Can Sane Asylum be completed without freeing Fred?

[brian14]

To free Fred you must either kill two beholders, or solve the puzzle. Past the puzzle is a portcullis gate which opens when Fred is free. Is there any other way to get past this gate, if I want to get to the end quickly and do not care about Fred optional?

Or is it like Cervantes in "Two-toed Tobias" -- theoretically optional, but no way to get to the end without it?

[Rawrargh]

To free Fred you must either kill two beholders, or solve the puzzle. Past the puzzle is a portcullis gate which opens when Fred is free. Is there any other way to get past this gate, if I want to get to the end quickly and do not care about Fred optional?

Or is it like Cervantes in "Two-toed Tobias" -- theoretically optional, but no way to get to the end without it?

Gotta do one of the two.

The puzzle though has only 2 layouts and is fairly easy to memorize, I can solve one of the puzzles in 10-15 seconds and the other puzzle in around 20-30.