Chapter 41
A holy silence settled in the laboratory.
The swirling shadows had subsided, and only the fishy scent of blood brushed the nose.
The fierce battle that had continued had come to an end.
"......"
A blue-haired girl was cradled in his arms.
Perhaps because the tension had eased.
She who had been beautiful with rippling snowflakes had lost consciousness, seemingly having used up all her strength.
A thin breath brushed his collar.
"You must have been tired."
Eyelids gently closed.
I, who had been savoring the body heat touching my chest, soon slowly laid the girl's body on the floor.
Being careful not to wake her.
Beside her lay the pink-haired protagonist.
Also unconscious.
Though both were covered in dust, they didn't seem to be injured anywhere.
That was somewhat relieving.
"Even though I secretly took precautions... It seems I can't help but worry."
I smiled bitterly.
Though I knew they wouldn't be hurt because of the safety measures, on the other hand I had been anxious the whole time.
Anxiety was always an adult's ailment.
"It seems it was needless worry."
The children had done better than expected.
Even though it must have been a terrifying situation, not one of them acted selfishly.
Feeling proud, I stroked both girls' foreheads.
The quiet whisper was tinged with affection.
"You did well. Both of you."
The pilot, and the vain one.
Roles that had done their best.
Though many things would be waiting for them in the future, for now it was time for rest.
I covered them with shadows spread like a blanket.
"May you have sweet dreams."
Snap-!
I snapped my fingers.
Behind the space twisting in an instant, a modest barrier formed around the children.
This should be impenetrable even if Galimar's dean came.
"Though I said it was over... I have personal matters to take care of."
I shook off the pitch-black on my fingertips.
Quite some time had passed since arriving at the laboratory, so the academy would soon find our location.
About 30 minutes of time remained.
Is it a bit tight?
Considering the episode that would burst next, I had to build up sufficiently here.
I turned my head while holding concerns.
<Ugh... Aaah>
A grotesquely writhing form appeared in view.
Though its body was cut in half and it couldn't move even one tentacle properly, it was somehow still alive with its characteristic tenacious vitality.
It seemed its breath would soon be cut off if left like this.
<Aah, aaah...>
A cry leaked from between its hideously open mouth.
Red pupils blinking for the last time. In a way, they looked dyed with sadness.
I quietly met its gaze.
Rotten blood was flowing down like tears.
"......"
The monster that couldn't laugh.
Though it was Baob's worst experimental subject and a disaster-level chimera that had caused numerous casualties.
"Poor thing."
It too was just one of the sacrifices.
It had mutated through unwanted experiments, lost its original reason, and become a being craving slaughter.
How could one not pity such a miserable life?
"It's truly the ugliness bloomed by adults."
All the mutants encountered today were made based on beasts, but this monster was different.
It was the only chimera using humans as material.
The skin covering it in tatters.
Originally it must have been a girl who smiled purely.
She became a monster before even turning 10 years old.
If she wasn't even given a chance to forget her childhood, what adult in the world could blame her?
One could only pity a life shattering so emptily.
'I should keep my promise.'
I quietly extended my hand.
Shadows creeping up from the floor. They swallowed the severed form.
The monster seemed to struggle for a moment.
Then it disappeared into the darkness, resigned.
I put her into subspace.
Here she wouldn't be seen by others' eyes, and could rest in comfortable silence.
I could take her out anytime I wanted.
"...Huhu."
Though my mood had worsened slightly, I swallowed it.
A bitter smile dyed my lips.
Not much time remained.
Now it was time to wrap up the episode.
I calmly took steps.
Leaving the laboratory in disarray, I began crossing the long-extending corridor once more.
I moved my feet towards the destination.
'Let's see that face.'
In the deep, dark basement.
Searching for the rat hiding somewhere.
***
Meanwhile, on the lowest floor of the basement.
A hidden room that could only be reached by going down seven times through stairs tangled like a maze.
A man was standing there.
Crash-!
A somewhat noisy sound rang out.
The man was hurriedly gathering documents scattered on the desk, preparing to leave the laboratory.
A pale face could be seen between his disheveled robes.
"Damn it...!"
Rough cursing spat out.
His thick voice was trembling uncharacteristically.
His hands fumbling, unable to find what he needed, clearly revealed the man's state soaked in confusion.
As if trying to escape from something.
"How can such a being exist...?!"
He muttered, full of fear.
Certainly when he received this mission, he hadn't been informed of such a monster.
He had only known simple contents.
"Fuck! This doesn't make sense...!"
Originally it was nothing special.
Hijacking a teleport prepared through a secret route.
Using this to kidnap one person.
The target was the rumored female student who handled a wyvern as her summon beast.
-She's worth researching.
-Chimeras using dragons as material have been rare until now... She'll be a great stimulus for the believers.
-We must offer that child to our god.
Permission was given to do as he pleased with the two accompanying her.
The man had accepted the mission with a joyful heart.
It was an opportunity to directly feed the 'work of art', after all.
Students despairing before numerous tentacles.
Imagining them being torn by soft flesh, a thrilling pleasure flowed down his spine.
The man had expected such an ecstatic scene.
