"The human experiments are conducted in the largest lab, which they call the central lab, while the other labs handle minor research and experiments. We can't risk the central lab being destroyed, can we? The assistants aren't allowed to go to the central lab, so I've never been there. Oh, and I think I occasionally saw people in black hoods in the other labs. I never saw their faces, but they had black veins on their hands, so I think they were priests of the Erebus Order."
Ultimately, finding the central lab where the most important experiments were being conducted was the top priority.
"I don't know where the lab is, but there's a way to find its location. Dark magicians usually don't build labs in adjacent areas, so if there's a lab somewhere, you can assume there aren't any other labs nearby. They agreed among themselves to avoid overlapping materials. Lab buildings are usually hidden in inconspicuous places like underground, in caves, or under cliffs, so they create markings in easily visible places so they can recognize each other."
"Markings?"
"The first thing assistants do after setting up a lab is to plant a plant called 'Finis.' It's a plant that dark magicians have modified, and it adapts well to demonic energy. It looks withered or black and dead, which is its normal state, so it's easy to deceive others. Conversely, when they close or move a lab, they trample it to erase the traces, but they don't completely pull it out or remove it. They roughly trample and crush it, and it's not noticeable, and even if they leave it alone, other people won't know what it is anyway."
"You mean, if we find that plant, there's definitely a lab nearby."
"Yes, as I said, it's a plant created by dark magicians, so there's no separate data, and they only share information orally among themselves because they don't want it to be known to others, so it will be difficult to find. If you need it, I can teach you its appearance, how to grow it, and how to make seedlings. Oh, there are a few seedlings in the luggage you confiscated at the beginning, so you can take them."
He had been terrified in prison, so he might be cooperative, but even considering that, it was too much. If it was important enough to be passed down orally without being recorded, it was quite important information, but it was suspicious that he had no hesitation in divulging it.
He spoke as if it were important, but in reality, it was either not very important information that he didn't need to worry about repercussions for, or he was instructed by the dark magicians to divulge that information. Which was it, or was he just losing his judgment?
As if sensing Ricardo's concerns, Ben hesitated and added.
"Actually… I owe a lot of money to a dark mage and haven't been able to pay it back, so I'm working like a slave under an unfair contract as compensation. I… gave you some pretty good information, so if you could help me terminate the contract as compensation…."
Ricardo sighed in absurdity.
"I'll judge that based on your future attitude. First, I'll have you grow the plant you mentioned. I need to confirm if what you said is true."
"Y-yes, I understand! Just tell me what to do!"
The captain of the Imperial Guards called the knights who were waiting outside and had Ben taken away.
"We need to confirm if what he said is true, so we should go back to the lab we found and check if there are any Finis nearby. We'll postpone the investigation until then."
"Understood."
If the same plant that Ben grew is found near the lab, it means that his statement is somewhat true. If we investigate based on that information, there may be meaningful results.
Ricardo, who thought he was finally getting a grasp on things, raised the corners of his lips. Yes, this case had to end with him.
***
As promised, Orca recruited painters in no time. Not just one, but five came, and it was decided to have all five paint and choose the one he liked best. Other nobles used this method a lot, so he said I didn't have to feel too burdened, but it wasn't as easy as he said.
"If you're uncomfortable, should I tell them to leave only one and go back?"
"No, still, if they're going to paint, it'd be nice if it was pretty! It's okay."
Theo told me to tell him anytime if it got too hard, so I nodded cheerfully and headed to the drawing room where the painters were waiting.
Fortunately, seeing the painters looking several times more nervous than I was, I felt more at ease. I mean, no matter how many portraits of nobles they've painted, it must be nerve-wracking to paint the portrait of the infamous Second Prince, who is painting his own portrait for the first time, or the portrait of a divine beast.
Among the painters were those who specialized in painting portraits of nobles and had a lot of experience, as well as unknown painters, but he said that once they were finished, he would choose based only on the paintings, like a blind test, regardless of their experience. The fact that they all agreed to that meant that they were confident in their skills, so I was even more excited.
"The Second Prince and the divine beast are merciful, so if you do your job well, you won't be punished. So, there's no need to be too nervous."
Just because he said there was no need to be nervous didn't mean they weren't nervous, but anyway, the painters who heard Orca's consolation, which wasn't really a consolation, answered cheerfully.
