Chapter 249: Laboratory

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A thick metal door. Once it was closed, it looked like it would be difficult to destroy.

Well, to Greed, it probably wasn’t a big deal. But for a beastman, it looked like it would be difficult to open.

A facility for researching beastmen. Passing through the door, there was a staircase leading down.

Water was seeping out of the walls, wetting the stairs. Although it was cool, the humidity made it hard to breathe as I walked down the dimly lit stairs.

[After walking a little further, we’ll arrive at a large space.]

Just as Roy said, light was coming from the bottom of the stairs.

[It’s bigger than I thought.]

[What’s that windy noise?]

[It’s the sound of turbines turning for ventilation. They’re exchanging air between above and below ground.]

Despite the ventilation, the place was filled with a moldy smell.

There were many lights attached to the ceiling, and it was blindingly bright.

As if trying to clear away the gloomy atmosphere of the basement.

[There are a lot of elevators.]

[All of these elevators lead to different levels. In case of any problems, we can isolate each level.]

He spoke casually, but I could tell they are doing some pretty dangerous research.

[I can only go to the fourth floor. Here, I’m collaborating with my field of expertise and beastman research.]

Roy’s specialty is spirit research. As far as I know, beastmen can’t handle spirits.

Cecilia had a look of dissatisfaction on her face ever since we got here.

[Why did you bring us here? This is clearly a military secret for the high elves.]

[I have permission. They want you two to see it. Especially you, Fate.]

[It’s simple. Because you are a human.]

Roy got into the elevator first and was waiting for us.

I looked at Cecilia. Then, as if we’d made up our minds, we both nodded.

[Let’s go.]

The elevator doors closed and started to move. I’d heard it was on the fourth floor, so I thought it would be short. The elevator at the inn I was staying at went from the first to the seventh floor in no time.

Having that said, I felt like we stayed in the elevator for longer than I’d expected.

[We’ll be there soon… Yes, we’ve arrived.]

As Roy spoke, the door opened.

The first thing I saw was a long corridor. There were many doors on both sides.

All of them could only be entered with a key card.

The corridor was silent, and the only sound we could hear was our own footsteps.

[It’s quiet and calming, isn’t it? I feel calm when I come here too.]

[What’s behind these doors?]

[Those are rooms assigned to researchers. Each researcher conducts their research here. If necessary, they invite colleagues in to conduct joint research.]

[Are there other researchers still here?]

[I don’t know. I haven’t been here since I was drafted. My room is still here, though.]

Roy scanned the card key on the device installed next to the door.

An electronic beep sounded, presumably indicating that authentication was complete. The door slid open.

[Come on in. The room is cleaned regularly, so it should be relatively servicable.]

We were so taken aback by the horrifying sight of his lab that we were speechless.

[What’s the matter? Please sit at the table in the middle.]

[Roy… what are you doing here?]

[These? I told you already, didn’t I? This laboratory is for research on breeding beastmen.]

[Then, what are those in the container?]

[Now, now, calm down. When you breed them, some cannot bear the force and die. I simply reuse them.]

[Ha? By “reuse”, you mean…]

The large containers lined up around the central table were filled with a faintly glowing liquid, and inside them were the corpses of what appeared to be beastmen.

It was a strange sight, with at least 40 such bodies.

Roy made a drink in a sink that was likely used for research.

[It would be a waste to just throw them away. This island is poor in resources, so we need to make the most of them.]

[They have lives.]

[No, beastmen are nothing more than tools to the high elves. And even if they have lives, as Fate-san says, they’re over now. They’re dead. My fellow researchers said it would be too much trouble to dispose of them, so I’m taking them.]

Roy puts the finished drinks on a tray and places them on the table where we’re sitting.

[This is my pride and joy, iced tea. I’m particular about the blend of tea leaves.]

It’s iced tea that smells delicious.

It’s impossible to relax in a place surrounded by corpses, so we just watch the ice in our glasses melt in front of us.

Cecilia glared at Roy and slammed the table.

[You toy with them when they live, and continue to do so when they die. This is cruel!]

[As I said before, it’s a limited resource. We modify the corpses to make them stronger than before.]

[Why would you do something like that to a corpse…]

Having a bad feeling, Cecilia and I stared at the beastman’s corpse in the container.

No way… No, it wasn’t an optical illusion.

The corpse’s fingertips twitched.

[Kyaah.]

Cecilia let out a small shriek and couldn’t help but clung to my arm. She never normally does things like that. She must have been terrified.

The corpse comes back to life… Is it similar to that time?!

I remembered an incident that had happened in the Royal Capital of Seyfat in the past.

It was caused by the eldest son of the Burix family, one of the five great families of holy knights who effectively controlled the Royal Capital. The eldest son’s name was Rafal. He was not a good guy, even to flatter him.

In his quest for eternal life, he turned to a red gemstone known as the Philosopher’s Stone. Its power was so great that it pushed Rafal to become something other than human. As a by-product, the dead developed an urge to drink blood, and were resurrected as Nightwalkers.

A bitter memory of the near collapse of the Royal Capital.

Roy went up to the container containing the beastmen and put his hand on it.

[What do you think? Wonderful, isn’t it?]

[Nothing good will come from doing something like that.]

[It’s fine. I’m an expert in spirit research, so I’ve transplanted spirits into the corpses and turned them into puppets. They won’t move on their own without my will.]

[You mean… that joint research you mentioned earlier?]

[Oh, sorry for the late introduction. This is what I’m called in the military. Necromancer Roy…]

Necromancer?!

Roy raised his hand. And acting like a conductor, the beastmen in the container began to move.

[How amazing. I left this place alone for quite a while, and now I can still control it so freely. Look at that container. It’s solid, even though it’s so rotten!]

[Stop it!]

Cecilia cried out in distress, but Roy didn’t hear her.

[Fate-san, are you watching these immortal soldiers carefully?]

[You… Was this why they let me look at them in particular?]

[Yes, if there is a war to retake the Holy Land, the humans will have to fight them. What’s more, even the humans who died in the battle will join the ranks of the immortal soldiers if their corpses fall into our hands.]

The high elves wanted to show me a glimpse of their power.

And it seemed as if they were saying that the humans would have no chance of winning if war broke out.

[What do you want me to do?]

[As an envoy for the High Elves, I just want you to convey our wishes to the humans. If possible, we want to avoid war, right?]

[You think I’m going to do that after seeing something like this?]

Roy finished the iced tea on the table.

[There’s still time. Come on, the iced tea I prepared will get warm.]

[There’s no way I can drink it in a place like this.]

[That’s a pity. It was the perfect place for me to relax, and you didn’t like it…]

Roy’s shoulders slumped as he cleared away the iced tea that was lined up in front of us.

He casually placed it on the sink, then turned around and said.

[I’m actually grateful to you, Fate-san. After you came, I’m even more interested in humans. I’m looking forward to it, I want to see a human corpse soon.]

We stood up without thinking, and Roy smiled fearlessly.

[I’m sure they’ll make a great puppet.]

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