I Became a Prison Officer of the First-Class Prisoners

[ Chapter 11 ]

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever said I’m going to a social gathering or anything.”

Everything happened in an instant. Jace’s face, which had been filled with admiration, suddenly turned pale, and a wheezing sound escaped from his throat.

“Is treating living beings as objects a trait of human aristocrats?”

Huk. Kugh. He convulsed in agony and floated in the air like a fish that had surfaced. His neck was constricted by Deon’s grip, and his shoulders and torso were turning a dark shade of red as blood rushed to his head.

“Le-Lemony. Lemo…”

“Why call this woman? She’s a noble, so you should call your servant.”

As Deon, who cut off the waist of the man’s words, tilted his head slowly, a slight weariness could be felt in his sharpened gaze.

No emotion arose from the man who was currently leading the situation.

That’s right.

“Is this how the human tribe usually is?”

Deon felt animosity toward human beings.

As he released his grip, the man fell to the ground like an object.

Without a single glance at the unconscious man, he quickly turned his head and headed toward the stairs. I followed him, my footsteps hastened by the shackles on my right hand.

Perhaps due to the height difference, our walking pace was significantly different even though we were walking at the same speed.

“….that person is strange. Don’t worry about him.”

Though I was being dragged along and urgently trying to speak, Deon pretended not to hear.

“Surely, there are people who feel a sense of human compassion toward you.”

However, he stopped at the following words.

I wonder if his anger has subsided a little. I raised my head with a glimmer of hope, but as soon as I did, I felt my breath catch and my whole body stiffen.

It felt like the temperature around me had dropped below freezing. When I regained my senses, I found myself being stared down by the angry, bloodshot eyes that seemed to be overflowing with rage.

“It’s called compassion.”

I crossed the line.

His expression said it all. It was then that I realized once again that I was Lemony. I struggled to breathe as I exhaled. It was a remark that came from the reader’s perspective, but from Deon’s perspective, the words could be seen as mockery, coming from the prison officer who had been harassing him for five years.

“I-I just meant to quietly go to the control room.”

I managed to squeeze my voice out despite swallowing my saliva.

“I’m sorry.”

It was pointless. As long as I was trapped in Lemony’s body, I could only feel hatred and contempt for that man. I bit my lower lip firmly and stared at the unnecessarily opulent carpet, but the low sound ringing in my ears gave me goosebumps.

“You know it well.”

I felt his face hovering toward me, and I shut my eyes tight in fear and intimidation coming from his strong physique. Suddenly, there was a clanking sound from his right hand.

“If you know, then move.”

1st floor. 2nd floor. 3rd floor.

In the suffocating silence, only the two pairs of footsteps echoed awkwardly. I felt my shoulders shrink under his sharp gaze, but with each floor we ascended, I felt a little lighter.

If we reached the control room, maybe, just maybe, I could escape from Deon.

“…..shall I open it?”

And now we had arrived on the 4th floor.

I cautiously asked for permission in front of the control room.

Between the two doors firmly sealed by metal, the words “Control Rower” were written in the language of the Rismald Continent. In my state of being trapped in Lemony’s body, the letters naturally appeared legible to me.

Perhaps she was a noble who knew both the Western and the Imperial language, and that information was naturally acquired by me.

Still staring at the room in silence in response to my question, he surprisingly nodded his head lightly.

Knock.

Now, if I just opened this door, I could meet the people who would sympathize with me and protect me. I felt a tightening in my stomach at the excitement and nervousness of meeting new people. Feeling the gradually increasing sound of my heartbeat, I opened the door slowly with a knock.

But the first thing that caught my eye was the grotesquely twisted arm of a man.

…The prison officers were dead.

◆

When a person is too shocked, their thought process stops.

At first, I thought the door was just thick and heavy. But as I pushed with all my strength, I quickly realized the reason for the weight of the door.

The man’s arm was grotesquely twisted between the open door, making a painful sound. I could see something white poking out between the leather of his opposite arm’s skin as it turned around. Realizing it was the bone at the elbow, my whole body stiffened with horror.

I took a few more steps inside until the door to the control room closed behind me. I looked around with unfocused eyes.

There was a woman with a broken neck and a dead man with his legs torn off. A corpse lay slumped over the armrest of a sofa like a mutilated animal.

If they had one thing in common, it was that they all tried to resist with weapons. Among the debris, scattered as a storm had swept through, were guns and long swords abandoned by their owners.

Fortunately, no one appeared to be Day or Yvonne, but the only people alive here were me and Deon.

And blood. Bloodstains spread out in a cobweb pattern like a spilled can of red paint on the floor.

“It’s already been stolen.”

A brief comment suddenly popped into the static silence. He checked the confirmation of the kill with an emotionless gaze, then wandered around as if he knew the place well, and finally rummaged through a drawer.

But I didn’t notice him.

I just happened to turn my gaze and saw the back door covered in blood. Starting from the inside doorknob, the bloodstains extended all the way to the floor, as if a giant monster like an orc had grabbed and dragged someone’s foot.

My heart pounded fiercely.

