Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 184

Episode 184 Elf (3)

Elves who live in the great forests in the southern part of the continent.

As inhabitants of nature, they reject humans and do not engage in any kind of interaction, including trade… …it was written in a related book.

And the Kingdom of Estyria is a human nation.

It would have been natural for there to be no trace of the elf, let alone the elf itself, but the elf's corpse was right there in front of Verden's eyes.

Where on earth did you get that from?

I had my doubts, but it wasn't like I had no idea.

A glimpse of the memory while reviving the spirit Blue.

It must have had something to do with the wizards who kidnapped the elves at the time. Blue followed their trail all the way to the kingdom, so the circumstances were roughly right.

'But that's a different elf.'

The kidnapped elf had bright blonde hair.

In contrast, the elf lying on the experimental table had emerald hair. Although she had a beautiful appearance, her facial features were also different.

So did you kidnap another elf?

After all, there's no reason why you can't do something twice or three times if you've done it once.

'The question is why did you kidnap the elf?'

Verden shifted his gaze.

A man in a white gown examining the corpse. He pressed the elf's shoulder with his gloved hand, and it went in with almost no resistance.

As if there were no muscles or bones.

The man grimaced.

“As expected, the outside is intact, but the internal structure is completely destroyed. I have no idea how to recycle this… This is difficult, difficult.”

The man sighed and summoned his magical power.

The dissecting knife that had been lying far away floated up and settled into his hand. Just as he was about to cut open the elf's corpse, he felt a presence from afar.

Drrrrrrrr.

Two men in white robes pulled a long cart on wheels, on top of which lay the corpse of a human, not an elf.

“Lord Dreyfus, the wizard’s new corpse has arrived.”

“A corpse? You’re dead again? And you’re not an elf?”

"yes."

The man, Drebus, put down his sword and covered his face.

The expression on his face, visible through the gap between his hands, was stained with annoyance and disappointment.

“Haa, just a bunch of useless test subjects are piling up. If we just stand still like this, you’ll be disappointed… I get it. Just get out.”

“There is only one piece of good news.”

Dreyfus furrowed his eyebrows.

“Good news? What good news? What, you said you’d provide additional manpower? Or… you suddenly said you’d give me a living elf?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it… Huh? What did you just say?”

“The live elf is scheduled to be transported exactly two days later at 2:00 PM.”

There was silence.

Dreyfus asked urgently, clearly showing genuine embarrassment.

“A, a living elf? Does that mean he survived the experiment?”

“Yes. You said that it was a result that was possible because it was a ‘Guardian’-class elf. However, even though it was still alive, its internal structure was damaged to the point that it could not be used for its original experimental purpose, so it was decided to be recycled. And you added to Dreyfus, ‘Please show us results.’”

If you keep failing, you won't be safe.

Although he was momentarily startled by such a dire warning, Dreyfus soon regained his composure. After all, he had been promised a different test subject than before.

The face that had been filled with disappointment was now filled with joy.

“Hahahahahahaha! This is really good news! You should have said this first instead of beating around the bush!”

“I’ll be careful next time.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and after an hour, send this elf corpse to the fire golem to be incinerated. I think I need to handle it a bit more, but it doesn’t seem right to recycle it.”

"All right."

The two carriers, with their heads bowed, turned back the way they had come.

Dreyfuss took up his sword again, humming a more cheerful tune than before.

Completely unaware that there was an intruder in the same space.

* * *

“…….”

Verden, who had been listening to the series of conversations, became lost in thought.

Limited information, but crucial.

First, the wizard who kidnapped the elf is deeply connected to the royal family.

This was a fact confirmed when I retrieved the Commander's Orb and glimpsed into the Elder Lich's memories.

If we connect that information to the present situation, there is only one conclusion that can be drawn.

'So those were the corpses that the King of Estyria and the First Prince traded for.'

It is not known what the prince gave in return.

And what do the elf's corpse and the human corpse that was just transported have in common? Still, I confirmed what was being traded.

and.

'The royal family is conducting some kind of human experiment.'

Gluttony suddenly came to mind… … but I don't think they were directly involved in this experiment. If they were, they would have shown up on the ark long ago.

Their intelligence was far superior to what Verden had.

'But considering that Gluttony conducted human experiments in the kingdom in the past, I guess it doesn't really matter.'

For Verden, human experimentation is the height of disgust and disgust.

But apart from that, I was curious.

What is the purpose of the alternative experiment?

I couldn't even figure out exactly what recycling meant.

Verden, who had been thinking hard, made a decision.

'I think it would be best not to come forward for now.'

If you make a fuss here, the First Prince will find out soon. If that happens, it will be difficult for Cland to escape.

Even if Verden helps, he will have to abandon his status as a black market merchant forever. There will also be other major repercussions.

'And if possible, we must secure a living elf.'

If we could hear the testimony, we would be able to find out exactly what the royal family is up to.

so.

'Postponed for two days.'

Verden, having made his decision, stepped back.

He walked down the street, his figure disappearing into the darkness without a second thought.

I went down the spiral staircase and entered the dungeon.

Kookookookookook… … .

I activated the magic circle and closed the door.

Then, I placed a concealment magic circle over it. This way, no one would notice that the protective magic circle <Toben's Gaze> was destroyed.

Verden thoroughly erased any traces he left behind.

Now it's time to go back.

