Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Life in Confinement (3)
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"Try saying you'll draw your sword again."
"I won't. That's enough now..."
Before I knew it, I'd even shrugged off my uniform jacket.
Now I was gripping my stance in sweat-soaked shirtsleeves, drenched to the bone.
"Quiet. That's 100 more downward strikes."
'Why is she so damn diligent...?'
Sure, it was worlds better than her turning into a total maniac.
But at some point, she'd become even more serious about training than I was.
"Even in the Eastern Continent, this level of drilling is child's play."
Myoran had swept her braided hair to one side, draping it over her soft curves.
She was unconsciously savoring this taste of everyday life after so long.
"How's that? Still thinking about that damned parrying?"
"No, not at all. I've even forgotten what it was...!!"
Only after my frantic shout did Myoran finally halt her guidance.
She leaned against the wall, arms crossed leisurely.
"Stick to the basics from now on. If you really want to protect this prison."
Her elegant figure wrapped in a black cheongsam.
Even with just her frenzy slightly subsided, her dignified beauty—infused with vast yin energy—shone through.
Almost enough to draw you into those jade-green eyes.
I could see why the previous wardens had died, why the Heavenly Jade obsessed over her body.
Luckily, no honey trap worked on me.
Romance was just another stimulus.
I'd already endured the far stronger super-stimulus of 'ruin' three times over.
"Hoo... Can I take a quick break? I've got warden duties to handle."
"We'll see."
Myoran showed no sign of letting me off easy.
She just crossed her long, exposed thighs primly and eyed me like a pet snake.
"Don't think a bit of training makes me acknowledge you. Quite the delusion."
'You're the one who enjoyed it most.'
As I shot her a sullen look, she straightened up at once.
As if she'd shown no enthusiasm whatsoever.
But three hours had already passed.
Fortunately, someone had come looking for me.
I heard familiar footsteps in the corridor.
I knew exactly who it was.
Our ever-principled vice warden.
Clea knocked on the cell door.
"It's open."
A neatly dressed woman appeared, ledger in hand.
She already seemed acquainted with Myoran.
"What, you're still alive?"
"Unlike the previous wardens, I'm not an idiot."
Myoran tilted her head slightly.
"What's this about?"
"The new warden's late, so I came to check."
The black-haired woman stroked her braid with a displeased frown.
She glanced at me and added,
"Unexpected. Never thought you'd worry about your superior."
"Unlike the last warden, he told me ahead of time he'd be off for a meeting. Seeing you're still breathing, it went well enough."
Clea subtly took in the cell.
Far cleaner than before.
She seemed to grasp how I'd tamed the Eastern monster who could kill with a glance.
The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly upward.
"I'll take him now. You've got mountains of work waiting."
"Do what you want."
Myoran indifferently brushed her messy bangs aside.
She turned fully away, facing the wall.
"How long are you planning to slack off here?"
I slung my uniform jacket over my shoulder as she spoke.
Before leaving, I tossed over my shoulder to Myoran,
"I'll drop by tonight, so pick out any special treats you want by then."
"..."
"And clean up a bit. It looks so much better already. Just seeing it clears my headache."
"Crawl out if you don't want to leave."
I heeded our Sword Sage's words and beat a hasty retreat.
Dragging my goosebump-covered body, I finally shut the door behind me.
"Were you standing at attention as punishment?"
"Yeah. Eastern martial artist stuff that'd make your eyes spin."
"And you survived that."
"Thanks to you."
As we walked the corridor together,
Clea cocked her head, ledger in both hands.
"I didn't do much."
"Just you coming to find me proves my character."
The previous warden had sneaked up on Myoran on the sly.
Unclean intentions meant no heads-up to his men.
The result?
No one came looking until he was dead.
Even his corpse took nearly a month to recover.
Back then, Sublevel 2 was a place everyone avoided.
Yet Clea had come after just a few hours.
Probably why Myoran let me go so easily.
"So, how'd the meeting go?"
"Disastrous. The blood on the dog hole was from an assassin trying to steal the Heavenly Jade from Myoran."
"Dragon jade...?"
"You know how some dragons have gems embedded in their foreheads? It's like a power source."
Clea got it instantly.
"Then if they failed this time, they'll come again eventually."
"Yeah. We need to prepare."
"I'll bolster security."
"Didn't expect that. Thought you'd say just throw Myoran at them."
The blue-haired woman paused briefly.
She stared quietly at the bloodstains etched into the corridor floor.
"I did consider it. She's killed the most here, after all."
Four guards alone fell to her.
Including the warden.
"Every time I cleaned up bodies in this hall, I thought that thing behind this door had to go someday."
Dragging those cold corpses must've filled her with disgust for Myoran.
Sublevel 2 was the last place she'd want to look.
"But you came back alive. Means she still has some reason left."
Clea closed her eyes haughtily.
Then resumed her cold stride and said,
"If my superior sees that potential and works on it, I won't give up first."
That explained how she'd survived solo for so long.
I patted my reassuring vice warden's back fondly.
'Then tonight, I'll start prepping in earnest.'
Meanwhile, in the solitary cell on Sublevel 2.
The lone black-haired woman lay down on the bed.
Crisp white bedding and pillow, hand-washed clean.
The faint soap scent cleared her mind for the first time in ages.
"..."
She fiddled with her braid, drawn across her voluptuous form.
Her thoughts drifted to the odd new warden she'd met today.
"Draw his sword, my ass."
A chuckle escaped her unbidden.
