I created my own system

The royal family of Aileen are actually decent rulers...

They are schemers and traitors to the empire, yet the people of thier kingdom rarely suffers from famine and plague

"I see, is this the pride tha made them see themselves as better rulers?"

That belief

Their trust upon themselves as superiors

Perhaps it will be their greatest strength and weakness

And downfall

"Well I already expected this, the evidences I have gathered and found should be found by now, since that is the only thing they can use. Knowing them, they probably did a deep clean to erase their tracks, unfortunately I already made copies of some of their records"

I look though more files but as I expected there wasn't anything pointing to the Aileas.

"Lets search more, there should be more than this"

The records should be more, after all how can the investigation of the arcduke have this little when I was able to find so much in six months?

A couple more hours went by and I wasn't able to find anything

"Damn how secretive can that duke be, I can't believe his territory has so much routes to take!"

Adding the difficult requirements to enter its really frustrating that I couldn't find anything.

"Thats it I'm gonna go and inspect the palace" To report errors, please visit the original post on M|VLEMPYR.

That's the only place I wasn't able to visit perhaps that is where. Like Dominos' castle it should also have a secret office.

"Jeremiah scan the entire territory of the archduke see if there is more facilities we haven't seen"

[Affirmative Creator]

My surrounding shifted again bringing me to a place that made be feel familiar.

"What the"

I gasp a bit not expecting that the palace of the grand duke will have the same architecture as the imperial palace.

"Its just a bit smaller, but its still the same"

The throne was constructed similarly, although its not that obvious due to the different furnitures, but as someone who frequently sneaks there. I can tell the similarity.

"I wonder why its like this"

I was curious but given the circumstances, I should take my mission my top priority.

[Creator, I found it. Arcduke Astralia's hidden chamber]

"Take me there then"

For the third time of the day, I teleported and arrive at an office not so different from the last one I saw. It was spacious though there isn't any windows, the chamber was well lit and ventilated. On the walls are multiple shelves of documents, all protected with secret codes and magic, but what attracted my eye is the sole table in that room. Filled with anticipation I approached it ony to see a single paper.

"Lapas?"

[Lapas is a small kingdom surrounding the kingdom Aileen. For years Aileen and Lapas has been fighting over a certain land in their borders, but strangely the imperial house never interfere]

Indeed, how strange

I locked my gaze at that paper only to notice that it was protected with magic.

"How very careful"

I wave my hand and immediately remove the seal, as soon a sI did so its contents shows.

"Ah, so thats it"

Even I wasn't able to see this part. The conflict between the two kingdoms was only a farce they made, but in reality, Lapas is a vassal kingdom, that is moving according to Aileen's wishes.

"It turns they built facilities there in case the ones in Aileen were to be destroyed"

Perhaps it was the laboratories, but according to what the document says it seems they still dont know what facility was built there.

And to add up to thier problem, they haven't found where exactly those warehouse were built.

"Its fine I can just look for it"

I put down the paper and proceed to go to my next destination.

The association, I left there some of the clues they need to trace. Fortunately just like in the arcduke, they also have an information that I wasn't able to find.

"Its good they found the thing I left behind"

I smile as I held the photos and crystal orbs containing the film operations of the Jimmuel Limmel, one of the king Lorenzo's trusted servant. In that film you can watch how they brought large ships containing weapons and dangerous artifacts.

They all bought it at the black market that is why I was able to tract them. Some places of the black market are being run by a certain mage of the tower, and using its influence gaining information and manipulating them was easy.

"Everything is going into its proper places, I should visit Lapas first before returning to the Tower. Jeremiah take me there"

[Affirmative Creator]

My body began dissolving and immediately was taken to another place. A kingdom near the east being sandwich between the region of the Lionhearts and the nation of Aileen. The kingdom of Lapas.

"Lets see what is this about, Jeremiah scan this kingdom"

[Scanning....

Scan complete]

A flood of information came to me and I found it, multiple places that seems to be labs hidden underground.

"I still have a few hours before lunch, I should check these marked places"

.

.

He check the first one, which is the nearest of his position and as soon as he landed, the wind carried the scent of scorched earth as Apollo arrived. The sun was nearing its peak but what the boy wants was the things that lies underneath the surface. He wave his hand and immediately teleported underground.

"Its seems that the underground facility has been demolished"

His feet touched a cracked stone residue from an explosion, though it doesn't seem like it happened long ago.

"Getting rid of this place was done hastily, some of its structure was still standing"

Scanning the area he saw a destroyed compound lay ahead, walls partially collapsed and the surrounding plants that was used for the experiments.

"Hmmmm, though they couldn't destroy everything thye made sure no files will remain here," he muttered, brushing his fingers over a singed sigil on the rubble.

[Creator I have scan the other facilities. Three labs found. Two destroyed. One remains hidden beneath the fourth quadrant of the mountain ridge,] Jeremiah's voice echoed in his mind and all Apollo can do is nod.

Before leaving the boy made sure to remember this pace in detail. "Then lets see what the archduke wanted to see here, the things that is buried but cant be found by everyone."

The power of space was yet again summoned and the figure that is remaining inside the ruin facility, disappeared.

Apollo arrived to anohter place, opposite to the previous one, this place is more intact. In fact the hidden lab looks to be functional, still being use. Seeing this filled Apollo with anticipation, he suddenly felt eagerness to quench his curiosity. So the first thing he did is observed. And watch as people arrive, he look at them wanting to see what lies ahead.

The moment the door creaked open, a strange, sterile air greeted him, far too clean, too deliberate. Far from his expected scent of decomposing flesh. That alone made him even more fascinated, so without hesitation he stepped inside.

What welcome him is a narrow corridor that descended deeper, each step echoing against polished steel walls. Mana stones light the path, flickering as if reluctant to reveal what they had witnessed.

He reached the main chamber and paused.

Something within him tell him he had seen this situation before.

Rows of giant cylinder glass tubes lined the walls. Inside each one floated a human-shaped form.

Clones?

Or magically engineer humans

A homunculus

"Scan them Jeremiah"

There something that making him feel that he had seen this beins before.

Apollo's brows furrowed thinking deeply.

"Lets take a closer look"

His footsteps were slow as he approached, inspecting the features behind the blue-tinted glass.

Then it struck him.

"Wasn't this…?"

He froze. His mind reached back to the day the four Cardinal Dukes fought Dominos at his hidden base. The soldiers that protected him back then. Those soldiers that move without any regard for their loves. The ones that moved too fluidly, and abilities that is mix with many different aspects of human body. They were like jigsaw puzzle put together just to be called a whole.

"No wonder they felt strange. These are them."

So the that confirm his suspicions

That sick realization settled like iron in his gut. He never anticipated that they would collude with Dominos, after all they hated the bloodline of the Celestios

"So… the connection between Aileen and Dominos was already there at that time"

He turned to a table. Files of multiple experimental notes, logistical routes, records of shipments between Aileen and Lapas. Each one signed with encrypted marks… but he recognized the spell immediately.

"They let him flee. It was them that made Dominos escape the underground prison at that time"

The words tasted bitter, but then come the realization. A warm rush filled him making him shiver.