Harley (1) - (Last Free)
“Grrrk, krrk...”
A gray-furred monster was breathing raggedly.
With two grotesquely developed arms that called to mind a gorilla, the monster was barely holding itself up.
Blood pouring from wounds all over its body had already dyed its entire form red.
“Rwaaaaah—!”
The monster straightened its back and let out a furious roar.
It did not know the identity of those who had suddenly attacked it, but it had long been the lord of this territory.
Even if this body were reduced to rags, it would never go down easily!
But the pursuers in the darkness were in no position to take such resolve into consideration.
[As much as possible... do not damage it. Be careful. We will be scolded again.]
Undead emerged as if seeping out of the forest shadows and surrounded the monster.
The one leading them was Malcolm, a Death Wizard under Hans’s command.
[Subterranean Binding.]
Sharp chunks of rock surged up from the ground and clumped together, restraining the monster’s limbs. At the same time, the undead surrounding it charged all at once.
“Rwoooogh!”
But the creature did not simply let itself be taken.
Its muscles swelled in an instant, and cracks spread through the rock masses binding its enlarged arms.
Crack—
After shattering the rocks clinging to its arms,
the creature slammed the ground and shook off the restraints holding its legs as well.
In the process, the undead that had rushed in stabbed it all over, but it endured with the tenacious vitality unique to monsters and began to rampage.
And that battle went on longer than expected.
[Careful. Careful! Do not kill it. Do not contaminate it. ...As expected, this is difficult. Its resistance is no small matter... Subterranean Binding.]
It was entirely because of the master’s order.
Capture it alive, uncontaminated, and in as intact a state as possible.
If all they had needed was to kill it and take the corpse, Malcolm alone would have finished it long ago.
If they only had to capture it alive, black magic combined with the undead would have dealt with it easily.
But they were undead.
They were beings born from death at their very roots, and the foundation of their energy was black mana.
To the frail, they were beings who scattered fatal energy simply by existing nearby.
For those who scattered death and curses as naturally as breathing, capturing an opponent intact was far more difficult than one might think.
Malcolm was restricted in his use of black magic, and the other undead also had to suppress their own energy as much as possible.
The fact that their target was a monster with such tenacious vitality that even knocking it unconscious was difficult made it all the more troublesome.
“Grrrk...”
And so, after all their efforts to use magic that would have as little influence from black mana as possible, and after the undead threw their bodies forward without regard for themselves...
Malcolm’s group finally succeeded in suppressing the creature so it could no longer resist.
The gorilla-type monster flailed beneath the undead, its limbs bound.
[Success... Now we return.]
But incidents always happened in moments of carelessness like that.
“Rwoof—!”
Crunch!
[Ah.]
In the brief instant when they had relaxed, the monster began its final struggle and bit into the ankle of the Skeleton Knight pinning it down.
Crunch! Crack! Gulp—
Not only that, but it put the torn-off ankle in its mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed it whole.
The undead immediately rushed in and subdued the monster once more, but there was nothing they could do about what it had already swallowed.
When they needed to capture it as intact as possible, they could hardly cut open its stomach.
[Hmm...]
The damage sustained by the undead could be repaired easily with black magic, but that was not the important part.
Naturally, a piece of an undead body was not exactly a healthy ingredient.
[Monsters are sturdy, so perhaps that much will be fine...]
Since monsters usually ate anything they could pick up, an undead should not be much of a problem.
Holding on to that faint hope, Malcolm carried the neatly packaged monster to Hans’s laboratory, but...
Thwack!
Of course, it was not fine. Malcolm, after being thoroughly beaten by Hans, who had grown irritable from repeated experiments, had no choice but to go back outside to hunt again.
All while repairing the back of his head, which had been slightly worn down from being hit too much, with black mana.
***
Hans was meditating with both eyes closed.
Of course, since he had no eyelids, he could not actually close them, but the fact that he had sunk deep into his inner world and could not perceive the outside was the same.
It was to examine the boundless knowledge contained within “Forbidden Knowledge” and apply it.
