Damn Academy chapter 243

243 – Shadow City (2)

We walked along the gray walls of the desolate-looking research institute.

Haley asked the researcher who was guiding us.

“Why was the budget cut separately?”

“A few months ago, the city was turned upside down when a dozen beasts passing through the central research institute escaped near the square. Since then, the city has become uneasy about keeping beasts, so the policy has changed.”

“What kind of beasts escaped?”

“It’s confidential information that only city council officials can know. They say that dozens of starving beasts escaped, but there were no witnesses or victims, and the streets were clean and quiet. I think the beast research institute was an eyesore from the beginning and they used this trick to turn public opinion around.”

“Why is the research institute an eyesore? Claridium’s research has contributed so much to the Northern Front.”

“However, it doesn’t directly benefit Claridium. Beast research was a business driven by a sense of mission. The money goes out, and the citizens are anxious about having beasts in their homes. There’s no beast invasion in this city, so what’s the point of research?”

“Still…”

The researcher smiled bitterly and said,

“Competent demonologists and mages left a long time ago. The city doesn’t need them. There is no longer any research cooperation with the North, Eternia, or the Empire. Claridium will no longer progress. They just want to continue their legacy and decorate their own comfortable space.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Haley’s face darkened slightly.

“But the exchange matches are still going to proceed as usual,” the researcher said. “They’re profitable, and they help to increase our support base, after all. Shall we go?”

***

Along the corridor, iron bars stretched out like prison cells. Behind us, two workers followed us while pulling a cart. Although a cloth covered the contents of the cart and hid them from view, the stench of blood still wafted out.

“You must not make loud noises or make eye contact,” said the researcher who was guiding us. The beasts are easily provoked by such things.”

Walking next to me, Zhenya subtly pushed me in front of her, her face pale.

“Uhhh… Rookie, you go first.”

“Are you scared?”

“No, not at all.”

Growl!

Suddenly, the roar of a beast echoed through the corridor. Zhenya let out a shriek and buried her head into my back.

“Ah, aah, uhhh Rookie…”

“…”

“If the beast escapes, you’ll be the first to be eaten… I’ll run away.”

“From the beast’s perspective, there’s no part of you worth eating, Senior.”

“…What?”

“Let’s go.”

Zhenya gripped my clothes tightly and moved with stiff movements.

Haley, who was walking at the front with the researcher, asked, “Will all the beasts here be participating in the exchange matches?”

“That’s not the case. We select and send out beasts that have passed a rigorous examination of their aggression, size, and elemental resistance.”

“…You’re more thorough than I thought.”

Inside the iron bars, a gigantic reptile the size of a wagon was curled up and asleep. The tip of its long tail was sharp like an arrow, and it had bat-like wings.

“Oh…”

Haley let out a small exclamation.

“That’s a wyvern. They’re so strong that they can fly around while carrying off bulls with their claws.”

“That’s the species that brought tragedy to the Dayrun region, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s difficult to fight against wyverns without a wizard. Furthermore, wyverns travel in packs, so places like the Dayrun region, which are devoid of wizards, end up getting wiped out.”

And with that, he opened the covering of the cart and threw the aged fish that was stored inside towards the iron bars.

“Will that be enough to fill up something so big?”

“Of course not. They should be eating nutritious humans or cattle, but they can’t, so they’re in a state of chronic malnutrition. We used to continuously supply them with goats and pigs, but now we’re lacking in both manpower and budget, so we just give them the fish that the harbor throws away. They’re also under a lot of stress from being confined to such a small space, so we mix sedatives into their food.”

Listening to his story, it was clear that their situation was so dire that there was no other option but to dispose of them.

There was more than one wyvern. As we continued down the corridor, I counted about fifteen or sixteen of them. Could the beasts imprisoned here also be connected to the destruction of Claridium?

If all of them were to be accidentally released… Even if it didn’t lead to complete annihilation, there would certainly be dozens of casualties.

We continued walking.

From noble mtl dot com

Smaller flying beasts, trolls, and ghouls, which are relatively friendly types of beasts, were also being held captive.

Just like that, as we walked down the corridor, Haley stopped in front of an empty cage. Then, she tilted her head.

“What’s that? Is that also a space for beasts?”

The party members all stopped in front of it. Unlike the previous cages, which were covered in beast excrement and filth, this one was completely different, attracting their attention.

There was no demon inside the iron bars. Instead, there was a bed, a dusty chair, a desk, books, and a mirror. The inside of the cage was decorated like a space for humans, not demons.

