Chapter 468 – Amputation.

“Quite the interesting gift you’ve brought me.”

“I apologize, but there wasn’t really another facility to use at short notice, Lord Arthur.”

“It’s fine, and you can call me Arthur down here.”

“I’m not sure I should…”

Roland remarked while glancing at a certain angry-looking cat-eared maid. The three of them were watching a group of soldiers transporting goblins and hobgoblins into holding cells. This place was created to hold tier 3 undead monsters from the dungeon, so managing a few lesser creatures wouldn’t be that hard. At this moment they were disabled by a sleeping spell and bound, making it easy for the soldiers to handle them.

Bernir was also here, waiting in another room for Roland to come and get him. This place was a secret from most, but his assistant had proven himself trustworthy enough for even Arthur to agree to this. Bernir was already aware of almost all of Roland’s secrets, and granting him access to this underground area wasn’t really a big security risk.

He had not planned this, but there was no similar place to hold monsters in his underground workshop. Roland was planning to create something similar, as improving his skills was important, but he just didn’t have the time. Moreover, having tier 3 undead under his own home, where many young children and his wife lived, would be quite irresponsible.

At this location, they had built an extensive underground holding facility that looked like a dungeon, which was perfect for his current experiment. Arthur already knew his true identity, so revealing his latest invention wasn’t a significant concern. It was even an opportunity to get him on board with the new invention. If the runic limb was successfully created, the money this city could gain from them was extensive. That is if he could work out a good enough attachment system that could replicate the real thing.

“If I understood correctly, this research of yours will be quite… unsavory?”

Roland remained quiet and only nodded as Arthur posed the question. He was about to do some inhuman things to these goblins and he was having some second thoughts about the ethical implications. However, his determination to help Bernir regain full functionality in his arm overshadowed his reservations. Arthur observed Roland’s struggle by reading his facial expression which was more tense than usual.

“Well, they are just goblins, the little buggers would slit our throats without thinking twice.”

“That’s true.”

There was a reason he chose goblins and hobgoblins as these creatures were considered pure evil. In the past, people had attempted to reason with these creatures or domesticate them, but every attempt had ended in bloodshed. Goblins were notorious for their cunning and cruelty, making them a constant threat to humans and other peaceful races. They liked to torture and play with their prey. To some adventurers being captured by goblins was a fate worse than death.

“I understand your dilemma, but you should not look at these creatures as part of the intelligent races, they are nothing more than evil monsters, their minds corrupted by something truly vile.”

He noticed Arthur trying to give him a pep talk about what was about to happen. It seemed that his noble friend had caught onto his internal dilemma. Roland appreciated the emotional support Arthur was offering and took it to heart.

“Thank you, Arthur. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it. While I’m intrigued by the idea of artificial limbs, I’d rather not stick around, I’m sure you understand.”

While Arthur was fine with lending the area for his research, he was unwilling to stay and watch. Mary felt the same, and soon only Bernir, Roland, and a few guards stationed here were left. These guards were bound by strenuous magical contracts that would cost them their lives if they leaked any information.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. Bernir, are you sure about this, you don’t really need to be here for this.”

“I’ll be fine boss, stop worrying and not like we’ll be doing all that stuff, right?”

“Yeah…”

The two walked towards the holding area, where one goblin awaited them. While Roland intended to perform some tests with the creature’s help, he would not be the one inflicting the pain. He took no joy in causing deliberate suffering to monsters, and these creatures would be also sedated for most of the process. The person carrying out the initial procedure was already waiting for them and was part of Mary’s troops. Cutting things was supposedly one of her talents.

“Well met, Knight Commander.”

The woman greeted him with a bow, her large black cat ears twitching slightly. Her eyes, brown with a golden tint, peered out from beneath her neck-length black hair, which draped over one of her eyes. This woman was supposedly Mary’s right-hand woman, part of a small unit of shadowy maids that roamed this noble estate. They were responsible for Arthur’s protection and information gathering. Sometimes, they would be tasked with odd jobs like today, and they usually wore maid uniforms to blend in with the regular people living in Albrook.

‘Did she work for an assassination guild before?’

Roland took a glance at her true stats, which could not be hidden from his runic eyes. The woman seemed to be treading the path of an assassin. The Nightblade class granted passive buffs to stealth during the night and in dark surroundings. It wasn’t particularly effective for combat in the field, but it excelled in surprise attacks.

For this occasion, the woman came wearing something more appropriate for the kitchen with a large apron over her uniform. The maid outfit might have seemed unsuited for combat but it was especially good for concealing weapons. This woman was definitely skilled in her trade and the sharp knife on the side made her look dangerous.

“I’m sure Mary informed you about your task, Giana?”

“Yes, Knight Commander. I am to assist you in conducting the necessary tests on the goblins.”

Giana seemed to smirk for a moment while mentioning performing tests on the monsters. She was someone he had already been introduced to earlier. From the onset, she felt like a scary individual who enjoyed her job a bit too much. Even now, it seemed as if she was joyfully anticipating slicing some goblins apart. Roland didn’t care as long as the woman didn’t point her knives in his direction or toward the people he knew.

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“Good, now I’ll need you to make the incision on the right forearm, the same as it’s here.”

He pointed to Bernir who was remarkably quiet. It seemed his friend could feel the bad air around the knife-wielding maid and had become rooted out of fear. Bernir was still only a blacksmith and some battle classes exuded a certain aura that would cause normal people to shrink back in fear.

“Right forearm, got it.”

The maid nodded, her eyes glinting with a strange luster as she delved into the room where the goblin was being held. She approached the goblin, which was lying unconscious on a metal table, its greenish skin covered in warts and filth. The stench emanating from the creature was repugnant, but she didn’t seem to care. Roland moved forward and turned around after noticing that his assistant was not moving forward.

“You can stay outside if you want, Bernir. Don’t force yourself.”