The Academy’s Undercover Professor – 253



◈ Episode 253: The truth of that day (3)

The researchers told Ludger everything about what was happening here.

Choir of Steel.

A project to create an automaton a fearsome strategic weapon that can be used in war.

And by injecting the human soul into the automaton it is given more detailed and autonomous movements.

At the same time even trying to make them unconditionally follow their master’s orders.

Originally this project was supposed to be a top secret and researchers were not allowed to talk to outsiders even if it meant breaking their mouths.

The monster that had killed all the guards inside the laboratory right before their eyes was threatening their lives and no one could shut up.

Because there is nothing more important than your own life.

Of course there were researchers who rejected Ludger’s proposal out of loyalty alone saying they could not speak.

Ludger immediately killed him in front of everyone.

If you don’t want to talk you don’t have to.

I don’t care about that.

Under those merciless and cruel hands the researchers spit out things they didn’t even ask about.

“Is that the end of the story?”

“Yes yes. Yes. This is really all we know.”

“I see. “If you compare it with the data here it doesn’t look like anything was omitted.”

Ludger who heard the whole story nodded as if he understood.

“Then we…”

“ah. okay. “I told you everything I was curious about so I should reward you accordingly.”

The surviving researchers had a look of hope on their faces.

“But before that I would like to ask you one last question. “If you answer that question I will spare your life.”

“Yes yes!”

“The names of the children you kidnapped and used in experiments. “Do you remember?”

At that question the faces of the researchers who were initially full of hope slowly began to harden.

“yes? “What is that?”

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“You don’t know your name?”

The researchers were silent.

Ludger looked back at the other researchers.

“Don’t you know? “Not even one?”

“That thing….”

“Let me tell you I hate lies. And you will know what happened to the person who lied just a moment ago.”

There were also researchers who lied to Ludger’s questions.

He too became a cold corpse and was buried in a corner of the laboratory.

At those words the researchers exchanged glances.

The question was whether there was anyone who knew the name of the test subject since anyone was welcome.

“doesn’t exist? “Is there no one there?”

“What are you doing now! Remember! “Remember!”

“Damn it! That’s what you should do! “I only took vitals in the first place!”

“You useless bastards!”

The researchers became impatient and glared at each other pointing their fingers and swearing at each other.

No one really tried to think of the name of the child who was used as an experiment.

Because I didn’t try to find out.

Because there was no need to know.

Because they are children that no one will pay attention to even if they die anyway.

Still I thought it didn’t matter.

“ah.”

“that….”

The researchers’ complexions turned pale when they realized the situation belatedly.

They looked back at Ludger with eyes full of fear.

Ludger who was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed and watching this scene was smiling coldly at the researchers.

“Thank you.”

A smile so cold that it gives me the creeps.

“For not remembering their names.”

Immediately afterwards a gigantic wriggling shadow engulfed the researchers.

* * *

Hans came into the laboratory covered in blood.

He frowned as he looked at the corpses scattered around him and approached Ludger with long strides avoiding the corpses.

“Is it all over?”

“okay.”

“But didn’t you need to keep a few people alive? “I think we need to do that to proceed with the experiment itself.”

“There is no need for that.”

Ludger looked back at Hans and said.

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“I will do it myself.”

“…Is that possible?”

“Research materials remain here.”

Ludger unfolded the materials taken from the researchers.

An experiment to put the human soul in an automaton.

Steel Choir Project.

It was already approaching its end.

It may have been in the early stages of implementation but now Ludger alone could have filled in the remaining parts.

“The reason researchers captured children was because their souls were easy to transplant into automatons.”

“Then the reason the test tube person ended up like that…”

“The body collapsed due to the gap between the soul and the body that vaguely escaped. But unlike adults children are not like that. “Because their souls are still small and delicate and above all they are pure.”

In addition they attempted to create a weapon that would faithfully follow their orders by transplanting the soul and at the same time performing some kind of processing on the soul.

