The Punishment Hall (10)
The Punishment Hall (10)
I cleaned all the outer walls of Cellblock 10. I finished off the musty smell with bleach and sprayed deodorizer here and there.
Since the inside of the cells needed cleaning too, I walked right into the first cell I had been introduced to.
Valkan, the wolf Beastfolk who had been the first prisoner. The moment I undid the restraints of the man who had been sharp-edged toward me the entire time, he lunged at me as if he would bite at any second.
But well, sharp was all it was. When I smacked him on the head with the mop handle, he shuddered and trembled all over.
"Let's go quietly. Hm? Quietly."
I subdued Valkan and even redid the ceiling. I scooped out all the filth, sorted it separately, and hauled it outside.
This is basically just being a janitor. Should I install a toilet for them myself later?
...No, wait. They can't even relieve themselves freely because of the restraints.
In the first place, while I'm in charge, couldn't I just put them in different prisoner clothes? And install toilets while I'm at it.
The second cell was easier than the first. Rakkum, the Lizardfolk I had expected, was extremely cooperative.
When I handed him a mop, he even helped clean. I carefully cleaned the second cell with him. The ceiling inside the cell was quite high and out of reach, but he stepped up and helped directly.
A truly excellent worker. It felt like a waste to leave him there, so I brought him out of the cell myself. The Lizardfolk glanced around the inside of the cellblock and muttered blankly.
"This is the first time I've been outside the bars."
"Don't even think about going outside the cellblock."
"I'm satisfied with this much of an escape."
I entered the third cell with Rakkum. The place where Tsubaki the explosion maniac was. I pushed away the clinging woman and cut off her soiled restraints.
Tsubaki blinked. She looked at her freed arms, then immediately hugged me.
"Mmph mmph mmph."
Ah. Right, there was a gag too.
I removed it for now. Tsubaki's eyes sparkled. Words poured out without pause.
"Escape?! Now! Leaving! Tsubaki! Freedom!"
"No, so be quiet. I came to clean, okay?"
"...Clean?"
Rakkum asked, a bit uneasy.
"Is it all right to just untie them like that? They're dangerous people."
"I untied you too, didn't I? And I told you, didn't I? That the biggest monster here is me."
I casually smacked Tsubaki on the head as she was carving a spell onto my arm. I raised Sacred Power and deflected the sorcery.
BOOM!
The air burst. I grabbed Tsubaki by the scruff and hurled her into the wall. I drove my foot into the ground beside her where she had crumpled.
Crunch.
Stone fragments trickled down. I grinned at her.
"Cooperate. Please. Okay?"
Tsubaki trembled.
"Agreed."
Good. Let's get this done fast!
I handed her a mop too. I could see she was going to blow something up, so every time she carved a spell, I smacked the back of her head. After taking a few hits, Tsubaki scrubbed the floor with a rag, all shriveled up.
Rakkum was impressed.
"Remarkable. Young guard. So the monster talk was true? Impressive strength."
"This is my secret technique, back-of-the-head smacking."
"Worthy of being called a warrior."
The third cell was cleaned too. I moved on to the fourth.
Prisoner Eve.
She opened her mouth. Whispered something. I undid her restraints.
Eve stared at me blankly, then quietly began twisting the opening in her gag. I stopped her hand with a tap.
"Let's talk later. Cleaning first."
"......"
"I'll listen later. To everything. Got it? I'll swear on Ra."
She flinched. At the part about swearing on 'Ra,' she quietly nodded. She even gestured as if asking what she should do.
What do you mean, what should you do.
Like I'd let you play around by yourself!
I handed her a mop. Freed from her restraints, she blankly took the mop. Then she soon began looking around her room and started scrubbing the floor diligently.
Good. Very well done. With that, the fourth cell is cleared.
The reason they didn't particularly resist was nothing special. Not wanting to live in a filthy place is the same for anyone human. Even crazy psychopaths are no different.
But the last one was different. After locking each prisoner back in their cells, I opened the final door and entered.
A place that hadn't been dirtied all that much. A place where a being not of this world, a being of otherworldly form, lived.
The being who had been staring blankly at the wall whipped around. At the hearts floating in her eyes, I smiled slightly.
She was one of my all-time favorites. Seeing her in person is a bit strange, though.
"Amar... I can call you that, right?"
She crawled over hesitantly. She thrust her head forward as if demanding affection.
I knew. That this wasn't simply a demand for love.
That it was nothing more than a 'defense mechanism' for survival.
I slowly stroked her head. Her faintly glowing white hair was soft even though it hadn't been washed.
I was careful not to touch her horns. Since they were the part she treasured most, I shouldn't lay a hand on them at all.
Seeing my favorite in real life was a strange feeling. Like seeing an idol you admire, I suppose.
What had drawn me to her was her fierce story. A struggle to survive. In a way, this demon was nothing more than a single specimen sacrificed for the church's research.
No, wait. Considering how twisted it was, maybe it had been twisted from the very beginning.
I met Amar's eyes. Looking into her heart-filled pupils, I whispered softly.
"Amar."
"......"
"Can I take off the gag?"
She tilted her head as if asking why I was asking. She thrust her face forward as if telling me to do as I pleased.
I slowly removed the gag. With a small "pwah-" sound, Amar whispered.
A cute voice. A lethal voice that felt like it would melt my brain just listening to it.
"Let's do naughty things together."
"......"
