A third way for prisoners to get food.
It was called begging.
Several guards were sitting on a rock eating lunch.
While the prisoners were eating pickled sardines and black bread, the guards were eating better things.
Guards receive a hunk of salted pork, a large hard-boiled fish roe, fresh seaweed, a bottle of manatee's milk, and, on rare occasions, carrots, spinach, or potatoes as a special treat.
More senior guards at the rank of major and above were sometimes given fruit, such as apples and oranges.
It was nothing compared to the food on the ground, but at least in the eyes of the prisoners, the guards' meals were the most delicious food in the world.
The guards would sometimes use this food as bait to lure the prisoners.
"Hey, sucker shark~"
One of the guards waved his hand playfully, and a prisoner who had been waiting in the distance ran over, his feet sweating.
"Get down."
The prisoner immediately dropped to the ground and exposed his stomach.
"Stand up."
"Sit down."
"Raise your legs."
"Open your mouth."
"Hands."
The prisoner did as he was told, performing all the actions a pet dog would do.
The guard finally chuckled and tossed the prisoner a piece of leftover pork.
"Keep up the good work, boy, and don't get in trouble."
"Yes! Guard! my honor!"
The prisoner waits with his head on the ground, drooling.
Like a "sucker shark" picking up what the big fish has left to eat.
Finally, the guard gives him permission to eat.
"That's enough, eat."
With trembling hands, the prisoner picked up the piece of pork and sniffed it for a long time.
Then he licked his tongue excitedly across the fat that had hardened on the outside of the pork.
He savored the salty, savory flavor for a long time, his eyes filled with tears.
Little by little, he tasted the flavor on the tip of his tongue, gnawing at it with the tips of his teeth like he was sharpening his nails.
As he did so, the piece of pork melted in his mouth, almost like candy.
The other prisoners watching could only gulp down their saliva.
"Now, you guys, if you finish your quota of work this month, we'll let you eat the leftovers!"
"Work like hell, and I'll let you have my fixed sucker shark!"
"Work hard! I'll take care of the guy with the highest workload on the floor this month and let him eat ice cream!"
The guards said as they tossed leftover fish roes, scraps of meat, and manatee milk onto the floor.
No wonder the prisoners' eyes rolled when they saw the rotten sardines and stony bread they couldn't eat.
"Oooooooh, let's get to work!"
"Did you hear? It's ice cream!"
"It's mine! I'll work the most!"
The prisoners' morale soared. They were now confused as to whether they were human or not.
Hunger is a terrifying thing, male or female.
They had been so deeply tamed down to their bones.
... but.
Not all prisoners dreamed of sucker sharks like this.
"Hey."
In some cases, the hierarchy between guards and prisoners was completely reversed.
A prisoner at Level 8. Aka 'Plague Leper'.
He was currently sitting on a rock, picking at his pimples.
The other prisoners dare not go near him for fear of catching the plague.
"Hey- can't you hear me, is your liver so swollen it's sticking out of your stomach?"
And it was the guards, not the prisoners, who were calling out now.
"...."
It was a lowly guard with bushy hair and a large burn scar on his face.
It was Lieutenant Garm Nord.
Sakkuth stretched out his palm toward him as if it were a matter of course.
"Give me your meal."
"...."
Garm glanced at the guards around him.
Unfortunately or fortunately, his fellow guards had no idea that he was being insulted.
This was not because Sakkuth's actions were covert, but because Garm was in a position to be unnoticed by his coworkers in the first place.
Sakkuth smirked and snatched the meal from Garm's hand.
"I knew you weren't looking at all the other guards, man. Thanks?"
"...."
"Be grateful that I'm letting you get away with offering this much food. Do you understand?"
The voice was low and threatening.
"If I set my mind to it, you know, that Kiriko or whatever the hell she is, she'll get the plague, and she'll die a very miserable death."
"...."
"You're in love with that bitch, aren't you, and you don't want to see the girl you're in love with shit all over you and then dry up like jerky, do you?"