He combined the biological research data contained within it, such as information on chimeras, with the experimental information from the Buncheon Society, then applied the results he had personally confirmed to draw conclusions.
At length, Hans returned to his senses and fell into thought as he looked down at Harley lying on the operating table.
[Hmm, the dragon blood seems to have settled properly into the body.]
Now, nearly three months since the experiments had begun, the scenery inside the cave had changed greatly from before.
Flasks filled with unknown drugs, biological tissues kept fresh through preservation magic, and experimental tools in all sorts of bizarre shapes.
Not only that, but eerie magic circles and magic tools placed here and there flickered with cold light, asserting their presence.
It was truly the laboratory of a scientist who had lost his humanity to madness.
Considering that occult elements were mixed in as well, one could say it was even worse.
“My body feels a little stiff. I don’t think I’m fully adapted yet. Still, it’s not enough to kill me.”
[For now, we will observe a little longer. The reaction is faster than expected. It seems there is not much time left until we have a result. As expected of this body. Khehehe...]
The experiment was progressing smoothly.
One day later.
“Ugh, it feels like something is boiling and churning inside me...”
[Hmm, a side effect? I thought “Adaptation” would be enough to endure it. It would be better to lower the intensity a little.]
Three more days later.
“Guh— Cough! Ack!”
[Hmm... Has this surpassed the limits of “Super Recovery”? What a pity. If we could have gone just a little further here, we might have succeeded immediately. I shall try adjusting it somewhat.]
And after a week passed like that.
“......”
[...Our consciousnesses are not connecting. I cannot lose Harley at this point... Hmm, should we gamble once? I think using all the remaining dragon blood may do it.]
It was just over three months after Hans and Harley’s joint research had begun.
“Mm?”
[At last, our minds have connected! I am glad the gamble succeeded. Though we used all the dragon blood, it remains inside Harley’s body anyway, so we should be able to continue the research. Kekekeke...]
“...But my body feels a bit strange...”
At that moment.
《The individual has met the conditions and grows. Skill “Adaptation” evolves into special skill “Mutation.”》
《The individual has met the conditions and blossoms with potential. You have acquired special skill “Physical Mutation.”》
《The individual’s recovery ability has surpassed its limits. Skill “Super Recovery” evolves into skill “Regeneration.”》
“Oh?”
[Oh?]
At the messages that appeared one after another, the two exclaimed at the same time.
“If this is the case...”
[The experiment is a success.]
It was a splendid achievement accomplished in about a hundred days by the time of Outerica, and ten days by the time of Earth.
Of course, the result differed considerably from what those bastards had wanted, but in any case, this side had achieved its goal.
“Mutation” was a trait that evolved oneself through external genes, so strictly speaking, it was not all that different.
‘Gaining “Regeneration” in the midst of it all is an unexpected gain.’
It was probably because, for the experiment, he had transfused the blood of monsters with excellent regenerative ability.
It was the first result he obtained immediately after acquiring “Mutation.”
But the things to be happy about did not end there.
《The Unique Skill has grown and blossoms with potential. The number of avatars you can possess increases.》
Because he was now able to create one more avatar.
‘Hmm... This is truly unexpected.’
Until now, the increase in the number of avatars had only been achieved through enhancements from the Karma Shop.
This was the first time an avatar had increased through natural growth.
‘There have been a few small growths until now, but perhaps this time, while growing, it crossed some kind of threshold.’
Then again, it was about time the accumulated growth produced some kind of result.
The fact that rapid strengthening was possible through the Karma Shop meant that, through natural growth, it was possible to obtain the same result someday.
‘A fifth avatar... And I only just made Harley usable.’
It was time to think about how to make use of the new avatar.
Of course, unlike before, this was a pleasant concern.
***
On the day four months had passed since Heinrich became a paladin.
His current post was with the Radiant Guardians, the paladin order that guarded the interior of the Rosellia Grand Temple.
This was a place where only those among paladins with high divine power, whose faith had been proven, could join. Perhaps thanks to the higher-ups taking note of his potential, he had been allowed in as part of his training.
