150 – Mr. Unchained #2
The Legendary Canal Nymph Kiris was a nymph who lived in the sea. A little canal nymph dreaming of becoming a siren. Kiris loved climbing onto the rocks to snap at jellyfish or bask in the sun.
Then one day, while she was snapping at jellyfish, some nasty pirates showed up.
"Woo-hoo! We caught a little nymph!"
"If we sell her, we'll make a fortune!"
"Hieeek...! Let go of me...!"
Kiris was sold off to a wealthy household on land. She became the servant of a wicked young lady.
—Who told you to wash white clothes with black ones!
—I told you I'm allergic to peanuts!
—Hieeek...! S-sorry...!
Kiris was clumsy at everything. She got scolded every single day. While scrubbing dishes and doing laundry day in and day out, she finally caught the nymph flu called Coronoi.
It was a disease where sneezes kept coming until breathing became impossible.
—Achoo! Achoo!
And so, due to that brutal flu, Kiris became a resident of the underworld.
There, she met another nymph named Scylla.
Scylla got angry hearing Kiris's story.
"Can you believe there are such awful people in the world?"
The people who had tormented Kiris—they were all bad. People like that deserved punishment.
But these days, Happy World was nothing like the terrifying hell it used to be. So Scylla decided to become the judgment and terror for the sinners herself.
"A world where the wicked scream in agony—that's the goal of our Tartarus. Come with me, Kiris!"
Kiris became a soldier in the Tartarus rebel army.
But even here, she was clumsy at everything, constantly getting chewed out by her seniors.
—Our resolve! How many months have we been drilling this and you still can't memorize it!
—Who cleaned my combat boots with toothpaste! Kiris! It was you!
—Hieeek...! This Kiris has no idea...!
Kiris was full of mistakes.
But what troubled her the most was something else.
—Hold onto your hatred!
—Never forgive!
The Tartarus members emphasized karmic retribution. Kiris had lived a sad life thanks to bad people, but over time, her hatred for them was fading.
Especially since this Soul Society was starting to grow on her. Flowers were blooming everywhere these days, and other nymph sisters were getting jobs easily through the Nymph Quota System—
She'd heard it was all thanks to the "Liberation Nymph Joynoi."
For someone like Kiris, constantly being told to relive her hatred and resentment was exhausting and tedious.
Then she heard that "Joynoi" had been captured.
Seeing Joynoi locked in the iron bars reminded Kiris of her own past. It was just like when she'd been caged by those pirates.
So Kiris decided to free Joynoi.
"This Kiris will get you out...! Hurry and run...!"
But it wasn't easy. Scylla, who always kept an eye on Kiris, discovered the escape.
She blocked the scene just as Joynoi was about to slip out of the cage.
"Kiris, you're letting this man go? If you do that, you won't be able to stay in Tartarus anymore. You'll be my enemy too!"
Scylla was a sea nymph. A victim whose peaceful life had been destroyed by evil villains. That's why she'd always cherished Kiris, feeling like her pain was her own.
But if Kiris let Joynoi go now, they'd become enemies.
"B-but Joynoi is the Liberation Nymph... He's the friend who saves nymphs from suffering and makes them smile... We have to save him...!"
"What nonsense is that? Liberation Nymph? That's all a lie someone made up! There's no such thing! If there was, you and I wouldn't be here!"
Scylla was furious. Who the hell had spread rumors about a "Liberation Nymph Joynoi"? The world wasn't that soft.
That's when Jo, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"There's no need to fight over me. I don't want to be the wedge driving a rift between nymph sisters. I'll stay here. Of my own will. So I'm not really imprisoned."
Not imprisoned because it's my own choice—so no need to help! It was some twisted logic.
But hearing that, Kiris felt like she'd gained some profound realization.
Kiris knew she was a bit of a fool. She couldn't explain exactly what she'd realized, but...
"Joynoi is clearly worrying about the bond between this Kiris and Scylla sister, choosing to bear the pain himself...! This Kiris has never seen such a kind Honorary Nymph...!"
People had told Kiris the world was cold like ice, harsh and sharp.
But that scared her. If the world was that bad, why did everyone bother being born and living?
And now, hearing Joynoi's purely kind words filled with goodwill—
Kiris felt the world was a much better place. There was hope. People were born and lived because of hopes and warmth like this.
"Joynoi really is the Liberation Honorary Nymph...!"
I was terrified. One of the Tartarus guard nymphs trying to free me from captivity? What kind of absurd situation was this?
Just one more night and Thanatos promised to release me to the surface! I can't escape now!
So I refused the jailbreak.
Whether my words got through or not, the nymphs stopped arguing and left.
