Genius Wizard Breaking Limits - Chapter 574



Only Noblemtl

Episode 574: Insight (2)

In the mysterious atmosphere, only the sound of breathing and footsteps echo softly. It is a truly eerie space.

The edge of the magic sword──[Cretima] was slowly moving, and Cain’s eyes, which were on guard, were rippling with magical power.

“… … It’s so quiet. It seems like there’s nothing in this area.”

Osgar pulled his chin.

“It’s not just here, but the entire lab seems empty. Of course, it’s a wartime situation, so Bohemian Tower Master can’t keep the tower empty. What do you think?”

“It’s clear that there’s no one hiding nearby. It’s not like the trap is hidden either.”

[I agree with you.]

There was nothing particularly special about Isabella’s brother. Beta’s analysis was the same. Still, he didn’t let his guard down.

I went down the straight stairs that were at an angle of exactly 45 degrees. The moment my feet touched the flat floor, the surroundings became relatively brighter.

“I think this is the destination.”

An unofficial and secret place appeared before their eyes. A magnificent sight that seemed to overwhelm them for a moment.

What should I say?

It looked like a magical relic, except that it was spotless and clean. However, since most of the space was empty, there was a strange sense of emptiness.

It was a few minutes later that I realized it was a mistake.

“?!”

As they passed through the passage under the large bridge connecting the left and right of the second floor, a magic circle with a radius of nearly 40 meters greeted Isabella and her party.

Outside that boundary, several test tubes were placed.

Countless discs with large and small magic circles engraved on them, located on the ceiling, pointed at the giant magic circle engraved on the floor from various angles.

“… … How many magic circles are there?”

Not only are there a lot of them, but there are also multiple magic circles contained within one magic circle, making it difficult to even distinguish them.

Also, even if you visualize the essence with a form, most of it is impossible to interpret. This is because Isabella’s accumulated knowledge is insufficient.

That’s understandable, since the field of magic circles is a very difficult subject.

Osgar was amazed.

“A laboratory that is mostly made up of magic circles without any facilities. It is a magical place of inestimable value. I have never seen anything like this even in the Imperial Magical Palace.”

[Recording in real time.]

Beta captured the scene in its entirety with his Memory Golem. Unlike Alpha, which had the core of the Memory Golem built into its mini Golem, Beta did not have that function.

“Hmm, I have no idea what it’s used for. Is it a human experiment?”

“It’s good. In my opinion, it’s hard to judge at first glance, Cain. Other than the fact that it’s something beyond human categories… … I think it would be reasonable to borrow divine wisdom for this part.”

“Let’s take a look first. It’s not too late to interpret it after we go and meet up later.”

We looked around the area while keeping an appropriate distance from each other.

Cain and Osgar searched the second floor, while Isabella and Beta observed the test tubes installed outside the large magic circle.

“It’s extremely dry. There’s no sign of recent use.”

[There are no stains or anything like that in this space. Judging from that, it is highly likely that any remaining traces have been erased. It is impossible to determine exactly when it was used.]

It’s just a guess, but it’s plausible.

Just looking at how clean the lab was, I didn’t think they would leave any residue inside the test tubes.

He soon lost interest and calmly stared at the vast magic circle. The golden eyes containing the deformed magic circle of the reversed sky flickered.

“… … It doesn’t seem dangerous.”

“Then can I go up and take a look?”

Cain, who had come down after checking the second floor, asked for consent. After Isabella nodded after much thought, he took a step forward.

As expected, there was no reaction.

It was at that time that Osgar and Isabella, who had followed Cain into the magic circle, continued their investigation.

“Cain, try to stick your sword in here diagonally. Just in case, do it as gently as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

[Cretima] gradually disappeared into the gap that formed the magic circle. The walls on both sides of the gap were warped, so the floor was not visible.

But surprisingly, it had considerable depth.

Bam.

Cain barely reached the floor until he reached almost his elbows, and felt a firm texture along with a slightly squelchy feel.

When I took out the magic sword, there was something dark red on the tip of the sword.

Human blood.

It’s hardened, but not old. It’s only been a few days.

“I finally found a clue. I don’t know if it’s important or not.”

“Just a moment.”

Isabella came over

“This isn’t just blood.”

“huh?”

“It’s part of the transcendent.”

It is clearly visible.

The extraordinary, gigantic presence embedded in the bloodstains… … A sensation I’m feeling for the first time.

It was clearly different from the aura of Sandhir Payen, whom I had encountered in Downt and succeeded in visualizing some of its essence.

It belongs to another transcendent being.

“So this is the blood of the Bohemian patriarch?”

“That’s likely, but to be exact, it’s half and half. Half are transcendent, and the other half are human. It’s a mix of the two. And… … the ratio is gradually changing.”

