"Ughhh!!"
Vlad furrowed his brows, letting out an unconscious growl.
His right arm had swollen to the size of a full-grown man in an extremely disproportionate manner, covered in red fur with sharp claws extending from its five fingers that kept thrashing about, attempting to destroy everything around it.
Gunpowder wrapped both arms around the out-of-control limb, straining to restrain it. Beads of moisture dotted his forehead—whether sweat or leftover wash water was unclear.
When Dier entered the room, he immediately went to Vlad, who had collapsed on the floor, locking eyes with him intently.
"Hey, look at me. Stay calm."
He exerted his Hypnosis ability to its fullest, trying to calm Vlad down.
Out-of-control abilities were often triggered by emotional fluctuations in the Ability User. As long as the user's emotions stabilized, control could be regained.
But not this time.
"I am calm, but I can't control it."
Vlad gritted his teeth as sharp beast teeth grew in his mouth.
"Please, cut it off!
Don't let me hurt anyone else!"
His eyes were filled with pleading and panic. Though timid, he was kind-hearted.
"It's not time for that yet. Focus on your forehead,"
Dier pressed a hand against Vlad's head and advised,
"This mutation is most likely caused by the suture line. Your father wouldn't harm you. Feel it carefully and take control!"
Hearing this, Vlad closed his eyes, his face twitching as he endured the discomfort from his right arm while trying to sense the suture line on his forehead.
Dier and Boren shifted positions to help Gunpowder restrain the rampaging arm.
With the three of them working together, the arm soon stopped moving, completely immobilized.
Robin and the others from the next room rushed over upon hearing the commotion but were signaled by Dier to return.
Since the loss of control wasn't mental, Perona's Negative Hollows wouldn't be of any use.
The out-of-control arm was temporarily restrained, so there was no need for Robin and Hina to assist.
Rather than staying here, it was better for them to return next door to avoid being caught in any further outbursts from Vlad.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't occur. Three minutes later, the oversized right arm shrank back to normal.
Vlad, who had kept his eyes tightly shut, let out a long sigh of relief.
Dier also relaxed, though a spark of curiosity inevitably rose within him.
He asked,
"Is this power from the suture line?"
If so, then the barrel of ink in the secret chamber was of great importance.
As long as self-control could be achieved, this meant the potential for mass-producing super soldiers.
"Probably... I'm not entirely sure."
Vlad hung his head in shame.
"I vaguely sensed the suture line earlier. After touching it with my consciousness, everything returned to normal.
But I can't feel it now. I'm sorry—I'm so useless."
"No need to apologize. You're a prince—why are you always so meek?"
Dier lectured with frustration,
"Once we storm the palace and open the secret chamber, we'll know for sure."
"Now pack up. We're moving closer to the harbor first."
Without delay, the group of seven quickly gathered their belongings and went downstairs to check out.
Thanks to the excellent soundproofing, the innkeeper had no idea what had transpired in the room.
However, the monster arm had still overturned some furniture.
After paying 100,000 Belly in compensation, the innkeeper turned a blind eye to the mess left behind.
Dier bought a small mask for Perona along the way, and the group of seven "evil spirits" arrived at an inn near the harbor.
This inn was even more luxurious, and they booked two adjacent rooms as usual.
Robin and Hina took Perona out shopping to buy some clothes.
The latter's outfits were all from two years ago—not only tattered but also ill-fitting.
To ensure the safety of the three women, Dier assigned Gunpowder and Boren to accompany them, doubling as the payment handlers.
Dier and Vlad stayed behind at the inn to continue their control operations.
Today's main targets were the Kappa Army and the Bloodline Army.
The former was the strongest in combat, while the latter guarded the royal palace.
Thanks to a certain undead constable's connections, Dier successfully summoned a Bloodline Army soldier on leave.
The moment this soldier saw Vlad, his face lit up with ecstasy—before he immediately turned and fled.
Dier had no choice but to subdue him before beginning the control process.
From his mouth, Dier also learned a piece of news:
Tia had already subdued most of the Bloodline Army.
It was nearly impossible to rally a force from within their ranks.
Bad news, but unimportant.
Dier paid it no mind, simply ordering the soldier to bring others to him.
Perona's ability was a team-fight trump card, comparable to Conqueror's Haki.
Untouchable in battle, and a single hit meant a brief hard crowd-control effect.
He planned to spend some time infiltrating the Bloodline Army and the Kappa Army.
Then, he would have a captain from the Bloodline Army lead a detachment away from the capital on a "mission."
After that, Vlad would wave his hand and rally part of the Kappa Army to storm the palace.
Meanwhile, Dier would provide long-range support with his secret weapon, Perona.
With that, their grand scheme would succeed.
Of course, things would be even simpler if they could lure Tia out alone.
Unfortunately, Tia seemed to be afraid of something—he hadn't stepped out of the palace even once during this period.
Not even for a bath without a group of Bloodline Army soldiers watching over him.
"He's probably afraid of you, isn't he?"
"Ah, me?"
Vlad frantically waved his hands, panicking:
"Don't joke around, boss! I'm just a weak prince—why would he fear me?"
Dier didn't respond, merely staring at the suture line on Vlad's forehead in thought.
If Vlad could use the suture line to mutate his right arm into a monster arm, then the old King certainly could—perhaps even stronger.
Like full-body monster transformation.
That was why, after the old King's death, Tia—who had already subdued most of the Bloodline Army—dared to rebel.
Now, he was still terrified that Vlad might fully transform and infiltrate the palace for an assassination.
Hence the constant guards.
Thinking this, Dier grew even more curious about that barrel of ink.
But haste makes waste—storming the palace would have to wait a few more days.
He stepped forward and patted Vlad's shoulder.
"Let's go, time for a feast."
It was evening, the perfect time for dinner.
They chose the most luxurious restaurant in town.
In this world, big eaters were everywhere, so restaurants didn't serve a single leaf on a plate at exorbitant prices.
As long as the money was right, the food served was not only delicious but also generous in portion.
The scene at the dining table wasn't particularly lively.
At the round table, Dier occupied the head seat, his mouth constantly chewing as he devoured food—sometimes even swallowing a plate or two.
In contrast, the three women ate far more gracefully.
Except for Perona.
She had never seen so much delicious food before and wanted to try a bite of everything.
But most dishes only got a couple of bites.
After all, she was only five years old and couldn't eat too much.
Once her stomach was full, she clung to Robin with her teddy bear in her arms, begging for a story.
A scary one.
After exploring the island all day, she finally realized that the monsters were just people in costumes, which made her curious about their true origins.
Robin didn't have a big appetite either, so she picked up a storybook and sat close to Perona, beginning to tell the tale of vampires.
Ghost Island had no shortage of such stories.
As she spoke, Hina inched closer too—terrified, yet unable to resist listening.
Meanwhile, Gunpowder and the other two quickly finished their meals.
Seeing that Dier showed no signs of stopping, they decided to pass the time with something else.
Boren smoothly pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket.
"How about a round of poker?"
—"No cheating the poor, though. Feel free to raise the stakes."
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