Chapter 103 - Accumulated Stress
Silently, I continued to destroy the faces of the guards, and the women prisoners finally reached their limit of fear. One woman's scream and flight triggered a full-blown panic. I didn’t care much about the women prisoners; they were of no use to me.
It didn’t take long to clear out the obstacles. As the fleeing women prisoners left, only the fallen guards and a few remaining women were left. Six women remained, all watching me with interest and a sense of ease. From their demeanor, I guessed they were mercenaries, adventurers, or women who made a living through combat.
But I didn’t really care who they were. Since they stayed behind, I might as well put them to work.
"Help me a bit here. I’m going to move these guys outside."
I wanted to get rid of the fallen guards who were unconscious or moaning in pain. Since I was in the laundry room, I wanted to wash the blood-soaked clothes. I needed to get out of my clothes, so they were in the way.
I grabbed one of the fallen guards and threw them outside through the open door.
"...Everyone, help her. Maria, stay outside and keep watch. More guards will probably come, so handle them and get the injured out of here."
"Understood."
The six women prisoners followed the apparent leader’s orders and started helping me. The leader, who looked to be in her middle years, only gave orders and observed my actions. She had some kind of magical tool, though I couldn’t tell what its effects were. I wondered how she managed to get it as a prisoner.
With everyone’s help, the cleanup was quick. The women outside were also busy, preventing the guards from entering and tending to the injured.
Once the door was closed, I took off the blood-soaked, disgusting clothes and stood in my underwear. Ignoring the women who were still watching me, I headed to the laundry. They were probably grateful just to get a glimpse of me in my underwear.
I thought hand-washing would be a hassle, but it wasn’t.
Of course not. In a civilized society with magic, such primitive methods of washing clothes were not used, even in a prison.
All I had to do was toss them into a magical device, and the cleaning magic would do the rest. It was a simple job anyone could do. Hooray for magic civilization!
Washing a single set of clothes was quick, so I put on the freshly cleaned prisoner’s uniform. Changing clothes in front of others always felt a bit awkward.
"How long are you going to keep staring?"
It was getting annoying to be watched constantly.
Especially by the middle-aged woman who seemed to be the leader. Stop staring.
"Hehe, you’ve got a rather attractive body there. Your face is just my type, and you’ve got a lot of spirit. Not to mention, you’re strong. I like you."
"I don’t really want to be liked. Who are you, anyway?"
She’s pretty arrogant for a prisoner. But I guess I shouldn’t talk.
"I’m like a ward chief in this prison. They call me ‘Iron Blood’ here. I know about you."
"Oh, really? What do you know about me?"
A ward chief actually exists. That’s kind of interesting. Being in such a position, she probably gets information about new prisoners.
But what’s with the ‘Iron Blood’ nickname? Is she expecting me to call her that?
"Were you a thief? No, I don’t think so. You don’t seem like the type who would get caught for something as petty as that. What did you really do?"
"That’s none of your business. Anyway, I’m leaving now."
No matter who she is, I don’t intend to get too involved. I plan to leave the prison soon, and getting too comfortable might lead to unnecessary emotional attachments.
I turned my back on the women prisoners and headed outside. What were my plans after this, anyway?
Normally, after laundry, I would sort the clothes according to the symbols and numbers on them, fold them, and deliver them. In the morning, it would be laundry, a simple lunch, sorting and a break, then deliveries to finish the day.
But today, there’s no way I can do any work. What will happen? I’d still like to have a proper lunch, though.
But now, following the rules seems utterly ridiculous.
I decided to take a more aggressive approach.
I would have a meal. A good one, outside.
Leaving the laundry room, I headed in the direction where there were fewer people.
Once I reached a secluded spot, I casually broke through the wall and escaped. Of course, I repaired the wall afterward, but it all happened in a matter of seconds.
Wearing the navy prisoner’s uniform, I walked around until I finally found a tavern after a considerable distance.
"Is this place good?"
I can’t search any longer; I’m too hungry. I hope the food here isn’t bad.
Entering the tavern, the place was deserted. It must be an odd hour.
"I’ve never seen you before, ma’am. Is that a prisoner’s uniform?"
"Does it look like one? I like this outfit, so I don’t mind. Can I order now?"
My magic-sealing bracelet was hidden under my sleeve, so I was fine. I casually dealt with the old man running the place, told him I was hungry, and ordered some food.
The food was neither particularly good nor bad, but there was a lot of it, and I ate until I was full and satisfied.
After the meal, I ordered coffee and suddenly remembered: I don’t have my Record Card. Oops.
Well, running out without paying isn’t a good look.
What should I do? I took a sip of the coffee. The food wasn’t great, but the coffee was pretty good.
While I was halfway through my coffee, a customer arrived.
I couldn’t see who it was because I was facing away from the entrance, but they seemed to be a regular customer and started talking to the old man.
"Hey, you’re late today. Are you about to have lunch?"
"Yeah, but I had some trouble. Those troublesome women, you know."
As they talked, the late customer, who must have been having a late lunch, sat down a seat away from me.
"Hey, did you notice that woman is wearing a prisoner’s uniform? Maybe you know her?"
I glanced sideways and met his eyes. Oh.
"What!? You, how did you—"
The person who ended up sitting next to me was the prison warden. What a coincidence.
But I wasn’t anxious. Why is escaping bad? In fact, it’s a good opportunity.
"You’re just in time. Old man, you can take your payment from this warden."
