Steel and Mana

Chapter 270 – A Strange Corpse

At the moment, the strange human-like body was stored where our previous magical prisoner was blown up by Merlin's interrogation. Of course, the site has been refurbished and repaired since then. The corpse of this unknown individual was a male. However, this only became apparent when we undressed it, as most of its features were androgynous and uniform—strangely uniform. Merlin also noticed this the moment he laid his eyes upon it.

"This human was… Was it crafted?"

"I think so." I nodded, pulling off the sheet from the body. "Even with it now being at room temperature, it shows no signs of decomposing or rotting. Although the body is cold," I continued, putting on thin gloves, "it is strangely flexible. There are no signs of stiffening, not because of dying and not even because of the freezing cold. It was buried in it for who knows how long... but the moment we dug it out, it was still as flexible as any human would be."

"Strange."

"It is. But this is even stranger!" I told him, holding onto the utterly hairless body that was about 170 centimeters tall and began slowly turning it to its back.

"By the Gods…"

"Yeah." I nodded, watching the same thing his eyes were fixated on.

The back of this 'human' had 33 small, pebble-sized CC inserted into it, one at every vertebra in its spine. They were not only socketed but fused with its skin, letting their end stick out like a mini stegosaurus. I had already opened up its skin around two such protrusions, cutting the body up, peeling the skin and muscles back, revealing that they were literally fused into its spine.

"The question is…" Merlin asked, leaning closer, studying it, and already cutting into the body himself. "Was it grown from the spine, or was it put into the spine? We still don't know how the beasts get their cores…"

"Whoever did this to him probably knows more about the monsters than we do. Maybe whoever did this had been experimenting with it for a long time." I explained, telling him one of my theories. Of course, there were more, but this was the one I was most confident in.

"Could be. We also created humans who can take CC into their bodies…" He shrugged. "There are runes on the bones."

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"Yes. I was waiting for you with it." I nodded, looking into his eyes, "I have the nagging feeling that this creature's bones are going to look like the monsters we killed. My bet is that this one is merely a human in appearance. Or the poor bastard was born human, but..."

"We will only know if we take it apart. It's a good thing that we have already eaten, no?" He smiled at me, making me nod as we began dissecting the body, literally de-boning it.

The weirdest thing was the lack of blood. I am not a doctor or a mortuary assistant, but the lack of bodily fluids was surprising nonetheless. As we got deeper, my conjecture was confirmed: he had runes within its body. They looked similar to how the beasts had it; they were naturally formed and not done by knives or tools. As for what they meant, we will need to study them… especially the creature's skull.

When we took it out from under the smooth, hairless skin, the white bone had a complete formation laid down on its surface. After carefully opening it, I found that a brain was indeed still in it, but from what I knew of human brains, this one was different. It was much smoother as if only the required parts for essential functions were developed enough. We debated about it a little, but we both came to the same conclusion.

It was bred or made to lack the ability to be capable of individual thoughts. It was created to fulfill a function and to do only that without having any inkling of deviating from it.

"What could that function be?" Merlin asked; nobody, in particular, just thinking as we were washing our hands, using up a whole bar of soap.

"Want to hear my wild theory?"

"Yep!" He nodded at once.

"Control the monsters." I said plainly, making him stop washing his hands for a moment before continuing.

"Probable. You said the monster corpses were found entangled as if they fought against each other."

"Yes. Was this a 'rider?' Did it order its mount to attack and die in the fight, or did it happen after he fell off dead? If the latter, what caused it to die? We didn't find a second body, but that does not mean there wasn't."

"So the second monster could also be… tamed?"

"We don't know." I shrugged. "I hope to find out more by dissecting them. But this makes me think that there is a civilization on the other side that began taming these monsters. What if they noticed us? That is why we are facing stronger and stronger variants... What if this is them probing us?"

"That… That sounds frightening…" Merlin whispered, blinking his eyes, thinking about it, making rapid assumptions. "You think…?"

"No other options, really. It kinda fits." I nodded, reading his mind, "Which bloodline was said to be the closest to the Gods? Which bloodline was known for carving runes into their bodies?"

"If they survived!" He added, but I just smiled.

"We can't know for sure." I agreed, but the idea was solid, in my opinion. "Anyway… It is already morning, I think. Time to call it a day and go have a rest! You too, Merlin." I patted his shoulders, "Elena won't be happy that you spent your first night here, not with her."

"F-fuck…" He stiffened, turning white all of a sudden.

"Yeeeaaah. I am going to help you out just this one time, kiddo!"

"Y-yes?"

"Blame me." I shrugged, pushing him out of the room, through the entrance, out into the slight snowfall, where my personal guards immediately saluted us. "I'll be your wingman this time around and take the fire off your back. Tell her I ordered you to help me with this."

"T-thanks…"

"Sure thing." I chuckled, stifling a yawn, "But she won't buy it if you are half-hearted about it, so go… please her~!"

…
..A day before..
……

Johan stepped off the train, feeling a bit disoriented, his feet hitting solid ground, though the sensation was strange after the relentless, hypnotic rhythm of the iron wheels. To his surprise, he did fell asleep, woken up by Arik when they began stopping. Both of them chalked it up to exhaustion finally taking its toll on his injured body. Arik on the other hand, had spent the journey in awe, his eyes wide at the wonder of the train itself. Getting off the carriage, Johan's senses were being properly woken up, thanks to the cold wind and the falling snow landing on his face. However, they could only stare at the towering walls ahead, beyond which lay the city that they were supposed to besiege.

"How...?" Arik asked, realizing that the walls here were even taller and stronger. More than that, the backdrop of the massive mountain range which backed the city of Avalon was even more frightening to stand before. Besieging a city like this... they would have needed an army three time the size as their original was at!