After all, Heinrich’s divine power, which had grown steadily all this time, was now at the upper ranks even among the level of high priests.
The one in charge of guiding him was Sir Lairin, a blue-haired female paladin and a member of the Radiant Guardians.
“Even if it is internal security, there is nothing especially different about it. As you know from having done it elsewhere, defenses are layered several times over from the outside in. On top of that, this is where the knight commanders and archbishops stay as well...”
Even further inside were the Saintess, the cardinals, and even the Pope.
Of course, unless it was something truly extraordinary, they would not step forward personally.
‘Setting aside the Saintess, who wanders around all over the place.’
“Still, security is absolutely necessary. In particular, the roads leading to important locations must be blocked so that no one can enter even by mistake.”
“When you say important locations... what kind of places are there?”
They would likely be the residences of high-ranking figures or secret vaults, but Heinrich asked Lairin, who was leading him, to make sure.
It was a question thrown out without much meaning.
But she merely looked at Heinrich with a troubled expression.
“Hmm... With this level of divine power, I think it should be fine... Still, regulations are regulations. Please come this way.”
Following her as she led him to a secluded corner of the Grand Temple, Heinrich moved toward a place he had never been before.
It was a deserted area he had never visited even while standing guard all this time.
To be precise, it was a place that had not needed guards.
Knock, knock—
“We are from the Radiant Guardians. A new member has arrived, and an oath is required.”
At her light knock, the door slid open.
A man came out from inside and silently guided them in.
‘An inquisitor.’
A black priest’s robe, a pulled-down hood, and even a mask covering his mouth.
This was where the inquisitors of the Order of the Main God worked.
They followed the silent man through a corridor with an inexplicably dark atmosphere and entered a windowless room.
“Sit in front of that person and read the document placed before you.”
At the place he was guided to, there was a single document on the table, and an inquisitor sat in the chair opposite.
Heinrich carefully sat down and checked the contents of the document with “Radiant Guardians” written at the top. It was nothing particularly special, just a security oath.
A written pledge swearing to keep silent about matters learned while carrying out one’s duties.
Just as he was about to read it,
Swoosh—
The person seated across from him raised one hand and placed it against Heinrich’s forehead.
He flinched briefly at the sudden situation, but forced himself to ignore it and calmly recited the contents of the document.
“......Accordingly, I swear to keep silence under any circumstances.”
The recitation of the document ended.
Divine power surged from the hand placed on his forehead.
“......”
“......?”
And the inquisitor before him quietly withdrew his hand and said nothing.
“It is over. Let us leave.”
After that, until Lairin guided him back outside, he did not hear a single voice other than theirs.
“...Is it always so quiet in there without anyone saying a word?”
“Mm, it would be best if you never have reason to hear them speak in the future. If they raise their voices, it means the situation is that bad.”
There was no need to ask what that bad situation would be.
“So what was that? A restriction to prevent me from revealing secrets?”
“Haha... A restriction? It is a blessing. The Blessing of Silence. Its effect is that whether by one’s own will or another’s, one cannot disclose certain information. Amazing, isn’t it?”
That’s a restriction!
Aside from the fact that it was based on divine power, it was no different from any other restriction.
‘Still, since it’s called a blessing, I suppose it won’t do something like blow the person’s head apart?’
“Haah... So what are these important locations that require me to receive even this ‘Blessing of Silence’?”
“Hmm, please wait just a little. I am also under Silence, so I can only disclose it by following the proper procedure. It will only take a moment.”
The time he had to wait was by no means a moment.
But the information he learned after going through those complicated procedures was more than enough to make him understand why they placed such importance on security.
“......Because the important ritual being performed must not be disturbed. And the Saintess’s quarters are......”
Residences of important figures or secret vaults were trivial pieces of information.
“...Lastly, there is something you absolutely must know.”
In one place deep within the Order.
“A place that must be protected even at the cost of your life should the worst happen.”
‘That’ was.
“The final fragment of the Immortal King...”
Compared to the fact that it was sealed here, in the Rosellia Grand Temple.
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