But I stayed on high alert.
You can never let your guard down around nymphs.
With only one day left until I could go home, someone trying to free me? The thought alone was horrifying!
Looking back, most of my suffering here was because of nymphs. Honorary Nymph or whatever, Melinoë and Melinoi were problems too.
Of course, tomorrow it would all be in the past. I'd go to the surface and never return to Soul Society.
Time passed like that.
"G-ghosts!"
"The ghosts are attacking!"
"Gaaah!"
The prison was getting weirdly rowdy?
Soon, some skeleton soldiers approached me and threw a sack over my head.
"Let's go!"
"We're getting out of here!"
I was led somewhere by them.
Heading to the surface? I hoped so, but maybe not.
"Things seem chaotic out there," I probed casually, and someone gruffly replied.
"Don't worry about it. You're getting out of here!"
Now I realized the one leading me was Scylla.
Getting out? Finally heading to the surface!
I was thrilled. But I held back from showing it until the very end.
Then Scylla added to me.
"Jo, I'm glad we're letting you go. You're a bad influence on Kiris. Liberation Nymph? Believing that nonsense..."
She shoved me. I stumbled and fell, the sack slipping off my head.
In that moment, I saw hordes of furious nymphs.
"Hand over the Liberation Nymph Joynoi-dat...!"
"We want free nymph public housing too...!"
"Block them!"
"We have to stop them no matter what today!"
"H-how are we supposed to block this nymph mob with just seven of us?!"
"Welcome—."
"Aaaah! One of our seven was a traitor! Red, you bastard!"
"We're pushing through again today-dat...!"
"This Carnoy doesn't know what's going on, but she's gonna smash everything...!"
It was total chaos and confusion.
And in the midst of it, I figured out where I was.
This wasn't the surface. It was in front of headquarters!
Why bring me here to HQ?
As I panicked, Paranoy spotted me.
"Ahh...! That's the Liberation Nymph Joynoi-dat...!"
"Hooray! Joynoi's back~!"
"Everyone, stop the protest...!"
"Th-the nymph rioters are retreating!"
"How is Executive Director Jo here—."
"Who cares! We're saved!"
The protesters and the forces blocking them were all staring at me.
Whoosh—.
Just then, clouds parted in Soul Society's artificial sky, a beam of light shining down on me like a spotlight.
Someone said,
"No one could chain down Executive Director Jo."
"Not even those Tartarus rebels."
"Mr. Unchained."
This was insane.
After that, I got a health check and gave everyone a brief rundown of what happened.
"The Moirae are collaborating with Tartarus?"
"What if the Moirae kidnapping was their own plan from the start?"
"Then they're not just rebels."
"We need a complete overhaul of all strategies and tactics!"
The executives were shocked, terrified, and impressed by the intel I shared.
"How did you escape that dreadful abyss?"
I don't know. I thought they were releasing me to the surface.
That's what I figured—
"Scylla just let me go."
I had no idea why. But to the people in front of me, the reason didn't matter.
"You boiled that sea serpent admiral? Even this old god Geras thinks that's impressive. As expected of the man who made me retreat a step."
"If you beat Charon, you had to pull something like that."
"See? I told you."
Prince Zagreus spread his arms wide, and coins clinked as they were tossed to him from around the room.
"It was all Executive Director Jo's plan. Infiltrating Tartarus to steal top-secret intel. The Moirae colluding with them? Who could've predicted that!"
"Executive Director Jo, he was my subordinate, but what a terrifying guy."
"He doesn't hesitate at any means for his goals. Even if it risks his own life."
Alecto and Moros, respectively.
I quietly closed my eyes.
...Am I really never escaping this place?
Maybe becoming a Tartarus legion commander and serving 13,000 years was my last shot at stepping on the surface.
It was that kind of weird day.
"Unchained!"
"Mr. Unchained!"
After Companion of Animals, I got another bizarre title. The man who can't be bound, Jo.
Considering I wanted out of Soul Society more than anyone but couldn't escape and stayed chained—it was a ridiculous, foolish nickname.
"Executive Director Jo!"
"A word, please!"
Heading home, reporters were swarming, so I detoured to the riverbank instead. Boarding the massive cruise ship Joey, I silently gazed at the glittering new city of Elysium from my luxurious suite.
It was the pinnacle of human luxury and pleasure.
So why did it make tears well up instead of joy?
"Iseo, your fortunes are shining bright—. Living on a cruise instead of home."
That voice snapped me alert. My dazed mind felt like it'd been struck by lightning, chills racing down my spine.
This voice!
"No way—you're Professor Zeus—!?"