Mealtime.
Vikir ate in the mess hall on a rare off-duty day.
Black bread, pickled sardines, and wilted greens. No corrosion. That was it.
Despite the fact that it was a meal for a Major-level guard, it was pretty poorly organized.
'They must be running low on supplies these days.'
If this was good enough for a Major, what about the lower ranking guards?
At this point, he couldn't even imagine what the prisoners were eating.
He didn't see many familiar faces in the labor camp these days, and he wondered if they've all starved to death.
Vikir was sitting alone, eating.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. It is."
He could hear the muffled conversations of the lieutenant colonels at the table in front of him.
Vikir's superhuman hearing allowed him to pick up on conversations over great distances.
"They say the land is in an uproar. Demons and monsters are out in force."
"They said a giant gate or something opened?"
"That's right. They said monsters are pouring out of it."
"There must have been a breakdown in security. That's why the prisoner population exploded."
"Who cares about security now? The entire empire is in danger."
Most of them were chattering about surface matters.
Some of them didn't seem to believe in anything that happened on the land at all.
"Wow. How old are you, and do you still believe in demons and such? It's all fiction, invented by the religious fanatics of the Quovadis."
"That's right, I don't believe in anything I haven't seen with my own eyes, but I'm 10,000 meters under the sea, is it possible to see it directly? hahaha-"
"Hmm, but all the new prisoners say they've seen demons or something, including the gate."
"Do you really believe the prisoners who come in here? They've all gone crazy with fear, being trapped in the Iron Maiden and sinking 10,000 meters down."
Others took the rumor seriously.
"No, it's not right, I don't think we've ever had so many prisoners in Nouvelle Vague before. There must be some kind of disturbance on the ground."
"Yes. If Warden Orca, Colonel D'Ordume, and even Colonel Souare have traveled to the surface to escort prisoners, then something has indeed happened."
"Yes. Not only is the Warden, the symbol of the Nouvelle Vague, away, but two of the five wardens have gone to the surface at once, which is unprecedented."
"Isn't the surface already fucked? From what I've heard, gates are opening and demons are coming out of them, and the patriarchs of the Seven Great Families of the Old Country are getting assassination threats."
But. Most of the guards weren't too interested in the topic.
"Well, we'll just have to deal with the criminals here."
"That's true. It's none of our business."
"Since when are we involved in worldly affairs?"
"If demons and monsters are running amok up there, wouldn't it be safer here?"
"Whatever's going on up there can't possibly have reverberated down here."
The guards of Nouvelle Vague were mostly relegated and isolated members of society, with little love for the world or loyalty to the Empire.
It had been so long since they had been outside that they had little curiosity about how the world had changed.
They had little curiosity about how it had changed, because it was obvious that they would not be able to adapt to it anyway.
... but.
Vikir, listening to all of this, had a different opinion.
'Nouvelle Vague will not be free from the aftermath of the Destruction War after all.'
In Vikir's original history, Nouvelle Vague had been safe for some time after the war began.
Its geography – 10,000 meters below the surface of the ocean – was an advantage, allowing it to escape the aftermath of the war.
However, the demons took notice of Nouvelle Vague's existence and sent troops to this harsh place.
Despite the efforts of Orca Javert, the war hero of a previous generation who had put down the 47 riots, and the current head warden of Nouvelle Vague, and the five wardens under his command, the power of demons was impossible to stop.
Then, in the midst of their defeat, Nouvelle Vague fell for reasons that had nothing to do with the demons.
Most of the guards and prisoners perished in the process, and those who survived came to the surface with a hatred for demons and joined the Human Alliance Forces or fought demons through independent routes.
'That should hasten that time a bit.'
Vikir thought as he chewed on a wilted piece of greenery.
The condition of the vegetables on the ground must mean that things were deteriorating faster than he thought.
Then.
"There you are."
The chair next to Vikir's screeched backward.
