Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Life of Unemployment (6)

At Hagley’s words, I brought my hand to my mouth.

‘……Is it possible.’

Humans surviving outside the barrier. It’s not impossible.

There is Mangot right now. A group turned into a conflagration by their vengeance against the Empire.

But that’s also because of the unique terrain of Mangot.

A barren environment where not even monsters or plants go. Countless intertwined caves like a maze. It is possible because there are warriors with enough strength gathered there.

If they are surviving somewhere other than Mangot, they would need conditions similar to or better than Mangot.

‘And if they have been surviving until now, it’s also a question why they haven’t come to the Empire.’

If they don’t have a grudge against the Empire like Mangot, there is no reason not to come to the Empire.

The Empire wouldn’t turn away people coming from outside the barrier.

Moreover, especially now, when there is talk of expanding the territory.

‘Either they hate the Empire so much that they prefer living outside the walls like Mangot, or they want to come but can’t.’

Either way, it needs to be confirmed.

At that moment, Hagley asked me.

“Prondier, you said you had a proposal. What is it?”

“Oh, right. Perfect timing.”

I grinned at Hagley.

“Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“…What?”

Hagley’s eyes showed hostility.

I looked into those eyes and said.

“I’m asking purely. I’ll get you out.”

“…Right. Now that I think about it, there was a guy named Cora here in Obsidian. I heard he was related to you.”

Where did he pick up that information? Typical Hagley.

I honestly acknowledged Hagley’s successful deduction.

“Yes. It’s related to him.”

“…You’re not talking about a jailbreak plan, are you? Do you know where we are?”

Hagley looked at me suspiciously. I shook my head.

“No, this isn’t a jailbreak.”

I put my mask back on and said.

It’s not that I particularly like Hagley and want to get him out.

It’s all for Cora. And ultimately for Quinier.

However.

“This is more like a deal.”

I wanted to give Hagley a chance too.

Now I can.

* * *

“Esther, I have a question.”

A few minutes ago, I asked Esther in the warden’s office.

“What is it?”

“How do they manage prisoners in Tayvon?”

I have an idea.

And the reason I think this idea is ‘possible’ is because of what happened in Taebon.

Taebon is a northeastern region that was managed by Ridwi von Urfa in the past, and now by his son, Hector.

Unlike Yerenhes, managed by Amper, the defense here was far from perfect, to say the least. It was a place where many casualties were expected every time monsters attacked.

So Ridwi made sure that the casualties were directed towards prisoners instead of ordinary people.

“How did Ridwi create that system? How do the prisoners not revolt?”

The lives of the prisoners in Taebon are miserable.

They fight for their lives against the monsters outside, with no adequate compensation.

I need to know how that system is maintained.

Esther raised a finger at my words.

“Do you know the biggest difference between the prisoners in Taebon and the prisoners in Obsidian?”

“What is it?”

“The prisoners over there are mostly ‘death row inmates’.”

In simple terms, the prisoners in Taebon are ‘prisoners who were originally scheduled to die’.

Of course, such words are never uttered during the trial process, but it’s something everyone knows implicitly.

“They don’t ‘manage’ the prisoners there. They’re just carrying out executions. By throwing them at the monsters.”

Esther spoke in such a cold voice without hesitation,

“…At least that’s how it appears on the surface.”

Her confident finger curled, and she ended with a somewhat ambiguous statement.

“What do you mean?”

“It means they don’t actually die that much.”

In Taebon, prisoners are used in the fight against monsters. That’s a fact. I saw it myself, and I saw many people get injured and die in the process of fighting.

But if you ask whether that fight was a ‘process of pushing prisoners into a dead end’…

“…They just looked like soldiers to me.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Esther nodded.

“The one who created this system was the previous lord, Ridwi. He requested the empire to send prisoners to his territory. He said death row inmates shouldn’t die peacefully. That statement resonated with the general public, and public opinion was on Ridwi’s side. Thanks to that, Ridwi got the manpower to guard the walls, and the empire could deal with troublesome prisoners all at once.”

So most citizens think that death row inmates all die in Taebon.

But that’s not true.

Except for the unavoidable deaths in the fight against monsters, Ridwi doesn’t deliberately kill prisoners.

“Ridwi needs soldiers, not someone who wants to kill people. It doesn’t matter if they’re death row inmates or not, as long as there are more soldiers. Thanks to this, a strange balance is maintained in Taevon. The citizens believe that the death row inmates are being killed, and with that belief, Ridwi can continue to add prisoners to the forces. Surprisingly, even the prisoners themselves think the same as the citizens.”

“Do the prisoners think Ridwi is sending them to their deaths?”

“That’s right. They fight monsters outside. It’s a tough life. And most of them have never received military training. They have no idea that they are actually living the same life as regular soldiers on other walls. The reason they don’t revolt in Taevon is because of that strange balance. The prisoners know that they are as good as dead anyway, so they accept the harsh environment as a given. As long as they can survive day by day, that’s good enough for them. They continue living like that. Because they are actually living the life of soldiers.”

