The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-403

Chapter 403: Escape(1)

Mealtime.

Vikir, having a rare day off from duty, had his meal at the cafeteria.

On the menu were black bread with pickled fish and some wilted greens. There was no variety; that was all there was.

Even for a meal served to a captain-level guard, it was a rather dismal arrangement.

“Seems like the supply situation is pretty dire these days.”

If this is the quality of meals for captains, one can only imagine what the lower-ranking guards are getting.

It’s unimaginable what the prisoners are eating.

Recently, there haven’t been many familiar faces at the labor camp; perhaps they’ve starved to death.

As Vikir sat alone eating his meal,

“Is that really true?”

“Yeah. That’s what I heard.”

The guards’ conversation at the table in front of him faintly reached Vikir’s ears.

Having reached the master realm, Vikir’s hearing could pick up conversations from afar.

“They say the surface world is in chaos. Demons and monsters are appearing in droves.”

“They say some kind of giant gate opened?”

“Yeah. And monsters are pouring out of it.”

“I bet the security’s collapsed. That’s probably why there’s been a surge in prisoners.”

“Is security the only concern right now? The entire empire is in jeopardy.”

Most of them were discussing surface world affairs.

Some seemed to outright disbelieve that anything was happening on the surface.

“Seriously. How old are we, still believing in demons and monsters? Those are just fabricated creatures made up by the Quovadis Clan.”

“Yeah. I don’t believe anything I haven’t seen with my own eyes. But how can we see anything being thousands of meters under the sea? Hahaha.”

“Well, they say all the new prisoners coming in have seen demons or monsters. And what about that gate?”

“You believe the words of prisoners coming in here? They’ve all gone mad with fear. Being trapped in the Iron Maiden and sunk 10,000 meters down, it’s enough to drive anyone insane.”

Meanwhile, some took these rumors seriously.

“No, something’s definitely off. Never before have so many prisoners been admitted to Nouvellebag. There must have been some major change on the surface.”

“Yeah. If Warden Orca, Major D’Ordume, and Major Souaré all went up to the surface for prisoner transport, something serious must have happened.”

“Right. Not only the warden and Colonel of Nouvellebag left his posts, but two out of the five pillars have gone up to the surface together. This is unprecedented.”

“The surface must be in complete chaos. I heard the gate opened, and monsters are pouring out. And the leaders of the seven noble clans of the Empire are also reportedly under assassination threats.”

However, most of the guards in Nouvellebag weren’t particularly interested in these discussions.

“Well, as long as we manage the criminals here properly, that should be enough.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t bother about what’s happening outside.”

“Since when did we get involved in surface affairs?”

“If demons and monsters are wreaking havoc up there, wouldn’t it be safer down here?”

“Whatever happens on the surface, it’s unlikely to affect us down here.”

Most of Nouvellebag’s guards were individuals marginalized by society, with little affection for the world or loyalty to the Empire.

They hadn’t been outside for so long that they had little curiosity about how the outside world had changed.

Besides, regardless of how things had changed, it was obvious they wouldn’t adapt well.

… But.

Vikir’s thoughts on all of this were somewhat different.

‘Nouvellebag, too, will eventually become ensnared in the aftermath of the impending war.’

In the past, Nouvellebag remained safe for a while even after the onset of the Great War.

Its geographical location 10,000 meters underwater ironically served as an advantage, allowing it to escape the aftermath of the war.

However, demons, noticing Nouvellebag’s existence, sent military forces to this harsh place.

Despite the efforts of the war heroes of previous generations, including Orca, the warden of Nouvellebag, who had quelled the “47 Person Incident,” and his five pillars, they couldn’t stop the demons’ power.

And as tensions rose, Nouvellebag, for reasons unrelated to the demons, fell.

Most of the guards and prisoners perished during this process, and those who survived harbored hatred towards demons, either joining the Human Alliance Forces on the surface or fighting demons through individual means.

“It seems that era of destruction is near.”

Chewing on the wilted greens, Vikir pondered.

