Prisoner number 3011, Noctane stroked his swollen belly.
"Ugh."
Today's meal was pretty good. Normally my staple food is bland nutrition bars that don't taste like much, but for the first time in a while, I had meat.
Even if it was a substitute meat from a factory somewhere, it was still delicious. Meat itself had a magical power that captivated people. He licked his lips as if savoring the lingering taste in his mouth.
"It'll be next month again."
Special food distributed once a month. It is for the mental stability of prisoners. If the routine blood draws and various drug administrations were the whip, the special food was the carrot.
Noctane left the communal dining hall, gritting his teeth. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he saw a huge pillar reaching up to the ceiling. He stood still and stared at the white pillar.
'I think it's been about two years since I came here.'
It's not easy to adapt.
Even though he thought he had become accustomed to it, there are times when he is surprised by the gap between it and the prison in his hometown where he had been imprisoned in the past. To him, Philstein was still special and strange.
I know very well what Filstein, or rather Ishrad, is studying. There are few people in the world who do not know. Among the middle class, there are many who sincerely believe that the research in the ivory tower will save the continent.
It's a kind of faith.
Something with a specific object rather than a god.
"It doesn't feel like prison at all…."
It is more like an important machine than a prison. If so, aren't the prisoners fuel? By burning their bodies, they become part of the machine... ... .
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue. I walked to my room, dragging my uselessly clean slippers.
"It's stuffy, it's stuffy."
Among the prisoners, there were some who were content with their prison life. Noctane was very curious about their brain structure. The treatment wasn't bad, but wouldn't they be able to live comfortably outside?
At least Noctane is confident. He is certain that he will succeed if he goes out into society. This is not the reckless behavior of a fool. In fact, he lived a wealthy life before he was thrown in prison.
'The problem is there is no way to escape.'
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I couldn't do anything inside. I had no choice but to wait until something happened outside.
It was endless patience.
The opportunity came without warning.
"Number 3011, come out!"
"Huh? What? I just ate."
"Stop whining and come out. This is an interview."
Interview?
It was such a random word that I thought I had misheard it for a moment. Noctane is not an Ishradian. He was transferred to Filstein two years ago. He was literally sold like a pig.
I don't have any acquaintances outside of prison.
But who on earth came looking for me?
"I don't know the details either."
The guard explained rudely to the questioning gaze.
"They say he's a guest from abroad, and he suddenly wants to meet a prisoner."
"But why are you stopping?"
"I told you I didn't know. Maybe you were chosen at random. Or maybe you caught my eye when I was looking through the list, or maybe I knew you from the beginning."
The guard showed his annoyance openly.
It was understandable. Being a guard at Philstein was a job that was avoided. Prisoners, who were research and experimental materials, were not treated carelessly. If something went wrong with a prisoner, he would be scolded by the researcher.
In some ways, it is the easiest position.
If I had gone to the academy, I would have been treated better than I am now. The saying that if you have a bad head, your body will suffer was exactly right. The guard shook his head as he recalled his youth of idleness.
"Okay, so follow me. And I'm telling you in advance... "
"Don't cause trouble. Keep it a secret. I know, I know."
Although it was his first time meeting Noctane, he was aware of it. The research being conducted at Filstein was hardly humane. It would be a bad thing to leak it to the outside world.
I followed the guard, my ears twitching. Noctane's room was on the third floor, and the meeting room was on the first floor. I took the staff elevator down and walked for a while, and arrived at the door.
"Come in. Don't make any rude remarks."
"예입."
I went in through the door that the guard had opened. The visiting room was similar to other prisons. A barred door that separated the inside from the outside. A structure that made me feel disconnected from society.
Beyond the bars was a man and a woman.
'What is it? Pecatum?'
When he discovered the horns on the woman's head, his muscles tensed up. It was because he remembered the time he had been beaten by Pecatum. He hesitated and pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Um, um."
I looked at the faces of the man and woman alternately. Strangely, I was more drawn to the man than the woman. With black hair and black eyes. Perhaps because of his uncommon appearance, he gave off a strange aura.
