Day 2 of my isekai'd death row experience, and I'd already identified my biggest problems:
Two assassins disguised as love interests
Zero escape routes
Still no idea what I supposedly "witnessed"
The breakfast Sister Aria brought definitely had poison in it (her chatbox said "triple dose today")
"You should eat something," Sera said, watching me push away the moldy bread. "You'll need your strength."
**[SERA]: If the nun's poison doesn't get him, starvation will do my job for me. Although... he's looking kind of pale. Maybe I should make sure he eats something safe? WAIT WHY DO I CARE?!
"I'm fine," I said. "Just not hungry."
**[SERA]: Those are definitely the eyes of someone who hasn't eaten in two days. Idiot. Brave idiot. Kind of admirable idiot. STOP DEVELOPING FEELINGS FOR THE TARGET.
Granite watched us from across the hall, munching on his own breakfast.
**[GRANITE]: Day 2 of the new meat saga. The nun visited TWICE yesterday. The cellmate keeps staring at him when she thinks he's not looking. This is better than the romance novels my daughter sends me. I should take notes.
"So, Sera," I said casually, "what's your brother sick with?"
She blinked. "W-What?"
"Your brother. The one you stole medicine for. What illness does he have?"
**[SERA]: SHIT. I didn't prep a medical backstory. Uh... uh... what sounds believable?!
"Uh... the... coughing... disease?"
I stared at her.
**[SERA]: COUGHING DISEASE?! That's what I went with?! I've infiltrated royal courts! I've seduced generals! WHY AM I BAD AT LYING TO THIS ONE CUTE BOY?!
"The coughing disease," I repeated.
"Yes. It's very serious. He coughs a lot."
"Fascinating."
**[SERA]: He knows. He definitely knows. Do I eliminate him now or— wait, did he just smile? That's... that's actually a really nice smile. NO. MISSION FOCUS.
Before I could press her further, the cell door opened. Sister Aria entered with her daily "spiritual guidance" visit, but this time her nun outfit seemed... tighter? Was that a different habit?
**[SISTER ARIA]: I borrowed Sister Margaret's outfit. It's more form-fitting. This is purely strategic. If seduction is required for the mission, I'll use every tool available. It has NOTHING to do with that spy girl being in his cell 24/7.
"Good morning, Kyle," she said sweetly. "How are we today?"
"Alive. Surprisingly."
**[SISTER ARIA]: Damn right you're alive. Because I haven't killed you yet. And I'm starting to think I don't want to? NO. FOCUS. You're an assassin, not a teenage girl with a crush.
"I brought you a special prayer book," she continued, holding out a leather-bound tome.
**[SISTER ARIA]: The pages are coated with contact poison. Just touching it will paralyze him. Then I can finish the job and— why is my hand shaking? I've done this a hundred times!
"That's okay," I said quickly. "I'm actually illiterate."
"You're a noble's son. You can definitely read."
**[SISTER ARIA]: Smooth, Aria. Real smooth. Now he DEFINITELY knows something's up.
"Selective literacy. I can only read... uh... romance novels."
**[SISTER ARIA]: ...Romance novels? Is he flirting? Is this flirting?! HOW DO I RESPOND TO FLIRTING?!
Sera suddenly stood up, positioning herself between us.
"Sister, perhaps you should let Kyle rest. He seems tired."
**[SERA]: Back off, nun. I saw him first. Wait. I mean— I need to eliminate him first. Not "saw him first" like a romantic rival. Although...
Sister Aria's eye twitched.
**[SISTER ARIA]: Did this CHILD just challenge me? I'm a trained assassin of the Holy Church! I've eliminated heretics across three kingdoms! I will not be intimidated by some prison brat who— is she PRETTIER than me?!
"How thoughtful of you... cellmate," Sister Aria said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But I'm here on official church business."
"Official business that involves visiting a condemned prisoner every single day?" Sera countered.
**[SERA]: Suspicious. Very suspicious. Is she with the Duke's faction? A rival organization? Either way, she's clearly interested in Kyle, and I— I MEAN, she's clearly a threat to my mission.
The temperature in the cell dropped about ten degrees.
Granite was literally taking notes now.
**[GRANITE]: The nun and the cellmate are fighting over new meat. This is PEAK fiction. If I survive my sentence, I'm writing this down and selling it. I'll make a fortune.
"Ladies," I interrupted before they killed each other (and me in the crossfire), "maybe we could all just—"
"Kyle needs spiritual guidance," Sister Aria said firmly.
"Kyle needs protection from suspicious nuns," Sera shot back.
**[SISTER ARIA]: Did she just call me suspicious?! I'm wearing a nun outfit! I'm literally the least suspicious person here!
**[SERA]: She's visited nine times in two days. That's not spiritual guidance, that's stalking!
They were now standing nose to nose, and I swear I saw actual sparks flying between them.
"FOOD DELIVERY!"
A guard appeared with lunch trays, and both girls immediately backed off, trying to look innocent.
**[GUARD WILLIAMS]: I don't get paid enough for whatever love triangle drama is happening in Cell 47. Also, why does the nun keep visiting? Is she actually into the condemned kid? Wild.
As the guard left, I noticed something floating above his head that I hadn't seen before.
**[GUARD WILLIAMS]: Man, everyone's talking about the new Captain arriving tomorrow. Apparently she's the Ice Princess herself. This prison's about to get a whole lot stricter.
