Ch.51Chapter 51 – The Reunion with Her Was the Worst. (3)

How much time had passed since I was captured?

My helmet had been removed, my weapons taken away.

Strangely, they left my armor intact, either because they didn’t have time to remove it or simply couldn’t be bothered.

-Clank

‘Damn it.’

Part of the reason they’re neglecting me like this must be because of these iron chains binding me.

With both ends of the chain attached to rings on the wall, I couldn’t move at all.

I try to break free by applying force, but the chains won’t budge.

‘Should I use that power?’

The power Hudson mentioned.

The state where I could exert greater strength at the cost of my life force—perhaps that might work, but…

‘For now, I should observe the situation.’

Even if I broke free, escaping immediately would be difficult.

It was because of that person called Beatrice.

Ludger was definitely there too, but she was skilled enough to easily deflect his attacks and kidnap me while retreating safely.

At least while she’s around, escaping from this situation would be challenging.

‘At the very least, I’d like to see what they’re doing.’

I needed information.

To escape, I needed to know when they’d be away, or at minimum, when they leave their posts.

However, since a white curtain-like barrier was put up, I couldn’t see beyond it, nor could I hear anything.

I don’t know how it works, but the moment that curtain was drawn, even outside sounds seemed to be blocked.

‘This means I can’t know what’s happening on the other side at all.’

Actually, when the curtain was slightly lifted, I could hear sounds.

I discovered this when a woman named Asam came in with a syringe, her face full of joy, and I could faintly hear sounds from outside.

‘I’m not some blood-drawing machine.’

My neck stings a bit. Knowing they’ve taken my blood makes me feel slightly anemic.

I silently cursed her as she took more blood without even trying to hide her smile.

Quite some time has passed since then.

That damn curtain has dulled my sense of time.

All I could do was stare at the other test subject contained in the tank beside me.

While I was carefully considering if there might be some way out, the curtain was lifted.

“Hello~”

Beatrice entered.

“What’s your purpose?”

“Hmm? I just came because I was bored.”

After saying that, Beatrice drew the curtain again.

The noise that had briefly filtered in while she entered disappeared instantly.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t explained this, have I? This curtain is a magical tool. Originally used to keep experimental animals from acting up.”

“That sounds like you’re treating me as a test subject.”

“Well, that’s not entirely wrong, is it?”

This damn woman.

As I was thinking about spitting at her, something was pushed into my mouth.

“Eat. You need to eat to survive.”

I tried to push it away, wondering what she was trying to feed me.

Soon, Beatrice pulled it out of my mouth.

“Huh? This is food.”

“Why would I carelessly eat something given by my kidnapper?”

“Hmm.”

Only then did I notice what Beatrice was holding.

It was a rectangular object that looked like bread.

She tore off a small piece from the opposite end of what had been in my mouth and put it in her own mouth, chewing.

“See? No poison or anything.”

The sound of her chewing was briefly audible before disappearing.

“It’s a biscuit for people who find eating troublesome. Just one will fill you up, so eat it.”

“…”

Beatrice pushed the biscuit into my mouth again, and I slowly chewed and swallowed it.

The taste was better than expected, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

“Here, water.”

Again, she took a sip first before handing it to me, so I accepted and drank it.

I’m not a baby—this is somewhat humiliating.

“That’s right, that’s right, you ate so well, coochie-coo~”

As if reading my thoughts, Beatrice started teasing me with a big smile.

Did she have to treat me like a baby of all things?

“Well, this big sister will make sure you’re well-fed, so be good, okay? You wouldn’t want to be fed through tubes like that one, would you?”

Beatrice pointed at the test subject next to me.

“So, why did you bring me here?”

“Curious?”

Beatrice leaned in close to my face with a wide smile.

“Tell me.”

“I won’t tell you!”

Beatrice stuck out her tongue and quickly pulled her face away.

I was about to spit at her, but she seemed to have anticipated it.

“Frustrated? Peek-a-boo!”

“When I get out of these chains, you’ll see.”

It’s clearly childish teasing, but it’s infuriating to experience it firsthand.

