I Got a Fake Job at the Academy Chapter 253

◈ Episode 253 The truth of the day (3)

The researchers told Rudger about everything that was happening here.

Steel Choir.

A project to create an automaton, a terrifying strategic weapon that can be used in war.

And by injecting the human soul into the automaton, it gives it more detailed and autonomous movements.

At the same time, even trying to make them obey only the owner’s orders unconditionally.

Originally, such a project was to be kept secret, and researchers were not allowed to speak to outsiders even if their mouths were torn.

The monster that had killed all the guards inside the laboratory right in front of them threatened them with their lives, but no one kept their mouths shut.

Because there is nothing more important than your own life.

Of course, there was also a researcher who rejected Ludger’s offer out of loyalty alone, saying that he couldn’t speak.

Rudger immediately killed him in front of everyone.

If you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to.

I don’t care about that.

Without mercy, in their cruel hands, the researchers spit out things they didn’t even ask.

“Is that the end of the story?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. Really, that’s all we know.”

“Right. Compared to the data here, I don’t see anything missing.”

After hearing the whole story, Rudger nodded as if he understood.

“Well, then we… … .”

“ah. okay. Since I’ve told you everything you’re curious about, I’ll give you a reward accordingly.”

The surviving researchers had a glimmer of hope on their faces.

“But before that, let me ask you one last question. If you answer that, I’ll let you live.”

“Yes, yes!”

“The names of the children you kidnapped and used for experiments. Do you remember?”

At the question, the faces of the researchers, who were initially full of hope, slowly began to harden.

“yes? That, what is that?”

“You don’t know the name?”

Researchers were silent.

Rudger turned to the other researchers.

“Don’t you know? Not even one?”

“That, that… … .”

“Let me tell you, I hate lies. And you can see what happened to the person who lied a moment ago.”

There were also researchers who lied to Ludger’s question.

He also became a cold corpse and was stuck in one corner of the laboratory.

At those words, the researchers exchanged glances with each other.

Anyone was fine, so was there anyone who knew the name of the test subject?

“doesn’t exist? Is there anyone?”

“What are you guys doing! remember! Remember!”

“damn! That’s what you should do! I was only measuring vitals in the first place!”

“You useless bastards!”

The desperate researchers glared at each other, pointed at each other, and spat out curse words.

No one sincerely tried to recall the name of the child who was written as a test subject.

because I didn’t tell you

Because I didn’t need to know.

Even if they die anyway, no one pays attention to them.

I thought it didn’t matter anyway.

“ah.”

“that… … .”

The complexion of the researchers who realized the situation belatedly turned pale.

They looked back at Rudger with fearful eyes.

Rudger, who was sitting in a chair and watching this side with his legs crossed, smiled coldly at the researchers.

“Thank you.”

A chilly, creepy smile.

“For not remembering their names.”

Right after that, a huge shadow wriggling engulfed the researchers.

* * *

Hans entered the bloody laboratory.

Frowning his eyes at the corpses scattered around him, he evaded the corpses and approached Rudger with great strides.

“Is everything over?”

“okay.”

“Still, how many people didn’t need to be kept alive? I guess that’s what you need to do to proceed with the experiment itself.”

“There is no need for that.”

Rudger turned to Hans and said.

“I will do it myself.”

“… … Is that possible?”

“Research materials remain here.”

Rudgar unfolded the materials he had stolen from the researchers.

An experiment to put a human soul into an automaton.

The Steel Choir Project.

It was already running towards the end.

I don’t know if it was at the beginning of the implementation, but now, Ludger alone could fill in the remaining parts.

“Researchers captured children because their souls were easy to transplant into automatons.”

“Then, what happened to the person in the test tube earlier… … .”

“The body collapsed due to the separation from the body, from which the soul escaped vaguely. But unlike adults, children are not like that. Because they are still small and delicate in spirit, and above all, pure.”

In addition, at the same time as transplanting the soul, they applied some kind of processing to the soul, trying to make a weapon that faithfully followed only their commands.

