Chris wasn't lying. After we turned the corner, I saw Miranda's laboratory waiting for us just ahead. It literally had a signboard hammered above the door, with the characters MIRANDA'S LABORATORY spelled across its surface.
Couldn't be more unsubtle and obvious. It was to the point where I wondered if this was a trap. Surely nobody could be this…stupid.
Then again, we just had a bunch of idiot mages throwing themselves at us even though they had witnessed the power of my magic, as if they wanted to commit suicide. While they weren't mentally retarded to the point where they would just stand still and let themselves get killed by my instant death spell as I slowly walked toward them instead of running away like in a certain trashy web novel, they must have a few screws loose in their heads if they were willing to throw away their lives like that.
Speaking of which, there was no sign of Mikhail, the sole survivor of the ill-fated interception mission. Stella wanted to pursue him, but we didn't know where he went. For all we knew, he could have escaped into Miranda's laboratory and hid in there, cowering behind his mistress and hoping that she would take care of us for him.
Stella stared up at the door and drew her sword, as if intending to cut it. I gave her a stare.
"…are you serious?"
"I have the Sever skill from the power of Darkness thanks to when I became your subordinate. I shouldn't have any difficulty cutting open this door."
"…what is she talking about?" Chris asked, confused.
I sighed and shook my head. Moving forward, I grabbed hold of Stella and dragged her back. Giving her a glare, I issued a warning.
"Enough of that Fixed Damage nonsense. It's getting old."
"How do you intend to get through the door then?" Wilson asked, studying the huge, black structure. "It's protected by a few dozen defensive enchantments…"
He never got to finish his statement. A titanic iceberg materialized in the air before being flung at the door like a boulder. The defensive enchantments flared to life, rainbow-colored mana crackling and lashing out at the iceberg. However, the damned thing was too big and the spells did nothing more than scratch its surface.
With a thunderous boom, the iceberg smashed through the defensive enchantments, erasing the arcane wards upon collision, and rammed the doors down through sheer brute force.
"…oh, okay. I see." Wilson could only finish his sentence lamely. I shook my head and waved for everyone to move on.
Stella took point. She stepped inside, and I heard a sharp gasp. Moving quickly, I entered the room and was greeted with a horrifying sight.
There were dozens of bloodstained gurneys, each occupied by writhing and screaming patients. Various villagers, regardless of age or sex, were strapped down into the gurneys, having been cruelly operated on. Some were in the midst of being surgically altered, with alien appendages grafted into their bodies. Many had their bellies torn open and flesh peeled back, probably for organ transplants or some sort of grotesque anatomical display.
"Help…"
"It hurts…it hurts…"
"Please…end this already…"
"Kill me…just kill me!"
Agonized voices drifted over, the dissected humans weeping and begging. Behind me, Chris and the others entered the lab, only to retch and throw up. The stench was overpowering and the sight nightmarish and gruesome.
"How cruel…" Stella whispered, tears glistening her cheeks. Her hands shook, but she tightened her grip on her sword.
"This must be what hell looks like," I murmured under my breath.
"The human subjects that Chairwoman Miranda was experimenting on…" Rose was horrified.
"Well, it's not as if we didn't already know." Wilson put an arm around her. "This was why we ran away in the first place."
"If they caught us alive, we would be sharing the same fate as them." Lance nodded grimly.
"We have to help them!" Stella turned to me. "We have to do something!"
"Anyone knows any healing magic?" I asked, turning to the four mages. They shook their heads. Stella hesitated and then she lowered her head.
"I'm afraid I can't heal them," Lindley said. He was studying the human specimens almost greedily, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. He turned to me and shrugged. "As you know, my magic specializes in reanimating the dead, and not actually restoring the living."
"But…" Stella protested, looking around. "We have to…!"
"We can't do anything for them…" I took a deep breath. "Except end their suffering."
"Please kill me…"
"Make it stop…anything! As long as the pain stops…"
"Please…make it all end."
Stella closed her eyes, tears coursing down her face. Even the four mages looked bitter. Chris raised his hand.
