Ch.75Chapter 75. Pride of Humanity (2)

Chapter 75. Pride of Humanity (2)

The Empire’s secret laboratory hidden underground was very spacious.

I thought it wouldn’t be much since the entrance was narrow, but seeing the sprawling path ahead, that wasn’t the case.

“This isn’t the laboratory, but a maze created to hide it. We need to find the hidden second door to enter the actual laboratory.”

That’s what he says. If Harry says so, it must be true.

“What kind of maze is this?”

“I don’t understand this.”

“Civilized people…”

Our tribal federation warriors, exhausted from bloody warfare, followed Harry with expressions full of discontent.

Tsk. It would have been nice if Captain Zombie were here too.

I checked earlier, but the status window showed that it was no longer controllable.

It seems the tentacle demon destroyed it along with the elevator.

My precious super-soldier body…

But that’s not the real problem.

“Ho-ho. Just wait a little longer.”

This politely responding old man is the real problem.

It’s been 30 minutes since he confidently claimed he could find the second door in 10 minutes.

– Are you sure you know the shortcut?

“Didn’t I tell you I exchanged letters with my friend? I heard all the general details.”

That’s what Harry said, but I couldn’t believe him.

“The path splits in two again… hmm… this way then…”

How can I trust an old man who mutters like this with every step?

“Let me see…”

“Grandfather, are you really sure you know the way?”

Even Paya, who hates criticizing others, is saying this.

She insisted on coming along even when I told her to rest. Having come all this way with no progress in finding the path, she must be getting frustrated.

Lakye’s expression is also becoming increasingly distorted, looking like he might explode any moment.

“I just got confused because I heard about this long ago. I understand you’re feeling impatient after such an intense battle.

At times like this, we should calmly collect ourselves…”

“I’m starting to think a forgetful old man is playing tricks on us.”

Lakye finally exploded.

“…”

Harry, who had been smoothly running his tongue, gasped and closed his mouth.

This grandfather is surprisingly weak against the strong.

I understand though. No one wouldn’t be intimidated after seeing Lakye slaughter demons.

Now it’s my turn to step in.

– Are you sure there are no traps?

“…Yes. I heard they were all dismantled due to lack of maintenance mana stones.”

– Mage Harry. Are you prone to motion sickness?

“Hmm? Not particularly.”

– I see.

Well said.

– Lakye. Put Harry on a cart and pass through the maze. Harry will guide the way.

We have several carts we brought to retrieve golems.

“Good idea.”

Lakye grins.

“On, on second thought, whenever I ride carriages… whoa!”

Lakye grabbed Harry by the collar mid-excuse and practically threw him onto the cart.

“Hold tight if you don’t want to die, old man.”

Then he pulled the cart at such incredible speed that Harry’s beard fluttered in the wind.

An amusing elderly care… no, rickshaw experience.

“Huaaah~!”

– Tell us which way to go.

“Le-le-left~!”

Good. This is much more convenient.

How nice to move quickly while giving directions.

“Th-this time ri-right~!”

Is this grandpa-style medieval navigation? Excellent.

We quickly navigated through the maze with Super Lakye’s speedy cart.

We should have done this from the beginning.

Ah, I told Paya and the other warriors to follow slowly.

The cart wheels have a lot of foreign matter (mostly insect-human fluids) on them, leaving traces when we move. They’ll find their way, I’m sure.

“Ugh… I can’t even summon Toughie…”

Paya’s murmur, who wanted to follow me until the end, echoes in my ears.

Paya completed her blessing awakening, or more precisely, her second job advancement in this war.

With a second job advancement, it’s natural to gain new skills.

Now Paya can summon Toughie wherever she is, anytime.

The so-called “Summon Toughie” skill.

She tried summoning him briefly earlier, and blue light gathered before Toughie appeared with a poof.

But I had her unsummon him again because his large size made movement difficult.

“I see the door.”

“N-now let me down. I really feel like I’m going to… bleugh~!”

After vomiting spectacularly, Harry stood before the second door.

“Shall we wait for the warriors?”

– Let’s do that.

We don’t know what threats might be behind the door. There could be “killer robots gone mad after gaining self-awareness” like in movies and comics.

Or golem scholars who’ve turned into demon worshippers.

After all the warriors who came with us gathered, we unlocked the second door.

It was an even thicker 100% pure metal door than the first one, but it opened easily when Lakye applied a bit of force.

Normally it would have taken over a dozen strong men to open it.

“It’s spacious.”

As Lakye said, the space inside the door was extremely vast.

Unlike the gloomy, sinister laboratory of mad scientists I had imagined, it was a very pleasant space.

