Episode 394

I immediately headed toward the vice principal's office.

"H-hey! Where are you going?"

Jisal followed me out of concern, but I couldn't be bothered with this guy right now. I reached the vice principal's office on the first floor in an instant and slammed open the door without knocking.

Jisal protested, "Are you crazy, you bastard? Hey! Is the vice principal your friend?"

Obi wasn't present. The office was surprisingly clean. For some reason, it felt strangely unsettling. Sure, this was a workspace, but it was a place where people stayed, and it was supposed to have some sense of life. Yet there was none.

For example, no matter how neat a person was, it was common to leave writing tools nearby. There were no such things, not even pen holders, in sight on the desk.

I asked, "It seems that Vice Principal Obi has been away for quite some time. What happened to him?"

Jisal replied, "Why are you asking me that? Am I the vice principal's deputy?"

"Answer first. It's urgent."

"Shit. You really are an arrogant bastard." Jisal grumbled before eventually replying, "I also don't know. The vice principal sometimes disappears for a few days if there is an urgent matter."

"Without any notice?"

"The punishment block runs well whether the vice principal is here or not."

"So you're saying that nobody knows where he is?"

"Hey, come out for now. Let's talk outside. We'll be in big trouble if someone catches us sneaking in here. You don't want to get sent back to the living block, do you?"

I looked around the vice principal's office again. I wanted to search this place right away, but I wouldn't be able to search comfortably with Jisal by my side. It was better to come back later alone and investigate.

I nodded and stepped outside. The relieved Jisal sighed and said, "You are really going to cause an incident sooner or later."

I asked, "How is the handover going to happen when the new prisoner comes? He's a prisoner who will be imprisoned on the top floor, too."

"Tsk. At least you're finally asking a good question." Jisal shrugged, seemingly preferring this kind of question. "For Gustav, we don't have to do anything. He's crazy, so he'll be transferred while wearing a straitjacket. Most likely, a few guards from Block 106 will accompany him. We just have to take him up properly and put him in an empty room on the top floor."

"He's wearing a straitjacket? What the hell did he do?"

"I heard something about it, but honestly, I don't know if it's true. Rumors are bound to be distorted. In a way, it's similar to Berwick who came here a while ago."

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Then Jisal explained with a displeased look, "He ate people. There were at least a few dozen prisoners."

***

"Ah! Cannibalism! That is a hard habit to break."

The prisoner on the top floor was Lairin, a 316-year-old fairy. She had been sentenced to 117 years in prison. She was the prisoner on the top floor whose meal I was in charge of today.

I wondered if dragging Gustav into this matter was part of the Dark Pope's plan, so I dropped a hint and received this reaction.

It turned out that this woman had eaten her own kind. It was said that she'd eaten more than fifty fairies. According to some documents given by Obi, the woman was from a fairy tribe in the west.

She didn't seem to know Gustav, who was also from the west, but that wasn't strange. This woman had already served thirty-seven years of her sentence. Big Boss Gustav hadn't been famous when she was still out in the world.

Lairin asked me, "Have you ever eaten a human?"

I replied, "No. Why are you asking that?"

"Well, you are a lizardman, aren't you? I figured you might've tried it a few times." She sounded like she would've shrugged if she could move.

This woman was blindfolded, but she seemed to know precisely that I was a lizardman. There was a slight difference in tone, but she definitely felt similar to the guy I talked to earlier, Nebellik.

I told her, "Just because I am a lizardman doesn't mean I eat humans. We have already accepted civilization, learning knowledge and dignity."

"Haha. You are saying something funny. Do you think a wild lizardman is a completely different creature from you? Not at all. In your words, there are many wild lizardmen who have learned knowledge and dignity. They mix within civilization, living as people. Then one day, they suddenly realize their true nature and return to the wild." Lairin laughed before continuing, "What I am saying is that we are controlling too many things right now. We control our instincts and our desires. But why should we?"

I replied, "That is what separates people from beasts."

"Are people superior to beasts? I don't know. If the alternative is to suppress my desires for hundreds of years, it is better to live freely even if it is for only a few years."

"You have no right to talk about beasts. Even beasts have maternal instincts. They might starve but they won't eat their own children."

"Ah. You must've investigated me." Lairin laughed again. "It was a special taste. At the same time, I also had a thought. I ate the children I gave birth to. Isn't that just being self-sufficient?"

I didn't reply. I just stood up and turned on the electric currents to full strength. Pure white electric currents flashed in the empty room.

With a crackling sound, Lairin's body trembled violently. A foul stench filled the air as her flesh cooked. Blood dripped beneath her blindfold, but I didn't stop the currents.

Seeing Lairin grunting without even screaming, I thought about just killing her here. However, the current was automatically cut off just before Lairin died. No matter how heinous a criminal she was, it seemed I couldn't take her life just like that.

I had a thought as I saw Lairin stretched out defenselessly. What if I stopped thinking about it and just got rid of all of them right now? I could frame it as an accident so my identity wouldn't be exposed. I would be reprimanded, but maybe that wasn't such a big deal.

However, I couldn't help wondering about the possibility that they somehow weren't the Dark Pope. Still, they were vicious criminals. What difference did it make?

"You should follow your instincts..." Lairin whispered in a trembling voice. "That way, you will have fewer regrets."

I wondered if she knew what I was thinking about. In any case, she fainted shortly afterwards. I was forced to go back to my room.

However, there was a note on the table that I had never seen before. I didn't want to take any chances, so I looked around. Then I carefully unfolded it. The contents were written in excessively neat handwriting

Watch out for Obi.

