128 – Imperial House (8)
The top floor of the stone pagoda. There was nothing in the space beyond that that was more surprising than I thought.
There are piles of dusty books, and unidentifiable documents are placed in the empty spaces of the bookshelf.
If you look around the table on one side, you will see writing utensils that have become worn out over time.
A tattered white robe was draped on the chair in front of it, which seemed to indicate the owner’s absence.
To summarize, wouldn’t it be a space like a wizard’s or scientist’s laboratory?
Compared to the interior design of the three major magic towers, it felt somehow closer to the old days.
Considering that the passages and stairs on the first floor seemed narrower than they looked from the outside, I thought this place would be quite a stuffy space, but the bottom line is that space magic was installed here.
It is not at a level comparable to Tsumei’s ability, but it is enough to expand the space sufficiently.
‘No matter how I look at it, I don’t see why there should be a place like this in the imperial castle.’
I wandered around this unidentified laboratory looking for clues.
Of course, mainly content that may be related to Dante.
I guess the quest window wouldn’t have brought me here for no reason. There must be something there.
For that, I felt like I needed to search around here and there.
“Hmm.”
I was lightly browsing the bookshelf in one corner with my arms crossed, and when I saw the pile of documents that caught my eye, I immediately stretched out my arm.
It was a little high up, but not so high that it couldn’t be caught.
“Oh.”
What I didn’t expect, however, was that in the process of taking out the pile of documents, an item that was probably placed on top fell along with it.
What is this?
I placed the pile of documents I had successfully retrieved on one side of the table and picked up a marble that had rolled around.
It seems like a crystal ball is a bit larger than a marble.
“Umm… ….”
After looking at the beads for a moment, I couldn’t help but sigh briefly.
First of all, it seems clear that it plays a similar role to a crystal ball.
In fact, I didn’t have the mana in my body to activate the crystal ball, or even the minimum amount of mana.
How do I do this?
‘I feel like it’s a pretty important item, this.’
If there was no content inside, there would be no reason to hide it in the bookshelf.
I tried to find a way to turn on the crystal ball, but it seemed impossible to find someone who could infuse mana for me in this small space right now.
It was a moment when I was quenching my appetite with regret as I had no choice but to give up on the crystal ball.
“?”
Sparkle!
The crystal ball shone.
Chijijik, Chijijik… ….
“…… Ah, sir.”
The crystal ball, which gave me a bright flash of light, soon made a small noise and a small screen came to mind, and by chance I was able to figure out why it had suddenly started working.
There was nothing else but a switch.
‘Why the switch…’ … ?’
As I was touching it here and there, it felt like I had touched it without even noticing it, but what I don’t quite understand is why the crystal ball has an old-fashioned operating device attached to it.
Generally, it would be activated by injecting a certain amount of mana…….
‘Not only did I not recognize it right away, but it seems like this is quite an old item.’
When I saw the various outdated tools on the side table, I thought that the person who owns this space might love the overall old-fashioned feel.
Or really, the owner himself is an old person.
“Hmm.”
Just as I was briefly contemplating the owner of this stone pagoda, the crystal ball seemed to have finished its normal activation and a blurry screen appeared before my eyes.
And soon, what appeared on the screen was a man.
Silver hair.
Blue eyes.
I took a deep breath without realizing it. It was a reflexive action, but I could vaguely understand the reason.
I knew this man.
[If someone is watching this video, I probably died in some kind of accident. Or it may be in a state where proper movement is impossible.]
“… ….”
From noble mtl dot com
[It doesn’t matter what it is. If you, who is watching the current video, are someone who is interested in the Supreme Realm and came to my Magic Tower. I will help you get the research records of Howard Delac L. Fail as you wish.]
No, to be precise, should I say that I do not know?
Yes. It’s not me who knows this man.
Excited, excited.
This was the memory of ‘Dante’. The instinctive attraction created by that body.
A connection point with the man on the screen.
In other words, it is blood relationship.
‘…… ‘Ugh.’
For a moment, I frown unintentionally.
What is it? The moment I unintentionally guessed the man’s identity, a feeling of discomfort that I couldn’t quite explain began to bloom.
Once again, it wasn’t an emotion or feeling that was easy to describe, but that was just the way it was.
I wanted to smash the crystal ball right away.
“Write it.”
I covered my mouth with the other hand that was not holding the crystal ball. Then he sighs softly.
I don’t know, but it seemed like Dante’s feelings toward this man were not very positive.
[All the records in this tower are the results and results of a project called ‘Paradise’ that started decades ago. It is a proud result.]
In the meantime, the man’s conversation continued.
So, this is the story of ‘Howard’, who is probably Dante’s father.
I focused. My physical instincts told me to immediately shatter the crystal ball and completely reduce the stone pagoda to ashes, but I tried to ignore it for now.
Because I knew.
The image coming out of this crystal sphere is exactly what I was looking for.
The ‘something’ related to Dante’s past that I was looking for.
I couldn’t help but focus my attention and listen to this content.
