Chapter 626 – Remnants and Explosions

000

During the Great War between the Empire and the Kingdom, there were several factors that put the Kingdom Army at a disadvantage.

The Imperial Army, which had been prepared for large and small wars, and the Kingdom Army, who had become accustomed to the long-lasting peace and withdrew a little.

As minorities who were excluded from the kingdom joined the empire, the kingdom had to be wary not only of the border with the empire but also of the rear in various directions.

And the traitors, spies, and deceptive tactics of demons that existed in the kingdom.

There were a lot of problems to be solved in order for the kingdom to win over the empire, but if there was one that worked as the biggest factor among them.

As expected, the various technologies possessed by the empire must account for a large part.

Scientists and wizards, represented by Poltuk, a dark giant who had previously fought Cleon, armed their soldiers with technologies developed only to effectively wage war.

The Black Maker, a poison made by refining the blood of the Black Demon clan, which makes humans run wild and turns them into demonic vessels in severe cases.

A magic armor that allows ordinary people to fight on an equal footing with the kingdom’s knights.

The ‘Elemental Buster’, an explosive weapon that can create intense natural disasters by exploding mana of various attributes.

They were not only used to destroy the enemy in battle, but also remained after the war and caused various incidents to be remembered as a feared existence in the kingdom, so heinous technologies were being developed in the heart of the Empire – Islands.

As a result, even with such a difference in technology, the Empire was defeated by the death of the emperor, losing important bases one by one under the counterattack of the warrior Lesia’s party, the volunteer army, and the kingdom’s army.

If so, what happened to the remnants of the empire after that?

The Black Giant confirmed the death of all four people.

All those caught by the Empire’s Demonic Sword Knights were executed, and some escaped and hid in the Dragon Gorge.

The assassins hid their identities and fled, and the common soldiers gathered some of those who had a dream of reviving the empire and became bandits calling themselves resistance.

Among those who survived like that, there must be few left who now dream of the revival of the empire.

But the scientists under Poltuk did not.

Of course, there was public opinion that their knowledge was dangerous, and that such dangerous things should never be born again-

Even so, isn’t it too much of a waste to eliminate them all and bury their knowledge in darkness?

The one who thought so was in the kingdom and among those who held hands with the kingdom.

The academy was ruled by the Council of Elders, who valued knowledge above all else and cared little about human ethics.

──Go, no.

More than anyone else, they were the clergy of the Church of the Protection of the Holy Spirit who expressed their dislike of the technology developed by borrowing the devil’s knowledge developed by the empire.

That is, the high-ranking clergy centered on cardinals and the pope, whom ordinary teachers would not even dare to look up to.

They found and secured the hybrids of demons and humans discovered by the Heretic Questioner who raided the imperial palace, and in the process protected the imperial scholars who found a way to control the demons with their own power.

Some of the children of the empresses, such as Ishtal, are the half-bloods of the horses and horses secured in the process. And Lilim, who hid his identity and went into hiding mixed in with it.

The Church of the Protection of Saints carried out experiments on humans to awaken their demonic factors through scholars recruited from the Empire.

And as a result, Ishtal really became a half-human, half-horse demon, and Lilim said that he was able to awaken as a true demon in line with his own characteristics as a dark horse.

In other words, the cause of the creation of the current Astarote is the story of the Saint’s Protection Church, which coveted the power of the devil.

001

“What I just said is what we went through. As you all well know, the Church of Saint’s Protection is not such a clean church. In the first place, Adam’s plan to destroy all the beliefs of the existing gods was involved in the establishment of the church.”

“Yes… Sorcerers were subsumed by the kingdom, and scholars by the cult. And they were secretly cooperating behind the scenes, aiming to revive the empire.”

When Lila hears her story, she frowns as if she knows now.

“So many people died during the war with the empire, but coveted the technology and ended up fighting the division. Weird.”

Sasha shook her head in disbelief.

