CH ss - 62

[Lloyd: The Secret of the Birth]

“First of all, do you remember the allegation with which Linus and the others were arrested?” (Cassandra)

“If I remember correctly, it should have been an absurd suspicion that Linus-shi was scheming an armed uprising to take over the kingdom by mass-producing artificial humans under the project called ‘Superhuman Project’. It supposed to have been concluded as merely Gile’s wild idea, though…” (Lloyd)

“Yeah, that’s right. But, the part about the ‘Superhuman Project’ itself is true. It was something secretly planned and carried out under Linus’s leadership during the Great Invasion. Moreover, my idiot daughter was involved, too.” (Cassandra)

Mother-in-law’s complexion is getting paler as she speaks.

“It was carried out during the Great Invasion? The ‘Superhuman Project’?” (Lloyd)

“Exactly. It was a project to create enhanced human beings bestowed with physical ability and amount of magic power exceeding the normal human beings by implanting a magic stone that holds a monster’s factor and dragon’s blood in a human duplicated using the magical device of the ancient magic civilization. That’s the whole story of the ‘Superhuman Project’ that Linus planned.” (Cassandra)

Wha!? A project to create strengthened human beings!?

That Linus-shi carried out something like that!?

It’s unbelievable, but Mother-in-law wouldn’t make this kind of joke to me…

“It’s still too early to be surprised. Linus used the hair of the kingdom of Hartford founding king, Wernhel-sama, and the first Sword Master, Zelma-sama, to create the duplicated humans. Even you can understand the meaning of this, no?” (Cassandra)

The first Sword Master Zelma-sama was a swordswoman possessing unmatchable physical abilities and was called a Sword Princess; she became Wernhel-sama’s queen after he became king.

On the other hand, the founding king, Wernhel-sama, was a magic swordsman who had amazing sword skills while being a user of ancient magic.

Both had rare black hair and black eyes, but the royal family has mixed with various blood, and there’s no one who possesses black hair and black eyes in the present age.

There’s even a superstition that said that people with black hair and black eyes have the blood of the founding king.

Hm? Black hair and black eyes…

A person with enormous magic power and outstanding sword skills, and a person with excellent physical abilities and transcendental sword skills…

No way. There’s no way that’s…

I desperately deny the doubt that arise within me after listening to what Mother-in-law said.

“Lloyd, you have met with all the strengthened human children born from Linus’s project.” (Cassandra)

Mother-in-law thrusts at me, who is desperately trying to deny myself, the merciless truth.

“Are you saying that the children born from Linus-shi’s project were Frick and Al, no, Finn and Alfine?” (Lloyd)

Both of their appearances have changed now, but Loran reported that they originally had black hair and black eyes.

Frick is someone who has a huge amount of magic power that exceeds Noelia, who is said to be a once in a hundred years talent in terms of the amount of magic power, and has sword skills that reach the top level.

And while Alfine is a young woman, she’s someone who boasts outstanding physical abilities and self-taught transcendental skills in the sword.

I have always listened to the two’s feats and wondered how they gained their overwhelming power, but the secret of their births that I just heard has solved that question.

“Cinzia, is what my mother-in-law said true?” (Lloyd)

I ask Cinzia, who’s keeping silent, refusing to speak, the authenticity of Mother-in-law’s story.

She nods silently.

“I see…” (Lloyd)

Frick is a human being that was duplicated from the hair of the founding king and strengthened.

Alfine is human being that was duplicated from the hair of the first Sword Master and strengthened.

Then, does that make Frick to be someone who inherits the blood of the founding king?

I don’t know if a person duplicated by a magical device can succeed to the throne, but it’s probably true that it makes Frick to be someone who has royal blood.

