Chapter 133
Erich slowly looked around.
'This again.'
By now, he had gotten fairly used to seeing the shadows of the past in this way.
'Here is...'
This was the common hall of the First Research Facility. The vast underground chamber where something had once been kept.
Unlike before, the interior walls of the research facility were now painted entirely white, giving off an extremely neat impression.
It had something like the atmosphere of an altar.
But as he was thinking that, people wearing the cloaks of the Watch entered from the other side.
Their builds ranged from Barbarians to humans, all sorts. However, what was clear was that all of them were speaking the ancient imperial language.
Erich, who had at least a rudimentary understanding of the ancient imperial language, was able to understand what they were saying.
"Lady Kaladia has entered her eternal rest."
"... Did the other lords not send word?"
A somber mood fell over their faces.
Kaladia.
She was the former commander of the Watch, whom Erich had seen before. The last time he'd seen her, she was locked in a blood battle with Tiberius...
― Step, step.
Several more members walked in, forming a line. There was an air of solemnity, like some kind of ritual.
At the very front stood a man holding a sword with a black blade in his hands.
Erich immediately recognized the sword. It was the 'Demonic Sword' carried by the Lord of the Dead even before his regression.
― Creak.
They respectfully held the demonic sword, walked to the front of the altar, and forcefully drove it deep in.
It was a feat of strength unimaginable for a mere human.
'To drive a sword into stone without using aura...'
Soon, the eyes of those who had completed the ritual turned in one direction.
― Clank!
Roughly shaking shackles. There, a giant beast was gasping for breath.
The identity of the creature, large enough to fill the entire chamber...
'A d-d-dragon?'
Erich was startled inside. Did dragons really exist? He had always thought dragons only appeared in fairy tales.
But somehow, the dragon's condition was strange.
A dark energy seeped across its skin, the same kind of corroding energy the Lord of the Dead often used.
Erich's gaze narrowed. He felt a sense of familiarity with the shape of the dragon.
'The monster the Lord of the Dead used to ride...'
Its size was similar. Back then, he'd thought it was just a skeletal monster.
'So it was a dragon?'
Moreover, this dragon... possessed the form of a 'living creature', animated by the power of the dead.
Judging by the glances among the members, it seemed they were the ones who had captured the dragon.
The number of shackles restraining the dragon was far greater than what Erich had previously seen.
It was fixed so tightly as if they intended to keep it bound for eternity.
The members murmured in low voices.
"We've dealt with the demonic sword and restrained the dragon—so everything is over now."
"Shouldn't we find a way to dispose of that dragon?"
"If that's the case, we should take care of the demonic sword, too. But whether it's the sword or the dragon, we have no way of destroying them."
"... If even you don't know, I suppose it can't be helped."
They glanced alternately at the demonic sword and the dragon.
From Erich's perspective, it seemed they had sealed these things here because they couldn't find a way to destroy them.
By instinct, Erich felt he now understood why Albrecht had guarded this place.
He needed the demonic sword and the dragon. Although he still didn't know why, nor whether that dragon was still alive.
'If Albrecht needed them, there must have been a reason.'
Moreover, this was a place even the Lord of the Dead had sought out.
That creature's goal was surely to raise an immortal army and devour the empire, so the demonic sword and dragon must be connected to that.
Even without knowing how or why to use them, he could simply learn for himself to achieve his goal.
But then, the next moment. Erich held his breath.
The body he inhabited was looking at someone—someone whose face Erich also recognized.
The body's owner raised a hand to him.
"Terius, come on in."
"Visinius."
The man called Terius had a pale face. With white hair and a strange, enigmatic smile, he was a man Erich knew as well.
'Albrecht!'
Erich was involuntarily shocked. Why was someone with Albrecht's face living in this era under the name Terius?
Was it possible for a human to live that long in the first place? But then Erich remembered he had once helped the dead.
If there was a way, he must have obtained it through the power of the dead. Terius slowly examined the demonic sword and the dragon.
"An impressive sight. Will it be difficult to keep such a beast?"
"Terius, this is the most tightly guarded place of all. Besides, now that the war with the dead is over, we need not worry about it for now."
Terius curled his lips. Erich—the owner of the body, Visinius—felt a sense of camaraderie with Terius.
Memories from when they'd been low-ranking members in the Watch flashed by.
Not someone who stood out dramatically, but exceptionally skilled at supporting others. Visinius always felt he could rely on Terius to cover his back.
