Power of Runes

Ash finally understood the source of the unease that had been gnawing at him since the moment he entered the Land of Forge. The mind demon was somehow attempting to control him, but failing. That lingering attempt, that constant invisible pressure, was the reason the discomfort never went away.

He was certain that both he and Snow were unaffected by whatever method the demon was using to control the crowd. The various effects of his runes must have been shielding them.

That explained why his instincts had been blaring warning sirens in his head from the start, why there had been a constant weight on his chest, and why he felt far more at ease within his own soul space.

Does that mean he is watching me right now? Didn't the old man say 'He's everywhere' before dying? Was this what he meant?

Ash didn't know what to do. His knowledge of the world—and of the novel's events—was failing him. Never had he read about any Demonic Heart appearing in the Elven Continent, nor had there been any mention of a mind-controlling demon in dwarven territory.

Yes, there was a mind-controlling demon he knew of—one of the Seven Overlord Demons, Lilith, who always stayed close to the Demon Prince. She was terrifying indeed, but she was not as omnipresent as whatever he was feeling now.

But what are the chances…? Maybe it is that enchantress. She could just be trying to play mind games with me, to make me feel despair and force me to give up…

Isn't she quite skilled at that?

There was also a chance that this was not Lilith at all, but someone else entirely. If that was the case, then he had no idea how to deal with them. Still, after his earlier interaction with the dwarf soldier, he was at least sixty percent certain that…

Not all of them are under control…

Because if Ash were the demon, and a person immune to his mind control walked into his territory, the very first thing he would do is eliminate that person. Even in the novel, Lilith had gone after Ray the moment she realized he was free from her charm.

There was another reason for his conclusion. If everyone was under control, then there was no reason to throw him into a prison cell. The demon could have simply commanded the entire city to attack him at once, and Ash would have been killed—at least, according to the demon's logic.

But nothing like that had happened. Which meant not everyone was under control. Still… he was missing something.

He was lacking information.

And there was only one way to obtain it.

More experiments…

There was no other choice. If Ash wanted answers, he would have to find a way to save someone from the demon's control without them dying in the process—something that could only be achieved through repeated trial and error.

That was exactly what he set out to do. Removing his cuffs, he moved to another cell. This time, he used Snow's X-ray vision to examine the dwarf inside. Yet even through that, nothing unusual was visible. Having no other option, Ash decided to infuse life mana directly into the dwarf's skull, as it was always the head that exploded.

He also activated a noise-cancelling artifact, just in case.

The moment the mana flowed into the brain, the reaction was the same. Terror filled the dwarf's eyes, his pale face trembling as he stared at Ash. His voice shook with pure fear.

"He's everywhere...Die, everyone will die, there is no escaping it… he knows about you, you will die, everyone will die… run, run, run…..Central City...run.."

This time, however, the dwarf survived a little longer before his heart suddenly burst apart instead.

Even so, Ash had gained something valuable from the attempt.

So… he knows about me. And Central City? Is the demon really that far away? How can such long-distance control even exist…?

Wait…?

Ash's eyes widened as a chilling possibility formed in his mind.

Don't tell me… it's a mind-controlling monster or something? Something that links and controls all the hosts at once…

The thought was disturbing to say the least, but for now, it was nothing more than a possibility. That only made him more serious. He had studied about creatures known as Mind Flayers before—dangerous beings capable of controlling multiple individuals without much effort. The only way to kill one was to destroy its main consciousness.

...But still at the end it was only a possibility.

I will try asking the people this time…

Ash decided to change his approach. This time, instead of only observing, he would infuse life mana into criminals and immediately question them before they could say anything else.

And that was what he did. Unfortunately, his luck was poor. Some of the prisoners died before even uttering a single word, while those who tried to answer were already too late—their bodies failed before the words could leave their mouths. All in all, he gained no new information.

But it was not as if there was no progress at all. After thirty people had died in the prison area where he was being held, Ash reached a conclusion.

It's not mind control…

Yes, he was now certain of it. Mind control involved things like memory wiping, hypnosis, and manipulation. But even when Ash directed life mana toward their hearts, he could feel that demonic—or perhaps even more sinister—presence inside them just moments before either the heart or brain exploded.

This meant there was something physically inside the bodies of these people, like a parasite or insect, responsible for their deaths. Yet even with that conclusion, Ash had still not been able to locate this parasite, much less find a cure for it.

