Chapter 83: The Monster in the Laboratory #2

Chapter 83: The Monster in the Laboratory #2

Drip, drip-

Blood dripped. One drop, then another.

Whoosh-

Outside the window, a blizzard raged. The wind howled like a madwoman’s scream.

The high castle walls, exuding an oppressive aura, silently endured the fierce wind.

From the ceiling of the room hung a blackened, circular iron cage.

It resembled a birdcage, but its size was excessively large to confine just a few birds.

Blood was dripping from the iron cage. Directly beneath the cage was a bathtub.

“Ah- a sweet scent. This is it.”

A girl, submerged in a bathtub filled with bright red blood, murmured languidly.

Carmilla, the Vampire Queen.

Her hobby was bathing in fresh blood, freshly squeezed from humans.

Snap.

Carmilla snapped her fingers.

The skeleton butler, dressed in a suit and waiting nearby, immediately presented a wine glass.

The contents of the wine glass were also blood, with a strong scent of blood.

However, this was specially collected blood from a 17-year-old virgin, intended for direct consumption.

It was different from the common blood that was everywhere.

An intoxicating pleasure flowed down her throat. Only Carmilla could distinguish such a subtle and fleeting difference.

‘Lady Carmilla is truly beautiful. Is there anyone else in this world as beautiful as her?’

The butler thought silently as he served her.

He had served Carmilla with loyalty, both in life and in death.

However, the butler had one concern these days.

‘But… isn’t she a little too young?’

“Youthful Elixir,” a secret art of necromancy that reverses biological age.

It is a secret art of necromancy that takes the essence of life by receiving the fresh blood of numerous young people.

Carmilla, who should have become a wrinkled, shriveled old woman, was enjoying her vibrant youth using the power of this secret art.

However, as the butler feared, it was a bit excessive.

‘Hmm… By chance, she’s become so young that she’s become a child…’

As Carmilla shifted, the blood in the bathtub sloshed, and the rubber duck floating in it was pushed outwards.

The butler picked up the fallen rubber duck and returned it to Carmilla.

“Kya-ha-ha!”

Carmilla laughed joyfully. She splashed in the blood again, like playing in water, and sent the rubber duck flying.

The butler picked up the rubber duck and returned it without a single complaint.

Carmilla of the past was not like this.

She had the dignity befitting the title of Vampire Queen. An aloof and elegant noblewoman that everyone admired.

But now…

‘She’s become too honest with her emotions.’

Carmilla had become impulsive and emotional. She laughs loudly when she’s happy, and gets angry and sulks immediately when she’s displeased.

While becoming younger is good, if she has become a child in essence, it is truly troublesome for those who serve her.

“My Lady.”

The butler seized the moment when Carmilla showed signs of calming down to speak.

This timing was extremely tricky. Due to a wrong choice of timing, the butler had already tasted bitterness several times.

“……”

“My Lady?”

“⋯Ah, why! Why are you calling me, whyyy-“

Carmilla suddenly screamed and then laughed. She clutched her stomach and cackled for a long time, finding something so amusing.

No matter how hard the butler tried, he couldn’t keep up with her emotional fluctuations. A child’s emotional line is the primordial chaos itself.

“It has been over a month since any new reports have come from the orc slave village.”

The butler patiently continued his words calmly.

“We are in a situation where we lack Bloodstones due to their extensive use in experiments. However, the delay in Bloodstone supply is causing disruptions to the research schedule. And for some reason, there is no news from the subordinates dispatched to the orc slave village.”

“So? What about it?”

“It seems appropriate measures are needed.”

“So, the slaves aren’t working? Do I have to worry about every single thing like that? It’s so annoying!”

Carmilla frowned, digging in her ear with a pretty finger.

“Go and urge them! Tell them to work quickly. If there are any who don’t listen, you can cut off all their heads as an example.”

“I was waiting for your command.”

“And tell them to offer snacks too! I want butter cookies!”

The butler bowed his head.

He was lucky. This time, he succeeded.

Although she has now become a child, both in body and mind, the ruler of this northern region is still Carmilla.

Without Carmilla’s command, the butler should not make any decisions on his own.

‘I’ve delayed too long. I should have received permission earlier…’

The butler clicked his tongue silently in regret.

He had brought it up several times, but each time the situation was unfavorable, and he had failed.

He was rejected, told to talk later because it was snack time, and even kicked in the butt for bothering her while she was reading a fairy tale…

‘A mere slave village should not be a hindrance at this crucial time.’

