Chapter 154 - New Power (2)

Henry arrived at the Snow Spire in Salgaera, not at Shahatra.

“Where are we? Weren’t we supposed to go to Shahatra?” asked Hector.

“This is the Snow Spire, the second Magical Spire I built. I want to get an idea of Klever’s power before I go to Shahatra.”

The Snow Spire was quiet as ever because there weren’t enough qualified wizards to properly use the spire just yet.

“Klever.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Stop mirroring Hector and return to your normal state.”

“Alright.”

Squirm squirm.

Clever returned to a gray slime-like form as soon as Henry ordered him.

“So you can mimic people and also turn into slime… Do monsters always turn into a different species when they evolve?” asked Henry.

“No. This is just the organic matter that forms my actual body. I’ve also evolved into a Prime Mimic, the highest form of evolution within my species.”

“Prime Mimic?”

“Yes.”

Prime Mimic was an evolutionary stage that could only be reached by pure-blooded Mimics from the Demon Realm. This was Klever’s final form.

“Tell me what the difference is,” said Henry.

“Yes, Master.”

Henry grabbed two chairs and sat down with Hector. Because of Henry, Hector had to endure listening to Klever’s self-introduction, but as he listened, he realized that Klever’s story was actually more interesting than he had thought.

‘Prime huh…’

The difference between a Mimic and a Prime Mimic was that the latter no longer needed ‘shells.’

Mimics, due to their delicate cores, had to constantly live as parasites in other bodies since functioning independently was challenging without borrowing a host.

However, this didn’t apply to Klever since he used Henry’s ring as his body and Henry’s mana as a nutrient ever since he became his servant.

Therefore, after awakening as a Prime Mimic, Klever had become a complete being who no longer had to use a shell.

“Sir Hector, I truly apologize for eating your food, but I couldn't help myself as I was really hungry from processing all of Master’s mana.”

“Oh well, it can’t be helped since you were hungry. I’m just grateful that you didn’t eat me.”

Hector pleasantly replied to Klever’s sincere apology.

Henry’s mana was an important factor in growing Klever’s powers, but that didn’t mean it also took care of his hunger. Nonetheless, Klever was also a creature that needed nutrients for energy.

“I can buy more skewers again at any time, but… Anyway, Klever, I’m asking just in case, but didn’t you absorb my Aura earlier?” asked Hector.

“That’s right.”

“I knew it!”

Just as both of them had seen, Klever really had absorbed Hector’s Aura.

Klever started to explain all the details of how that had happened.

“It’s one of the abilities I have called Consumption.”

“Consumption?”

“Us Mimics were originally beings that constantly ate or absorbed things in order to grow. However, now that I’ve become much stronger thanks to my Master, I can eat and collect more things than before.”

“Then is the imitation of Hector related to Consumption?”

“Yes. I have imitated some of Sir Hector’s abilities that I obtained through Consumption in order to properly replicate his appearance.”

“Is that so?”

Henry couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction as he continued to listen to Klever’s explanation. However, as he was listening, Henry suddenly wanted to try something out.

“Klever.”

“Yes, Master.”

“By any chance, can you imitate the shells of things you’ve Consumed before evolving?”

“Yes.”

“Is that so?”

Henry smiled and said, “Hector, can you prepare to spar right now?”

“Spar? With who?”

“With Klever, of course.”

“What?”

Hector looked confused when he was told to spar with Klever, but he had no particular reason to refuse. The three of them moved to the training ground in the basement of the Snow Spire.

It was a spacious area.

Henry asked Hector to wear the black armor for a proper spar, but Hector refused.

“Why don’t you just try your best and give yourself the advantage from the beginning?”

“No. My pride will be ruined if I wear that black armor.”

Although Hector pretended that everything was fine, he seemed worried on the inside about the fact that his Aura had been absorbed.

Henry smiled as he observed Hector's attempt to maintain his pride.

‘At least he’s better than Herarion.’

This situation was better than the one with Herarion, since he would always spar using the sparrow rather than the black armor.

“Then shall we get started?”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just in case, steel clubs were provided rather than swords.

Using the Korun’s body, Hector warmed up in a human form rather than that of a beast for the first time in a while.

Seeing this, Henry approached Klever and whispered something in his ear.

“...Understood, Master.”

Klever politely acknowledged Henry’s order.

After the two of them had finished preparing, they started to spar under Henry’s observation.

“Are you going to fight just like that?”

The sparring session started, but Hector showed off his composure and didn’t launch a preemptive attack as Klever was still in the form of a gray slime.

