Free Web NovelIn the Temple at the deepest level of the Arend Island Labyrinth, Leon led Weiss into a beast pen separated by iron bars.
Rena was already standing inside.
In front of her were four Demonic Wolf pups and a Petrifying Lizard that was likewise still in its juvenile stage.
Although they were considered juveniles, these Third-Level Magical Beasts were already about the size of foals immediately after birth.
This was the first batch of Magical Beast soldiers they had produced.
Rather than allowing the Demonic Wolves to breed naturally, Leon had spent the entire week continuously drawing upon the labyrinth's magical power to create them from nothing, bypassing the gestation process and greatly increasing production efficiency.
The Magical Beasts he created were naturally obedient toward him as the Lord of the Labyrinth.
Combined with Rena's Blood Pact ability, they were quickly trained into completely docile subordinates.
Afterward, Leon also had Weiss formulate Magical Potions containing high-purity Mana to feed the beasts, accelerating their growth and development.
“How are they doing?” Leon asked Rena.
“Pretty well. Compared to the individuals we bred naturally from the wolf pack last year, the earliest-created Demonic Wolf has already reached roughly the developmental level of a three-month-old,” Rena answered.
Leon estimated the growth rate after looking them over.
When a Demonic Wolf was first created through magical power, it already possessed the developmental level of a little over one month of age. It was already capable of weaning and feeding itself.
Now, after only a single week, it had gained the equivalent of two additional months of growth.
Nearly eight times the normal growth rate.
All of this was thanks to Weiss's techniques.
She possessed a Magical Potion formula capable of rapidly accelerating the growth and development of Magical Beasts.
The Church's complete prohibition of Moilai-related technologies did not mean the Church lacked such knowledge.
Researchers at the Saint Rosalia Research Institute continuously gathered intelligence and experimental data from captured Magical Beasts and imprisoned Witches, accumulating vast amounts of expertise in Magical Potion studies and Magical Beast studies.
Not to mention scholars like Weiss from the Rose School, who had voluntarily become Witches.
And now, Weiss's knowledge had fallen into Leon's hands.
This Magical Potion formula consumed large quantities of high-purity Mana.
Essentially, it was a matter of spending resources to accelerate growth.
If the goal was merely to raise Magical Beasts for harvesting Mana and materials, it would be economically inefficient.
But if the goal was to create soldiers as quickly as possible during an emergency, it became extremely valuable.
At this rate, Leon estimated that in roughly another month, he would possess a Third-Level Magical Beast force with meaningful combat capability.
“Your potions are really useful,” Leon remarked to Weiss.
“These potions are essentially forcing growth at the expense of the future. Magical Beasts raised this way suffer greatly reduced fertility and shortened lifespans,” Weiss explained.
“That doesn't matter. These are expendable soldiers anyway. As long as they can fight, that's enough. I only care about making them grow as quickly as possible,” Leon said.
He had no way of knowing when the Earl and Bishop Beckett would officially begin suspecting him.
All he could do was work around the clock and prepare for confrontation as early as possible.
“If they could receive specific Blessing enhancements, the effects could be improved even further while reducing the side effects significantly,” Weiss added.
“Are you talking about the Blessing of Newborn?” Rena asked, looking toward Weiss.
Among the Witch Blessings she knew of, only the Blessing of Newborn possessed the ability to rapidly accelerate biological growth and development.
And the blessing Sally had received after becoming a Witch was precisely Newborn.
“That's right,” Weiss replied.
“In that case, Mrs. Hesh's blessing really is Newborn,” Leon said.
They had previously considered using Sally's Blessing of Newborn to accelerate the growth of Magical Beasts.
However, Blessings required the holder to be physically present, and Sally could not frequently leave prison for extended periods.
“Sally Hesh? Right, her blessing wasn't Exhaust Blood. Since the Exhaust Blood blessing she displayed when she entered prison was your disguise, that means she wasn't a Witch at the time?”
Weiss quickly connected the pieces.
“So you conducted another ritual and turned her into a Witch afterward? Was it so that she could use the medicine?”
“Exactly. Since she'd already been saddled with the accusation anyway, becoming a Witch wasn't much of a loss. It's certainly better than dying from Saltification Disease,” Leon replied.
“But she'll still remain imprisoned.
“After her current detention period ends, she'll be transferred to another containment facility.
“The Church has records of her Saltification Disease diagnosis. If she keeps living indefinitely, won't that attract attention from the Church?
“How are you planning to solve that?” Weiss asked in confusion.
“I have a plan. I'll rescue Mrs. Hesh before her detention period expires,” Leon replied calmly.
If the Earl showed signs of becoming suspicious, he would have to act even sooner.
Of course, rescuing Mrs. Hesh early would also reveal that he had detected the Earl's suspicions.
Once matters reached that point, it would essentially become an open signal of conflict.
“Does combining the Blessing of Newborn with this potion require the blessing holder to be physically present when using it?” Leon asked Weiss.
“No.
“In one liter of potion, only fifty milliliters of blood are required.
