Chapter 125
The creaking of rusty hinges.
Or a mechanical device not properly oiled.
Such images were evoked by the homunculus's movements.
The somewhat unnatural movements seemed like the process of that homunculus, which had been in the realm of humans, abandoning its intelligence and degrading into a machine that only performs its given duty.
The homunculus's voice that eventually came was devoid of emotion, becoming mechanical as if to prove this.
"Second homunculus. Yutmundus. Forced activation."
Crack—
The homunculus's armor, already half-destroyed by the passage of time and now full of cracks from the battle with Baltren and my magic bullets, broke and fell off.
Under the metal fragments.
What appeared there wasn't a completed homunculus with skin like ours.
A metallic surface that couldn't be distinguished as skin or armor.
Its appearance resembled the Sentinels of the Second Floor.
While the Sentinels had a smooth porcelain-like quality, this homunculus was closer to metal.
And the exposed body, stripped of armor, was repairing the massive hole created by the magic bullet.
Producing metal to fill the wound like shape-memory alloy recovering its original form, this truly deserved to be called alchemy.
"A pure monster..."
"Qualification, examination, implementation."
Screech—
With a noise that scraped the ears, the homunculus, self-proclaimed Yutmundus, fixed its single eye, glowing with inner light, directly on me.
"Subject... unidentifiable. Confirming non-injection of divine blood. If not injected, will be considered an intruder. Elimination."
Was that inner light some kind of scan?
From the start, it probably judged me as a subject for that incomprehensible qualification examination because it detected the Divine Blood Serum in me.
This is practically forcing me to take it.
Yutmundus distinguished between elimination and examination.
So it wasn’t going to kill me unconditionally, I guess.
Click.
I took out the Divine Blood Serum fixed inside my Chromatic Fiend leather coat.
I was thinking of securing more data and obtaining research results if possible, but if it had come to this, there was no choice.
There was some anxiety, but I had resolved myself.
If I had to take it someday anyway.
Now is as good a time as any.
Stab—!
§
Consciousness spreads out.
Endlessly.
Continuously.
The sensation was alien.
As if nerve bundles had extended outside my body, making me feel even external objects as if they were my own body.
It wasn’t that I as an entity was living on top of the world, but that I had entered into the world.
What I felt was the world, and the world was me.
It was no longer a sensation that a single life form could feel.
This was closer to that of a creator deity.
However, what processed this information was ultimately my brain, which was nothing more than a single organism.
Thoughts melt.
Reason began to be paralyzed.
Grasping at my will which was fading like mist dissolving in sunlight, I asked myself.
Why did I inject the Divine Blood Serum?
There was a reason.
The first-ever closure of the pact seals.
I, who had unlimited mana channels, had momentarily fallen into a situation like other mages, no, even worse than them.
In such a situation, there was an unidentified formidable enemy in front of me.
I had to fight, and the only power I had for that was the Divine Blood Serum.
And that homunculus said I must take that serum.
It said those who have taken the divine blood were qualified.
Then to obtain the legacy, I naturally had to become qualified, someone with that Divine Blood Serum flowing in them.
It's been verified to some extent.
Costin and Hecate proved that it wasn't poison.
Both alchemically and by borrowing the knowledge of Devils, they said this wasn't poison.
The Divine Blood Serum was power.
Something refined into a special power through some processing of blood obtained from an unknown something created by Cordelia Wollstonecraft.
So I would have taken it someday anyway.
Because if it was a legacy left by the First Expedition, my goal would undoubtedly come dramatically closer to achievement.
"Divine blood confirmed. Examination, continuing."
Yutmundus's mechanical voice woke my mind like the ringing of a temple bell.
It was dangerous.
Nothing was over yet.
With that thought, instinct arose.
My palm flipped over.
I couldn't tell if I flipped it or if the world flipped my hand.
When my hand flipped, the world responded and flipped with it.
Rumble—!
Space flipping over.
As if only this space where Yutmundus and I were was separated and new laws applied to it.
Literally grabbing space and turning it over, or changing the direction of gravity.
Being already blinded, I couldn't fully know its form, but the result was no different.
The fact that Yutmundus, who was rushing at me, was now lying on the floor.
I gently press down with my hand, palm facing up.