My blood ran cold. Ice Princess? In this game, there was only one character called that: Captain Eliza Frostborne, the kingdom's most legendary prison warden and the tutorial's final boss.
A boss character whose dialogue box I definitely wouldn't be able to read because she was too high-level.
A boss character who, in the game, personally executed Kyle Henderson for "treason and conspiracy."
"Oh no," I whispered.
"What's wrong?" Sera asked, genuine concern in her voice.
**[SERA]: He looks terrified. Actual terror. Not the "I know you're an assassin" look, but real fear. My chest feels tight. Why does my chest feel tight?! This is not protocol!
"Nothing," I lied. "Just remembered I'm going to be executed in six months."
**[SISTER ARIA]: He's scared. Of course he's scared. He's just a kid facing death. And I'm supposed to kill him before he even gets a trial. Maybe... maybe I should at least hear his side of the story? NO. The Church gave me orders. But... those eyes...
That night, after Sister Aria reluctantly left (with seven backward glances and increasingly conflicted chatbox messages), Sera sat down next to me on the cell floor.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Are you really going to get executed?"
"That's the plan, apparently."
"For stealing bread?"
**[SERA]: That's the official story. But I read his real file. He supposedly witnessed Duke Blackwood's illegal mana trafficking operation. Which means he's dangerous to some very powerful people. Which means he's supposed to be dead. Which means I'm supposed to kill him. So why am I sitting here asking about his wellbeing?!
"I don't even remember stealing bread," I admitted. "I just woke up here two days ago."
That was technically true. The original Kyle had apparently witnessed something, but I, Lee Jihan, had no memory of it.
Sera was quiet for a moment.
**[SERA]: He sounds genuine. Either he's the best actor I've ever met, or he's telling the truth. Either way... I don't want to kill him. That's a problem.
"If you could escape," she said slowly, "would you?"
**[SERA]: What am I doing? I'm not supposed to help him escape. I'm supposed to eliminate him. But my mouth isn't listening to my brain!
"In a heartbeat," I said. "But this place is locked down tighter than a dragon's treasury."
"What if..." she hesitated. "What if someone helped you?"
**[SERA]: SERA. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING. THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF YOUR MISSION.
I looked at her, really looked at her. In the dim torchlight, she seemed smaller, younger. Vulnerable. Despite knowing she was a trained spy sent to kill me, something in her chatbox made me think maybe—just maybe—she was as confused about this situation as I was.
"Why would you help me?" I asked.
She bit her lip.
**[SERA]: Because when you smiled at Granite's joke yesterday, it was genuine. Because you gave your bread to that old man in Cell 51. Because you're kind in a place designed to make people cruel. Because I've killed so many people and I don't want you to be another one. Because... because I think I might actually like you, and that terrifies me more than any mission ever has.
Out loud, she just said: "Because you seem nice. And nice people shouldn't die for stealing bread."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: RELATIONSHIP VALUES UPDATED]
[SERA - AFFECTION: 15/100 (+15)]
[SISTER ARIA - AFFECTION: 12/100 (+12)]
[BOTH CHARACTERS NOW QUESTIONING THEIR ASSASSINATION MISSIONS]
[WARNING: HIGHER AFFECTION = MORE UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR]
Oh. Oh no.
My survival strategy of "avoid the assassins" was backfiring. They were developing feelings, which meant they were becoming LESS predictable, not more.
This was simultaneously the best and worst possible outcome.
"Thanks, Sera," I said. "That means a lot."
She blushed and looked away.
**[SERA]: He has no idea I was sent to kill him. He just thinks I'm a nice cellmate. I'm the worst person alive. Or... maybe I could be better? Maybe I could actually help him instead? Is that even possible?
From across the hall, Granite gave me a thumbs up.
**[GRANITE]: My boy's got both of them falling for him and he doesn't even realize it. This is romantic comedy gold. I'm rooting for a harem ending.
As I lay down to sleep that night, I ran through my options:
The Ice Princess arrives tomorrow - can't read her chatbox, probably instantly knows I'm suspicious
Two assassins with growing feelings and mission conflicts
181 days until execution
Still no concrete escape plan
But I also had:
Sera possibly switching sides
Sister Aria hesitating on her mission
The ability to read everyone's thoughts and plans
Granite as my unofficial prison dad/hype man
"Hey, Kyle?" Sera whispered in the darkness.
"Yeah?"
"Tomorrow's going to be dangerous, isn't it?"
**[SERA]: The new Captain. She's famous for rooting out corruption and executing criminals on the spot if she finds evidence. If she investigates Kyle's case... she'll find out what he really saw. And then nothing can save him.
"Probably," I admitted.
"Then we should stick together. Safety in numbers, right?"
**[SERA]: I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm supposed to work alone. But the thought of him facing tomorrow by himself makes my chest hurt.
"Safety in numbers," I agreed.
I didn't mention that I could see her chatbox filling with increasingly panicked messages about "catching feelings for the target" and "this has never happened before."
Day 2 complete. Somehow still alive.
Two would-be assassins now morally conflicted.
One Ice Princess boss arriving tomorrow.
And me, still trying to figure out what the original Kyle witnessed that made him worth killing.
This isekai experience was nothing like the power fantasies I'd read about.
But hey, at least I had waifus?
Terrifying, trained-killer waifus who could end me at any moment, but still.
Progress?