Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: People-Making Expert (2)
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Prisoner number 4, Damas Angard.
Outstanding grades and a handsome face just like his father.
Plus the title of being the Grand Elder's one and only son.
Thanks to all that, he'd always been given preferential treatment at the academy.
Not just the girls—even the boys were always nice to him.
He grew into adulthood amid such abundance and was immediately hired as a vice commander.
Common sense dictated starting out as a lowly knight, but that didn't matter.
The knight commander of that order desperately wanted to impress the Grand Elder.
Figuring his excellent bloodline made it fine, he'd elevated Damas to a core position.
Luckily, right after taking office as vice commander, he won his first battle.
All his comrades sang his praises, saying it was all thanks to him.
With each successive victory, his confidence swelled until he burned to surpass his father's achievements at his age.
The Grand Elder had always been indifferent toward him.
He craved validation from the man who'd scarcely ever praised him.
But that hunger for approval soon birthed a colossal disaster.
Wanting to slaughter the enemy just like his father, he chased down the routed survivors and blundered into an ambush.
Once everyone was backed into a corner, even the subordinates who'd fawned over him revealed their true colors.
"Damn this nepotism spawn—what the hell is this?!"
"Honestly, if you weren't the Grand Elder's son, we'd have ditched you ages ago!!"
His comrades fled while hurling curses.
Damas begged them not to scatter, but they all broke apart anyway.
And got picked off one by one.
He was the sole survivor, hiding amid the corpses until he barely escaped.
But the warm cheers and adulation of before were gone for good.
The surviving comrades were too busy pinning the blame on Damas.
Raised in a world of constant kindness, he was utterly lost amid the group's politicking.
Until the day he was imprisoned, he drowned himself in booze, yearning for his glory days at school.
Cursing the father who hadn't come to his rescue... and the comrades who'd turned on him...
This is the life story of the Damas I know.
In the warden's office.
Damas Angard sat across from me on the sofa.
His hands shackled, he stared right at me.
"So you're the warden here?"
Normal prisoners knew to keep their mouths shut.
But raised always in the superior position, he acted like nothing was beneath him.
"Weird. You look younger than me."
"……."
"But hey, why do you seem so familiar? Did we meet somewhere?"
"……."
As I stayed silent, the blond man furrowed his brow.
Then something clicked, and his lips fell open.
"Oh yeah—you went to the same academy as me, right? I was a year ahead."
He looked thrilled just remembering his academy days.
As if they were his glory days, he launched right in.
"You know who I am?"
"Of course. You got bullied pretty bad back then. It was pitiful to watch."
Memories from before my possession—dark times.
He'd been part of the crowd that ignored Derek back then.
"Your big brothers went too far. Instead of protecting their little brother from beatings, they joined in."
On the surface, he was acting concerned for me.
But I knew better.
He was just reveling in the vibe of his heyday.
"Still, impressive—ending up head of a place like this."
Damas shrugged lightly, eyeing the warden's office.
A far cry from the vice commander's quarters he'd known.
"Cramped space, but it'll do. I'll slip you some pocket money later—fix it up nice."
The office door swung open then.
Clea brushed her bangs aside and set the ledger on the desk.
Damas snuck a glance at the vice warden and whispered to me.
Like we were old pals.
"And you've got a fine-looking subordinate too."
The second I heard it.
I snatched a fistful of his golden hair.
Kwaaang!!
And slammed him into the side table with overwhelming force.
"Ugh...!!"
Violence the likes of which he'd never known.
His muscles twitched in shock throughout his body.
"What the fuck did you just say?"
Clea covered her mouth at his voice—so different from his usual smug drawl.
I glared down at him with the jaded eyes of my fourth life.
"Hey, you think you're still the academy's top dog? This is prison, dumbass."
"You... do you even know... whose son I—"
He had no idea his father was locked up here.
Dark had made everyone promise not to tell his son.
Acting aloof on the surface, but he'd worried about the boy.
Learning his father became a prisoner because of him would devastate the kid.
"You caused hundreds of casualties. What makes you so goddamn clueless?"
"That was... my men wouldn't listen. It was all bullshit!!"
This time he seemed genuinely wronged as he lifted his face.
His expression brimmed with worldly grievances as he yelled at me.
"I straight-up told my men not to scatter—but those bastards didn't trust me, scattered anyway, and that's why we lost!!"
"You handed them the excuse."
I looked down at him coldly.
Just like when I'd led countless knights as first-life knight commander.
"Who was it with shit command skills who led his men into a trap?"
With the piercing gaze I'd used on foolish royals as second-life prime minister.
"Once trapped, you should've at least calmly led your men as their superior."
With the unflappable poise of my third-life shadow lord, handling any twist with ease.
"But you couldn't. Too busy wallowing, hurt by your men's resentment—'cause you'd always been coddled."
"……."
Finally, a proper prisoner's look on Damas.
A face just like his father's—but the personality, not so much. Complicated.
"W-what do you know about me to run your mouth? Some punk like—"
Maybe 'cause his looks outshone mine, and he'd been Mr. Popular at school.
He tried picking a fight with the far inferior me from back then.
But.
"You just yapped about me without knowing shit either."
Speechless again.
I turned away in pity.
"Guess someone needs to school you on how much of a sheltered frog you were."
Greenhouse flowers like this don't change easy.
He had to realize for himself just how stupid he'd been.
Thud!!
Left alone on the icy cell floor.
A former vice commander like him downed in one by an academy reject.
Unable to face reality, he bit his lip hard.
'Yeah, it's 'cause I've been cooped up as a prisoner—got soft.'
He snorted, hauling himself up with effort.
Clinging to that gold-spoon positivity, he bided his time.
This backwater prison? His silver tongue and charm would conquer it easy.
He'd reclaim his academy heartthrob vibe.
