Night of the Soulless Heathens – 364



#364. Call of the Throne 2

“…here.”

Throughout the passage stalactites grow like magic stones.

And human arms and legs made of magic stones were sprouting from between the sharp magic stones.

The victims of the Elemental Wailing were left unattended.

“This is the library of Banreung Academy. It looks like they didn’t take any books.”

Usually when a city is under siege important confidential documents or magical books are moved to a safe place or in the worst case destroyed.

However the dwarves of Banreung seemed to have no idea that their city would fall or be invaded.

The library is preserved in its original form with only the corpses of the elemental wailing patients remaining in a avant-garde form around it.

“I guess so.”

Azadin frowned as he watched the horrific final moments of the Elemental Wailing’s victims.

“Can you tell me about Giacomo’s daughter?”

“All the Elemental Wailing patients were experimental subjects at Banreung Academy so there should be records. However it was probably a long time ago…”

Bernard shook his head.

“I think so too but I wish I could at least get hold of the records. It would help Giacomo sort out his thoughts as well.”

“But while we’re looking for it Griselda will be gathering her strength. Now that the Erantri quest has been resolved you may return Count but I would like to end my long-standing feud with Griselda.”

“Me neither. I don’t want to keep Griselda alive. But I would like to meet her after she clashes with the Wendigo’s followers brought by Celestial Fire.”

“Oh. That’s true.”

Inside the heart of Banreung’s Wangseong Mountain there are countless traps placed.

Since I have obtained Bishop Akenar’s mask anyway there is no way I will lose the Erantri quest so I can leave the trap breakthrough to the Celestial Fire Knights.

It would also be a good lesson for the Celestial Fire Knights who used the Wendigo’s dagger to drive the Reaper wild.

“Then I will guide you. The confidential documents need to go deeper than now.”

Bernard guided Azadin to the building of Banreung Academy.

*********

In Banreung Academy dwarves who had mutated into Asajit’s followers and goblins in slave shackles were wandering around collecting the corpses of petrified elemental Wailing patients.

Bernard easily shook off the dwarves using blood magic allowing Azadin and his party to easily reach the research building.

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“Here it is. This must be the record of the elemental wailing research.”

Bernard’s familiar hands found an iron box among the countless papers and books.

“I know the dwarves’ way of organizing things. It’s quite reasonable. I think it would be good to apply it when managing the territory later.”

“I wish I could teach this to the officials.”

“If I live long enough.”

Bernard said something meaningful. When he had intended to take revenge on Griselda and Banreung Academy he was nothing more than a runaway wizard who had fallen alone.

However the oath of revenge was about to be fulfilled not by his own hands but by the hands of Azadin.

But what Bernard felt was more emptiness than joy.

“Shouldn’t you cut down on using Ashajit’s Eye? There’s no way using the Nether’s divine water won’t be a burden.”

Azadin had also noticed that Bernard had been using blood magic a lot recently. No he would have to be blind not to notice that.

Blood magic which normally relies on one’s own blood cannot be used this often unless one is a vampire.

Although the Eye of Ashajit grants blood allowing you to use blood magic without having to shed your own blood this is a divine item from the Nether.

If you use it indiscriminately the responsibility will surely weigh heavily on the user.

Azadin and others knew that too but Bernard’s heart was so desperate for Griselda that they endured the pointless nagging.

“It’s okay for now. It’s okay for now…”

“then.”

Azadin opened the box of documents Bernard had given him. Inside were charts of countless elemental Wailing patients written in Kerim the language of the dwarves.

“It’s Kerim script. I can read it for now.”

“Then let’s split it in half and look for it.”

Azadin took half of the papers and gave the other half to Bernard.

“Do you know the Kerim script?”

“I didn’t know.”

“yes?”

“But my sister knew.”

Azadin frowned and looked through the papers.

The dwarves pondered over how to use elemental wailing to extract as much magical power as possible.

A comparative study on the productivity of extracting magic stones by keeping the test subject alive for as long as possible and immediately torturing them into berserk state to extract the magic stones was being conducted.

The Elemental Wailing’s test subjects were treated like livestock and managed with commercial purposes in mind.

“What a bunch of horrible people. By the way Bernard. What was Giacomo’s daughter’s name?”

“I don’t remember very well either. But most of these files have a notes section and if they were Giacomo’s family they would definitely have written down their family relationships.”

If you have a family relationship with Giacomo who was a pension slave at Banreung Academy it will be noted in the notes column.

In other words if you search for the words Giacomo or pension slave in the remarks column you will easily find them.

“But there are too many of these guys.”

I can’t even guess how many elemental wailing patients I’ve had to grind. I keep them organized by year but I think I’ve saved at least 50 people a year.

“It’s sorted by year so if you look through the documents over here it should be nearby.”

“Yeah. Huh?”

As soon as Azadin finished speaking he noticed the name Giacomo in his papers.