I wondered who the warning was from. The first person who immediately came to mind was Ludwig.

The characters were so even that they looked as if they were printed on a stone slab, making it hard to detect any personal traces. I heard that Ludwig had specially practiced this style to avoid leaving clues.

I checked the note a few more times to make sure there were no hidden mechanisms. Then I tore it into tiny pieces, put the pieces in my mouth, and swallowed them.

I wondered if Ludwig had personally infiltrated this tower. I figured it would be difficult even for him, though. The labor camp's security was pretty strong and the punishment building took it one step further. This area was a deep basin, so it was easy to notice anyone approaching. Even if someone managed to infiltrate, the interior was filled with countless communication crystals.

In other words, he had to have bribed a prisoner. The note's contents were excessively brief. It seemed he hadn't written in detail for fear of it being discovered. However, there was only this much written in it, so even if it was found, it wouldn't cause a big fuss. After all, it wasn't strange for prisoners to be careful of the one in charge of the punishment building.

I had gained a clue, but my stomach was churning. My frustration had gone beyond irritation and was turning into anger. If things continued like this, I wouldn't be able to eat or do anything.

Now there were only three days left until the plan would be carried out. That meant there was no time to worry about my status as a prisoner or the atmosphere of the punishment building. I had to do something while there was still time. I couldn't keep thinking until the final moment.

First of all, I'll look for that bastard Obi, I decided. I would make him tell me everything he was hiding, even if it meant leaving him half-dead.

At dawn that day, I once again skipped breakfast and headed straight to the supply room. It was the place where I last had a conversation with Obi. I intended to find traces of him there, only to find someone in the supply room.

Obi, whom I had been trying to find for several days, was sitting there.

I called out, "Vice Principal Obi? What have you been doing?"

There was no answer. Obi was sitting in the chair where he usually greeted me. I must've entered his line of sight, but he kept staring into the air. I got goosebumps as I realized that even before I arrived, he must've been sitting motionless in this chair for several hours.

I repeated, "Obi."

"One thing." Obi slowly spoke in a dry voice. "I have one request."

His focus still wasn't on me. His demeanor made it seem as if he'd aged a decade in the span of a few days.

It was an unexpected question, but I wasn't swept away by the flow of his words. Instead, I said, "Before that, I have something to ask. Are you a church member?"

No matter how I thought about it, that seemed to be what Ludwig was trying to convey to me. Thus, I asked directly. I added, "Answer within three seconds. If you don't answer, I will no longer talk to you in the future."

"Kuk, kukukuk!" Obi let out a low laugh.

I realized that the other person wasn't in any condition to have a conversation, so I immediately reached out and grabbed Obi's collar, saying, "Answer me."

Even as I spoke, I could tell that this guy wouldn't answer. If so, I had no choice. I had to demonstrate my correction skills that I had honed while staying in the punishment building.

Bam!

Perhaps this was the first time a correction had been performed by a prisoner on the vice principal since the tower was built.

It was awkward for me to say this personally, but I was good at beating others up. I knew exactly where to hit so it hurt enough to cause tears, but caused no damage to vital organs or joints. It also left no outward signs.

Needless to say, it was because I had been through it myself. That was why my punches worked well even against criminals who had a high pain tolerance.

However—

I stopped the beating that had been going on for some time and looked at Obi. His appearance hadn't changed much. At best, his face was a bit swollen. However, the pain he felt during the beating must've been unbearable. Nevertheless, Obi was still staring into the air without even screaming.

Eventually, he spoke. "Luan Badniker, I have never lied to you. Starting with the identities of the prisoners on the top floor, I have shared the secrets of the Dark Pope. I hid some truths, but the reason is as I said in the beginning. The moment I reveal my identity, cooperation between us will no longer be needed."

"That's for me to decide."

"Oh? Even if I am a priest?"

"What?"

In response to my question, Obi grinned like a madman and said, "Yes. This kind of reaction is expected. Well, it doesn't matter what happens now."

By this point, I couldn't help feeling that something was off. I slowly put Obi down on the chair and asked, "What happened?"

Obi raised his gaze and looked at me for the first time. His eyes were empty as he told me, "That is enough for today. Tomorrow, I will show you my answer after I've organized my thoughts."

I glanced at the clock. It was past 4 a.m and was close to 5 a.m. It would soon be morning in the desert. Besides, refusing him here seemed like it wouldn't lead to anything.

Thus, I eventually left Obi and returned to my room. I sat on the bare floor and stared at the ceiling with wide eyes.

Suddenly, I felt a hint of doubt. The phrasing of his last words had been somewhat strange.

Show me the answer? I wondered. I'd have expected him to say that he would tell me the answer.

My doubts were resolved early in the morning.

"Aaaack!"

I heard screams. I had been dozing off, but the moment I heard the sound, I came to my senses and kicked open the door to the hallway.

The guards also seemed to hear the screams. They stuck their faces out of their doors with dull expressions.

"What?"

"Ugh... What is going on early in the morning? Did someone piss themselves?"

The place where the scream came from was familiar to me. It was the place I had visited the previous morning, the vice principal's office. There were quite a few guards standing in front of it. Only the sounds of breathing filled the air.

The vice principal was a man who didn't leave a good impression on the guards and prisoners, but he didn't leave a bad impression either. He was the person in charge of the punishment building, who had been absent for several days without any notice.

Now, Vice Principal Obi had been found in the vice principal's office, hanging by the neck.