"Yeah. Let's destroy everything. We'll end their suffering and give them a quick death."
"That bitch will pay for this!" Lance added as lightning flared up around him.
I nodded, my eyes narrowed. I wasn't going to hypocritically condemn her for this, but I couldn't deny that I wasn't pissed off by the suffering she had meted out on others. Well, I had probably been responsible for causing other people pain and plundering stuff from them, but…
…but Miranda was on a whole new level.
"I'll stay here." Lindley was venturing toward the other side of the lab. I saw a row of shelves where all the research notes, archives and data were stored. He glanced at me, as if to remind me of our deal. "I'll be taking all those."
"Understood."
"What?" Wilson frowned. "Why…? We should destroy all traces of this research!"
"Oh, Lindley will destroy the abominable research. He's actually looking for something else." Not wanting to offend my allies, I held up my hands in a placating manner. "Miranda based her research on homunculus. We are looking for the original."
"I don't know what that woman did, but she twisted and perverted the original principles of alchemy." Lindley sounded indifferent and non-judgmental, though. "However, her experiments are based on true alchemical research. On how to cultivate homunculus or artificial life in a lab."
"So what?" Chris snapped. "As far as I am concerned, all that hocus pocus research can burn! Especially if it leads to something like this!"
"How wasteful." The lich lord shook his head, a slight note of disgust in his voice. Chris rounded on him.
"You know, I've been wondering something about you all this time! Just what the hell are you?! You know necromancy, you have no qualms reanimating the dead and disturbing their souls…to me, you're just a monster like that bitch! You think I'll just let you walk off with her research material? I'm going to burn every last page of it!"
Lindley turned to stare at him coldly, but I quickly interposed myself between them.
"Think about it…if like now, we have no priests or healing magic available, homunculus research can save lives. Growing organs in a lab to replace diseased or lost ones. Re-growing a limb. Medical research and transplants! That bitch Miranda was using it selfishly for her own twisted methods, but that doesn't mean alchemy itself is evil. Like everything, it's a tool. In the right hands, it'll save a lot of lives. But in the wrong hands, like those of Miranda's, it'll cause suffering."
The four mages studied me for a moment, and they finally backed off.
"We don't have time to waste." Wilson placed a hand on Chris's shoulder. "We should help these people."
"Yeah, now isn't the time to argue," Lance agreed.
"Fine," Chris growled and turned toward the poor villagers trapped onto their gurneys. With a single wave of his hand, he incinerated a poor man who was more monster than human at this point. The victim smiled, finally pleased that his suffering was at an end, before he turned into ashes.
I took a deep breath and nodded, watching as Lance and Wilson joined in, their elemental spells blasting or cutting the bodies apart and ending their misery for good.
"I'll leave this place to you four. Do whatever you need to. I won't let Miranda get away with this. I'm going to end this once and for all."
"I'll follow you." Swallowing, Stella held up her sword. "My duty is to remain by your side and protect you from danger."
"I'll leave my back to you then. Let's go."
We left the surgical chamber and into the next space of the lab. This time, we found ourselves in what looked like an armory, with all sorts of weapons. In the center of it was a bunch of black chains hanging from the ceiling.
My eyes were drawn to it, in particular. There was something about the chains that caught my attention, the way shadowy mana flowed through it. A sense of familiarity that I couldn't place my finger on.
Tearing my eyes away from the foreboding chains, I studied the armory. For some reason, the podium next to the chains was empty. It looked as if it once held a spear or a sword, but the rack was currently empty. Nonetheless, the air that it gave off was similar to the chains. As if they were cousins. At that thought, I couldn't help but return my scrutiny to the chains.
"Magnificent, isn't it?"
There was a set of footsteps that accompanied the cold, arrogant voice. I recognized that haughty tone anywhere, even though it had been almost a year since I had last heard it.
"Miranda."
The dark-haired mage emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching me. She tilted her head, studying me curiously, in that usual detached manner.