The chance came fast.
An hour later, noon—group mealtime.
The second-floor mess hall.
He sauntered in all cocky.
"Hmm~."
One side: rough-faced guards chowing down.
Including me—the guy who'd yanked his hair.
Not liking me there, he eyed the opposite side.
And...
Damas's lips curled at the stunning sight.
In this dreary prison, beauties he'd never dreamed of.
A white-haired, red-eyed woman—beautiful, aloof nobility.
Not even the famed beauties of the imperial academy had that aura.
Across from her, a black-haired, green-eyed beauty too.
Eastern continent allure and figure he'd never seen, wrapped in sinfully tight clothes.
Tragic tales, for sure—pity incarnate.
Damas figured he'd soothe them and win the prison's hearts.
"Ahem."
The man tuned up that deep, academy-adored voice.
Grabbed his tray, then...
Plopped right in the empty seat between them.
I slowly closed my eyes at the sight.
Sorry, Grand Elder.
Your son's hell-bent on suicide.
"Food here's not half bad, surprisingly."
Sly mutter.
He flicked glances at their trays.
White-haired beauty: one apple.
Black-haired beauty: seven thick meat slabs.
"Always this good? Thought this was the empire's worst hellhole."
"……."
No one bit at his chatter.
Pride stung, he scratched his cheek.
First time ignored by women like this.
"Hey, that apple won't fill you. Want some of mine?"
Damas finally spoke up direct.
But he picked the absolute worst target...
Anje—who'd had her novel-writing derailed this morning by his racket.
"Wha...? Why's my hand—"
Damas's left hand moved on its own.
Fist clenched, jammed straight into his mouth.
"Guhk! Guuuuhk...!"
Fingers crushed against teeth, blood pouring.
"That grating voice—you. The loudmouth from the entrance."
Anje fixed him with lifeless red eyes, chilling.
Like a wild predator spotting a pampered lapdog.
"You broke my flow at the key part."
The saintess eyed Damas pitifully as her fist choked him.
"One more loud peep, and you're dead. Got it?"
"Ughk...!!"
Damas nodded frantically.
Only then did Anje flick her fingers, releasing the brainwashing.
His body shook from his first taste of mind control.
But the trembling was a tad overdone.
His second play—charm offensive that worked on women.
Handsome face and pedigree to stir maternal instincts.
Wistful gaze toward Myoran.
That instant.
Damas reeled from her look of pure disgust.
"What the hell."
Contempt in a 19-year-old woman's eyes.
She slammed her fork down and stood.
「Ew, gross.」
Even Heavenly Jade stuck out her tongue.
Myoran rose and hurried to my side.
The peerless beauty who'd glommed onto the academy outcast.
Cognitive dissonance hit Damas—his eyes crossed independently.
"Warden, don't seat him here again. Ruins the meat."
"Sorry. Eat in peace."
Pride shredded, he sat there dazed.
Eyes flooding with betrayal trauma from back then.
By then I'd stood and approached the hollow shell.
"Get it now?"
Sat across from him.
To the flashy-but-empty garnish-dusted fool, I said:
"This is you without the 'Grand Elder's son' halo. Just a brainless braggart with zilch."
Finally snapped from his academy dream, he went quiet.
"Grabbed a fat job without knowing your place, botched leading troops without the chops. That's you."
"But as the Grand Elder's son, I had to start there."
I gazed pityingly at his rapidly drained face, confidence shattered, all huddled up.
"No—if you wanted his approval, you should've turned down vice commander. Started at the bottom, built real experience."
"But Father had racked up tons of merits by my age."
"He never once approved of me. So I had to match him with results."
"Why chase those results riding his coattails?"
Father's halo.
The words made him flinch.
"Name one achievement you earned solo, without his name propping you up?"
Every step had Daddy's backing.
Academy perks, easy friends, vice commander bump—all gifted.
Nothing self-made.
"Bet there aren't any. Your arrogance as a convict proves it."
I picked up his dropped spoon from the floor and handed it over.
No fresh one.
Clean it yourself and chow down.
"Think the Grand Elder left your sentence as is 'cause he was disappointed?"
"……."
He still bought that vibe.
For this educated-yet-dim bulb, I slammed the table.
"He wanted you to build the strength to survive on your own—here, if nowhere else!"
Damas jolted, eyes saucering.
At last, the 22-year-old got it.
"For real...?"
"Why else would I let you live? Think of how worried your father's been."
Just look at him digging into my backstory—he still loves his boy.
But spill this, and he'd strut again. Better scare him straight.
"But you? Looking like this—no reforming you."
I shot up.
Cold eyes that always got misread.
"From now on, I'll tell the prisoners they can toy with you however—and kill you if they feel like it."
After I left, he sat blankly alone in the mess hall.
Not fretting prisoner hazing.
"...Strength to survive on my own."
Props to him—mulling why Dad hadn't sprung him.
Warden's tone hinted he knew the old man.
Meant Dad still believed in him, watching from afar.
Damas eyed his blood-dripping hand.
Clenched hard, steeling himself after ages.
"Yeah. One more shot."
The blond rose abruptly.
Forced some guts, stepped out into the hall.
But.
There stood the women who'd terrified him moments ago.
Anje and Myoran.
"Hngh...!"
Breath caught at the sight, just like before.
But he's Grand Elder blood—faced down a saintess unflinching.
"Hey."
Gripped his wits somehow, approached the prisoners.
To conquer this nightmare prison life himself.
"You two got a thing for the warden, right?"
"……."
The women eyed him coldly.
Damas forced his mouth open anyway.
"Don't let the looks fool ya—I dated five times in school."
Shouted it proud.
That voice that'd counseled endless friend crushes.
"Keep me comfy, and I'll show you how to get close to the warden!"
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