I Became a Prison Officer of the First-Class Prisoners

[Chapter 10]

 

In the dark corridor, a pair of red eyes flashed quietly. The coldness that conveyed neither sympathy nor pity made my body stiffen.

My lips faltered as I tried to answer, and I soon realized I had nothing to say.

Deon had always been this kind of man. Teaching me how to breathe and crushing goblins thoroughly for his own benefit. He tried to give me a sense of shame like a lover by choking my neck or making me lie down on the bed. In fact, this man was the one who tried to act out the low-class behavior that could be heard around us.

I knew everything, but why should I feel sad about it again?

“Where are you going?”

Trying to change the subject quickly, I bit down hard on the lump in my mouth to prevent myself from crying. It would only be detrimental to me if I showed any signs of weakness. There was no one on my side here.

“Building C. Control room.”

However.

“To remove the shackles.”

At his words, the taut tension that had been pulled tight was suddenly released.

“….Sh-should we go to the control room?”

He must have noticed my sudden change of expression. He tilted his head and stared at me, smirking as if satisfied.

I had to admit it. I was thoroughly played by Deon’s hands.

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It was as easy as taking a walk to leave Building B. This place was a strictly enforced order of the law of the jungle. Most demons quietly avoided the sound of the footsteps of the top predator or showed interest but lowered their heads.

Kkiiing, kkiiing. A creature resembling a wolf howled and blocked Deon’s path, but he passed by without giving it a glance.

Deon’s only concern was me. Whether I would be attacked by other demons, whether I would die from vomiting without any strength left, things like that. I realized how deep a person’s revenge can be.

There is only one hope.

The place where he led me while dragging the shackles was the Building C control room.

Deon and I finally descended to the first floor through a hallway that resembled a poultry farm and opened a huge iron door that could have had a gatekeeper standing by. I closed my eyes tightly because of the intense light that flowed out between the doors. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a bright, unfamiliar sun and sky stretched before me. It felt like I was seeing the sun for the first time in my life, like a child who had just come out of a cave.

We were finally outside.

Feeling disoriented, I turned my head and saw the uninviting exterior of Building B. The massive prison resembled a box and lacked even a single window, making it more akin to a sculpture than a building. The oppressive building against the cloudless blue sky felt eerily out of place. The only giant double doors that were open were as ominous as a demon’s mouth.

The more I looked at it, the worse I felt.

Turning my head quickly, I followed Deon and a stone path leading to another building unfolded. It was undoubtedly made from the leftover granite to save as much budget as possible for Building B.

We walked along the red line between the uneven stone path, like walking through a thorny path. I had seen it in the original. This red line was a prisoner-only path. It was a means of distinguishing between officers and prisoners, and if prisoners stepped outside the red line, they would be immediately dragged to the correctional room for disobedience.

Lost in deep thought, I followed Deon as he crossed the boundary line with his bare feet firmly stepping on the red line, and walking on the ordinary stone path used by the prison officers.

I felt the eyes of some of the prisoners and demons who had escaped outside, but they all turned their heads after briefly glimpsing the towering man.

With Deon around, there shouldn’t be any danger here.

Of course, this man himself was dangerous.

Looking around quietly, all that could be seen were prisoners poking at the corpse of a dead officer or prisoners arguing with each other. 

They may have escaped from their cells but couldn’t escape the prison itself. It seemed that few could cross the massive wall visible in the distance on the horizon. The wall, installed to defend against giants, appeared to be roughly estimated to be over 30 meters tall, even from afar.

As we walked with our chains clanking, a huge building came into view not far away.

It wasn’t an old building that looked like a place to throw beasts into cages. In the smooth walls that looked like silver beads could roll down smoothly, there was a huge iron gate big enough for ten adults to enter side by side.

The iron gate was adorned with intricate carvings of Platanus tree and Robellia flowers, and a woman with her eyes covered, symbolizing the alliance between the Western Empire and the Southern Empire, was engraved on the wood that decorated the beautiful painting.

It’s a breathtaking sight.

In other words, it was also extravagant.

“Prison officer.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it the perfect building for you?”

Chuckle. He looked at the castle with a sneer, almost laughing.

“It looks like it’s about to collapse.”

With those words, Deon lifted his muscular legs and kicked the iron door as if breaking it. Then, with a massive roar, a jolt of energy surged through his body, causing sparks to fly out from various places. 

As always, it was impossible to gauge the limits of his strength. I cautiously gripped my neck and watched, he suddenly exploded a goblin’s head, and this time, he singlehandedly opened the massive gate, which was over 5 meters tall.

“What are you doing, walk.”

As the dirty man opened the ornate castle door, a luxurious corridor unfolded before Deon, who looked more alien and yet more natural than ever.

This place was Building C.