A little bit uncomfortable.
Noctane, who had unknowingly avoided eye contact, immediately realized that he was scared. It was an embarrassing yet mysterious experience to be scared by someone else while having Pecatum right in front of him.
Was the reaction satisfactory? The man broke the silence.
"Noctain Bayos. From Flaoria. His track record is quite illustrious. He's been distributing illegal drugs, unlicensed firearms, and even counterfeit currency."
"Yes. What."
"I'm not denying it."
"Do I need to? What if my brother gets less angry if I keep asking?"
The trial has already ended. Noctane is destined to die in Filstein. After his death, which was caused by an experiment gone wrong, it will be treated as an accident. That is what has been decided.
If you don't want it to end like that, you have to hold on to something. Putting aside the indifferent Pecatum, this nameless man might be Noctane's last hope.
So, I have to somehow arouse interest… .
'Hey, what the hell is this guy doing?'
In contrast to his relaxed expression, his eyes are rolling busily. He is checking the CCTV's location. The man smiles faintly, as if he is about to finish checking.
It looks like nothing more than a thornbush, let alone a rope.
"Right. Oh, speaking of Flaoria, I heard there was a terrorist attack there a while ago. Have you heard?"
"Have you heard? There's no TV or newspaper. More importantly, I'm not really interested in anything."
"Really? I thought you'd be curious about news from home."
"There may be guys like that, but I don't really know."
I am serious. I have no attachment to my hometown. In any country, it is ultimately a society where people live. If I can live there without being envious of others, that is all that matters. Once I have something in my hands, attachment will naturally follow.
The man listened to Noctane's argument in silence. After that, no special conversation took place. There was only a repetition of trivial questions and answers with unknown intentions.
The person asking the question seemed to have no interest at all. On the contrary, Noctane became frustrated and even frustrated. In the end, it meant that he was not interested.
As if to prove it, the man quickly got up from his seat.
"Let's stop here for today."
He couldn't even catch him. That night, Noctane couldn't sleep. He was foolishly letting go of the opportunity that had finally come. Regret and irritation towards the man came rushing in.
From that day on, the prison became a little noisy. There were more than a few prisoners who had the same experience as Noctane. The man met the prisoners indiscriminately as if he was looking for something.
If there were cases where it ended with one meeting, there were also cases where they visited for three consecutive days. Noctane was the former. He was always badmouthing men, saying that they were just wandering around the prison for no reason.
Then one day.
I met the man again in the interview room where I was called out of the blue like the first time. The number of people was different from last time. In addition to the Pecatum woman, a young man was also standing by his side.
"See you again."
He greeted him briefly and nodded to his colleague. The young man who received the signal closed his eyes. After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes again and nodded as if he was satisfied.
… … What did you just do?
I don't understand what he's doing. But I don't have time to calmly understand the situation. The man takes out a pen and paper and starts writing.
"I know it's a late introduction, but my name is Kim Lee-Hyeon."
As soon as you reveal your name, you show the paper.
"You've tampered with the CCTV. However, the recorder will be functioning normally. Respond with gestures and rhythm that don't seem unnatural."
The following sentence continues.
"I have a proposition for you. I need your strength. Help me with the work and I'll get you out of here."
Noctane's eyes widened.
But it was not time to be surprised. If the rope had been lowered, he had to make an effort to grab it and climb up. He was ready to make that effort.
"Oh, yes. But why did you come today? Are you so curious about prison life?"
He pointed to his neck with his index finger as he spoke. A restraint that prevented the use of spells. He expressed his embarrassment, but Kim I-Hyeon's face showed no sign of frustration.
"I know the password."
It was a sentence that made me laugh out loud. As expected, he was not an ordinary person. It was extremely suspicious, but Noctane had been deeply hoping for this kind of breakthrough.
"What are you going to do?"
There was no need to worry.
* * *
This time, Pereira's spell was useful. The ability to temporarily filter the CCTV and send out a still image. Before the effect wore off, Kim I-Hyun finished talking to Noctane.