Lt. Kirko Grimm. She was suddenly sitting next to Vikir, taking her seat.
Having recovered her strength, she spoke in a calm voice.
"Apparently, being promoted changes the quality of information you get."
"Did you hear anything?"
"Warden Orca says he's on his way back. With Colonel D'Ordume and Colonel Souare."
The 'Big Three' of the Nouvelle Vague.
They were currently on their way down to Nouvelle Vague with a huge convoy of prisoners.
Countless Iron Maidens would be sinking to the bottom of the pitch black waters, how many of them would make it to Nouvelle Vague alive?
"Are the guards coming in Gulper eels?"
"Colonel D'Ordume and Colonel Souare will, and Warden Orca comes 'in person'."
"...in person?"
"Yes. As usual."
Kirko shifted casually to the next topic.
"Rumor has it that there is a great monster among the prisoners coming this time."
"What's that supposed to be?"
"Apparently someone tried to assassinate the patriarch of one of the Seven Great Families, and for that crime it was sent straight to Nouvelle Vague without even a trial. Presumably this person will be transferred there as soon as the construction of Level 10 is complete."
The arrival of a new prisoner was not exactly Vikir's concern.
"When will Warden Orca and the other two wardens arrive?"
"I'd like them to arrive within a week, if not sooner."
"The new prisoners will arrive by then."
Vikir's eyes turned cold.
The arrival of new prisoners meant the opening of an entrance ceremony.
It was the responsibility of Lt. Colonel Bastille, and Vikir, now that he has earned his trust, would be among them.
If there was to be an escape, this would be the time.
Especially since the escape Vikir had in mind wasn't the usual sneak-through-the-openings kind of escape.
"... I'm going to get busy."
Vikir picked up his plate and stood up. There was a lot to prepare.
Then.
Drool.
As Vikir stood up, Kirko, who was sitting next to him, also stood up.
There were still a few pieces of black bread and sardines on her plate.
Vikir said.
"It looks like you're not quite finished eating, but why don't you finish?"
"When my superior gets up, I have to get up with him."
"...Why?"
"Because I'm your second-in-command."
Kirko replied as if it were obvious.
Vikir thought for a moment.
Ever since that day, ever since they'd been audited by Black Tongue, Kirko had followed him closely.
Always on call, always with him, and always on all the other little extra duties.
They even had rooms right next to each other, which meant that the only time they were apart was to sleep, shower, and go to the bathroom.
Whoever came up with the idea of scheduling shifts like this?
'...I have a lot of work to do starting tonight, and this is going to throw off my plans.'
Vikir thought for a moment, then turned to Kirko.
"So. Are you going to ask me to stay with you tonight?"
Vikir's voice was unusually loud.
Several of the guards returning the plates heard him.
Kirko's face turned bright red as she realized the wide-eyed stares of the guards around her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"That night. Don't you remember?"
"Oh, no!"
"That's exactly what you said that night. That you didn't want to be alone."
Suddenly, Kirko's eyes became fierce.
She spoke clearly, in a low voice, and in an extremely business-like tone.
"I don't want you to be mistaken by the fact that it happened once before, but that was a day when I was unusually weak, both in body and mind...."
"I thought you said you didn't remember?"
"...."
Then Kirko's face flushed red to the tips of his ears.
"I thought it was a dream!"
But her words only reinforced the misunderstanding of those around her.
"Oh, no! That's not it! I'm not saying I thought I was dreaming, but I really thought it was a dream...."
Kirko, who was still panicking and making comments to herself, quickly disappeared from the scene.
Only then could Vikir clear his head.
The peaceful (?) life in Nouvelle Vague was over.
'The time for the Great Escape has come.'
Time was running out.
The time is short. A great unprecedented chaos will engulf the entire Nouvelle Vague.
This will be the signal for humanity's counterattack before the extermination.
It will illuminate the final thorny path the Hound will walk in the future.