It was a place where nobles from the West Empire and the South Empire, who had committed heinous acts, were imprisoned.

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The pupils of my eyes widened. I was amazed.

If Building B was where the lower-class people gathered in the back alleys, Building C was where the aristocrats living at the pyramid’s apex resided. If Building B was a damp and poorly ventilated slum, then Building C had a clear sky where sunlight shone down.

As soon as I stepped into the castle, my feet sank into the soft and light feeling as if I were walking on clouds. The floor was covered with luxurious purple carpets, and roses and unknown flowers were embroidered with golden thread, creating a magnificent display.

Moreover, this place allowed sunlight to reach the prisoners.

White pillars lined up like a temple leading to outdoor gardens, and occasionally, when you looked up, chandeliers shimmered in the sunlight instead of spiderwebs. Murals depicting the history of the Southern and Western Empires were painted on the ceiling.

Since the prisoners were of noble status, the items donated by each family created a castle-like structure.

Yes, that’s exactly the setting for a romance fantasy novel.

I had never lived in a magnificent castle before, but I thought it would be more comfortable than a prison, with its overflowing civilization. The only remarkable thing in the hallway was the dark, middle-aged self-portraits with features reminiscent of ancient Greece hanging on the walls.

Lost in admiration of a golden-framed painting, I suddenly met the blue irises of the self-portrait’s eyes. Wait, did the irises just move?

I was so shocked that I froze in place, and Deon had to pull me along by the arm. It seemed like the portraits were installed to monitor the prisoners.

“It seems that the nobles come to the prison for relaxation.”

He seemed to share my thoughts. It was surprising. I thought he would be angry about the stark difference between Building B and Building C, but he turned his gaze away from the moving eye portrait without much thought.

Deon, who seemed to assess the situation quickly, stared straight ahead with a blank expression, like a predator wandering in its hunting grounds. It was a completely different feeling from me, who was looking around here and there.

Perhaps he thought it was natural. After all, Building C was the prison of the nobility. If Building C were as barren as Building B, it would be laughable that the noble prisoners wouldn’t have been much different from the common prisoners.

The hallway, where there should have been iron bars, was tightly closed with doors made of soft mahogany wood. It felt more like a dormitory than a prison, except for the locks that tightly secured the doors.

But why is it so quiet here?

After getting used to the luxurious interior of Building C, I realized that there was no sign of human activity in the well-maintained but artificial building.

It felt as if I had snuck into a well-made movie set.

Despite being nobles, they were still prisoners in the strict Dreys Prison. There should have been some noise in such a situation, but all I could hear was the sound of my leather boots with thick soles crushing the ground. Deon, who was still barefoot, walked without any indication of discomfort.

“…..Lady Lemony?”

Someone who sensed our presence lifted his head, hiding his hand that was fiddling with the lock. Lady Lemony. He knows my name. Seeing that he was using the titles that nobles use, it seemed that he was also from a noble background.

I racked my brain, recalling the original work, and thankfully the man greeted us first with proper etiquette.

“We are both from the same empire, but we only meet now. I am Jace, the son of Marquis Letri.”

Ah, I don’t know him.

I gave a slight smile and nodded my head in response.

Unlike the shabby prisoner uniform given out to prisoners in prison, the man had relatively clean hands and face and his well-styled hair was combed with a bit of mousse. His hair was a greasy butter color, and his gentle green eyes matched his unburned skin. His appearance exuded an aristocratic vibe here and there. It was a completely different feeling from Deon.

“May I ask what brought Lady Lemony here to Building C? The prison must be in chaos right now.”

He asked about my well-being before I could even say anything, as if he already knew what I was going to say.

“By the way, what is happening now? Will the prison return to normal? If the Empire knew this place was a mess, or even if Marquis Letri just knew it, he would have visited the prison right away. It’s really unfortunate.”

It seemed like a conversation between nobles at a party to anyone who saw it. He was clearly trying to be more friendly, knowing that I was a prison officer.

“…..I’m looking at the situation now.”

No matter how noble his origins were, he was a prisoner here like everyone else. If he was imprisoned in Dreys Prison, not even a prison in the Western Empire, then he must be a really crazy person.

Choosing a formal tone and trying to be friendly, it was clear that Jace was looking for someone who could be on his side.

He suppressed a nervous laugh as he watched me walking with Deon.

Jace looked at Deon with an unsettled gaze, as if he wanted to talk to me in some way.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve only heard about shinsu in stories. I thought they were dirty bastards who turned into beasts, but it seems like they’re not so bad after all…”

There was a moment of silence.

“….He looks fine. If he cleans himself up and dresses well, he could turn the high society upside down…..”

His muttered comments, staring at Deon as if possessed, abruptly stopped.

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Thank you for reading!