"...."
"Then, take care of it and bring me lunch like this every day. Kurukuru...."
He muttered in a sullen voice and tried to shove bits of pork and fish roe into his mouth.
Just then.
"Hey!"
A sharp shout echoed throughout the workshop.
It was a shout so loud that it made him hiccup in surprise as he tried to swallow his food.
Where Garm turned his wide-eyed gaze, a lone female guard stood.
Ensign Kirko Grimm, an elite junior guard, soon to be promoted to lieutenant.
Her eyes narrowed, and she glared back and forth between Sakkuth and Garm.
"A guard gives food to a prisoner, are you crazy?"
Garm doesn't dare to meet Kirko's demanding gaze.
The prisoners clicked their tongues.
"That annoying couple again?"
"A stupid woman and a stupid man."
"What a waste of a woman."
"Kigkigkig- it's hard when you have the wrong motives."
Judging by the prisoners' reactions, this was a fairly common occurrence.
Kirko stalked over and snatched the food from Sakkuth's hand.
Then, with a sharp glare, she said
"If you are a prisoner and covet food one more time, you will be beheaded on the spot. I will report you to my superiors immediately."
"Kurukuru- why is our pretty female guard so cranky today... eug!?"
Sakkuth tried to deflect the situation with a sneer, but it was impossible due to Kirko's footsteps behind him.
Cha-kang!
Kirko quickly drew his sword and cut off the tip of Sakkuth's beard.
As Sakkuth's eyes widened in disbelief, Kirko snorted once and looked at Garm next to him.
"Don't embarrass your mate... No, don't embarrass the guard, you idiot."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't even say sorry. Are you really an asshole?"
There was a faint contempt in Kirko's gaze as she glared at Garm.
"... If you can't do your job, you're an asshole."
And with that, she walked away, her hair whipping in the cold wind.
Garm hung his head, unable to argue further, and the prisoners laughed at him.
"'Stupid Garm' is just as stupid today."
"He's really pathetic, how can a guy like that be a guard?"
"You said that if you join that bastard's group, you can steal that bastard's meals?"
"He's a piece of shit. He doesn't make me work, but he gives me meals."
"I want to work under him next month, because I don't have to work and I get to eat delicious food."
The nicknames that followed him were varied.
"Stupid Garm," "stupid dog," "walking bread," "idiot," "hogwash," etc.... All of them were negative.
And to my surprise, the nicknames came not from the prisoners, but from their fellow guards.
"Hey, did you lose your meal to the prisoner again? This guy is really stupid."
"It's good to prevent problems by giving a meal as a bribe... If you do that, the other prisoners will also have bad habits. so don't do it to your coworkers."
"Eh, are you okay, Kirko? Don't worry about him, he'll just stress you out and ruin your pretty face."
"Asshole. I'll see you later, after dinner."
His coworkers scowl at him.
The more they talked, the deeper Garm's burn-scarred face sunk.
Kirko glanced at it, and with a light sigh, turned completely around and left with her comrades.
"Kurukuru... I'm letting you off today because of that damned bitch, but not tomorrow, don't forget. Bring your entire lunch. Otherwise, like I said, I'll turn that Kirko bitch into a second plague leper."
He whispered in Garm's ear again, this time in a low voice, and walked away.
Even humming a song.
"...."
Alone, Garm soaked up the scornful glances and sneers from the prisoners and guards around him.
All the while, his gaze remained fixed on Kirko, who stood in the center of their circle.
....
And there are eyes that watch this whole sequence of events wordlessly.
"...Hmm."
It was Vikir.
After much thought, he formulated a plan.
'Maybe I could use this to my advantage?'
Garm. And Kirko.
Perhaps the relationship between these two young men could help.
'In the upcoming moment of escape.'
Vikir was now plotting his escape from Nouvelle Vague.
A plan that would be put into action as soon as he found Poseidon, the hope of mankind.
...and.
'That moment' came much sooner than Vikir had expected.