei and Aine ask Quartz.

“I wonder what’s inside-“

Without waiting for Quartz’s answer, Draine followed Melusine into Laplace’s room.

“Ah! It’s dry…!”

“Ha. I told you to stay a little relaxed.”

In the end, all the half-ghosts will follow the youngest into the room.

“The lady is here. We should go in and take a look inside…”

As Kshat said that and tried to enter her, Quartz silently raised her arms to block her.

“Mr. Quartz…?”

“… It’s not best to all go into a small space together. I’ve also given those kids a hard time about searching the room, so you can wait here. If you go in, your girl will try to go in too.”

“I see… I understand.”

Like Melusin, he was a Kshat with a grudge against Laplace, so he wanted to look inside.

If it’s for Fleur…

And Banguidae and Melusine, who went inside, skillfully disarmed the traps one by one among the items in the room and looked around.

How could it be that there is no desk or bed in the room, only specimens and stuffed animals?

Birds, mammals, amphibians, etc…

And the most impressive thing of all was the giant-stuffed head of a dragon-type beast hanging on the wall.

It didn’t feel out of place to say it was a hunter’s room, but there seemed to be no proper information, only records related to the beast’s ecology.

“… Well, something doesn’t come out that easily.”

After turning the room over once, Melusine muttered.

“Yes… That’s true as expected.”

Did Aine think that he wouldn’t be able to get any more information if he searched any further?

“More than that, this room. The furniture arrangement is so odd. It’s strange to begin with.”

Dryne shrugged his shoulders, as if he was already tired of searching the room.

“… The interior of the room is not regular… I don’t think there is any meaning to the taxidermy and specimens arranged so chaotically.”

If Zwei also agrees.

“I still don’t have enough practice.”

Quartz, who was watching from outside the room, said that to the three sisters.

“Elderly?”

“Look at the floor.”

Quartz raises her hand and points to the wooden floor.

Then, Banguidae, Melusine will also be looking there.

Then, there were traces that looked like the floor had been scratched several times.

“… Is this a sign that something was pushed and moved?”

“Because there are so many specimens and stuffed animals of demonic beasts. I wonder if they are pushed aside every time a new one is brought in.”

“… No, it’s pretty regular for something like that. Maybe…”

The three sisters started muttering and trying to figure out some rule.

“…! The specimens and stuffed animals here… Can’t we group the demonic beasts into the same category?”

Melusine says so and pushes the stuffed animal nearby.

Grumble. A sound was heard, and the taxidermy was being pushed around more easily than expected.

Then, starting with that, the three sisters + Melusine began moving the specimens of the demonic beasts in the room.

Birds are among birds, and mammals are among mammals.

When the classification is finally completed by mobilizing all of Fleur’s knowledge who was watching from behind.

You will hear an explicit ‘click’ sound.

That was the mouth of the head of a dragon-type demon beast hanging on the wall.

“Oh! This is the information hidden in this room!”

Melusin can’t hide her joy, and she turns her gaze toward that place.

This is because in the mouth of the subdragon, there was a ‘crystal magic tool’ for storing information.

“Let’s check!”

“Ah, wait a minute! This time it’s a trap…!”

However, Melusin, who had already gained confidence, quickly stretched out her hand and took out her magic tool, despite Zwei’s dissuasion.

Then at that moment.

Once again, a blatant ‘clunk’ sound was heard.

“Ah.”

──

Bang!!!

A strong explosion occurred, and black smoke filled the room.

002

Immediately after that, Amelia and Quon, who heard the sound, ran to the front of Laplace’s room.

A black fog, similar to soot, was already rising in the room, so much so that it was surprising where the smoke was coming from.

“What the hell is this…”

“It’s a long explanation, but first check the inside…!”

Kshat also spoke while unable to hide her embarrassment, and Kuon nodded and infused her magic into his staff.

Then, the wind will whip around and suck all the smoke out through the broken window.

Just when you think you’re finally starting to see what’s inside the room-

“What the hell is going on?”

“Well, you should have been a little more careful…”

“My eyes are so hungry~! My nose~!”

“Ears, ears…”

As he said that, he could see the ‘four’ figures rolling around on the floor.

“… Huh?”

Kshat couldn’t help but feel doubtful at that sight.

There were three animals that were hard to tell whether they were small gray dogs or wolves-

This is because a weasel-like monster with pink fur was crawling around while making a human voice.