But Erich knew the truth.
'Commander August also trusted Albrecht that much. I feel a sense of déjà vu.'
History was repeating itself. Maybe the only difference was that, back then, they saw only the dead as a threat.
At this time, it didn't seem to be considered a problem to be in the middle of the Barbarian territories.
Proof: There were black-cloaked Barbarians present in the research facility alongside them.
Terius smiled at Visinius.
"I hear you may become the next commander."
"... Do you think I can? To fill her absence..."
"I'll help you, Arnys Visinius."
Terius showed that affable smile again. Visinius was already thinking he would entrust him with postwar reconstruction.
And the handling of the test subjects as well.
'... Test subjects?'
Some of the terms Visinius was thinking about Erich didn't understand. Who did he mean by 'test subjects'?
Still, Erich could hazard a guess. Anything entrusted to Terius would not have been properly dealt with.
After all, the Watch of later generations remembered neither the victorious commander against the dead, kaladia, nor the name Arnys Visinius.
Perhaps, these events may not have happened in just a matter of decades after all.
It had taken nearly a millennium for the immortal army to rise, and for the demonic sword and dragon to be taken.
It seemed these things had required an immense length of time.
Then, Erich's eyes briefly met those of someone else.
A man in a robe, gazing at Visinius with calm indifference.
A massive build and a sharp tattoo beneath his eye.
A familiar face. The moment Erich recognized him, his thoughts ground to a halt.
But in the next instant—
The vision twisted, time stopped.
Cracks spread as the surroundings shattered, and all the background collapsed.
***
"B-boss!"
Focus suddenly returning, Erich surveyed his surroundings. Several subordinates were looking at him with anxious eyes.
Frederick and Barnes. And Mikhail.
As well as Ceres, Hrung-ga, and Alexander.
Everyone was looking at Erich, but he didn't even realize he was drenched in cold sweat.
'... What did I just see?'
Erich had gained quite a lot from this recollection. The reason Albrecht sought this place.
And the member Terius, who shared Albrecht's face.
Even a history, previously unknown, of victory against the dead.
However, Erich couldn't bring himself to believe what he'd seen at the very end.
If he hadn't made a mistake...
'Maybe this fight can be stopped.'
Even if not the battle against the dead, perhaps the fight against the Barbarians could be ended.
Then Ceres spoke.
"You saw something, didn't you? What exactly did you see?"
"... Sometimes even I'm not sure what I've seen."
Ceres tilted his head at Erich's reply. Mikhail, folding his arms, added a comment himself.
"I, too, could sense some strange flow of power. But I have no idea what it actually was."
"I'm not trying to hide it, but it feels as if someone wanted to show me Albrecht's purpose."
"Someone? Who do you mean?"
"... If you say who..."
Erich blinked. How would they react if he said 'Incensus'? The paladins at the back might even cheer.
'For now, this is something I alone need to know.'
Sometimes, when someone invokes the name of a god, others interpret it however they please.
For that reason, Erich hesitated to mention Incensus's involvement.
Otherwise, his judgments may end up being not truly his own. Distortion always happens that way.
Erich slowly opened his mouth.
"It doesn't matter who said it. What's important is that, in the past, this place contained the demonic sword and a dragon."
"... A d-dragon?"
The most shocked by this was Ceres, whose mouth dropped open. The idea that there had been a dragon was not easy to believe.
Who would have ever imagined a dragon would be imprisoned in a place like this?
But the fact it wasn't known proved just how meticulous Albrecht's planning had been.
Then Mikhail exhaled softly and raised a finger.
"No wonder the cold wind keeps blowing in."
Everyone looked up at the ceiling.
Startled by the scale upon arrival, they hadn't noticed before: there was a hole the size of the chamber in the bent part of the ceiling.
Because of the angle, no light came in, so they hadn't realized.
'Could that dragon still... be alive?'
Erich barely held back his astonishment. If that dragon were still alive and had escaped through there, then Albrecht...
'That would mean he can now control even the dragon.'
It must have simply taken time to retrieve the demonic sword and the dragon. And the dead created here were likely to buy that time.
But Erich recalled the most important person.
The massive Barbarian in a robe he'd seen at the end.
He didn't remember the name from back then, but he certainly did now.
Mountain King, Ungrim.
At some point in the past, he had been here as a member.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.
(ㆆ.ㆆ )