Ch.110EP.28 – I Am Prisoner Rihan (3)

Sand Worms are originally magical beasts that inhabit desert regions, so it’s true they’re rarely seen in the southern continent with its lush forests. However, due to some past incident, the south committed the insane act of “importing” Sand Worms from the desert.

Yet this can’t simply be classified as madness, since the entire southern population now enjoys prosperity because of it.

In the past, certain alchemists discovered:

“With Sand Worms alone, the kingdom’s food production could increase fivefold.”

After this research was revealed, the kingdom successfully captured and cultivated Sand Worms from the desert.

And just as the alchemist had boldly claimed, the fertilizer produced by the Sand Worms miraculously increased the kingdom’s food production by tenfold. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this historic achievement eliminated food concerns entirely…

Unfortunately, this alchemical research and information about Sand Worms came to be treated as top secret.

The reason?

Well, to put it simply:

“If this gets out, we’re in trouble.”

Yes, if revealed, it would cause unprecedented chaos.

The fact that the fertilizer expelled by Sand Worms is essentially the corpses of their own kind consumed through cannibalism, and that the people who age and ferment this fertilizer with soil and fallen leaves are none other than the kingdom’s prisoners.

And also, that Sand Worms don’t just eat soil, but are ‘magical beasts that prefer meat.’

Kwaaaa!

The common people didn’t need to know what components made up the fertilizer they used.

…It was a fact that needed to remain secret until the end.

[Keeee!!!]

[Kee-!]

[Ke!!]

Sand Worms, or rather creatures better called Mini Worms, writhed and poured out in massive numbers.

There were so many that dozens continuously raised their heads from the soil.

“W-what is this!”

“Magical beasts! C-call the soldiers immediately! Magical beasts, I tell you…!”

“It bit my arm! Y-you damned magical beast!”

The Mini Worms were roughly the size of small snakes.

In other words, they were small.

Therefore, Mini Worms were weak magical beasts that could be easily caught even by farmers who had never held a sword, as long as they had a pickaxe.

However.

[Keeee!!!]

…there were far too many of them.

Snake-sized worms were emerging by the hundreds, no, thousands.

This was beyond manageable and indeed required soldiers to intervene.

However, this place was both a prison for convicts and an execution ground…

The tunnel.

Here, prisoners’ deaths were commonplace, and the soldiers’ only duty was to shoot prisoners attempting to escape.

Thus, the prisoners found themselves in a desperate situation, and ultimately the wisest choice they could make was:

“F-fight! Fight, you idiots!”

Yes, if no one would help them, they had no choice but to fight themselves.

That is, if they didn’t want to be eaten by those massive numbers of Mini Worms and become fertilizer.

So.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Spears, no, grab pickaxes and shovels!!”

Crunch!

Squish!

Splat…!

Survival of the fittest.

A battle for survival broke out as the tunnel’s prisoners began fighting with all their might.

It was nothing short of a desperate struggle to live.

However, in this fierce battlefield, there was one place that seemed somewhat relaxed.

Slash!

“Phew, so this is what it’s like to have martial arts sealed. It’s incredibly difficult.”

“Still, you fight well. Proof that you didn’t rely solely on martial arts. Ah, but you’re using too much unnecessary strength. You’ll tire quickly that way, if possible…”

Thwack!!

“Do it like this.”

“W-what did you just do?”

“I simply didn’t waste energy. This way, you conserve stamina and increase power. If you master this, your skills could improve at least two to three times.”

“Th-thank you for your guidance, senior!!”

“You’re welcome.”

Somehow, while others fought for their lives, these two were not only relaxed but also in high spirits.

It felt more like a swordsmanship training ground than a prison battlefield against magical beasts.

Ihan and Yord.

The senior and junior were engaging in camaraderie that didn’t match the situation.

“Even here you’re acting like this, you training-obsessed lunatics…”

Jake shook his head in disbelief while diligently killing worms.

It wasn’t enough to just remove their heads; they had to be thoroughly crushed.