Noctane.
In fact, he is not a character that appears in the Ishrad episode. Originally, he was going to rot away in prison for a long time. In terms of time, it would be at least 5 years.
'It turns out that it works out in the end.'
The catastrophe caused by the Legion in the game has left the continent increasingly devastated. By the latter half of the game, there are only a handful of countries left standing. It is a time when each and every capable person becomes precious.
Then, how will Philstein, who is a capable prisoner, be treated? He is like a gold mine of talent. It was a natural trend of the times for prisoners to be paroled and used as soldiers.
One of them is Noctane.
A character who joins as a 4-star agent in the latter half of the story as the rapper's fame grows. Naturally, Kim Yi-hyun was fully aware of his abilities and various aspects.
The key units of this operation are 'Kim I-Hyeon' and 'Asterike'.
And Noctane is a supporter who will assist Asterike.
'It was annoying to have to go in and out so often.'
He intentionally showed himself investigating the prison like a rat. This was to create confusion so that it would be difficult for Kim Lee-hyun to identify the person he was trying to contact.
There were other harvests in the meantime.
'First of all, we can assume that the godmother is not here.'
Even after two weeks, there has been no information. The Legion is still silent. I heard from Edwin that the elders have also made no significant moves.
He seemed to be trying to hide his body as much as possible. As expected, he seemed to be waiting until the rapper left. Although it has become realistically difficult to catch his tail, there is no problem with the plan.
'It's a honeymoon, a honeymoon.'
As of today, all preliminary work has been completed.
Now, if you give them an opening, they will pounce on you.
* * *
It had been three weeks since the Cellbrox Lab had arrived in Ishrad. During that time, Kamael Lospur had been working tirelessly to monitor the Lab's activities. He had crouched down and pricked up his ears.
In the rap, he worked on external schedules. On the other hand, Dustborne's Kim Lee-hyun was going around the prison like a madman. Saying that there might be a spy from the Legion.
'You're doing all kinds of nonsense.'
It actually exists. But how can you figure out its identity with just a few words? In Kamael's eyes, it just seemed like a fuss that was made up of nothing and an impatient behavior.
It was an tiring day in many ways, but that ended today.
"You're already leaving."
"Yes, I can't be rude forever."
"I see. It would be burdensome to leave the seat empty for a long time."
"As I told you before, Synapse and Asterike agents will remain. If you have any information regarding the Legion, please contact us at any time."
"Let's do that. Thank you for your kindness."
Kamael and the Professor say their goodbyes. A small number of agents are left behind as a liaison and dispatch force, while the rest return to the lab.
'Astericera.'
I have heard of that Pecatum. She was said to have been a monster in Cilicia in the past. I am wary of her, but she is just an individual, and I heard about her weakness from Edwin a while ago.
'You can't control your spells.'
It seemed that she used spells by relying on special equipment. There was no major contradiction with the information she had previously encountered. Kamael had also heard the story of the strange sword used by Asterike.
Edwin also said that it was equipment created with Kim I-Hyeon's spell. This is unverified information. I can't believe there is any correlation between the two.
The one thing that is certain is that the sword that Asterike likes to use is nowhere to be seen. And the annoying Kim I-hyeon and Rap are finally leaving Ishrad.
Additionally, the operation team is small, with only about 10 people.
The most powerful Fail Asterike remains in Ishrad.
"I hope you get back safely."
Just after Cellbrox Labs left.
Kamael sent a signal to the waiting Legion forces.
"Don't let even a single one go alive."
-Edwin Berenice too?
"Isn't that obvious?"
He snorted.
"When the godmother murdered our comrades and disappeared, what obligation do we have to take care of the dog?"
-Okay. What are you going to do about the prison?
"If the agents don't return, Cellbrox Labs won't sit still either."
It was obvious that it would become increasingly difficult to operate now that the continent had become hostile to the Legion through the summit. Even Rap would soon be sending more troops.
Ultimately, it's a race against time.
"I guess it would be okay to do them simultaneously."
It has to be done in one go.