“After that, the blessing holder simply needs to activate the blessing once.
“The Mana within the potion will preserve the activity of the Blessing of Newborn for approximately three days.
“According to previous experimental data, adding a First-Rank Blessing of Newborn increases the potion's effectiveness by roughly thirty percent.”
Weiss explained.
“Then it looks like we'll need Mrs. Hesh's assistance after all,” Leon said.
That would further improve the efficiency of producing his Magical Beast army.
They would have to continue creating beasts as quickly as possible.
“Speaking of Lady Sally, have you prepared the raw materials for the Mana yet?” Weiss asked.
Producing medicine for Saltification Disease required Mana with a purity exceeding ninety-five percent.
Even with Weiss's unique techniques, achieving that purity still required materials from a Fourth-Level Magical Beast.
Leon had suggested using a Drake egg.
But Weiss had never really believed he could obtain one.
True dragons and dragonkin Magical Beasts were generally generated only within high-level labyrinths.
Once born, they usually became the Lord of the Labyrinth themselves.
They would dominate the labyrinth through draconic might, rule over its Magical Beasts, attack humans and armies that entered, and pile valuable equipment and treasures deep within their lairs as decorations and collectibles.
As a result, dragons were typically solitary creatures.
Natural reproduction was rare.
Dragon eggs were extraordinarily uncommon.
And even when they existed, they were protected inside the nests of adult dragons.
Not something that could simply be stolen.
“It's right here.”
Leon pointed toward a table farther inside.
A black cloth covered an oval-shaped object.
Walking over, Leon pulled away the cloth.
Beneath it sat a gigantic egg with a gray metallic sheen across its surface.
Standing upright, it measured approximately 1.2 meters tall.
Weiss recognized it instantly.
It was a Drake egg.
Activating the Blessing of Exhaust Blood, she sensed the heartbeat coming from within.
A hatchling Drake had already begun developing inside.
“Where exactly did you get a Drake egg like this?” Weiss asked curiously after confirming it was genuine.
“That's not something I can reveal right now.”
Leon tapped the eggshell.
“But it should be usable, right?”
Creating this egg had consumed nearly an entire day of effort from Leon as the Lord of the Labyrinth.
After successfully producing it, he had been almost completely exhausted.
Although the labyrinth itself supplied most of the magical power, guiding such an enormous quantity of energy still drained him significantly.
According to records Leon had researched, the Church had captured dragonkin hatchlings in the past.
A newly hatched Drake was only slightly larger than an adult human and possessed roughly the strength of a Third-Level Magical Beast.
That was still within their ability to control.
“It's definitely worth trying.”
Weiss studied the egg, her eyes shining.
For her, an opportunity to research such a material was extraordinarily rare.
Yet compared to the egg itself, she was even more curious about how Leon had obtained it.
She could sense that the Moilai Temple deep within this labyrinth was highly unusual.
And Leon clearly knew many of its secrets.
For her, conducting research here would certainly never become boring.
“Can Mana be extracted while keeping the Drake alive?” Leon suddenly asked.
“Why do you want the Drake alive?” Weiss asked.
“I want to see whether it can be tamed,” Leon replied.
Even with accelerated growth methods, raising a Drake would take a very long time.
However, a Drake possessed the strength of a Third-Level Magical Beast from birth.
As it matured, its combat power would increase dramatically.
Though there were risks involved, Leon felt that raising it from the hatchling stage made those risks relatively manageable.
It was worth trying.
“Normally, only a Third-Rank Witch possesses the ability to tame a Fourth-Level Magical Beast.
“But if it's raised from infancy... I've never heard of anyone attempting that before.
“So it's worth a try.
“As for extracting Mana, aside from the brain and heart, a small amount can also be refined from the fetal blood of an unborn Magical Beast.
“We could open a small hole in the shell and let me use the Blessing of Exhaust Blood to extract part of the fetal blood.
“The Saltification Disease medicine requires only a tiny amount of Mana as an activator.
“Theoretically, it should work.”
Weiss considered the matter carefully as she spoke.
“Then let's do that first,” Leon said.
“Leon.”
Rena called out to him.
“If we're going to continue taming more Magical Beasts, shouldn't we expand some hidden chambers within the labyrinth to conceal them? That way, if someone comes to inspect the island...”
“Right. We do need additional precautions, just in case.”
Leon paused briefly.
“But honestly, even if the Earl becomes suspicious, an inspection is unlikely.”
“Why?” Rena asked.
“Our stronghold is guarded by our own people.
“No matter how suddenly they arrive, they'll still need to notify me before being allowed inside.
“That gives me time to prepare.
“The Earl isn't stupid. He understands that.
“If they're already suspicious, an inspection serves no purpose.”
“But what if they simply force their way in and search for evidence?” Rena still looked worried.
“If they've reached the point of suspicion where they're willing to do that, then why wouldn't they just storm in and eliminate us directly?”
Leon laughed and shook his head.
“Rena, you don't understand people like them.
“They don't need evidence to deal with us.
“What we truly need to be wary of is something else entirely.”