These creatures might look like a mix between earthworms and mealworms, but they were fundamentally magical beasts.

This meant they had extraordinary regenerative abilities, and if not killed properly…

“Aaaaargh!!”

That would be the result.

One prisoner was being devoured by the worms.

While it was a pitiful and cruel sight, Jake felt no sympathy for the prisoner.

After all…

‘He’s a bandit I saw on wanted posters.’

A prisoner who had plundered villages and even killed children.

Why sympathize with the death of such a person?

If anything, being killed by magical beasts was too good for someone like him.

‘They all fight well.’

Most prisoners sent to the tunnel were individuals with strong combat abilities.

This meant they were difficult for ordinary soldiers to handle, so they were made to fight magical beasts.

If the worms died, they would eat the worm corpses and produce fertilizer, and if people died, the worms would eat their corpses and produce fertilizer.

Literally an endless hell of suffering where either outcome was acceptable.

‘Nothing is as cruel as humans.’

Jake Farman was disgusted by the cruelty of humans who created such a hell.

‘Why, why are they all fighting so well…?’

Meanwhile, Aren could only stare wide-eyed at the three people slaughtering worms in front of him.

While he had barely managed to eliminate twenty, they had already instantly destroyed over a hundred worms.

‘This cannot be…!’

Aren unconsciously clenched his fists.

He could fully understand why that “monster” fought well.

After all, he was the one who had single-handedly defeated over a hundred knights, so he wouldn’t lose to mere Mini Worms, not even fully grown Sand Worms.

But what about the other two?

Jake and Yord.

These two knights with unfamiliar names were subduing the worms with extraordinary movements, though not as overwhelmingly as the monster.

They were strong.

At least much stronger than the knights of the 1st Knight Order…

‘Even with m-martial arts sealed.’

Everyone imprisoned in the tunnel was forced to consume poison, which didn’t harm the body but contained ingredients that prevented the use of martial arts or magic.

Because of this, even knights were reduced to a level below ordinary soldiers.

Having martial arts forbidden was like binding a knight’s limbs.

…Yet they were strong.

Unbelievably so.

Clench…

“…damn it!”

Aren, born as royalty who had never uttered nor had reason to utter vulgar language, somehow let a profanity slip out.

The fact that he was such a weak human…

…infuriated him beyond measure.

* * *

The worm attacks occurred a total of five consecutive times in one day.

They didn’t discriminate by time.

Proving themselves to be magical beasts driven purely by instinct, they appeared whenever hungry and attacked humans.

Whether evening or dawn, they attacked prisoners indiscriminately, and each time, those who reacted slowly died in droves.

There was no time to rest, and it felt like an execution ground with an invisible guillotine constantly hovering nearby.

It was clear why the tunnel was described as an endless hell.

However.

“Fortunately, these worms are relatively weak.”

“…Weak, you say?”

“Huh?”

“…I said, are they weak?”

“…I’m giving up on correcting your speech.”

Ihan felt like smacking the back of his head but decided it wasn’t worth the energy, shaking his head as he spoke.

“Sand Worms that live in desert regions are enormously large and fierce. They’re also very strong. Being born in the harsh desert environment probably makes them stronger.”

“Then the Sand Worms we caught today…”

“Are weak specimens. You might call it selective breeding? Going through that process and adapting to the southern continent has made them much smaller and weaker.”

“……”

“Have you never actually seen a Sand Worm before?”

“I-I’ve only read about them in records…”

“Hmm, is that so? That’s possible.”

“D-don’t look at me with those contemptuous eyes!”

“…What’s this idiot saying?”

Smack!

Aren suddenly lunged at Ihan like he was having a fit, only to be knocked down by Ihan’s fist.

“I barely hit him…”

“He must be exhausted.”

“From doing what?”

“…He must be tired in his own way.”

Jake offered a defense that wasn’t really a defense.

Perhaps out of respect for royalty?

“This is why pampered young masters are hopeless.”

But even that seemed to displease Ihan, who clicked his tongue.

