Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 129: The New Trio and the Hidden Circumstances

Julius, Ariel, and Bolts—these three children were the fresh recruits for our special operations unit. As they stand currently, they might not prove to be much of an asset on the battlefield, but with training, that could change. The day they would be thrust into battle as members of the special operations unit wasn’t too far off, so until then, I planned to train them as much as possible.

“Asumi, how’s the training going for these three?”

“Well, about that, I haven’t started it yet. I couldn’t risk putting them against the Coalition Army’s demons, as they might end up getting killed, and we had our hands full dealing with them. Besides… it seems like they’re afraid of us, so it’s even harder to approach them.”

“I see, perhaps the intensity was too much for children who weren’t used to such things.”

Asumi shrugged her shoulders, and I nodded in agreement with a growl. These kids had been synthesized into demons by Kalervo, using at least two different types of beasts. Their appearance was eerie, even among demons. The reason was that their hair and skin color were the same as those of the Khans.

The Khan race were people with dark-colored hair, ranging from black to deep brown, and blue skin. While Asumi, who resembled the Khan’s appearance, wasn’t drastically different from us in appearance after becoming a demon, it was a different story for the rest of the Khan, who were added to our unit. They looked markedly distinct from the human race.

When we first laid eyes on them, the most shocking was the demon synthesized from four different creatures. This one had blue wings resembling a bat’s structure sprouting from his back, blue scales covering his limbs and torso, a boar-like head with black fur and tusks, and a short but densely spiked tail that was dark blue-black. Whether it was intentional to create this appearance or not, there wasn’t a single one of us who wasn’t taken aback upon seeing this man.

With a terrifying appearance, he was undoubtedly a fearsome warrior who would fight valiantly when the battle called for it. He could soar through the skies with his wings, and his tough scales could deflect ordinary bullets. His tail, functioning almost like a third arm, added a tricky element to his combat style.

However, in his everyday demeanor, he was remarkably gentle and kind, especially with the children. When he enjoyed the meals Mika prepared, his innocence shone through his delighted expressions……but you can’t know that unless you actually interact with him. Fearing such guys based on their appearance would only keep them at a distance forever.

“Well, they’ll get used to it eventually. We can’t afford for them to remain unaccustomed before their first battle. Besides, until they do get accustomed, we’ll be their training partners.”

“While we’re here at the fortress, we can assist with various tasks. They’re likely to assign us a different mission soon anyway.”

“That sounds like a plan. However, we’ll start that from tomorrow. Today, they should rest their bodies.”

Just moments ago, we had been covertly causing destruction in the territories occupied by the Republic Army. After that, we moved underground until we made our way back here. While the energy reserves of demons were significantly greater than those of humans, the deep shades of fatigue on everyone’s faces were undeniable. Everyone needed to rest.

“All right then, Boss. So what kind of demons are these kids? They seem like ordinary brats at first glance.” Tigar said.

“… Ordinary, brats?”

“He-, what the hell?! What are you doing!? Let go of me, that hurts!”

As the conversation had reached its conclusion, Tigar made a curious sound from his throat and inquired, seemingly intrigued. At that moment, I realized something of utmost importance.

Walking briskly, I approached Julius with Lappy still perched on my shoulder. Slipping my hands on either side of his arms, I lifted him up and examined his entire body. Julius attempted to strike me by slapping my cheek, yet the small pincers nestled against my lower jaw and cheek were encased in a tough exoskeleton. They barely even budged against his half-hearted blows.

If anything, it seemed that the pain affected Julius more. His face contorted the instant he hit me. However, he must have registered the pain just for a moment, because right after Julius struck me, Lappy delivered a swift kick to his neck.

“… Lappy.”

“He kicked big brother, so this much is only natural.”

Having been knocked unconscious by Lappy’s kick, Julius hung limply in my arms. He was still breathing, and his heart was beating, so he was alive. However, there was no doubt that she had gone too far. Ariel’s face turned pale, and Bolts, on the other hand, was murmuring repeatedly in a hushed voice how he didn’t want to die. Rest assured, no one is going to kill you.

