Chapter 177: Mystery of the Golem Island (part four)

TL: eristol

Final part of this arc everyone. With the end of this mini-arc, we will finally be moving into the climax of this arc. Look forward to the final for Erica and her team to overcome soon.

---

<< Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter >>

---

After the deeds of my uncle Oswald Bort came into light.

We went through the remaining items and documents and compiled them into a list.

After we had more or less wrapped up the work, my brother called for everyone’s attention.

“Harold, if you come across any suspicious items, bring them back as samples. Actually, you can take all of them if you want, and if there is anything you want, feel free to ask me.”

“Whaaat~ You mean it? Yaay~”

Harold exclaimed with delight.

“Some of these materials are banned from importing, so I figured I would secure as many of them as I can.”

Although he looked exhausted from stress, my brother recovered and flashed his usual smile.

Harold, with a wide grin plastered on his face, began taking the Nigred and other precious materials out of the room and stuffed them into his lightweight, space-expanded bag.

“Erica, let’s bring back all the research papers and notes we were examining, including the unfinished ones.”

“Yes, oniisama. We don’t know what else might be hidden in them.”

Although I have read through everything at least once, there is no guarantee that there is not some key information somewhere in these random notes that would go to the heart of the matter.

It would be better to go through them carefully one more time.

I carefully placed the stack of paper inside the envelope.

“I think the parts of the diary Beatrice-kun decrypted would suffice. Your artificial spirits are very useful.”

Seeing the list Beatrice prepared, my brother smiled with satisfaction.

“Oh, it’s too generous of you …!”

The list included a record of my uncle’s activities, his travel records, and a list of his transactions.

“Most of the contents of the diary were mundane and very personal … so carefully documented parts like that stood out a lot.”

My uncle’s diary seemed to contain very few entries like that of a typical diary, like records of his activities and sentiments.

Instead the entries contained—

How many boiled eggs or pancakes he ate that day.

How many pebbles he threw into the river and managed to sink.

Spoilers of a story he read or plays he watched.

The number of old women he passed by.

The taste of a flower nectar he sucked on a whim.

A poem praising the comfort of his favorite pair of shoes.

 —That was what it was like.

“There were so many spoilers about stories that I thought it was meant to harass people who stole and read his diary without permission … ”

“Ahaha, that must have been a disaster, Beatrice-kun.”

Beatrice also had a somewhat exhausted look on her face.

Or I guess it would be more appropriate to say dispirited rather than exhausted?

Maybe it’s because after going through the trouble of activating four artificial spirits and analyzing the encryption, she got spoilers instead …

“Would it be alright if I checked the list of clothes Chloe-kun prepared?”

Chloe had taken the measurements of the clothes while examining them.

My uncle had pretty much similar height as my brother.

His presumed friend, however, was almost ten centimeters taller than him, and judging by the thickness of the arms and legs, it appears he had a better physique than my uncle.

Besides, there were even Lindis uniforms and robes for that friend.

“It’s strange to think that both these people are our seniors, isn’t it?

Chloe said so and laughed.

Two accomplices who tried to kill the Mad King.

I tried imagining my uncle, who resembles my brother, walking with his friend by his side.

I could not imagine his face, however, since it was inevitably being overwritten with Actorius-sensei’ appearance.

By the time we packed up and left my uncle’s workshop, it was already long past noon.

“I have almost grasped the truth behind my uncle’s actions, and I have also collected the information I wanted … we can leave now, but if possible, I would like to investigate this island a bit more from a different perspective. Would that be okay?”

Wow, you still have a lot on your mind, huh, Brother.

☆

Lunch was served at our uncle’s mansion, where the golems prepared the meal.

Vegetable and bean soup, blue mold cheese with honey, fresh fish meuniere, and flatbread kneaded with herbs.

These were probably food prepared for humans only …

I might visit this island every once in a while just to taste this dish.

At the lunch table, my brother share his expedition plans with us.

By the time we left the mansion, it was already three in the afternoon.

“Well then, I am off to the village~”

Harold headed for the golem village.

He was looking for a golem that has the same storage structure as the butler in the mansion.

He planned to retrieve any golem that contained Aqua Vitae, or Nigred.

“Hey Harold, are you sure you will be okay on your own?”

“It’s alright, it’s alright! I am not scared at all!”

With a spring in his footsteps, Harold seemed to be enjoying himself to the fullest.

The rest of the group will be conducting the underwater survey around the island.

My brother, Tirnanog, and Chloe would be diving into the sea.

Beatrice and I would remain stationed for emergency response and support.

While my brother and Chloe donned their diving suits, we began making preparations.

Beatrice had waterproofed one of the two spellcards for emergency contact.

I kept one on hand and gave the waterproof one to my brother and Chloe.

In the event of an emergency, the spellcard on the ground would alert us.

I also had Tirnanog enlarge again.

“Please look after my brother and Chloe, Tir.”

『 Leave them to me! 』

By the time we finished making preparations, my brother and Chloe had finished changing.

The two of them, dressed in what looked to me like retro-style diving suits, approached us, looking as if they were having trouble moving.

