Chapter 121 – Of Course It Makes Sense~ (1)
Having lent my powers to the jailer and yet to receive them back, I had a private interview with the Warden of Breakwing the next day.
“Did you say Mr. Breakwing, the warden? You seem to have a lot to say.”
“…This is the first time I’m officially saying hello. Yes, I’m Breakwing, the caretaker of this prison, the ‘cage’.”
The first meeting was when Mono, a succubus, came to visit me, and at that time, the prison warden of Breakwing finished asking me about Mono and returned. Because I was imprisoned without even going through trial, I was in a state where no one explained to me what crime I was imprisoned for and how long I had to be imprisoned. Prison Warden Yangban.
The only people I respect are those who respect me. Far from respecting me even belatedly, I hadn’t developed the manners to even treat a man who exerted unreasonable pressure by displaying his authority in order to gain even a little bit of upper hand, so I greeted him with a nod of my head as I was sitting on the sofa. .
“So? I wondered what else this time, did the person who should be on the top floor bring that heavy butt to the bottom floor?”
Breakwing gave me a fierce look, like a rude, cheeky kid, but I didn’t lose a bit and met his gaze. Yarigin, what are you trying to do?
“You seem a bit harsh.”
“I’ve been imprisoned on the lowest level of a prison for nothing, even though I haven’t committed any crimes. Why should I show favor to the man who manages the prison?”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
“Then you should have at least explained why?”
“Huh… The story keeps leaking out. Since we don’t have much time, is it okay if we get to the main topic?”
How dare this bald old bastard… At first, he tried to suppress it with authority by revealing his position as prison warden, but in the first place, he thought that the method did not work well for me, who was not familiar with the situation here, and treated me as a foolish young man full of blood. Do you try to lead the conversation by emphasizing the feeling that you are the elder? But I had no intention of following the old man’s wishes. I really don’t like the fact that I’ve been neglecting it for reasons such as being difficult and annoying to touch, and then coming back when I need it.
“Hey, mister. Are you kidding me?”
And I don’t put up with irritation.
“I’ve been bluffing for nothing since a while ago, but who is really desperate right now? I honestly have nothing to regret? Is it okay to buy hate?”
At my words, the prison warden’s face contorted.
“Even if you don’t have time, this side is overflowing? So let’s go from one to ten very slowly and surely? What are you doing? Don’t stand still because your legs hurt. ?”
In a prison he manages, seeing an inmate pretending to be the owner would be a disheartening sight for this man. So who’s been looking for it for a long time? If I wanted to assert my authority by pretending to be the owner, I should have invited someone to come upstairs instead of coming downstairs on my own. Of course, there’s no chance that I’ll escape by cheating on the way, and there’s probably a desire to have a quiet conversation with me alone… But in the world, you can’t get everything you want, can you? If you gain safety and stealth, you must lose authority and advantage.
The prison warden, Breakwing, sat down on the sofa I pointed to and raised with his own hand with a resentful face. If you insulted me to this extent and reduced my authority and showed my position to some extent, it would be okay to stop provoking and get to the point. Of course, the main theory from my point of view and the main theory from his point of view are somewhat different.
“Now, first of all, what preparations should be made against someone eavesdropping on our conversation?”
“Yes. I set up a soundproof barrier before coming in, so you can’t hear the conversations coming and going from outside.”
“Which god do you believe in?”
“…”
The Break Wing prison warden sighed and shook his head.
“Don’t worry about that. This room on the lowest floor cannot be destroyed by physical force, destroyed objects are automatically restored, and not only is a barrier that nullifies magical effects, it is a space where special measures have been taken to sever the connection with divine beings. While in this place, the connection is severed, so once the power borrowed from the gods is used, it cannot be recovered, and there is no way for that side to intervene.”
“That means that the conversations we share here will only be in the heads of the two of us. Very thorough. Okay, then… First of all, explain why you’ve imprisoned me on the lowest level.”
“I don’t know much about that either. I just received orders from my god, Justia, the goddess of justice, to keep you here at all costs. I have no personal grudge against you.”
“Then, of course, there should be no resentment. In the first place, as soon as I arrived in this world, I was arrested out of the blue, and I couldn’t do anything because I was imprisoned in this prison at a dizzying height. This side is definitely a victim.”
“Okay…”
“Well, so your purpose after all… Is that the incident yesterday?”
Yesterday’s event.
Because I did something to the male and female guards, the two diligent guards couldn’t stand their lust and had a sticky affair in front of me even during working hours. The work schedule has been revised again. And in the process, the monitoring of the inmates on the other floors was neglected, and because of that, the murderer Jane, who slaughtered many people, escaped and went on a rampage.
There were no fatalities except for some damage to buildings. As soon as he came to this world, the crazy bomber who cut the population of a city in half in an hour is a very minor damage for escaping from prison, and the reason was thanks to Ed, the ‘Black Knight’ who appeared like a comet.
And the reason why Ed, who is just a prison guard, was able to buy time until suddenly the best force in the cage, the suppression team, against the ruthless killer suddenly arrives, thanks to my lending him my strength.
The reason why the prison warden of Breakwing came to visit me was because of the power I lent him.
“The powers borrowed from the gods are weakened and unrestored, and magic is rendered ineffective. Nevertheless, you have given one of my guards enough strength to stand against that brutal and unwieldy bombhorse, “”
“If you’re really curious, I can tell you.”