I was just fascinated by the video of the crystal ball.
“… ….”
Approximately ten minutes had passed.
I was able to know everything about paradise.
*****
Looking back, there were many opportunities to know that Dante had more hidden stories. A past I don’t know about.
First of all, ability.
No matter how you think about it, this ability with the grandiose name of Thunder is quite excessive.
Compared to other talented people, there was a clear difference.
It is an indisputable fact that all these abilities place a great burden on the user’s body. Isn’t that true just by looking at Jibril?
But even taking that into account, Dante’s abilities were strangely strange.
To put it simply, it was so extreme that it seemed truly unusual.
Common sense tells us, where on earth can you find the ability to restore your body to its original state by using it for just a few minutes?
Although it is said that the power of supernatural ability itself demands a considerable price, Dante’s was noticeably excessive.
‘If it weren’t for Flügel, it wouldn’t be surprising if I would have died several times a long time ago.’
However, there was something that needed to be pointed out.
Moreover, isn’t it strange?
Let’s put everything aside and assume that Dante’s abilities are like that, but apart from that, how can we explain the durability and regenerative power of this body?
That really has nothing to do with special abilities.
It wasn’t right to just pass over the idea that ‘I was just born with that kind of physical ability’.
Even if it is an innate physical ability, there is a degree.
‘To summarize, Dante’s ability was unique among supernatural abilities from the beginning. ‘It’s as if the cost to pay was forcibly increased in order to increase the output of the ability itself.’
…… It is understandable if we say that all of this is the result of a facility called paradise. Only then did I understand.
A superpower that was artificially expressed, and a superpower that was further artificially mutated.
Was the reason I almost felt slightly nauseous at that moment due to Dante’s instincts as usual?
…… Or at least this time.
“Hey, sh*t.”
I cursed softly and threw away the crystal ball. The video has already finished playing.
Because there was nothing more to see, there was no need to hold on any longer.
Roughly brushing up my messy bangs, after a moment of thought, I reached out for the pile of documents I had roughly placed on the table.
Why, those documents that were mixed together like a crystal ball.
I thought there might be something more, without much meaning.
If we only talk about the result, it was the correct answer.
[Experimental object no. 07.]
There is no proper name. The main character on the first page of the stack of documents, referred to simply as a dry number, was a child with silver hair and blue eyes.
A photo taken of a person wearing wide-legged white clothes with dry eyes.
It was worth knowing.
That was Dante’s childhood.
Read slowly. What is written?
It was somewhat predictable, but… ….
“… ….”
Read the document, turn it over, and then put it down. It didn’t take a long time to feel it, but the persistent unpleasant aftertaste never goes away.
I immediately looked around the lab.
It was not possible to look through all the books, so the content was mostly related to ‘Subject No. 7’.
During the process, I was able to confirm many things.
For example, I learned about a person named Louise, who is Dante’s mother and has extraordinary abilities. She
Needless to say, she is a miserable woman who was taken advantage of by Howard.
Sarak-
To put it bluntly, there was nothing in the content that did not cause discomfort, but I was also curious as to why I kept looking for the records.
Is it like a child who cries but doesn’t stop watching a horror movie?
Well, I’m not sure…….
Actually, that probably wasn’t that important.
The more I looked into the records and documents about Dante and Paradise, and the detailed process of the research that took place over a decade in that underground facility.
Unbeknownst to me, I was being dragged more and more into dark and soggy emotions.
And that probably wasn’t my only feeling.
Of course, the paradise project was absolutely terrible, and as a person with a bad stomach, the content only made me frown several times…….
Even taking that into account, it is severe.
I had a hunch.
This is Dante’s feeling. It must be a residual thought that I have never felt before and that remains in the body that is now mine.
That was the moment I realized that.
‘Ah.’
Tiring.
A mechanical sound rang.
────────────────
Look for traces inside the castle that are related to Dante.
Clue 1. Outskirts Rose Garden (complete).
Clue 2. Closed stone pagoda in the eastern area (completed).
Quest cleared.
‘Dante’s Memories’ available for viewing.
Would you like to check?
────────────────
And before I could even make a choice or say a positive or negative word.
Whaaah!
A short burst of light engulfed me in an instant.
*****
See memories. Maybe it’s nonsense, but I don’t know.
That expression was probably the most accurate.
I saw Dante’s memories.
I was able to see the memories of those ten years, which can never be said to be short, without missing a single scene, even though it was simplified.
And what I realized was that being able to confirm Dante’s memories would not actually be a reward.
How can this be ‘compensation’?
The time I felt was only a few tens of minutes, but the total amount of memories that entered my mind was well over ten years.
Even if I try to say it in a positive way, it was definitely not a pleasant experience.
In addition, the factor that makes my head constantly pounding more than anything else.
-Kill the emperor.
This is the whisper of someone who talks to me without getting tired.
-The prince, the prince, and the princess.
-Kill them all.
-Because I deserve it.
“Oh, shut up.”
