A Hidden Dungeon

Karvan was standing crookedly by the door.

He hadn’t been seen for several days; when did he come?

The night of the full moon ceremony.
Karvan had returned to Bahalgras, holding me.
After that, without a word, he went straight to the bedroom, dropped me off, and then disappeared.

“……”

And this was the first time we had faced each other properly in several days.

I still had some lingering feelings from that day, but I couldn’t just ignore him and risk his displeasure, so I just stared at him blankly.

“You’ve come. I was just checking the Valtael’s pulse.”

On the other hand, Mashak got up with a start and moved aside.
He bowed his head as if he had committed a great sin and hurriedly made an excuse.

“The imprint sickness seems to have completely healed. The fever has gone down, and the vein is not swollen.”

“The medicine.”

“I think it’s okay to stop taking it.”

After quickly giving his report, Mashak bowed his head and disappeared.

The sound of the door opening and closing.

The man just looked at me askance with his arms crossed until the sound of footsteps had completely faded.

“…Mashak has been taking care of me all this time. Out of gratitude.”

At his questioning gaze, I opened my mouth on my own.

“I gave him a gift as a thank you.”

His brow furrowed at once.
He seemed quite worried that I might have given his subordinate something bad.

“I didn’t give him anything strange.”

‘He’s so protective of his subordinates.’
I pouted my lips and protested as if making an excuse.

“I gave him something that seemed really necessary. Mashak liked it too.”

‘…Actually, he didn’t like it.’
‘He just said thank you.’

‘Besides, Mashak wouldn’t have shown it even if he didn’t like it.’
As I was rolling my eyes, I suddenly noticed that Karvan’s mood seemed somewhat low.

“……”

After seeing him for a not-so-short time, I could read the man’s mood by intuition.
Right now, he was like a puppy sulking because his friend got a treat and he didn’t.

“Do you want a gift too?”

‘Should I give him a hair tie?’
‘If he ties up that ponytail, he’ll look a bit neater.’
As I was staring at his long hair, which had been bothering me for a while, I started rummaging through my inventory.

“…Ah! Should I give you this? It might be useful for a disobedient subordinate.”

[Soft Pet Collar: When worn, the wearer cannot refuse the owner’s orders. (※ The neck area is soft, so it doesn’t hurt!)]

I held out the leather item, but he just stared at it intently.
Not at the collar.
At me.

“Is it not good? If there’s something you want, tell me.”

“…If there is. Can you give it to me?”

“Of course. If it’s something I can give, I’ll give it.”

The man’s gaze changed.
It was a look I had seen before.
That of a predator contemplating where to bite first.
Unconsciously, I was scared and hurriedly added.

“E-except for my life.”

‘What part displeased him this time?’

Karvan closed his mouth tightly and stared at me for a long time, then left just like that.

‘…What, that reaction.’
‘Why is he in a bad mood.’
‘Was he going to ask for my life?’
I looked at the closed door in bewilderment.

As it was, the man had started to treat me like I was invisible after the full moon ceremony.
Let alone sleeping together, he didn’t even come into the bedroom, as if he didn’t want to see my face.

‘…The last time I saw him was two whole days ago.’
‘Now that he’s had his fill, am I useless?’

I bit my lip hard.

“…If I leave, will you help me?”
“Do you think I would let you?”

The man’s indifferent answer came back to me.
A look that said he would use me when he wanted and then discard me without a second thought.

‘…Who’s going to be discarded so meekly.’
‘I’ll be the one to discard you first, you bastard.’

Fuming, I opened the quest window for the first time in a long time.

[There is a quest target nearby that can be performed.]

‘…Ah?’
My listless eyes shot open.

Moreover, the navigation was pointing inside Bahalgras.
I quickly stood on tiptoe and looked out the window.
Karvan would have gone out again anyway, and since it was the middle of dinner, there were few Sura wandering around.

‘Oh.’
I rolled my eyes and then stealthily followed the sparkling arrow out of the main building.

The place the quest marker was pointing to was a damp underground passage located in a corner of Bahalgras.

I cautiously went down the moss-covered stairs and gently pushed the iron door, and surprisingly, the door just opened.

[Hidden Dungeon: Bahalgras – Underground Prison]

As I went down the stone stairs, I saw that the wooden chair at the entrance was empty.

Perhaps the guards were also on a break, as there was only a half-eaten bowl of soup, but no one was there.

“…Who’s there?”

[Nemea: A lion beast-kin race. They enjoy shaping various minerals with their flaming manes.]

And, in the iron cage opposite the chair, surprisingly, a Nemea was imprisoned.
And it was alive.

‘How long has it been here?’
As I was carefully examining its surprisingly good condition for a prisoner, my gaze went to its limp hands.

[Nemean Claws: 88/100
(Remaining number until completion of the Baalzeph quest: 12)]

‘…The remaining Nemean claws are 12.’
I swallowed dryly.

