Vol 3. Chapter 59: Soul Pearls
Inside the hidden underground prison beneath Marquis Keweibote's estate,
the orderly experiments and extraction of the so-called Soul Pearls had come to an abrupt halt.
The dungeon, once filled with the sounds of magical explosions, prison guards roaring, children crying, and agonized screams, had now fallen into utter silence.
The eerie stillness was enough to make one's skin crawl...
The entire prison had descended into complete chaos.
Fragments of staffs, broken magical tools, shattered swords, blood, torn flesh, and scattered body parts lay strewn across the floor without order.
The white-robed mages who had been casting spells to condense the Soul Pearls had apparently suffered some devastating attack. They lay collapsed on the ground, foam spilling from their mouths, their fate unknown. Only a handful remained conscious, trembling helplessly where they lay.
As for the children who had been crying moments earlier, they had long since fallen silent.
Tears remained frozen on their faces as they stared in disbelief beyond the iron bars at the black-armored knights who had suddenly appeared inside the prison.
They had no idea who these people were.
But judging from the fact that they had stormed in and immediately attacked the [N O V E L I G H T] white-robed mages and prison guards...
...they had to be the enemies of those terrifying mages.
Could...
Could they be here to save them?
The children, who had nearly been swallowed by despair, could not help but cling to that thought.
Silently, they watched the black-armored knights.
Strangely enough,
although every one of those knights radiated a chilling, murderous aura—and had brutally slaughtered the guards before the children's eyes while beating countless white-robed mages until their faces became unrecognizable—the children did not feel the slightest threat from them.
Instead...
they gradually began to feel an inexplicable sense of trust.
While observing the knights, the children's attention inevitably shifted toward the center of the prison—to the incomparably beautiful girl who stood among them like a goddess.
Surrounded by those towering black-armored warriors, the black-haired young woman seemed utterly out of place.
Combined with a face capable of eclipsing every flower beneath the heavens, it was impossible for her not to draw every gaze.
—
The black-haired girl—
our Miss Yumo—
had learned about Marquis Keweibote's actions from Aide.
Unable to suppress herself any longer, she had brought ten Black Rose Family knights and "infiltrated" the Marquis's estate, intending to see with her own eyes what kind of horrific experiment the child had described.
However...
after arriving in the underground prison and witnessing the hellish scene before her, the anger burning inside Miss Yumo caused her sapphire-blue eyes to revert to their original crimson color.
As a result...
the Black Rose Family's "infiltration plan" underwent a slight adjustment.
Looking at the boy before her—his body already more than halfway dissolved beyond recognition, writhing in endless agony as life slowly slipped away—Yumo frowned deeply.
Even after witnessing Abyss Demons devour humans countless times, she still found the sight difficult to endure.
Sigh...
I still came too late...
Having one's entire body dissolved before being compressed into one of these so-called Soul Pearls...
That process was probably several times more agonizing than being eaten alive by an Abyss Demon.
Most victims of Abyss Demons died after only a few bites.
But this...
This slow dissolution.
This extraction of the soul.
Even the cruelest torture imaginable could hardly compare.
Humans...
Sometimes they're even crueler to their own kind than monsters are...
And these are children...
Poor things...
After sighing inwardly, Yumo slowly approached the dying child.
She gently raised her hand.
Crimson Blood Butterflies drifted gracefully to the boy's side.
Golden powder fluttered softly through the air.
Within moments, the unconscious child fell asleep.
Quietly...
he entered an eternal sleep.
It wasn't that Yumo hadn't wanted to save him.
His injuries had already exceeded the healing limits of the Tears of Nature.
As for granting him the Power of Shadow of Silence...
With the boy's talent, successfully controlling it without becoming an Abyss Demon was practically impossible.
Besides...
his mind had already completely collapsed.
Even his soul was beginning to break apart.
After quietly sending the child off, Yumo slowly turned toward Saiboke-Baniya.
Under the frightened gazes of the remaining white-robed mages, Saiboke-Baniya respectfully stepped forward and presented a box filled with white gemstones.
"Lady Yumo, this is that... Soul Pearl... or Soul Stone... whatever they call it."
As he spoke, his expression filled with disgust.
His murderous gaze swept across the white-robed mages lying motionless on the ground.
"Soul Pearls..."
Taking one white gem from the box, Miss Yumo carefully examined it.
Indeed...
just as the mages had claimed,
the gemstone contained extraordinarily pure soul energy.
Its purity was astonishing.
Meaning...
the power inside could be absorbed directly by the human body without producing any rejection whatsoever.
Which meant...
Yumo frowned slightly.
Her gaze shifted toward the richly dressed purple-haired middle-aged man who had been pinned to the floor by the dragon-horned girl all this time.
"What exactly are you making these Soul Pearls for?"
The moment Yumo spoke,
Zhong Xizhi released the restraint on the purple-haired man before grabbing his bruised and swollen face and forcing him to kneel before Yumo.
Seeing that the man remained dazed and failed to respond,
Zhong Xizhi wasted no words.
She drew her dagger—
and drove it straight through his shoulder.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
An agonized scream burst from the man's mouth.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
The overwhelming pain immediately snapped the purple-haired man—Marquis Keweibote—back to reality.
Terrified, he looked up at the black-haired girl before him.
Nothing remained in his eyes except fear.
"Lady Yumo asked you a question."
"Answer."
At the same time, Zhong Xizhi calmly pulled the dagger back out.
Her orange-red dragon eyes narrowed as they swept across the Marquis.
The glance alone made his entire body shudder.
He seemed to remember the conversation he had previously had with the girl standing before him.
