The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 158

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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 158
The underground laboratory’s structure was, in a sense, remarkably simple.
There were two large chambers: one where the researchers gathered, and another where the test subjects were confined.
Kiaros had instructed me and the Empress to remain in the chamber where the test subjects were held.
Even with test subjects present, each was locked in individual cells, so there was no real danger.
[My cell was the closest to the entrance, at least. That’s why escaping was relatively easy. It should be empty now.]
The path the Raven Servant guided us through was a secret passage the Red Knight Order had recently constructed.
Once we arrived there, I would undoubtedly see the prison cell where Father had been confined for fifteen years.
As I followed the Raven Servant, I was suddenly struck by the weight of Father’s suffering, and I bit down hard on my lower lip.
“What is it?”
The Empress noticed my troubled expression and asked quietly.
“Are you upset?”
“…Yes.”
I nodded, my voice trembling slightly.
“What is mere magical power? I don’t understand why Mother would destroy everyone around her and choose to join the Gaejofa Faction for it. It makes me wonder if magic was truly the only thing precious to her in life…”
“Mere?”
The Empress tilted her head. She had only been given a rough explanation of the situation so far.
“Power that lets you travel between the Capital and the Southern Region in a single day… that’s hardly ‘mere,’ is it? And you’ve experienced it firsthand, Namia—doesn’t it feel wonderful?”
“Of course it’s tremendous power. But… it’s not something I truly needed. Especially not when it was never mine to begin with.”
I answered without a shred of deception. That was my genuine truth.
The Empress then laughed brightly, her amusement genuine.
“There she is—Namia! So virtuous and free from greed! Enough of this pointless rebellion; you should simply accept becoming the Crown Prince’s bride!”
Then she added with a bitter edge.
“I suspect your mother thought she had nothing left to lose.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s not that magic was the only thing precious to her—it’s that she never even considered the possibility of losing something precious. A stubborn fool, if you ask me.”
“Do you think she ever had anything precious?”
“Of course. Unused magic couldn’t have been her entire life.”
The Empress shook her head firmly as she continued.
“But the Tower Master—your grandfather—raised her so poorly that only the lack of it felt like deprivation.”
It seemed our grandfather’s failure as a parent had become something of a legend in certain circles.
“Usually, even if parents are overbearing, people refine themselves once they enter society. But your mother never had that chance.”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
Since Biberus kept her with him throughout her time in the Gaejofa Faction, Mother’s entire life had been surrounded by people who simply gave in to her every whim.
Even Father was beginning to watch my expression carefully, as if to say, “At least I escaped thanks to your mother,” which spoke volumes.
In the meantime, we had passed through the secret passage and arrived at the underground facility. The Raven Servant who had guided us spoke.
“The cell closest to the entrance was empty. The passage connects through there.”
“Oh? That’s where my father was held.”
“Yes. According to the testimony of Cedric Loapi, that is also where we secretly connected the passage.”
“I see.”
“In any case, if he’s there, that should suffice. It’s a rather peculiar blind spot—invisible from the outside.”
With that, the Empress and I entered the underground laboratory.
The Empress exhaled sharply, muttering to herself.
“Wow, it’s been forever since I’ve been deployed in actual combat. My blood is absolutely pumping! I just want to smash everything to pieces!”
Of course, there appeared to be nothing inside this place worth smashing.
“On the other side, intruders are approaching the Researchers’ Chamber. The Crown Prince will be entering through the passage connected to that location.”
“How far is it from here?”
“Quite a distance. You won’t be able to see them or hear their conversation.”
The Raven Servant explained helpfully.
“He’s with the Red Knight Order. Since the intruders have arrived, there’s no longer any need for collaboration, so he’ll be arresting all the researchers immediately.”
I see.
If the Red Knight Order eliminated even the researchers, the Empress truly had nothing to do.
‘She really came for nothing. Well, at least she doesn’t seem displeased about it.’
I looked around the prison cell where Father had been confined.
It was narrower than I’d expected for a single person. The Empress shook her head, murmuring, “Wow, fifteen years in a place like this? Wow…”
“But what’s this? What is this? Ugh, there’s so much I don’t understand. Why are there so many strange things in a prison?”
As the Empress peered curiously around, the Raven Servant waved his hand in alarm.
“It would be best not to touch anything. We don’t know what experimental equipment it might be.”
“Okay, I understand.”
While the Empress obediently withdrew her hand, I quietly wiped away my tears alone.
* * *
Biberus moved forward with determination.
He wanted to know the future quickly. If he knew the future, he could certainly prepare for it. Just as he had executed a brilliant assassination operation timed to Kiaros’s period of darkness before…
Aran followed him without a word.
‘I wish I had been the one to undergo the experiment instead of Aran back then.’
Biberus held the glass vial filled with blood close to his chest as he thought.
‘So many test subjects died during the experiments that I was honestly terrified too.’
Still, Aran had survived. Seeing that the experiment back then had succeeded, he could surely succeed this time as well.
Just as Biberus and Aran arrived at the entrance and were about to head toward the Researchers’ Chamber, it happened.
With a loud bang, the entrance was sealed shut.
“Wh-what is this?”
Aran spun around in shock. The entrance was blocked by a bomb.
Someone had definitely planted a bomb at the entrance and waited.
“Damn.”
Biberus furrowed his brow. He sensed that something had gone wrong.
Immediately, he realized that no researchers were coming out. They had clearly all been captured.
‘What? I received a signal just moments ago that everything was fine.’
The researchers in the underground facility couldn’t know the exit route, but they could send a signal that there were no problems outside. Until this morning, they had reported everything was normal.
‘It’s fine.’
Nevertheless, he assessed the situation with cold logic.
‘The bomb’s power isn’t that strong anyway. Retreating right now is difficult, but if I kill everyone here and dig another tunnel, escaping will be easy.’
This was an enclosed space. Even with the Red Knight Order present, their numbers were limited, and since Biberus was in the midst of ability manifestation, he was confident he could be the sole survivor in any battle.
It was the moment Biberus drew his sword with grim determination and took another step inward.
“Hm?”
Kiaros stood before them, flanked by a contingent of Red Knights.
Kiaros regarded them with unhurried composure, saying nothing.
“…Ah.”
It was absurd—more than merely anticlimactic. If it truly was the Age of Darkness, then he was merely an ordinary human, nothing more.
The Red Knight Commander opened his mouth beside Kiaros, whose refined features remained unmoved.
“Biberus Awin and Aran Sertiz—hear this. We have seized complete control of the Underground Laboratory. Your only fate now is arrest.”
Throughout this, Kiaros did not even part his lips.
His gaze held only contempt and indifference, as though the man before him was beneath acknowledgment—a mere presence to be dismissed.
“We charge you with treason against the Dragon-kin and the Imperial Family, with sowing chaos throughout the Empire. Surrender peacefully, and….”
“Nonsense.”
Biberus laughed sharply and tightened his grip on his blade.
Because he was the strongest here now, possessed of transcendent power beyond anyone’s imagination.
“I am closer to being Dragon-kin than your own superior.”
Biberus charged at Kiaros. Even if Kiaros counterattacked, he would fall instantly. Once Kiaros alone was dead, the rest would inevitably succumb to panic.
And simultaneously, Aran too launched herself nimbly to the side.

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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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