"...Is that okay? I don’t care who pays as long as I get paid."
"Ha... Can’t you be a bit more composed?"
"I’m being noisy? I just needed a break. Don’t fuss. I’ll be going now."
I left the warden, who sighed in fatigue, and the confused old man behind. What a surprise.
But at least I didn’t skip out on the bill, so that’s a plus.
As I had declared, I returned to the prison and quietly slipped back to my solitary cell.
Later, a roll call was conducted, and dinner was delivered. Compared to breakfast, the soup had a bit more content, but it was still not enough. Maybe they’re trying to force a diet on us.
Anyway, we don’t eat together in a cafeteria or anything. It’s different from what I imagined.
At the Girls’ Re-education Camp, we used to have fights and make friends, which was fun.
After dinner, there’s nothing to do until lights out, and we only get a short shower every other day. How unhygienic.
How long do I have to endure this?
After that incident, I didn’t do anything to stand out and lived like a model prisoner, seemingly peacefully.
I could get to know people and have conversations just by seeing them every day. The guards, on the other hand, were warned by the warden and didn’t come near me or speak to me unless it was necessary.
Additionally, the warden secretly returned my Record Card, allowing me to go out and indulge in street snacks without restraint.
I spent my days freely, escaping during the day for regular meals and visiting nearby taverns after dinner. It was a relaxed, almost free prisoner’s life.
But even with the relaxed life, my dissatisfaction grew. Specifically, I was accumulating a lot of stress. I could tell just how much.
I knew the cause. Even I found it hard to justify, but I couldn’t help it.
At the Girls’ Re-education Camp, I couldn’t use magic, and my days were filled with fights and training with Zenobia and others. It was fulfilling.
After forming the Kikyo Society, I had many enemies, and I could let loose in training. My comrades were strong, after all.
But here, there was nothing.
No one challenged me to a fight, and since I couldn’t openly use magic in the prison, my training had to be discreet and unassuming.
The prisoners seemed to be mostly petty criminals struggling with life, and there were no rough and tough criminals like before. Even the six women who seemed strong the other day hadn’t been seen since then. I had no one to challenge to a fight.
I had no one to fight, and I couldn’t use magic freely.
My stress was reaching its peak.
One night, I was jolted awake by an eerie presence.
An uninvited visitor. Being attacked in my sleep, who could it be? Did anyone know how to pick locks? I pretended to be asleep and watched.
Even getting attacked like this made my heart race. What’s wrong with me?
The visitor stopped in front of my room, quietly picked the lock, and turned the doorknob.
Strange. It sounded like they used a regular key.
I opened my eyes slightly and observed the intruder. It was dark, but I could tell it was...
"Hehe, you won’t escape this time. I’m going to make you mine. I have to return the favor from the first time we met."
I couldn’t see his face, but he was a guard, judging by his attire. He was muttering creepy things to himself as he looked down at me.
He even had the standard metal baton used by guards. He planned to beat me and then... what a disgusting pervert.
I was disappointed by such a trivial opponent.
My sleeping form was covered by a blanket, making it unappealing, but he seemed satisfied after a while. He raised the metal baton high and aimed it at my stomach.
I felt no fear as the metal baton approached. I simply grabbed it casually.
"What!? Let go!"
As he pulled forcefully, I released my grip and kicked him away with the blanket still on me.
I got up and asked, just to be polite.
"What do you want in the middle of the night? Who are you, anyway?"
"You won’t forget me this time, I’m telling you! Damn it, I’ll get you!"
I had no idea who he was. I knew he was a guard, but we hadn’t interacted much, and I had no clue who he was. But it didn’t matter. I needed to punish this pervert. I had no intention of talking further.
Ignoring his incomprehensible rant, I approached him and grabbed the metal baton he was swinging wildly. I yanked it from his grasp and hit him with it.
Feeling a strong aversion to the lecherous look on his face, I beat him mercilessly with the metal baton.
I thought I could vent some stress, but this was just a trivial opponent, and it only made my stress worse.
"...Well, that’s enough."
I sighed, looking at the unconscious fool. I had enough for now and hadn’t used magic, so I had exercised restraint. I’d leave him half-dead this time.
But I needed to address the issue of supervision. If this happened again, it would lead to sleep deprivation. What he tried to do to me was unforgivable, although the chances of success were zero.
I grabbed the collar of the guard I had beaten half to death and dragged him toward the warden’s office.
Leaving my solitary cell, I encountered someone in the corridor.
"Who are you!? Hey, stop!"
Of course, I was stopped by a guard on patrol. But I couldn’t be stopped now. Justice is on my side.
As the patrol guard called out, other guards gathered to block my path.
"Do you know what you’re doing?"
They were probably talking about my current actions or the half-dead guard I was dragging.
Talking to them wouldn’t get anywhere. I doubted they would listen to reason.
But dealing with trivial opponents was getting tiresome, and my frustration was building. If I tried to hold back, I might lose control.
At that moment, the dim emergency lights were replaced by bright ones.
"Ahh!?"
The armed guards seemed busy reprimanding me and asking for explanations. Some of them even screamed in terror when the lights came on.
The distance from my cell to the warden’s office was considerable, but it didn’t matter who tried to stop me.
I didn’t stop or slow down. The guards didn’t approach me. They kept a safe distance and stepped back, their faces pale.
I ignored their annoying questions and arrived at the warden’s office.