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chapter 31
“‘H-Hiiik! Ghost, I’m too small and tasteless… huh, Sebi?!’”
The tiny lizard that had somehow escaped from the pipes had grabbed my hand.
It looked at me with a terrified expression, as if it had heard the stories from the knights. Its obsidian-like eyes seemed about to spill tears.
[Te-…Tebi’s even smaller.]
Sebi’s shoulders trembled as it gripped my hand even tighter.
From then on, everything went smoothly. The patrolling knights had gone straight toward Erjin.
The place where our guide stopped was the deepest section of the underground prison, which twisted like a labyrinth.
It was a hexagonal room, with walls of thick concrete, while the rest of the room was made entirely of iron bars.
‘Probably to make it easier to monitor the inside.’
I flattened myself on the pilaster, designed to prevent the walls from being monotonous, and focused on the knights’ conversation.
“Any unusual occurrences?”
Perhaps it was their shift change, because a senior knight asked the previous guards.
“Nothing in particular. But… he keeps talking to himself.”
“The prisoner, you mean?”
“Yes, that’s right. He’s been like that continuously.”
The knights’ gaze turned to Erjin, who was wrapped tightly in a blanket.
“Ah, nothing unusual then.”
The tension in their eyes eased slightly. Understandably so—Erjin Astrahan was quite a well-known figure in Black Dragon Castle.
Even in the heart of enemy territory, the laid-back “Tiger Prince” who would sleep comfortably wherever he wanted.
‘Tch, no one doesn’t know him.’
I shook my head and shifted my focus further inside. I wanted to survey the prison before taking action.
‘Hmm, but…’
Despite reaching the final checkpoint, there was no straightforward way to make contact with Erjin. The prison he was in had no windows, and the ceiling and floor were completely sealed.
‘That means there’s only one way.’
The direct approach.
Passing through the densely lined iron bars while avoiding the knights’ gaze.
The gaps were barely big enough for a child’s fist, but for my small frame, it wasn’t a problem. I kept my distance, waiting for the right moment.
“Hey, your pole almost touched the bars.”
I heard one of the previous knights warn his subordinate quietly.
“I’ve told you several times to be careful—it’s a Grade 9 spell that senses mana and shocks anyone who touches it.”
“Ah, s-sorry! I’ll be careful.”
It was a standard method for imprisoning beastmen who could manipulate mana. The intensity varied depending on the prisoner’s danger level, and it seemed Erjin was assigned the highest grade.
‘Grade 9…’
Just brushing it could knock someone out? The more innate mana a person had, the more pain the spell caused—perfect for imprisoning a strong individual like Erjin.
But for me?
‘Completely useless.’
A confident smile spread across my face.
“Who are you anyway?”
If asked that, I could answer confidently:
The Black Dragon Castle’s physician-certified mana-less beastman!
[Are you proud of that?]
Sebi tilted its head, wide-eyed.
Of course, it wasn’t pride.
Three years ago, before I fell off a cliff, the knights clearly said I had used mana. Yet somehow, I’ve never used mana again since then.
‘Not only can I not awaken mana, I can’t even consciously humanize myself.’
I had always thought I hadn’t noticed it because my mana was too weak—but apparently, that’s not the case.
Several times, I had been led by Gerard for mana tests, but the results were always the same.
No mana.
I don’t know why I, a beastman, had none.
But thanks to that, I’d survived many times. Even when I was first captured in Black Dragon Castle, and even now.
‘Hmm, if I hold my breath a bit, I should be able to pass through.’
I narrowed my eyes and gauged the space between the bars.
‘Sebi, watch the knights.’
[Understood.]
I entrusted Sebi with the task and crept along the pilaster’s decorative ledge. Being in a high position, I wouldn’t be noticed by the knights.
Besides, who was I? A squirrel who had survived in the wild. Silently moving was easier than cracking a ripe chestnut.
‘…Still, better be careful.’
I passed over the heads of the knights, who were standing guard, and finally reached the bars confining Erjin.
Once I crossed these bars, I could reach him.
‘Hoo…’
I took a deep breath as planned and carefully stepped forward.
Zap.
‘Ugh…?’
My finger stung as if I’d been pricked. I almost let out a scream if I hadn’t quickly closed my mouth.
‘W-What was that just now?’
The electricity was enough to make the hairs on my tail stand on end.
[Captain, you don’t even know static electricity?]
‘Of course I know!’
But the sensation was definitely different from static electricity. It lasted only a moment, but it felt suffocating.
Yet, there was no time to hesitate.
‘Whatever it is…’
I had urgent business to attend to.
Sliding through the bars, I quickly hid under the bed.
Then…
“Ugh…”
A muttering, almost like a growl through clenched teeth.
“Kill… must kill…”
‘It’s brainwashing.’
I realized the “talking to himself” the soldiers mentioned was a symptom of brainwashing.
I climbed up the bed frame in a hurry.
Erjin shivered under a cheap green blanket. Like a wounded animal hiding in a pit, he had hidden his body.
‘Is the situation that serious?’
I couldn’t see him well beneath the blanket. But his hands emerged from under it, clutching the cheap bed frame like a lifeline.
As if restraining himself deliberately.
‘He wasn’t hiding… he was restraining himself…’
It was a sign that Erjin still had some will left.
But the situation changed in an instant.
The fragile fingers, once like a pianist’s, started transforming into claws like a tiger’s.
He gripped the metal frame so tightly it bent in the shape of his hands.
‘Erjin’s condition is really bad.’
He had used too much mana resisting the brainwashing.
If this continued, he’d undergo beastman transformation.
And then…
‘The underground prison will turn into chaos.’
Then, Kenny might actually kill Erjin.
No matter what, I had to prevent that.
Because—
First, if the heir of the Astrahan family died, my comfortable Black Dragon Castle life could be ruined.
Second, Erjin was only brainwashed. He hadn’t agreed to anything himself—at least, not consciously.
Most importantly—
I wanted to help Erjin.
Seeing him resist the brainwashing so desperately, I knew there must be a reason behind it.
‘But how do I help him…?’
A mere squirrel like me didn’t have many options.
Think, think.
‘What was the situation when Erjin was brainwashed?’
I clenched and released my trembling fingers, recalling events from a few days ago.
Erjin had arrived at the bedroom door around 3 a.m. He wandered for a while and left around 5 a.m.
In the pitch-black underground, I couldn’t tell the exact time—but even so, a squirrel with street experience could roughly estimate it.
‘About 10 minutes left until 5 a.m…’
The brainwashing would soon wear off.
The question was…
Could Erjin endure it?
