Morpheus's so-called personal experience wasn't just talk. Though he hadn't reached that level himself, having crossed worlds twice, he was privy to many secrets from Toaruverse.
Take the Magic Gods, for instance.
Magic Gods could freely alter time and laws, wielding power akin to an artist reshaping the world... creating it anew. Calling them creator gods wasn't far off, and there wasn't just one but many.
To prevent collapsing the world with their antics, these Magic Gods compromised, hiding in a secluded realm to avoid destroying reality itself.
Chaldea's creation was like a limited world-editing tool, heavily restricted. Though it impacted the world, as magic advanced, that impact would become negligible.
Without this capability, Morpheus might've considered destroying Chaldea after saving Human Order and cleaning up its mess. But since magic's path inevitably led to such heights, there was no need to demolish it.
At most, it'd be sealed for a time to limit its influence.
Ritsuka had changed clothes, her stabbed outfit sent for repair. Bouncing around, she showed no signs of injury.
"How's it feel? With the Heroic Spirit Transformation Formula and Ame no Murakumo, your combat power's about doubled, right?" Morpheus asked.
Ritsuka nodded. "Definitely doubled. The formula's physical boost raises my capacity to handle Ame no Murakumo's power. If I faced Goetia's light cannon now, I could take it unscathed."
After more tests, she was freed. Grabbing Mash, she left. Though the later experiments were fine, the memory of Morpheus's sword strike left her shaken.
That stab to her chest had hurt!
…
"You look like you've got something to say," Morpheus said to Romani, who seemed hesitant.
"I've been thinking… maybe I should tell you about some of Chaldea's darker secrets," Romani replied.
Morpheus grinned. "I can guess most of it. Like Mash... amazing, powerful, but her creation process wasn't exactly noble. Was she artificially cultivated from an embryo, or selected from natural-born children for experiments?"
Romani opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.
Morpheus chuckled. "Doesn't matter. It's all a violation of human rights. But given the previous Director's caution, I doubt it was a natural child... probably artificial insemination."
His tone was calm, as if discussing something mundane.
Romani was silent, then nodded. "Right. Artificially conceived children with suitable Magic Circuits and pure souls as a base, allowing a Servant to descend into them, making them human and fully controllable.
"After all, Heroic Spirits surpass humans. Even with Command Spells, they can resist, kill their Master, and return to the Throne of Heroes. That's not ideal for a weapon."
"From a cold leader's perspective, it makes some sense, but only barely. There are better ways to create perfect weapons without such messy methods. Modifying existing summoning magecraft would be far more efficient," Morpheus remarked, then sighed.
"And talk of a child's pure soul? Once a soul inhabits a body, it's no longer pure. Unless you isolate the child from the mundane world before birth, only then can it remain pristine."
Romani blinked, then snapped his head up. "What do you mean by that?"
"A perfect being without original sin, pure before birth, holding the truth of magic," Morpheus said with a smile. "Such a child could wield magic that'd shock even angels with a single gesture."
Romani's jaw dropped. Were unborn children that terrifying?
"The process of self-improvement is essentially a return to that state, like moving backward," Morpheus said, shifting back to the original topic. "So, are you saying Chaldea is evil?"
"Not exactly. It's not simply good or evil. Though founded by the United Nations, Chaldea is essentially controlled by magus families. They don't care about human rights.
"Marie's the odd one out among magus. Her father, on the other hand, was a quintessential magus... perfect in mindset, at least."
Morpheus understood. Romani meant Marisbury Animusphere, the former Director, was someone who'd do anything for his goals, even defying Human Order.
At that, Morpheus laughed.
"Now I'm wondering about Chaldea's true purpose. Was it really for humanity's future? I doubt Marisbury's goal was that simple. He likely had deeper motives, ones that might've led to this situation."
He patted Romani's shoulder. "So, it's likely that within Chaldea, Lev represents the Demon Pillar faction with his own agenda. You and the Director are the surface faction, openly saving the world."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then there's Marisbury's faction, with subordinates we don't yet know. He controlled Chaldea for years, so he must have his own goals and plans... possibly still in motion!"
