As expected, the place where Ceres’s mentor, Laurenti, led her was none other than the First Research Facility, where Albrecht was.

She somehow realized that her mentor was unusually excited—quite the opposite of his usual self.

It must mean that whatever Albrecht had presented to him was incredibly enticing.

However, Ceres did not share her mentor’s opinion.

‘… Perhaps the idea that we can control this power is nothing but arrogance.’

From what Ceres had observed, Erich had consistently warned about the dangers of the dead.

And here, there was even a clear example.

Specifically, 6th Fortress: those victims who were consumed by the blood of the dead they thought they could control.

Even if not for that particular incident, the very existence of the dead gave Ceres an uneasy feeling. This was her instinct as a researcher screaming out a warning signal.

She found herself thinking about the man she had momentarily worked alongside—Erich.

He had conviction. The belief that the dead must be eradicated, no matter what.

Other mages might disagree, but that deputy-commander was no fool. At times, he’d show intelligence that surprised even Ceres herself.

But was such a man really just ignorant—displaying such repulsion toward the dead simply out of not knowing better, just an ordinary person rejecting what he did not understand? Ceres did not think so.

‘At the very least, caution is necessary.’

It never hurts to be careful in everything.

That was why Ceres obediently followed when Laurenti told her to come along.

She intended to judge for herself after seeing the dead with her own eyes.

Soon, waiting to greet them in front of the First Research Facility was a distinguished, silver-haired middle-aged man.

Contrary to his pale face and white skin, he had a gentle expression and carried an air that suggested he could become friends with anyone.

He slightly bowed his head and spoke.

“I am Albrecht. It is an honor to have you here as well, lady Ceres.”

However, when Ceres frowned as though she had no desire to converse, Albrecht simply raised the corners of his mouth and nodded.

“As expected of a mage—you dislike unnecessary formalities. Both of you, please come inside.”

It was a rather jarring sight.

The area around the First Research Facility was crawling with the dead, but most of them seemed to have almost no “power” at all.

That is, they were little more than simple corpses.

Yet, what struck Ceres as odd was that she could find not a trace of hostility in the dead, no matter how hard she looked.

The staff of the research facility also passed by the dead as if their presence was nothing out of the ordinary.

As they walked down the corridor, Albrecht spoke.

“The dead are not that dangerous. But you do seem to have a fair bit of hostility toward them.”

“Is there any such thing as a beast that will never bite?”

At Ceres’s words, Albrecht gave a faint smile while adjusting the sword at his waist.

“You make a good point. But it’s different if you think of them as tools. Would you hurt yourself on a sword you haven’t even drawn?”

“Well, are you sure that sword will always stay in the scabbard?”

“All of the dead here are under my control. I understand your concern, but the chance of that happening does not exist…unless I die.”

“… Are you saying that you are the one controlling all of those dead?”

Ceres’s eyes narrowed. There was no such magic in the world that could command so many minions.

Certainly, there were spells to animate golems or small animals…

But to control living things in the tens of thousands—she had never even heard of such a feat.

At that moment, Laurenti, the master of the tower, added,

“Ceres, even though Albrecht isn’t a mage, what he’s achieved is well worth taking note of, isn’t it?”

“It’s certainly interesting… However, as you once taught me, nothing in this world comes for free. I find it a little suspect that this man alone could accomplish such things.”

At Ceres’s words, Laurenti gave a dry, amused chuckle.

“When you see what I’ve seen, you’ll soon change your mind.”

What exactly did Albrecht show that so captivated her mentor? Feeling a bit of tension, Ceres followed after him.

As they walked, more specimen subjects brushed past her.

‘… That one is a half-dead barbarian. And those are young headhunters, perhaps.’

She intuitively sensed that everything she had ever seen at other research facilities was gathered here at the First Research Facility.

But even she did not know what might be born from gathering all these things.

She couldn’t even guess. Eventually, Albrecht stopped in front of a closed iron door.

He turned to Ceres and spoke.

“What you are about to see is known to very few. Once this is completed, the Empire’s magic will be shaken to its roots.”

—Screeech.

Albrecht opened the iron door. Inside, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

Ceres’s eyes narrowed, her pupils adjusting to the dark. Soon, she saw something glowing in the darkness.

