Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 247

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 247
“Do you see anything?”
Telescopes existed in this world too. I lowered the instrument from my eyes and examined the view more carefully.
As expected, my naked eye served me better than the telescope.
“Just as I suspected, the security is remarkably tight.”
“It appears to remain unchanged.”
“Of course it does.”
Madrum was the second most critical stronghold for the imperial family, after the capital itself.
Yet despite its importance, the city’s land area was relatively modest, and still we knew.
Just how cruel and immoral the technologies crafted within that narrow city truly were.
“They’ve deliberately established formidable security. One in every ten guards is a beast.”
“Not even a research facility, yet beasts guard the castle gates… There must have been fierce resistance. Impressive.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
I responded calmly to Levai’s words.
“I witnessed beasts who had grown exponentially stronger in the jungle.”
Hyena Beastkin. Clearly ordinary Hyena Beastkin, yet they exhibited abilities surpassing even the most exceptional among their kind.
“Beasts will do anything if it means becoming stronger.”
I wasn’t born a terrestrial animal Beastkin, but having been sold off as a betrothed to that land long ago, I understood their physiology well.
From birth, they divide hierarchy by strength, living their entire lives oppressed and coerced.
Thus, most of them displayed violent urges toward the weak or exhibited sadistic tendencies.
In truth, the rejection and torment of aquatic animal Beastkin stemmed largely from competitive stress born of the fear of being culled.
That said, we had no need to understand those wretches.
“With the technology they possess now further developed thanks to the Crown Prince, they’ll all scramble to submit and grovel.”
“….”
“And that’s not even the worst of it.”
I recalled the Raccoon Beastkin I’d seen in the jungle. They were certainly a race with remarkable talents.
From what I remembered, they weren’t a species capable of wielding exceptional abilities individually.
But the Raccoon Beastkin in the jungle forest were different.
‘Have they developed their talents to such a degree?’
If this too was the work of those monkeys, I couldn’t begin to fathom how many Beastkin had been sacrificed for this single technique.
I couldn’t even imagine it.
“One thing is certain.”
They were already repugnant before.
“But in this life, they’ve evolved into something far more repugnant.”
I turned my head away.
Levai stood with impeccable posture. Ekion stood beside him as well.
“Let’s go. The reconnaissance is complete.”
“…Yes.”
The city of mad monkeys.
We had arrived at Madrum.
* * *
“The Imperial Envoy who fled appears to be in the center of Madrum.”
Natasha, the Serpent Clan Head, willingly offered her servants for the pursuit.
“However, there are no life signs.”
I paused briefly to consider. The pause was not long.
I thought that having failed the Imperial order, he wouldn’t have lasted long anyway.
It seemed he had died shortly after arriving here.
“Can you track a corpse as well?”
“Yes, we can.”
The Snake Beastkin nodded.
Since snakes consume carrion in nature, pursuing even a corpse wouldn’t be difficult.
“Does anyone remember anything about Madrum?”
I turned my gaze toward my companions.
“Isn’t it where a bunch of monkeys live?”
“Even before, it was a city where quite a few ferocious beasts resided. During the war, the Monkey Beastkin were always meticulously evacuated to the rear, and the ferocious beasts were excessively deferential. I only learned the detailed reasons this time.”
Atlant and Bellus spoke in turn.
“Sorry, but I don’t know much.”
Lirivel raised both hands and frankly admitted her lack of information.
“Rather than a city, it’s primarily a research facility. If I recall correctly, there were also underground facilities.”
“Underground?”
“Yes, I heard about it when interrogating a prisoner captured in the war.”
“You’ve all been saying ‘war, war’ since earlier—did you have a war without me knowing? Or did you do it in a dream?”
Lirivel spoke with furrowed brows, but no one answered.
“I’ll explain later.”
“…Yes, Matriarch.”
Lirivel glanced around at everyone for a moment, then quietly closed her mouth.
The city of monkeys was not a major target in the Third War.
Our objective was the capital, and besides, it destroyed itself during the war.
‘If I had learned sooner that they were those who mastered all of the Crown Prince’s filthy techniques, things might have been different.’
At least the information Levai had gathered just in case during this life was quite substantial.
But since it was originally a secret city, it still wasn’t satisfactory.
“…I heard the research scale had grown even larger than before.”
Then, additional information flowed from an unexpected person. It was Ekion.
“Since I heard this story about thirteen years ago, it should be much larger by now.”
Thirteen years ago would have been when Ekion was confined in the Dragon’s Castle.