However, with the boy’s resistance having subsided, the task of examining him became easier. I used the tip of my tail to gently lift the edges of his crude clothing, revealing his belly and back for observation. Yes, everything seemed normal. Next, I rolled up his pants to inspect his shins and thighs. Yes, still normal. He was unquestionably an ordinary member of the human species.

“Hey, seriously, what are you doing?”

“Hold on, Tigar. There’s something peculiar about these kids.”

“Peculiar? They look completely… huh?”

“Yes, no matter how you look at them, they are ordinary humans just like us.”

At some point, Tigar seemed to catch on, and as Zald had indicated, these three were highly likely to be demons created using the same method as us…. what could be called the Orvo style, to be precise. The fact that there are no traces of synthesized beastly shapes in their limbs, such as mine, which is the more ancient method, suggests that it must be the same method as that of Tigar and the others.

Why did someone like Haddin specifically opt for the Orvo style over the Karelvo method for creating demons? The reason remained entirely unclear. However, it was beyond doubt that these three had been brought here not only because they couldn’t become immediate assets but also because they were considered failures by Karelvo.

“Ariel and Bolts, can the two of you transform into your demon forms?”

“Um, I-I’m sorry! I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“I-I don’t know either…”

I see. They’ve never transformed into their demon forms. Well, if that’s the case, we’ll need to start by helping them grasp the sensation of transforming into a demon. A demon can truly exhibit its strength only in its demon form. Without that ability, it would be challenging for them to even keep up with others.

While I couldn’t fathom the thoughts of the three, since they had joined the special forces, they were now comrades. And witnessing a comrade’s demise wasn’t a pleasant experience. As long as time allowed, the only option was to train them.

“Let’s put the training off until tomorrow. For now, answer Tigar’s question. What kind of demons are you? It’s related to the content of the training, so I’d appreciate it if you could tell us.”

“Umm…”

“Ugh…”

When I asked again, Ariel lowered her head, while Bolts clenched his back teeth, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Could this topic really be so distressing? If this were to be asked by soldiers from the Coalition Army nearby, I could understand, but I am a fellow demon. Those surrounding us are as well. I don’t think there’s any need to be embarrassed…?

I glanced at my companions with my compound eyes. About twenty percent of them shared the same perplexed expression as me, while the rest looked at the three with sympathetic gazes. They seemed to understand the reason behind this. Couldn’t they offer an explanation to me?

“Oh, boss. That’s just cruel.”

“These kids haven’t fully accepted the fact that they’ve become demons. Even we were bewildered at first, you know?”

Before I knew it, the couple of Linardo and Tuhru, who had received Lawqum from Kelf at some point, admonished me. They explained that the reason for the children’s hesitation lay in their inability to accept the fact that they had been turned into demons. I see. So, that’s what it was. I had assumed that they had come to terms with it during their journey here, but apparently, I hadn’t. They were quite delicate.

Well, in that case, there’s no need to force the issue. I laid Julius, who was still unconscious, down beside me. I then instructed my companions to take the day off for now.

◇◆◇◆◇◆

In a corner of the imperial capital, several towering spires graced the skyline. These towers served as research institutions for various fields, where adept spiritualists and alchemists serving the empire would seclude themselves to delve into their research.

“Hmm… Another failure, it seems.”

Within one of these towers, Larman Haddin, the Khan race researcher, murmured as he observed the contents of a transparent container. Despite acknowledging the failure, disappointment or frustration did not appear in his expression. Rather, he appeared intrigued as he observed closely.

After jotting down notes on the parchment he held, he commanded a physical labor slave to carry the contents. At that moment, his interest in the contents seemed to wane completely, as he began to examine what lay within another container.

“The progress here is promising… Hmmm, as expected, compatibility remains a crucial factor.”