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‘The subject’s father pension slave Giacomo was assigned to work on sulfur evocation in Sector 4. The supervisor’s evaluation was high and medium. An excellent practical alchemist. Appearance was ordinary. Vampires opposed his transformation into a vampire.’

‘The disease progresses slowly and produces pure cat.3 or higher magic stones. However since the volume itself is too small monthly sales are actually low.’

‘Left wrist and right ankle are broken by crystallization of the stone causing mental panic fumigation with opium and sleeping for 17 hours a day. First cat. 5 occurrence. Possible explosion within the laboratory. Advise to move to another location.’

‘Sold to the Rescue Knights’ Wisdom Order.’

The file ended there.

“oh my god.”

Azadin showed the documents to Bernard.

“What is it that you are saying?”

Jibek who did not know the Kerim script wondered why Azadin was so serious.

“It is written that Giacomo’s daughter was sold to the Order of Wisdom of the Knights of Salvation while afflicted with Elemental Wailing.”

“Yes? Then….”

Jibek frowned.

Doesn’t that mean that the Salvation Knights who are supposedly the Knights of the Holy War made an inhumane deal with Banreung Academy?

“The worst case scenario would be that I died and was turned into a magic stone but if nothing else… I could have been reincarnated as a Celestial.”

Jibek who had already heard of the Celestial recipe suggested that possibility as well.

“I guess I should ask the Wisdom Church? Then?”

“But the Wisdom Church doesn’t like me.”

“Isn’t it because the Dwarf Academy is on good terms with Count Azadin that they’re telling us this?”

“Well that’s true. When did I ever care about good or bad relationships?”

He folded the research file of Giacomo Azadin’s daughter and put it in his bosom.

This was a clue to Giacomo’s daughter but it was also a document that proved that the Banreung Academy and the Rescue Knights had been making a terrible deal.

Of course it is unlikely that the reputation of the Rescue Knights will be tarnished by this incident happening now but at least some intellectuals will feel ashamed.

*********

“hmm?”

Azadin realized that the dwarven mutants that had been guarding this place had disappeared.

“Huh? It’s cleaned up here.”

Edir pointed to the empty hallway.

The corpses of people who died from elemental wailing and the magic stones that grew like stalactites were clearly cleaned up.

There are magic stones rolling around on the floor but their number has decreased to an indescribable extent compared to when they first appeared.

“hmm.”

Azadin picked up the magic stones that had fallen to the floor. He couldn’t completely remove them so some magic stones remained but the corpses had been cleaned up.

“I think they recovered the body?”

The dwarf sorcerers and slave goblins were busy clearing it out.

But given their work speed it seemed impossible to finish it today but they managed to finish it this much while Azadin and his party were looking for documents?

“They were probably retrieved for battle. Magic stones are excellent resources for battle.”

Sure enough a loud noise began to be heard from far away.

The Celestial Fire Knights’ offensive has invaded the civilian residential area in the heart of the mountain.

“We entered the heart through a secret passage. Celestial Fire must have broken through the main gate and entered.”

“Yeah. That’s amazing.”

The Celestial Fire Knights have broken through the mountain fortress the capital of Banling famous for its impregnability.

Of course it is not something to brag about since it was a breakthrough led by Wendigo’s followers but it is certainly an amazing feat.

“What should we do?”

“You’ve already completed the Erantri quest so there’s no need to rush. Still you want to take care of Griselda with your own hands right?”

When Azadin asked that Niselda nodded and Bernard shook his head.

“yes.”

“Not to that extent…..”

The two women looked at each other.

Bernard has never been a father to Niselda so he can only be weak when Niselda demands it.

“Okay then I will guide you.”

“Where is Griselda?”

“Wouldn’t you rather be at the throne room of Banreung? I know the secret passage so I’ll guide you there.”

Bernard took the lead.

*********

The Celestial Fire Knights succeeded in suppressing all of the fortress’ cannons and entered the fortress.

However the dwarves retreated into the tunnel and built another defensive line inside.

Ashajit’s retinue and goblins wearing slave shackles took the lead forming a defensive wall with flesh bullets.

Izmila encouraged her subordinates.

“It’s nothing! Don’t be afraid!”

She jumped forward herself and drew the attack from Ashajit’s followers.

A huge mass of flesh from Ashajit’s retinue extends its vascular tentacles.

Izmila quickly raised her body to half-length slipped the vascular tentacles onto her shoulder armor turned her body and quickly swung her sword to cut the tentacles.

Her longsword blazed and struck Ashajit’s followers.

At the same time Wendigo’s followers rushed in.

The giant yetis of Wendigo’s retinue struck Ashajit’s retinue with terrifying force sending them flying all the way to the rear.

And then it spews out cold air from its mouth and charges forward swinging its claws.

“Hmm!”

Izmila let out a moan.

It’s effective. It’s effective but… if you do this you’ll be actively using Wendigo.

Is it okay for a rescue knight to be like this?