#055

The Sorcerer left with the Demonic Beasts. Seizing the opportunity, Cullen began to assess the situation.

First, it seemed those affected by the Sorcerer’s Magic didn’t need constant commands. He had ordered Ulli and Cullen to follow Gael’s group, guard the prison, and collect the herbs. She nodded like a doll.

He didn’t know if those captured by Magic had completely lost their minds, but they didn’t seem stupid. From what he observed, Gael was following the Sorcerer’s orders as if his personality had changed, but his strength and judgment remained intact.

“Ulli, snap out of it.”

Following Ulli, Cullen whispered. Ulli turned her head and looked at Cullen, but only wore a puzzled expression before turning away again.

Following Gael’s procession, Cullen headed towards the prison. It was larger than he had initially seen. It wasn’t just merchants or mercenaries who had gone missing, yet it remained unknown… perhaps because no one paid them any attention except Gael.

Standing at the very back, Cullen surveyed the interior. Past the prison, a peculiar space opened up. Inside a dark cavern lit only by flickering torches, red flowers bloomed in abundance. Plants that grew without light…

Cullen knew of one such thing. One of the merchant groups that had intended to hire Gale for protection was involved in such matters. They were specialists in distributing herbs that, when inhaled, caused hallucinations and an dangerously euphoric feeling. Gale had refused the job but had seen the product. It had been a red powder then, and he hadn’t properly recognized it as an herb.

Could that be the Cadmium they spoke of?

As they entered the cave, the air changed. The temperature was neither hot nor cold, and a dizzying scent permeated the air. Holding his breath, Cullen left the area. The mercenaries continued walking without stopping. Finally, they arrived at the place where the men were imprisoned.

There were several mercenaries who had been separated with Cullen. They weren’t brainwashed and were banging on the iron bars with terrified expressions. Their weapons had been confiscated, and they were bare-handed.

“Hey, Gael! What the hell are you doing? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but let us out now!”

“Lord Gael, what is happening? Where are we? Please let us out!”

Gael ignored the mercenaries’ outcry and spoke to one of his brainwashed mercenaries.

“Bring Cyril.”

“Yes.”

He specifically pointed out someone, as if remembering their face and name. The mercenaries opened the gate. The prisoners’ attempt to escape at that moment was thwarted. Gael drew his sword with a fierce killing intent.

“Take them to the feeding area.”

The gate was locked again. Two mercenaries, following Gael’s orders, dragged away the struggling Cyril. Gael glanced at where they had disappeared, then turned back to Ulli and Cullen, saying,

“You two will learn about today’s events here. Pavan, you will educate them.”

As he spoke, Gael paused, looking at Cullen’s face. The expressionless man’s eyes seemed to flicker, then slowly returned to a vacant state.

“Cullen, is it? You’re alive.”

His voice, devoid of emotion, simply stated the fact. There was no mention of their reunion or Gale. Without asking about his closest friend, Gael turned away.

In response, a scream echoed from afar. The mercenaries dispersed, seemingly accustomed to it. Cullen wanted to stay and observe the mercenaries, but he was guided elsewhere by the approaching Pavan.

Pavan briefly explained their task. They were to supervise the laborers and move the contents of the containers to a place that served as a warehouse. Finally alone, Cullen was able to freely survey his surroundings.

As Cullen and Ulli appeared, the women inside the prison began working quickly, casting nervous glances. The children’s movements also quickened. It seemed… the Sorcerer had a specific disciplinary method he had taught them. The mere thought made him uneasy.

Whether Ulli’s subconscious remained, he didn’t know, but she simply watched them.

But one could never be too careful. Cullen moved away from her and went to another cell. He walked towards a woman who had been glancing at him. It was Lana, the woman Ulli had pointed out earlier.

The woman, her messy red hair tied up, quickly hugged the child sitting by her legs as Cullen approached. Seeing her wary posture, he whispered softly,

“I won’t do anything. It’s alright.”

