Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 247

247

“Do you see anything?”

There are telescopes in this world too. I took the telescope away from my eyes and observed carefully.

I guess the naked eye is better than a telescope.

“I figured as much, the security is tight.”

“It seems unchanged.”

“What did you expect?”

Madrum is the most important stronghold city for the Imperial Family, second only to the capital.

But considering that, the land isn’t that large. Nevertheless, we know.

How cruel and immoral technologies were created in that narrow city.

“They’ve really put up a serious guard. One out of every ten is a beastman.”

“Not a laboratory, but beastmen guarding the city gates… There must have been a lot of backlash, but that’s impressive.”

“I don’t think so.”

I replied calmly to Levi’s words.

“I saw those guys who became dramatically stronger in the forest.”

Hyena beastmen. They clearly demonstrated abilities beyond those of ordinary hyena beastmen, or even particularly outstanding hyenas.

“Beasts will do anything if it means they can become stronger.”

Though I wasn’t born as a land animal beastman, I know their nature well because I was once sold to that land as a fiancée.

They establish hierarchies based on strength from birth and are oppressed and forced throughout their lives.

So, most of them vented their violent desires or showed sadism towards the weak.

In fact, the exclusion and harassment of aquatic beastmen largely stemmed from competitive stress to avoid being eliminated.

But that doesn’t mean we need to understand those bastards.

“The technologies they have must have developed further thanks to the Crown Prince, so everyone is probably busy submitting and groveling.”

“……”

“Besides, the problem isn’t just the beasts.”

I recalled the raccoon beastmen I saw in the jungle. They were definitely individuals with amazing talents, but…

As I recall, they weren’t a race that could use outstanding abilities on their own.

But the raccoon beastmen in the jungle were different.

‘Did they go so far as to develop their special abilities?’

If this is also the ability of those monkey bastards, I can’t even imagine how many more beastmen were sacrificed for this one technology.

“What’s clear is…”

They were disgusting guys before, but.

“They’ve evolved into even more disgusting guys in this life.”

I turned my head.

Levi was standing neatly. Ekion was next to him.

“Let’s go back. The reconnaissance is over.”

“…Yes.”

The city of mad monkeys.

We arrived in Madrum.

* * *

“It seems the Imperial Family’s messenger who escaped is in the center of Madrum.”

Natasha, the head of the Snake Family, willingly offered her vassals for the pursuit.

“However, there are no life signs.”

I pondered for a moment. The deliberation didn’t last long.

Since they failed the Imperial Family’s orders anyway, I didn’t think they would live long.

It seemed they died as soon as they arrived here.

“Can you track corpses too?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The snake beastman nodded.

Snakes eat corpses in nature, so it’s not difficult to track them even when they become corpses.

“Anyone remember anything about Madrum?”

I turned my head towards the group.

“Isn’t that where a bunch of monkeys live?”

“It used to be a city where quite a few beastmen resided. Even during the war, the monkey beastmen were always evacuated to the rear with great care, and the beasts groveled excessively. I only found out the detailed reasons this time.”

Atlan and Velus spoke in turn.

“Sorry, I don’t know much about it.”

Lilibel raised both hands and admitted her lack of information with a sulky expression.

“I only know that it’s more of a research facility than a city. I think I remember there being underground facilities as well.”

“Underground?”

“Yes, I heard it when interrogating a captured guy during the war.”

“Everyone keeps saying war, war, but have you guys been at war without me knowing? Or did you do it in your dreams?”

Lilibel frowned, but no one answered.

“I’ll explain later.”

“…Okay. Master.”

Lilibel looked around at everyone for a moment and then quietly closed her mouth.

The city of monkeys was not a major target in the 3rd war.

Our goal was the capital. And it had already been destroyed on its own during the war.

‘It would have been different if I had known sooner that they were guys who had mastered all sorts of dirty techniques of the Crown Prince.’

Levi had gathered quite a bit of information in this life, just in case.

But since it was a secret city in the first place, it still wasn’t satisfactory.

“…I heard the scale of the research has grown even larger than before.”

Then, additional information flowed out from an unexpected person. It was Ekion.

“I heard this story about 13 years ago, so you can assume it’s much bigger now.”

About 13 years ago. It was the story of when Ekion was trapped in the Dragon’s Castle.