The fact that the vegetables supplied from the surface were already in this condition meant that the situation was deteriorating faster than expected.

Then,

“Here you are.”

The chair beside Vikir scraped against the floor as it was pulled back.

Lieutenant Kirko Grimm. She had quietly taken a seat beside Vikir.

Having regained her health, she spoke calmly.

“It seems the quality of information improves with promotion.”

“What have you heard?”

“Colonel Orca is returning. And Majors D’Ordume and Souaré as well.”

The “Big 3” of Nouvellebag.

They are currently escorting a massive number of prisoners heading towards Nouvellebag.

How many of them will survive the treacherous journey to arrive here, submerged beneath the black depths?

“Are the guards coming on balloon fish?”

“I assume Majors D’Ordume and Souaré are. Director Orca is coming ‘personally.'”

“…Personally?”

“Yes, as always,” Kirko replied casually, smoothly transitioning to the next topic.

“There are rumors that among the new prisoners coming, there’s a formidable monster.”

“What makes them think that?”

“They attempted to assassinate the head of one of the seven great clans. They were immediately sentenced to Nouvellebag without trial. They’ll probably be assigned there as soon as Level 10 construction is complete.”

The arrival of new prisoners wasn’t particularly of interest to Vikir.

“When do Director Orca and the other two chief guards arrive?”

“They should be here within a week.”

“Then the new prisoners will arrive around that time.”

Vikir’s gaze turned icy.

The arrival of new prisoners meant that the news of the surface will soon be on his hands.

The intake will fall under the jurisdiction of Head Captain Bastille,

And Vikir, who had gained his trust, would likely be involved in the intake.

If there was ever a time to escape, it would be then.

Vikir’s plan for escape wasn’t the typical kind through a hole in the wall. It was more elaborate.

“…Things are going to get busy,” Vikir said as he stood up from his seat. There was much to prepare.

Then,

Scrrraaape—

As Vikir rose from his seat, Kirko also stood up from hers.

There were still bits of black bread and pickled fish on her plate.

Vikir said, “Seems like you haven’t finished your meal. You should continue eating.”

“When something happens, we should rise together,” Kirko responded as if it were obvious.

“Why?”

“Because I’m your subordinate.”

Kirko answered as a matter of course.

Vikir hesitated for a moment.

Since that day, or rather since receiving a beating from “Black Tongue,” Kirko had been following Vikir around closely.

They shared duties, and other minor tasks, always together.

Even their quarters were adjacent, leading to a situation where they were practically always together, except for sleeping, showering, and using the restroom.

It was unclear who had arranged their duty roster like this.

“…There’s a lot to do starting tonight, and with things like this, the plan might be disrupted.”

After a moment of consideration, Vikir said to Kirko, “So, will you be with me tonight as well?”

Vikir’s voice was unusually loud.

Some of the guards returning their trays heard his words.

Kirko’s face turned noticeably red, perhaps in response to the wide-eyed gazes of the surrounding guards.

“W-What do you mean?”

“That night. Don’t you remember?”

“Ah, no, I won’t!”

“You said that night you didn’t want to be alone.”

At that moment, Kirko’s expression turned fierce.

She spoke in a low voice, with an extremely businesslike tone, articulating each word firmly.

“Please don’t mistake it just because there was an incident last time. That day, I was particularly weak, both physically and mentally…”

“You said you didn’t remember?”

“…”

Kirko’s face turned crimson to the tips of her ears.

“I thought it was a dream!”

But her words only fueled misunderstandings among the surrounding people.

“No, no! That’s not it! I meant, it felt like a dream, not that I thought it was a dream, I really thought…”

In a state of total confusion, Kirko made various remarks to herself before promptly disappearing from the spot.

Finally, Vikir could cool his head.

The relatively peaceful (??) daily life in Nouvellebag was over now.

“The time for the grand escape has come.”

There wasn’t much time left.

A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. The unprecedented chaos that would engulf all of Nouvellebag was imminent.

A signal of humanity’s counterattack before the Great War.

It would illuminate the final thorny path the Night Hound would tread.