Chapter 1929 – 1929. Dark Moon
For three minutes, all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind.
From simply running away, to absurd methods like detonating a bomb to obliterate the prison and disappear without a trace.
Frankly, I was taken aback by the appearance of the Corps Commander.
I was a soldier, but I had never met a general before.
The 667th unit I belonged to was an unofficial unit. A unit created to produce battle mages. A place that conducted human experiments in cooperation with Alpha Tier Pharmaceuticals.
A unit that existed but didn’t exist.
A general couldn’t just care about military units. They had to be well-versed in politics. They tried to avoid any connection with unofficial human experiment combat units as much as possible. Even a slight connection could become a political weakness.
Therefore, even if I succeeded in missions that others would admire, it was impossible to meet a general directly.
However, I had heard countless times that a general had suddenly appeared, turned a military unit upside down, and disappeared.
‘Let’s calm down and think rationally. Why did the Corps Commander come here in person?’
To kill me?
That’s where it got strange. I wasn’t important enough for the Corps Commander to move personally. My publicly known identity was a 5th-grade combat alchemist, Leon Schneider. Just sending a combat unit directly under the Corps Commander could easily deal with a 5th-grade alchemist or mage.
The Corps Commander was in a position to erase mountains and create lakes with a single word.
‘They’re not coming to kill me. If the purpose was to deal with me, they would have sent a unit instead of coming themselves. And they wouldn’t have told me they’d arrive in 30 minutes.’
In other words, the Corps Commander had another purpose.
‘It’s clear they don’t intend to dispose of me immediately.’
It’s highly likely they have no interest in Lumen Prison itself. That’s how it’s been so far.
‘If I just handle things well without offending the Corps Commander, I don’t need to leave Lumen Prison.’
If managed well, Lumen Prison could generate billions of credits a year. Plus, it was a place where I could conduct human experiments without worrying about others. It was like my own little kingdom. It was too precious to give up.
• • •
In front of Lumen Prison.
A transport plane slowly descends.
Just one. It was pathetic for the Corps Commander to come in person. It was also evidence that the Corps Commander had impulsively decided to visit Lumen Prison.
The transport plane door opens, and several soldiers come out and guard the surroundings. And finally, a woman with pink hair reaching her waist gets off the transport plane. The tall woman had a beaming smile on her face.
The guards, including me, saluted her in unison.
“Loyalty! The entire staff of Lumen Prison welcomes the Corps Commander’s visit!”
“I just came for a visit, so you don’t have to be so stiff with your greetings.”
She spoke in a gentle voice, as cheerful as her smiling face. I pretended to have a disciplined voice and shouted.
“No, ma’am!”
I shouldn’t be fooled by her expression and kindness.
Marie Muller.
Her other nickname as the 6th Corps Commander was the Smiling Slaughterer. A monster with a history of massacring tens of thousands with a smile on her face. Her publicly known information was that she was an 8th-grade spiritist. A candidate for the next marshal and a member of the imperial family with some of the Emperor’s blood.
“I heard that you made the prison fun, so I came to see how fun you made it.”
Marie said in a light tone. Was this the tone of a person who was among the top ten most powerful people in the Empire?
It was a bit absurd, but I should never underestimate her.
‘She looks like she’s in her early twenties, but her actual age is over 150. A woman who has been through everything.’
Marie was a half-human, half-spirit with spirit factors in her body. That was why she didn’t age.
She came closer. I felt an oppressive pressure that crushed my whole body with her presence. Glancing around, I saw that not only me but also Ance, the new deputy warden, and the guards were sweating profusely.
‘Is this what an 8th-grade superhuman is like? She dominates the space with her presence alone.’
I inadvertently looked at Marie’s chest. There was something on her ample chest that shook with every step she took.
It was a fairy with a small, pink, translucent body. It looked very similar to a miniature version of Marie. It wore a dress and had two pairs of wings on its back. The fairy sitting on her chest was swinging its legs and staring at me.
“Can you see it?”
Marie asked.
I couldn’t say I couldn’t see it. Then I would become a pervert who dared to stare at the Corps Commander’s chest.
“Yes, ma’am. I can see it. It’s a fairy that looks like you, Corps Commander. Is it your spirit?”
“Hee. You can really see it. How interesting. What’s your name?”
“…Leon Schneider.”
“It doesn’t sound like it. Well, whatever. Do you have any thoughts of becoming a spiritist?”
“No, ma’am.”
I said firmly.
Summoners and alchemists were broadly considered mages. Because the summoning and alchemy they used belonged to magic. Spiritism was different. Its foundation was dealing with the power of spirits.
“That’s a shame. Seeing how this child is interested in you… you must have real talent.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m already on the path of alchemy. I don’t have the leeway to turn my attention elsewhere.”