“I heard them talking about me. They said it would be better to move me to Madrum and lock me up underground.”

“…They said all sorts of things in front of a child.”

“They must have thought I was unintelligent and couldn’t speak.”

I frowned. Ekion continued, slightly looking at my expression.

“And… they talked about mixing the blood of beastmen or extracting special abilities. I think I also heard about transplanting my blood.”

“……”

While I didn’t say anything to the fact that they regularly drew blood, Levi took over the conversation.

“Then the dragon’s blood and flesh must have been used somehow.”

“You brought back dragon bones or something from the jungle, right? Then have they been collecting those things in the meantime?”

Then Whale, who had been silent until now, added.

“Didn’t the Imperial Family experiment on Lily, that child with healing abilities?”

Silence fell again.

After a while, Lilibel raised her hand halfway and said with a disgusted expression.

“So, in the end, that’s not a city or anything, it’s just a madman’s laboratory.”

“……”

“That means there will be a lot of bizarre research results?”

Lilibel had already shown noticeable disgust and anger regarding the ‘bugs’ that had entered the crocodiles’ heads.

It wasn’t bugs, but from the perspective of someone who had their life and mind suppressed by their mother, it was an intolerable situation.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have brought someone with disguise or transformation abilities.’

With a regretful heart, I looked down at the city.

First of all, we came here under the pretext of rescuing the kidnapped crocodile beastman child.

Of course, there is no kidnapped child, and we will infiltrate to find evidence of cruel experiments.

―That’s the plan.

“I don’t know about the underground, but I know how the research buildings are divided.”

Houser, who had infiltrated the Imperial Family, quietly added.

“We must go to the center first. The Imperial Family seemed to receive reports there, and they said that the most important technologies are gathered there.”

I nodded.

“Okay, let’s go in.”

* * *

One of the advantages of the power of water is that it can be applied in various ways using the properties of water.

Among them, there was a way to create illusions, like the one I used in the Dragon’s Castle arena.

It was also possible to overlay that illusion onto a person.

It’s an ability similar to transformation or disguise, but it has a fatal flaw.

You have to concentrate only on this, and the moment you use other application abilities, your true form is revealed.

“This is a really desolate street.”

We disguised ourselves appropriately so as not to stand out. Ekion, Levi, and Houser, who cannot use the power of water, were each taken care of by me and Velus.

As if to prove it was a huge research institute, the outside of the building was extremely desolate.

The people walking around were all close to being vagrants.

Even then, regardless of gender or age, some were missing one of their limbs, or were seen collapsing and dying on the floor.

“They must be abandoned test subjects. They say they abandon them on the streets and leave them unattended.”

“They’re really showing the bottom of humanity. Nothing has changed.”

“It’s disgusting.”

As we walked along, muttering one word each, I suddenly turned my head.

Someone was peeking out from an alley not far away.

‘A child?’

It was something I wouldn’t have paid any attention to normally.

We were perfectly disguised, and we weren’t doing anything particularly suspicious.

There were hardly any people on the street, but there were occasionally people walking around like us.

I guessed that they were people who came to this city to sell people or mercenaries.

I thought we would look like that too.

Besides, the child peeking out looked younger than the vagrants here.

There was no murderous intent or malice. They were just as emaciated as any other vagrant, as if they were about to die at any moment.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

‘The hair color is…….’

When I came to my senses, I was already standing in front of the child.

The group I was with seemed flustered, but I had no time to pay attention.

The child was startled and tried to run away. But I grabbed their hand.

The fluttering movement was as weak as a dying animal.

Weak enough to be subdued with the strength to flick a finger.

There are many external differences between land animal beastmen and aquatic animal beastmen. But largely, it’s the hair color.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Aquatic animal beastmen mostly have blue, gray, or black hair.

“Hey, sorry for grabbing you suddenly. Don’t be scared.”

It’s not that there are no land animal beastmen with these hair colors.

But there was a hair color that only aquatic animal beastmen have.

One of them is…….

The hair color that whale beastmen have.

The unique gray color.

“I’ll ask you just one thing. Can you answer me?”

And the child in front of me had this hair color.

The moment I saw their frightened eyes, I knew.

“You’re a whale beastman, right?”

This child is a whale beastman.