Of course, Amelia couldn’t have put on a comfortable face either.

Because the kingdom and the Church, which was the greatest ally of the kingdom, committed everything because of their own greed.

“…”

However, hearing such a story, it was Quon who darkened the most.

After hearing all of Lilim’s explanation, she covered her mouth with her hand for a moment, seemingly thinking about something.

Of course, she was a member of the Order of the Protection of the Saint, and a priest who followed the doctrines advocated to protect mankind from threats.

“…Quon, are you okay?”

When Cleon spoke to her, worried about her, she answered Cleon with a nod of her head.

“Ah… Yes. Don’t worry. The story I heard was quite shocking… But at least, it’s only high-ranking priests who knew about it, didn’t it?”

As Quon said that, she let out a slight sigh and spoke to Lilim.

“Certainly, the church itself may have been created by Adam’s will. The three elements of the holy sword, the hero, and the saint have saved humanity from disaster for a long time. And it is true that there are people who have been saved by that doctrine.”

“Okay…”

To Quon’s words, Lilim had no choice but to answer as if he understood.

This is the bed room where Lilim is still lying.

Lilim, who had finished explaining to Amelia, was passing on the information she had in order to obtain information about her black giant, just as Lyla had said.

And, starting from there, the high-ranking members of the Order of the Protection of the Saints were corrupt, and the story was that they were stealing imperial engineers and scholars to conduct demon-related research.

“If the pope at the time was Emeleus III, who was called ‘the father of equality and mercy’? …I couldn’t believe he was doing something like that behind the scenes. —Come to think of it, Aurelia-sama said that before. The previous pope was assassinated. Externally, it seems to have died of natural causes.”

“It is true.”

When Lilim affirms Cleon’s words, Layla puts her hand on her waist and looks at Lilim suspiciously.

“I can’t believe it, but what you did-“

“Leave those doubts aside. It wasn’t us who killed that old man, it was another faction within the Church.”

“Another faction within the church…No way-“

Cleon spares his words because of the ominous feeling that passes through his head, but Quon speaks on behalf of such Cleon.

“…Esca-sama. That’s it.”

The Holy Mother who was a colleague of the hero Lesia and now leads the church. The female pope, Escatology, assassinated the previous pope and took over as pope.

“…”

Although it was painful for Cleon to think that Esca would do such a thing.

What pops into her head with things about her is Vera Stoll, who stabbed herself, and her throbbing wounds in her chest.

“As the previous pope was assassinated, the research they were doing on rescuing demons was stopped. And surprisingly, the new pope has freed us.”

Cleon thought there was still the aspect of Esca he knew.

Surely, if it were her, she would have thought that if she embraced and cared for any enemy, she could rehabilitate them.

“However, there were conditions. Scholars are required to make an oath to seal away demon-related technologies. I decided to give them a new identity with the power of the church.”

And in the process, Lilim and Ishtal would have been liberated with their powers as demons.

Lilim said that they had done something like sealing their demonic powers, but that such a seal could easily be released with a magic formula they had prepared in advance.

“—So, Astarote is an organization created after that?”

In terms of time, it would have been quite a while after the war ended.

If we were to find the cause of Esca’s change, Lesia’s expulsion would have been the biggest.

This is the story after that – it must have been at least 10 years ago.

“You’re right. And- most of the freed scholars entered the kingdom as scholars to take advantage of new opportunities- or went to the academy…”

Lilim looked up into the air for a moment, as if trying to recall something from the distant past, then continued the story.

“… Confirming that so much darkness is hiding in the kingdom and church. That must be certain. If we make good use of this darkness, we will be able to truly achieve the ‘Resurrection of the Empire’.”

The kingdom that destroyed the evil empire, is the leader of the blood alliance, and works hand in hand with the church to keep order on this continent.

However, the truth was that everything was dotted with lies, including royalty and nobility – even intellectuals and religious orders.