Now that Estel is gone. Carmilla is undeniably the strongest necromancer on the continent.

Once the Bloodstone supply resumes smoothly and the research is completed, there will be no one to stop Carmilla.

Death Knight.

The ambitious research to mass-produce the strongest undead was nearing its end.

‘Lady Carmilla is destined to be the ruler of the world.’

If she obtains the Death Knight army, there will be nothing to fear.

Even the monster in the Secret Laboratory.

‘No matter how monstrous it is, it’ll be no match for the Death Knight army. It’ll no longer be a dream to steal the research data sleeping within. Then Lady Carmilla’s army will become even stronger…’

The butler smiled with satisfaction.

The moment when his master ascends to the pinnacle of power might be near.

“Kya-ha-ha! This is so fun!”

Carmilla laughed heartily, smashing the rubber duck.

‘But is it really okay for her to be like a child…’

The butler sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

His mind was in turmoil. Faced with a mountain of problems that needed immediate resolution, he didn’t want to delve deeper into this.

‘Let’s not worry about it. As long as my Lady is happy.’

***

-You have arrived at your destination. Guidance has ended.

The light of the Staff of Guidance disappeared. I lifted my thick woolen hat and looked at the snowfield spread out before my eyes.

A land of snow and ice.

If I hadn’t known the location beforehand, I would never have known that the laboratory was underground.

“Is this it, Estel?”

“It seems so.”

“I can’t see anything. Isn’t the elder mistaken? He seems to be losing his mind lately…”

“Quiet, and dig down. The entrance must be buried in the snow.”

“Understood.”

Jonathan, wrapped in a deerskin coat, stepped forward.

He didn’t really have to come along, but he volunteered.

He said he felt restless from being cooped up in the office 24 hours a day, for over a week.

“Brothers! It’s time to use our strength. Everyone grab a shovel. Estel will distribute them.”

“Ooh!”

“This is exciting. I was getting restless from just walking around, bored and dull.”

I took out the tools from the Ring of Preservation and threw them. The orcs picked them up one by one.

They were young orcs full of strength and stamina. Their names were Mark, Wild, and Buffalo.

The young orcs were already excited when they were chosen as members for the expedition.

How could they not be, having been personally selected by the Warrior Orc and the God of Death?

“Everyone, move aside. I can do this alone! You’re just getting in the way.”

“Wild, don’t show off! We all know you’re doing it because you want to look good. Come on!”

The orcs competed with each other, eagerly digging into the snow. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, steam rose from their shoulders.

‘As expected, youth is a wonderful thing.’

It’s the prime of their lives.

Well, I’m not exactly old myself, even though I say that.

“You’re doing well. Good, I’ll…”

Jonathan picked up a shovel too. I grabbed Jonathan’s shoulder as he tried to join the work.

“What is it, Estel? If we do it together, we’ll finish faster.”

“That may be true, but you are their leader. Leaders don’t work together in situations like this; they supervise and manage.”

“⋯Is that so? But it feels awkward to just stand with my hands behind my back-“

“Instead, when an important moment comes, you’ll have to do your part with the strength you’ve saved. Understood?”

“Hmm…”

I had to teach Jonathan, a novice leader, everything from scratch.

Jonathan tilted his head with an ambiguous expression, as if he understood and yet didn’t.

A moment later, the sound of a shovel blade hitting a metal object was heard.

“Found it! Warrior Orc, I found it. I, Mark, found it.”

“Well done!”

“It’s me, Mark! Don’t ever forget that Mark found it! My name is Mark-“

“Ah, I know, Mark! Come out.”

The door, made of a solid block of metal, was already half-open. The door was covered with traces of being forcibly pried open with heavy machinery.

Thanks to Carmilla’s expedition team decades ago, we were spared the effort today.

“Wait a moment!”

The orcs, who were about to rush in without hesitation, turned to me upon hearing my shout.

“We don’t know what’s inside. From here on, I’ll take the lead. If necessary, I can die and be resurrected.”

“Indeed…! As expected, the God of Death. But your heart is warm.”

“I’m touched!”

The young orcs’ eyes were filled with admiration.

Well, it’s not that I’m so fond of them that I’m taking the lead, it’s just part of an efficient allocation of personnel.

As in the past in Garden, if someone has to die, it’s better if it’s me.

“Shine a torch.”

The laboratory was dark. We cautiously entered the laboratory.