She placed a hand on the chains and ran her fingers along the length of the cold, black metal. She grinned.
"This, along with the Holy Spear, is my masterpiece."
"Huh? Those chains are?" Even as I asked that question, I could tell that she wasn't lying. The ominous sense of foreboding that I received from looking at the chains only increased. The weapon was emanating a cold glow that resembled a void…as if it was a ravenous beast trying to devour me.
No, not devour me. Devour my magic.
Why was this…unsettling sensation so familiar?
"Of course. You probably don't know, but I happened to come across a cursed weapon. Very fascinating." Miranda slowly circled the chains, playing with them. "The owner was a fool, wasting it on Herman and Irene. Stabbing them with it to keep them alive and prolong their suffering. Well, thanks to him, I had the opportunity to study such an excellent specimen. The Holy Church requested that I find a way to negate the curse so that they could safely extract the weapon and heal the Hero and their precious Supreme Priestess."
"Of course they would. You're the greatest mage in Havan today."
"Ah…I'm so flattered. Unfortunately, even that task proved beyond my abilities." Miranda shrugged indifferently. "However, I benefited in so many other ways. I was able to replicate the various enchantments and curses engraved onto that spear on other weapons. It wasn't a total success, yes, but I daresay it's still an impressive achievement nonetheless."
Her smile expanded across her pretty face, but I only found her beauty all the more revolting.
"The suffering of Herman and Irene, while regrettable, was totally worth it. Thanks to that, I was given a chance to engage in more fulfilling research. Well, after what they did to me, I think it's fair to say that they deserve their current fate."
"Now that's something the both of us can agree on," I said harshly. Miranda raised an eyebrow and studied me.
"I knew it. You really are Klein."
Her gaze sharpened and I felt the atmosphere grow heavier. Beside me, Stella tensed, raising her sword, but I raised a hand to stop her. Knowing Miranda, she would have a few traps set. If Stella attacked her now, she would find herself blasted apart by a bunch of spells. The multi-mage had all the time in the world to prepare her defenses, after all.
I pushed my glasses up my nose and smirked.
"It's been a while, Miranda."
"It has indeed." Miranda continued to glare at me sternly. "How are you still alive, Klein?"
"Whatever do you mean?" I snorted. "How do you want me to answer such a stupid question? Let me ask you then, Miranda…why are you alive?"
"Stop dodging the question," Miranda replied, her voice frosty. "You know what I mean. You shouldn't have been able to defeat the lord of vampires. Herman even made sure you couldn't escape by cutting off your legs. And I ensured that you wouldn't be able to leave by sealing you in the castle with my earth spell. Even if you were somehow able to prevail against Vincent Lucard – though extremely unlikely – you should have died from your wounds, bleeding to death. And the other demons in the castle wouldn't let you live after you slew one of their twelve Divine Generals."
Stella gasped. "Klein was really telling the truth…you…you and the Hero party really betrayed him and tried to kill him!"
Miranda spread her hands. "There's no use hiding the truth now…and besides, it doesn't matter. You both will die here today."
"But why…? Isn't Klein one of your comrades? Why did you…treat him like that?!"
"Comrade?" Miranda burst out laughing. "A pathetic loser like him? His talent was just average. Yet he was overshadowing us in popularity! You must have heard his lame nickname…the kind mage! The kind person of our party! Always helping soldiers in trouble, assisting villagers and townsfolk in the aftermath of horrible battles. All those people we rescued would only ever praise him. There were rumors that he was the true Hero, and not Herman! The rest of us were just seen as callous, constantly compared against him and his hypocritical, fake kindness! Of course he has to die!"
At her words, hundreds of elemental projectiles manifested in the space before us. Swords of fire, spears of lightning, arrows of stone, and scythes of wind. All of them conjured by a single person. As expected of the multi-mage. She could really wield so many different elements at once. Even I was forced to take a step back from the sheer presence of so many spells.
"I'll make sure you die for real this time!' Miranda shrieked before she unleashed the titanic barrage upon my position.