“Hmm. Alchemy, huh.”
What does she know?
She had been smiling since earlier, so I had no idea what she was thinking.
“Would you give me a tour of the prison? My subordinates will have other things to do, so just the two of us. I’ve always wanted to have a unique date.”
“Of course, Corps Commander.”
I had to do as I was told.
I dismissed the guards and started a tour of the prison with her alone.
First, I showed her Matthias, the boss of the Cabrahim gang, the prison’s mascot. Marie was still smiling as she looked at him, hanging on a cross with his arms and legs cut off.
“He’s the one who attacked me with his subordinates on the day I was appointed to Lumen Prison.”
“He’s a bad guy.”
“His family members were also charged with treason, so I personally captured and executed them.”
I tested Marie’s reaction. The warden wasn’t a police officer who caught criminals. In reality, it was close to overstepping my authority.
“He was a really bad guy.”
Marie brushed it off without a care. She didn’t seem to have any interest in Matthias at all.
“P-Please kill me….”
Matthias opened his mouth. He hadn’t said a word for the past ten days, but he opened his mouth as soon as the Corps Commander arrived.
“Please kill me… please….”
“Warden. Why aren’t you killing him?”
“His sentence hasn’t ended.”
“Ah. I see. Then he shouldn’t die.”
“Kill me… kill me… Kill me! You whore!!”
I quickly approached Matthias and grabbed his neck.
“I’m sorry, Corps Commander. I should have gagged him beforehand… It’s my mistake.”
“It’s okay. It’s common for traitors to curse at me. I’ve heard insults like ‘whore’ so many times that I’m tired of them. But it doesn’t mean I’m not upset.”
Marie waved her delicate hand.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Matthias’s face skin was peeled off. I didn’t feel any warning, so I stepped back slightly.
‘…Is it telekinesis? It feels like it… She peeled off only the face skin precisely. She’s incredibly meticulous.’
When she waved her hand again, new skin grew on Matthias’s body.
‘She even has recovery abilities.’
She peeled off Matthias’s face skin about 15 times and stopped. I didn’t notice it at first, but after seeing it a few times, I could feel a slight mana tremor before she used spiritism.
‘I should remember it just in case.’
I still don’t know exactly what kind of spiritism it was.
I continued the prison tour.
The prisoners’ conditions were generally poor. They ate two meals a day. Even those weren’t nutritious enough. Most of them were emaciated from not eating enough. The prisoners trembled as soon as they saw me.
Marie didn’t say anything about the prisoners’ conditions. She just looked at the prisoners behind the bars like someone visiting a zoo and occasionally asked questions.
“What crime did that prisoner commit? He looks kind.”
“Ah, that guy… he must have done something.”
“I see.”
“Noooo! I’m innocent! I’m innocent!!! Lawyer! Call a lawyer!!”
“Corps Commander. I’ll execute this rude guy right now.”
“It’s okay. He’s fun like a monkey.”
We headed to the women’s prison. Actually, I didn’t really want to go, but… I couldn’t stop the Corps Commander’s steps.
The female prisoners were basically half-naked. It was because rumors had spread that I was weak to women. They had the intention of seducing me to change their fate. But I couldn’t believe they were doing this even though it was announced that the Corps Commander was coming.
‘Ignorant bitches. They’re getting cocky because I’ve been lenient with them.’
I kicked the bars with my feet.
“I’ve shown you an unsightly scene. I’ll execute these bitches too.”
“It’s okay. Prisoners are all the same. I didn’t have any expectations. I’m more interested in the prison than these prisoners.”
She headed towards the special prison. A luxurious prison with a TV and air conditioning. It was in a secluded place, and my plan to pass by silently was immediately shattered. The only good thing was that the beautiful prisoners knew their place and were kneeling with their heads down.
“T-This prison is for model prisoners. Only good model prisoners can enter this prison.”
“Hmm. They look like really good model prisoners.”
She just brushed it off this time too.
She really had no interest in the prisoners.
She probably wouldn’t be interested in the solitary confinement cells or the special interrogation rooms in the basement either.
“I’ve looked around roughly, so I’ll guide you to the warden’s office.”
“Okay.”
The warden’s office was just the two of us. Before I could open my mouth, she spoke first.
“Niklas. You killed him, didn’t you?”
It was an unexpected remark. I thought that if she opened her mouth, it would be about Flash.
“…Yes. If you’re talking about that necromancer, I killed him. Was he a special acquaintance?”
“He wasn’t really a special acquaintance. He had the spirit eye, so he was a subordinate I liked. He was also talented, so I was thinking of teaching him some spiritism… but he died?”
“……”
“You don’t have to be nervous. I liked you more than Niklas. I won’t ask about this matter. I’ll also cover up Flash’s case. Instead, show me your real face.”