They were all stained with their own desires, and were unable to completely wash away the darkness and harbored them.

“There were also biologists in the Empire who were researching the source of the powerful power of the dark giants.”

Why was Poltuk able to acquire knowledge superior to others?

Did Otis, who came from a commoner and had no education, have a natural talent for speech?

What is the true identity of Berlin’s cruelty and the monstrous power that comes out of its body?

What is the magic that Hutina possesses that attracts others?

If we can unlock the secrets of the characteristics that humans are born with, wouldn’t it be possible to implant them into others, let alone enhance them?

“To achieve that end, they had some of the body tissues of the dark giants with the Emperor’s permission.”

Even so, it was about the size of his hair and blood, but Lila, who heard Lilim’s words, raised her voice loudly when she heard it.

“That’s it! Black giant genetic information! …As the scholars were liberated, the things they possessed spilled over to the wizards as well. And based on that, he must have started making a homunculus.”

When the pieces of scattered information begin to form a single line, Cleon nods to Layla’s confidence.

“Lilim. Are they still in the royal capital? Since they are from the same empire, it wouldn’t be strange to say that they had exchanges with Astarothe.”

Lilim heard the story and drew a pattern using black magic in the air.

Like an 8 lying on its side, it took the shape of a snake biting its own tail after drawing two circles with its body twisted.

“The pattern of Ouroboros symbolizing infinity…? Since there are two of them attached, is it ‘reincarnation’? Cheeky alchemists.”

Layla was able to infer the meaning by looking at the symbol, but she frowned as if she considered the symbol itself to be blasphemy of existing scholarship.

“The secret society ‘Samsara’. They called themselves that. Occasionally, they would push Astarothe to experiment with the things they had made. Most of them were questionable items, but some were useful to Ishtal.”

‘A machine that overwrites a person’s personality…’

Lilim muttered, but Cleon shook his head.

I couldn’t help but believe that something like that would have been destroyed when Rubera attacked Astarote’s stronghold.

“Thinking of it now. They may have been using us as their shields. While we, Astarothe, face off against Marquis Hughes on the outside, and Cleon-sama after him. They didn’t expand their influence, they just repeated their research.”

And the result of that research is finally reaching the resurrection of the dark giant as a homunculus.

If you knew this far, there would be no need to doubt their causal relationship anymore.

The important thing is, where and what are they going to do now, finally announcing the end of the long and long time of counseling and taking the resurrected black giant as a homunculus.

“Where are they now?”

“The Royal Palace of El Cerdo. Underground Kingdom Tech Lab. A research facility dedicated to the 6th Special Research Institute.”

At the words that flow from Lilim’s mouth like her machine, Amelia recalls her information about her palace in her own head.

“The 6th Special Research Institute… A research institute where alchemists, magicians, and medical students gather. It is an organization that mainly develops new types of potions or improves existing magical tools, and conducts research closely related to the lives of the people.”

“It’s an organization that doesn’t look particularly special from the outside. A few times, I asked the academy for cooperation. …Now that I think about it, I wonder if he was in contact with scholars from the Empire at the academy.”

Cleon nodded at Lila’s words and immediately stood up.

“I have to tell this to Merca and Aruru in the kingdom.”

“But how? The distance between the flames using the imprint is too far… You can’t send a letter, can you?”

At Cleon’s words, Layla asks about her method, but Cleon turns her head away.

At the end of it was ‘Innis’.

“Yes?”

She, who was behind Lila, had been commanded not to open her mouth in an unnecessary situation, but when Cleon’s gaze turned to her, she tilted her head in reaction as if she thought it was okay to speak.

“Innis was able to come all the way to the East from the academy. Then, on the other hand, you will be able to go from the Eastern country to the academy-if you are at the academy, you will be able to convey the information to the two without suspecting that we sent it.”

“Indeed. They want to put one cushion in the middle.”

When Lila nodded her head in understanding, Innis would raise her voice annoyedly, “Ehh?”

