I Am Not The Duke's Evil Son
Chapter 32: Beast Frenzy

Chapter 32: Beast Frenzy

As sunset approached, Arthur wandered aimlessly through the castle. Upon finding an unguarded gap, he swiftly slipped into the dimly lit basement, a place filled with dark corridors. Grabbing a torch, he began searching for the secret door described in the novel.

After a full hour of being lost, he finally found his target—a hidden door that opened by pushing a specific part of the wall. Without hesitation, he entered a long tunnel leading outside the castle. This passage had been built as an escape route for important figures in the event of the castle falling into enemy hands. It was the very same tunnel that Arvan had used to escape in the novel.

The tunnel was exceedingly long and filled with insects. Water dripped from the ceiling, forming several shallow puddles along the way. From time to time, Arthur spotted a massive rat or a small mouse, as there were numerous burrows along the tunnel walls.

After traveling five miles, he reached the end of the tunnel where a stone-carved staircase led upwards. Setting the torch down, he slowly climbed until he reached the top.

With all his strength, he pushed against what felt like a lid, and with great difficulty managed to lift it. Cold, refreshing night air rushed into the suffocating tunnel. Arthur took a deep breath and sighed in relief. He then fully removed the lid—which turned out to be an extremely heavy square stone—and crawled out, finding himself in the familiar dark forest.

Quickly, he closed the tunnel and buried it under the soil. With a wave of his hand, he grew a web of roots and vines to cover the tunnel entrance, hiding it completely.

Without wasting time, he sprinted towards the location where he had planned to meet Otieno.

After another hour of searching, he found Otieno.

Without any pleasantries, Arthur ordered, "Give me the horse and return to the castle."

Otieno opened his mouth in surprise and hesitantly asked, "My lord, shouldn’t I accompany you? It’s dangerous to go alone."

Arthur smirked mockingly and said, "I’m stronger than you. You’d be of no help if we ran into danger."

Otieno froze for a moment. Arthur was right, thanks to the magical artifact in his possession, he could face any creature or person at the D-rank and even defend against attacks from the C-rank.

Reluctantly, Otieno handed over the horse and returned to the castle, dejected but filled with determination to become stronger so as not to be a burden next time.

Ignoring him entirely, Arthur mounted the horse and departed. After riding a safe distance away, he came to a halt. He then pulled out the wooden mask he had crafted and secured it to his face to hide his features. But he didn’t stop there—he also donned a black cloak that covered his head and body, giving him a mysterious and intimidating appearance, especially amidst the eeriness of the night.

Afterward, he pulled out the barrel filled with beast repellent and poured it over himself and his horse to ward off beasts during his journey.

Once he finished his preparations, he set off toward the part of the forest where he believed the elite soldiers were stationed. Though he didn’t know their exact location, he had a rough idea. After all, he was the one who had sent them there claiming that bandits were likely to be found in that area.

After two days of wandering through the forest, Arthur found signs of the elite soldiers: fresh horse tracks and remnants of a campsite from the night before. Carefully following the trail for a while, he eventually caught sight of them. To avoid being discovered, he maintained a safe distance and, once he determined the path they were taking, he quickly circled around to get ahead of them.

Utilizing the Logical Analysis skill, which had become even more effective, he analyzed their route and chose an ideal spot to set up his ambush.

’It seems they’re moving slowly. That’s good for me—beast attractant needs some time to take effect.’

Neigh!

Without any delay, he pulled out the first barrel of beast attractant. Feeling the sudden weight placed upon it, the horse neighed in panic. Quickly, Arthur grabbed the reins with his left hand and calmed the horse down. Despite the barrel’s heavy weight, he lifted it easily with one hand, thanks to reaching E-rank. Although E was the lowest rank in this world, anyone at that level was physically stronger than the strongest human on Earth.

Once the horse fully calmed down, Arthur guided it through the forest, pouring the attractant along the way.

After emptying a barrel, he stored it in Dimensional Storage and pulled out another. He continued wandering through the forest, spreading the beast attractant and occasionally sprinkling beast agitator to drive the creatures mad. He even spread a powerful hallucinogenic liquid in random spots. He wasn’t worried about its effects on himself, as he had already prepared an antidote beforehand.

...

Bark!

Whimper!

A wild dog suddenly burst out of the bushes and leapt toward Arthur, who was pouring the last of his beast attractant. Arthur quickly spun around and waved his hand, instantly creating a barrier of thorny vines that the dog slammed into, yelping in pain. Without giving it a chance to recover, Arthur raised his hand and formed a strong fist, causing thorny roots to wrap around the dog’s body and crush it to death.

"Phew," Arthur exhaled deeply and sighed.

"That was close. It seems the beast repellent isn’t one hundred percent effective. But what’s important is that the beast attractant is working."

This was the fifth beast that had attacked Arthur in the past hour. Had he not coated himself with beast repellent, he would have been attacked by dozens more, judging by the sheer number of creatures he had seen roaming about.

Due to the beast agitator, many creatures had lost their senses and attacked anything they encountered, making the forest extremely chaotic. Every so often, Arthur would come across a brutally torn-up corpse or stumble upon violent battles. At one point, he was even chased by a massive D-rank ape.

’I think that’s enough, right, buddy? We should find a good hiding spot now.’

Arthur patted the horse’s neck. After spending a few days together, he had gotten into the habit of talking to the animal to stave off loneliness.

’I guess I’m starting to understand how cowboys feel.’

He chuckled softly and patted the horse again. Then, taking a deep breath, he gazed determinedly at the sky. Estimating that he still had a few hours until sunset, he decided it was enough time to deal with his enemies.

Quickly, he found a relatively safe spot, tied up his horse, and surrounded it with a thick barrier of thorny vines and roots, forming a natural wall to shield it from any wandering beasts.