In order to do that it was necessary for the soul to be at least slightly attuned.

The children’s souls fit perfectly there.

“The experiment using children also suffered a setback but it was only recently that it was completed.”

“The reason they kidnapped people again today is because they were planning to increase the number of automatons through a successful experiment.”

“okay.”

Ludger answered while looking at the research data.

The Automaton which could be called a success had a code name engraved on it but the only one that was currently successful was Beta.

From beta to gamma positions all names were drawn with a red line.

It was probably all a failure.

Then Arte’s younger sister Celie…

Ludger shook his head.

First of all the priority was to save Arte.

Ludger placed Arte’s body in a test tube.

When the machine was started green liquid filled the tube.

Hans asked as he watched Arte submerged in the green liquid.

“Brother are you okay? “No matter what this child is not already dead.”

“okay. Dead. But the spirit still remains. “It’s not completely dead.”

“Even so….”

Hans wondered whether he should say this or not but then he composed himself and opened his mouth.

“…The child who opens his eyes will not be the child you knew.”

“He knows that too.”

That was what Ludger had also prepared for.

Arte’s soul will be transplanted into a now-empty automaton called Prototype Alpha.

Although Ludger will not cut out the soul chip it away and undergo attunement like other researchers.

Even through the simple process of soul transfer Arte’s soul will undergo some kind of change.

Even if the soul was successfully transplanted and the person’s eyes were opened there was a high possibility that it would be something other than Arte.

The soul is yours but if it has changed.

If so is it your previous self?

Or is it something new?

Ludger didn’t really want to give an answer to that.

I just wanted to believe.

I hope this child opens his eyes again.

“What should we do now?”

“We’ll have to watch. Because it takes time for the soul to be completely implanted. There is nothing to touch. “The machine will take care of the transplant.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to leave this place alone for a while.”

“When it’s all over we plan to close it. Until then I’ll have to worry about other places.”

Ludger recalled the names of people listed in the research materials.

People who gave their approval there.

And the organization they belong to as well as various hidden laboratories and factories.

When I told him everything Hans stuck out his tongue as if he was tired.

“They are crazy people. “I never thought the rumor about starting a war was true.”

It was not a completely peaceful era.

The great powers were desperate to seize more land and resources and were always waiting for an opportunity.

However since their powers were equal and there was a huge entity called the Empire this strange tension continued as they only looked at each other.

However if one side is stockpiling this much power beneath the surface the story is different.

The balance of the world situation is broken.

“I was trying to create an army of automatons that are not afraid of death and are much stronger than ordinary soldiers.”

There are stronger beings called knights but it takes a huge amount of money and time to train them.

But this automaton didn’t do that.

Although it requires resources it can be mass-produced and put into production immediately.

This Steel Choir project was enough to change the course of the war.

“If it was successful.”

But this secret laboratory has now fallen into Ludger’s hands.

Of course I couldn’t just keep hiding it.

If no additional reports are sent to the higher-ups they will realize something is strange and send someone.

“Hans. It’s a week. “You have to see the conclusion in it.”

“A week. “Isn’t it too tight?”

“If you make a little more noise you can extend the time. “It catches people’s attention and spreads the word.”

If a top-secret project that has been carried out secretly in the dark is disrupted those involved will try to cover it up somehow.

But what if they rise to the surface without even having time to do anything?

At that time the people involved will not be able to move carelessly.

“From now on it’s a battle of speed. Should we tell the world first or try to hide it from them first? That’s where the decision will be made.”

“I think the odds will be in their favor. “The place we have to fight in the first place is their front yard.”

“But we will be the first to move. And I also have a trustworthy ally.”

Ludger responded thinking of Casey Selmore.

“So where are you moving to next?”

“Besides here there is an abandoned coal mine somewhere else. But it’s not a place to hide a secret laboratory like this one. “It’s a different place.”