“I haven’t been with Papa yet!”

“…”

Then, while making a whining sound, he waved his arms around as if he didn’t want to go.

“If it’s a homunculus, listen to the owner!”

As Layla says so, she tries to force her to do her bidding, but Cleon shakes her head and moves closer to Innis, whispering into her ear.

“…If you do the favor and come back, I’ll give you a prize.”

“Award…?”

Sogeunsogeun, what kind of secret story are you talking about.

In fact, she was heard by everyone around her, but even as Laila watched Cleon with her bewildered expression, Innis ignited her motivation and confirmed that her magic organ increased her output.

“… Ha. I can’t help it. Instead, don’t leak into the byways. If I rode back and forth by myself, I would be able to return in about three days. If you are late even for a day, there will be no prize.”

“Leave it to me, Master! I’ll come back at the speed of light! Hehe~”

Seeing her own homunculus clinging to Cleon as if in anticipation of her reward, begging for her letter quickly, Lyla let out a sigh.

002

“Then. I will be back.”

After a while, Cleon leaves Innis first, packs her equipment, and leaves the front door.

Herti, who had finished preparing first, was standing in front of the entrance.

However, with a cane in his hand.

“…”

Layla and Quon looked at the wand that Hertie was holding in her hand, but quickly turned her head to Cleon and gave him a look that was indescribably complicated.

‘How intense would it be…’

‘Cleon…’

The thoughts of the two seemed to be heard by Cleon as well.

“Herty, where are you hurt? Why are you wearing a cane today?”

“Iknow, right…?”

However, Sasha tried to ask her directly as if she was not sure, and Amelia next to her also tilted her head in the same way.

Herti shrugged his shoulders in amazement, covered his mouth with one hand, and laughed.

“That, that… Chi, fell off the bed~”

After giving a pretty plausible excuse, Sasha looks worried about her, though she says she’ll ask Quon to heal her.

Layla looks at Herti and laughs with a ‘huh’ before talking.

“I fell off the bed… You’re not wrong.”

It would be more accurate to say that he fell on the bed (in Cleon’s hand while playing XX).

“Mr. Lyla is making her weird face.”

“Ah. That’s the face you see when you think of something dirty.”

When Quon sees Lila’s expression and says that, Lila reacts with haha?!’, But Cleon lets out a sigh of her own.

“Sorry. They are insensitive people…”

“No… Whoops. Rather, I’m just grateful that even if you know me, you treat me like you did before.”

At Cleon’s apology, Hertie shakes his head and smiles.

“Meow.”

And, the voice of Bahamut echoed from beneath my feet.

“Ah, sorry Bahamut. Then let’s go quickly.”

“Did you just rush it?”

Herti nodded when Cleon questioned her as if she were actually talking.

“That’s right. Even Bahamut can’t enter the mine, but he always follows me.”

“This guy is smart.”

When Lyla sat down in her seat curiously and tried to stroke Bahamut’s head-

“Shaat!”

And hit Lila’s hand with a cat punch.

“Ah!”

It was the first time he had seen Bahamut get so angry with people other than Attis, so Cleon tells Lyla as if he has something to tease.

“Lyla… Did you do anything to make Bahamut hate you?”

“Oh, that can’t be! I even gave out snacks the other day! This guy…!”

“Sorry, Bahamut. Even if Lila looks like that, she’s grumpy-“

And when Cleon bent down and tried to touch Bahamut, this time he hit Cleon’s hand with his tail, not his foot, and bounced it off.

“…”

“Oh, did I have a crush on Cleon Bahamut?”

At Layla’s words, Cleon stands up without saying anything.

“Shall we go, Hertie? You’d better hurry if you want to be back before the sun goes down.”

“Ah, ahaha… Yes.”

Until a few days ago, I let it touch normally…

With that sadness in his heart, Cleon headed to the adamantite mine with Hertie.