I wonder if such a diving suit is safe.

From what I heard from my brother, it is said to be very high-performing contrary to its appearance.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you, Tir.”

『 Fumu! 』

And thus Tirnanog went into the sea, carrying my brother and Chloe on his back.

Beatrice and I, who were staying behind, spread out a blanket on the beach, set up a parasol and stood by.

We are supposed to be emergency personnel, so if nothing happens, we will just rest here.

“Even so, what did Professor go out to look for under the sea, Erica-sama?”

“Oniisama was mincing his words, so I am assuming it is something very difficult to explain.”

I don’t think anything would surprise me anymore at this point, but I suppose it is must be difficult to convey.

It is probably something really, really outrageous …

“Could it be that this island itself is actually a giant golem, so he went looking for its core … ?”

This island?

“That would not be impossible given our ancestors once created the giant, artificial life form, Tirnanog.”

“Yes, that’s right … ”

If this island is just a golem, that is fine, but if it is yet another giant artificial life form, then …

I just hope there wouldn’t be any more of my relatives messing things up.

Then Beatrice and I spent some time talking and looking out over the sea.

However, we both carefully avoided the topic of the Mad King’s murder, as it was too sensitive a matter for the niece of the culprit and the heiress of the accomplice.

Instead, our topic was mainly about the spoilers in the diary. 

Since it is pitiful that Beatrice was the only one who was spoiled, I thought I should have the same thing happen to me.

I often find it amusing when I hear about a story or play that I have only heard of by name.

“So the mansion would go up in flames and the villain would jump off a cliff …? I was hoping for a more refreshing surprise at the theater.”

“I totally agree … ”

While we were spending our time chatting and worrying about the three people at the bottom of the sea, the sun was starting to tilt towards the horizon.

And when the sky changed its hue from a bright orange to purple, and finally a pale pink.

The figure of a black dragon with coiled horns emerged from the sea.

My brother and Chloe were on Tirnanog’s front legs.

As Tirnanog slowly lowered his front legs on the beach, the two of them approached us.

“It was the greatest discovery of the century. It’s a shame we can’t tell anyone about it.”

My brother threw such opening words as he removed the helmet from his diving suit.

Chloe, who was standing beside him, also nodded in agreement.

“What do you mean, oniisama?”

“There were countless human bones on the seabed around this island. This was, without a doubt, the site of the final battle with the Mad King.”

“Human bones!?”

“I have collected some samples, so I think I would be able to explain in more detail later—”

My brother described to me and Beatrice the condition of the human bones on the ocean floor.

Among the very ordinary human bones, there were a few bones with surgical scars on the skull.

And then there were the monstrous human bones of various shapes and sizes.

“For example, some of them had five arms on their right shoulders, some had inverted ribs like wings, and some had a distorted human skeleton resembling a quadruped beast … ”

—Perhaps.

“… So you are saying those souls that had been taken in by the Mad King were restored again … is that is?”

I could imagine what happened to him.

The people who were revived by the Aqua Vitae separated from the Mad King one after another.

Some of these souls had long since lost their human form due to overuse by the Mad King.

My brother smiled at my question.

“I am not sure why the restored humans sank to the bottom of the sea. But it seems our uncle’s hypothesis was correct.”

“Our uncle, he really was a scary person.”

My brother nodded deeply.

“Indeed. Our uncle, Oswald Bort, was only one step away from killing the Mad King. Perhaps the Mad King himself had once reverted to human form. I think that’s how the Mad King lost most of his inner souls, and his power.”

I see.

So he chose another body to replace the severely damaged one.

“This is just a delusion of mine, but … I think the Mad King was very scared this time compared to when he was overthrown by Guillaume Ignitia, because this time it was just an experiment planned by a single alchemist.”

“Yes, that may have been the case.”

Even though he was my relative, I must say I am scared of my uncle’s madness.

“I think he found it humiliating for that reason. If I were the Mad King myself, I would have put all my pride aside and have my revenge one day.”

“Oniisama… ”

My brother’s words made me think of my own fate.

The Mad King must have had a strong desire to kill Oswald Bort’s closest kins.

I see.

Why did Erica Aurelia always die so easily?

Perhaps, in Liber Monstrorum, I did not always die by accident, but was hunted down and killed.

And the reason my deaths were more gruesome than usual was perhaps to make this gentle brother of mine suffer.

My brother gently stroked my head which was lost in such thoughts, prompting me into silence.

“Are you alright?”

“ … Yes, oniisama. I am just more afraid of the Mad King than I was before.”

I swallowed the words that came to my mouth, “we must be really hated, aren’t we?”

My brother just gently hugged me in response.

☆

After clearing up the underwater survey equipment, we met up with Harold.

According to Harold’s investigation, the villager golems had traces of having stored something in the past.

We set sail from the island, being sent off by the golems.

I could see children perpetually waving their hands from the beach.

When I waved back, a bright smile appeared on everyone’s face.

And thus we departed from the island of golems.

---

<< Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter >>

---

With that, we are done with all the revelations. It’s time for the plot to gradually move into action.