Chapter 170
Erich's eyes slowly scanned the underground facility as he accepted the key.
From the tank thought to be where Ungrim had escaped, to the surrounding walls.
At his reaction, Frederick asked in a suspicious tone.
"What are you searching so hard for?"
"... Think about it. This is a laboratory. No matter how good their intentions were, in the end, barbarians like Ungrim were test subjects. Would you leave crucial information where the test subjects are?"
"... Oh!"
Frederick gave orders to the surrounding members, his face showing he understood.
He meant to search the room thoroughly. However, Erich felt that this wasn't enough.
'... If they can find it, anyone can.'
A place where one could see the test subjects up close, but couldn't enter carelessly.
Erich's eyes flashed, emitting a crimson radiance. His gaze traced the structural flow inside the facility.
And finally, Erich's lips slowly curled upwards. Somewhere no one would expect anyone to be.
Moreover, a place from where he could clearly monitor them.
Erich's body slowly crouched.
― Kwabang!
In an instant, Erich shot upwards, breaking through the facility's ceiling and landing with a cloud of dust above.
'As I thought. For a place like this, it had to be the ceiling or underground.'
Of course, Erich's guess had proven useful, but finding this spot owed much to using his 'eyes'.
But that aside.
"What an interesting structure."
When smashing through the ceiling from below, it looked just like a stone wall, but from up here, he could see the lab below as transparently as if it were glass.
It was fascinating, but that was all.
For beings who had technology advanced enough to turn humans into barbarians, creating such a strange room was hardly beyond them.
While walking around above, Erich realized that this place was distinctly different from the area below.
― Swish.
Erich picked up a report detailing the progress of experiments conducted in the facility.
However, the authors of this report differed from those whose reports he saw below; it seemed this area was used by an individual or a small group.
'Few furnishings, and even a space where one could sleep.'
Here too, as with most of the facility, some had died and become skeletons.
But just as elsewhere, due to the lack of air circulation, most of the bodies were preserved as skeletons, still holding their form.
Yet, Erich judged the deaths of those here to be different from those below. The bones showed no 'scratches' as if made by a blade.
'They were not killed by edged weapons. Nor are their postures twisted.'
That meant those here had died for reasons different from those below.
Erich scrutinized their cause of death even more closely, reading through the scraps of reports left behind.
"An audit report...?"
Erich narrowed his eyes.
These were not ordinary researchers below, but rather auditors—a group overseeing the researchers.
"Indeed, it makes sense..."
If the laboratory itself could go rogue, surely someone was needed to watch over it as well.
In fact, there had been quite a few among the Watch who defected to the dead side for their own safety.
Especially among those conducting nearly magical experiments, the temptation was much greater.
The commander in charge at the time had established a solid policy.
After confirming their identities, Erich fiddled with the key still in his hand.
He then shifted his gaze to the clearly visible safe.
"Hm..."
Next to the safe was a rolled glass bottle and a skeleton that seemed to be peacefully asleep.
The key had been found below, but the skeleton had been found above.
Yet, what any of this truly meant still remained a mystery.
'There are marks of a sharp wound on the shin bone. Perhaps, having been wounded below, he dropped the key and died up here.'
Erich let out a small smile.
If he had known there was an entrance for a wounded man to come through, he wouldn't have needed to break anything.
Erich placed his hand on the safe. Since the key had been dropped, there was no need to use it.
The man had died unable to lock the safe.
Yet, it seemed those who committed the massacre below hadn't discovered the location of this place either.
Judging by the fact the safe had been left intact.
― Screeaaak.
Erich uncovered a massive stack of reports in the now open safe.
However, he soon realized these were fundamentally different from the other reports.
'... The dates are all different. This man didn't die together with the others.'
Realizing this, Erich quickly skimmed the reports.
According to these, the man had come here 200 years after the others had died.
"... Attached to the commander's personal supply unit, huh."
The commander's personal supply unit was a secret organization often used by the commanders of the Watch.
Why would they need a supply unit directly under the commander?
The name sounded ordinary and convenient—perhaps that was all there was to it.
Most likely, this man had once served as some commander's right hand, like a secret agent.
After reading through the reports, Erich's lips slowly curled into a smile.
"... This will do."
*
"... What are you saying?"
Everyone's faces seemed to say the same after hearing Erich's words.
