Chapter 144

It wasn’t hard to get permission to enter the prison.
The facility is not open to tourists. However, we had pointed out the dangers of prisons in the first place. There was no reason to be stingy with the ops team since they were already guests.
“But with surveillance instead.
I was followed by a man who offered to show me around.
“This bridge is the only road that leads to Filstein Prison.”
The car drove over an elongated bridge. This was still inside the dome. A bridge on the outskirts of the city revealed a prison, isolated from the general area.
“You have to go through here to get to the prison and vice versa, and as you can see, it’s heavily guarded, and not even a rat, let alone a human being, can get in or out comfortably.”
It goes something like this.
The prison is secure. Foolish criminals and legions will never make it across the bridge safely. Therefore, your worries are worthless.
“Of course, there’s always been a lot of controversy around Filstein Prison. It’s the only facility like it on the continent, as far as I know, that houses special criminals with dangerous abilities.”
“I haven’t heard of it either.”
“Yes. There’s been a lot of talk about it back home. I guess it’s unsettling to breathe the same air as criminals inside Wizma’s dome. All I can say is, yeah.”
The guide smiled.
“Since the facility was built, I don’t know of any offenders housed at Philstein who have ever gotten out and caused trouble. There have been escape attempts, maybe, but not within earshot of the public.”
“That’s great, hopefully we can stay out of trouble.”
“No, never.”
I say with confidence. The implication is that you already have it under control, so don’t bother. Kim half-heartedly dismisses the explanation.
“Not when the Elder’s been sleeping with the Legion.
He chuckled, knowing what was going on.
The strongest defenses on the outside are meaningless if they are corrupted on the inside. With the cooperation of the Elders, the Legion should be able to reach the prison with ease. The same goes for escape.
“I don’t know.”
The receptionist glanced at Kim at his vague response.
“There are no absolutes in this world.”
There was a strong possibility that the first receptionist was a Legion minionnaire like the Elder. It was pretty ridiculous. An outsider named Kim Yi-hyun was already on his way to the prison with the help of a mole.
Despite my pointed remarks, I was surprised to hear no complaints. The receptionist just smirked. It was hard to read anything in his expression.
Silence descended and an uncomfortable atmosphere settled in, and Asterike, in the back seat, struggled to stifle a sigh that threatened to burst out.
The date I was looking forward to was a mess from the start.
* * *
There are many ways in which Philstein Prison differs from the image one typically envisions. First, the layout. Instead of straight corridors, the rooms are arranged in a circle, with a pillar in the center as a focal point.
The color scheme is also unusual. There’s a lot of white everywhere. It’s a clean color that doesn’t look like a prison. Not only the walls, but also the prisoners’ clothes were mostly white.
The choker around their necks was familiar to Kim.
A precision device that reacts to a substance released when a spell is cast. If used without permission, it will inject poison. An invention of the century that ripped the teeth out of beasts.
The building was thick with the smell of drugs. The information taken in by the five senses gave a clear indication of the nature of the facility.
“It’s more like a lab than a prison.”
“It’s not a misperception.”
At the suggestion, no, almost confirmation, of the possibility of human experimentation, the guide didn’t readily affirm. Rather, he raised his finger proudly and pointed to a group on the third-floor railing.
Men and women in robes sipping coffee. It’s an impression that doesn’t quite fit the word prison, but it fits this place like a glove.
“They’re researchers, which is the second most common job in this Philstein prison after prisoner.”
“Being a prisoner isn’t a job, is it?”
“That’s what they say. In fact, I can’t deny that the presence of prisoners is helpful, because research in the ivory tower is profound and not for the faint of heart. You need funding, facilities, brilliant minds, and, well… multiple specimens to advance and validate your research.”
The receptionist shrugged.
“Do you feel rejected?”
“Not really.”
It wasn’t a lie. No pity, no disgust. Kim has never cared about the human rights of criminals, even when ethics were tighter than they are now.
“It’s not like it’s painful, either.
I’m just saying. The cause of the ivory tower is one that anyone in the modern world can relate to.
To contribute to human society by universalizing and advancing spells. There are many researchers who struggle between the dignity of life and their sense of mission. They are certainly great people to emulate.
The problem is that the world isn’t always pretty.
“Maybe there’s a legionnaire in here.”
“You mean you’re going to interrogate the researchers?”
“No way, I said.”
The receptionist, one of the world’s ugliest figures, glared at Kim, and under his icy gaze, Kim brazenly demanded, “What do you want?
“I think I’ll go talk to some of the inmates.”
“Inmates and…?”
“You never know, there might be a prisoner connected to the Legion.”
“You have a point, but even if you do, what can you do?”
They ask as if they really don’t understand.
“Prisons are completely cut off from the outside world. You can’t leak information, and even if you incite prisoners to riot, they’re quickly subdued. As long as the restraints are functioning, the prisoner is powerless.”
“Who cares, I don’t really have a problem with the security here, but…….”
Kim said, picturing a man’s face.
“Even dog shit has a use.”
I didn’t mind the watchful eyes. I don’t mind having a Legion mole watching from the sidelines with a light in his eyes. I’m the one in control.
There is no room for interference. The episode on Ishurad will be led by Kim.
That is, from start to finish.
* * *
The work of a border checkpoint is basically laid back. First of all, they do immigration, customs, and quarantine. They communicate with border posts and report back to their home country.