Once again making notes, he shifted his gaze to another container. Within the tower, numerous similar transparent containers were found, each filled with a greenish liquid. Suspended within the liquid were objects that resembled… human limbs or something of the sort.

The general shape closely resembled that of a standard human’s limbs. However, unlike typical humans, these limbs exhibited features that were impossible for the human race. After all, human limbs lacked the density and length of body hair that would obscure the bare skin on a human arm, and there were no claws extending from the fingers on a normal human hand either. Additionally, there should be no scales covering normal human limbs, nor should there be any suction cups that could cling to walls.

These limbs, resembling human form yet possessing abilities beyond human capacity, belonged to Karelvo’s demons. Larman had collected the limbs from deceased demons on the battlefield and used them as experimental specimens.

Larman was captured as a prisoner of war, but as a researcher for the Republic, he escaped from being turned into a demon thanks to his brains. Instead, he was forced to pledge his brainpower to the empire’s cause.

Larman accepted the terms set forth by the empire without showing a hint of hesitation. For him, as long as he could conduct his research, betraying the Republic held no concern. In fact, he felt no obligation to support a Republic army that had even burned down his research materials and data.

“Gaining the experience of creating demons through that method was quite beneficial for me. I’ll continue to create more, and it will serve as a valuable reference. However…”

Larman recalled an incident from not too long ago. Ever since he had been assigned by the Empire to assist with Karelvo’s research as an aide, he had looked forward to meeting Karelvo. This was because he had heard that Karelvo was the very spiritualist who had first created the demons.

Larman’s previous research focused on “Varietal Improvement of the Khan Race through External Procedures”. He sought ways to restore the weakened Khan race, which was afflicted by the curse of a fallen deity, to their pre-cursed state. In fact, the specimens of dissected and chemically soaked human bodies witnessed by Marcellus and the others were collected by Larman to discern the differences between the Khan people and other human species.

But leaving that aside, for Larman, discovering the existence of demons struck him like a bolt of lightning. In his eyes, this technology appeared to be a successful example of improving the human species.

The emotions that immediately followed were respect and curiosity. He held deep admiration for those who had achieved their goals through methods different from his own and greatly desired to meet and discuss their research. Such were his thoughts.

Consequently, with great excitement, he eagerly met Karelvo. However, Larman couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. While Karelvo was undoubtedly talented, he didn’t possess the revolutionary ability to create demons… and above all, he was quite mundane.

“There’s no way a man like that could create demon technology from scratch. Moreover, he didn’t even realize that the techniques he uses for spiritual circuits are derived from the Republic. He must have stolen them from someone.”

And while Larman continued assisting Karelvo with a sense of disappointment, doubts began to arise in his mind. These doubts eventually evolved into firm convictions. It was about the auxiliary tools used for synthesizing that Orvo commissioned Hatakeyama to craft. Karelvo was attempting to decipher the technology employed in those auxiliary tools.

Upon learning this, Larman approached Karelvo with a proposition. He offered to share the knowledge about that technology in exchange for the opportunity to create demons himself.

It was a risky deal to propose to Karelvo, who had connections to those in power, but after careful consideration, the latter reluctantly accepted. It was because having individuals like Larman who could discern errors would prevent any blunders from arising, and the Empire had issued orders to increase the number of individuals capable of creating demons.

“When it came to the creation phase, Karelvo mistakenly brought in an outdated spiritual circuit, leading to the production of a failed experiment… To tell the truth, which of us is the real failure?”

Larman glanced briefly at the diagram depicting the spiritual circuit in a corner of the room before snorting. The array showed several improvements written in Larman’s handwriting.

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TN: So the thing about mc’s demons unit: they have about 100 warriors, the team added a lot of Khan people, I believe, these Khan people were synthesized with at least two beasts rather than just one. Other than Asumi, most, if not all, Khan people had their intelligence drop, and their appearance was very scary. It should also be noted that Asumi and the Khan people that were added to the team are Karelvo style demons, so they do not transform at will. Therefore, the three children are weird because they look human, as they have a human form and a demon form.