Chapter 92: Prison Life (2)
After our life in prison began, two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye. Despite being in the dim space of the prison, we were having fulfilling days. Perhaps because they knew we were former atonement soldiers, we occasionally felt contemptuous gazes from the guards, but as long as we remained on the second floor, we were never reprimanded.
What added to our contentment were the plentiful meals served every day, and the positive reactions they elicited from everyone. Personally, I wasn’t picky about food, so anything would do, but I genuinely appreciated the inclusion of something sweet. I owe Asumi, the prisoner of war who demanded desserts, my gratitude.
However, just eating without moving made my body sluggish. So, after each meal, I made it a point to engage in sparring as a form of exercise. It wasn’t just familiar fighters like Tigar who joined in; even surprising individuals took part.
“Ready!”
“Hiya!”
As I knelt down, two small fists struck my outstretched palms, producing a satisfying sound—”pash.” The owners of the fists were Leo and Kelf. Though they were still children, their desire to train voluntarily arose from being unilaterally overpowered by the new demons. They must have thought that if they were stronger, they wouldn’t have to experience such frightening moments.
The two of them were brimming with enthusiasm and rapidly improving their skills. At first, they were a bit hesitant, but now they were able to deliver powerful strikes with confidence. It was undoubtedly the result of their innate talent as descendants of atonement soldiers combined with their enhanced physical abilities as demons. They were determined to become formidable warriors.
“Ei! Ei! Ei!”
Lappy also participated in the training. I thought it was too early for her, but she pleaded with tearful eyes, making it impossible for me to refuse. However, her talent in martial arts surpassed that of Leo and Kelf. She continued to unleash a series of strikes, flowing smoothly like a stream, targeting my tail.
I was amazed by Lappy’s talent, and Leo and Kelf couldn’t help but feel jealous of her overflowing abilities. However, that wasn’t the case anymore. Leo had talent in swordsmanship, while Kelf excelled in spear techniques. Although I had them continue to focus on martial arts as the foundation, I planned to have them switch to weapon training in the near future.
As for the other children, they were allowed to play freely based on the adults’ intentions and Mika’s advice. While these three determined children continued their rigorous training, the adults believed it was important to let the rest of the children enjoy their freedom. Mika emphasized that forcing them wouldn’t yield results, and through play, they could develop their basic physical strength.
I had no intention of forcing anyone, so it naturally turned out that way. After completing their training, the three of them joined the other children in playing. They put their all into both play and training.
“Um, ‘My name is Tigar.’ Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. There are no mistakes or misspellings, and the handwriting is neat.”
While I watched the children’s training, the adults were being taught by Mika as their language teacher. Learning to read and write in Dito, the official language of the Enzo continent, would be convenient, and it wouldn’t hurt to acquire arithmetic skills as well.
This class was not only for the adults but also for the children. After the children finished their training, Mika’s lessons would begin in rotation. Mika was an excellent teacher, and the children absorbed the knowledge as if they were dry ground soaking up in water.
It was the adults who became anxious about this. Although they were initially motivated, they started to feel a sense of urgency due to the children’s fast learning pace. They were afraid of being outshined by the children if they didn’t keep up.
It seems that the desire not to lose respect from the children is a strong motivation for the human species. Even Linardo, who had great fondness for battle, now approached the lessons seriously.
“Hmm… Arithmetic is a profound subject, isn’t it?” Zald said.
“Sigh, Mr. Zald… It’s lovely to see you so focused on learning…” Mika said.
Zald and Sophie were particularly outstanding in their performances. Zald had almost mastered reading and writing in Dito and was proficient in arithmetic, effortlessly handling the four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). He not only remained calm and composed but also displayed exceptional intelligence.
Sophie, the original Zald’s right-hand woman in their squad, blushed as she glanced at Zald’s profile, while solving challenging arithmetic problems herself. Occasionally, she would blurt out peculiar things about Zald, but there was no doubt that she possessed a brilliant mind.
Since Mika was not a scholar, there was nothing more for Zald and Sophie to learn from him. Consequently, the two of them had now taken on the role of teaching other adults. I was delighted to see the reduced burden on Mika.
“Ei…? Big brother, there are those old guys coming up from below,”
Lappy, who had been diligently hitting my tail, abruptly stopped her movements and spoke. Since we started training, Lappy has not only became agile in her movements but has also developed hearing as sharp as Mika’s. Among the three children who were training, Lappy might be the strongest.
I also noticed the sound of footsteps coming up from below. Other adults with keen hearing, especially those who learned various techniques from Mika and me, must have sensed it too. I shifted my gaze away from the wooden board we were using for our studies and looked towards the stairs.
“Hey there! You’re full of energy today, too! Oh, and I’m counting on you today as well.”
“Understood. Everyone, let’s wrap it up here for today. Finish the tasks you’re working on, and then you’re free to do as you please. Now, let’s go.” Mika said.
“Big brother, don’t cause any trouble for the old guy!”
“Do your best at work, Big brother.”
“Old guy… I’m still in my twenties! Call me ‘big brother’!”
“Ahh! The old guy got mad!”
“Vice captain. You’re so childish.”
Marcellus and Decius were the ones who came up from downstairs. There was only one reason for them to come here: to call me and Mika to accompany them during the prisoner interrogations. Mika announced the end of the lesson, and I also interrupted my interaction with the three children and stood up.
Marcellus, on the other hand, was feeling down because Leo and Kelf called him “old man.” Is being seen as older than someone else a source of pain for the human species? It was an emotion that I couldn’t comprehend.