Most of the reports are “all clear”. There used to be a lot of people crossing the border for business, tourism, and other purposes, but like I said, it’s a thing of the past.
“Shhhh, puhhhh.”
For Nice, the checkpoint guard, it was a story of little consequence. An old man from the past could rant and rave with spittle, and it would be blown away like cigarette smoke.
Everyone did.
It’s been more than 40 years since we’ve seen a lull in interactions between countries.
If you were 20 years old back then, you’re now well into your sixties. The age at which you would be sitting in a senior position if you hadn’t stopped working. There’s no way you’re still in the field.
Neither Nice nor any of his colleagues can remember a time when the place was bustling with people. They just pass the time by working quietly and unobtrusively upstairs.
But today felt different.
“Oh, oh, oh……!”
“Eh, eh. It’s burning, it’s burning. Hit it.”
“Mr. What. What’s up with that guy today?”
“You went out yesterday and only went to the shrine to see Good.”
My coworkers sighed and scattered the pieces. The pieces scrambled around on an old mahjong table. The employee break room was littered with board games like this one.
Things that had accumulated since my visits to other countries stopped. To pass the time, the staff would play a board game where they would assign tasks related to everyday life. Like laundry, or who was in charge of meals.
It’s a tradition at checkpoints.
And Nice was a minion, always in the bottom half of the table. I thought to myself dozens of times a day that it’s stupid to blame winning and losing games on what you should be doing.
“Hmph, where’s the dog barking?”
I know it when I see it. The sweetness of victory. I woke up feeling refreshed and relieved, and it turned out to be my lucky day. If only every day was like today.
It was certainly an unusual day.
A series of out-of-the-ordinary things happened.
– A car will be heading your way shortly. It’s an off-road SUV, license plate AC-110-EB. It appears to be standard Harenthal form.
It’s been a while. Nice greeted his visitor with a rifle slung over his shoulder. The dull-colored SUV arrived at the checkpoint exactly as it was delivered.
The windows of the car in front of the barrier are rolled down. I count five people. Four of them are wearing old jackets, and one stands out.
“A woman? She’s tall.
It was a tall woman in the passenger seat.
The bowler hat and coat, and the coldness of the side of his face. He seemed to have a pretense of nobility, but at the same time, he seemed inhuman and foreign.
“What brings you here?”
The answer to the question came from the mouth of the man in the driver’s seat.
“For tourism purposes.”
“Tourism…?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve been wandering wherever we can find ourselves, and we’ve heard some mysterious rumors lately. We couldn’t resist our curiosity, so here we are.”
Mysterious rumors.
We know what it means. The story of the Shinto shrine in the capital is an old one. Before the continent looked like this, tourists used to pour in every year for the shrine.
But things are different nowadays.
Plagues and monsters. The tourists have dried up and the outlaws have multiplied. You can’t just assume that their intentions are pure.
“Please hand over any passports or identification you have with you, and all five of you step out of the car. We will search your belongings and the trunk and interior.”
“Hmm.”
The driver stares at Nice wordlessly for a moment, then turns his head to the passenger seat. What would you like to do, he asked. The man nodded, as if he knew when to answer.
Nice sensed something ominous in the sequence of events.
“I say again. Please exit the vehicle.”
Taking three steps back, he lowered the strap around his shoulder and grabbed the rifle with both hands.
A warning, not a recommendation. His hawk-like gaze shot to the uninvited guests. One by one, his coworkers, sensing the mood, approached.
There was nothing about him that suggested a man who was happy to win a board game. Though often lazy, Nice was usually quick on his feet and could get serious when he needed to.
These were qualities that my recently married wife also praised. She fell in love with his unassuming attentiveness and occasional seriousness. It was also Nice’s social skills.
It’s a maneuver, so to speak. And it’s useless in the face of violence.
Eek.
From the passenger seat, the woman raised her hand. A pale, almost white hand. For a moment, Nice’s gaze was drawn to it. The tip of her elongated index finger was beginning to coat with black mucus.
“Spell!
The mucus swelled before the varnish could react. It resembled a long-necked monster from a horror story. In a matter of seconds, it had reached outside the car window and literally swallowed Nice’s head.
Woof, woof, woof!
The headless body convulsed and collapsed helplessly. A fountain of blood soaked the car. A man’s history and future were gone.
“Holy shit…!”
The tragedy came out of nowhere.
As the guards at the checkpoint aimed their guns, the varnish-chewed creature rose to its feet. With a spring-like motion, it bounced up and clung to the face of its next target.
Bang! Bang!
“Help, aaaaahhhhh!”
The overlapping gunshots and screams faded one by one. The driver wiped the blood from my cheek with the back of his hand. He chuckled as he watched the carnage.
“Godmother. I know it’s already late, but do you mind if I start at the beginning?”
“Why shouldn’t it be okay?”
“The target might get away.”
“If you don’t give them a chance, you’re done.”
“You are not well, and if you overexert yourself…….”
The man’s mouth dropped open. A small tremor in the godmother’s hand. The slightest reaction was enough to make him realize that he had just almost crossed the line.
“It was a slip of the tongue.”
“Depart.”
“Yes.”
I got back behind the wheel. Soon, the screams ceased to be heard. Instead, the multiplying metunafs led their grotesque bodies in search of new prey.
The destruction began quietly here.