The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 158

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 158

“Was there an intruder before us? Judging by how the blood hasn’t even properly dried, it wasn’t long ago.”

“No, it’s more likely an internal rebellion than an intruder. Look at this.”

Raphael, who had gone deep inside and was conducting an autopsy, gestured to me.

“There are no proper weapons, of course, and not even a trace of responding to a sudden intrusion. Most died without even putting up a fight.”

Crouching beside him and scanning the surroundings, I asked Raphael back.

“What about the possibility of assassination?”

“Thinking of Mephistopheles’ temple, this kind of tomb entrance is usually singular, and the distance from the entrance to the laboratory isn’t far. It’s not a structure that allows for secret infiltration.”

Raphael sent me a look asking if I agreed, and I nodded.

Perhaps because we were together, the reflexive actions from our Allied Forces days came out. This kind of questioning was useful for quickly exploring enclosed places like this underground laboratory.

‘Working in sync with Raphael is as skillful as if it were yesterday.’

Indeed, 10 years isn’t a time to be taken lightly. Somehow, I felt awkwardly embarrassed.

“…Lu?”

When I turned my head at the suddenly cut-off presence, I saw Lu standing blankly. I approached him.

Soon the ground I stepped on was like a ballroom. A hall as wide as an open field. However, if there was a difference from an actual ballroom, it would be the giant test tubes attached to the walls like barnacles.

The test tubes here, which looked particularly large and sturdy, were in a miserably broken state like the other test tubes we had passed.

But something was different.

This ominous aura emanating from inside the test tubes. And the foul air that created the illusion of burning one’s skin dry.

“Don’t tell me, this is…”

“Traces.”

Lu answered briefly and stared intently at the inside of the empty glass tube with a cold gaze.

“These are traces of where Mephistopheles’ heart was stored. But only traces remain, the heart has disappeared. …Judging by the state of things, the thief couldn’t have gone far either. It’s probably somewhere around here.”

I looked at the broken glass tube with complicated feelings.

‘To give this much pressure with just traces. The culprit probably can’t even look at the heart.’

So was that why the heart was stored in that tube? I didn’t know the details, but it was expected to be glass coated with special magic.

Raphael, who had followed into the hall, asked casually.

“Unbelievable power. Was Grand Sorcerer Mephistopheles a demigod?”

“No. I heard he was Hui.”

At my answer, Raphael glared at the glass tube with eyes that couldn’t understand.

“Hui, you mean a priest of Rogues who crossed three walls? That’s strange. No matter how great a mage he was, it doesn’t make sense to possess this level of power. Especially when it’s already the heart of a dead person.”

Lu, who glanced at Raphael, gave a bitter sneer.

“Your intuition is quite useful, Duke.”

“…”

“Right, this isn’t Mephistopheles’ original power. Various forces are mixed together. It seems he enjoyed quite a feast during the 10 years of war.”

He accumulated magic comparable to a demigod through eating? I had an idea of what that meant.

“You’re saying Mephistopheles ate heart crystals?”

“Right, but dozens wouldn’t be enough to gain this level of visible power. At least hundreds… no, maybe thousands.”

Quick-witted Raphael inferred the flow of the situation from the few words of conversation we exchanged.

“Accumulating power… he didn’t devour the hearts of fallen soldiers, did he.”

“That’s too trivial. He would have wanted more delicately refined, high-quality hearts. For instance, the hearts of Roguet Sect followers.”

Ah.

‘I see. That was the real purpose.’

Southern Rogues was a force born as Mephistopheles’ power moved south.

They used unethical methods to cross the walls, and as proof of this, there were various biological experiments conducted in Mephistopheles’ temple.

The followers of Southern Rogues wanted to cross the walls without enlightenment. And Mephistopheles used such followers’ desires to increase his own power. By stealing the hearts of followers who had crossed the walls.

Lu, who slowly looked around the inside of the hall, recited quietly in a voice tinged with faint bitterness.

“So deceiving foolish priests with his silver tongue was for this. Truly a demon incarnate, Mephistopheles. Your master would beat the ground and weep if he knew.”

