On the walls are multiple shelves of docunts, all protected with secret codes and magic, but what attracted my eye is the sole table in that room. Filled with anticipation I approached it ony to see a single paper.
"Lapas?"
[Lapas is a small kingdom surrounding the kingdom Aileen. For years Aileen and Lapas has been fighting over a certain land in their borders, but strangely the imperial house never interfere]
Indeed, how strange
I locked my gaze at that paper only to notice that it was protected with magic.
"How very careful"
I wave my hand and imdiately remove the seal, as soon a sI did so its contents shows.
"Ah, so thats it"
Even I wasn't able to see this part. The conflict between the two kingdoms was only a farce they made, but in reality, Lapas is a vassal kingdom, that is moving according to Aileen's wishes.
"It turns they built facilities there in case the ones in Aileen were to be destroyed"
Perhaps it was the laboratories, but according to what the docunt says it seems they still dont know what facility was built there.
And to add up to thier problem, they haven't found where exactly those warehouse were built.
"Its fine I can just look for it"
I put down the paper and proceed to go to my next destination.
The association, I left there so of the clues they need to trace. Fortunately just like in the arcduke, they also have an information that I wasn't able to find.
"Its good they found the thing I left behind"
I smile as I held the photos and crystal orbs containing the film operations of the Jimmuel Liml, one of the king Lorenzo's trusted servant. In that film you can watch how they brought large ships containing weapons and dangerous artifacts.
They all bought it at the black market that is why I was able to tract them. So places of the black market are being run by a certain mage of the tower, and using its influence gaining information and manipulating them was easy.
"Everything is going into its proper places, I should visit Lapas first before returning to the Tower. Jeremiah take there"
[Affirmative Creator]
My body began dissolving and imdiately was taken to another place. A kingdom near the east being sandwich between the region of the Lionhearts and the nation of Aileen. The kingdom of Lapas.
"Lets see what is this about, Jeremiah scan this kingdom"
[Scanning....
Scan complete]
A flood of information ca to and I found it, multiple places that seems to be labs hidden underground.
"I still have a few hours before lunch, I should check these marked places"
.
.
He check the first one, which is the nearest of his position and as soon as he landed, the wind carried the scent of scorched earth as Apollo arrived. The sun was nearing its peak but what the boy wants was the things that lies underneath the surface. He wave his hand and imdiately teleported underground.
"Its seems that the underground facility has been demolished"
His feet touched a cracked stone residue from an explosion, though it doesn't seem like it happened long ago.
"Getting rid of this place was done hastily, so of its structure was still standing"
Scanning the area he saw a destroyed compound lay ahead, walls partially collapsed and the surrounding plants that was used for the experints.
"Hmmmm, though they couldn't destroy everything thye made sure no files will remain here," he muttered, brushing his fingers over a singed sigil on the rubble.
[Creator I have scan the other facilities. Three labs found. Two destroyed. One remains hidden beneath the fourth quadrant of the mountain ridge,] Jeremiah's voice echoed in his mind and all Apollo can do is nod.
Before leaving the boy made sure to rember this pace in detail. "Then lets see what the archduke wanted to see here, the things that is buried but cant be found by everyone."
The power of space was yet again summoned and the figure that is remaining inside the ruin facility, disappeared.
Apollo arrived to anohter place, opposite to the previous one, this place is more intact. In fact the hidden lab looks to be functional, still being use. Seeing this filled Apollo with anticipation, he suddenly felt eagerness to quench his curiosity. So the first thing he did is observed. And watch as people arrive, he look at them wanting to see what lies ahead.
The mont the door creaked open, a strange, sterile air greeted him, far too clean, too deliberate. Far from his expected scent of decomposing flesh. That alone made him even more fascinated, so without hesitation he stepped inside.
What welco him is a narrow corridor that descended deeper, each step echoing against polished steel walls. Mana stones light the path, flickering as if reluctant to reveal what they had witnessed.
He reached the main chamber and paused.
Sothing within him tell him he had seen this situation before.
Rows of giant cylinder glass tubes lined the walls. Inside each one floated a human-shaped form.
Clones?
Or magically engineer humans
A homunculus
"Scan them Jeremiah"
There sothing that making him feel that he had seen this beins before.
Apollo's brows furrowed thinking deeply.
"Lets take a closer look"
His footsteps were slow as he approached, inspecting the features behind the blue-tinted glass.
Then it struck him.
"Wasn't this…?"
He froze. His mind reached back to the day the four Cardinal Dukes fought Dominos at his hidden base. The soldiers that protected him back then. Those soldiers that move without any regard for their loves. The ones that moved too fluidly, and abilities that is mix with many different aspects of human body. They were like jigsaw puzzle put together just to be called a whole.
"No wonder they felt strange. These are them."
So the that confirm his suspicions
That sick realization settled like iron in his gut. He never anticipated that they would collude with Dominos, after all they hated the bloodline of the Celestios
"So… the connection between Aileen and Dominos was already there at that ti"
He turned to a table. Files of multiple experintal notes, logistical routes, records of shipnts between Aileen and Lapas. Each one signed with encrypted marks… but he recognized the spell imdiately.
"They let him flee. It was them that made Dominos escape the underground prison at that ti"
The words tasted bitter, but then co the realization. A warm rush filled him making him shiver.
"Now it make sense, the reason why the emperor didn't let trap Dominos when he was at the academy. They released him on purpose not because of the fragnt of the world tree. What they are aiming for is to gather evidence against the Kingdom of Aileen. They staged it, they treated him like a bait to fish a bigger fish oh god if that Dominos is still alive what will he do if finds out he was used?"
Apollo felt interested at the scenario.
"So was it a transaction? Was helping him and giving him a chance to escape part of a deal of all along? Perhaps what he used as a bargain is his precious research materials"
At first Apollo felt funny about how Dominos was used, but rembering the afteramth of the things he give to the Aileas, made him clenched his fists.
"I should have tortured him before destroying his soul" he said in genuine regret.
His eyes shifted and scan every detail of the research logs. New formulas. Adjusted cloning sequences. Infusions of corrupted mana all legacy that ca from that crazy mage.
What that mad wizard gave was very dangerous, he even share a piece of fragnt and how to use it to mutate other species of life on Bunag.
"This feels like they're continuing his research…and even expanding it for their own use."
A silence stretched as Apollo absorbed everything. Then he sighed, his voice low.
"I thought I was ahead of them. But they were always does sothing that exceeds what I have prepared. I never knew that prideful Lorenzo wil ever negotiate with a person belonging to te blood of the Celestios"
For a mont he felt lustful for destruction, his eyes dim for a mont. Fortunately no one notice him, under the veil of system.
A flicker of mana pulsed from Jeremiah.
[Creator… Eros has departed. He's leading a unit toward the southern borders.]
Apollo turned, heart skipping.
"He's moving… already? I thought him joining the investigation will take a while?"
[Affirmative. Though his destination is the devastated lands of Lioness, it seems like you predicted the arcduke is hesitating to call him.]
Apollo stared at the glass chamber one last ti, watching the faces of the dormant clones, empty, identical, soulless. And only be use as weapons, without a say, without a choice.
"He doesn't know… that this will lead to her death if he continue to pursue the path he thinks as justice. It will eventually lead to the ending he will least expect."
His fist tightened, knuckles pale.
"Brother."
A smirk then ford on his lips, "I can't wait to see what reaction will you make"
Then, with a flick of his cloak, Apollo vanished.
He had seen enough.
And what he saw… would burn.
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