As if alive, the transcendental elements that make up the essence of blood are increasing in real time compared to humans.

No, to be exact, human blood was turning into the blood of a transcendent being.

[It’s almost like ‘imitation’. It’s amazing.]

Beta tilted his body, showing his curiosity. It was exactly like Alpha’s little brother.

anyway.

Why is there a bloodstain here when everything else is clean?

Why is the blood supposedly belonging to Baloch Besias mixed with human blood?

How is it that human blood is changing little by little into the blood of the Transcendent?

The bloodstains left without an owner resulted in one question.

What on earth were they experimenting on here?

* * *

Group 1, led by Isabella, and Group 2, led by Adrian, finished exploring each area and gathered at Verden’s location.

Group 2 reported first.

“As you saw in Ennet’s memories, the area leading to the left entrance seems to be used as a storage room. When I looked inside, I saw that there were monsters like Ainz and Alien in the test tubes. They were in a suspended state.”

“We also found the test tubes that contained the unofficial test subjects, including Ennet, but they were all empty. Instead, we found Alpha’s hidden location.”

[Active. Record playback.]

Mini Golem, Alpha shined magical light on the wall and projected memories.

A wall in a space where test tubes were lined up neatly on both sides. Alpha scanned the area to find the unique magic circle and lightly manipulated it a few times, revealing a hidden passage.

Not long after entering the room, an artificial cavity appeared. It was filled with a magic circle that had stopped moving.

‘Most of them, including the highest level magic circles, are of the restraint type, and there are even unique magic circles that have a negative effect on physical abilities… … It’s a one-man prison to confine a specific individual.’

That individual would obviously be Sandhir Payen.

Even though he was physically disabled when he was defeated by the past Master, the fact that he is a transcendent being remains unchanged.

In other words, in order to conduct human experiments at will and manipulate the mind, it would have been necessary to thoroughly restrain Sandhir.

And in the end, since the call could not be engraved, a secret deal would have been made.

Brainwash your mind to use Gluttony’s transplant technology to repair your damaged body and give you irreversible youth.

If such an offer had been made to Verden or Dahit, they would have rejected it outright, even if it meant death.

Becoming a servant of another transcendent being is an unacceptable condition.

On the other hand, Sandhir Payen doesn’t seem to be interested in such things.

“And we found body parts removed from a number of humans… … that appeared to have been used or were intended for transplantation.”

Alpha illuminated the scene.

Parts of the human body, including the head, torso, limbs, and organs, were floating around in several test tubes filled with a slightly cloudy liquid.

“It’s terrible.”

Osgar clicked his tongue. The others reacted the same way.

Yunia, who was the first to discover this, suppressed the urge to vomit again. Such a stark tragedy was still unfamiliar to her.

Adrian, who read Verden’s gaze, controlled his emotions and said.

“The teacher was not there.”

I can’t tell if that’s fortunate or unfortunate.

Adrian did not see the cruel sight of his Master’s cold body being torn apart and treated as transplant material.

There aren’t even any remains left to hold a funeral for…

Next it was Group 1’s turn.

“The place we confirmed was a laboratory.”

A variety of magic circles are placed on the ceiling, and a huge magic circle is carved deep into the floor.

And the strange blood and unknown peculiarities discovered underneath.

Isabella reported in detail, along with scenes of the memory golem that Beta had recreated, and Osgar and Cain supplemented the explanation.

“… … .”

Verden stroked his chin and stared at the huge magic circle contained in the records.

It’s tricky. Very tricky.

If we were to analyze and discuss it in detail, it would take longer than it took to study the space movement that led to the personal research lab.

However, since the purpose glimpsed from the giant magic circle was so obvious, it was not difficult to figure out what its actual purpose was.

“It’s complexly intertwined, but overall, it’s focused on stability. The things on the ceiling have the character of reinforcement and change.”

“stability?”

“If I were to guess roughly, it would be a series of processes that would involve carving magic circles on the ceiling to make the target unstable, and then stabilizing it with a giant magic circle on the floor. I don’t know what kind of results this alone would bring about, though.”

So who is the target?

This is also unknown.

But there are some areas that are questionable.

‘The recent Kernadel incident, which occurred under Baloch’s orders… … .’

The fact that they raided a prison and made all the prisoners escape could be interpreted to mean that they were targeting a specific prisoner.

It cannot be ruled out that the prisoner is the owner of the blood that is showing strange changes, mixed with the blood of Baloch Besias.

‘I don’t know what kind of experiment it is, but it’s certain that Baloch values ​​it. It may even be directly related to the ideal.’

Something seems to be working out… …Unfortunately, this is all the information that Group 1 and Group 2 have obtained. To be honest, it’s a bit ambiguous.

However, we are unable to conclude anything because we lack decisive clues.

Then Isabella said.

