Silas had no idea what the best time would be to visit the woman trapped beneath the castle. He figured there probably wouldn't be many people around early in the morning.
It was just a guess—a risk he was willing to take. At least this way, he was sure no one would be around to see him using the secret passage. After all, he was the only one with the key to the basement.
The streets of New Castle were quieter than usual due to the early hour. Only a few humble workers and city guards were out and about.
A handful of adventurers were awake as well, but they were heading out of the city, likely off to complete quests and earn some coin.
Silas, on the other hand, stepped into his shop and locked the door behind him to make sure no one would enter while he was inside. Then he made his way down to the basement, locking that door as well.
Downstairs, he walked over to the hidden passage. He held an empty bucket in one hand, a torch in the other, and had a knife strapped to his waist.
He opened the secret entrance and made his way down the tunnel, eventually reaching the mysterious door that led beneath the castle.
The moment he opened it, he saw the dragon-girl. She was still there, bound by the magical chains.
Silas waited for her to notice him. Once she gave him a slight nod, he knew it was safe to step inside. He walked closer.
"You're back early," the girl said with a smirk. "So eager to visit a beautiful woman in chains?"
That caught him completely off guard. "Of course not. I'm just… curious about that dragon bloodline thing you mentioned. How does it work?"
"You'll cut my arm, fill that bucket with my blood, and then drink it. Pretty simple," she explained, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Silas grimaced. The idea sounded… unpleasant, to say the least. "Won't someone notice you've been bleeding?"
"No. I heal fast, don't worry about me. Just… make sure you don't spill a single drop on the floor."
He did exactly as she instructed. Silas positioned the bucket and then cut her arm. Blood started dripping from the wound. It was a slow process to fill the bucket, but the girl assured him no one was going to show up any time soon.
"The nobles from the castle aren't exactly morning people. They won't be down here until after lunch—at the earliest."
"Yeah… that definitely sounds like nobles," Silas muttered.
Silas sat down on the floor while he waited, passing the time by asking her more questions to better understand how things were going to work.
"You can expect this bloodline to improve your physical abilities," the dragon girl explained. "And maybe… you'll be able to use some dragon-type magic. But proper magic? No. Not until you fix your mana core."
That alone was enough to get Silas excited. It would take him quite a while to save up enough money to buy an item that could repair his mana core. So having another way to become stronger—strong enough to fight against mages and magical creatures—was exactly what he needed.
"Should I be careful when using this dragon magic?" Silas asked. "I mean… is there a risk someone will figure out I have a dragon bloodline?"
"Not really," she replied. "Hardly any humans in history have ever managed to obtain a dragon bloodline. It's not something people would even think to suspect. They'll just assume you're using some kind of rare magic. Nothing more."
It was honestly great that the dragon girl was so willing to answer his questions. She desperately wanted to get out of this place, and she saw Silas as her ticket to freedom. In other words, she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he succeeded in getting her out of this dungeon.
"When will I start feeling the changes?" Silas asked.
"Probably within a day, at most. But it'll be gradual. You're not going to suddenly become super strong overnight. It actually takes years for the bloodline to fully mature. But don't worry—time is something you've got plenty of now. This bloodline has granted you a very long lifespan."
Silas couldn't hide how excited he was to finally start feeling the benefits of having such a legendary bloodline.
Of course, there was still something bothering him—the fact that he'd have to drink dragon blood. But the dragon girl assured him it wouldn't actually taste like blood. In fact, it wouldn't taste bad at all.
They kept talking for a while longer, waiting until the bucket was filled with enough blood. Once it was done, the dragon girl activated her healing ability, closing the wound in less than a second.
Silas then made sure to clean everything up. Any trace of blood left on the floor would be a dead giveaway that someone had been there. He couldn't risk anyone finding out he'd used the secret passage.
To wipe it up, he had to sacrifice a piece of his own clothing. Luckily, there wasn't much to clean. He could wash it later.
"Well… I guess this is a temporary goodbye," Silas said. "I'll come back if I have questions about the bloodline. And like I promised… I'll figure out a way to get you out of here."
"I'm counting on you…" she replied.
The way she said it caught him off guard. She wasn't just asking—she was pleading for him to save her. Silas had no idea when that would be possible, but one thing was for sure: when the opportunity came, he would rescue her.
After that, he left. Silas stopped near the entrance to the secret tunnel and set the bucket of blood down. As much as he didn't like the idea, he needed to drink it—and doing that inside his shop would've been way too weird.
Here, hidden inside the tunnel, at least no one would see him.
So, he sat down, picked up the bucket, and started drinking. The first few gulps were disgusting, but the moment the liquid hit his tongue, Silas realized something surprising—it didn't taste bad. Actually… it was kind of good.
It tasted like strawberry juice or something similar. Sweet, almost fruity. And as he drank, a strange warmth spread through his body, something impossible to put into words.
Obviously, he couldn't down the whole thing in one go. He had to stop several times, taking it slow, but eventually he finished the entire bucket.
Nothing happened at first.
"Well… guess now I just have to wait and see what happens," Silas thought.
He placed the empty bucket in a corner of the tunnel and left. After closing the tunnel behind him, he opened his shop. The workers—and Thomas—would be arriving soon.