No one dared to mention the Demon King in front of Ellen, let alone utter the name Reinhardt.

Everyone knew that it was Ellen's weakness.

Just now, Christina crossed that forbidden line.

Wouldn't you try to resurrect him, just like I did for him, if it were Reinhardt who had died?

From her expression, from her gaze, it was impossible not to know that Christina already harbored resentment toward Ellen.

Nothing remained hidden in this dreadful laboratory.

Evil.

Hatred.

Loathing.

All the things that had been concealed were now exposed.

"Why would you say that?"

At Ellen's words, the corner of Christina's mouth curled up.

"You and Reinhardt had a special relationship, didn't you?"

"..."

"You still think that, don't you?"

Ellen's eyes widened, and everyone held their breath.

Everyone in the Royal Class knew that even hearing Reinhardt's name was painful for Ellen, and hearing about the inevitable battle with the Demon King was agonizing.

No one had ever provoked Ellen directly by bringing it up.

Christina was the first to speak so directly.

Everything they had been barely enduring seemed to crumble now.

Amidst the disgusting, horrifying, and appalling scene.

The boundaries of the truths they had pretended not to know shattered.

"Christina, calm down."

Bertus, unable to bear it any longer, approached Christina, but she shook her head.

"I heard a story not long ago."

Christina gritted her teeth and glared at Ellen.

"All of this happened because of just a few people."

"..."

"It wasn't entirely because of the Demon King."

"..."

"Do you have anything to say about that?"

Christina glared at Ellen, as if demanding an answer.

There were people who already knew.

But there were still those who didn't know.

Ellen was well aware that she had to tell a glaring lie for their sake.

"...No."

"Really?"

There were people in this room who did not know the truth.

Ellen could not know how Christina had learned about the story or the circumstances.

But she was certain that not many people should know about it.

"You're really shameless..."

"Enough."

As Christina tried to lash out again, Bertus stepped between them.

"Ellen, you've seen enough, haven't you? It might be best if you leave first."

"..."

Ellen remained silent, her lips tightly sealed.

"Lady Turner, please escort Ellen."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Everyone was thrown into confusion by the sudden tension and the incomprehensible conversation.

"Christina, it seems like we need to talk for a moment."

At Bertus's harsh words, Christina smiled and nodded.

"Fine."

Her attitude seemed as if she had been waiting for those words.

Ellen was led out of the Magic University by Saviolin Turner.

Until now, the only people who could discuss Reinhardt with Ellen were those who knew the truth.

That was limited to Charlotte, Bertus, and Saviolin Turner.

Yet, even broaching the subject was painful for them, so they avoided it.

But today, Christina suddenly brought up his name.

And she gave off an air that she knew everything about the matter.

There was no reason for Bertus to reveal the truth that others wouldn't appreciate knowing. Then how on earth did Christina come to learn that fact?

Did Louis Ancton and Anna know the truth as well, since Christina knew it?

And, was silence truly the right choice?

It wasn't difficult to see that Louise von Schwarz possessed a strong and unwavering character.

However, knowing the truth about the Gate incident was an entirely different matter.

It wasn't merely hypocrisy to cover up one's own sins, but a problem that, if misunderstood, could potentially divide humanity as a whole.

That's why they believed that remaining silent was the right decision.

Dark and obscure emotions welled up within, but they knew well that responding to Christina's words would be a mistake.

They tried to resurrect the dead and used the dead while they remained dead.

That must be a sin.

But without the Gate incident, there would be no sin.

So, wasn't the origin of all sins themselves, who committed the greatest sin?

They shouldn't judge something as bad, nor should they say something went wrong about someone else's mistake.

Wasn't it natural for Christina to suddenly react in such a way?

To Christina, who might think that if it weren't for them, Asher wouldn't have died.

They told her that Asher was dead and couldn't be brought back to life, so she should give up.

Hearing such words, she would have no choice but to be furious.

However, that wasn't the intended meaning.

It wasn't meant to tell her to stop committing sins anymore.

They said it because the matter was tormenting her, and it was ruining her.

It wasn't said to blame the sin, but because they didn't want Christina to get hurt any further.

However, knowing that Christina would be angry after hearing those words, there was nothing they could do.

With clenched teeth, Ellen had no choice but to follow Turner back to the dormitory in silence.

They couldn't learn what they needed to, but only learned about things they shouldn't have known.