Whether Marcellus is called “old man” or “big brother” didn’t matter to me. Mika and I headed towards the corridor to attend to our duties. Along with Marcellus, who was still feeling down, and Decius, who looked exasperated, we descended the stairs and made our way to the underground prison.
“Hahaha! To get so down just because they called you ‘old man’!”
Asumi, who was in the underground, burst into laughter upon hearing the cause of Marcellus’s dejection. Marcellus, who was being laughed at, let out a heavy sigh while sitting on the chair prepared in the cell.
“Don’t laugh like that… Actually, don’t the Khan race members also feel hurt when they are called ‘old man’ or ‘old lady’?”
“Not particularly. In the Shisha continent, where it’s difficult to live long, the elderly are respected. Well, it’s true that some of the old folks take advantage of that respect and say unreasonable things.”
“It seems like similar things happen on every continent, huh?”
The two of them said so with a sense of empathy. They were both looking somewhere in the distance, perhaps reminiscing about the old folks who had said unreasonable things to each of them.
Old folks who say unreasonable things… The first person that came to mind upon hearing that was Georg. The torture he carried out under the guise of training was just outrageous. Ah, just remembering it makes me angry.
“…Hey, why is he suddenly getting all worked up?”
“I don’t know. Hey, Mr. Scorpion, calm down.”
“…”
Ah, I messed up. Even after taking his life with my own hands, it seems I couldn’t suppress the lingering feeling of resentment. And to make matters worse, it was detected by others, making it incredibly embarrassing. I must train harder, without a doubt.
Perhaps because my killing intent quickly subsided, Marcellus and Ausmi let out a sigh of relief simultaneously. They have been facing each other every day for interrogations, so the two of them have become quite friendly. It’s as if they have been longtime friends.
However, Mika and Decius seem to have some thoughts about their relationship. I hope that they will let me know soon enough what it is.
“Ahem. Vice captain, it’s about time…”
“Hmm? Ah, yes, you’re right.”
Although the two of them, who are enemies, chatted for a while, Decius urged them to move on to the main topic, the interrogation. As a result, Asumi glared at Decius with a displeased expression. But as soon as she straightened her posture, a tense and charged atmosphere filled the air.
“Today’s question, however, marks the final one regarding the Carnela Port. Tell me about the metallic ships hovering in the port.”
“You mean the battleships and transport vessels? Very well. But as I mentioned before, I am a warrior, not a weapons developer. I am unaware of their precise capabilities. Is that still acceptable to you?”
“As I mentioned earlier, we will have specialists analyze the information you provide. So, it won’t be an issue. Please proceed.”
“Understood. First…”
Despite not being enslaved, the captive Asumi willingly divulged information. Her compliance was so unexpected that both Mika and I suspected she might be lying. When Marcellus inquired about the reason, it appeared her loyalty was rather weak.
The Khan, a race known for possessing the weakest level of fighting spirit and spiritual power among the human species, occasionally gave birth to strong individuals like Asumi. Republic law mandates that such individuals be forcibly conscripted. It seems to be a remnant from the era before the reunification of the Shisha continent.
And so, the conscripted individuals born as “Ancestors Reincarnation” were given the white armor and started to be known as the “White Armored Soldier,” as referred to by the Empire. While the armor itself was custom-made, the status of those who wielded it, the White Armored Soldiers, was never elevated. They were assigned exclusively perilous missions due to their significantly stronger physiques compared to regular soldiers, yet they possessed very little authority. If anything, they were merely given their own unique weapons.
Though they carried out tasks that only they were capable of, they received no adequate rewards. It seems Asumi had always felt this way. In such an environment, loyalty could hardly thrive. Nevertheless, right after becoming a prisoner, she had no intention of sharing any information. On the contrary, it seemed she planned to escape as soon as the paralyzing poison wore off.
However, her mindset shifted when the Republican forces, with whom she had been forced to fight alongside after conscription, attempted to bury both Mika and me and her. She had been conscripted, compelled to fight, and risked her life on dangerous missions, yet instead of being rescued, she nearly faced death alongside the enemy. It was only natural that her patience ran thin.
The reason the price she paid for divulging information was nothing more than a slightly extravagant meal was rooted in her underlying anger. Asumi’s accounts of information went beyond the recapture of the Carnela Port; they proved useful in the overall battle against the Republican forces. She spoke about the massive metallic ships, armed with long cannons, that we had seen floating on the sea during her infiltration mission—the battleships.
“…And that’s about it.”
“It’s almost like a fortress floating on the sea. We need to find a way to board it and destroy it from the inside. There doesn’t seem to be any other feasible method to sink the battleships.”
“That seems to be the most realistic approach. However, it’s nearly impossible to approach it properly. The deck is not only equipped with cannons for artillery support, but there are also plenty of machine guns.”
“Understood. Thank you for sharing this information. Decius, have you finished writing it down?”
“Yes. It should be sufficient for submission.”
“I see… Well then, see you tomorrow.”
“…Ah, yeah. See you.”
With that, today’s interrogation session comes to an end. Marcellus reluctantly rose from his seat, while Decius stood up with a composed expression. The two of them were about to report the results of today’s interrogation to the headquarters.
Mika and I followed behind them, and we left the underground area. Asumi, left alone in the cell, gazed at Marcellus with a somewhat lonely expression. I had witnessed this exact scene every day through my compound eyes.
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