Chapter 488
The One With Bloodied Hands
Moxie felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, leaving him lying on the ground with his eyes wide open like a corpse. The night sky was painted crimson by flames as gargoyles shrieked and flew past like a swarm of bats.
It wasn’t that he was feigning death to escape the attack, but rather because his limbs felt cold and numb, utterly useless. Besides, feigning death would have been pointless beneath his beloved creations. The gargoyles’ shells were the product of an Amber Artisan, and their essence was no different from that of a Hellhound; within them resided the souls of familiars. However, the anti-magic gargoyles crafted by the Amber Artisan were far sturdier and more reliable than mere rusted scrap metal.
Whether based on the Twilight Path or the Transcendent Path, they were exceptionally adept at soul manipulation. The gargoyles’ initial target acquisition mode was always focused on souls, rendering invisibility, disguise, or faked death completely ineffective.
Moxie lay there now with a hint of self-abandonment. His mind was a chaotic mess… perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to be directly shot to death by the gargoyles. But strangely, they didn’t attack him. They merely circled above him, emitting sharp cries like monkeys, while Alchemical Bombs were hurled down, creating a cacophony of explosions.
One explosion was terrifyingly close—dirt, flung by the blast, landed on him. Perhaps it was the sound of the explosion, or perhaps something else, but Moxie only felt a ringing in his ears and an increasingly intense dizziness in his head. In his daze, he seemed to have lost consciousness, yet he also felt somewhat lucid. After what felt like a long time, until the blood soaking his body grew cold and tight against his skin like hardened mud, he finally heard other sounds.
It was a troop of soldiers dressed in the black military uniform of Star Antimony. The one leading them was a captain, appearing to be in his late thirties or early forties, with resolute eyes and a full beard. His officer’s uniform looked looser than the others, and on his chest was a silver star-shaped metal insignia, along with the white gloves exclusive to Alchemists. This signified his identity—an Alchemist.
“…It’s been a long time, Teacher.” The captain stood at attention with his head bowed, addressing the Master Nobel lying on the ground in a deep voice.
Moxie’s face was stern, and he offered no reply, as if he had heard nothing.
“The Association specifically instructed us to ensure your safety if we encountered you.” Seemingly aware that Master Nobel wouldn’t speak at the moment, the captain continued on his own, “We will be escorting you back home now. Welcome back to Star Antimony, Teacher.”
“…I ask you.” Although he knew he shouldn’t, Moxie couldn’t suppress the surging emotions and bitterness within him. He glared at the officer, who was nominally his student but whose name he didn’t know at all, and asked in a low voice, “Why are you attacking civilians? The Queen is dead, the Princess has fled, and the armies of Avalon can’t stop our forces. We have already won! What is the meaning of having the gargoyles bomb villages and slaughter civilians now?!”
He subconsciously identified himself as Star Antimony people. Fortunately, Nobel did indeed have Star Antimony blood, and it was precisely because of this that the captain smiled. “You still think of yourself as a Star Antimony person…”
“—Answer my question, Captain! Is this an order from your superiors?!”
“Yes, this is the order I received,” the Star Antimony captain said calmly. “Because we need to rest and replenish our energy here.”
Hearing this, Moxie froze for a moment. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he suddenly realized something. These autonomous, overwhelmingly numerous gargoyles… were certainly not vegetarian. And to sustain them with mana would require a large number of Casters to act as mana batteries on the front lines. However, in Star Antimony, both Alchemists and Demon Scholars held high status, making it impossible to deploy so many Casters for the war. After all, the very essence of this war stemmed from these Casters demanding better treatment and being refused. Thus, Valentine VII attempted to divert domestic contradictions and open up new markets. If the war itself required the high-intensity participation of these esteemed individuals, it would be defeating the purpose.
Since the essence of gargoyles was familiars, they were like any other demons… capable of replenishing mana by consuming human souls and flesh. Familiars themselves didn’t require much mana, so even the souls of Extraordinary individuals weren’t necessary. Simply killing one civilian could supply at least six gargoyles for over twenty hours of continuous combat.
…But.
But…
“I remember there should be devices in the army for replenishing gargoyles’ mana…” Moxie said subconsciously. “There shouldn’t be a need…” Before receiving orders, these gargoyles were genuine “statues.” They would remain on those devices, staying dormant as long as they weren’t activated.