In order to do that, it was necessary for the soul to be easily attuned.

Children’s souls fit right in there.

“Experiments with children have also been disrupted, but it was only recently that they were completed.”

“The reason they kidnapped people again today was because they were planning to increase the number of automatons with a successful experiment.”

“okay.”

Rudger answered while looking at the research materials.

The automaton, which could be called a success, had a code name engraved on it, but the only one that succeeded was the beta.

From the gamma position after the beta, all names were drawn with red lines.

Perhaps everything has failed.

Then, Arte’s younger sister Celie… … .

Rudger shook his head.

First of all, the priority was to save Arte.

Ludger lays Arte’s body in a test tube.

When the machine was started, a green liquid filled the tubes.

Hans, who was watching Arte submerged in the green liquid, asked.

“Brother, are you okay? Anyway, this child is not dead.”

“okay. dead But the spirit still remains. It’s not completely dead.”

“Even so… … .”

Hans pondered whether he should say this or not, then he gathered his heart and opened his mouth.

“… … The child who opens his eyes will not be the child you knew.”

“He knows too.”

That was what Rudger was also determined to do.

Arte’s soul will be transplanted into an automaton, the now-empty prototype Alpha.

Although Rudger will not go through the attunement, cutting and shaving of that soul like other researchers.

Arte’s soul will undergo some kind of change even in the process of simply moving the soul.

Even if the soul was successfully transplanted and opened his eyes, there was a high possibility that it would be something other than Arte.

The soul is yours, but if it has changed.

If so, is it your former self?

or something new

Rudger didn’t want to give an answer to that.

I just wanted to believe.

May this child open his eyes again.

“What are we going to do now?”

“I have to watch. Because it takes time for the soul to fully transplant. There is nothing to touch. The machine will take care of transplanting it for you.”

“Then I think we should leave it here for a while.”

“I plan to close it when it’s all over. Until then, I’ll have to take care of other places.”

Rudger recalled the names of the people in the research materials.

The people who put the sign of approval there.

And the organizations they belong to, as well as many hidden laboratories and factories.

Having said it all, Hans stuck out his tongue in disgust.

“These are crazy people. I never thought the rumors about starting a war were true.”

It was not such a peaceful time.

The great powers were frantic to occupy more land and resources, and were only looking for an opportunity somehow.

However, as each other’s power was equal and there was a huge existence called the empire, this strange tension continued while only paying attention to each other.

However, if either side is hoarding this amount of power beneath the surface, the story is different.

The balance of the world situation is upset.

“To think they were trying to create an army of automatons that were not afraid of death and were much stronger than ordinary soldiers.”

There are stronger beings called knights, but it takes a lot of money and time to train knights.

But this automaton did not.

It costs the same amount of resources, but it can be mass-produced and put into practice immediately.

This Steel Choir project was game-changing enough.

“If that worked.”

However, this secret laboratory is now in Ludger’s hands.

Of course, I couldn’t just keep hiding it.

If additional reports don’t go upstairs, they’ll realize something’s wrong and send someone.

“Hans. It’s a week. You have to see the decision in it.”

“It’s been a week. Isn’t that too tight?”

“You can increase the time if you run a little louder. It’s about grabbing people’s attention and spreading rumors.”

If a top-secret project that has been carried out secretly in the dark is disrupted, the people involved will try to cover it somehow.

But if they rise to the surface without a second hand.

At that time, those involved will not be able to move recklessly.

“From now on, it’s a speed battle. Do we inform the world first, or do we try to hide it first? That’s where the decision is made.”

“I think the plate will be advantageous over there. The place we have to fight in the first place is their front yard.”

“But it will be us who make the first move. And I have a strong ally.”

Rudger replied, thinking of Casey Selmore.

“So, where are you going to move next?”

“There is an abandoned coal mine in another place besides here. But it’s not a place to hide a secret laboratory like this one. It’s a different place.”

“What else are you talking about?”