The air was tense as the first batch of prisoners stumbled out into a field that was cleared of snow. They were looking uncertainly at the soldiers who flanked them, new troops coming out of the city, joining up with their returning comrades. Hopefully... they didn't lie, and they wouldn't be executed. Johan kept close to Arik, the two of them bundled against the cold as best they could.

When they finally stopped, being ordered to spread out into multiple lines, at least a meter apart from others... whatever a meter was, he suddenly noticed them. Two women stood in the snowy field with an aura of otherworldly beauty, draped in elegant cloaks and framed by the air of... angels, holding walking sticks in their hands. That was what he could only think while looking at them. One had striking, fiery-colored hair that fell over her shoulders, her skin fair, and her gaze strong yet kind. She looked both assertive and graceful, an image of authority matched only by the intense, blazing color of her eyes. Beside her was another woman with a golden crown of hair and motherly, amber eyes that conveyed natural, unconditional compassion. She held herself with a soft, natural elegance and a type of serenity that radiated like a beacon in the bitter cold. Looking at the two, it was as if summer had already come...

The prisoners exchanged uncertain glances, some bowing their heads instinctively. They didn't know these women, but the way every towering, frightening soldier present stood at attention, many of them pulling off their helmets and kneeling in respect, told them these women held power akin to nobles. Johan's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and awe as he stared at the pair, wondering what it meant that they, of all people, had come to meet a group of prisoners.

The fiery-haired woman was the first to speak, her voice clear and unwavering.

"Welcome to Avalon. I am Sasha, first wife of the Sovereign, Archmage of Avalon." she announced simply, finally making the prisoners realize they were not just before nobles but before leaders of Avalon... More than that, she was a mage! A witch! Her eyes swept over them, landing briefly on Johan and Arik as if she were memorizing every face before her. "You are here not as guests but as sinners who have been given a second chance. Avalon is a city built on honor and hard work, principles you will come to understand well. In time, if you show true remorse, you may redeem yourselves..."

The prisoners listened, stunned into silence. They had never imagined that such a beautiful woman, a wife of the Sovereign himself, would address them so directly. As Sasha finished, the blonde-haired woman stepped up next to Sasha, her gentle presence almost soothing after Sasha's powerful tone.

"I am Mikan," she introduced herself, her voice like a balm against the frostbite on their skins. "Fourth wife of the Sovereign, and the Head Priestess of Avalon. You have suffered greatly, but understand this: the work you will do is not just punishment; it is a path to a new life. You must learn our ways if you want to be free of your sin. Today, we extend our hands to give you a chance to start that journey without the pains of the past. We will forgive your sins... if you truly renounce them."

With those words, she raised her walking stick... No. Jonah finally understood. Those were magical staffs! Watching Mikan closing her eyes in a moment of silent concentration, he knew. A spell was going to form a moment later... and he was right.

A faint, golden glow began to emanate from the top of her staff, spreading outward and expanding in a gentle wave that swept over the gathered men. It coalesced into a glowing formation above their heads, showering them with god-like light. Johan felt it instantly—a warmth, almost tangible, enveloping him. The snowflakes suspended in the air seemed to shimmer, caught in the light as if time itself had softened. He felt the ache in his shoulders, the sting of wounds, and even the fever that had left him weak in the past day… all of it was lifted, replaced by a strength he hadn't felt in years.

Arik gasped beside him, a hand to his face as he touched the place where one of the soldiers he killed cut across his cheek as a last moment of defiance. He wanted to cry when remembering it... He killed someone, and yet they were now healing him... Johan could see his expression shift from disbelief to astonishment and shame as he realized the scar had vanished. Around them, the other prisoners looked at each other in shock, murmuring as they discovered that the bruises, the infections, and even the frostbite had disappeared. One man fell to his knees, his voice a cracked whisper, "A miracle… I thought… I thought I'd die with this pain!"

Johan, still trying to comprehend what had just happened, looked to Mikan with a reverence he hadn't felt in years. This was no ordinary place. The Sovereign's power extended beyond their wildest imagination; his wives wielded magic so profound that it seemed to blur the line between reality and the miraculous. Eternal Emperor? Who is that? Where was he? They were indeed deceived... Everyone is being deceived... The ones who should be punished are not the frontier and it's supposed 'barbarians!' It is the Ishillian Emperor! There are no barbarians here... only angels.

Mikan lowered her staff after the spell ended, her face shimmering in a few drops of sweat as she took in their stunned expressions.

"Your bodies are healed," she said quietly, "but healing your souls will be long. The work will be hard, but it will be fair. Now, make use of the strength you have regained. From this day forward, you will be housed in quarters befitting the life you now lead. You will be clothed, fed, and given warmth through the winter. But know that you owe your lives to the Sovereign and to Avalon."

The prisoners, no longer fidgeting or thinking about the slightest resistance, their eyes filled with a kind of light that nobody could define, were then led away. As they reached their quarters—a plain but adequate structure near the mines—Johan caught sight of the barracks' rows and the kitchens where the promise of warmth and food awaited them. Even with the towers erected around it, seeing soldiers standing up on it with crossbows, he felt that it was not as frightening as he expected. No... it was... home.

Around him, men murmured in low voices, the spell still fresh in their minds. Some felt awkward, shaken by the power they had witnessed, while others, like Arik, looked oddly hopeful. Johan felt a flicker of strength kindled within him, knowing that each day forward would be grueling but not without purpose. It would be a pilgrimage of atonement, a life of labor for what they had taken, but perhaps—just perhaps—he could finally find redemption.