"As I said in advance, all paintings except those chosen by His Highness the Prince and the divine beast will be discarded, so you cannot take them with you. I hope you don't do anything unnecessary, such as stealing them, and cause trouble for each other."
The painters looked noticeably disappointed at the mention of discarding the remaining paintings, but no one objected because it was something they had already agreed to.
I decided to have them paint two paintings: one of me in human form and one of me in eagle form. The work would take several days, so I was even more curious.
It takes a long time, so I'm even more curious! I guess that's why people play hard to get. Hmm, is that not it…?
Liam decided to stay in the drawing room instead of the busy Orca. All Theo and I had to do was dress up nicely and sit still until the composition was somewhat set. The only posture was to sit quietly on the sofa at a distance that felt friendly to each other.
Theo wanted me to sit on his lap or hug him. Of course, Orca immediately rejected it, saying that it was impossible because portraits were generally painted in a quiet and neat style in noble society.
Anyway, the painters, who at first stared at Theo's and my faces as if examining them, began to focus on the painting as soon as they picked up their brushes. Seeing them nervous in a different sense to paint well made my butt wiggle for no reason.
I was bored, so I tried to talk to Theo, but I was worried that my posture would be disturbed, so I spent time looking around the decorations in the drawing room. Finally, I was allowed to move because the composition was somewhat set.
I whispered to Theo.
"Would they feel burdened if I went to see how they're painting?"
I was too curious to check, but I was worried that they would be even more nervous if I checked the paintings because they were already wary of me. Theo chuckled and answered, leaning closer to me as I had done.
"I'm curious too. Shall we go take a peek together?"
“…I think they’d be twice as burdened….”
I hesitated for a moment and quietly called Liam and asked him to look at the painters' paintings and tell me what they were like. Liam pretended to guide the painters to something, looked at the paintings, and returned.
"How is it?"
“…Um… they all look the same so far, so I don’t know….”
Ah, I didn't think of that.
When drawing the background or the details of the clothes, Theo and I didn't need to be there, so we didn't have to wait like we were being punished on the first day.
When drawing the portrait of me in eagle form, I had to wait again to set the new composition. There was also a very minor incident where the painters froze as if they had seen a ghost when they saw me transformed into an eagle.
Anyway, all the portraits were completed smoothly in a few days. Liam was keeping the completed paintings and decided to show them all at once today.
The painters were waiting quietly on one side, unable to appeal their works. They were all so nervous that their faces were pale or blue.
Liam instructed the servants to remove the cloths covering the ten paintings all at once. I, who had been looking forward to it, had no choice but to harden my face after checking the paintings.
This was because Theo's appearance in the paintings was mostly different from the real thing.
His hair was much lighter than it actually was, so much so that it would be accurate to describe it as grayish, and his eyes were colors close to purple or pink.
Both were more common colors than black or red, that is, colors that others could easily see…. But that wasn't Theo.
I had heard that nobles often got very angry when they painted portraits and expressed the parts of their appearance that could be called flaws as they were.
So, Liam had told me that the painters embellished a lot, but I felt uncomfortable seeing that they had painted his hair and eye color completely differently. It's okay to be smiling gently, but this is a bit too much!
Liam, who was watching my face harden, quietly pointed to two paintings. Among the ten paintings, only Theo in the two paintings that Liam pointed to looked exactly like I saw him.
However, unlike the other paintings that were looking straight ahead, he was smiling at me. Even in the painting of him in eagle form, Theo was looking down at me, sitting on his arm, and smiling.
"Who painted this?"
One person cautiously raised his hand at my question. It was the man Orca had introduced as an unknown painter.
"I, I did."
"I heard your name, but I forgot. What's your name?"
"Ah, it's Roman."
"Roman, why is Theo smiling at me in the painting? You're the only one who painted him like that."
"Um… I often saw His Highness the Prince looking at the divine beast, so I painted it because I liked the way he looked. I'm sorry if you were offended."
I didn't answer and stared at the painting for a long time. I didn't turn my gaze to Roman, who was very nervous, and asked again.
"Was it really like this?"
"What…"
"Did he really look at me like this?"
"Ah, yes, that's right."
I stared at Theo's face, which was full of bewilderment because he didn't know what was going on, for a moment, then turned my head back to the painting.
This is the face of someone in love, no matter who looks at it. Of course, this painting was also somewhat embellished, just as the other painters painted Theo as a gentle monarch, but I liked it so much that it was hard to take my eyes off it.
'...It would have been better if it were real.'
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