Unveiling the Cult’s Experiments

Opening the black notebook, Rachel discovered it was akin to a diary. The first few pages were filled with numerous trivial matters, yet despite their abundance, they held absolutely no value. The notebook’s owner had not even bothered to record their name.

After several more pages, the content of the notebook abruptly became concise.

“Kingdom Calendar, June 1023.”

“Under Her Royal Highness the Princess’s command, I arrived at the stronghold nestled in the Gray Mountains. A significant number of the Cult’s members had already established themselves here. Although they currently serve as Her Highness’s allies, no one can guarantee what these lunatics might do. I can only secretly leave these records, hoping they might aid Her Highness in the future.”

‘Her Royal Highness the Princess?’

Rachel’s heart jolted at this revelation. Turning her head, she saw Miriam beside her also wore a solemn expression, undoubtedly understanding the implications of such a title appearing in this context. Of the three, only Vera remained oblivious to the unfolding situation, maintaining a curious demeanor.

Rachel couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

She could largely surmise the identity of the princess mentioned in the notebook. This very mine, before her acquisition, had been registered under the name of Her Royal Highness, the Third Princess Ariya. It was highly probable that the “Her Royal Highness the Princess” referenced in the notebook was indeed Ariya.

Now, Rachel’s gravest fear had materialized; she was inextricably entangled in royal affairs. The death foreshadowed by the countdown, set to occur three days hence, might well be connected to this entanglement.

Yet, she remained unaware of what this “Cult” truly was, or what connection it held to the colossal dragon-human hovering above them.

After a moment of silence, Rachel continued flipping through the notebook.

The subsequent pages contained content Rachel could not comprehend. By their format, they appeared to be some form of research report, densely packed with information. Simply looking at them gave Rachel a headache, prompting her to quickly flip through the pages.

Only after turning a few more pages did Rachel finally encounter entries resembling the earlier diary-like records.

“Kingdom Calendar, September 1023.”

“Commencing the live experimentation phase.”

“Unexpectedly, the collection of experimental subjects proved far easier than anticipated. Despite it being September, a period typically dedicated to intense agricultural labor, vast numbers of displaced people readily offered themselves for merely a small incentive. This struck me as truly peculiar…”

“Nevertheless, thanks to these displaced individuals, the live experiments, originally slated for winter, could commence ahead of schedule, thus allowing Her Highness’s plan to unfold smoothly. It is no wonder those madmen of the Cult chose this location for their experiments… Though I cannot help but feel a pang of guilt at the thought of what these displaced people are about to endure, it is a necessary sacrifice for Her Highness’s grand endeavor.”

“…”

For a moment, everyone present fell silent. Both Miriam and Vera turned to look at Rachel, for even Vera now understood the implications of the displaced people mentioned in the notebook.

Rachel’s face flushed then paled. While, strictly speaking, she couldn’t be blamed for this situation—after all, she hadn’t transmigrated when the tax policies were enacted—she was currently bearing Rachel’s name and thus felt a considerable loss of face.

Clearing her throat twice, Rachel awkwardly flipped the page and continued reading.

The subsequent pages once again contained incomprehensible content, akin to experimental reports. However, this time, the purely textual reports were accompanied by illustrations. While Rachel still couldn’t decipher what was written in the reports, she could at least make out the images.

‘Is this… a dragon-human?’

Rachel couldn’t help but furrow her brows. Although there were some differences from the one she had previously encountered, its form strongly suggested that the illustration in the notebook was indeed a dragon-human. Moreover, it meticulously depicted the step-by-step transformation of a normal human into a dragon-human. At this juncture, even without understanding the textual portion of the report, one could readily infer the nature of the “experiment” mentioned in the diary.

‘So, those dragon-humans, including the one above us, were actually artificially created, and this place is essentially a testing ground?’

Rachel concluded, her brow still furrowed.

“But only one living dragon-human was found; the rest perished here,” Miriam quietly remarked.

‘Perhaps the experimental subjects were destroyed after the experiment concluded?’ Rachel speculated. Simultaneously, a thought suddenly struck her, and she turned to Miriam.

‘Oh right, didn’t you come here before, saying you wanted to do business with the miners? When exactly did you arrive?’

“About a week ago, not long at all,” Miriam blurted out.

‘I see…’ Rachel nodded, falling into thoughtful silence for a moment before speaking again.

‘During that time, did you encounter any dangers, or perhaps, anything strange?’

“…I did encounter a few incidents,” Miriam replied, looking at Rachel with confusion. “Is… is there something wrong with that?”

‘No, nothing at all. Just asking.’

Without further words, Rachel turned to the next page of the notebook.

“Kingdom Calendar, October 1023.”

“The experiment’s progress has been smoother than anticipated. No, it has been too smooth. In merely a few months, we have nearly achieved our projected goals with scarcely a single error. This is undeniably peculiar…”

“While one could attribute it to sheer luck, I choose to trust my intuition. Those madmen from the Cult are likely plotting something in secret. They most probably completed all their experiments long before my arrival, merely presenting me with an already finished result. I must find a way to uncover their true intentions; Her Highness’s plan is about to commence, and I cannot allow them to interfere.”

Recognizing that the next entry likely contained crucial information, Rachel suddenly felt a surge of tension. She swallowed, then cautiously turned the page.

‘I saw it.’

Only these four bold characters were scrawled across the expansive page. It was evident that the note-taker had been extremely agitated when writing them; the pen tip had nearly punctured the paper, and the handwriting was utterly chaotic. Rachel had to exert considerable effort to decipher what had been written.

Beyond this page lay a uniform expanse of blankness, devoid of any further content.

Rachel found herself momentarily lost in thought.

Though many questions remained unanswered for Rachel—such as what the note-taker ultimately witnessed, or why they met their end here—the notebook had already divulged a wealth of information.

Her Imperial Highness Ariya, the Third Princess, had forged an alliance with a clandestine organization known as the “Cult.” They had established an experimental base here, secretly conducting experiments to transform humans into monstrous half-dragon, half-human creatures. The decision to sell the mine to Rachel, she now realized, was likely due to her potential as a wastrel, intending to use her unwitting self as a shield.

Rachel could now somewhat comprehend why the Princess intended to act against her. A week prior, the merchant Miriam had visited the mine for business. Although the deal hadn’t materialized, and Miriam hadn’t detected any anomalies within the mine, those stationed there must have perceived a threat. They had decisively evacuated the area and initiated a cleanup operation, which undoubtedly accounted for the “incidents” Miriam had previously mentioned.

Similarly, Rachel, as the nominal owner of the mine, was likely on their liquidation list for the sake of secrecy. It was only natural for Her Royal Highness, an accomplice of the Cult, to target Rachel.

A sudden weight settled upon Rachel as she considered this. Her opponent was a member of the royal family, while she was merely a minor noble. They wouldn’t even need a specific pretext to eliminate her; a mere recitation of her past transgressions would suffice to justify their actions openly.

‘The path ahead is bleak indeed…’

Rachel sighed, carefully put away the notebook, and then stood up.

Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble violently!