When Nox woke up it was time for dinner, this time there was a regular guard instead of the armored knight; the food was a piece of bread and some water.
Nox ate his ration — without his ability to use his power he would quickly starve and weaken.
"Hmm?"
Nox turned his head to the side and saw one of the other prisoners approaching him. It was the young boy who had come closer.
"What do you want?"
Nox looked at them with a warning look and spoke coldly. The boy smiled nervously and swallowed.
"Well, actually we're planning to escape from here before the execution. Since you ended up with us in the cell, we have no choice but to include you with us."
'Are they really planning to escape? They're weak and don't look special — it'll end with the guards killing them,' Nox thought.
'But if I'm to be executed anyway, I'll ruin everything, so I guess their goal is to run away from here — there's no harm in listening,' he added.
"Tell me — what's the chance of success for the plan and is it feasible?"
The boy's smile widened, then he began to explain the plan in a low voice so the guards wouldn't hear anything.
'Okay, the boy's name is Karios, the other girl is Emily, the big man is Thomson, and the young man is Damian. The plan was to escape on the penultimate day before execution because the armored knight would be absent. I wondered how they knew that, and it turned out he heard the guards talking about it.'
'It seems Thomson can open the door: he managed to make a wooden key that matches the prison key, which is impressive. They planned to escape at night when everyone is asleep and the guard is weak. They've prepared well — they know the prison layout and guard shift times. But the problem is the final step: the prison is heavily guarded and sealed, and to get out they must pass through a huge gate that blocks the place.'
'Karios said all they need is to steal the key from the commander's room, but they can't find the right method to do so.'
'Also I discovered their backgrounds: Katie lures men and steals their belongings; Emily, as an employee, tampered with accounts and stole a lot; Thomson, given his forging skill, became famous for forging documents and transactions; William committed blasphemy — he destroyed a statue of one of the gods and cursed them publicly, all because he lost at gambling; and Karios's case is the strangest: he was sentenced to death simply because the daughter of a nobleman liked him, so her father killed someone to prevent his daughter from marrying a poor man and framed Karios.'
'Well, I don't see William and Karios as deserving death, while the other three are scum and deserve all the punishment, but I didn't complain — I'm the worst sinner among them and I need to get out.'
"Karios, tell me what the problems are with stealing the key from the commander's room?"
Karios thought deeply for a while.
"The problem is that the room is on the first floor and is heavily guarded, and the commander is powerful and doesn't leave his place except in special situations. We can reach the commander's room and the gate, but stealing without being discovered is hard."
While Nox tried to present his ideas, the sound of approaching footsteps made everyone scatter and go silent so they wouldn't be suspected.
A guard approached the door and looked toward Nox.
"Prisoner number 43 — Nox. You are summoned to meet the commander."
'Why am I summoned? This looks suspicious.'
I stood up slowly, then the guard came closer and turned my back. He bound me and took me outside.
Guards walked behind me, ready to act in case I tried to escape.
"Why was I summoned?"
"You're not allowed to speak. You'll know everything once you arrive."
The guard pushed me, ordering me to be silent and to move quickly.
'That bastard — if I had my power I'd kill him,' I thought.
[Look at this — Nox the strong will kill an innocent man, and worse, he tries to help dangerous criminals escape.]
I looked ahead where my specter appeared, flying slowly backward; it laughed at me mockingly and savored my miserable state.
'Why are you trying to make me into a criminal? From the start I didn't mind doing such things — isn't that the reason I killed Itama? Isn't that why this maze created these kinds of trials? I knew I could win them, so stop bothering me, you wretch.'
[It seems you forgot something, Nox. Thoughts and actions differ. Didn't meeting Adam teach you something about courage? Didn't you understand that courage is to be afraid inside but still act bravely? You poor thing — tell me, do you think saints are pure inside? No — evil thoughts visit them too, but they resist them.]
The specter looked at Nox with coldness and spoke in a low voice that echoed in Nox's mind without stopping.
[What separates a human from an animal is the ability to resist his thoughts and act rightly. But you, Nox, carried out your true thoughts — you became worse than an animal. Animals don't have a choice; you had one.]
Then the specter faded again, leaving Nox and the guard walking calmly in the dark prison. Nox could not refute the words of his reflection; he realized that his reflection had spoken in his inner voice. Those words were what Nox had told himself using his specter because he was too cowardly to accept the truth — he wanted someone to tell him.
Nox was contradictory: he did not mind sacrificing for himself and at the same time felt remorse for everything he had done. He recognized his sin more than anyone else, so his conscience kept reproaching him. This is the void in Nox's heart: no matter what he did he would carry a contradiction inside him — one side justifies the act and the other condemns him.
"We have arrived," the guard announced sternly, gripping Nox's shoulder and positioning him in front of a room. The distance Nox had walked wasn't long, but he felt as if he had been walking forever, as if he had aged years at once.
There were two guards at the door. One of them spoke to the man who had brought Nox, then entered the room to get permission to let him in. He returned after seconds and signaled me to enter.
