The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 363

“Here.”

Magical stones grew like stalactites throughout the passage.

And from among those sharp magical stones, human arms and legs made of the same material sprouted.

The victims of Elemental Wailing were left carelessly abandoned.

“This is the Banlung Academy’s archive. It seems they didn’t even take the books.”

Usually, when a city is besieged, important confidential documents or magical texts are moved to a safe place, or in the worst case, destroyed.

However, the dwarves of Banlung seemed to have never imagined that their city would be captured or invaded.

The archive was preserved as it was, with only the bodies of Elemental Wailing patients remaining around it in a grotesque state.

“It seems so.”

Azadin frowned, looking at the victims of Elemental Wailing, their horrifying final moments.

“Could we find out about Giacomo’s daughter?”

“All the Elemental Wailing patients were test subjects of the Banlung Academy, so there should be records. However, they were probably already…”

Bernard shook his head.

“I think so too, but it would be good if we could at least get the records. It would help Giacomo come to terms with it.”

“But while we’re looking for that, Griselda will be gathering her strength. Since you’ve completed the Errantry Quest, Count, you could return as you are, but I want to end my long-standing feud with Griselda.”

“I feel the same way. I don’t want to leave Griselda alive. But I want to meet her after she clashes with the Wendigo’s minions that Celestial Fire has summoned.”

“Ah. That’s true too.”

Inside the Banlung Royal Castle, the Heart of the Mountain, countless traps were set up.

Now that they had obtained Archbishop Akenar’s mask, there was no chance of losing the Errantry Quest, so they could leave the trap breaching to the Celestial Fire Knights.

It would also be a good lesson for the Celestial Fire Knights who had used the Wendigo’s dagger to make the apostle go berserk.

“Then, I’ll guide you. The confidential documents are deeper inside.”

Bernard led Azadin into the Banlung Academy building.

*********

In the Banlung Academy, dwarves mutated by Ashajit’s minions and goblins in slave shackles were wandering around, collecting the petrified bodies of Elemental Wailing patients.

Bernard easily evaded the dwarves using blood magic, and in that gap, Azadin’s group easily reached the research building.

“Here it is. This must be the record of the Elemental Wailing research.”

With practiced hands, Bernard found a steel box among the countless documents and books.

“I know the dwarves’ filing system well. It’s quite logical. I think it would be good to apply it when managing the territory later.”

“It would be good to teach it to the officials.”

“If I live that long.”

Bernard said something meaningful. When he vowed revenge against Griselda and the Banlung Academy, he was just a lone runaway mage.

But now, though not by his own hand, his vow of revenge was about to be fulfilled by Azadin’s hand.

However, what Bernard felt was not joy, but a sense of emptiness.

“Can you try to use Ashajit’s Eye less? It can’t be easy using a Nether artifact.”

Azadin had also noticed that Bernard had been using blood magic recklessly lately. If he hadn’t noticed, he would be blind.

Normally, blood magic, which uses one’s own blood as a medium, cannot be used this often unless one is a vampire.

Ashajit’s Eye allows him to use blood magic without needing to shed his own blood, but it is a Nether artifact [an artifact from the Nether realm, often associated with dark or forbidden magic].

If used recklessly, the responsibility will surely weigh heavily on the caster.

Azadin and the others knew this, but they had been holding back meaningless nagging because Bernard’s desire to face Griselda was too desperate.

“I’m still okay. Still…”

“Then.”

Azadin opened the box of documents he received from Bernard. Inside were countless charts about Elemental Wailing patients, written in the dwarven language, Kerim.

“It’s Kerim script. I can read it, though.”

“Then, let’s split it in half and search.”

Azadin tore off half of the documents and gave them to Bernard.

“Do you know Kerim script?”

“I didn’t.”

“Huh?”

“But my sister did.”

Azadin frowned and flipped through the documents.

The dwarves were concerned with how to extract the maximum amount of desired magic using Elemental Wailing.

They were conducting productivity comparison studies on keeping test subjects alive as long as possible to extract magic stones, and on torturing them to the point of berserk and then collecting the magic stones.

They treated the test subjects of Elemental Wailing like livestock and managed them with commercial viability in mind.

“They’re terrible. By the way, Bernard, what was Giacomo’s daughter’s name?”

“I don’t remember well either. But most of these documents have a ‘Remarks’ section, and if it’s Giacomo’s family, they must have written down the family relationship.”

If there was a family relationship with Giacomo, who was a alchemy slave of the Banlung Academy, it would be written in the ‘Remarks’ section.

In other words, if they found the word ‘Giacomo’ or ‘alchemy slave’ in the ‘Remarks’ section, they could easily find it.

“But there are too many of them.”

It was impossible to guess how many Elemental Wailing patients they had used. They were classified by year, and it seemed they had secured at least 50 people each year.

“Since they’re classified by year, it should be around here, if you look through these documents.”

“Okay. Ah?”

As soon as Azadin finished speaking, he found the name Giacomo in his documents.