“Hey.”

Clank, clank.
As I lightly shook the bars, the Nemea lying on the floor slowly opened its eyes.
Then it saw me standing beyond the bars and shot up.

‘You scared me.’
‘I thought it was a spring.’
As we were staring at each other blankly, a fierce finger-pointing gesture landed on me.

“Awakener!”

‘…Huh?’
I was flustered by the unexpected designation.

To put it in the Observer’s terms, I was an ‘existence scheduled for disposal,’ so the beings of this world couldn’t recognize me as an ‘Awakener.’

A race to be hostile to.
A being that would be contaminated and corrupted if approached.
They recognized me to that extent and were hostile.

‘…But, to recognize me as an Awakener.’
‘This isn’t the neutral city of Midvalen?’
A question suddenly arose, but there was a more urgent matter.

“Hey, want to make a deal?”

I glanced at the empty bowl in front of the Nemea.
Although he had licked the bottom clean as if washing it, hunger was evident in the man’s eyes.
The basic treatment of a prisoner is to provide just enough food to not die.
Because if they’re hungry, they won’t have the strength to escape.

“I’ll bring you food, so just clip your nails…”

“I don’t need it!”

A more vehement reaction than I expected came back.
He crossed his arms and turned his head away as if it wasn’t even worth listening to.

“…Hmm, really?”

I rummaged through my inventory and took something out.
It was the breakfast that I didn’t want to eat because I had no appetite, but had stored away, pretending to eat it because the Sura were so worried.

[Delicious Panini (A+): A panini made with pheasant meat with a wild flavor. It’s a hearty meal.]

Since it was stored in the state it was in when I put it in my inventory, it would still be warm, just as Tegen had brought it.

I opened the bread lid to reveal the thick pheasant meat, and then gently shook it to spread the smell.

Gulp.
I could see the Nemea’s throat, which was turned away, move.

“Let’s trade this for your nails. I’ll cut them neatly.”

“…You, do you even know what it means for a beast-kin to cut their nails?”

“Why? They grow back quickly, don’t they?”

“You, you, stupid human bastard!”

The Nemea fumed as if it were a great humiliation.

‘What does it mean?’
Curiosity arose, and I was about to ask again, but I glanced up at the murmuring stairs.
It seemed dinner time was about to end.

“There’s no time.”

“…You, you cunning and disgusting human!”

“So, you’re not going to eat?”

As I held up the panini temptingly and shook it gently, saliva finally dripped from his open mouth.

“…Make it quick!”

The Nemea muttered as if in resignation and then held out his right hand through the bars.

The exchange was made.
He sat down and began to eat the panini greedily, and I began to cut the Nemea’s nails.

‘Ugh, the smell.’
It was full of the smell of blood and wet dirt, but I endured it and clipped the nails.
The ‘Pet Pet Clipper,’ an item for cutting pet claws, was as good as ever.
It neatly cut even the iron-like Nemean nails.

[Nemean Claws 93/100]

The Nemea said nothing, even though my appearance, as I was clipping and putting the nails in my pocket, must have looked very strange.
Seeing him busy stuffing his mouth, he must have been quite hungry.

“Can I have your other hand?”

The Nemea, who was gulping down the water bottle I had handed him as if he would drink it all, reluctantly held out his left hand through the bars.

I took his hand and finished cutting his nails.
Clip, clip, the sound of nails being cut echoed in the quiet prison.

[Nemean Claws 98/100]

Only after confirming the count go up with a ‘ding’ did I release his hand with satisfaction.

“All done. Thanks… Ah!”

As I was thanking him and about to pull my hand through the bars, a sharp pain shot through me.

The Nemea had clawed at my forearm.
I thought I had cut them quite short, but the structure of a beast-kin’s hand was different from birth.
No matter how short they were, it seemed they were more than enough to tear a human’s skin.

“You, you were the girl who conspired with the Varg bastards and attacked our city in the frozen mountain range!”

As I was clutching my bleeding forearm in bewilderment, the Nemea, with its long canines bared, growled from beyond the bars.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding, I…”

“Shut up! A whole city of ours was destroyed because of you!”

“Then who told you to lock me up in prison? If you had released me meekly, I would have just left!”

‘Ah, crap.’
‘I shouldn’t be making a scene.’
I was about to raise my voice as well, but I glanced up at the stairs.

Fortunately, the murmuring had died down.
Since it was dinner time and the day’s work was over, they must have all gone for a drink.
Relieved, I continued to get angry.

“I didn’t even plan to attack! I was just there to collect nails!”

“A rather unique collecting hobby.”

“It’s not a hobby…! Huh?”

Screech.

I stiffly turned my neck, which had been raised in anger, and looked at the owner of the voice from behind.

“……”

On the guard’s chair, which had been empty, Karvan was sitting with his chin propped on his hand, looking askance.