Chapter 121
Lian’s gaze shifted towards the children trapped inside the Glass Room.
Normally, seeing spirits that aren’t exactly human would throw anyone off, but Lian had lived in a world where even ghosts and zombies had intelligence, so he didn’t find it strange that their skin was blue.
He just thought the kids were sitting at regular intervals.
‘…? Why are there so many kids…’
Since the walls were made entirely of transparent glass, it looked like the children were just spaced out rather than actually trapped. However, a closer look quickly revealed the truth.
‘Ah, these are human test subjects who’ve been captured.’
Slaves were the most common sight in the Demon King’s territory, and it was here where those slaves were treated like water in the Dark Sorcerer’s experiments.
As a result, most of the children entering the Nest organization were often human test subjects. This is why Lian immediately thought of these childlike spirits as test subjects.
“Um…”
While he was pondering, an Assistant glanced over nervously, bending forward like a nervous insect, hands clasped together like he was praying, and looked up at Lian.
The Assistant, half overwhelmed by Lian’s imposing presence that screamed he was from a different world, tried to strike up a conversation.
‘That’s definitely someone who came from above! If I play my cards right, maybe I could land a cushy position as a research assistant!’
As assistants to the Dark Sorcerer, they held slightly higher status than the human test subjects, but they were basically just slaves. The quickest way for them to rise was to catch the eye of someone noble.
“Could you please share why you’ve come here? If you need anything, I’ll do my best to assist you!”
While one Assistant frantically rubbed his hands together like a fly, many others were pressed against the walls, trembling like barnacles.
In the Demon King’s territory, those in power could take a life with just a wave of their hand. Therefore, the weak had to grovel before the powerful, hoping for mercy.
The Assistant was grateful rather than surprised to see Lian holding the Demon Sword, which gave off a clearly menacing aura.
Many would be torn apart for daring to offend someone with just a bit of power.
For the weaker assistants, Lian’s open display of strength—which screamed, “I’m strong and dangerous!”—was an act of great mercy.
Thus, while some clung to the walls, shaking, they were still residents of the Demon King’s territory.
Their thirst for success overflowed.
As Lian wickedly smiled and didn’t lash out or toy with the Assistant buzzing around him, the assistants—like penguins caught in a snowstorm—started to approach Lian one by one.
‘What should I do?’
Lian’s original plan was to intimidate a researcher and find out where Noah was. He needed to subdue the Assistant in front of him or manipulate the situation to extract information, but… the children trapped in the Glass Room caught his eye.
‘Ah, could it be that the kids are trapped here?’
There seemed to be dozens of glass prisons in sight. The thought that Noah might be trapped here entered his mind as he caught a glimpse of the Assistant’s anxious face.
‘If I cause a ruckus, Noah might get moved elsewhere. I should maximize the situation for now.’
After reaching that conclusion, Lian spoke to the sweating Assistant.
“I heard someone got captured recently…”
“Oh! That man is over there!”
“…!”
Because Noah and the children were taken from another department, the Assistant didn’t have any information about Noah. As a result, he mistook Lian’s statements for references to a knight.
The moment Lian exhibited his calm (?) demeanor, the approaching assistants swarmed him like bees, as if a corporate chairman had visited a research facility.
The captured knight was assigned a room close to the entrance. So, in no time at all, Lian locked eyes with the knight.
“….?!”
The moment Lian’s gaze met the knight’s, his face turned to one of horror, but his poker face was maintained, thanks to the Demon Sword.
Thus, Lian stared down at the knight with indifference, while the knight gaped in shock, his mouth slightly agape.
‘C-could this be the missing lord’s son?’
The reasons for his confusion were threefold.
First was the combination of white hair and golden eyes. In a world where white hair was rare, actually possessing golden eyes was next to impossible. Moreover, the pure white hair and brilliant golden eyes that Lian had characterized him as one of the Duke’s direct descendants.
Second, it was because of the dignity and grace radiating from Lian. Someone with familiar colors exuding an aura similar to a Duke inevitably led to such a misunderstanding.
The third reason was that he wasn’t entirely sure of the missing lord’s child’s gender. Had he known the missing child was female, he might have been confused for a moment but quickly realized the error. However, he only knew that the lord’s child was missing, not the gender.
A detailed inspection would reveal that Lian and the Duke didn’t actually share much resemblance.
The Duke was depicted as an elegant snow leopard gracefully hunting through a snowstorm. Her eyes were sharp like the sword she wielded, and her mouth was always tightly closed. She bore the dignity of a ruler.
In stark contrast, Lian’s eyes drooped ever so slightly, imparting a gentle impression. He looked more fitting as a religious figure than a lord.