Lana looked surprised. Then, she asked in a suspicious voice,

“…Are you sane? How? The mercenaries who survived and were released, he must have done something strange to them all…”

“You don’t need to know that. I will get you out of here. Before that, what is this place?”

Lana glanced around and then, pressing against the bars, spoke quickly,

“We were dragged here four months ago. My colleagues went to meet Dadin’s unofficial priest, and one by one, they disappeared. When I went to find them, I came to my senses and found myself here. I couldn’t escape because of the Demonic Beasts kept by that man with strange powers. Not long after, Lord Gael arrived and, after changing strangely, began to monitor us.”

She spoke so rapidly, mixed with a Western dialect, that it was difficult to understand, but he grasped the general idea.

“You said you were dragged here? Not sucked into the sand?”

“We were brought in through a different entrance. There were stairs, and stones around… it seemed like a different terrain in the desert. I heard people say they fell into the sand, but I don’t know about that.”

As Lana continued speaking, footsteps were heard from elsewhere. Cullen stepped back, and Lana quickly took her child and returned to the worktable.

“Cullen.”

Gael appeared. Cullen cautiously stepped back, watching him with wary eyes. Then Gael spoke,

“Let’s talk. I’ve briefly regained my senses now, so speak while you can.”

His tone of voice was different. Gael approached him with a hardened expression.

“For some reason, I’m the only one who occasionally regains my senses. I don’t know why, but I can resist the Magic. However, it lasts for at most five minutes.”

“With Lord Gael’s willpower… it should be possible. Have you been well? No, that’s an inappropriate question.”

Hearing his voice after so long, Cullen’s heart softened slightly. Gael smiled faintly. He bent down and said,

“There’s no time, so we’ll ask about well-being later. I don’t know how you escaped the Sorcerer’s Magic, but I’ll believe the luck of Goddess Aksha was with you. Listen carefully. You must steal the Sorcerer’s weapon. That is the source that amplifies his power and controls the Demonic Beasts.”

“Did you observe that even while you were brainwashed?”

“We remember everything we saw and heard. It suppresses our will and moves our bodies, but the sins we committed remain etched in our minds.”

Gael contorted his face in pain. He gritted his teeth, then grabbed Cullen’s arm and said,

“Find the staff in his room. I know that Sorcerer. He wasn’t this deranged originally. He was a Sorcerer of ordinary ability who occasionally visited Dadin to care for the beasts. Until he obtained that weapon. The weapon is his…”

His words cut off there. Gael’s eyes changed. With vacant eyes, he said to Cullen,

“What are you doing here? Watch them properly. Meals are once a day. Give two pieces of bread and water per child and woman.”

Gael, speaking coldly, passed Cullen and disappeared. Cullen called out to Gael again, but he only looked straight ahead. He hadn’t heard where the most important weapon was. Seeing the helpful back disappear, Cullen also turned away.

Avoiding the eyes of the brainwashed mercenaries, Cullen roughly surveyed the entire structure. He disobeyed Gael’s orders, distributing ample water and bread, and even gave the children small molasses fudges that seemed to belong to the Sorcerer.

The women, surprised by the sudden kindness of a stranger, looked fearful and wary. Their instinct to cover themselves made him worry if they had suffered something terrible. It felt disgusting.

After eating, the women’s wariness seemed to lessen slightly, and they began to share what they had witnessed. It appeared that newly captured people were either identified by the Sorcerer and became part of the control group, or were fed to the Demonic Beasts.

Hearing that at least two people had to be fed daily to keep the Demonic Beasts quiet, he realized this place was no different from hell.

The only way to resolve this situation seemed to be by destroying the Sorcerer’s weapon. However, to find the item and understand the power associated with it, Kiyen was needed. If he were to grasp the weapon like last time and be affected, an unbearable situation might arise. He shouldn’t touch it carelessly.

