“But as you can see, things got complicated. So these two will take over my role and do it well.”
When I glanced at the two still arguing, Ramona and Deril fell silent.
Deril looked annoyed but didn’t say anything.
Escorting a new prisoner was a bothersome, thankless task.
As expected, everyone here is surprisingly kind for a place like this.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t many kind people who would accept a favor like this.”
That means: you better follow them and behave.
I hope the new prisoner survives well in this harsh place.
“These two have great skills, so learn a lot from them in the next week.”
“……”
I can tell—this new prisoner, Hai, will probably get a good grade.
That bold look in their eyes is the type that causes trouble, whether in a good or bad way.
‘They’ll survive well. That’s a relief.’
Not every prisoner here has a strong will.
Some suffer from depression, anxiety, or delusions. Others have compulsive disorders.
The “Tower” exists to keep crimes from happening here.
But even so, things still happen.
It can’t be helped. This place has no real answers.
If a prison were comfortable, that’d be a joke.
“It was nice meeting you, even if just briefly.”
I brushed off my pants and stood up without regret.
I had said goodbye to my roommates. Now it was time to disappear.
I thought of a few more people I should say goodbye to, but… maybe I’ll do it as I leave?
Or maybe I won’t need to?
‘They’re strong people. They’ll be fine.’
They called me “Captain,” but I knew—it was just a hollow title.
“Captain, when will you come back?”
“Oh dear. Do people who are about to be executed come back? If I come back, it’ll be a resurrection! Like Lumen’s return! Kyahaha!”
“Ugh, sis! Seriously. Can you be serious for once?”
I had no plans to manage or lead these people. They didn’t want to be bothered either.
“Take care. You’re both good people, and unlike me, you’re not serving life sentences. Wherever you go once you’re out, you’ll live well.”
Ramona and Deril went quiet after I said that.
To the ones staring at me strangely, I gave a sincere wave and walked away.
“That, that crazy woman…! Sis, did you see that?! What kind of person about to be executed acts like that?! And calling me—kind? What kind of nonsense—! I’ve been called evil hundreds of times, but kind?! What nonsense!”
“Hmm, definitely sounds like she’s getting executed.”
“Ughhh, seriously!”
I calmly walked away, letting their noise fade into one ear and out the other.
I wondered who the “special guest” coming to this place would be.
Meanwhile…
Deril felt uneasy.
Her grade: “High/Grade 1.” Crime: Arson and destruction of national property.
She had burned down a human experimentation facility that lured children under the name of “Kia” research.
She came to Niflheim—a hellish prison—without repenting, and never once regretted it.
Yet now, she felt nervous and anxious.
Mint.
She looked no older than her early twenties. Maybe mid-twenties at most.
But this young woman was the true ruler of all prisoners.
The warden “Ralph” might officially be in charge, but that was a joke.
Mint was the real boss, the one everyone recognized.
And now she was gone, and of course, that made Deril nervous.
Despite being the “Captain,” Mint always spoke politely to everyone.
But that was probably because she’d forgotten all common sense. She just acted normal on the outside.
‘Did that crazy woman even say goodbye to the twins next door?’
She thought of the anxious twin sisters.
Knowing Mint, she definitely didn’t bother to say goodbye because it was too annoying.
What kind of trouble is that lunatic planning now?
Can we even clean up after it?
‘No, we probably can… it won’t be like that big incident from years ago, right?’
Even though she called herself Mint’s right-hand, Deril had never been truly recognized by her.
But now, her mind was racing.
There is a special kind of energy in this world.
A force made up of energy particles—usually scattered in the air—called “Kia.”
Once people started using it, humanity developed it in many different ways.
Kia had limitless potential.
So it wasn’t too hard to store special powers into objects.
‘This is it.’
I looked over the green bracelet wrapped around my wrist.
It was made of simple rubber.
Inside, packed with spell symbols written in Kia.
Its power: “Transformation.”
‘Since it’s just a rubber bracelet, it won’t look strange in prison.’
I slowly turned my head and looked in the mirror.
My unique teal-green hair was gone.
Instead, a man with brown hair and green eyes stood there—plain, gentle-looking.
That was my transformed appearance.
‘Wow. I look completely different.’
I usually had sharp, raised eyes—but this guy in the mirror had puppy-like, kind eyes.
Height was average. Nothing stood out.
Everything from facial features to body shape seemed designed to be as unnoticeable as possible.
‘Still… I can’t believe I’m entering not as a prisoner, but as a guard.’
The man in the mirror wore a perfect guard’s uniform.
Functional, yet tidy and full of authority.
‘I never thought I’d wear something like this.’
Ten years ago, I woke up one day and realized I had become a prisoner.
Now, I can say: “I woke up and became a guard.”
‘What a dramatic twist.’
My new name was “Garrett.”
A rookie guard, assigned to a male prison.
I was going to act as if I were the former assigned guard, climb the Tower, and help the new leader take their place.
‘It’s been 10 days since I disappeared.’
In Niflheim, if the leader dies or disappears for more than 7 days, they pick a new one.
Since the top role in Niflheim Tower requires the highest-grade prisoner, it can’t stay empty for long.
I had been studying like crazy to become a perfect guard.
So someone else was probably chosen already.
‘Hopefully, someone capable got picked.’
In my case, I only learned Kia because I hated getting hit.
But somehow, I got stronger and climbed all the way up.
So I don’t regret stepping down.
I had a note from the warden with the name of the new leader.
I never bothered to read it until now.
Their former grade was “High/Grade 1.”
The highest rank, but not directly beneath me.
Still, I had always known they were hiding their real strength.
I wondered why they were satisfied with being second-ranked.
Maybe they had their reasons.
But it wasn’t my business.
“Guard Garrett. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
A servant, only found in the guards’ building, bowed.
I followed the servant to meet the “special guest.”
“Where are we going?”
The servant looked confused by the rookie guard speaking politely.
“Sergeant Steven gave instructions. You’re to meet the new prisoner arriving today. I’ll escort you to the entrance.”
But like a true prison servant, he quickly lost interest.
Probably thinking, “Must be another weirdo.”
I quietly looked up at the sky.
‘The main story is about to begin.’
It’s been 10 years, so the male lead must be arriving now.
Does that mean I can now predict my future?
Sadly, no.
‘How could I know anything from just a short story focused on the male lead?’
The female lead had probably already started her journey somewhere far away.
This prison is just a bonus stage before she shows up.
All we ever learned was that the male lead is in this prison.
So, I can only trust one thing:
If I perfectly complete the warden’s mission…
Then I’ll escape.
A short while later, my belief was shattered.
“Prisoner ‘Helios’?”
Standing in front of me was the new prisoner.
No, it was the male lead—his rebellious face staring right at me.
