# Chapter 94
“I heard.”
“Do you know that child is in the Winter Forest?”
“……”
“The knights went to the Winter Forest several times to search for the body. Officially, it was recorded as a death, but… I recently heard a different story. That they couldn’t find the baby’s body.”
From whom? Arden looked at Eden. The knights would never reveal their incompetence to others, especially not to an engineer, and Eden was far from being on good terms with the knights. That was the case for most engineers.
“Why are you trying to find that child?”
Arden’s voice was sharp. Although he had been close to Eden during his time at the castle, he couldn’t readily provide information about Rite just because he mentioned looking for him.
“I think you’ll remember. Project Eternal.”
At Eden’s words, Arden suddenly frowned and raised his hand to his ear. He fingered the metal encircling his ear cartilage and firmly pressed the pin embedded in his earlobe. After several moments of contemplation, he ultimately couldn’t remove it and lowered his hand.
“The Emperor hasn’t given up yet, Arden. The experiments continue, and the number of victims keeps increasing.”
Still? Arden took a deep breath. What he had risked his life to stop was that experiment. Yet it continued. As if the disappearance of several test subjects, including Arden himself, meant nothing.
“The world needs to know. What happened to my family, my neighbors who suddenly disappeared one day, where they went and what they endured. What the Emperor is trying to do.”
“…And so?”
“I plan to publish it in the newspaper. My testimony and Suos’s. Before that, if we can find that child, I’d like to talk with him.”
“Eden. This isn’t such a simple matter.”
“I know. I’m not thinking of overthrowing the Emperor and changing the country. I just believe everyone needs to know. Then Arden’s innocence would also become known, and he wouldn’t have to be called a traitor anymore.”
“I don’t need such……”
Just as Arden was shaking his head, Rite, who had been quietly observing their conversation, suddenly spoke up.
“So, why are you looking for that child?”
“He’s a child sent by the gods to punish the Emperor. If a messenger from the gods appears, no one could ignore our story.”
“Are you sure? I don’t know how many victims there are, but will people really get angry and care about others’ suffering?”
“I firmly believe they will.”
Eden was someone with clearer standards of right and wrong than most. A person who lived up to the name Eden. Despite this, the reason he had to remain silent about the project was that Eden had too many people to protect. That was the difference between him and Arden.
Arden became curious about how far Eden had prepared. Eden’s background wasn’t much different from Arden’s. Born in a small rural village, he was lucky to become an engineer. If anything, his economic situation had been worse than Arden’s. So what gave him the confidence to speak with such certainty?
“I wonder if Artalis is really helping after all.”
Rite mumbled as if amused.
“We met the person in question like this, after all.”
“What do you mean……”
“That child. I think you’re talking about me.”
Rite’s voice was nothing but light. Arden looked at Rite with a surprised expression. Eden didn’t appear surprised. He just shook his head with a stoic face.
“No. I don’t know who you are, but the child I’m talking about is much younger.”
“With horns on the head?”
Rite lightly brushed his hair as if tidying it. Where his large hand passed, black horns had emerged.
“Uh……”
Eden looked at Arden, unable to continue speaking. His expression demanded an explanation, but Arden was equally flustered. He had never introduced Rite to anyone like this before.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Rite.”
Only Rite had a cheerful expression. After introducing himself with slightly raised eyebrows, he straightened his hunched back and sat upright.
Arden could only nod to Eden and Suos, who were looking at him, believing that it would be alright since they had already shared dangerous information.
“Indeed. From birth, there were many unbelievable things.”
Eden muttered softly. Arden wanted to ask what he meant, but Rite spoke first.
“Our plans are a bit different, but we’re willing to cooperate.”
“Rite.”
“Under the condition that you clearly mention Arden’s name and the reason for his exile.”
Arden tried to dissuade Rite, but he remained firm. Of course. Eden also nodded to Rite.
“Do you have a newspaper that will publish this article?”
At Arden’s question, Eden closed his mouth. It seemed he had some thoughts on the matter, but his face showed it was somewhat problematic.
“That’s indeed the biggest issue. Most likely, the major newspapers are already in collusion with the Emperor.”
“But it’s not like we have no options.”
Suos added to Eden’s words. Suos, who had been sitting comfortably leaning back, leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees.