He had brought him along for some mental training, but to think he’d be this useless…

“Still, his talent is real. He fought like that even without martial arts, didn’t he?”

“You two could do it too.”

“That’s because you’ve been teaching us for days before this mission, senior Ihan.”

Jake and Yord had been trained by Ihan to fight without martial arts until the mission approached.

It was an uncharacteristic consideration, but he showed a certain attentiveness to friends and juniors he liked.

But Aren was different.

Ihan hadn’t shown him any consideration; he had just been dragged along.

And for a knight to fight without martial arts was not only unfamiliar but felt like having a limb restrained.

If other knights were placed in this situation, they likely wouldn’t have endured at all.

In other words, Aren’s talent wasn’t bad.

Well, even if his talent wasn’t bad, the situation itself was certainly not easy, and it really seemed like he had been brought along just to be tormented…

“Torment? Do I look like I have nothing better to do?”

“Then is this ‘mental education’ thing real?”

“It’s discipline, that’s all.”

Why did Ihan bring this useless guy all the way to the tunnel?

This guy never apologized to him, which was annoying, and moreover…

“A royal being used by others, it’s ridiculous.”

Ihan was thoroughly displeased that a royal was being manipulated by his own subordinates.

So he intended to pull out those rotten roots.

To teach him a lesson.

To Ihan’s statement:

“……”

“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…No, you seem kinder than I expected.”

“What?”

“…It’s hard to believe you’d be kind to someone just because they’re royalty. You’re not like me, who respects royalty.”

“……”

“You’re not the type to show such kindness…”

“……”

“Ihan?”

“…Ahem.”

He turned his gaze away instead of answering.

* * *

‘…This is unlike me.’

Though he didn’t want to admit it, Ihan had to acknowledge that he was “going out of his way to suffer.”

Why?

‘…Pity?’

Yes, now that he realized it, he seemed to be “pitying” this incompetent 8th prince.

The reason for his pity?

‘A sucker who doesn’t even realize he’s being used…’

Yes, looking at him reminds me of a past sucker… my past life.

When I had just been commissioned as a sergeant.

Not realizing I was being used by others, thinking that just working hard was enough.

That’s why he feels sorry for him.

Seeing someone with better birth and talent than himself living so pathetically.

It’s tremendous meddling, and there’s no need for it, true.

Still.

‘Who knows, it might become meaningful.’

If someone had told his past self, “Hey, you sucker! Wake up!” and given him some harsh words, who knows how his life might have turned out.

In a way, it’s vicarious satisfaction.

Wondering how much this sucker would change if told “You really are a sucker.”

‘Is this why people play those raising simulation games?’

To see an alternate “if” life different from their own.

‘…I’m an idiot too.’

Ihan gave a bitter smile, feeling some self-loathing for doing this.

But fortunately:

Knock knock.

“…You’re here.”

[In-instructor. I brought the antidote and food.]

With the appearance of his collaborator, Ihan could momentarily shake off unnecessary thoughts.

It was the arrival of Taechang, who somehow possessed the skill to become invisible, and Ihan scolded him for being late despite having such a convenient skill.

“Why are you so late?”

[I-I struggled too. I practically filmed a solo infiltration movie…]

“So many excuses.”

[It’s true…]

Derrick felt wronged.

*

*

*

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong, Max?”

“…Hmm, I sense a familiar presence.”

“Presence?”

“Yes, something like that. Anyway, let’s eat quickly. Didn’t you say today’s schedule is busy?”

“Ah, I understand…”

The man nodded awkwardly at the words of a man who could be described as a giant.

A man whose size alone was intimidating.

However, he had a peculiar combination of a hearty impression and somewhat naive appearance.

His name was:

“Haha, so, is it true that a priest is coming to today’s service?”

“Don’t worry. When he heard there was such an enthusiastic believer like Max, he said he wanted to meet you personally.”

“That’s wonderful!”

– Maximus Iron de Lionel.

The knight known as the Black Lion of the North.