“What other places are you talking about?”

“It is a coal mine that is still actually being mined. “That’s also where rare metals are mined.”

Hans remembered that he had heard something similar.

“Rare metal mining mine. “But I heard it was closed because rare metals aren’t produced there anymore?”

“It’s a trick. Rare metals are actually coming out. And the rare metal mined there is used to create automatons here.”

“Then again it’s strange. No matter how bad it is rumors about rare metal are bound to spread so how can they hide it so tightly?”

To mine rare metals having just a few people is not enough.

A much larger manpower is needed but it is virtually impossible to control that many people and conceal information.

“They don’t use people when mining.”

“Then it couldn’t be….”

“okay. “That is true.”

Ludger spoke the words that came to Hans’ mind.

“Sub-racial slave. “They illegally use slaves to mine rare metals.”

* * *

In front of the rare metal mine known to be the largest in the Delica Kingdom.

Hans’ face hardened after receiving the information from the rat he had sent.

“…It’s so bad. I checked and found that there were a ton of people inside. “I heard that most of them are sub-races including beastmen and dwarves.”

“I guess they kidnapped them and used them as slaves.”

“They are crazy people. “When was sub-racial slavery abolished?”

“If they had cared about that they wouldn’t have kidnapped people and tried to conduct biological experiments.”

“I guess that’s true too. Damn it. How can a country commit such an insane act? “What is the difference between it and a warlock?”

Hans seemed to be annoyed for no reason and kicked a nearby tree.

Hans had seen a lot of things he couldn’t have seen in the afterlife but kidnapping children and using them as test subjects was disgusting.

“So what are you going to do?”

“What should I do? “What we have to do has been decided.”

“I know that. “This time unlike the Automaton Lab I see a larger number of armed troops.”

Unlike laboratories that do not require large numbers of people rare metal mining mines require a lot of manpower.

Most of the mining was done by slaves but there were more troops than expected to prevent those slaves from revolting.

“What will you do?”

“Let’s go inside first. “I don’t know what else is going on in there.”

After making a decision Ludger and Hans headed into the mining mine.

The road was blocked by blocking a tunnel in the middle to show that no one was using it anymore.

However the two people who already knew where the secret passage was did not fall for such a shallow trick.

How long did I continue walking through the secret passageway hidden behind one wall?

The road was cut off and a huge cliff appeared.

“It’s down here.”

With the floating magic the two slowly went down.

When we reached the depths of the mine there was only darkness around us and we could not see anything.

Kang! Kang!

At that time a faint sound began to be heard from afar.

Hans opened his mouth at the sound of iron clashing against iron.

“older brother.”

“okay. “It’s over there.”

The two people muffled their footsteps and headed towards the place where the sound came from.

As I followed the sound I began to see lights beyond.

Eventually what the two discovered was a huge underground mine.

Inside there were demi-race slaves mining without being properly washed and people with guns watching over the slaves.

“There are so many of them.”

Hans stuck his tongue out at the scale beyond imagination.

Slaves were slaves but the number of guards alone was almost 100.

“okay. And it’s not just soldiers.”

Ludger’s sharp gaze turned to one side.

Unlike the guards with guns there was a person wearing a loose robe and a cane at his waist.

He was a wizard.

“I think it’s going to be a little difficult like this.”

While Hans was at a loss next to him Ludger looked elsewhere.

‘hmm?’

I don’t know why.

It was just visible.

A slave of unusually small stature unlike other slaves.

She looked like a young girl but considering she was in a place like this she must have been a demi-race and considering her size she was clearly a dwarf.

She was swinging the pickaxe hard and she was secretly pocketing the by-products of the mining little by little.

The action was so secret that even the watcher did not notice but Ludger was different.

“Hans.”

“Yes brother.”

“Maybe I can get some help.”

“yes?”

Hans looked back at Ludger asking what he meant.

“I found something special.”