Barely half a day had passed, yet it felt like an eternity since he was separated from Kiyen. It was a case of immense scale that one person couldn’t solve alone. Cullen unconsciously assumed Kiyen’s help. It was a stark contrast to his past attempts to solve everything by himself.

I miss him.

Leaning against the wall, he thought this. He recalled Kiyen’s face, looking distant, though he didn’t know what had angered him. He remembered Kiyen’s face reaching out to pull him closer. Though he hadn’t thought of it before, Kiyen had looked angry when he pushed him away.

It was at that moment. A lizard suddenly appeared at Cullen’s feet. The small, golden lizard looked somehow familiar. It was the same shape as the lizard he had left behind when he was worried about the temple children. He hadn’t seen it since, but it seemed to have stayed with him.

With surprised eyes, Cullen bent his upper body. The small lizard raised its head and looked at Cullen. Its small, thin tail tapped the ground, and then its mouth opened. No sound came out, but strangely, a voice was transmitted into his mind.

“Why did you do that?”

An angry voice echoed in his head. It was Kiyen.

“Lord Kiyen?”

A sense of joy spread through him. His expressionless face subtly brightened. His lips trembled slightly. His insides instantly warmed.

“You can hear me just by thinking, so you don’t need to speak aloud.”

Without giving him time to reply, Kiyen spoke coldly.

“Don’t do that again. If you hadn’t pushed me, I would be by your side right now. Then things would have been easier.”

Cullen replied in his mind.

‘But didn’t you say it was difficult to control your power last time? Looking at the situation here, if you used your power, everyone else would surely die.’

“You speak quite well. If you don’t want to make me angrier, stop with the useless retorts.”

It was the same sharp tone that had annoyed him at Kiyen’s dwelling. He seemed genuinely angry, and Cullen felt perplexed.

‘I’m sorry.’

“You really are… Never mind. Are you hurt?”

Had anyone ever scolded him? No. Even Gale had never treated him like this. Yet, instead of feeling bad, it felt like he was being cared for… and he liked it.

It was amusing. Cullen disliked variables. He had never let anyone control him. Yet, why didn’t he dislike how his heart swayed with just a word from Kiyen?

Moreover, since the medium was a small lizard, Kiyen even seemed cute.

‘I’m fine. But the situation here is serious. There are many women and children held captive. They seem to be using them as labor to manufacture drugs. Half of the missing mercenaries are dead, and the other half are controlled by the Sorcerer here. And there are Demonic Beasts that the Sorcerer seems to control.’

“What about that Sorcerer?”

‘He seems to use mind control Magic. He has some kind of staff, but I haven’t found it yet.’

“Strange. Magic is normally used without a medium; only the mind is important. Furthermore, no Sorcerer can use Magic to control a multitude. If what you say is true, then that weapon must indeed be connected to the power I felt.”

‘It seems so. Do you know where this place is? It seems to be directly beneath where people disappear.’

“I cannot go to where you are immediately. Strangely, the location of the sand keeps changing, and if I were to break through the ground with Magic, as you say, there would be casualties. And you dislike that…”

Kiyen paused and said,

“Think of me when there is no one around. Then you will be able to converse like this.”

Did this lizard appear because he thought of Kiyen?

‘Did this lizard appear because I was thinking of you, Lord Kiyen?’

Could even his thoughts be heard? Cullen rubbed his lips. The back of his neck felt hot.

“Yes. One of them is with me, so I can convey messages through it.”

‘Do you… always read my thoughts?’

“Only when you speak to me in your mind. When I speak to you in your mind, it is using my inherent language, not Magic. Because Magic doesn’t affect you.”

That was a relief. Cullen recalled countless thoughts he had directed at Kiyen and rubbed his reddened neck.

‘Understood.’

The lizard tilted its small head and looked up at Cullen. It glowed golden, and then the lizard began to turn transparent. Before it completely vanished, a single sentence was heard.

“You’ll be scolded when we meet.”

He couldn’t help but smile faintly at those words.