“It is still a coal mine that is actually being mined. That’s where rare metals are mined.”

Hans remembered hearing something similar.

“Rare metal mining mine. But I heard that there is no more rare metal, so it’s closed down?”

“Cheating. Rare metal actually exists. And the rare metals mined there are used to make automatons here.”

“Then again, it’s strange. No matter how much it is, rumors about rare metal are bound to circulate, so you can hide it like this?”

It is not enough to have only a few people to mine rare metals.

Much more large-scale manpower is needed, and it is virtually impossible to cover up information while controlling all that amount of people.

“They don’t use people when mining.”

“Then please… … .”

“okay. That guess is right.”

Ludger put the words that popped into Hans’s head.

“A sub-race slave. They are illegally enslaved and mining rare metals.”

* * *

In front of the rare metal mining mine that was said to be the largest in the Delica Kingdom.

Hans’ face stiffened after receiving the information from the rat he had sent.

“… … I’m really sorry Upon checking, they say there are a ton of people inside. Most of them are sub-species, and there are many beastmen and dwarves.”

“I’m guessing he’ll be kidnapped and used as a slave.”

“These are crazy people. When was the abolition of sub-racial slavery?”

“If they cared about that, they wouldn’t have kidnapped people and experimented on them.”

“I guess that too. damn. To commit such an insane thing on a national level. How is it different from a warlock?”

Hans kicked a nearby tree as if he was annoyed.

Hans had seen a lot of things he couldn’t see in the back world, but even so, kidnapping children and using them as test subjects was disgusting.

“So what are you going to do?”

“What can I do? What we have to do has been decided.”

“I know that. Unlike the automaton lab this time, I see a lot of armed troops on a larger scale.”

Unlike laboratories that do not require a large number of people, rare metal mining requires a lot of manpower.

Most of the mining was done by slaves, but there were too many troops than expected to prevent such slaves from causing a rebellion.

“What would you like to do?”

“Let’s go inside first. I don’t know what else he might be doing inside.”

Making a decision, Rudger and Hans headed into the mining mine.

Now, in order to show that no one is using it, the roadway was blocked by blocking the tunnel in the middle.

However, the two already knew where the secret passage was, so they didn’t fall for such a shallow trick.

How long did it take to keep walking through a secret passage hidden behind one wall?

The road was cut off and a huge cliff appeared.

“Down here.”

Together with the floating magic, the two slowly descended.

Upon reaching the depths of the mine, there was only darkness all around, and nothing was visible.

kang! kang!

Then, a faint sound began to be heard from afar.

Hans opened his mouth at the sound of metal clashing with iron.

“older brother.”

“okay. It’s over there.”

The two silenced the sound of their footsteps and headed towards the source of the sound.

As I followed the sound, I began to see lights beyond.

Eventually, what the two discovered was a huge underground mine.

Inside, there were sub-race slaves who were mining without being properly washed, and people with guns watching over those slaves.

“There are too many dirty things.”

Hans stuck out his tongue at the scale beyond his imagination.

Slaves are also slaves, but the number of guards alone exceeded 100.

“okay. Besides, there are not just soldiers.”

Rudger’s sharp gaze turned to either side.

There, unlike the guards with guns, I saw a person wearing a baggy robe and wearing a cane around his waist.

was a wizard

“I think that would be a bit difficult.”

When Hans was beside him at a loss, Ludger looked elsewhere.

‘hmm?’

I don’t know why.

It only showed.

Unlike other slaves, a slave with an exceptionally small body.

She had the appearance of a young girl, but seeing her in a place like this, she must have been a sub-species, and considering her body, she was definitely a dwarf.

She was vigorously swinging her pickaxe, and she was secretly carrying bits and pieces of mined by-products into her pocket.

The action was so stealthy that even the watchers did not notice it, but Ludger was different.

“Hans.”

“Yes bro.”

“Maybe I can get some help.”

“yes?”

Hans looked back at Ludger, asking what that meant.

“I found a strange guy.”