After a brief silence, Raphael spoke up.

“You said Mephistopheles’ heart would be around here? I’ll go look for it. Follow me, Daisy.”

As I was about to follow him, just before entering the long corridor, I stopped and turned around. Lu was standing motionlessly in the middle of the hall.

“Lu?”

He slowly stroked his chin and looked at me.

“Hmm. It seems some cleanup is necessary.”

Cleanup?

“The aura stagnating in this space is too powerful. Because high-density power has been concentrated in a confined tube for a long time, there’s a high possibility of trouble even from small external shocks. Moreover, the real problem is…”

Lu, who trailed off as if pondering, smiled faintly.

“This seems a bit more urgent than pursuing. Daisy, could you close your eyes for a moment?”

Since he asked me to close them, I did. A gentle voice echoed in my ears as if whispering right in front of my nose.

“Even if it’s unpleasant, bear with it a little and focus all your attention on this aura. You’ll surely be able to feel it.”

I exhaled very slowly and focused my mind on the flow of air.

―Come to me.

―Become part of the god.

―Offer your heart.

A vivid voice that brought back unpleasant memories. A chilling thrill ran through my entire body.

It was also a terrible and disgusting feeling, as if a centipede with dozens of legs was crawling around inside my brain. Damn it, how filthy. I brushed my ears with an uncomfortable feeling.

“Is this like a resonance that heart crystals emit?”

“Mephistopheles isn’t completely dead. His ego remains in his heart. His intense ‘desire’ is parasitic in his heart, continuing its life. With a more intense will than when he was alive. It’s similar to resonance as you said.”

Lu, who slowly closed his eyes as if concentrating on that resonance, continued his explanation.

“It’s dangerous if ordinary humans are exposed to this kind of aura for a long time. They become assimilated into Mephistopheles’ ego and become puppet dolls. Yes, just like demons or Black Knights…”

Not the resonance of a possessed sword, but being assimilated by a demon who once turned the continent into a sea of fire. Even the words are horrifying.

‘Then were all the researchers in this basement also in an assimilated state?’

When assimilated with resonance, one basically cannot maintain proper sanity.

But hadn’t the researchers here been living their daily lives normally for a full 4 years, until just a few hours ago? This was proof that they hadn’t been assimilated with Mephistopheles. How they prevented it was still a mystery.

‘Then what happened to Natasha?’

I briefly wondered, but finding Mephistopheles’ heart was the urgent priority. Since the entrance to the basement was still closed, there was a high probability that the main culprit who took the heart was also in the same space as us.

“I’ll leave this place to you, Lu.”

“Alright. Remember that voice you just heard, Daisy. Let’s each finish our roles and meet above ground.”

Those words sounded as awkward to my ears as saying Raphael enjoys knitting at tea time with ladies. Cleanup and Lu. It was a completely mismatched combination.

Was Lu feeling a sense of responsibility?

Responsibility. Perhaps that too could be a human emotion that revived as the balance collapsed. The fact that Mephistopheles was Dian Ket’s disciple meant, broadly speaking, that he was also a disciple of Lu, who was Lord Caleph.

“Raphael Jenail.”

Lu warned while gazing at the dark corridor.

“The reason I allowed your companionship was because I agreed with Daisy’s argument that you would surely be useful.”

At the quite hostile tone, one of Raphael’s eyebrows twitched sharply as he stood on the other side of the corridor. Don’t tell me the individual roles he mentioned earlier meant the role of having a fight?

Lu, who swept over Raphael with an indifferent gaze, showed a clear sneer.

“…is what I’d like to say. But judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to have skills that particularly surpass my Daisy, so if you don’t want to die, don’t argue with her words and obediently follow them.”

I ran to Raphael, whose patience had clearly reached its limit, and shouted while patting his shoulder.

“I’ll protect you well. Don’t worry and watch from above!”

Come on, let’s go. Let’s go quickly. Fortunately, Raphael obediently let me push his back.

“His personality is completely ruined. Are you sane to have such a person in your heart?”

It’s okay. He’s not human.

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