Hearing this, the Star Antimony captain merely smiled dismissively. “Those are traditional gargoyles you’re referring to, Teacher. Those types of gargoyles are practically useless, only good for harassing soldiers or lobbing explosives. And they lose their ability to act as soon as they enter a Priest’s sacred ground. These new-model gargoyles can resist the Priests’ dispelling, making up for their biggest drawback. The Bishops who tried to stop us were all torn to shreds by machine guns. However, because these gargoyles have to bear the weight of weapons and metal armor, their energy consumption is much higher… If we relied on ‘stakes’ for replenishment, it would probably take five or six hours to power them for less than half an hour, and they’d have to return as soon as they took off. The Gryphon Legion is fully operational. We might have to confront the Gryphon Legion head-on, and we can’t do that without replenishing our mana beforehand. Moreover, the corpses we leave behind can be used as materials for subsequent Ritualist teams. We can achieve the best possible results while killing as few people as possible. Of course, to escort you, our team won’t be participating in the front lines. We’ll head straight to the port.”
…Is it because of me? They attack civilians because the gargoyles I invented consume too much energy… so they have no choice but to attack civilians? Moxie’s scalp tingled as this thought emerged in his mind. Gargoyles in a laboratory environment, naturally, would never lack energy. He had never considered the issue of their operating environment.
Hearing this, Moxie felt the dizziness intensify. “…Who invented these special gargoyles?” He forced himself to sit up, maintaining his last shred of rationality and hope, and tentatively asked.
“Technically, this is considered a military secret. But after today, it will be declassified, and it won’t be hidden anyway… It’s fine to tell you.” The captain smiled with a friendly demeanor. “After all, the Association specifically instructed us to show you utmost respect and satisfy your needs as much as possible. Star Antimony needs your mind and technology. The ‘Armed Gargoyle’ was developed by the renowned genius ‘Albert Lore,’ the young master of the Lore family… You left early, so you might not know. He’s only in his early twenties now and is already a Calamity Stitcher. He has even reached the Third Tier of the Path of Balance. He’s a famous figure in Star Antimony today, a prominent talent of the younger generation. I heard he’s been nominated to join the Royal Alchemical Association, and he should receive the Star Antimony Medal after the war. It’s said he has a chance to reach the Fifth Tier before the age of thirty!”
The more Moxie listened, the dizzier his head became. Never before had he felt such disgust for his own hobby of researching undead technology. He had only seen it as an art, a form of technology. The art of transforming the ephemeral into the eternal, the skill of bringing the dead back to life. But now, he finally realized—it was a sin. When he researched for efficiency and put it into mass production… even if he had never personally killed anyone, his hands were already blood-stained.
…Fortunately, all of this was a fabrication. In his world line, the Armed Gargoyles had not yet been industrialized. He was still in the development phase, constantly updating the versions… he thought to himself, deceiving himself. But soon, he realized another problem. Even if he stopped developing them… would no one else take over the research of these Armed Gargoyles that could only be powered by killing civilians? He had opened Pandora’s Box. Yet, he couldn’t close it.
“Teacher will also join in the future, developing even stronger gargoyles with that genius!” At this very moment, as if to mock him, a perfectly timed mocking laughter echoed in Moxie’s ears. The sharp laughter was almost hysterical, making it hard to breathe. Even though a competitor had been eliminated, Moxie felt no interest, only that the laughter was mocking him.
He suddenly heard the sounds of tearing and chewing. Instinctively turning his head, Moxie saw the gargoyles gathered together, feeding. Of course, he had seen gargoyles eat corpses. Pure stone lacked a digestive system, but demons could eat people. He himself would even feed discarded corpses to the gargoyles to dispose of experimental waste. And the gargoyles were well-behaved, accepting anything. He kept a gargoyle in his own laboratory, and he had even crafted a ruby body for it to make it look more beautiful. But for some reason, he suddenly felt a wave of nausea. He saw the gargoyle notice his gaze and turn its head. Looking at its blood-red mouth, Moxie could no longer bear it and finally fainted completely.
Only a vague thought remained in his mind— I never want to invent such “weapons” that exist solely for more efficient killing.
(End of Chapter)
