The fact that the Prison Master wanted to sit down and have a conversation was strange. The things he said were even stranger.
He spoke like an old grandpa who truly just wanted to have a conversation with his junior, going on about the things he'd experienced as the warden of the Eternal Sanctum.
However, Damien couldn't believe that a man like the Prison Master had this kind of side to him.
As everything else about him stated, he had lived for far too long and seen far too much to have emotions . His world had to be a dull grey color by now, highlighted only by his sacred duty.
There had to be a reason for his attitude, and as they continued their conversation, Damien did his best to find it.
"...the many challengers on the walls are not the only ones who have come. There have been those like you in the past, people who wanted to explore the sanctum out of nothing more than genuine curiosity," the Prison Master said.
"I have always entertained these kinds of guests. They are interesting prospects, children who have bright minds that will take them far. I have always wanted the sanctum to inspire them, but none of them ever bear the fruits of their efforts."
He looked at Damien with a slight smile.
"You are the only one who has left the sanctum with a different light in your eyes. I can see that you have truly grasped a principle present in its design and are willing to incorporate it into your strength."
He wasn't wrong. The concept of restriction was already important to Damien's Nonexistence fighting style.
Currently, his power manifested as a spider web that trapped his opponent before slitting their throat. In a lot of ways, his strategies resembled the concepts used to create the Eternal Sanctum.
He felt that if he took a few months to train using those concepts, he would be able to solidify his spiderweb and truly create an impenetrable cell for his enemies to die in. Still, what did that have to do with the Prison Master? Why was he bringing it up?
Damien didn't speak, but it didn't look like the Prison Master wanted him to. He was more than comfortable with rambling now that he had someone who was willing to listen to him.
"This land, the Land of the Forgotten, is a cruel place. It is a cruel place that raises many monsters, but none of them are able to escape their fates. The people who became strong without thinking about anything else always fail, whether that be here or on the coming islands. From my observations, the only ones who manage to succeed are those who maintain spirits like yours, people who truly put in effort to comprehend the Nothingness rather than treating it as a tool that will grow as long as one completes the trials."
"People like you are a hope that drives me. After guarding this sanctum for so long, I have been forced to find reasons to justify my continued tenure. In the end, perhaps it is only a sense of duty or a sense of justice, but I like to believe that I do it so that people like you have an environment where they can properly reach their potential and thrive."
The Prison Master's eyes contained a strange light as he looked at Damien.
"Still, there are people in this world who do not respect my ambitions. They are people who are willing to do anything to foster an environment where only they thrive while everyone else is forced into an eternal cycle of death. This prison was built to hold such people so that society can thrive. Guarding it is the only thing I can do to fight against the perpetrators of chaos."
Damien's eyes narrowed just slightly. He saw it in the gaze that was trained on him, but those words…
What was the tone he used to speak those words?
That was not the way he should have been speaking. That hint of sadness…
'No, it's not that. It's the hint of struggle.'
Damien's eyes went to the Prison Master's lips. They were sealed tightly when he didn't speak, and even when he opened his mouth he did it in such a way that Damien couldn't see within.
He sharpened his hearing and his scent. He tried to pick up traces of one specific thing, and he found them almost immediately.
His gaze returned to the eyes of the man who was still speaking even now.
Damien waved his hand, interrupting the Prison Master before he could continue.
"I am delighted to hear your stories and praise, but…"
He summoned a certain concoction along with two cups.
"...why don't we continue this conversation over a drink?"
The next time Damien was seen on the third island, he'd already left the Prison Master's manor. They didn't speak for much longer after that, as Damien had matters to urgently attend to.
'I hate when things go as I expected.'
The Prison Master was hiding the blood pooling in his mouth just so he could continue to speak. That alone was enough to confirm Damien's suspicions.
'To think that even the Prison Master was controlled. Whatever the instigator has planned, it's going to end with the extermination of everyone on this island.'
The Prison Master, with his unreasonable strength and mind, managed to grasp an opportunity against the parameters he'd been granted by the control skill that enslaved him. Those words could still be interpreted as his desire to speak to someone for the first time in a long time, so the owner of the skill wouldn't be suspicious.
However, he chose Damien as the person he wanted to ask for help.
'The Prison Master, the Dragon Lord, the Earth Temple Master… No, it's safe to say that all of the Temple Masters are under the enemy's control.'
If even the Prison Master was involved, then this was a plot that had been brewing for a very long time. Damien happened to appear at its climax, and somehow he'd attained himself a spot as one of its main characters.
'Dammit. I only have five days left. I need to find a real lead soon.'
There was only one place he could go if he wanted to be absolutely sure that he'd gain some kind of useful information.
'The Dragon Lord. Considering that the person who told me about his situation is currently being controlled, it's highly likely that the information about him was a lie.'
The Earth Temple Master was being used to get Damien to kill the Dragon Lord even if he had to risk his life for it.
'The Dragon Lord's death has to be a trigger of some kind.'
He needed to confirm. Once he had that piece, he would be able to see the whole puzzle. The only thing left would be to find the one putting it together.
'I don't have much time.'
In five days, the tournament would begin.
But, at the same time, it would take Damien at least four days to reach the Volcanic Spires where the Dragon Lord resided.
'It'll be on the wire.'
He was really cutting it close.
The only question was if he could win the race against the still-hidden mastermind behind everything.