My rational mind refused to accept the unbelievable sight, but my already frightened body was trembling.

“No, no, no…”

It’s not over yet. I haven’t found Yvonne and Day yet.

“Follow me.” 

I felt like I was possessed. I had to make sure that there was a ray of hope in this hell. Deon obediently followed after picking up something from the drawers without permission.

It seemed like I was possessed by something. I had to confirm that there was a glimmer of hope in this hell. Deon obediently followed after picking up something from the drawers without permission.

But regardless of that, I opened the door with bloodstained doorknobs.

According to the original, this place was composed of three rooms. One is the living room where we are now. The second is Yvonne’s personal office, used as the control room for Building C. The third is an emergency exit that goes directly from the 4th floor to the 1st floor.

“There’s no body of Yvonne yet. So not everyone is dead.”

I had to hypnotize myself.

That there is still a possibility. That there is still a corner where I can live. That this fear of dying at any moment will soon come to an end.

“Lemony, Lemony?”

“Yvo-Yvonne…?”

But when I opened the door, the only thing I saw was Yvonne, pale and trembling.

“Thank goodness, you came from the 7th floor, right? What about the others? Have you seen anyone else?”

The trembling Yvonne grabbed my shoulder abnormally.

“What does that mean? He told me to come up to the 4th floor…”

“So are the others all dead!”

Fear permeated her eyes as she grabbed my shoulder roughly and screamed with a hint of horror. Her gaze then shifted slightly past my shoulder, and it was clear that she had seen our dead colleagues.

It was only then that she came to her senses, swallowing her dry saliva and taking my hand to walk away.

“If we leave now, we can survive.”

“What?”

“This prison is insane. It’s not a place where prisoners or officers can survive. Lemony, let’s run away quickly. If we go to where the prisoners are, instead of us, the prisoners…..”

However.

“Yvonne.”

In an instant, Yvonne’s wandering gaze suddenly sharpened.

“…Yvonne…”

Something felt off. As I forcefully shook off her grip on my shoulder and took a step back, I felt Deon’s solid body like a boulder behind me.

“….Kha, keuak.…Khaak… C-crazy….”

He just stood there without any reaction, watching Yvonne go crazy.

Soon, Yvonne’s abnormally distorted pupils quickly moved upwards, and her right arm bent unnaturally, and her legs twisted into an X-shape before she collapsed to the ground.

Finally, he pushed me slightly and walked out, then kicked Yvonne’s body with no reaction.

“They’re all dead.”

He slowly nodded his head and turned toward me. The words spoken by the man over 190 cm were not just a monologue but a message directed at me.

◆

Everyone’s dead. Ah, they’re all dead.

“It’s a bit anticlimactic, to be honest. I was curious how you, who were trembling with fear, would change if we went to where your colleagues were.”

I was the only one who survived among the corpses. The original story changed. It’s probably because of me.

“…whether you will turn back into that crazy bitch, or regain your senses and behave submissively toward me.”

The person approaching me chuckled softly. Even though my face was blank from shock, Deon, who was staring at me intently, put something he had been holding in his hand into his mouth. I could feel the sound of liquid being swallowed in the distance, but that wasn’t the issue.

“Officer. Give some damn orders.”

I’m the only one who survived.

“Come on, I could listen like a dog.”

Everyone is dead now. The only thing left for me is to die.

“Quickly.”

Deon’s cold voice became more and more distant, as if shrouded in mist. My heart plummeted to the bottom of my feet.

I felt my fingers and toes go numb from the lack of blood flow. An overwhelming sense of terror that sensed death began to dominate me.

“….Fuck, how did I get here…… how did I, I…”

Suddenly, my vision was plunged into darkness by a black shadow. I could sense him approaching me, but the overwhelming sense of loneliness and fear of being the only survivor left me paralyzed with a dizzying sensation of jumping from the sky.

What will become of me now?

I don’t know when I will be killed by the prisoner who hates and loathes me, and how long I can maintain this survival. What happens after I survive? And if I manage to escape? How will I travel to the Empire after escaping? And then what? Will Deon keep chasing after me?

That’s when it hit me.

Wait a minute. Lemony can’t feel pain.

A faint reflection flashed in my pupils, which had lost focus due to the tempting voice that had briefly distracted me.

Yeah. I’d rather die.

If I die, maybe I’ll return to my original body. Even if I just died without going back, it wasn’t a life that I wanted anyone to see anyway. Perhaps this could be a blessing sent down from the heavens.

“Lemony.”

At that moment, my outstretched wrist was roughly pulled by someone.

“I have no last words…”

“Kill me, Deon.”

The person, who was rough-wiping the unknown liquid on their lips, froze in an instant.

“……What?” 

However, I, who was staring blankly at Deon, raised the corner of my lips. This was it. This was the way to end everything.

“Kill me, Deon.”

Piii-

With the last bit of strength, I blew the whistle, and the unreasonable force squeezing my neck tightened. I looked at the man, whose face was crumpled, with satisfaction and closed my eyes.

It was a peaceful blackout.

◆

Thank you for reading!