CH 4

“But as you can see, it has become difficult, so maybe the two people here will take on this role instead of me?”

While the Ramona and Deryl were still arguing briefly, the two of them naturally closed their mouths when they heard my words.

Deryl had eyes filled with dissatisfaction but didn’t say anything more. It was an annoying and unrewarding request to guide new inmates.

They really weren’t nice usually.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t many nice people who would fulfill such a request. So, you should follow them well. I hope you live well in this harsh place from now on. Both of them are exceptional individuals with remarkable abilities in this place, so you will learn a lot within a week.”

“….”

I have a feeling that the new prisoner, Hira, will receive a pretty good ranking. She had such a fearless eyes. And usually, they tend to cause trouble, whether in a good or bad sense.

“I’m glad to see that you survive until now. It’s fortunate.”

Not all prisoners who come here have a stable mental state. Some suffer from depression, anxiety, or delusional disorders. Even though there was a leader to prevent accidents from happening here, they still occur. It was an inevitable consequence of this hopeless place.

If the prison were comfortable, that would be absurd.

“It was nice to meet you, even though only briefly,” I said, patting my buttocks and getting up without hesitation.

I also said goodbye to them, and now it was time for me to disappear.

There were a few more people I thought I should say goodbye to, but maybe it doesn’t matter if I do or not.

‘They’re all strong people. They’ll live well.’

They called me leader but I know it was just a hollow title.

“Leader, when will you be back?”

“Oh my. Will the person who’s about to be executed come back? If they come back, it’s a resurrection, right? Is she Lumen? Hahaha.”

“Oh, you, seriously. Be quiet. I’m serious!”

I had no intention of ruling over or managing them, and they didn’t want my interference either.

“Take care. Both of you are good-hearted, and most importantly, you’re not here to live like me. Whenever you get out, wherever you go, I hope you live well.”

My words silenced Ramona and Deryl. I shook hands with them who looked at me strangely and calmly walked away.

“That…that crazy person! Sister, did you see? Who does she think she is when she’s about to be executed? And calling us… good-hearted? Even though I’ve heard a hundred vile things in my life, ‘good-hearted’? How could I have heard such nonsense!”

“Well, she is our leader after all.”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Ignoring the commotion, I walked leisurely. I wonder who the distinguished guest coming here would be.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Deryl was anxious. Her rank was ‘Superior/Grade 1’ and her charges were arson and destruction of national assets.

Under the guise of researching ‘Kia’ she had lured young children into an experimental facility, where she burned down all the human experimentation labs she had been involved in.

Deryl came to Niflheim, the hellish prison, without repenting for her sins, but she had never regretted them until now. However, at this moment, Deryl was plagued by uneasiness and restlessness.

Mint.

She appeared to be in her early twenties at most. But this young woman was the leader of all prisoners.

The warden, Ralph, wasn’t even considered the king of this place. Mint was the true leader acknowledged by everyone.

That was why the fact that she left her position made Deryl feel uneasy.

Mint was quite polite, addressing everyone with honorifics in front of the warden, but in reality, she had almost forgotten all common sense and was only pretending to be sane on the surface.

‘Hey, did she say goodbye to the other inmates?’

Deryl thought of the twins that would suffer from separation anxiety because of her. Given Mint’s personality, it was clear that she would simply leave without saying anything. What kind of trouble was that lunatic going to cause this time?

Can it be resolved?

‘No, she did, right? It won’t be a situation like a few years ago, will it?’

Deryl, who had always claimed to be Mint’s right-hand without her approval, started to think.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

In this world, there was a power that could do anything. More precisely, this power was like a concentrated energy mass. This power, usually dispersed in the air, was called ‘Kia.’

From the moment people capable of using this power emerged, humanity developed it in various directions. The power of Kia was truly limitless. Therefore, it wasn’t difficult to contain this power with special properties in objects.

“Is this it?”

I examined the green bracelet tightly wrapped around my wrist. It was made of rubber material, and inside it was a plethora of inscribed spells containing Kia. The ability it possessed was ‘transformation.’

‘Well, if it’s really made of rubber, it wouldn’t be strange to use it inside the prison.’

Slowly, I turned my head and looked at the person standing in the mirror.

I looked different, to the point where I wondered if it was me. My green hair was nowhere to be seen, instead, I saw brown hair and green eyes.

In front of me stood an ordinary-looking, slightly handsome man. It was my transformed appearance.

‘Wow, my appearance has completely changed.’

Although I had a sharp, upturned gaze, the man in the mirror had gentle and kind eyes like a puppy. He had average height. Neither tall nor short. From appearance to physique, it seemed like a deliberately crafted ‘unremarkable appearance.’

‘By the way, could it be that instead of being a prisoner, I’ll become a prison guard?’

The man in the mirror was wearing a perfect prison guard uniform. It was designed to be simple, yet it also displayed authority.

‘I never knew I would one day wear this.’

One time when I opened my eyes, I found myself becoming a prisoner. This felt like what I had experienced ten years ago. But the difference was now, when I opened my eyes, I had become a prison guard.

‘This is quite a dramatic change.’

The name given to me was ‘Garrett’ I was assigned as a rookie prison guard, scheduled to be in the male prison.

First, I had to meet the ‘distinguished guest’ mentioned by the warden by pretending to be a guard, and help him ascend to the top floors of the tower until he became the new leader.

‘It’s been ten days since I disappeared.’

In Niflheim, if the leader dies or there was a vacant position for seven days, a new leader would be chosen.

It was because there was a need for a role that only the leader of the prisoners and the highest-ranking grade could perform in the Niflheim Tower; it cannot remain empty for long.

Although I was stuck memorizing the manual to become a perfect guard, they must have already chosen someone for the leader, a position that only one person can hold.

‘The person who deserves to be chosen must have already been selected.’

In my case, I used to learn Kia simply because I had nothing to do. It ended up developing to the point where it brought me to this position. I had no regrets, though.

Although I had already received a note from the warden stating who became the new leader, I hadn’t opened the note because I had been too lazy. Now, I will finally open it.

The previous grade of the person who became the new leader was ‘Superior/Grade 1.’

It was the highest rank, but not directly below me. She wasn’t the second person below me. However, I had known since before that this person was hiding their power. I found it strange why she didn’t reveal it and was satisfied with that rank.

I thought maybe she had her reasons, but I didn’t know.

“Sir Garrett, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The attendant in the building where the guards stayed nodded respectfully. I followed him. I had to meet the ‘distinguished guest’ first.

“Where are we going?”

The attendant looked at the rookie guard who addressed him oddly.

“I have been instructed by Sergeant Steven. You will go and see the new prisoner today. I will only guide you to the entrance of the building.”

But true to the nature of this prison, the attendant quickly lost interest. He had a face that said, ‘What kind of weirdo is it this time?’

I looked up at the sky in silence.

‘The original story is about to begin.’

It had been ten years, so it was time for the male lead to appear soon. While I should’ve known my future, I really didn’t know.

‘How can I know just from a brief story that mainly revolves around the male lead?’

The female lead must have started her activities somewhere far away. This prison was a bonus story until the female lead appeared. The male lead was here, and that was the only thing I knew. Anyway, I need to perfectly execute the tasks assigned by the warden.

And then, a moment later, I was shocked.

“Prisoner Helios?”

Before me stood the new prisoner.

No, it was the male lead with a defiant expression on his face.