“I heard them talking about me. They said it would be better to move me to Madrum and lock me in the underground instead.”
“…You certainly discussed all sorts of things right in front of the child.”
“They probably thought I lacked intelligence and couldn’t speak.”
I furrowed my brows. Ekion continued speaking while reading the mood slightly.
“And… I also heard talk of mixing the blood of Beastkin with each other, extracting their special abilities, and transplanting my blood.”
“….”
As I remained silent upon hearing that blood had been extracted from me regularly, Levai continued the conversation.
“Then the Dragon’s blood and flesh must have been put to use in some way.”
“You brought back Dragon bones or something from the jungle. So they must have been collecting things like that all along?”
Then Whale, who had been silent until now, added his voice.
“Didn’t you say the Imperial Palace conducted some kind of experiment on Lili, that child with healing abilities?”
Silence descended once more.
After a moment, Lirivel raised his hand halfway and spoke with an exhausted expression.
“So in the end, this isn’t a city or anything—it’s a laboratory run by madmen.”
“….”
“Which means there are probably tons of bizarre research results in there?”
Lirivel had already shown marked disgust and fury regarding the ‘parasites’ lodged in the Crocodiles’ heads.
Though not parasites themselves, having experienced life and mind suppressed by their mother, it must have been unbearable for him.
‘I should have brought someone with disguise or transformation abilities if I’d known it would come to this.’
I gazed down at the city with a sense of regret.
Ostensibly, we had come this far under the pretext of rescuing the kidnapped Crocodile Beastkin child.
Of course, there was no kidnapped child, and while infiltrating to search for one, we discovered evidence of cruel experiments.
―That’s the plan we’ll proceed with.
“I don’t know much about the underground levels, but I do know how the research buildings are divided.”
Hauser, who had infiltrated the Imperial Palace before, spoke quietly.
“First, we need to head to the central area. The Imperial Palace seemed to receive reports from there, and they said the most crucial technologies are gathered in that location.”
I nodded.
“Good, let’s go in.”
* * *
One advantage of water power is that various applications using water’s properties are possible.
Among them was a method of creating illusions, just as I had used in the Dragon’s castle arena.
And it was possible to overlay that illusion onto a person.
It’s an ability similar to transformation or disguise, but it has a fatal weakness.
One must concentrate solely on it, and the moment I use any other application ability, my true form is revealed.
“It’s really desolate here.”
We disguised ourselves appropriately to avoid standing out. Ekion, Levai, and Hauser, who couldn’t use water power, were each handled by Bellus and me as we applied our abilities.
The streets outside the building were utterly empty, as if it weren’t a massive research facility at all.
The people walking around were all nearly vagrants.
Even among them, there were cases where one of their limbs was missing regardless of gender or age, or they lay collapsed on the ground dying.
“They must be discarded test subjects. I heard they abandon them on the streets and leave them to rot.”
“They really are people who see the depths of humanity. Nothing has changed.”
“It’s revolting.”
Muttering a word each as we walked, I suddenly turned my head.
In a nearby alley, someone was peeking their head out cautiously.
‘A child?’
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
We were perfectly disguised, and there was nothing particularly suspicious about our behavior.
The streets were nearly empty, though occasionally we passed others wandering like we were.
I assumed they were here to sell people or were mercenaries of some kind.
I thought we must appear the same to them.
Besides, the young boy watching us intently looked no different from the countless vagrants scattered throughout this city.
There was no killing intent, no malice—just the gaunt, withered appearance of any other vagrant on the verge of death.
Yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
‘That hair color….’
By the time I came to my senses, I was already standing before the boy.
My companions seemed taken aback, but I had no time to concern myself with that.
The boy startled and tried to flee, but my hand caught his wrist.
His fluttering movements were as fragile as those of a dying animal.
He was so weak that a mere flick of my fingers could subdue him.
While there are many external differences between terrestrial and aquatic Beastkin, the most notable is hair color.
“It’s alright, it’s alright.”
Most aquatic Beastkin possess hair in shades of blue, gray, or black.
“I’m sorry for grabbing you so suddenly. Don’t be afraid.”
While terrestrial Beastkin aren’t entirely without such colors,
there was a hair color unique to aquatic Beastkin alone.
One of them was….
The hair color possessed by Whale Beastkin.
That distinctive silvery-gray hue.
“I’ll ask you just one thing. Can you answer me?”
And the boy before me possessed this very hair color.
The moment I saw his frightened eyes, I knew.
“You’re a Whale Beastkin, aren’t you?”
This child is a Whale Beastkin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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