Flowers, trees, birds, and insects were painted on the walls, giving an open feeling.

The ceiling must be 50-60 meters high.

This is an advanced facility barbarians could never create.

– Not bad.

Moreover, the ceiling had a sky mural that looked incredibly realistic.

It’s clear they put effort into making it feel like it wasn’t a confined underground space.

Was it for the mental health of the golem scholars?

Well, they say you go crazy if you don’t see the sky for too long.

The Empire might have had good welfare for scientists, if nothing else.

– I don’t see any golems.

“There must be a separate workshop. Likely at the far end of the laboratory.”

Well, a research facility isn’t just for research. There need to be spaces for eating, sleeping, and relaxing too.

We walked while exploring the interior of the laboratory.

There was a cemetery in one corner, probably for golem scholars who died in the laboratory.

“It’s too quiet. There’s not even a trace of anyone living here. There must be no survivors.”

Lakye, with his superhuman senses, declared with certainty.

Harry didn’t even argue and walked silently. A silence filled with sadness.

“Lisa… oh, my friend…”

Harry entered a room labeled “lounge” and knelt before a skeleton.

The unidentified skeleton had died sitting in a chair, wearing a neat robe as if trying to maintain dignity.

Could this be the mage friend Harry exchanged letters with?

“…Her name was Lisa, my friend. She was a very intelligent woman who loved to keep records. She must have left a diary.”

Harry searched the desk and found a notebook.

– I want to see it too.

Records of natives who experienced the apocalypse are valuable. There might be a solution to overcome this catastrophe.

I watched as Harry turned the pages of the notebook.

[…Thus, in the face of the apocalypse, the Empire’s finest golem scholars gathered in one place.

In the Empire’s most advanced facility.

Ah, except for one person.

Harry, it would have been nice if you were here too.

Giving up the chance to make your mark in human history because of one granddaughter. As a single person, I probably will never understand.]

[…We decided to focus on mass-producing automatic combat golems. If we mix in this special metal discovered in the Skeleton Mountains, they should be able to withstand demon attacks.

After various trial and error, it will take at least a year to produce decent results. Until then, we can only pray the Empire holds out well.]

[…Unbelievable, unwelcome news has arrived.

The Empire has fallen. All magic towers have lost contact.

I wanted to keep it secret for everyone’s sake, but someone leaked it, and rumors have already spread.

With the supplies in the laboratory, we could last about three years with this number of people, but can everyone’s mental state last three years?]

[The Empire has fallen, so mass-producing weapons is impossible. We’ve completely overhauled the project. The new project is called ‘Giant God.’ The goal is to create a massive golem that can face a demon army alone.]

[…The young ones are quite frail, which worries me. Harry, if only you were here.]

[We caught those trying to escape. They said they wanted to check on their families.

Regrettably, we can’t let them go because of the possibility that enemies might discover this laboratory.

I’m sorry.]

[Ralph took his own life.

I’m trying to encourage people, but it’s reaching a limit.

I couldn’t properly answer when asked what’s the use of all this when the Empire has fallen.

I can only believe that even if the Empire has fallen, humanity hasn’t.]

[I buried my colleagues. Not many people remain. I’m tired.]

[We’re short on materials. We’ve stripped all the traps installed in the maze.]

[One piece of equipment broke down. No replacements either.]

[Well, at least we won’t run out of food.]

[Should I have married when I had the chance? What would it have been like to have children?]

The entries get shorter as they go on.

[I feel that I don’t have much time left.]

…This is the last entry.

[I completed the Giant God.

There are no mana stones to move it, no pilot, but the Giant God is complete.

Personally, I’d like to say it’s a war machine unprecedented in human history.

Is it too presumptuous to call it the result of human intellect?

My role is now over.

The Giant God is my pride, the pride of golem scholars.

I still believe this can end the apocalypse.

I believe someone will read my diary… that the Giant God will fulfill its role.

If you’re reading this diary, spread the word about the Giant God.

I’m low on ink. I’ll end here.

Ah, the Giant God is in the workshop.

Some parts might be missing, but figure it out yourself.]

“…Sob.”

Harry finally burst into tears. It’s my first time seeing an elderly person cry.

I can’t help but feel solemn.

“Let’s… go see the Giant God.”

Harry, wiping away his tears, guided us to the workshop.

A massive robot, about 50 meters tall, stood towering among the mechanical devices.

With the painted sky as its backdrop.

– Pride.

The pride of golem scholars, they said.

No.

This was the pride of this world’s inhabitants who never let go of hope until the very end.