"But he's dead!" Romani protested.
"So is Marie!" Morpheus shot back.
Romani froze, then fell silent.
"Right, Marie's dead but still here, partly because of you. But I can't just assume that's all.
"Chaldeas protected Marie, letting her exist within it. Maybe… Marisbury knew about this function."
Romani muttered, then gasped. "Wait, then those still in cryosleep…"
Morpheus paused, then nodded urgently. "Let's go check!"
…
They moved quickly, reaching the Chaldea personnel recovering in life-support pods. They appeared healthy but lacked consciousness... mere shells with basic responses.
"No need to look further. They only have basic awareness, no souls," Morpheus said.
Romani, unconvinced, checked several times before slumping, hands dropping.
"It's true… their souls are likely inside Chaldeas!"
He opened a file and began typing furiously.
Morpheus glanced at the report and chuckled. "Pretty diligent, starting the report already."
"This is no small matter. It involves so many people. If something's wrong, Marie might break down," Romani said.
"The worst part is her father, isn't it? What was Marisbury Animusphere hiding? Why do this? People like that usually have obsessions, believing they're acting for all humanity," Morpheus said, noting Romani's odd expression. He grinned. "Exactly... a lunatic like Goetia."
Romani clamped his mouth shut but, recalling his interactions with Marisbury, had to admit Morpheus's words made sense.
"He always thought humanity was on the wrong path, repeating mistakes, never learning… He believed we'd destroy ourselves. I saw humanity's destruction too, so I worked with him to protect its future…"
Clap, clap, clap!
Morpheus applauded, grinning widely, like an audience member watching a hilarious comedy.
Romani frowned, unsure why he reacted this way.
Morpheus sighed after laughing. "What a show! Let's break it down. You saw humanity's destruction as a human and needed Chaldea to protect its future."
Romani nodded. That was his goal.
"Then Goetia... Goetia chose his path for humanity too. I suspect he saw some crisis, taking a radical approach. What did he was see? From what I know, he's a jerk but genuinely for humanity," Morpheus said, smirking. "Congrats, second faction joins the fray... goal: save humanity's future."
Romani's eyes widened, realizing why Morpheus laughed.
"Next, the third faction: Marisbury and his hidden subordinates. From what you said, he worried about humanity repeating mistakes, needing a chance to choose. Chaldea's functions suit that perfectly," Morpheus continued, now laughing so hard he slapped his thigh.
"Look at this grand goal: use Chaldea to pick the right path, discard the wrong. But were past paths wrong? Who decides what's right or wrong in the future? It's essentially the same choice as Goetia.
"Congrats, third faction... goal: save humanity's future!"
Romani fell silent. It was absurdly funny. Three factions, all aiming to save humanity, yet the first two were at odds, while the third likely lurked, observing, waiting to act.
"You know what I found when I went to the Clock Tower in London?" Morpheus asked.
"What?"
"Data on Servant summoning, disaster response, and the seven Grand Servants, all in plain sight. Different sections' materials, yet all together... like they were meant for me to see, or for anyone seeking intel.
"If it was for summoned Servants, it doesn't add up. Someone deliberately left it for Chaldea's people. Guess who?"
If earlier Romani had to ponder, now the answer hit him instantly.
"Marisbury's people!"
"That's my thought too. Only they'd do this. We might be enemies, but they don't want Goetia's plan to succeed. If it does, their own could fail.
"So, helping us uncover Goetia's goal and defeat him is their task."
Morpheus watched Romani's darkening face as he typed faster. In just ten minutes, a thousand-word report was done. Romani reviewed it, confirmed it was fine, printed it, and headed out, pulling Morpheus along.
"Come with me. This is too big, and you've got more theories. We might need your insight!"
"Tell her now?" Morpheus asked.
Romani hesitated but kept moving.
"She's the Director. We can't hide this from her, even if it's just speculation."
Morpheus sighed. "It's more than speculation... plenty points to it. If she can't handle it, I'll help. Worst case, I'll put her into a temporary sleep…"
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL