Chapter 575

I thought I would be able to have a conversation with Berthus and knew that he had to listen to my demands to some extent. I chose to meet Berthus despite the risks. Meeting Berthus and talking to him wouldn't be dangerous for either of us, but it would be risky if someone found out later. Therefore, it wouldn't be difficult to get to the truth once we had met and talked. However, I didn't think they would show me what they were doing. Berthus ordered Saviole Tanah to evacuate everyone from the magic university research building for three hours. While waiting for preparations to be made, Berthus and I talked in an empty restaurant. Berthus asked how Charlotte was doing and his expression was complicated. Our relationship with Berthus was very different from the past. He was in a humble position and felt a great sense of guilt. He thanked me for saving Charlotte. We didn't have much private conversation because there were too many obstacles. When Saviole Tanah returned, all of the emperor's orders had been carried out. We went to the magic university research building together. "It seemed impossible to sneak in here. Even passing through the security gates to enter the underground research lab, I couldn't be sure if Sarkagar could have bypassed the system. 'Dreadfind' might find a way. While it may be a convenient choice for you to come to me directly, it may not be the only choice," said Berthus, who had been holding Sarkagar for almost two years and therefore knew about the Dreadfind clan. "Anna and Christina suggested it first." "What?" I couldn't help but ask, even though I knew what that meant. They were clearly referring to the task I was about to confirm with my own eyes. "Even if it's a terrible way, if it helps end the gate situation, would you do it?" Berthus continued. "Anna and... Christina suggested it first?" "Yes. Louis joined later." It was not surprising that Anna and Christina had come up with a way to re-enter the battle by turning fallen soldiers into undead, even if it was a terrible idea. Just like Adelia had created the Titan, Anna and Christina may have thought they had to do something themselves. The Titan was not in the original story. Perhaps the Titan had inspired Anna and Christina to come up with their own way to contribute to the war. "I thought about it for a long time," Berthus said as he descended into the underground lab. "For a very... very long time." It was a disgraceful act to insult the bodies of fallen soldiers, but I could feel how much Berthus had agonized over accepting and deciding on the task. In the end, Berthus would have allowed it. And he would have decided to use the tombs of the heroes in the imperial mausoleum. That's when I saw what Berthus was making after the Titan. "This is..." a huge cultivation pot. "Is this undead?" "Yes, it's regenerating the flesh and muscles that have disappeared or rotted away." The body of the person in the pot was clean and unblemished, as if they had not died from trauma. It was not difficult to find the reason why the bodies of those who had to die from trauma were too clean and intact. "Are you regenerating them?" "Yes, we're regenerating the flesh and muscles that have disappeared or rotted away." It meant that the body was not almost circular, but rather restored to a shape close to a circle. Such pots were placed throughout the entire underground research facility. "Homunculus is alchemy that creates life." "Yes." "That's why Homunculus is known as magic that creates something out of nothing. That's why the failure rate is high. Because life is not easy to create." Berthus is explaining the process of creating Homunculus, which involves using alchemy to regenerate the flesh and muscles of a deceased person. This is different from creating undead soldiers, as it involves restoring the function of a body that has ceased to function as life. The protagonist is left to ponder the ethical implications of using undead soldiers in the war. Berthus explains that they are creating golems using the bodies of fallen soldiers, which are essentially living golems with the abilities of the deceased. They are also able to resurrect living beings, including priests who can use their divine powers. The protagonist is disturbed by the unnaturalness of these creations, but Berthus assures him that they do not possess souls. "Not everyone can be revived in this way. Sometimes, if the damage is too severe, regeneration cannot proceed, or even if regeneration is successful, there are cases where they cannot be controlled." Berthus added that the success rate is about 70%, which I thought was a very high number. "If control fails... it could be very bad. Am I too worried?" Even if Death Knights are strong, they are not restoring the abilities of the living. But in this case, they are restoring the abilities of the living. If they fail to control them, just thinking about what could happen made my head spin. Berthus gave a bitter smile in response to my question. "Lienhardt, it's a war that determines the fate of all beings in the world." "...." "We can't avoid such risks, can we?" We may need to borrow the hand of a cat. If we can't borrow the hand of a cat, can't we borrow the hand of a demon? If that demon's hand saves me from danger, then the next thing may not be so important. I understood what Berthus was saying. Will these things save us? Or will they lead us to another abyss? "But... it's still impossible to deploy them in actual combat. From what I see, they are only being cultivated." I didn't know what to call these things, but it seemed that they were not yet ready for actual combat, as there were no completed products to be seen. Will the battlefield change when they come out of the fort? "No." But in response to my question, Berthus shook his head. "They're already being tested." "....What?" "Haven't you seen it?" Berthus pointed up with his finger. On the ground. "Didn't you think there were too many guards at the temple?" "....Huh?" "Especially around here, weren't there an abnormal number of them?" Come to think of it, the guards near the Magic University were very strict. A huge number of guards were wandering around the Magic University. "If there were any guards left, they would have been sent to refugee camps. Do you think they would have deployed so many people to the Magic University if there were only a few people at the temple?" In the first place, most of the guards near the Magic University were Homunculus undead. There would be no one to recognize them, but the guards were all wearing helmets. That's why no one is curious about what kind of face is under their helmets. "If they respond to orders properly, they are being tested while clearing out the monsters in the outskirts of Huangdo." Only then did I realize why Ellen and Heinrich couldn't find any monsters near Huangdo. The expeditionary force that cleared out the monsters in the outskirts of Huangdo. They were originally resurrected corpses that had nothing to do with the guards, and the area around Huangdo was a test site to see if they could be properly operated. The expeditionary mission was a task that no one could join for completely different reasons. "When winter is over, they will all be deployed to the field." Deployment was already underway.

It was obvious that they would be of some help and exert a certain amount of power.

"If they can end the Gate Incident on their own... This may sound like a joke, but we may no longer need the Allied Forces."

If the army of the returned can perform the war, and if each individual's power is superior to their lifetime, then a large-scale unit may not be necessary.

The Gate Incident could end a little faster, and there may be no more major sacrifices.

Doing what shouldn't be done can prevent further sacrifices.

It's a very sweet temptation.

I just moved on to creating Death Knights, but Berthus was tempted by something bigger.

There was no reason not to do it, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it was necessary.

But the level of danger cannot be predicted.

What will happen if the returned lose control?

I don't know.

But it will be helpful.

And if Berthus is right, it's not related to the Black Order.

So, even if this becomes a danger to me later, I had no choice but to watch it for now.

Whatever inevitability comes later.

Like Berthus using this, I have to use this too.

But apart from the conclusion, I gained a different realization.

A corpse restored to a shape close to the original.

I think I know what that means.

It's restoring the dead to a shape close to their lifetime, but it's not really reviving them.

But in the end, it will move like a living person.

Christina and Adelia proposed this, and it was realized.

I thought it was because of the Titans.

I thought it was something they started because they were stimulated by the Titans, or because they wanted to contribute to the war.

I can't know until later.

But there was definitely something they tried to do.

"Those guys... Did they try to revive Ashur?"

Christina and Anna.

They tried to revive their first dead classmate.

B-4 Ashur.

I don't know if they started this to revive Ashur, or if they tried to revive Ashur after he died during this process.

But they definitely tried.

"...."

Berthus didn't answer anything.

Because of that silence, I knew they were trying to revive Ashur.

And, of course, it was inevitable that they would fail.