Chapter 150 – The Crawling White Shadow
The Media Ruins, are located about 10 kilometres from capital city of Daedalus, it was a dungeon with a rank 4 difficulty level.
Media ruins which was a large underground space recently revealed a new area, but due to the invasion of Crusaders the activities of adventurers was stopped, and the area was still left untouched.
For about 1 month from the fall of capital city of Daedalus, adventurer guild completely stopped their activities.
And, of course, because it was being ruled by Crusaders who don’t allow freedom to demons, it was right now too, no, the activities of adventurers of Daedalus has been prohibited for eternity.
Hence, near Media ruins which used to have some adventurers roaming around it, right now not even a single adventurer was near it.
But however, this place was crowded by many people, even more than the number of adventurers who used to work here.
They all are humans, wearing a set of clothes with cross symbol on the white cloth, they are without a doubt, Crusaders.
The majority of them, were paying attention to the new area of Media ruins.
Because, there was something they were looking for.
“Hmm so this, I’m sorry, though I know this is wonderful altar, but Ancient magic is out of my area of expertise——”
The moment Judas the chief executive of『White Sacrament』, reached the『Altar』the goal, he heard this ear-sore-high-pitched-rapid-talking line.
Having a stern facial expression with eyes furrowed as always , Judas turned back to the owner of noisy voice.
“Hello Welcome, I, work as the commander of the army under direct supervision of Cardinal Mercedes, my name is Gregorius, Ah, though I look like this I am a bishop, Nufufu, were both same bishop, please don’t restrain yourself when with me, nice to meet you.”
The noisy man without a doubt was clad in a robe of bishop, with height of an average adult male, other than his really narrow eyes, there wasn’t particularly any special feature in his appearance.
Gregorius moved his hand forward acting familiarly asking for a handshake while his eyes were abnormally narrow, with face like a devious fox in some fairy tale, revealed a somewhat suspicious smile.
“Gregorius『The Prophet』huh……what business do you have Mr. Bishop”
It was almost like he would continue on ignoring, but Judas without showing any hint of being offended, responded back to the handshake.
“No,No,『The Prophet』is such an embarrassing second name for me, well, even though I am naming myself as such though, ahaha!”
The two bishops after exchanging handshakes, stood side by side, and exchanged words.
“I asked, what business do you have here?”
“Well, I’m sorry for that, I’m quite a talker, and the talk gets derailed, many people tell me that, hurry up and let’s get to the main matter.”
“……”
It seemed like Gregorius was not such a dumb person, who wouldn’t understand the pressure from Judas’s silence.
“There is not any deep meaning, just a normal introduction. I want to get along with ‘everyone’ in Crusaders, and so I am giving my introductions to everyone person here and there, you are quite conspicuous—–whoops, I mean that you’re mysterious, I couldn’t find the your home or contact address, so here I am to gave my introduction, please take no offence.”
“Then, you have already completed your goal, right?”
It was obvious he was saying him to return back quickly.
But maybe he did understood it or didn’t, Gregorius intensified his smile, and started talking to him.
“Well well, we have met after all, why don’t exchange information and present condition status?
Though I look like this I know a lot of things. I have gotten hold of information of various things happening in Daedalus, ah, this seems like praising myself, Yes”
“I don’t have any interest in that, you too won’t be interested in hearing things from an old man who is always secluded in research, right”
Though having a high position of bishop, Judas was still immersed in his research, he is born researcher, within the church, this matter is quite famous.
It was also said, Judas reached till the position of Bishop, for making a experiment laboratory for his research.
In other words, till the time he gets to do his own research without any disturbances, he won’t desire anything else, things like ‘wealth’ or ‘authority’ desired by other clergymen is of no use to him.
The information gotten from Judas would only be technical status information of his research, one wouldn’t get any information for gaining profits from it.
Judas had gotten a lot of good evaluation from foreign and home country, for creating the 7th Apostle Sariel.
However, even if he hid inside his place using his abilities, the position of Bishop itself was troublesome, more than anything the highest ranking person Pope has taken a liking to him, due to that most don’t interfere with him and regarded him highly, even within church.
Of course, such fame wouldn’t leave Gregorius’s ears, but, he still tried to talk to Judas like a person forcibly inviting someone to a brothel.