I crossed my arms.

I understood how Ridwi cleverly maintained the prisoners.

But another question arose while listening.

“Come to think of it, are there no ‘death row inmates’ in this Obsidian?”

“No. Once the death penalty is confirmed, they are immediately transferred elsewhere.”

“Then are the prisoners here less guilty than those in Taevon?”

If the ones in Taevon are death row inmates and there are no death row inmates here, it naturally seems that way.

Then why is Obsidian the best prison in the empire?

Esther sighed at my words.

“The empire checks two main factors before sending prisoners to Obsidian.”

“Two factors?”

“Yes. They are ‘severity of the crime’ and ‘containment capability’.”

“What do you mean?”

“Simply put, the worse the crime and the harder it is for the empire to handle, the more likely they are to be sent to Obsidian.”

Ah. I understood with those words.

Why Obsidian is the best prison in the empire.

“The ones in Taevon, as you said, are deeply guilty. They are sent there as death row inmates. But their individual strength is not that great. If such people were sent to the walls, management would be a mess. Even with Zodiac.”

“But Obsidian only takes the strong ones. Because they have the power to manage them.”

“Yes. There are many kinds of strength, though. In Hagley’s case, he came here because of his connections and the remnants of Mangot that he could still use. In Cora’s case, her crime wasn’t that severe, but her runaway power was uncontrollable, so she came here.”

Severity of the crime and containment capability.

The more I hear, the more it fits perfectly with my plan.

“Esther, I have a good idea.”

“That’s usually called a bad idea.”

“What are you talking about without even hearing it?”

“Let me ask you the opposite. Do you think I’ll call it a good idea after hearing it?”

“……”

I thought for a moment and then spoke again.

“Esther, I have a bad idea.”

“What is it?”

“You know about the Odyssey, right?”

The order of knights and their plan established by the empire to expand its territory.

When I mentioned that word, Esther’s eyes twitched.

“Don’t tell me, you’re going to put the prisoners in the Odyssey?”

Esther’s expression as she looked at me was strange.

I shook my head.

“Not putting them in the Odyssey, but assigning them to something similar.”

Of course, I got this idea from a movie I saw in the previous world.

Using heinous criminals for national projects and reducing their service period as a reward is now a cultural cliché.

But whether this is feasible is another matter.

“What kind of absurd nonsense is that? How are you going to handle all those prisoners? Is there any guarantee that they won’t cause any problems until they return to Obsidian? They won’t even want to come back in the first place. The moment they get out, they’ll only think about escaping from Obsidian.”

Esther shook her head.

Indeed, just hearing it sounds absurd.

“I’m not thinking of taking all the Obsidian prisoners.”

“…You, don’t tell me.”

I laughed.

I laughed the same way I always did.

“As long as it’s manageable.”

* * *

“So it has come to this.”

I spoke in the middle of all the prisoners watching. Of course, with a mask on.

A wide space in the center, with prisoners and guards surrounding it in a circle, able to watch the central space. Moreover, the surrounding space is stacked in several layers, so the prisoners are looking down at me.

It’s commonly called the ‘combat room.’

A place where fights between prisoners are condoned. It’s better to fight in front of the guards if they’re going to fight, so this space is for that.

“I’m going to pick a few from among you. Those who will fight the monsters outside.”

The prisoners murmured at my words. This isn’t a cell, so conversations between prisoners are allowed.

Rather, this structure makes me feel like I’m the one locked in a cell. Like a monkey in a cage.

It’s what I wanted, but having so many people’s eyes on me naturally makes me nervous.

“What criteria are you using to select?”

Someone inside the iron bars asked. It was hard to pinpoint where the voice came from because there were so many people.

“First of all, you have to be strong. If you die fighting outside the barrier, it won’t help.”

At my words, a moment of boiling hostility.

Hmm, as expected of Obsidian. The strength of each prisoner is no joke.

“Do we look like scrap to you? Do you know what kind of place this is,”

“Yes, I know, but it’s a bit lacking.”

I looked around.

Feeling that the ‘morale’ was sufficiently raised, I spoke.

“Then, those who volunteer, come down.”

As soon as I spoke,

Rumble!

People came down in a rush, like pouring Lego bricks.

“……!”

The eyes of the guards watching changed. They realized that the momentum of those coming down was unusual.

If they don’t stop and continue like this─

“I’ll smash your face first!”

The prisoners who came down rushed at me. At that moment, the guards stepped in.

Thud.

Most of the prisoners who came down fell to the ground.

And only a few knelt and looked at me.

Unfortunately, no one was standing properly. I looked around at them, then raised my gaze again.

……Kora didn’t come out. He must still be assessing the situation. Same with Hagley.

And Renzo was nowhere to be seen. Maybe hidden by the crowd, but I couldn’t feel his unique presence.

Anyway, I spoke to the kneeling ones.

“Those who fainted are disqualified.”

Whether they were listening to me or not, they just stared at me with wide eyes.

“Let’s start by picking from among you.”