Despite realizing this late in the game, the strong first impression of ‘the missing lord’s child’ was still firmly ingrained in the knight’s mind.
‘If he resembles his father, that makes sense.’
The Duke had returned with a child unexpectedly after going to war without any warning. Initially, rumors circulated that she had been captured by the enemy, but when she immediately started preparing for a wedding, the controversy subsided.
However, despite the wedding preparations nearing completion, the Duke’s fiancé had not returned. After some time, the Duke canceled the wedding, and information about her fiancé’s demise gradually spread.
If Lian resembled his mother in color and his father in appearance, everything clicked into place like a well-crafted puzzle.
Before long, the knight was almost convinced that Lian was indeed the missing young master, lost in shock.
‘What on earth happened for the young master to end up like this…’
The knight couldn’t hide the sorrow welling up within him upon seeing Lian, who looked like a high-ranking member of the organization. In stark contrast, Lian was bubbling with excitement internally.
‘What the heck! That knight who ran off to the Empire with Iris!’
Thanks to Lian’s resemblance to his description from the novel, recognition came immediately. Lian felt his heart pounding.
‘But why is he trapped here?’
Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, the Assistant started blabbering about all the necessary and unnecessary information, trying to impress his superiors.
In brief, the knight in front of him had attempted to invade the laboratory to snatch away test subjects and was captured in the process.
The specific reasons behind his targeting of the test subjects were still unclear, but it was believed to be for a “great experiment.”
‘Whoa, this is the place where ‘that weapon’ is made!’
Lian struggled to process the new shock.
The reason the Demon King’s army could sweep through other countries and push the Empire to the brink of death seemed all too clear now.
It was all because of the massacre-grade combat weapons being produced in this laboratory.
Each one was stronger than an imperial knight and could withstand heart stabs and decapitations, capable of being mass-produced as combat weapons.
One of the reasons the Demon King’s army could devour most of human lands was precisely because this weapon was being produced right here.
‘We need to destroy this facility if possible.’
Lian’s goal had shifted to protecting the now incredibly precious children so they could live peacefully. Therefore, it would be best to disrupt the Demon King’s army whenever the opportunity arose.
As Lian registered this new goal in his mind, the Assistant revealed another shocking fact.
“And as you know, spirits possess the essence of nature, making them easy to alter. This allowed for various experiments to be conducted.”
“…Are all those in this room spirits?”
“Hahaha, that’s right! Although it’s for experimentation… it was quite difficult to gather so many. All of this thanks to the assistance of the Noble Ones!”
The Assistant grinned like a sycophant, thinking of Lian as a noble patron. Then, the other assistants around him joined in, chiming in about spirits.
‘They kidnapped the Spirit Mother?’
With this shocking news hitting Lian, he clenched his lips tightly.
‘So the spirits weren’t always like this, huh?’
In the original story, spirits were described as extremely aggressive and violent. Almost like monsters, really. But now, hearing this, it appeared that they had become vicious as a result of the horrific experiments conducted here.
Lian silently gazed at the spirits trapped within the Glass Room. These small beings that resembled children curled up with glum faces.
[ Mommy… Mommy… ]
[ Sniff… Mother… ]
The spirits silently wept, searching for their mother. Their tragic appearance made even a hardened criminal think, ‘Yikes, that’s brutal.’
“…”
Lian silently surveyed the dozens of rooms before lifting the Demon Sword. Then, he plunged the blade into the glass wall as if it were soft butter.
[ Looks like it’s time to show off a bit. ]
As Lian uttered a rather difficult incantation, the Demon Sword’s voice filled with excitement. Simultaneously, a brilliant crimson liquid began to seep from the sword, spreading out like it was going to engulf the entire Glass Room.
Thud.
“Gah, ugh…!”
“Ugh..!”
The sudden action from Lian startled the assistants, causing them to drop to the floor or flee in retreat.
Swoosh.
Before the fleeing assistants could even reach the wall, the blood started to return to the Demon Sword.
“Uh…?”
The glass wall that had been engulfed in blood melted away as if it never existed. The spirits blinked in surprise, looking around in bewilderment at their sudden freedom.
[ Ah! ]
[ Freedom, freedom! ]
As the spirits finally realized they were free, they joyfully floated into the air.
“Eep!”
Overwhelmed by the dozens of spirits soaring into the air, the assistant on the floor started to back away in fright. At his small scream, the spirits all turned their gazes toward him.
[ Then now… ]
[ We can find our mother. ]
[ And get revenge for our friends. ]
The spirits remembered every single detail.
Because they were bored, because the assistants had vented their frustrations onto their friends.
The faces of their friends who had to die amidst that violence were ever fresh in their memories.
None had been forgotten. It was only justifiable for their wrath to be directed at the assistants.
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