“The Noon Daily. It’s a recently established newspaper. They’re aggressively expanding, but as a late entrant, they face many challenges, as Eden mentioned.”
Suos pointed to Eden as he spoke, then stood up. The sound of his cane tapping against the floor could be heard as he walked slowly toward the room.
“It’s the newspaper with the highest possibility. Since this is a big and dangerous matter, if it succeeds, it would be a significant achievement.”
“Even so, isn’t it too optimistic to think they’ll definitely publish it?”
“That’s why I’m preparing one more thing.”
Suos returned to his seat with a piece of paper. What he placed on the table was a map.
“Here. This is the hottest spot in Rosmunt these days. A famous attraction.”
The place Suos pointed to was somewhere in the underground of the Third District. Although Suos introduced it as if it were a popular restaurant or tourist spot, the Third District was the most underdeveloped area in Rosmunt.
“It’s an arena. They put fighters on a ring, make them fight, bet on who will win, and watch.”
“Why is this……”
“Originally, people fought against each other, but recently, new fighters have emerged.”
“……”
“Robots.”
Arden narrowed his eyes. This was the first he’d heard of it.
“It started with robots that should have been discarded. They’re modified for combat, and people watch the robots fight. But these days, the most popular isn’t that.”
“……”
“They pit humans against robots. They’re called robots, but they’re extremely fierce. There was even a commotion when these robots escaped from storage. It was quite something.”
“Is it legal?”
“Of course not.”
Robots weren’t made for such purposes. They were meant to help human lives, not harm them.
It was news that made one click their tongue in disapproval, but Arden couldn’t understand what connection this had to the newspaper.
“The reason it doesn’t easily disappear is that it’s incredibly popular among people from the Fourth District these days. There are even special seats reserved for them, and some people even bring their own robots to compete, so that says it all.”
Robots weren’t cheap. They required high technical skills, and if artificial intelligence was desired, expensive magical tools were also needed. Magic and engineering were expensive on their own, but a machine combining both wasn’t something just anyone could afford. Therefore, if entertainment required robots, it would be enjoyed by wealthy people.
“I saw the youngest son of the Noon Daily entering the arena. Carrying something large.”
“Surely not……”
“It must be a robot. They usually modify household robots for use. If so, all the big and small events that happened in that house would be stored in the robot’s memory.”
“If they sent it there, they would have already erased everything.”
Though he said so, Arden knew there was a way. When he glanced at Eden, Eden also nodded.
“I plan to restore it if I can extract the magical device from that robot. I need to find some memory that could be used for negotiation.”
One couldn’t become an imperial engineer without skill. Although it was a complex and limited task, restoring traces erased from magical devices was a fairly common practice.
Arden looked at Eden with somewhat surprised eyes at the thought of him looking for someone’s weakness to blackmail them.
“Can you do it? You’ll need equipment.”
“I don’t plan to do it at the castle. I have separate equipment.”
Though the equipment was all expensive, given an engineer’s salary, it wasn’t at a level that couldn’t be acquired. However, Eden’s expression remained unfavorable.
“I hadn’t thought of going this far, but may I ask a favor?”
Eden spoke with difficulty. Arden guessed it wouldn’t be an easy request.
“I cannot be away from my post for long. Leaving the official residence might arouse suspicion. And Mr. Suos… is physically limited.”
Suos smiled as he raised his arm, but neither Eden nor Arden smiled. They were the ones responsible for this situation.
“I need someone to extract that robot. It’s a difficult task, but I have no one to ask but the two of you.”
“As you know, I’m an exile, and Rite isn’t in a very free state either. There are many knights in Rosmunt……”
Arden trailed off mid-sentence and fell into thought. One idea came to mind. He thought it was time to implement the idea he had while leaving Rosmunt station.
“Then may I also ask a favor?”
“Anything I can do.”
“Two things. If something happens to me… please find an engineer who can periodically check on the robot in Kamalon.”
Eden immediately nodded at Arden’s words. His face showed that it wouldn’t be difficult. The remaining one was the problem.
A warrant might be issued soon. They couldn’t keep hiding at Suos’s house, so a decision had to be made. Arden glanced at Rite’s purple eyes.
“Is there a doctor here who performs illegal procedures?”