The method has already been prepared.

<Transparency>

The function of Yuzu's robe.

I hid my appearance and presence with a magic that could only be used once a day.

Verden, who had leisurely passed through the sewer and the artificial lake, returned to his room without being discovered.

'You arrived right on time.'

Just before the meeting ended.

After changing clothes and dispelling the original magic circle, he engraved a magic circle to block out noise again. Verden, disguised as Malted by wearing the Face of Deception, lay down on the bed as if nothing had happened.

After a while, Cland returned, looking a little tired.

He said after checking the magic circle.

“Were there any results?”

“There was.”

Verden assured.

* * *

Verden gave a brief account of what he had witnessed in the abandoned dungeon. Cland, who had been listening quietly, had a serious expression on his face.

“An elf’s corpse… I never expected it to turn out like this.”

Elves are a heterodox race with a collectivist ideology.

The moment they sense that even one individual is in danger, they will try to save their kind no matter what the danger. And they do this not by rushing in blindly, but as if they were hunting.

In the old days, since there was a case where a country was destroyed by the elven race, it was an unwritten rule on the continent not to cause any conflict.

'But you're blatantly disobeying that rule.'

Judging from the fact that it was still quiet, there seemed to be a way to block the elf's location tracking… …but that didn't make it any better.

Cland said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“So. Are you going to rescue the surviving elf in two days?”

“Yes.”

Because that's the most certain thing.

“And I intend to get additional information from that Dreyfus.”

“Hmm… If we do that, won’t the repercussions be big? We might get caught. It would be safer to rescue the elf secretly. Do you have a separate plan?”

"yes."

Subdue Drebus.

Rescue the experimental elf.

And even erasing the traces.

Verden was confident that he could do it without anyone finding out.

Cland, who had been internally conflicted, soon agreed.

“Okay. I’m just an assistant, and you’re the one who made the request, so I’ll follow whatever you choose. Two days later, at 2 p.m.… That’s when the last meeting will be held. Can you come back before the meeting ends?”

“That’s enough.”

“……Okay. Then I’ll try to buy as much time as possible.”

Cland leaned back against the backrest.

“By the way, I was lucky. I never thought I’d be able to find the location on my first search. Thanks to this, I won’t have to infiltrate the palace.”

It was exactly as he said.

The kingdom is quite complex. Space is limited, making infiltration difficult, and there are countless variables.

No matter how memorized the blueprints and meticulously planned out the plan, it was clear that the risk of being discovered would be extremely high.

“If I had known it was a dungeon, I wouldn’t have gone in there.”

“Haha, that’s true. If it’s there, you can enter through the sewers without infiltrating the castle. But when you don’t know the location, it’s the best you can do, so there’s nothing you can do. But is there anything else I can do for you?”

It's something worth doing.

“There is one thing that bothers me.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Friction with other leaders.”

In particular, the mercenary leader Gaul showed hostility towards Cland and Verden.

Of course, he wouldn't suddenly brandish a knife… … but he couldn't completely rule it out, saying it wouldn't interfere with the plan.

“That’s a good enough idea. But you don’t have to worry about that at all. This is none other than the Ariente Castle, ruled by the First Prince.”

1 The prince absolutely hates it when his subordinates challenge his authority.

Except for Wintert, the other leaders, including Cland, were completely subordinates. The First Prince could not stand by and let them run wild in the castle as they pleased.

“Moreover, Gaeul suffered a humiliating defeat in front of the First Prince. He is trying his best to flatter her in the conference room to make up for it, so there is no time for revenge. But if he were to do something… at the earliest, it would be after he leaves the castle and gets away from Esla.”

It doesn't matter then.

For Verden, who had shed Malted's disguise, such a mercenary group would not even be a small variable.

Verden nodded.

Two days passed like that.

* * *

Today is the third day since the secret meeting was held.

Meanwhile, Verden has thoroughly portrayed Malted. Thanks to the mask being integrated with his face, he is able to eat without any discomfort, and he is also mute.

There was absolutely no room for mistakes.

Occasionally, sharp gazes would be directed at Gaul and his mercenary group, but as Cland had said, not even the slightest friction, including arguments, occurred.

Other leaders were similar.

At best, Robert came to visit and had a brief conversation with Cland. Verden spent his time bored and peaceful.

Soon the final meeting was approaching.

“The maximum time I can pull is 4 o’clock. I’ll try to make it longer if possible, but please keep in mind that it might not be possible.”

"All right."

“I wish you good luck.”

Cland left the room.

I can hear the clock hands ticking.

And finally.

'It's time.'

Verden fully armed.

He jumped out of the window without hesitation.

Sewerage in an artificial lake.

And to avoid the flame golem, I went to the hidden passage in the dungeon. It was the fastest route, so I spent the least amount of time.

Soon we climbed the spiral staircase and arrived at the royal laboratory.

The time is 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

As I hid and waited, I heard the sound of wheels dragging.

The two carriers I saw two days ago.

A male elf on the cart they are moving.

Certainly, unlike the elf corpse I had seen before, it had faint blood flowing from it, and its chest was rising and falling very faintly.

Living elf.

Hana Verden couldn't help but pay attention to the elf's appearance rather than that fact, because it was a face he had seen before.

‘… … I never thought that the elf would be transported.’

An elf who was with the spirit Blue.

A bright blonde hair appeared in Verden's sight.