“I certainly know, you are interfering with ‘our’ work, however——”
In the frivolous narrow eyes, a slight sharp light was residing.
“—–Everyone is currently doing the ‘demon hunting’, it can stir up an animosity towards you because of your actions, right?”
Judas slowly turned his face towards Gregorius.
The tall Judas looked upon Gregorius as if looking down on him.
The trained and tanned body, like that of a warrior fighting on frontlines was abnormal for a old aged researcher.
But, even under the immense pressure of a drawn out sword Gregorius didn’t falter even a bit.
“It will be rude to ask you—-why do you think so, right. You had『Predicted』my actions, right?”
“Well, in truth that is right, I didn’t have any other leads, so it took time to find you. Just why are you able to move so easily, secretly. Is this the so-called old-man’s wisdom, Nfufufu”
Judas secretly slipped his subordinates as clergymen or soldiers in the occupation squads, for capturing ‘experimental bodies’ for his research and was moving in secret himself too, except Pope nobody else knew about it.
“So, how were the demons of Pandora? Did they satisfy your needs?”
“We have captured enough for starting the first phase, the experiments will start just as planned.”
Judas replied honestly, now knowing there was no need to hide the matter.
“『Holy Soldier Project』was it? No it really is more excellent that what I had imagined, if you get successful in ‘mass producing’ them, wouldn’t all the soldier of Crusaders be unemployed from later on ?”
To the praise or mockery filled sentence, Judas only replied with “The results are as planned.”
He didn’t pay any attention to the bishop, who was either praising or abusing the research.
“Ah, now that I think about it, there is a squad which was destroyed, I have somewhat information on it? It happened in the occupation squad under my supervision, the name was something like Cyprus Mercenary Group, I think?”
He recalled the face of the only young man, Cyprus, who didn’t return from the mission of demon capturing, but Judas soon erased it into oblivion.
He didn’t have any use for a dead person, if a useful piece’s part was broken, it only needs to be replaced by a new one. Simple as that.
The demons captured by the squad under Cyprus were zero, the experimental subjects which came back alive were only half and the rest were annihilated.
But, taking the failures in account, just like he had said before, the demons for first phase had already been captured.
Hence, he didn’t have any interest in the sarcastic-talking of Gregorius, on the contrary he asked a question.
“Didn’t you too move an apostle. It is not the work of an apostle to kill even less than 1 million demons.”
“Well even I thought that, but I just can’t object the『Prediction』. It was good till the time of sending, but when she returned she was really angry and took more amount of money as the reward, my bonus went down the drain, just like that. Hahaha”
While scratching his dull blond hair, Gregorius talked about the tyranny of 11th Apostle Misa in a humorous way.
“They have gained even more ‘DP’ than you, just because you can access the『Divine Will Record』, it doesn’t mean you can easily control the Apostles”
“……Yeah, you’re right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Judas sensed the the presence of Gregorius getting sharp for an instant.
It might be the unrest or vigilance of getting his『Prediction』rightly, whatever it maybe, both parties didn’t had any intention of accompanying each other.
“I would like you to not misunderstand, I don’t have any intention of either interfering or opposing you and your work.
Whenever you will try to do something new ‘in our Daedalus’, please just pass it through our ears, it will be convenient for you too.
Though we have different intentions, but it doesn’t change the fact we all are working for god. Having an harmonious collaborative relationship is what I, no, even god might be desiring it.”
“……I’ll remember it”
saying ‘Thank you’, Gregorius respectfully bowed, but Judas was no more looking at him.
His eyes were staring at the, ancient altar in front of him.
What sort of magic apparatus it was, just like Gregorius said a non-expert in this area wouldn’t ever understand.
But, Judas understood what it was, how to use, what it can do, all in one glance.
Therefore, he without any hesitation, knowing that this was rank 4 dungeon, gave the ‘decisions’.
“Ah, I almost forgot it, Congratulations of the establishment of ‘The Fourth Laboratory’”
This was no more the unnamed new area within Media Ruins.
The disgusting laboratory, creating people like Kurono for Holy Soldier Project, the third laboratory, now had a new extension, in other words 『The Fourth Laboratory』was established within the Pandora Continent.