But the light was oddly familiar. She quickly searched her memory.

‘… That’s a core?’

A core.

Erich had once handed one over to her as research material, and above all, it was the object he had offered as barter to Laurenti.

But then, her breath caught in her throat. Her gaze landed where the core’s light was pointing.

Shock, terror, and awe—a whirlpool of emotions raged in her pupils.

Albrecht’s voice echoed in the dark laboratory.

“Even for the sagacious ones of the tower, I suppose this is a first?”

Laurenti also stared at “it” beside Ceres as if agreeing with Albrecht’s statement.

Where their eyes landed was on the massive body of one of the dead.

A giant dead being, neither alive nor dead, was writhing.

“This is…”

It was an artificial lifeform of sorts—with what seemed like dozens of dubious magical treatments applied.

Ceres instantly perceived that the reason this dead being was functioning was because of the core’s light before her.

‘This—this is impossible.’

‘To create life’ was the ultimate aspiration of mages. No one had ever achieved it.

At most, there were mages who tried to stitch together multiple living creatures to form a new species, but the fact that no such being wandered the Empire now was proof that every one of those attempts had failed.

However…

If her eyes were to be believed, Albrecht had succeeded in that impossible feat.

Not merely stitching together parts from living things, but creating a body from corpses, inscribing intricate magical formulas, and breathing life into it.

Ceres could not help but be aghast. At that moment, Laurenti, her master, looked upon the dead and spoke.

“Isn’t it truly beautiful? We may have to redefine the very concept of life and soul.”

“… But this can’t move. It has a body, but no soul.”

Ceres could sense the energy emanating from the dead.

Though this dead being was functioning as an organism, not a trace of the intelligence innate to any true life form was present.

Mages were well-versed in the definition of living things.

In Ceres’s understanding, the body was one thing, and the soul another; both must be present.

Yet, while this gigantic flesh-shell had life, it had no soul—in effect, it was still dead.

And yet, her magical senses perceived it as ‘alive’.

Albrecht slowly approached the dead.

“We created a core to imbue the body with the energy that animates flesh.”

“… You raised a seed of power in a barbarian’s flesh, transplanted it into a young barbarian to eliminate rejection, then implanted it into the body of a barbarian warrior.”

“Exactly. You know quite a bit. That core matures inside a warrior’s body, and after some refinement, is reborn as a volatile core.”

Still, Ceres’s questions remained.

“If you put power into the body through that core, what did you do about the soul?”

“It’s simple. I found the answer within myself.”

“… Pardon?”

—Vuuuum.

For an instant, Ceres’s brow twitched. Before her, Albrecht’s eyes shone with a distinctive brilliance.

White pupils aglow; the mark of a swordmaster, the highest level of swordsman. But beyond that, Ceres sensed something else.

“… That is?”

“Watch.”

Albrecht slowly placed his hand on the dead. The corpse, whose eyes had been lifeless despite its “living” state, began to slightly writhe at his touch.

—Twitch.

As the flow of aura surged from Albrecht, it glowed fiercely in white before being rapidly tainted and devoured by a black energy.

—Crack!

Immediately, one of the cores lying nearby was drawn by Albrecht’s force into the body of the dead.

The once lifeless eyes of the dead now shone white with brilliance and began to regain vitality. The creature slowly turned its head, scrutinizing its surroundings. Albrecht looked at it with a gentle gaze.

“This is a new power that will take humans to a whole new dimension.”

Ceres’s trembling hands dropped helplessly at her sides.

The overwhelming sight made her shudder uncontrollably.

What this man used was something completely different from the force that Erich or Michael used.

She could feel faint traces of magical energy and rituals within—the aura of magic—but it was so weak as to be negligible.

What Ceres sensed at this moment was something infinitely stronger and more complex.

Like a child seeing an ancient tome for the first time, a dizzying sense of helplessness enveloped her mind.

At that moment, Ceres felt it with certainty.

This man was dangerous, and this power even more so. As the nature and flow of the power became clear to her, her face was painted with horror.

She silently bit her crimson lip.

No matter what, she had to get this information to Erich. This man, Albrecht…

He possessed a power that no one could hope to bear.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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