Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Life as an Unemployed (4)

Obsidian is different from a typical prison in several ways.

First, each cell holds only one person.

There is no concept of multiple inmates living together here. This is both a punishment for those who have committed serious crimes and because it would be too dangerous if they were gathered together.

They might conspire to overthrow Obsidian itself, or fight each other until one of them dies.

Second, all prisoners wear magical handcuffs.

These handcuffs are worn on one hand, not both. In other words, they are not for restraint. They are solely to control mana and aura.

Thus, prisoners can only use their physical strength.

However, these handcuffs suppress power, not temperament, so accidents are frequent in Obsidian.

Everything here is called an accident.

Whether someone steals another’s belongings, commits violence, threatens, or mocks, it is all considered an accident, not an incident.

But one thing is forbidden: murder.

Whoever kills someone will have the honor of a private meeting with Warden Esther.

And Esther always finds the true culprit.

“So, how is Renzo doing? Even if he’s alone in his cell, he must have some free time. He must be aware of the expectations placed on him, right?”

“He’s been quiet. So far.”

Esther answered my question simply.

“Renzo, quiet…?”

Isn’t that grammatically incorrect?

“Is Renzo in solitary confinement again?”

Obsidian has solitary cells in addition to regular cells that hold only one inmate.

While Obsidian’s regular cells are heavily guarded and strictly regulated, the solitary cells are pitch black with not even a small window.

They are also completely soundproof, so no sound from outside can be heard inside.

Those who have experienced Obsidian’s solitary confinement commonly say the same thing:

“My heartbeat is loud.”

Obsidian’s solitary confinement is more about punishment than isolation. To put it more bluntly, it is a place meant to inflict psychological damage on the inmates.

Even in there, Renzo was calmly plotting his escape and actually managed to escape.

“No. Right now, there’s someone else causing more trouble than Renzo.”

When Esther said that, we entered the detention area.

Since there was one prisoner per cell, the number of cells was enormous. And as such, the size of each cell was cramped. It wasn’t quite solitary confinement, but it certainly forced a very restricted lifestyle.

“People here must be living a very hard life.”

“Because they are prisoners.”

Esther said calmly.

“Prondier, this is Obsidian. No clumsy prisoners come here. If they come here by mistake, I send them back.”

Click, click.

The sound of Esther’s shoes echoed sharply.

“They have to live this kind of life. Only when the punishment matches the crime does its weight reveal itself.”

“…Yeah. I won’t meddle unnecessarily.”

I understood Esther’s meaning and nodded.

“But what about the other guy, the problem?”

“Oh, that guy is because of you.”

“What?”

“He came to Obsidian because of you. Without any room for argument, it’s all your fault.”

Esther said indifferently, as if forecasting rain for tomorrow.

“No, what do you mean? What did he do that it’s because of me,”

“Ah!!”

A sharp cry interrupted my words.

It wasn’t Esther’s voice.

And I knew this voice.

“This smell!”

And when he said that, I quickly turned my head and brightened my eyes. The light in my eyes passed through the trajectory and brushed past,

“Prond, mmph?!”

Barely, I managed to cover his mouth with the black cloth.

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

I broke into a cold sweat and clenched my fist.

Even for someone like me, trained through countless fights and wars, the reaction speed just now was one of the few times I could count on one hand.

I quickly went to the cell where he was.

“Mmph!”

There is a man, no, a boy, struggling to free himself with his mouth still covered by the black cloth.

“Mm?”

He noticed me and stopped struggling. His sparkling eyes blinked.

“……Esther, could this be him?”

“Yes. He’s been the biggest troublemaker lately.”

Esther followed me and leisurely looked at the boy inside the cell.

“Kora.”

Just as Esther said.

The one I had covered was Kora.

I had already heard from Quinier that he was in Obsidian, but seeing it with my own eyes felt different.

Kora is in Obsidian. In this Obsidian, where only the worst criminals reside.

A natural sense of smell that can recognize me just by scent, even with my mask on. And,

“Inherited the blood of the White Tiger, possessing pure physical strength that is incredibly strong, a born warrior. Restraints don’t work on him. It’s not because of aura or mana.”

Kora’s ears twitched. Now that I see, his tail behind him was also swaying.

Originally, Kora hides his beastman traits, thanks to Quinier’s magical tool. But now, without any such tool and wearing restraints, it’s impossible for him to hide.

“If we limit it to the prisoners in Obsidian, this guy is the strongest right now. Frondier.”

“……”

I silently looked at Kora up close.

Contrary to what Esther said, Kora didn’t look threatening at all, and his eyes just sparkled innocently as he looked at me. Does this guy have acting skills comparable to Selena?

……No. I already have a sense of the truth to some extent.

I spoke softly.

“Kora. I’m hiding my identity right now. Could you refrain from shouting my name everywhere?”

Kora nodded innocently at my words.

Only then could I release the black cloth.

“So what’s going on? Why are you locked up here?”

