Kuro no Maou

Chapter 10 Pandora Continent

Due to residential area being asleep at this time, I was able to reach the port safely without being seen by anyone.

I couldn’t exactly risk creeping into any random ship, so I hid myself in a warehouse like place where goods meant to be loaded or maybe taken from the ships were kept, and carefully looked at the surroundings.

Although I call it a warehouse, giant containers like in the present world don’t exist, so they were only buildings at the height of 2 stories max.

Maybe because it was night, there was no one going in and out of the warehouses, and only the biggest warehouse seemed to have lights burning indicating that people were working there.

I attentively approached that warehouse and peeked inside. It seems they were hurriedly loading the goods here in a certain ship.

I tried to listen carefully to the talk of the men working inside and was able to catch some of it.

“Why so late—-“

“Seriously, we didn’t even have had time to drink after returning.”

Men with very sailor-like big and darkish bodies were carrying goods while complaining about something. Especially big cargo was put on the carriage stopped near the entrance.

“—–but, is there any need to sail out in the middle of the night?”

“It’s a hurried re-supply of goods, or something like that.”

“What do you mean by hurried re-supply? It’s not like we are at war.”

Resupply goods meant that the ship belonged to the army of this world, no, country it seems. The country doesn’t seem to be at war, but it’s a world filled with monsters after all. There is an opponent to fight daily for them.

“No, I don’t know if it’s pioneering or further colonisation, but the actual place seems to be in quite a mess.”

“That’s why they are always recruiting mercenaries? It was a good decision to not go.”

They said something about [Pioneering] and [Colonisation]? What? Is this world still in the Age of exploration and discovery?

But to so smoothly talk about [mercenaries] like this really gives of a fantasy feel.

Anyway, this might be a chance for me. If this is like the colonial ruling done by the western countries as taught in our world history, then this [colony] would be a far away land from this country beyond the sea.

“What the hell do they mean by ‘Pandora continent is heaven filled with riches’? It’s just a hell filled with demons and monsters.”

Hmm [Pandora Continent]..

I don’t know whether it has any connection with the Pandora’s Box, but by their way of speaking, it seems it is a totally different continent not connected by land.

Running away to that far away Pandora Continent sounds ideal. And by the sounds of it, the colonisation doesn’t seem to be moving smoothly as well. Then it would be impossible for them to do wide search for me there.

Living a survival based life far away from home in an unexplored region similar to the old Japan war is not something I cannot do. Sure, it won’t be very comfortable, but compared to living in that experiment facility, it was similar to heaven.

Maybe, I could even take shelter with these [Demons]. I don’t know whether this [Demons] literally means a demonic race or is meant as a derogatory word for the ones originally living there, but as long as they are kept on the same level as monsters, it means they would have no connection to those masked men.

At least the geezer and the masked seem to be of the same race as the ones carrying the goods, basically humans. That means they are not of the same race as the ones living on the Pandora continent.

To run away from those masked men, my maximum priority is to get on this ship going towards the Pandora continent. I have decided I’ll cross over to the Pandora continent!

“Well then, how should I board it—-“

Worshiping the White light God and carrying crosses, the ones who controlled the west-side of the Arc continent was the Syncrea republic.

The Holy City Elysion, ‘the city which has received the divine protection of light’, is the capital of the Republic and also the sacred ground for the church.

Inside one of the many churches that existed in Elysion, the chief of the White Sacrament Third Laboratory, Bishop Judas was meeting with the 7th Apostle Sariel.

“——then you fought while in sealed state?”

“Yes.”

The two sat on one the benches beside each other with some distance between them.

Although they didn’t look at each other while talking, Judas suddenly moved his line of sight towards Sariel.

“……Come.”

With a single word, on top of Sariel’s head, a ring giving off white light appeared.

It was a different one from the one put on experiment No.49, but it was definitely the same type attached to human experiments for thought control.

Judas stretched his hand towards the ring and lightly moved his finger.

“Magical energy restriction limit at 80%, technique chaining in freeze state, armaments not allowed——maximum sealed state huh?’

On the ring, the health and actions of the person are recorded as well, and the supervisor/controller has the right to read it. Judas was reading the records of the battle with No.49.”

“Yes, there was no time to get release authorization.”

“Even though the Cardinal was right beside you?…..It seems he really has a habit of overestimating the powers of the Apostles.”

As his(Ars’) tough face came to his mind, he also remembered that Ars was also unusually attached to Sariel.

Even though he is known for his cleverness and cool-headedness, to feel obligated just because his life was once saved in the past, it seems Ars has a strange honest part in him as well.

“There was insufficiency in facing experiment no.49. Cardinal Ars’ decision was not wrong.”

“But you cannot call it correct either.”

“………”

Just in case, he should have given release authority at that time.

Even an Apostle, under the biggest seal, cannot show power more than first class magicians.

“There is no one here other than me. No matter what you say, it won’t reach anyone else’s ears.”

“No, even if I was not sealed, I could not have stopped the escape of no.49.”

“That may be so. You let him go intentionally after all. The amount of power used was not a factor.”

Judas didn’t realize, but Sariel was slightly frowning right now.

“I’m not going start blaming now. The moment he was out of our control, it was all our responsibility.”

The ones who summoned the foreigner known as [Kurono Maou] to this world and turned his body into black magic user experiment no.49 were Bishop Judas himself and his subordinate researchers after all. Sariel only happened to be there and pursued him out of ‘good will’ towards the co-operators. Even if she failed, she was in position to be criticized.

Although, the only one in the Syncrea Republic who had the authority to reprimand an Apostle was the top the church i.e. the Pope only.

“Rather than that, what surprised me more is that you took an action based on emotions. I had long forgotten that you also once used to be human.”

Sariel this time showed absolutely no reaction at all.

Even if Judas’ words held sarcasm or contempt, she had long lost the emotional ability to mind such things.

“Well it’s alright; let’s end this as per schedule. Living in the Holy City is boring but that doesn’t mean I have free time.”

Judas once again touched the ring still shining above Sariel’s head.

“……Disappear.”

The moment he said that, the ring scattered after getting smashed to pieces and vanished after becoming grains of light.

“With this, there is nothing to left to restrain you, you can even kill me right here.”

“Thank you, but you’re taking the joke too far Bishop.”

“All those who had their seal removed would straight away aim for my life you know. Of course, you are only the second to have the seal completely removed though.”

The first one without the seal, no.49, if he appeared, Judas was sure he would try to kill him(Judas) without any exception.

But, he doubted no.49, whose whereabouts were still unknown, would go through all the risk just for revenge.

After all he was made to life through days where dying would be better. If for some reason he got caught, the risk of returning to those days was too high. He wouldn’t throw away his valuable freedom just for the sake of revenge.

Even if he was an irrational fool, then he would be too scared and will instinctually not decide on revenge.

Judas was that aware of the gravity of the acts he did, but still he felt neither regret nor guilt.

“Well, with this I’m done with my business here. You also have some work to do right? Who and how many do you have to kill next?”

“Demons and monsters. I’ll kill as many as required till the whole continent can be claimed.”

“Reclamation huh? Then the next place you’ll be dispatched to is..”

“Yes, Pandora Continent.”