What's more, the report he presented was the very proof. Ceres quickly reread the report.
Erich spoke to them again.
"Just as I said. The man who died above came here long ago to discover the truth about a barbarian tribe who claimed to be from the Watch. I don't know how he got inside, though."
Aung-ga tilted his head.
Wasn't the pendant he wore the only way in and out of this place? Erich couldn't answer that question either.
"But when you think about it, since we haven't found any entrance to the ceiling, he may have entered and exited through that way."
Anyway, Erich continued.
This man had been dispatched here for a fact-finding investigation, and he discovered the truth here.
The barbarians had been former members of the Watch, who were severed from civilization and made into savages by someone's scheme.
And the man who found out this fact was pursued and killed.
In the end, while hiding here, he managed to lose his pursuer but died due to excessive bleeding.
At Erich's words, Mikhail furrowed his brow.
"... So you're saying someone framed the barbarians—who used to be members of the Watch—and turned them into a completely different race?"
"Yes, exactly. And I even saw a name I know in the reports. Tiberius."
Tiberius.
The Watchman whom Erich had seen kill Kaladia in an illusion in the cave.
And even now, still secretly active as the dead's agent.
Though Erich didn't know exactly what Tiberius was, the man who came here had discovered that Tiberius had orchestrated this entire scheme.
And since Tiberius was connected to the dead, the reason the barbarians, once the Watch's loyal members, were abandoned was, in the end, due to Tiberius's plots.
Then Ceres asked,
"... Then, if Ungrim learns the truth, will he cooperate with us?"
"That's the hope. If he knows who he should truly resent—who the real enemy is—then maybe."
Still, even Erich couldn't be certain.
At least, Erich could imagine the despair and rage Ungrim would have felt.
Ungrim was an ancient member of the Watch who'd been sealed here for ages, and then reborn as a barbarian by volunteering for experiments to defeat the dead...
Yet, what he woke up to was a dreadful future.
'The descendants of the comrades who risked their lives with him—all reduced to savages...'
To him, it must have felt like the sky was falling.
After everything, was this what they sacrificed themselves for?
Erich too had devoted himself to the Watch and died because of it, so though the details differed, he could fully empathize with Ungrim's anger.
In fact, Erich even thought that if he'd faced the same situation, he might have acted similarly.
But then another thought crossed his mind.
If it were Erich, could he, upon learning such a truth, take back all his actions up until now and fight side by side with those who'd been enemies just yesterday?
'... If it were me, I would.'
If he could redirect Ungrim's anger towards the dead, they'd have a stronger ally than anything so far.
Erich held on to that faint hope.
Whether Ungrim could think as he did—Erich couldn't know yet.
"We have evidence. The seal attached to this report—if Ungrim was a Watchman, he'll recognize its authenticity."
"Then, doesn't that solve everything? Tch. More barbarians, huh. Ah, I didn't mean that at you, big guy."
Frederick hurriedly made excuses.
Even though Hrung-ga, standing next to him, hadn't said a word, Frederick seemed to feel guilty for no reason.
But Erich knew. That one final condition remained for this persuasion.
Slowly, Erich's gaze turned to Balmung, who was still bound.
[I know you won't answer everything. Of course you can't verify whether this report is genuine. But can you answer just one thing?]
[... What is it?]
[Tiberius. Do your people know that name?]
Balmung slowly studied Erich's expression. Then, as if it didn't matter, he opened his mouth.
[... Tiberius. Yes, we know him. He is the liaison to the dead.]
At Balmung's answer, Erich's lips slowly curled upwards. That Ungrim knew the name Tiberius—
That was the final condition. Now Ungrim would realize that it was Tiberius who had deceived them.
Erich said to everyone,
"Let's go. To Ungrim."
Everyone followed Erich out of the facility.
The place that had held its secret for nearly a thousand years, as if finally relieved—
–Rumble, kwabang!
The pillars that had stood until now collapsed the instant they left.
Walking toward Ungrim's camp, Erich slowly looked back.
So many had lost their lives to the dead. So had those who'd been here, and everything that happened in this place.
Erich gripped the old key left in his hand with all his strength.
Thanks to their sacrifice, Erich had finally gained a chance to face the Lord of the Dead properly.
Erich's steps, as if bearing their souls, grew ever quicker. As if urging him onward to his path.