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The fortress of stone stood tall like a stronghold, but without understanding its structure and knowing how to use it effectively, it was meaningless.
Stopping at a distance where he could see it clearly, Samuel divided the knights he had brought with him into several groups, recalling the fortress’s layout that he had memorized earlier as he issued commands. The interior was intricate, but not particularly problematic. Once the exits were blocked, those inside were nothing more than trapped rats.
A single glance was enough for Samuel to gauge the incompetence of their adversaries. There were no sentries where they were needed, and guards had been placed in completely pointless locations. This fortress, which should have been an advantage, had been utterly wasted.
Given the number of bandits reported, Samuel had already anticipated this outcome.
These fools hadn’t even realized that an infiltrator had been among them all along.
Samuel sighed at their stupidity.
From the information provided by the infiltrator, he already knew that Asher had escaped safely.
With his usual elegant smile curving his lips, Samuel gave his order:
“Seize all of the bandits.”
At his command, the knights moved in unison.
The sudden arrival of Samuel’s forces threw the beastman bandits into confusion, and before they could put up any proper resistance, they were swiftly subdued one after another.
Among the knights he had brought, there were both human soldiers and beastmen, but all were elite warriors, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary men. Even without the presence of Theodore, who had been the strongest among them before becoming Asher’s personal guard, they were more than enough to handle the situation.
The beastmen, underestimating their human opponents, rushed in carelessly—only to be swiftly struck down in retaliation.
At that moment, a knight sprinted toward Samuel and knelt before him, his breath ragged.
“Sir Samuel! We have located the bandits’ leader and what appear to be their key members, as well as Marquis Clarke. However, a massive bear beastman is rampaging… We are unable to subdue him on our own!”
“……I see.”
Samuel’s smile remained unchanged as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Father… His Majesty’s orders are absolute. We must be careful not to kill them.”
Amidst the chaos of clashing steel and shouting voices, Samuel stepped into the wide hall where the rampaging beastman was being confronted.
A group of knights and beastman soldiers had surrounded the massive bear beastman, but neither side dared to move, locked in a tense standoff.
Samuel quietly surveyed the scene.
Most of the bandits had already fallen, and the ones who remained had lost their will to fight. Those still standing were huddled behind the bear beastman, relying on his strength to shield them—a clear sign that they were no longer a threat.
“……Will you surrender?”
Samuel directed his question at the bear beastman.
“…………H-How did you find this place…?”
“I would rather not repeat myself. If you surrender quietly, I will not execute you on the spot. That is His Majesty the King’s command. However, if you choose to resist… then I will have no choice but to eliminate you in self-defense.”
The bear beastman glanced over his shoulder at his companions.
He must have realized that there was no hope of victory.
Before long, the massive beastman knelt and raised both hands in submission.
“……I… surrender…”
How utterly anticlimactic.
Samuel inwardly sighed, disappointed.
Had they struggled a little more, he would have had an excuse to disregard the king’s orders and slaughter every last one of these fools who had dared to lay hands on Asher.
Suppressing his frustration, Samuel observed his knights securing the remaining bandits.
When he had first learned of Asher’s abduction, he had masked his emotions well—but inwardly, his heart had nearly stopped.
To him, Asher had always been a foolish, irritating younger brother.
But having someone else take his life was an entirely different matter.
Moreover, Asher had recently been acting strangely.
His unexpected transformation had piqued Samuel’s curiosity, and he had wanted to observe him a little longer.
And yet, these wretches had dared to steal that opportunity from him.
He would not let that stand.
With the bandits’ leader now surrendered, everything proceeded smoothly from there.
The humans who had collaborated with the beastman bandits were captured, including Marquis Clarke. It was reported that Clarke had not resisted at all and had surrendered himself willingly.
“…So he never planned to escape in the first place…?”
Samuel furrowed his brows slightly, deep in thought—when a knight rushed toward him, his face filled with urgency.
“Sir Samuel…!”
“What is it?”
“There is… something you must see.”
Samuel followed the knight’s lead and was brought to a particular room.
The moment he stepped inside, a sickly-sweet scent filled his nose.
Something about the place felt deeply unsettling.
Scattered across the table were disorganized documents and bottles of various substances.
“What… is this?”
Samuel picked up the topmost document and began reading.
As he did, his expression darkened.
“…Take everything in this room. Not a single item is to be left behind.”
“Understood!”
As the knights scrambled to gather the materials, Samuel’s gaze landed on a particularly thick book resting on a shelf.
For some reason, just the sight of it made his chest tighten with unease.
Releasing a slow breath, he reached out and pulled the book from the shelf.
When he opened it, he found that it contained… records.
“Stop! Lord Samuel, please stop!!”
The fortress was in chaos.
Among the captured bandits, those in chains had been rounded up, shackled together with iron restraints.
In the midst of it all, Samuel stood with his sword pressed against Marquis Clarke’s throat.
“What has happened!? Please, calm yourself!”
Even with a blade to his neck, Clarke remained composed, meeting Samuel’s glare with an eerie smile.
Samuel’s knights struggled to restrain him.
His usual serene demeanor had vanished, replaced by a cold fury as he glowered at Clarke.
“Lord Samuel! Have you forgotten His Majesty’s orders!?”
His subordinates desperately tried to reason with him.
Finally, they managed to pull him back, separating him from Clarke.
But even as he was forced away, Samuel’s eyes never left the marquis.
Clarke’s smirk widened.
“…What’s so amusing?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s simply a shame that you inherited nothing from that person…”
“What are you talking about…? You won’t be laughing for long. When we return to the capital, you will stand trial. I will personally see to it that your head rolls.”
“What an honor.”
With exaggerated elegance, Clarke placed a hand over his chest and bowed mockingly.
Samuel’s grip on his sword tightened.
“…So the contents of that book… You really did…?”
Clarke let out a dry, rasping chuckle.
“To think the esteemed Prince Samuel would lose his composure like this… Truly unexpected. Had I known things would turn out this way, I would have killed Asher much sooner.”
A dull, sickening sound echoed through the fortress.
Samuel’s fist had struck Clarke’s face with all his strength.
As Clarke crumpled to the ground, Samuel turned sharply on his heel and stormed away.
Had he stayed a moment longer, he might have cut the man down on the spot.
Even now, the mere thought of what he had read in that book filled him with disgust.
For written within its pages were detailed records—spanning over a decade—documenting the effects of a certain drug on a test subject.
The test subject’s name:
Asher.
Pinky says: Ah man, the racism wasn’t even naturally occurring? I’m a hippie when it comes to racism, if I ate a racist who wasn’t naturally grown, it’d be bad for my digestive system and my chakras, it’s way less appetising too.
Little Pink Starfish 
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