“I have a question. Do you see Frick as an eligible person to succeed to the throne, Mother-in-law?” (Lloyd)

“Not at all. There are too many stories in this world, and this is one that they themselves better off not knowing. Frick is an orphanage-raised adventurer, and the important son-in-law of the Henestrosa family that is recognized by Hero Lloyd; that is enough. He doesn’t have to carry more useless, heavy burdens.” (Cassandra)

“Yes… this story is too weighty in various ways.” (Lloyd)

To think behind the scenes of the Great Invasion which I bet my life to end, such an inhumane act was carried out…

To think Linus-shi, who I respected… led it…

“Listen, Lloyd! Linus-sama was desperate to protect the kingdom! He ended up carrying it out because he desperately wanted to protect the kingdom that was being destroyed by Abyss Walkers! I watched Linus-sama and my colleagues as they were suffering. Of course, Florina was suffering, too. Everyone was aware that it was taboo.” (Cinzia)

Cinzia, who had been keeping silent until then, begins to speak up.

“Everyone was desperately progressing with the research, trying to create them as a trump card to protect the kingdom. However, I wasn’t able to bear creating artificial lives, so I threw everything away, and ran away. I was planning to die while taking along as many Abyss Walker as I could to atone. But, I got cold feet and ended up this way.” (Cinzia)

Cinzia slams her hollow armor with her own fist.

“So that’s the reason why Florina didn’t blame you for suddenly disappearing.” (Lloyd)

“The very excellent her saw through the weakness in my heart. The last time we met, she told me it was fine to run away.” (Cinzia)

“That idiot girl was excellent? That’s far from the truth. She was just a fool. A fool who was entranced by a taboo technology! How dare she selfishly used the child in her own womb, blessed to her and her husband, as a guinea pig of the technique she got to derive from the ‘Superhuman Project’!” (Cassandra)

I have seen her getting angry, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen Mother-in-law getting so enraged that she indiscriminately hits and throws objects around.

“Mother-in-law, what… did you say just now?” (Lloyd)

“I don’t want to talk about it again, ever, so listen carefully. My daughter Florina implanted a magic stone that efficiently convert mana into magic power and store them into my precious granddaughter Noelia’s body. Noelia’s enormous amount of magic power is largely due to the power of the magic stone. Right, Cinzia?” (Cassandra)

Cinzia chokes on her words at Mother-in-law’s question, but she eventually nods silently.

“Impossible… Noelia was… There’s no way that’s true. That child is an ordinary child who has been working hard to get that magic power. That’s too much for a joke, Mother-in-law, Cinzia.” (Lloyd)

“You don’t know because you often fought outside, but there was something wrong with Florina, who was pregnant at the time of the Great Invasion. At that time, I thought it was due to her pregnancy, but now that I think about it, it might be due to fear of her own deed.” (Cassandra)

Fear, huh…

Certainly, Florina had a devilish look when she joined the breakthrough unit, unlike the cheerful look that she had always had in the face of any kinds of situations.

The way she fought with extreme abandon, which was so unlike her, might have been due to Noelia’s matter.

Recalling the last fight together with my wife, I, who couldn’t do anything, get overwhelmed by helplessness.

“I wish I didn’t hear it…” (Lloyd)

“I didn’t want to hear it either.” (Cassandra)

“Having ran away midway, I had always thought that the ‘Superhuman Project’ was just planned and researched, and the children born of it were disposed of. And I thought that Noelia was just a normal child. But, when I had met with Danton and Philia again, they told me what had happened after I ran away. Then, Linus, Florina, Danton, and Philia passed away, and I, who had run away, ended up being the only one left carrying the secret.” (Cinzia)

So, the reason why she has been acting strange is because she has a grave secret that, in various meanings, couldn’t be revealed to the world, huh.

In any case, the secret of the births of the three absolutely must never be leaked to the outside.

“Mother-in-law, I’d like to put all the information about the ‘Superhuman Project’ under the control of the Henestrosa family, is that okay?” (Lloyd)

“Yeah, you do that. Cinzia-dono, too, I would have you be under the supervision of our family as someone who knows the secret.” (Cassandra)

“Yes, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but thank you.” (Cinzia)

It is  imperative that we find the whereabouts of the treatises and collections of the Magic Research Institute, which have been taken by Vigo and his men as soon as possible.

There’s not enough manpower…

After returning to the office desk, I begin to select the members of the spy clan to recover the materials and collections among the scattered documents.