Absurd as it was, she couldn't recall the last time she'd laughed.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
Normally, the many holes annoyed her to no end.
She imagined the assassins' eyes glinting from those dark gaps, the league forever stalking her.
But now, it was all patched up neat.
"Guys like that usually die young."
Myoran recalled her father, who spouted similar nonsense.
Even when some prized disciples he'd trained betrayed and stabbed him in the back...
Her father never cursed those damned traitors.
She saw the new warden as much the same fool.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"..."
It had been years since she'd slept properly.
Always tormented by the Heavenly Jade's whispers and the dread of unknown assassins.
But tonight, no trace of its aura.
She could finally sink into deep slumber.
Forgetting everything, just this once.
And so time passed into night.
When the moon-empowered Heavenly Jade's strength peaked.
That night.
Ex-Imperial Knights dispatched by Tutton Grand Duke made their move.
The masked men ignored the dog hole.
They channeled mana into their legs and leaped straight atop the barrier.
From there, three mercenaries quietly eyed the warden's office.
They shared intel with their signature chilling gazes.
"Lights are on in the warden's office."
"It's the youngest son of the Minster count family. Should be reasonable."
"Minster house, huh. The noble thugs who'll do anything for coin?"
"Yes. Word is, he even bought the warden post."
"Kill him if he resists. Tutton Grand Duke takes all the blame."
"Understood."
They crept silently up to the second floor.
Toward the sole lit room at the corridor's end: the warden's office.
Creeeak—
The old door swung open.
The moment the masked men stepped inside,
they drew their weapons.
Sword, axe, and musket.
"You in there?"
The grand duke's shadows, who always targeted prisoners directly.
Repeated failures to subdue Myoran had demoted them to silencing guards.
She was for the big-league Eastern assassin.
Smarting from the slight, they planned to toy with the wastrel warden.
"Who might you be at this late hour?"
I adjusted the monocle Clea had left behind.
Coffee cup in one hand.
"We're a mercenary band passing by. Mind if we rest here?"
"By all means. I was getting lonely anyway."
I flashed a worldly smile at these total strangers.
Guided them to the sofa and set the kettle boiling.
"Must be important business, moving at this hour."
"Nail this job, and our employer's reward will be huge."
My lips curved at the word "reward."
"Lucky you."
"Interested?"
"Who doesn't love money? Touch a fat purse, and I'd bolt from this dreary hole."
"Even a warden's pay must be tight."
The blond masked man pointed at the medal on my chest.
I chuckled, pouring coffee.
"Exile post commander, that's how it is."
The three mercenaries exchanged glances.
"Fair enough. Then you'll listen. Our job ties to this place."
"My prison?"
"Prisoner on Sublevel 2, right? That Eastern beauty."
"Ah, Prisoner #3, Myoran."
I shuddered theatrically, as if goosebumps rose at the thought.
"That's our charge."
"Where to?"
"New reformatory in the capital. Tutton Grand Duke's orders—you can trust it."
"A grand duke's right below His Majesty in power. That explains your vibe."
I politely set coffee before them.
Clasped my hands deferentially and asked,
"Myoran's a huge headache for us too. Handle her, and I'm grateful."
"Knew you'd see reason. True Minster style."
The apparent leader nodded.
Satisfied with his compliant mark, he sipped his coffee.
"Heard Minsters were trash nobility, but you know your place. Good."
"How could I defy servants of the grand duke?"
I narrowed my snaky eyes thinner.
They liked the vicious glint; the others lifted their cups too.
Thud...!!
A loud crash echoed from below.
As I rose, the mercenary leader warned coldly,
"Sit. Escort's just getting rough."
"That's a big noise for that..."
At my question, their slaughter-hardened eyes gleamed.
Hands on weapons, ready to tear me apart.
"Resist, and you'll end up like the last wardens."
Definitely stronger than me now.
At least elite knight stock, probably headhunted by the duke for big coin.
"You know no one questions deaths here, right?"
The midnight warden's office fell deathly still.
Thick coffee scent the only thing filling the air.
"Of course. Better than anyone."
I savored the aroma leisurely.
So thick, they wouldn't notice if something was mixed in.
"This place doesn't bat an eye even if several die."
Even if it's vicious paralyzing poison.
"Wh-what... My body...!!"
"Urk...!!"
Their far stronger bodies began to convulse.
Desperate to rally, they focused mana.
But the poison I'd brewed as Dark accounted for that too.
They just toppled, hardening like stone on the floor.
"You bastard...!! You've assaulted Tutton Grand Duke's direct mercenaries!!"
His venom-green eyes narrowed to crescent moons.
I turned my back to the moonlight, clasping hands behind me calmly.
"So what? I'm from the Minster house you call vicious."
I sipped the one poison-free coffee leisurely.
Reciting what they should've said to me.
"Stay quiet, and it'll all be over."
Their trembling shook the desk.
Clea poked her impassive face out from behind it.
"No matter how you slice it, they're the villains here..."
A corrupt noble glaring viciously at his poisoned mercenaries.
Her common sense felt inverted.
"Not killing them. Need to torture out intel."
"Saying it like that makes you sound more villainous."
Clea strolled out casually, nudging a fallen mercenary's leg with her boot.
She grunted, dragging the fully rigid men.
"I'll check on Myoran. Tie 'em tight."
The old Clea would've fretted over me.
Now, with faith in her corner, she replied flatly.
"Don't take too long this time."
Emboldened by her trust, she headed underground.
Toward the clash of titanic forces.
"Of course."