I walked slowly toward the room and as soon as I entered my eyes fell on the person sitting at the desk reading papers in silence.
It turned out the prison commander and director was actually a young woman in her twenties with glossy pink hair and blue eyes; her skin was white as snow. She seemed out of place in this prison.
She raised her head and our gazes met. She put down the papers and gestured toward one of the chairs.
"Sit."
Her voice was stern, but she couldn't completely hide its feminine inflection.
I sat calmly and stared at her in silence. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.
"A person who killed twenty-seven people, including twenty orphaned children and three nuns — crimes that cannot be forgiven — then surrenders to the authorities and confesses everything. Worse than that, there is no trace of the bodies or the orphanage. If the orphanage weren't registered and known to the villagers, no one would have believed it," she said.
She placed both of her hands on the desk, interlaced her fingers, and looked at me coldly.
"All these strange things — you are the owner of them, prisoner Nox."
I shrugged indifferently.
"Okay, it's clear — is there anyone else besides me?"
The commander's brow twitched in annoyance at my indifferent attitude.
"Tell me why you did all that."
"Didn't I tell you in the investigations?"
"You said it was the only way to achieve your goal, but what puzzles me is why you turned yourself in if you had a goal to achieve, and how did you make the orphanage disappear entirely with no trace?"
I looked at her indifferently and spoke in an annoyingly calm tone — truthfully, I wasn't interested in talking to her.
"Is this true? What I find more suspicious, though, is how a young woman like you is in charge of a prison. I know the strong when I see them; you may be stronger than the average man, but you're not at the level of the armored knight who moved me to another cell. So allow me to share my own conclusion."
The girl watched me calmly; I seized the opportunity and continued my speech.
"If we assume you got this position because of your intelligence rather than strength, that would be ridiculous and unacceptable. Who puts a smart person in charge of a prison? That's a wasted talent. Also, putting a woman in a place full of men, especially criminals — honestly, even the guards could be overcome by lust when they see your beauty. Since you're not that strong you might be raped, which is common in prisons, especially if you don't prevent mixing women with men."
I smiled when I saw a trace of tension on the commander's face, then I threw the final dart.
"Let me be frank: judging by your appearance, the way you organize papers, and the smell of your perfume and clean clothes in a place like this, that means you're educated. No — you're clearly noble. As for why a noble would be in this position, maybe you were ostracized by your family and forced to work here. Am I wrong?"
I looked at the commander with anger; she gripped my hands hard — if not for the glove, blood would have flowed from her hand.
"You're clever, aren't you?"
"Thanks for the compliment."
Her annoyance at my unserious behavior increased, but she controlled her nerves and adjusted her sitting position.
"You're annoying too, but I would be a liar if I said your guess was wrong."
"Let's finish this pointless talk. Tell me why you summoned me."
She stared at me for some time, thinking about her words carefully.
"In my view you hide great power, and judging by your behavior you don't seem insane. So I see it as a waste to execute you. I offer to recruit you — you will follow my orders in exchange for not being executed. So what do you say?"
'Is this girl serious? How is she trying to save a man from execution after he committed unforgivable crimes?'
"Listen, you—?"
"My name is Christina — CrimsonFlower."
"Okay, Christina. Do you expect me to believe a person like you was ostracized and forced to become the head of a prison with the power to release criminals like me?"
Christina smiled and spoke sarcastically.
"By gods, do you realize how many times criminals are released because of nobles' interests? It's easier than you think. Even if I'm ostracized, I still have my own influence."
I pretended to think while talking with my reflection.
'You bastard — will I really not know the goal before the fourth day?'
Soon his reply came.
[Yes. I'll tell you before the appointed time.]
'So what should I do — accept?'
[You can do whatever you want. Whether you agree or not, it's up to you.]
'But if I agree, won't the execution order be completely canceled? Isn't that a trial error?'
[Who knows what will happen. All you need to do is act as you wish until I tell you how to get out.]
I looked at Christina again and said calmly:
"Okay, I accept."
Christina smiled and bowed her head in approval.
"That's the right choice. Let me tell you your first mission which will decide whether you deserve to live or not."
I looked at Christina seriously as she spoke like a real prison director.
"Listen, Nox. You weren't placed with the other prisoners without reason. In fact, all these people are connected in one way or another to a criminal organization called the Devil's Horn — a group of deranged mages. We actually know about their attempt to escape. We planned this from behind the scenes, so I want you to help them escape and discover their method of contact with the organization."
'Damn — so much shocking information. Are these scoundrels really that connected to the organization, even Karios?'
I was surprised by Christina's words but decided to focus for now.
"Isn't this plan risky? If it fails, everyone will escape."
Christina sighed in resignation.
"Yes. I agree with you, but we have no choice."
'It seems this test is more troublesome than the previous one.'
"In any case, return to the cell now and mingle with them. They may offer you to join the organization if they find you suitable, but be careful — we don't want them to suspect you."
Christina ended the meeting. I was taken out of the office and re-bound. Back in the cell, the others looked at me curiously, wondering why I had been summoned.
' so how are we going to deceive them? '