‘Test subject’s father, alchemy slave Giacomo, deployed in sulfur evocation work in Sector 4. Supervisor’s evaluation: average to above average. Excellent practical alchemist. Appearance is ordinary, vampires rejected him for vampirization.’

‘The disease progresses slowly and produces high-purity cat.3 or higher magic stones. However, his own volume is too small, so monthly sales are rather low.’

‘Left wrist and right ankle petrified, causing mental panic, fumigated with opium, sleeps 17 hours a day. First cat.5 grade generated. Possibility of explosion within the lab. Recommend moving to another location.’

‘Sold to the Wisdom Order of the Rescue Knights.’

The file ended there.

“Good heavens.”

Azadin showed the document to Bernard.

“What is it?”

Zebek, who didn’t know Kerim script, wondered why Azadin was so serious.

“It says that Giacomo’s daughter was sold to the Wisdom Order of the Rescue Knights while suffering from Elemental Wailing.”

“What? Then…”

Zebek frowned.

Wasn’t this implying that the Rescue Knights, who were supposed to be a holy knight order, had made an inhumane deal with the Banlung Academy?

“In the worst case, she might have died and been turned into a magic stone, but just in case… she might have been reborn as a Celestial [a being of immense power, often associated with divine or otherworldly origins].”

Zebek, who had already heard about the Celestial manufacturing method, suggested that possibility.

“Should we inquire with the Wisdom Order? Then?”

“But the Wisdom Order doesn’t like me.”

“Isn’t the dwarven academy on good terms with Count Azadin now, so they’re telling you this?”

“I guess that’s true. When did I ever care about being on good or bad terms with someone.”

Azadin folded Giacomo’s daughter’s research file and put it in his pocket.

This was a clue to Giacomo’s daughter and also a document proving that the Banlung Academy and the Rescue Knights had been making terrible deals.

Of course, even if this kind of thing happened now, it didn’t seem like it would tarnish the Rescue Knights’ reputation, but at least there would be some intellectuals who would be ashamed.

*********

“Hmm?”

Azadin realized that the dwarven mutants guarding this place had disappeared.

“Huh? It’s clean here.”

Edir pointed to the empty hallway.

There were clearly bodies of people who had died from Elemental Wailing and magic stones growing like stalactites, but it was now neatly cleaned up.

There were magic stones rolling on the floor, but the number was incomparably smaller than before.

“Hmm.”

Azadin picked up the magic stones that had fallen on the floor. They hadn’t been able to clean everything up, so some magic stones remained, but the bodies had been neatly removed.

“It seems they’ve recovered the bodies?”

The dwarven sorcerers and slave goblins were working hard to clean up.

But considering their work speed, it seemed impossible to clean it up today, but while Azadin’s group was briefly looking for documents, they had cleaned up this much?

“They probably recovered them for battle. Magic stones are excellent combat resources.”

Indeed, a loud noise began to be heard in the distance.

The Celestial Fire Knights’ offensive had penetrated into the civilian residential area of the Heart of the Mountain.

“We came directly to the heart through the secret passage. It seems that the Celestial Fire has now broken through the main gate and entered.”

“Right. Amazing.”

The Celestial Fire Knights had broken through the Heart of the Mountain fortress, the capital of Banlung, which was famous for being impregnable.

Of course, it was a breakthrough led by the Wendigo’s minions, so it wasn’t something to be proud of, but it was certainly an amazing feat.

“What should we do?”

“Since we’ve already completed the Errantry Quest, there’s no need to rush for merit. But you still want to deal with Griselda yourselves, right?”

When Azadin asked that, Niselda nodded, and Bernard shook his head.

“Yes.”

“Not that much…”

The two father and daughter looked at each other.

Bernard hadn’t done anything for Niselda as a father, so he couldn’t help but be weak if Niselda asked him to.

“I understand. Then, I’ll guide you.”

“Where would Griselda be?”

“Wouldn’t she be on the Banlung throne? I know the secret passage, so I’ll guide you there.”

Bernard took the lead.

*********

The Celestial Fire Knights succeeded in suppressing all the fortress cannons and entered the interior.

However, the dwarves retreated into the tunnels and built another defensive line inside.

Ashajit’s minions and goblins in slave shackles stood at the forefront, forming a defensive wall with their bodies.

Ismilla encouraged her subordinates.

“It’s nothing! Don’t be afraid!”

She personally jumped forward and lured the attacks of Ashajit’s minions.

Ashajit’s minion, a huge mass of flesh, extended its vascular tentacles.

Ismilla quickly raised her body to a half-standing position, slid the vascular tentacles off her shoulder armor, and turned her body, quickly swinging her sword to cut the tentacles.

Her longsword blazed, striking Ashajit’s minion.

At the same time, the Wendigo’s minions jumped in.

The Wendigo’s minions, giant snowmen, used their terrifying brute force to smash Ashajit’s minions, sending them flying to the rear.

Then, they exhaled cold air from their mouths and charged, swinging their claws.

“Ugh!”

Ismilla groaned.

It’s effective. It’s effective, but… if it’s like this, it means we’re actively using the Wendigo.

Is it okay for a Rescue Knight to do this?