But.
[My, my... This is truly a moment of crisis.]
A boy appearing with a playful tone.
With one light gesture, the many tentacles were instantly cut off.
What on earth had happened?
Before he could even grasp the situation, this time a blue line was drawn in the air.
Right after, the huge body was helplessly cut in pieces.
"Where on earth did such a monster pop out from...!"
The finest work of art created in Belzen.
The top-grade chimera was cut without even using its strength.
It was strength beyond the frame.
A monster even famous heroes in the empire had struggled with, overwhelmed by a mere novice student.
It didn't bode well.
[Huhu.]
Moreover.
A meaningful smile while staring at the screen.
It was an ominous smile, as if knowing he was being watched.
The man felt something had gone wrong.
A chilling sensation blatantly brushing his nape.
It felt like something bad would happen.
The man immediately prepared to escape.
He planned to slip out through the emergency stairs connected to the hidden room.
As it was a location no one but the manager of this place could find, he didn't have to worry about being chased.
"I must return to headquarters immediately."
He had to inform the leader of this fact.
That such a powerful being was hiding among the students, perhaps the informant had betrayed them.
The man stood up to escape this ominous space.
The next moment.
"I must quickly tell the leader this fact...!"
"You seem busy?"
"......"
A voice was heard from behind.
The man froze in place, feeling his mind go blank.
Certainly.
No presence had been heard.
"......"
"Where are you trying to go in such a hurry?"
A voice leisurely brushing his ear.
When he slowly turned his creaking head, the golden snake he had been watching on screen was standing there.
Had he suddenly appeared out of thin air?
The boy smiled with his eyes nonchalantly.
Though it was a frivolous smile, alarms were ringing madly in his head.
If he didn't move now.
He wouldn't be able to avoid death.
He instinctively deployed mana at his fingertips, unfolding an attack technique.
But.
"An interesting attempt."
Snap-!
When the sound of snapping fingers rang out, the magic on his fingers disappeared.
At the same time, all his muscles stiffened.
As if intoxicated by a paralysis effect.
The man couldn't even blink his eyes on his own.
"I have many things I want to ask."
The snake smiled brightly.
But a terrible killing intent lingered around.
"You'll have to answer many things for me."
The boy's palm covered the man's face.
His chillingly cooled body temperature collapsed reason, creating a distant fear.
The snake recited.
"There's no need to bother moving your mouth?"
White pupils shining brightly.
The boy stared with his eyelids fully open. An indescribable sense of deprivation weighed on the man.
It resembled the eyes of a death god.
Eyes glaring at a sinful soul about to be reaped.
"I intend to hear the answers directly from your brain."
"Ah..."
Snap-!
The bursting sound between fingers rang out once more.
Right after, the shadows covering the man's face caused a huge explosion.
In his fading consciousness, what remained as the final scene was.
"Then, sleep in nightmares."
Coldly contemptuous white eyes.
***
Some time later.
After a while of silence in the basement, several people burst in.
It was none other than some of Galimar's faculty.
"Find the students first!"
Students who had disappeared along with the magic circle's runaway.
Though detection was delayed due to the distorted mana, swift action allowed them to back-calculate the teleport's destination.
They had located the children's whereabouts 2 hours after their disappearance.
All available personnel had attempted instant teleportation to that point.
They trod the corridor with hurried steps.
As the professors continued searching like that, they soon discovered two students lying on the laboratory floor.
Pink hair, and blue hair.
"There are students here!"
"Regia Philertz, and Emilia Beniti. It appears to be two of the three missing students."
"Where's the remaining one?"
"I'll search the surroundings more!"
"No, rather than that... What are all these scattered around?"
"...Beast corpses?"
The professors who entered the laboratory couldn't help but be quite flustered.
It was because of the scene in utter chaos.
Two unconscious students.
Unidentified lumps of meat splattered all around.
Numerous corpses of creatures that seemed to combine all sorts of life forms like wolves, spiders, tentacles.
The professors were dumbfounded.
"...What is all this?"
"......"
"What on earth happened here......"
It was a space that made terrible imaginings arise.
What had the students gone through during the 2 hours they stayed here?
As they were rolling futile gazes like that.
Trudge trudge-.
Footsteps heard from somewhere.
Perhaps because of the sudden presence? The professors reacted sensitively and took their stances.
As they waited while holding their breath for a moment.
Suddenly a sticky voice whispered in their ears.
"My, my... You're all a step late."
Gazes focused.
What revealed itself from the thick darkness was none other than the golden snake.
Slit eyes smiling ominously.
"It's already too late."
A particularly meaningful line approaching.
Though it was the appearance of the last student they had been looking for, for some reason the professors found it difficult to relax their tension.
Because there was an ominousness constantly choking them.
"......"
The professors unknowingly swallowed dry saliva.
Of course, regardless of that, the boy only approached them with leisurely steps.
"Hmm~ There's no need for you all to be wary?"
"......"
"The situation ended long ago."
A background thickly laid with the smell of blood.
The snake flicked his tongue as if enjoying it.
"Please, be at ease."
It was a greeting that made the basement's temperature even chillier.