Ellen, led by Saviolin Turner, left the laboratory.

Bertus took Christina, who seemed to know something but not fully, away to discuss something elsewhere.

So, in the isolation area within the lab, Ludwig, Heinrich, Louise, Louis, and Anna remained.

The break room of the isolation laboratory.

Five of them sat in an awkward silence, unable to speak.

No one could bring up any conversation.

Those who didn't want to show their vulnerabilities to others.

Neither those who saw what they shouldn't have, nor those who had their own reasons, could dare to speak a word.

Among them, Louise was the most deeply troubled.

She had decided to help Ellen, thinking that investigating Rowan's death might be dangerous for her.

However, according to the emperor, Rowan's death had nothing to do with the empire. Yet they came to know the empire's secrets that they shouldn't have known.

What troubled Louise was not the shock and fear felt in this scene, but the fact that she 'could see' this scene.

Louise couldn't understand that fact now.

Although the relationship between the empire and the kingdom was in name only, for a long history, the Schwarz Kingdom had always wanted to surpass the empire.

Louise knew that the royal family had such ambitions for generations, and the empire was also aware of that. For a long time, the empire had been keeping the Schwarz royal family in check.

At this point in time, when humanity faced a crisis, there was absolutely no intention to expose the corruption and decay of the empire as before.

However, once everything was resolved, this matter would become the empire's weakness.

Of course, it could be that the emperor had such confidence in the military power he secured through this matter that he left Louise to witness this spectacle.

But, was there a need to reveal such a weakness?

It would have been better not to show it.

The emperor seemed to feel no discomfort about Louise witnessing this spectacle.

To begin with, it was strange that she could enter the temple.

If she were the emperor, she would have stopped Louise from entering the temple in the first place. There would have been plenty of reasons to deny her entry.

Does it not matter that I see this spectacle?

The emperor's intentions were unknown.

And the words Christina had just spoken.

Louise couldn't understand the meaning of her seemingly probing words about Ellen.

Heinrich's words to the Demon King inevitably came to mind.

There was something unknown to people about the Gate Incident.

The Demon King didn't want the Gate Incident either.

It was only natural that the emperor, Ellen, and Christina would know the truth about it.

Like Louise, who was lost in confusion, the others were feeling their own turmoil.

Can we really... save Asher like Christina said?

It was a cautious question from Ludwig, directed at the silent Anna and Louis.

Their silence and expressions already said a lot. Christina was clinging to an impossible task.

Black magic is involved. Magic that uses impure mana as its source... can't be a power for the living.

Anna cautiously added.

Restoration to a state stronger than when they were alive is possible, but... truly reviving them is unlikely.

Anna, who had an incomparable understanding of black magic compared to Christina, already knew that Christina's desired outcome wouldn't be reached.

No one could say that if they knew, they should stop her. It was enough to guess that these two would have tried to stop Christina even without mentioning it.

Become stronger...? Even stronger than when they were alive?

At Ludwig's question filled with puzzlement, Louis nodded. With a slightly clenched teeth and a sinner's expression, bowing his head, Louis Ancton spoke.

...Although they may appear alive, they aren't.

Like golems, like the titan... there's no difference.

The body is restored to the point when it was whole. It's not actually alive. So... it can be further enhanced.

At Louis's words, Heinrich asked.

Enhanced...?

You know that if you do Magic Body Strengthening before the magic circuit is fully in place, the body can't withstand the overload and breaks down.

I don't know how to do it, but...

Heinrich said, looking at Ludwig.

Right. It's incredibly... painful.

Ludwig, who had spent days in agony after awakening the Magic Body Strengthening, vividly remembered the pain of that time.

But pain is no problem for the dead.

Ah...

The test subjects didn't feel pain.

Thus, beyond restoring one's body as it was in life, it was possible to enhance elements necessary for manifesting power within the body, such as magic circuits.

In doing so, one could surpass the limits of the physical body and life itself.

In other words, it was like modification. A level of power that could not be wielded in life could now be unleashed in death.

Strength that would be unbearable for the living could be granted. Though cruel to say, it ultimately became little different from handling an object. Therefore, the goal was simply to make a powerful weapon even more powerful.

These resurrected beings became stronger than they were in life.

Such an army was being assembled.

"Is a corpse absolutely necessary?" Louise asked. Upon hearing it, it seemed like a magnificent magic, save for the fact that it used corpses.