“Just stay put~. Or sleep if you want. It’s already night.”

Has that much time passed already?

I briefly thought about how the others must be worried.

“Where are you going?”

“My, are you flirting in that state?”

Beatrice laughed at my question.

Then she gracefully twirled in place.

“Well, I am quite beautiful, but how should I put this… Unfortunately, I’m not recruiting boyfriends right now.”

“Are you sure you’re not on drugs?”

Her behavior really makes it seem like she’s heavily intoxicated.

“Hehehe. I told you I don’t do drugs. They’re expensive.”

“Would you do them if someone gave them to you for free?”

“I still wouldn’t.”

Beatrice looked at me.

“I haven’t achieved my goal yet.”

“Goal?”

We stared at each other for a moment.

I wondered what grand purpose would drive someone to kidnap others.

But soon Beatrice shook her head and turned away.

“Well, sleep tight~. Dream of me.”

Beatrice disappeared behind the curtain.

‘Is that supposed to be a curse to have nightmares?’

As I stared at the innocent curtain, I quietly began cursing Beatrice.

Somehow, I thought Beatrice’s back looked a bit lonely at the end, but I decided to ignore that feeling.

+

“Heh, hehehe, hehehehehehe…”

“Asam, you’re kind of scary when you do that.”

Beatrice chided her friend, who was adding various reagents to a flask of blood with a delighted expression.

“So, did you find anything?”

“I did. Why else would I be this excited?”

Asam turned in her chair and spoke.

Seeing this, Beatrice tossed her a biscuit identical to the one she’d given Kei earlier, which Asam immediately caught and ate.

“This is the best. No time wasted.”

“So, what did you find?”

“To get straight to the point, whoever modified those two people in there is no ordinary person.”

Asam said while taking a bite of the biscuit.

“What makes you think so?”

“There’s no rejection response.”

Asam said with a serious expression.

“You know that when you randomly put monster organs or artificial organs into a human, there’s always a rejection response, right?”

“Of course.”

“That’s the situation with the people in there. Most have artificial organs installed, but they’re made from monster materials, so they’re essentially monster organs packed tightly inside.”

Asam took another bite of the biscuit.

“But there’s no rejection response at all. Whether they adjusted each one individually or created organs compatible with everyone, I don’t know. Thanks to this, those two in there have bodies stronger than ordinary people.”

“That doesn’t seem possible just from replacing an organ or two.”

“Their muscles were also enhanced… various elements working in synergy have made their bodies incredibly robust.”

After swallowing the biscuit, Asam spoke again.

“That smoke they emit when getting stronger is a byproduct. It’s a state where they can exert unbelievable strength by pushing their heart and artificial organs to the extreme.”

“So it’s not just for show.”

“It’s because of the intense heat. The organs, especially the heart, are under such strain that it shortens their lifespan.”

After taking a sip of water, Asam continued.

“In short, they’re essentially powerful living weapons that could be made to go berserk and used as disposable tools if necessary.”

Beatrice raised her hand and took out a cigarette.

“Mind if I smoke?”

“Earlier was one thing, but now it’s a bit…”

Beatrice immediately lit it, and Asam sighed and extended her hand.

“Hey, I just lit it. Have some patience.”

“No, give me one too.”

“Eat first, then smoke.”

Soon Asam took another bite of the biscuit.

“So, is that all?”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand. How they got such rare materials, I didn’t know they could use them.”

Beatrice nodded at Asam’s serious comment.

“Was what Hudson said true?”

“Yes, it was true.”

“Where did they get… no. If it’s the New Kingdom, they would have already obtained it.”

Beatrice took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled the smoke.

“I can also guess the source immediately.”

“So what do you think they’re trying to do?”

“With those materials, they were probably trying to artificially create a hero.”

Having finished her biscuit, Asam extended her hand.

“Tsk, this is an expensive cigarette.”

“Expensive? Instead of smoking expensive cigarettes, why don’t you pay your overdue rent?”

“Lady Asam, shall this humble servant light it for you~?”

Beatrice handed over a cigarette while playfully putting on a servile expression.

Soon, two streams of cigarette smoke filled the laboratory.