He forcibly swallowed the rest of his scream.
Then, trembling violently, he looked at the breathtaking black-haired girl who resembled an angel of death.
"N-No... These Soul Pearls weren't my idea! It was the Crown Pri—No! His Majesty's order! Those white-robed mages were all sent by His Majesty as well! I was only carrying out orders! I had no choice! Please... please don't kill me!"
"His Majesty?"
"Xue Tianao?"
"Y-Yes! His Majesty Xue Tianao! He's the one who ordered us to gather Soul Pearls!"
the Marquis hurriedly answered.
"..."
Xue Tianao.
The Child of Destiny again.
Looking around at the blood-soaked prison and its suffocating, oppressive atmosphere, the aura surrounding Miss Yumo grew colder still.
"Why?"
"Why does he want these pearls?"
"H-His Majesty... wants to use them... to help members of the Royal Knights break through... and cultivate new geniuses... so... so the Snow Night Empire can become... become even stronger in the future..."
"And..."
Yumo's eyes drifted toward the children imprisoned inside the cages around them.
"What about them?"
"T-Those children... are the sons and daughters of southern nobles who rebelled... along with children purchased from slave traders..."
The Marquis trembled so violently that every word quivered.
"So all your Soul Pearls are extracted from children?"
All?
The Marquis frowned internally.
Of course they couldn't all come from children.
There simply wouldn't be enough.
According to Xue Tianao, cultivating a single exceptionally gifted genius required at least one hundred high-quality Soul Pearls.
The only reason this prison contained nothing but children was because they had all been transferred here specifically for processing.
But...
he definitely couldn't say that out loud.
After secretly glancing toward the dragon girl behind Yumo, a complicated expression appeared on his face.
If he wanted to survive,
he had no choice.
Otherwise...
the drug inside his abdomen would cause him to explode from within.
"Y-Yes... These pearls are extracted from children under His Majesty Xue Tianao's orders. Children's souls are purer, so the pearls contain fewer impurities and are much easier to absorb. Of course... besides children... when necessary, we also extract the souls of other criminals..."
After hearing his answer,
Miss Yumo silently looked at the box overflowing with dazzling white Soul Pearls in Saiboke-Baniya's hands.
Judging by the quantity,
there were no fewer than seventy or eighty.
"So..."
"You're saying every pearl inside this box was extracted from innocent children?"
"Y-Yes..."
"I see."
"And those you mentioned..."
"The Duke Family members who were escorted to the Imperial Capital."
"Will they also be turned into Soul Pearls?"
"Uh... I... I'm not certain... but His Majesty Xue Tianao... seems to intend exactly that..."
As the Marquis finished speaking,
the dungeon fell silent once more.
The surrounding air became even colder.
An oppressive sensation, as suffocating as death itself, settled over the purple-haired man, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe.
...
...
"I see."
After a long moment of silence,
Miss Yumo nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Her calm tone was chilling.
The moment she finished speaking,
Miss Yumo stopped paying attention to Marquis Keweibote altogether.
Protected by several Black Rose knights, she slowly walked toward the dungeon staircase.
As Yumo moved farther away,
the overwhelming pressure of death weighing upon the Marquis gradually faded.
Hope of survival once again surfaced in his heart.
?!!
She... she's not going to kill me?!
An overwhelming feeling of surviving a catastrophe immediately flooded his heart.
The purple-haired noble could not help revealing a delighted smile as he watched the black-haired girl's departing figure.
Thank goodness...
That woman didn't lie to me.
As long as I repeated exactly what she told me to say... I wouldn't die...
Still...
I really don't understand what's going on inside that Black Rose Family girl's head.
Using children with no talent and no background to produce Soul Pearls and strengthen the Empire—
what was wrong with that?
Didn't nobles in the Sadik Empire do this sort of thing all the time?
Was it really worth making such a huge fuss?
She had actually launched a surprise assault on his estate over something so trivial—
and even beat his face into this state!
Touching his bruised and swollen face,
the Marquis's expression gradually twisted with resentment.
Damn it...
Once I report this to His Majesty, I'll make every one of you pay for your stupidity!
This is the Snow Night Empire—not the damned Sadik Empire!
The Black Rose Family can't simply do whatever they please here!
While roaring inwardly,
the Marquis had already begun planning exactly how he would complain to Xue Tianao later, condemning the Black Rose Family's outrageous behavior.
Of course,
more importantly,
he also needed to shift all responsibility for the Soul Pearl operation being exposed onto the Black Rose Family.
However,
just as the Marquis was happily making his plans,
the black-haired girl who had already walked halfway to the stairs suddenly stopped.
The instant she stopped,
his heart skipped violently.
A dreadful premonition surged through him.
The next moment,
as though confirming that premonition,
Miss Yumo slowly turned around.
Her gaze swept over Marquis Keweibote,
the white-robed mages,
and the trembling prison guards—
as though she were looking at nothing more than piles of garbage.
After glancing over them indifferently,
Yumo looked toward the black-haired dragon-horned girl restraining the Marquis.
"Oh, right."
"Zhong Xizhi."
"Yes, Lady Yu—"
"...Miss Yu."
"What are your orders?"
"Don't forget."
"Take out the trash."
"Understood, Lady."
The moment those words fell,
feeling the suffocating killing intent hidden within Yumo's calm voice,
Marquis Keweibote's expression changed completely.
He hurriedly looked toward the half-dragon girl in desperation.
"W-Wait?! You promised you wouldn't kill me! You can't—?! Huh?!!"
However,
before he could finish speaking,
the horrified Marquis discovered that
Zhong Xizhi's dagger had already pierced straight through his throat.