Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 403

Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 403

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 403: Escape(1)

Mealtime.

Vikir, having a rare day off from duty, had his meal at the cafeteria.

On the menu were black bread with pickled fish and some wilted greens. There was no variety; that was all there was.

Even for a meal served to a captain-level guard, it was a rather dismal arrangement.

“Seems like the supply situation is pretty dire these days.”

If this is the quality of meals for captains, one can only imagine what the lower-ranking guards are getting.

It’s unimaginable what the prisoners are eating.

Recently, there haven’t been many familiar faces at the labor camp; perhaps they’ve starved to death.

As Vikir sat alone eating his meal,

“Is that really true?”

“Yeah. That’s what I heard.”

The guards’ conversation at the table in front of him faintly reached Vikir’s ears.

Having reached the master realm, Vikir’s hearing could pick up conversations from afar.

“They say the surface world is in chaos. Demons and monsters are appearing in droves.”

“They say some kind of giant gate opened?”

“Yeah. And monsters are pouring out of it.”

“I bet the security’s collapsed. That’s probably why there’s been a surge in prisoners.”

“Is security the only concern right now? The entire empire is in jeopardy.”

Most of them were discussing surface world affairs.

Some seemed to outright disbelieve that anything was happening on the surface.

“Seriously. How old are we, still believing in demons and monsters? Those are just fabricated creatures made up by the Quovadis Clan.”

“Yeah. I don’t believe anything I haven’t seen with my own eyes. But how can we see anything being thousands of meters under the sea? Hahaha.”

“Well, they say all the new prisoners coming in have seen demons or monsters. And what about that gate?”

“You believe the words of prisoners coming in here? They’ve all gone mad with fear. Being trapped in the Iron Maiden and sunk 10,000 meters down, it’s enough to drive anyone insane.”

Meanwhile, some took these rumors seriously.

“No, something’s definitely off. Never before have so many prisoners been admitted to Nouvellebag. There must have been some major change on the surface.”

“Yeah. If Warden Orca, Major D’Ordume, and Major Souaré all went up to the surface for prisoner transport, something serious must have happened.”

“Right. Not only the warden and Colonel of Nouvellebag left his posts, but two out of the five pillars have gone up to the surface together. This is unprecedented.”

“The surface must be in complete chaos. I heard the gate opened, and monsters are pouring out. And the leaders of the seven noble clans of the Empire are also reportedly under assassination threats.”

However, most of the guards in Nouvellebag weren’t particularly interested in these discussions.

“Well, as long as we manage the criminals here properly, that should be enough.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t bother about what’s happening outside.”

“Since when did we get involved in surface affairs?”

“If demons and monsters are wreaking havoc up there, wouldn’t it be safer down here?”

“Whatever happens on the surface, it’s unlikely to affect us down here.”

Most of Nouvellebag’s guards were individuals marginalized by society, with little affection for the world or loyalty to the Empire.

They hadn’t been outside for so long that they had little curiosity about how the outside world had changed.

Besides, regardless of how things had changed, it was obvious they wouldn’t adapt well.

Scrrraaape—

As Vikir rose from his seat, Kirko also stood up from hers.

There were still bits of black bread and pickled fish on her plate.

Vikir said, “Seems like you haven’t finished your meal. You should continue eating.”

“When something happens, we should rise together,” Kirko responded as if it were obvious.

“Why?”

“Because I’m your subordinate.”

Kirko answered as a matter of course.

Vikir hesitated for a moment.

Since that day, or rather since receiving a beating from “Black Tongue,” Kirko had been following Vikir around closely.

They shared duties, and other minor tasks, always together.

Even their quarters were adjacent, leading to a situation where they were practically always together, except for sleeping, showering, and using the restroom.

It was unclear who had arranged their duty roster like this.

“...There’s a lot to do starting tonight, and with things like this, the plan might be disrupted.”

After a moment of consideration, Vikir said to Kirko, “So, will you be with me tonight as well?”

Vikir’s voice was unusually loud.

Some of the guards returning their trays heard his words.

Kirko’s face turned noticeably red, perhaps in response to the wide-eyed gazes of the surrounding guards.

“W-What do you mean?”

“That night. Don’t you remember?”

“Ah, no, I won’t!”

“You said that night you didn’t want to be alone.”

At that moment, Kirko’s expression turned fierce.

She spoke in a low voice, with an extremely businesslike tone, articulating each word firmly.

“Please don’t mistake it just because there was an incident last time. That day, I was particularly weak, both physically and mentally...”

“You said you didn’t remember?”

“...”

Kirko’s face turned crimson to the tips of her ears.

“I thought it was a dream!”

But her words only fueled misunderstandings among the surrounding people.

“No, no! That’s not it! I meant, it felt like a dream, not that I thought it was a dream, I really thought...”

In a state of total confusion, Kirko made various remarks to herself before promptly disappearing from the spot.

Finally, Vikir could cool his head.

The relatively peaceful (??) daily life in Nouvellebag was over now.

“The time for the grand escape has come.”

There wasn’t much time left.

A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. The unprecedented chaos that would engulf all of Nouvellebag was imminent.

A signal of humanity’s counterattack before the Great War.

It would illuminate the final thorny path the Night Hound would tread.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]