The black mouse easily slipped between the cell bars and ran across the gloomy corridors of the floor. Before trying to find a way into the 5th floor, Arthur wanted to understand the layout of the current one and investigate a bit.

Several meters to the left of his cell, there was a dead-end, so, while sticking close to the walls, he headed in the other direction.

With the lack of proper illumination, the parasite was able to move around with ease. The mouse was small and, unless one was exceptionally attentive, they wouldn’t notice it.

Arthur quickly reached the other end of the corridor and found a simple wooden table with three guards sitting around it. They were eating snacks and playing a game of cards while joking around, totally unaware that they were being watched.

After zigzagging between their boots and under the table, Arthur continued forward and found a room that definitely wasn’t a cell.

The door was closer, but it was in a horrible condition and the ground underneath it was riddled with holes.

Once inside, the nauseating and intense smell of blood assaulted the parasite’s nose. He saw a torture table and several scary-looking equipment. The room was pretty basic and lacked any kind of proper furniture, though its purpose was undoubtedly clear.

The only interesting thing was a trap door that, strangely enough, had some flora around it. It was sealed shut by three metal locks and had thin vines growing from beneath it.

‘Due to how eye-catching it is, it can’t be a secret exit. Is this where they dumb the corpses?’

Without a proper body that was capable of casting magic, Arthur had no way of forcing his way through the trap door.

By jumping and diving down, Arthur could potentially break the trap door using purely brute strength. Admittedly, even with his high stats, the exerted physical force would be limited with such a small host, nevertheless, the trap door was made out of wood and tearing a hole large enough for a mouse was doable.

Still, Arthur decided against it, for now. Delving into unknown places due to morbid curiosity could lead to unfavourable results.

After one last look around the room, Arthur continued investigating the corridors.

In total, there were three of them, two of which had a massive metal door that led outside. Moreover, at the other end of the third corridor, there was an open entrance that welcomed him into a cramped room filled with dusty boxes, rusty and broken weapons, and a bunch of old and unusable equipment. It seemed to be a neglected room that had nothing interesting going for it.

It was, however, an arguably good place to hide things, though it was to be determined what he was going to hide exactly.

‘A total of 15 inmates, including myself. But, when I was brought here, I saw another small section next to the stairs leading to the 3rd floor.’

Arthur had to wait for one of the guards to leave or enter so he could slip outside.

After ten minutes, one of the guards, slightly drunk, left and was replaced by another.

The black mouse rushed outside and out of view. It remained at the foot of the stone wall and went around, stopping every now and then and looking around.

The ‘outside’ was just a spacious hall with two big torches that provided ample light.

The parasite drifted closer to a visible and considerably big magical rune drawn with something akin to a yellow-ish dye.

It had a radius of approximately 10 meters and was pretty intricate.

Using [Magick Sense], Arthur probed the rune and saw tiny threads of Mana emit from it and merge with the walls and ground.

‘This must be what’s limiting the use of Magic. It’s very weak, though.’

As he was able to use [Mists of Decay] with ease, Arthur suspected that this magical rune either affected the people who only had a minor mastery in magic, or it was an extension of another rune.

‘I think I can negate it or destroy it altogether using [Wither Touch]. Considering its size, however, the aftermath won’t be pretty. There’s a significant quantity of Mana stored inside of it. No… it’s more like it is being fed Mana by something else.’

Arthur raised his small head and looked at the ceiling. Thanks to his active skill, he could see periodic waves of Mana, intangible and pure.

If the effect of the magical rune was strong enough to limit his Magic, Arthur wouldn’t be able to break Christopher that easily.

Brute force might be a viable option for some, but Arthur was against that. He might have the physical strength of a literal giant, but, with the right spell, even that could be easily countered.

The Warden, the Special Guards, and the Guards’ Captain. Those were amongst the threats in the Shadow Keep Penitentiary.

Arthur also had to take into the account the existence of strong magical artifacts, which could possibly limit his skills or incapacitate him swiftly.

‘I’ll need to get to the 5th floor and see the effect of the rune. If it’s too much, then I’ll need to leave and get my storage. The Cydian Knight host would be needed in case of an emergency. For now, I need to find the right way…’

For the next hour, Arthur scoured every corner of the 2nd floor and found a second, smaller sector, in which the cells were much bigger but shared between the inmates.