“But based on the blood and my examination of the previous test subject’s body, I think they originally planned to only replace the heart.”

“Didn’t you say many organs were replaced?”

“From the traces, the other organs were implanted after the heart transplant.”

Asam stated firmly.

“So they created not a hero, but some kind of living weapon.”

“Huh.”

Beatrice fell into thought at Asam’s words.

“Then the original goal was to create a hero.”

“But isn’t creating a hero the same as creating a living weapon?”

“It’s a bit different.”

Beatrice looked at Asam.

“You said the organ transplants came after the heart, right? Then it makes sense that they tried to create a hero but shifted their plan toward making a living weapon.”

Beatrice spoke as if talking to herself.

“From what I can see, their priority was creating a hero, for whatever reason.”

“That makes sense.”

Asam said bitterly.

“But maybe they wanted to use the hero as a weapon from the beginning.”

“Why?”

“I detected some prohibited drugs. The kind that should never be used on humans.”

Beatrice took a drag of her cigarette.

Feeling somehow calmed by the smoke, she spoke again.

“What kind of effects?”

“Brainwashing, physical enhancement. That sort of thing.”

Asam said with wide eyes.

“That’s why I used the term ‘living weapon.’ The one captured first has been continuously dosed recently. It clearly shows malicious intent to create a living puppet.”

“Hmm.”

After thinking for a moment, Beatrice spoke.

“If the one I captured later escaped from there, they probably administered more of that drug afterward.”

“That would make sense.”

Agreeing with Beatrice’s opinion, Asam spoke with disgust.

“From a purely research perspective, it’s good to see various results and gather data, but honestly, I’d like to look inside the head of whoever created this.”

With a hint of fear in her eyes, Asam continued.

“I have a guess who it might be.”

Beatrice’s expression sharpened.

Asam agreed.

“I can guess too. It must be that madman.”

“And he certainly wouldn’t appear on the surface. He probably used a proxy or puppet.”

After a moment, Beatrice spoke with a grim expression.

“Finally, I’ve found traces of that bastard again.”

Looking closely, her expression seemed somewhat ecstatic.

“Bea.”

“I know, I know. I’ll calm down.”

The two women nodded at each other.

After a moment, Beatrice carefully spoke.

“Thank you as always, Asam.”

“It’s nothing. That’s what friends are for.”

Flicking her cigarette butt into the ashtray, Asam spoke.

“So what will you do now? With those test subjects?”

“First, we need to investigate more about why they tried to create a hero. Let’s extract all the information we can.”

“I mean, after that.”

At Asam’s question, Beatrice fell into thought.

The two test subjects behind the curtain.

“What will you do? One of them might…”

“We’ll use them.”

Her voice was resolute.

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t you think it would be amusing to see them torn apart by the living weapons they created?”

“Bea…”

About to say something, Asam gave up.

‘She wouldn’t listen anyway.’

When it came to that cult, Beatrice never looked back.

She had even immediately attacked an acquaintance upon discovering their deep involvement with the cult.

To Beatrice, the Emiris Cult was a sore spot.

Though Asam herself hadn’t heard the reason yet, she could tell the grudge ran very deep.

‘She could at least acknowledge others’ concerns.’

Seeing Asam fall silent, Beatrice spoke again.

“Those drugs you detected earlier, tell me about them later.”

With those words, Beatrice turned around.

“Where are you going?”

“To get a drink.”

“Hey, the one in chains is still sane. What if he breaks the chains?”

“He can’t break them. Those two are the same type of test subjects.”

Beatrice spoke confidently.

“If the other one couldn’t break them even while emitting smoke, it’s safe.”

With those final words, Beatrice left the room.

“…So you’re determined to finish this by any means necessary. With that cult.”

Asam muttered to herself, looking at the door Beatrice had exited.

‘I’m not enough.’

She was a close friend, an irreplaceable one.

But she couldn’t fight alongside her against enemies.

All she could do was help by investigating what her friend wanted in her own field.

‘I hope someone can help her.’

Wishing for her friend’s safety, Asam resumed examining the test subjects’ blood.