“By the way, this place is really empty. It’s also incredibly narrow compared to the other areas. Was there nothing here?”

“no.”

Phew.

As if he had been waiting, Verden placed his magically imbued hand on the rectangular object───the artifact and activated it.

* * *

The magical power that arises is instantly formed into a shape through a sculpting process.

My eyes were drawn to the world map that covered all the continents that was completed in this way.

“… … This is an incredibly detailed map. Although some areas, including unexplored areas, are excluded, the rest of the terrain is depicted in great detail. Even the territorial divisions are well done.”

“Do you see that, sir?”

“I’ve spent so many years in the Arnak Empire that I wouldn’t recognize it. I know the entire central part of the Western Continent, in particular.”

Osgar’s assurances were further supported by a three-dimensional map of the continent.

Adrian asks.

“A map of the entire continent with all geographical features recorded… … But, my lord, there are some strange markings floating around here and there. What are they?”

“At first, I thought it was just a reference to the forces existing on the continent. But upon closer inspection, I found out that wasn’t the case.”

Verden stretched out both hands toward the map. The map responded.

It was easy to get used to the operation method, which was similar to the [Eternal Hourglass], which was the symbol of Black Hour and contained all of its knowledge.

“As you can see, these symbols are not independent, but belong to their own categories. The Bohemian Tower is blue, and the rest are separated by red. And they are differentiated by their shape and size, symbolizing the power. From that perspective, let’s look at the blue symbol right here.”

By widening the gap between the left and right hands, the area where the Black Hour and the Western Continent Magic Tower Alliance are currently waging war has been expanded.

And outside the front lines were several symbols of the Bohemian Tower, the largest blue sign to the east.

“Where is this place?”

Alpha raised his hand.

[Correct answer. The location of the unofficial laboratory in the Bohemian Tower.]

Yes, that’s right.

It was the very place that Verden had wiped out along with Elder Hiram.

Phew.

I manipulated the map again.

This time, the area near the border between the Northern and Western Continents was fixed.

“If you go north, there are several more Bohemian Tower markers of the same size as the previous symbol. As far as I know, there are no cities or even villages here, so it’s not a place to set up a Tower branch.”

“So you’re saying there’s an unofficial laboratory there?”

“Yes, there is a very, very high probability that this is the place where they are conducting courtesy reinforcement experiments.”

Verden emphasized.

In other words, we have found a large-scale unofficial laboratory hidden by the Bohemian Tower. This alone is a huge achievement.

But it’s not over yet.

“But there was something more strange.”

He focused the map on the Eastern Continent and pointed to the Duchy of Riviant.

There was a small symbol of the Bohemian Tower, even though the Bohemian Tower did not have a branch in the Duchy.

And that too in the middle of nature, not in a human-inhabited area.

“The Western Continent and the Eastern Continent. They are very far from the Bohemian Tower, and even if they were to be established, it would be geographically strange. But there are more than a few countries where signs are placed like this.”

Verden then showed us countries that were in a similar state to the duchy.

Osgar stroked his beard.

“If we look at their commonalities, they can all be classified as weak countries. What do you think Bohemian Tower is up to?”

“There are two main reasons. Either they are trying to commit some kind of terrorism against those countries, like in Downton or Kernadel… … .”

Verden narrowed his eyes.

“Or use the country’s elements as your limbs.”

“With hands and feet?”

“I’ve already relayed information about the call before, so everyone should know how dangerous it is. The moment it’s engraved on your body, you’re forced to act according to the caster’s orders, and now it’s gotten to the point where it’s even taking control of your mind.”

There is no means more effective, more covert, and more surefire for manipulating others.

but.

“Balok has been careful with the handling of Colsion so far. He has only applied it to unofficial test subjects and internal personnel. There is only one reason. He is afraid that the existence of Colsion might be discovered by a transcendent being or someone with special abilities.”

“That means… … .”

“If my predictions are correct, Baloch will have overcome the shortcomings of the existing Colsion.”

Yunia frowned.

“Then what… … is the Bohemian Tower trying to brainwash the minds of all the heads of state and rule the continent?”

“Or maybe I need the world to achieve my purpose.”

Everyone held their breath at the thought of interfering with the world, no matter what. Except for two golems and one person.

Power entered Verden’s hands.

‘I’m finally confident.’

How can we destroy the Bohemian Tower in one fell swoop? Now all that remains is to put what we have thought into action.

“Let’s return to the main hall now. Before someone comes back here.”

“Huh? You’re not going to break it here?”

“It would be a hindrance to us to make Baloch feel unnecessarily wary. We can just erase this place later.”

Verden turned off the map.

“Two days later, in the morning, summon the Black Hour and Society’s forces to the Grand Hall.”

He turned his back.

“Prepare for all-out war.”