It would be perfect if not for the moral issue of using the deceased.

"Creating a homunculus might be possible. However, at this point, with that method..."

"We won't be able to mobilize within a short time frame."

"Yes..."

The homunculus experiment itself was a prime example of a taboo, so it couldn't be said that there were no ethical issues.

Was it inevitable that one would have to resort to taboos in order to overcome miserable times? If selling one's soul to the Demon could save the world, countless people would be willing to do so.

Perhaps it was inevitable.

There were those who had sold their souls to the Demon.

And they remained silent, witnessing others do the same.

The emperor said he had no intention of stopping it, and Louise could not help but realize that she should not interfere.

Did the emperor think that there would be no problem with her witnessing this scene because he knew that she could not stop it even if she saw it with her own eyes?

The answer remained elusive.

During that uneasy and sinful exchange,

"So, when you die, you become stronger..." Ludwig muttered blankly, staring down at the table.

His sudden remark made not only Louis but also Anna, Heinrich, and even Louise shudder.

"Don't think about such nonsense," Heinrich said sternly to Ludwig.

Everyone knew Ludwig still wanted to fight.

That's why his words ignited everyone's dark imagination.

The dead were being resurrected.

Moreover, they became stronger than they were in life.

Ludwig mumbled blankly.

"Right now, I'm useless."

Everyone knew Ludwig had been blaming himself, beyond just self-reproach.

"I couldn't do anything. I didn't catch the people who killed the priestess, but... I didn't play any role in coming this far either. I was stupid, thinking that there was something I could do. I was just satisfied with that."

Rowan died. And the culprit was still at large.

But Ludwig had not done anything to get this far. He had merely followed Ellen.

Was that all? From the beginning, Rowan was not the kind and noble person Ludwig had thought she was, but rather someone who kidnapped and killed civilians and tortured them.

Ludwig had been used by such a person, Rowan, without even realizing it.

There had been strange moments, but he never doubted them.

He simply thought he was helping to make the world a better place.

And eventually, he saw something that may or may not have been related to Rowan's death.

Magic that resurrected the dead. Magic that made them stronger than they were in life.

Such things should not exist in this world.

But Ludwig couldn't deny that this was necessary and that it could hasten the end of the war.

A useless existence.

Still, Ludwig said this with a bitter smile.

"It's alright. I don't wish for that. To want to fight after dying. I know that making such a choice wouldn't make anyone happy. It's just... because of the helplessness..."

Although he said that, everyone knew that Ludwig secretly wished for it.

There were people who would grieve and despair if he died. Hadn't they seen Christina's expression already?

He didn't want to become a corpse and return to the battlefield to help others or because he desired it.

As long as there were people who worried about him, Ludwig didn't wish for that either.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief after seeing Ludwig, who had briefly put them all in a tense mood.

"Don't say such strange things."

"I'm sorry..."

Heinrich was worried for a moment that Ludwig might suddenly be found somewhere having taken his own life.

And if Ludwig were to do something like that, it would be up to Anna, Louis, and Christina to bring him back.

Like what they did to Asher, their friends might be ruined in trying to genuinely resurrect him.

Ludwig had no intention of doing such a crazy thing or asking for it. It was just a possibility that had crossed his mind.

However, even when Ludwig said he had no such intentions, Heinrich couldn't help but feel anxious.

The desire to help someone, a character trait bordering on obsession.

He was gradually beginning to sense a twisted heart that didn't appear entirely benign.

Heinrich was an A-class student.

Relatively speaking, Anna and Louis, who had seen Ludwig up close, couldn't help but be more worried.

Ludwig was kind and considerate of others, but he sometimes engaged in actions akin to madness.

He might not have said that he wanted to fight even if it meant dying now, but who knew how Ludwig's thoughts might have changed later.

And they all shared the sentiment of not wanting to lose any more friends.

Louis Ancton stared silently at Ludwig and said,

"...Ludwig."

"Really, I won't think of anything like that. Don't worry..."

"I have something I want to show you."

Looking at Louis's determined expression, Anna nodded her head as if she understood what he was talking about.

"Something you want to show me?"

Ludwig couldn't help but feel apprehensive, wondering if he was about to see another dreadful scene.

"We're not just... working on reviving Asher here."

This place was a highly secretive part of the underground laboratory.

The three of them were doing different work from the other researchers, and Louis led the way, stating that their work wasn't solely focused on reviving people.

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