It wasn’t a very pleasant voice and content, so I tried to wave it away, but of course, that didn’t stop the brainwashing attempt(?) Against me.
Rather, he taps my eardrums with a more active and passionate voice.
-Let’s destroy the imperial capital. Next is the system.
-Let’s tear them down one by one, burn them, and reduce them to ashes.
-Because they killed all my younger brothers and friends. It’s all the same. They are all disgusting bystanders.
“Ha, really… ….”
Needless to say, it’s dizzy. The endless outpouring of resentment and sticky resentment were certainly justified.
Dante deserved it.
He went through such terrible things that cannot be easily put into words, and when I think about the family members he lost in the same situation over the course of more than ten years, yes.
It’s not that I couldn’t agree with that feeling.
Actually, even just now, I would like to express my agreement.
I just want to hit the castle with lightning right away, just like Dante wants.
Not only because this body originally belonged to Dante, but also because I witnessed what he went through.
A childhood in which you can’t help but feel sympathy.
In the first place, there was no such thing as wealth and glory to be enjoyed by being born into the royal family.
By the time I could think and remember, I had already gone through all kinds of experiments and had long since lost my normal childhood.
Needles are inserted into the body every day, forced to swallow unknown elixirs, and constantly exposed to artificial crisis situations to manifest supernatural abilities…….
In the meantime, the younger siblings who were barely holding on to hope are disappearing one by one.
I suddenly had that thought as well.
Is there really such a thing as human affection for a man named Howard, and what color blood is flowing inside that bastard’s body?
To put it simply, it was a sight that made my stomach ache just looking at it.
“… ….”
Yes, I understand.
I have no choice but to understand.
‘Still, it’s too much, I think.’
The problem was that Dante’s anger was too great and twisted.
Because the target of that anger is directed to the entire world outside the facility.
As I spent my life in a place disconnected from the outside world, it is a flow of emotions that may be natural in some ways.
I guess it’s a side effect of having a childhood that was far from normal.
The emotions were so heavy that I felt like they would suck me in as well.
It feels like if I catch a moment, it will be engulfed in memories.
If I had to guess now, I think the future Jibril predicted with his astrological abilities was probably a disaster created by Dante, not me.
So, for example, Dante completely abandons a city.
If you saw that future, you might have thought that you had to do something to stop me.
It was a bit excessive, but it was in the past so it was okay.
-Kill the Emperor, Dante.
“Write.”
In the end, this is the situation I need to worry about right now.
The headache was gradually getting stronger.
I touched my forehead and closed my eyes at the same time. However, even if I tried to endure it, it was not that easy.
Dante’s anger was so deep.
-I will give you my body, and you must carry out an act of revenge for me. Where can you find a deal as fair as this?
This guy kept talking to me.
Do whatever it takes to make my actions go the way I want.
“Where on earth is this memory a reward, damn it?”
I had no choice but to say as many swear words as I could.
Isn’t this a physical ordeal rather than a reward?
My head is pounding.
My heart was beating as hard as it could, and my body was constantly getting hot.
-Kill me instead. All the people who created paradise and those who allowed it to be created.
“… ….”
-Norman, Emma, Nate, Barnes, Dahlia… …. They were all younger than me. At that young age, he was forced to undergo human experiments that his young body could not withstand for even several years. So, in the end, they all died.
Even though I really didn’t want to.
I could no longer easily dismiss Dante’s voice.
-I was hugging the children who were no longer breathing, and researchers came to see how they knew? And he took the kids with his eyes as if they were looking at a piece of meat. What happened next? If I keep thinking about that, I feel like I’m going to go crazy at some point. I decided to just stop thinking about it. hahahaha… ….
To be precise, it has been like this since I fell into this unknown space in response to Dante’s memories.
I tried to stay sane somehow, but…
‘…… Well, it’s not easy.’
I had already experienced Dante’s past indirectly.
I guess I can no longer think about it without thinking about it.
-As the original owner of the body, I think I can demand at least revenge.
To put it bluntly, yes.
-Kill them all.
-So that I can be buried with honor in the strongest ability they have created.
Dismissal… ….
Even if we leave everything else behind, how about erasing this stone pagoda where I am standing now without leaving a trace?
You can do that much.
I thought so, and immediately decided to put my resolution into action.
Perhaps I have already become a little buried in Dante’s ego.
It didn’t really matter.
First, let’s destroy the stone pagoda.
Destroyed, destroyed the imperial castle, and killed the emperor.
Whatever comes next, let’s burn everything else down, just as Dante wanted.
I caused a thunderbolt.
And I stretch out my hand.
Without knowing where the pure white flame was headed…….
First, I tried to blow it up.
“Sleep, caaan!”
“?”
Wow!
If there had not been a strong shock hitting the back of the head at that moment-.
I must have done something.
‘Uh… ….’
I suddenly felt a dizzy shaking in front of my eyes, and I thought to myself as I stumbled.
Cow!
That… ….
Who are you? ….