Like Buddha pressing down the monkey with his hand of great compassion, my hand covered Yutmundus.
"...Qualification, confirmed. Divine blood... transplant successful... Mother's will shall be fulfilled."
First sight, now hearing?
With my hearing also shattered to pieces, I couldn't hear Yutmundus's last words.
I couldn’t see ahead, couldn’t hear my surroundings, and smell, taste, and touch were disappearing.
Rather than vague fear, comfort came.
Just as I thought it might be okay to melt away like this.
Something connected to me.
[Roman!]
§
"Whoa!"
With a scream that should have been uttered by someone split in half, I came to my senses.
My body hurt.
Beyond numbness, it hurt.
Yet that pain felt like proof of being alive, making me laugh.
"This is ridiculous. How can such a thing exist."
Though everything felt hazy like I'd been dreaming, the feeling that I'd definitely done something amazing remained clear.
"...What on earth did you do?"
"What?"
"No, that... look."
Rei points with her finger.
It was a trace of annihilation, very cleanly erased.
And in the shape of my hand, at that.
"...Tathagata's divine palm?"
"What's that? A magic name?"
"Similar?"
The image was of Buddha, so calling it Tathagata's Divine Palm might be fine.
"Putting that aside, are you okay?"
"Hmm, y-yeah. It hurts a bit. No, a lot."
"No, that's not what I... Never mind. If you can say that, you seem fine."
What was she trying to say?
"Anyway, those two are outside."
It was Mea who spoke, popping out of the shadows with a “poof”.
"Fortunately, they don't seem to have seen it."
It wasn’t like it would be good if they saw.
While Lana might be okay, Blobel seeing it would definitely be problematic.
"Leaf is... Leaf?"
"Ah! Yes, yes!"
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I-I'm fine."
Leaf insisted she was fine while waving both hands, though anyone could see she wasn’t.
She didn't seem injured, so I decided not to press further.
Besides, I didn't have enough energy left to question Leaf anyway.
"I'll pour a potion."
"Please be gentle."
So they did use potions after all.
After roughly finishing first aid, I could at least move now.
Though the pain was still throbbing up, I had to do what needed to be done.
It's time for Explorers to obtain artifacts!
§
Leaving the ruined ruins behind.
We set out on our return journey, having added one more person to our group.
"So, why did you go? Knowing full well that Abyss Worshippers were there."
"I'm still here, you know."
Only then did Blobel part her lips, which had been tightly closed as if padlocked.
It was a resentful remark asking why he was asking someone else when she was right there.
But was this a situation to feel resentful about?
Honestly, she should have spoken up first before I brought it up.
Was she confident that she could get away with colluding with Abyss Worshippers?
"Since you don't seem to want to speak yourself, I have to hear it from someone else. I'll need to report this one way or another."
So, read the room and make some excuses.
When given the chance, one should put on some makeup and butter up the audience to claim your innocence, aligning your words.
But instead of Blobel, who had closed her mouth again for some dissatisfied reason, Lana started speaking, "...Bena's, no, Blobel's identity is as I mentioned before."
Lana accidentally called Blobel by her nickname before correcting to her surname.
I wasn’t sure if that was a real mistake or if she was hinting at their close relationship to ask for leniency, but anyway.
"You mean she's the disciple of the Naturalis branch head?"
"Yes."
"You said she was a beloved disciple. The branch head's one and only disciple, right?"
"That's correct. The head of the Naturalis branch, Lord Gauron, was originally famous for not taking disciples. He wasn't even the branch head at the time and was focused solely on exploring the depths of the Abyss along with our master. But one day, he suddenly took a disciple."
And then he abruptly stopped his fervent exploration in Golden Intellect and even accepted the branch head position he had been declining, all for the sake of nurturing his disciple.
Because it would be easier to get support for his disciple that way.
Why did such a person cherish Blobel so much?
And also, why did those Abyss Worshippers specifically make contact with Blobel?
These two questions were answered with one response.
"Blobel is—"
"I am..."
Blobel, who had been listening without affirming, denying, or adding any explanation to Lana's words, cut in, interrupting Lana.