The researcher said,

“All I know is that it was a space to accommodate humanoid demons. I don’t know the details. It’s been empty since before I arrived.”

“Where did the one inside go?”

“I heard it escaped a long time ago.”

“…”

Hailey glances at me and exchanges glances.

I joined the conversation.

“Can you show me any related materials?”

The researcher shook his head.

“I can’t do that.”

“Are they not to be disclosed to outsiders?”

“No. I’m leaving soon, so I don’t have the loyalty to keep such things. There’s just no data left. The researcher who was in charge of this vivarium at the time disappeared ten days after the demon escaped. All related materials were lost.”

What is this all about?

“Where are the fellow researchers who worked here at the time?”

“Sadly, I heard they all left the city. I don’t know if they were all transferred or if they left voluntarily. All I know is that it was a demon nicknamed ‘Professor’.”

Hailey’s eyes meet mine again. Her expression was serious.

Zenia, who had been clinging to my back, peeked out her face and said,

“Then what’s the book on the desk?”

“From what I remember… it’s ‘Dictionary of People of the Continent’ by Jern Dear, a continental traveler. Now, let’s move on to see the large species.”

***

The researcher left the 1st Research Building and went outside. He was moving towards a huge dome-shaped building in the distance.

As they walked, the party members sensed something strange and were momentarily agitated.

Vrrrrrr.

The ground shook as if a small earthquake had occurred.

The researcher quickly explained and reassured us.

“Oh, it’s snoring. Don’t worry.”

Hailey asked,

“It snores?”

The researcher chuckled lightly.

As they approached the vicinity of the giant dome, the low-frequency vibration became so prominent that their ears hurt.

“Be careful, the snoring can be quite painful on the ears.”

The researcher opened the thick iron door.

I thought something huge would come out, but all I could see before my eyes was an empty space.

Beneath the dome was a huge well, large enough to fit an entire castle.

Entering it, everyone gasped in amazement.

In the vast interior, two giants were asleep, their limbs bound in chains. They had horns on their foreheads, grass-like hair, a single eye, and greenish skin like a rotting corpse. From what I know, this demon is…

“… a Cyclops.”

Hailey said the name before me.

They were so large that a human was like a toy soldier held in one hand.

I asked.

“Was this well built to raise a giant monster?”

“No, it’s a structure whose original purpose from ancient times is unknown and was remodeled.”

“…How did you bring something like this here?”

“I brought it here when it was small enough to fit in a single carriage and raised it.”

“Why are you raising something like this?”

“To test the mettle of the tournament participants. It was fed a special diet to increase its size and aggression, and its forearms are covered in magical defense artifacts. It’s only using low-grade magic stones, but its size is so large that it boasts overwhelmingly strong defense.”

“…It also feels like it’s too much of a test.”

“Giant monsters have always been a disaster for humans since the dawn of civilization. Fighting them is an unavoidable part of the history of civilization. The development of magic and swordsmanship was also to protect our homes from these giant monsters.”

“….”

“This is a tournament to select the greatest talents on the continent. You can’t claim to have proven your ability without facing off against a giant monster.”

The vibrations of the Cyclops’s snoring resonate through my body. This is what it means for my body to tremble just from the sound.

I don’t know about anything else, but it’s certainly the size to turn Claridium into ruins. At that size, charging battleships would feel like child’s play. I’m a little relieved that I haven’t been selected as the tournament representative, but I absolutely never want to face this thing under any circumstances.

“Isn’t there a chance they could get loose by accident?”

“There is no way for the Cyclops to escape on its own. It’s surrounded by solid bedrock, so it can’t break through the walls. It’s just like a frog in a well.”

***

After finishing the tour, the members all returned to their lodgings.

The carriage I was in headed towards the banquet hall hosted by the market. I asked Hayley, who was sitting across from me with her legs crossed, reading a book.

“Senior.”

“Hm?”

“That humanoid monster… do you think it’s a vampire?”

Hayley closes her book and lets out a sigh.

“…If it’s a monster with that level of intelligence… it can’t be anything but a vampire.”

“….”

Hayley turns her head towards the carriage window. I turn my head to follow her.

“The problem is that it can’t explain all the strangeness of this city by itself.”

We are just passing through the square now.

In front of the fountain, a man is standing on an apple crate, preaching to the passersby, just like yesterday.

And the sorrowful woman holding a portrait of a child and searching for someone is standing there as well.

The only difference is that the portrait in her hand is of a completely different person from the one I saw yesterday.