"Hm? How about it? Nice, right? You like it? You can use me however you want. This lewd body. From head to toe, it exists for you."
She coiled around me. She pressed her large chest against me as if crashing into me.
A peerless beauty. On top of that, the whimpering gestures were something any man would fall for.
But I pushed her away. After sitting her down properly, I gripped the mop as originally planned.
"Amar."
First precaution.
When dealing with her, never act carelessly. Ask about everything, hear the answer, then act.
What I especially had to watch for was her attitude of agreement. Sometimes her answers mixed affirmative and negative gestures. At those times, I had to be careful.
If I arbitrarily took it as agreement and acted, Amar's stress would build up. It was no different from her rampage gauge going up one notch.
I had to show her with my eyes that I respected her. That was the proper way to win over Amar, the Demon of Love.
"Amar. Your room is a bit dirty, so is it okay if I clean it?"
"Hm? You can. Go ahead. Clean my dirty body too while you're at it. Handle me however you want with those rough hands."
I ignored the last part. After studying her face, I slowly began cleaning.
Cellblock 10 had originally started as a laboratory. This place had once been full of complex experimental equipment and all kinds of data.
But as the budget disappeared and the truths about Amar came to light, she lost all value.
Just a demon who was somewhat pretty and only needed to not harbor the emotion called 'love.'
The moment it was revealed that this was the extent of her value, the laboratory was shut down.
The current Cellblock 10 was using the original laboratory as a prison.
I moved my feet. Amar diligently followed me.
Ah. I forgot one thing.
"Amar."
"Hm?"
"Want me to undo your restraints too?"
"...Hm?"
Amar stopped abruptly. For the first time, doubt crept into her heart-filled eyes.
But her answer was still affirmative.
"Yeah. Undo them. Tear open the restraints and stain me with your color."
Affirmative again this time. There was a hint of suspicion, but it was clear agreement. I cut her restraints. Amar blinked at the arm part that snapped off with a pop.
She bit her finger seductively. Whispered in my ear.
"Come to me."
The voice craving love was sweet. But instead of embracing her, I gripped the mop tightly.
"I have to clean."
Despite having such a lewd body and spouting words that bewitched men, Amar was still a virgin. If you could call that thing human, that is.
The reason was simple.
The more a human's body touched Amar's, the more they felt the emotion of love. And when it reached its peak, before they could join bodies with Amar, the human died.
Love that reached its end leading a person to ruin. It was like affirmation creating negation.
I let out a sigh. Finished the cleaning.
"Amar. I'll issue you clothes separately later. They'll be much more comfortable than what you have now."
"Don't do that. Hm? You can touch me however you like."
"I'll come back later."
I glanced at her. She was also in a dirtied state. The prisoners were all the same, every one of them.
Once the cleaning was done, next was bathing.
Should I start with that Valkan bastard?
. . .
"Bath supplies. Bought them. Maya did job properly?"
"Perfect. You really are an excellent employee."
Maya, who had been given the wallet, returned. Amazingly, she had even run the errand!
Of course, Monica had been stuck to her side.
Warden Monica was watching me, unable to settle down. Peering into the now-clean interior of Cellblock 10, she couldn't hide her astonishment.
"T-to finish cleaning in a single day... and was this place originally this clean...?"
"What kind of warden doesn't know that?"
"It wasn't a place I managed."
I snatched the new prisoner clothes from Monica, who was making a teary face with a "hiiing-". Unlike the previous restraints, these were comfortable clothes.
"I-is it really okay to put these on them...?"
"I'm the manager for a month. I'll do as I please during that time. Director Veronica said I could, didn't she? Did the contractors I asked for come separately?"
"If you mean the toilet work... yes. They're here."
A man who pushed up his glasses bowed his head.
"Hello. Priest. You may call me Anton."
"Please call me Zahard, Anton. About how much would it cost separately?"
"Just installing the magic tools we developed separately costs a few hundred. If you combine all five locations, it completes an excrement incineration system that requires no separate cleanup, but you can expect it to cost around five thousand."
Monica pressed down her fox ears.
"The Punishment Office's budget is limited... so I can't provide separate support for this. Inquisitooor..."
"No need."
"Pardon?"
"Because I'll pay with my own money!"
Flex!
Five thousand is cheap as the price of not cleaning toilets for a month!
"How long will the construction take?"
"It's short. Simply digging up the ground and installing the equipment is all. A little over an hour."
"I'll add an extra thousand on top. I'll bring the prisoners outside myself, so could you handle it in the meantime?"
"...Honestly, that's a bit dangerous..."
"Fifteen hundred."
"I'll do it."
As expected, there's nothing money can't do. As the enormous sum changed hands in an instant, Monica's eyes spun round and round.
"I-is that coming out of the Inquisition Office budget, by any chance?"
"No? It's my personal funds?"
"H-how can you handle such a huge amount all at once..."
"Money's all I have."
"...Th-the ideal husband..."
"Excuse me?"
Monica gulped. She pulled herself together and slipped out of my quarters.
"I'll report separately to the Director for now!"
"Ah, yes."
I lifted the bath supplies Maya had brought. The plan to bathe the prisoners outside the cellblock while the toilets were being installed was perfect.
I'd heat the water myself in the huge borrowed jar, then scrub their itchy spots clean!
And in the meantime, I'd win the prisoners' favor with some small talk.
Truly... a perfect plan!
A method only I, who knows everything about those bastards' circumstances, could pull off!