I spread my palms in front of the prison warden’s eyes. And on top of my palm, something like a black stream of air came up, entangled with each other like the tendrils of a plant.
“I can explain exactly what I have as a power, but I will try to explain it as easily as possible for you to understand. One, you can feel the emotions of others… Among them, you can feel the field related to desire and make it stronger or weaker. Can.”
“It’s the mental interference type ability you used on that man and woman.”
“And two. Using the desires of others as a medium, it draws out the power of that person.”
“Driving power…?”
I smiled faintly at the puzzled warden and clasped my hand, then opened it again, and in the meantime, the air flow that was only in the shape of a vine turned into a single flower with a muddy light.
“I’m not creating something that doesn’t exist. I just sow a tiny seed. The seed grows over a long period of time by feeding on desire, and the moment it finally blooms, the person’s will transcends the realm of the mind and even into reality. It’s going to have an impact. Do you understand? My power… Is to transform the human mind into physical force through human desire.”
“…”
“Anyone with a weak body by nature, or a person who is unable to use their body after birth, can rise again if they have enough willpower. No, rather, the more desperate they are, the stronger they can exert their strength.”
The prison warden of Break Wing looked at me with a very stupid face. Either you didn’t understand what I said, or you couldn’t foresee what would happen if what I said was true. Probably one of the two
“…With enough willpower, even the physically weakest can become strong? There can be no such thing as a bad story…”
“Of course, this power is not omnipotent. It is not without side effects. Since we put substance into ‘human mental power’, if the person’s mind is unstable, the power will naturally become unstable. Under any circumstances, An unshakable will, a desperate desire to achieve anything, and the discipline to control it. If these three things are not equipped at the same time, it is difficult in many ways. In that sense, the first test subject… ‘Black Knight’ Ed was very successful. I’m on the side. The ability itself isn’t that powerful, but the three things I mentioned above are well-balanced, so it’s very stable.”
“That armor and shield weren’t strong…?”
“Of course.”
And I confirmed it while facing the prison warden of Break Wing. A thirst for power bloomed in his eyes. It was a different kind of light than the other jailers who, after watching me yesterday turn a jailer named Ed into a dark knight, he also wanted power himself. If the desire in the jailer’s eyes is a spark that has just started to bloom, then this is the lingering fire that has rekindled from the ashes that were once extinguished. A goal that was abandoned after failing once, or the will to find a way to achieve it and to challenge that goal again. The look of trying to overcome a failed past…
I didn’t like the way he tried to suppress me with his authority, but the hot desire that bloomed again from the ashes of the cooled passion is quite good.
Skill: [Emotion Amplification: Uncontrollable Desire]
But just to be sure, drive a wedge.
“…What do you want?”
“Do you think you are in a hurry?”
“I won’t deny it. I need strength.”
As if recalling the painful past, the prison director of Break Wing bit his lip and continued.
“I gave up everything to get power, power, and honor. To rise high, I let go of my pride and licked her feet. And yet, to take care of all sorts of trash, from heinous criminals to discarded flops.” Reaching this position as an errand boy was the limit, and I couldn’t go higher. As if I wouldn’t allow a higher sky than that to me with broken wings. But your power, the power you showed through the jailer Ed, is in front of me. It is a new path that has emerged.”
His desire is a desire for power… Aside from that, he also has a bit of a desire to be recognized… The desire itself is incongruously pure.
“So you… No, you answer me too. What must I pay? What must I offer, to give me that power too?”
“Well… The only opponent I can still use properly is the ‘Black Knight’.”
I made a gesture as if I was about to place the black air current in the shape of a flower on my palm onto Breakwing’s hand. However, the black airflow gradually faded the moment it left my hand, and nothing accumulated on his hand. The prison warden’s stare at his empty hand was so desperate that I could barely contain myself from laughing.
“I need you to cooperate with me for now. And what I need right now is… A few friendly, talkative jailers who will inform me about this world and soothe my boredom. And a few guards with a strong desire to test my strength. How many people?”
As a result, the relationship between A and B was firmly established and irreversible.
“If you really want to sacrifice everything for the power, then you should help me. If I become more proficient in this power, you will someday have a power to be satisfied with.”
“…That’s fine, as much as you like.”
Oh right. Come to think of it, the third power I have that I haven’t told Breakwing yet. This… Needless to say.
Since then, my prison life has changed a lot. ‘Experimental volunteers’ selected by the prison warden came to the lowest floor where I was imprisoned from time to time, and I looked at them and planted ‘seeds’ by selecting suitable people. And to prevent side effects, he retrieved the power he had lent from Ed. To be precise, after planting a ‘seed’ in him, I amplified it with my own power and made it bloom quickly, and I just picked it up again in case of an unexpected situation.
He seemed to regret losing that tremendous power again, but it seemed that he was satisfied with protecting his precious lover. In fact, after that incident, Karen’s affection for him grew stronger. So, I planted the ‘seed’ again in him, just in case, for the future. Although I will not be able to use the power of the ‘Black Knight’ immediately because I did not amplify it, if I nurture her love for her lover as nourishment, her flower will bloom once again and become the ‘Black Knight’ only for her. I will be able to.
However, if there is a problem…
“Sensei, what about me? What kind of power do I have?”
“Hey, don’t embarrass the teacher! How rude to a precious person!”
“That’s what you’re going to say!”
…Three days ago, those who gave me a fearful look at me, a prisoner on the lowest level, are now sending me a somewhat burdensome look of anticipation and raising me high.