Still, it pointed him toward a possible method by which the dreadful demon was controlling its victims.

Either the food source or the water…

Mainly water, I think… after all, the water source in a city is never just one. There are at least two, three or more, and it seems that at least one of them is tainted with whatever is controlling the dwarves… it would also explain why that old dwarf was under control as well…

The prisoners' water supply—Ash had no doubt this was where the parasites were coming from, clinging inside the bodies of the dwarves.

But still, it doesn't make sense. I haven't drunk any water from this city, so why was I feeling the unease from the start? Was it not because the demon was trying to control me? Or was it simply my senses warning me of the danger…?

Ash no longer knew what to believe and what to discard. Being a paranoid overthinker often led to tangled thoughts and contradictions, and this was one of those moments where every path of reasoning seemed to split in two. Choosing which one to trust felt impossible.

Before his thoughts could spiral further into that maze, the sound of footsteps returned, heavier and more numerous than before. This time, it was not just one person approaching, but several.

Ash was somewhat relieved that the prison cells were designed like solid doors with only a small barred opening to see through, of course at the height of dwarfs, which meant that the view inside was limited.

Even so, to be safe and avoid the risk of anyone noticing the metallic scent of blood in the air, he swiftly gathered all traces—the blood splatters and even the corpse—into a spare space ring, and stored it in his soul space.

Once the evidence was gone, he calmly made his way back to his own cell as if nothing had happened. Snow had already retreated into his soul space, hidden from view. Within minutes, the footsteps halted right in front of his cell.

Seeing the familiar face, Ash felt little better.

"Long time no see, Dwarf Captain," Ash said in a steady voice. "Can you help me get out of here? You know, right? I was only here to deliver the item, not to kill anyone. I'm certain someone is framing me."

The Dwarf Captain gave a firm nod. "I know you weren't here to kill anyone. That's why I hurried over as soon as I heard the accusation. But I cannot simply take you out of the prison, Ash. You might not know, or perhaps you do, but we dwarves do not take the death of even one of our own lightly. The same way we do not forget such losses, we also do not forget favors."

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone firm but without hostility. "What I can do is get you out of the continent. I've already seen the camera footage. It was clear that you were trying to help the old man, but then he suddenly died. However, I cannot take you to the Central city with me. You will have to give the item to me instead, and that is the only way I can guarantee your safety."

As soon as his words were finished, the cell door clicked open. The Dwarf Captain stepped back, his movements calm, while the soldiers who had accompanied him stayed alert but still stepped back, as if asking Ash to come outside.

From what Ash could sense, the Captain's strength was at the Grandmaster level, while the others were either Masters or Experts.

Ash knew that in a direct confrontation, he stood no chance against a Grandmaster—at least, not yet. Still, he was not naive enough to think that the Dwarf Captain was acting purely out of kindness.

There was always the possibility that these pleasant words were meant to lower his guard, to coax him into handing over the item. After that, his fate could easily take a turn he could not predict.

I won't fall for it… but maybe I can use this to get information…

That thought settled firmly in his mind. If there was an opportunity hidden in this situation, he would have to twist it to his advantage.

"Can you remove these cuffs?" Ash asked as he stepped forward, out of the shadows of the cell.

"Sure." The Dwarf Captain gave a small smile and easily unlocked the cuffs with a flick of his key. The ease with which he agreed made Ash wonder for a brief moment,

Was he actually being sincere about what he told me?

Even so, Ash kept his thoughts to himself and remained silent.

"Do you have any idea who the killer might be?" the Dwarf Captain asked, his expression turning serious, his eyes scanning Ash's face as though searching for a hint of deceit.

"Uh—ah… I have my suspicions," Ash replied, rubbing his wrists where the metal had pressed into his skin. "I believe it's some sort of demon. Though for now, it's still only a suspicion."

"I see." The Captain's response was brief, unreadable.

"Alright, give me the item, and I will allow you to leave immediately," the Dwarf Captain said, his voice carrying an edge of authority that left little room for argument.

Ash shook his head. "I can't. You might kill me after getting the item, and I'd rather not die ....this young, at least. First let me leave, then I'll give you the item."

The words had barely left his mouth before the atmosphere shifted. The soldiers surrounding them tightened their grips, weapons rising in unison to aim directly at him. A heavy, unusual tension settled in the air, pressing down on the space between them.

I knew it, damn bastards....

***