“I don’t really know. Somehow, I ended up here,”

“Don’t know?”

Esther cut off Kora’s words with a chilling tone.

Her eyes, cold as ice, glared at Kora.

“The violent incident at the central square. Causing a disturbance at the police station where you were taken for questioning. Then breaking all sorts of objects and threatening citizens in the courtroom. You used violence at every place you stayed until you got to this prison, and you don’t know?”

“I just did what I had to do! If there’s a problem with me, it’s not my problem, it’s the world’s problem for making it a problem!”

…Somehow, it sounds like an excuse Quinie would make. This kid is learning all the wrong things from being with Quinie.

I felt the seriousness of Esther’s story and asked.

“Cora, is that true? Did you cause violence?”

I don’t care if anyone else throws punches or makes a mess by fighting.

Cora is different.

The violence this kid causes when he can’t control his emotions isn’t just a punch, and the mess isn’t just a mess.

“Ah, no, the other person was at fault first,”

“Cora!”

“Sorry.”

Cora quickly wilted when I shouted. It’s a bit pitiful to see him so dejected, but I have to be strict here.

In the absence of Quinie, Cora’s responsibility originally fell to me. That was Constell’s instruction.

Since I was suddenly expelled from this empire and absent, I also bear responsibility for Cora during that time.

…Maybe not.

Anyway, this isn’t a situation to just let go.

“Explain properly. What happened?”

“…So, after you left…”

“After I left?”

Cora scratched his head as he spoke. At first, I thought he was making up a lie, but his struggling appearance showed that it was difficult to explain.

“I’ll explain from here.”

Esther said.

“Frontier, do you know what happened when you and Elodie ran away after hearing the verdict that you were to be exiled from the empire?”

“…What happened?”

“The demons hiding in the empire all crossed the sky.”

…Ah, that.

You’re talking about what Arald did!

“All those demons flew towards the cape where you escaped. What do you think the people in the square who saw that reacted? They were sure you were a demon and everyone lost their minds and screamed.”

“…”

Thus, Esther began to explain.

At that time, a kind of panic descended on the square.

The story that I was a demon had already spread everywhere at the time, and there was no one who didn’t know it. But believing it just because it’s said and being convinced that it’s true are entirely different matters.

But then, the moment of conviction came.

A swarm of demons flew up, enough to momentarily darken the sky.

After I disappeared.

Flying in the direction where I would be.

“But there was the Roach family.”

The square where everyone was shouting that Frondier was a demon.

Voices earnestly pleading to the emperor that he must be killed immediately, that exile was not enough.

Hearing those loud voices, the Roach family members bowed their heads.

All of them: Amper, Malia, and Atzie.

That one small gesture.

No one knows what happens after that.

Not knowing, the first to step forward was the royal palace.

The princesses worked hard to calm the citizens’ uproar. Of course, they must not defend Frondier. That would only cause greater chaos.

But the flames had to be quelled.

Not the flames of the citizens.

The flames of Roach had to be quelled.

“It was Quinie de Viet who stepped in to mediate there.”

“Miss Quinie?”

“She is a merchant and knight trusted by many families. She is a skillful person who maintains an excellent balance between two completely incompatible positions. She knew that mere words would not calm this situation. So she pushed the principle of profit and loss into the persuasion.”

“In what way?”

“Well, I wasn’t there myself. From what I’ve heard, she explained the ‘benefits of the entire demon leaving the continent’ and the ‘risk of the empire having to deal with the entire demon right now’ in an easy-to-understand manner.”

…Indeed, it’s Quinie.

“Her voice had power, and it reached the point where it could almost calm the situation. But then.”

But then.

The most ominous word I heard today.

“Quinie has allies, but she also has enemies.”

“…Of course.”

“They began to emphasize her previous acquaintance with you, making everything she said seem like a lie. Quinie’s words might be true, but they said her intentions were dirty and impure. Quinie ignored them and continued to persuade those around her, but in the end, those who couldn’t stand her persuasiveness approached her.”

“I understand. I understand very well.”

I nodded and looked at Cora.

Cora’s eyes were stained with anger. As if recalling that moment.

“…It wasn’t just approaching them.”

Cora said.

“There was a murderous intent in them. I heard the sound of them drawing weapons from behind their waists. I saw the tense muscles from their shoulders to their wrists. I could smell the poison on their blades! I knew it all! If left alone, Quinier would have been…!”

“Yes, yes. I understand. All your senses detected it.”

She sensed it far ahead of time, something an ordinary human would never notice.

From a human’s perspective, it might seem like Cora attacked first, but from Cora’s perspective, it was not at all.

Asking Cora to be patient in that situation? It would be asking for her life.

“That’s why I said it from the beginning, Frondier.”

Esther looked at me.

She was about the same height as me, but her gaze felt like she was looking down on me.

“It’s all your fault.”

“…I guess I was a bit wrong.”

“See?”