Squirm, squirm!

Klever rose like a tower as he had done before. He was now much taller than the Korun’s body and began making detailed changes to his own body, just as he had done when he imitated Hector.

Squirm, squirm!

When Klever’s transformation was finally complete, Hector was at a loss for words when he saw Klever’s new form.

‘As I expected!’

What Henry wanted to test out on Klever was the re-emergence of Benedict, the former best warrior of the desert that Henry had eliminated.

* * *

Somewhere in the palace, there was a secret door leading to the hidden Stop Spire that only Arthus’ people knew about. That door could only be opened and closed by Dracan Rotique, the sole owner of the Stop Spire.

The door was so well-secured that even the most skilled wizards couldn't breach its defenses to gain access to their domain.

Dracan conducted experiments inside the Stop Spire once again today. As long as the Highlander family provided live human test subjects, it was possible to conduct human experiments that would’ve never been allowed in the Magical Tower.

Dracan found satisfaction in conducting experiments on humans, as it offered the best means to study, especially given his background in anthropology, among various other fields.

“Argh, p-please let me live…!”

“P-please not my child…!”

Within the laboratory, several humans provided by the Highlander family screamed in fear, yet to Dracan, their cries merely sounded like the squeaking of mice.

Dracan was studying magic that could control human emotions because Arthus wanted fearless soldiers like berserkers. Therefore, he was trying to experiment with all kinds of emotions so that he could get data regarding furious magic.

Today’s experiment was about maternal love.

Dracan pushed a baby and its mother into a narrow iron box that could barely fit one person, and slowly set it on fire.

‘Love is said to be the most powerful emotion, but will it still be as powerful even in a life or death situation?’

For example, Dracan wanted to experiment with the feeling of sacrifice that came from love.

The bottom of the iron box soon started to heat up as it was lit on fire.

Bang bang bang!

“Ahhhh! Please! Please spare us!”

The mother was put naked into the iron box and as it heated up, she hugged her baby with one hand and banged on the inside with the other, desperately begging for their lives.

‘Hmm.’

However, Dracan did nothing but watch the iron box heat up with his distinctive cold eyes.

“Please! Please!”

Sizzle!

There was a meaty smell that was coming from the mother’s skin melting in the heated iron box.

“Whaaa!”

The baby's cries echoed from the iron box, but soon they subsided into silence. Eventually, both of them went silent.

‘It’s done.’

Assuming they were both dead, Dracan opened the firmly locked iron box. Inside, he saw the lifeless, charred body of the mother on top of the baby, its position suggesting that she had desperately tried to shield herself from the scorching floor.

‘I knew it!’

As he had predicted, in the face of death, neither love nor the thought of sacrifice held any significance.

“Khahaha!”

Thinking that his prediction was right, Dracan couldn’t help but smile as he was writing down the daily experiment record. However, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him.

“Sir Dracan.”

“...!”

This was the Stop Spire, a place no one could enter unless he specifically granted them permission, so who could be the one calling his name in such a secluded location?

It certainly wasn’t the test subject.

Dracan nervously stopped twirling his pen.

“Sir Dracan.”

He heard his name being called once more.

As he attentively listened to the caller's voice, he recognized that it wasn't unfamiliar; rather, it was a voice he knew well.

“D-duke…?”

“Yes.”

Dracan was right. As he turned around with a surprised look, it was none other than Arthus staring at him.

“Duke? How did you get in here?”

He couldn’t believe it.

Despite being aware of the existence of this place, Arthus wasn't a wizard, so it should’ve been impossible for him to enter on his own.

Contrary to Dracan’s question, Arthus responded indifferently.

“Is that really important?”

“What?”

Arthus did not reply, but instead, he walked up next to Dracan and stared at the mother’s corpse.

“It hasn’t been long since they died,” said Arthus.

“...That’s right, and?”

Gulp!

Something felt off.

Arthus had always instilled fear in Dracan due to his mysterious power, but today, that fear felt even more intense.

Arthus reached his hand out toward the corpse and began casting a spell.

“Dbdnjf dbrdlfdms guscnddlf. Tnsrnrtjsdufemfdml cndtjddmf rlflqtlek.”

‘T-that language is!’

Dracan’s pupils dilated because the spell Arthus was casting was black magic.

Shortly after Arthus completed the spell, the charred bodies of the mother and child began to vibrate slowly.

- Squirm, squirm…

“...!”

The mother and child came back to life as they began moving.