And then, in a voice filled with emotions that couldn't be described as any single feeling, and were too complexly tangled to properly express, she said, "A descendant of our great ancestor, Cordelia Wollstonecraft."
At this shocking statement, everyone was at a loss for words...
"But the surname is different?"
Or not.
"Why? It's right. The surname is different."
"No, Rei-Rei. Surnames can change over time, and if it's through the maternal line, the bloodline continues even if the surname is different, right?"
"...Is that so? Oh, you're right. A-ahem! I just made a mistake for a moment! It's because we follow the matrilineal surname!"
"I've heard that in beast-folk societies, polygamy is common. Only the heir receives the paternal surname, while the rest follow the maternal surname."
"That's right!"
Rei puffed out her chest proudly, shouting with high spirits at Leaf's supporting fire.
As if protesting, “I am righteous!”
"Let's put that aside. Coming back to the point, a descendant of Cordelia? That's a bit strange."
"...What is? And casually using our ancestor's name like that..."
"If you're Cordelia's descendant, aren't you like a princess of Golden Intellect? But it's strange that you went to the Naturalis branch, which is said to be treated almost like heretics."
They say the eight branches were all in equal positions, and there was no mainstream, meaning they were all in the position of exploring the true intentions of the great master Cordelia, which was why they were called branches without sects.
But still, there were branches within Golden Intellect that were close to being sects.
Philosophi.
Officially known as the Circulus branch.
Costin often talked about them, saying they were researchers of the very origin of alchemy, with a deeper history than any other branch.
Unlike other branches that usually took part of their official name as a colloquial name, only they had a strange official name and nickname with no apparent connection, which made me think they were a bit different.
"It's strange that it's not Philosophi. As far as I know, Cordelia didn't leave any descendants. Or is it like this? A descendant of a child born in secret that no one knew about?"
If that were the case, shouldn't she be at least the owner of Golden Intellect, just like how another member of the First Expedition became the Grand Duke and owner of the city?
And of course, Blobel was far from being such a direct descendant.
"It's not like that. Honestly, it's a bit much to call me a descendant... more like, from the ancestor's family line."
That made sense.
Even Cordelia would have had a family, and even if she didn't have siblings, she would have had relatives.
"But isn't that common? If we gathered all our relatives, our family would have several hundred too."
That was Rei for you.
Utterly cold-blooded.
But there was someone who met that cold-bloodedness with equal coldness.
"That's not the case."
It was Lana.
Based on her rich knowledge, she dispelled Rei's doubt based on animal instinct.
"The lack of information about the First Expedition is largely due to not only their bloodline but also their entire clan being cut off. In other words, there are fewer than five people who share even a little of Cordelia Wollstonecraft's blood, including Blobel."
And among them, Blobel was the only one with outstanding talent in alchemy.
It was almost a background and talent that couldn't help but be cherished and protected, Blobel's that was.
This, I could use this?
§
At the end of one of Golden Intellect's branches,
The golden dragon-kin tried to maintain its composure by burning purification grass, despite its extremely excited mood.
No, it couldn't maintain its composure.
How could one maintain composure in such a situation?
The moment had come to properly feed it to that heretic's child who had been so irritating.
Look.
That expression like she had chewed on something bitter.
Ah, though I've lived long as a dragon-kin, there have been few times as thrilling as this.
If this were just a matter of nitpicking the other's mistake, it would have ended with just taking a few things away, but this case was different.
Your skill in raising a disciple was quite lacking.
While they nurtured their disciple for over 10 years, pouring in all sorts of good things, Costin only taught for about a year.
Moreover, since Costin's own disciple wasn't even an alchemist but a mage, it couldn't even properly help.
Haa... that good-for-nothing. I thought he was just making our Leaf suffer, but he does have his moments.
Still, I'll never give Leaf away.
"I think you've heard the circumstances to some extent."
Tap tap.
After adjusting its pipe, it put it back in its mouth and inhaled deeply.
Along with the refreshing sensation that clears its head, Costin spoke with a victor's smile, "Phew... You roughly know what I'm going to say, right?"
All the cornered opponent could do was nod in dismay and shame.
Costin drove the nail into its opponent, Gauron, one of the eight heads of Golden Intellect like himself and the always irritating branch head of Naturalis.
"We'll need some cooperation."