Besides the pungent smell of the rooms and how messy they were, there was nothing of importance.

Arthur tried finding a hidden entrance to the aforementioned elevator, but there didn’t seem to be any.

Since neither of the guards working on the first couple of floors were allowed access to the lower ones, logic would suggest that the elevator would be present and accessible either from the 1st floor or the surface.

…

Eldest King City

“Now, this is a bit of a pickle.”

Aerin had a thick rope tied around his waist and chest, making him unable to lift a finger. He was sitting on the wooden ground and staring at his three captors.

Evelyn, Jack, and Rebecca had successfully caught their target. Surprisingly, the fight barely lasted a second and the bard was a very weak opponent.

Besides shrieking like a lady and instinctively raising his hands, he didn’t do anything. He was immobilized within a split second and pinned to the ground by Evelyn.

In order to not attract attention, they took him to one of their hideouts and waited for a response from the organization.

“Don’t tell me you’re still holding a grudge, Miss?”

Aerin, albeit bound and treated badly, seemed to be fairly relaxed and nonchalant. With a soft smile, he looked at the expressionless black-haired woman, whose back was facing him.

“I get it! I might seem weird but I’ve got a kind soul! I’m pretty benevolent, honest, and downright modest… ehm, excluding my poetry. I mean, my songs are the best of the best! They only contain the truth, after all!”

Jack knelt in front of the poet and glared at him menacingly.

“You talk too much. Shut up!”

“Don’t I have the right to know why I’m treated like a criminal? I’ve done nothing illega-.. Hey! Don’t touch that!”

Jack had ignored the talkative minstrel and snatched his harp. The musical instrument was truly exquisite, made of a fancy golden material, smooth to the touch and imbued with a bit of magic.

“That’s one of a kind! Wash your hands before touching it, at least.”

“He’s one eccentric lil’ man, ain’t he?” Commented Rebecca as she scrutinised Aerin, confused on why Number 0 sent the entire organization after him.

This unsaid question of hers had plagued not only her but Evelyn and Jack too.

Aerin was simply too weak and unremarkable to cause such a fuss. He lacked any fighting prowess and seemed to be a normal person, which was opposite to their usual targets.

“It’s actually a gift from the Spirit of Melody and further imbued with Divine Essence. It literally cannot be broken, hehehehe…”

Jack rolled his eyes at the man’s ridiculous exposition and busied himself with harp for a bit.

“Look… we can sort this out diplomatically. There’s no need for violence and hostility.”

“You can begin by telling us why our boss wants you.” Retorted Rebecca as she snorted.

“Boss? I don’t even know who you people are. I’m a bard, not a prophet or a mind-reader. Let’s suppose I unwittingly offended your boss… I can do it through a process of elimination and figure out who it is..”

Aerin thoughtfully looked down and started mumbling inaudibly. While the rest were waiting for him, he started wobbling his body left and right and frowning constantly.

When he was finally done, he simply shrugged, “Nop… haven’t got a single clue. I confess that, even as an honourable man, I’ve got a couple of enemies that want me dead, I don’t think any are from this world, much less this city.”

He paused for a couple of breaths and focused on Evelyn.

“I do think, however, that I might be some help to that fair lady.” With his chin, he motioned towards her and added,

“I’m not an expert, but I’ve got an above-average perception when it comes to certain things. Through repeated exposure to a specific range of materials, I’ve become able to detect them through senses of smell, touch, or simply by being near them.”

A broad smile appeared on Aerin’s face as he looked at the cupboard on his right.

“For example, I know there is a Manticore’s Heart and Nether Grass stored there. Hoohoo.. I wonder if you’re missing a Dwarven Core? Would that be a far-fetched guess?”

Evelyn’s eyes turned cold and her body appeared in front of Aerin. She pinned him to the ground, her twin blades inches away from his neck.

Even then, Aerin just chuckled,

“Fair lady… what if I also told you that I personally know the Undead Jester? Would there be a leeway to solve this… complication? Truth be told, whoever it is, I’ve got no inclination to meet your boss, so I’m offering a deal.”

“Who are you?!” Coldly muttered Evelyn, her eyes flashing with a murderous glint.

“The Minstrel of the Ages, my fair lady! Hahahahaha!”

Skywall Fortress Map