NOVEL WEB Chapter 5.2
“Professor Farrard.”
“!”
“Lady Adele, what are you doing here?”
“I’m attending an emergency meeting too. And this is the academy, so don’t call me lady here.”
“Kuhm, yes, I understand.”
“...Don’t even show respect.”
She is a slender beauty with waist-length blue hair and sea-blue eyes, and she stood with her back against the wall, waiting for Ferrad.
The white academy uniform accentuates her slender limbs and lithe waist.
However, the blue spear on her back, which is as long as she is tall, indicates that she is not just a frail woman.
She is an academy student, and Ferrad is an academy professor.
There’s no way he wouldn’t display a noble’s decorum in her presence.
Her name is Adele Griff.
She is currently a second-year student of the academy and the vice president of the academy’s security department.
Also, she is the heiress of the Griff family, the guardian of the northern regions of the empire to which Ferrad belongs.
Adele Griff and Ferrad Griff walk together to the conference room.
Adele looked at the documents in his right hand.
“How was the interrogation?”
“It was no different from the first intruder. He doesn’t know anything and claims he’s an alien.”
“As expected... It’s an inflexion point in history...”
Adele couldn’t shake the heavy feeling weighing down on her shoulders as she spat out these words.
For the 3,000 years since the creation of the world, human history has had periods of prosperity and periods of decline.
600 years ago, at the time of the founding of the Empire and the unification of the entire western half of the continent, wars disappeared from the world and culture developed- a brilliant and peaceful flourishing of the human nations.
300 years ago was the fourth period of destruction of mankind due to the advent of the Demon King.
And there was also the great warrior of light who put an end to the era of destruction by subduing the Demon King.
And now, in the time to recover from the damages of the great war and restoration of the continent since then, a new inflexion point in history has occurred.
‘Are they the bearers of prosperous times, or the starting point for the age of destruction?’
With a new era at hand, Adele buried her tension and excitement deep within her.
** *
As I expected, starting with Jihye, Lee Hyeon- woo and Baek Nam-gyu opened the iron cell door and entered one after another.
All of them had not been able to sleep and their faces were very tired from the interrogation, but fortunately, there were no external injuries.
This room is a dull space with monotonous stone walls, a stone floor, and iron bars.
I’d love to get back to laying on my bed on Earth right now, but this is also far better than camping in the middle of the woods.
The first night in prison was fine, except that Min Hye-rin, who cried herself to sleep, occupied my thigh, making Ji-hye upset.
*Ding- Ding- Ding*
“...?!”
I was awakened from my slumber by the loud sound of bells chiming.
I looked around, but luckily the situation was no different from before my eyes were closed.
‘I was planning on staying up all night, but I wonder if staying up all night for two days is too much even for me...?’
As my whole body ached and I stretched, the sound of crunching joints engulfed my whole body.
Perhaps because of the lack of blood flow, my left leg is particularly numb.
*Glancing-*
Feeling a gaze beside me, I turned my eyes to the left, where I saw Min Hye-rin turn her head away.
I guess she woke up before me.
The backs of her ears are dyed pink as if she is embarrassed.
Can I assume that this is some pretty good progress?
At the sound of the bell, Jihye, Lee Hyun-woo, and Baek Nam-gyu stood up.
Jihye came up to me and sits to my left with her back against the wall.
It was a position that blocked Min Hye-rin from my sight.
“Haam—- did you sleep well?”
“I fell asleep without realizing... You?”
“I’m hungry too.”
Funnily enough, breakfast was delivered through the iron bars soon after.
My first morning in prison... Was the best.
Two loaves of bread, hot soup, and even a small amount of seasoned meat.
What a normal diet!
...to be fair, it’s only been a few days, but it was so delicious that I felt like crying.
“It’s real... It’s so good...”
Baek Nam-gyu actually cried and Lee Hyun-woo soothed him.
Min Hye-rin looked at them with a confused expression.
** *
Did they say that humans were animals of adaptation?
Now I feel this word’s essence.
According to Min Hye-rin, she has only been here since the first day and experienced only interrogation and imprisonment.
Literally until the end of the day, no one contacted us except at mealtime.
I kept my nerves as alert as possible until right before I fell asleep each day.
I didn’t speak as much as I could help it and concentrated on staying vigilant, so the other 4 people naturally felt on edge.
However, even these actions are meaningful only when an opponent is identified and exists.
And since nothing happened, it was futile.
It felt like I was just staring dumbly at a still wall.
“This is my spot!”
Jihye claimed my thigh while lying on the floor.
Her chest rises and falls with her breathing.
“Why would you want it anyway?”
“It’s what I want in my heart, but, um, can’t I do it...?”
“Ehh, do whatever you want.”
My right-hand tickles Jihye’s chin.
“Ugh...Don’t do that...”
She turns her head around to avoid my hand but to no avail.
Her cat-like appearance is cute.
Anyone could see that our relationship looks like that a couple with babies soon on the horizon, but no one raises any objection.
Jihye’s lively eyes look at mine and then roll aside.
At the end of her gaze is Min Hye-rin.
She didn’t like the way she had slept on my leg yesterday.
Min Hye-rin got up and walks towards us.
“I’m not going to give in today.”
The moment when the smile of a victor grows upon Jihye’s face—
“Jihoo, you did it yesterday, so today you can lay on my leg and sleep.”
“Oh, thanks. I won’t decline then.”
“!!”
Jihye was astonished.
I put my head down slowly.
Min Hye-rin’s body is thin, so it is not as fluffy.
Her body temperature is on the low side, and her neck feels cool.
It smells sweet.
Jihye’s expression rots away, so I scratched her chin a few more times.
Lee Hyeon-woo and Baek Nam-gyu sent eyes of envy and jealousy, but I ignored them.
I think I will sleep comfortably today.
The next day I slowly let go of the excess tension, and what filled the void was boredom.
All around us is a plain grey cell.
There was nothing to do because the guys who locked us up confiscated our bags and other belongings.
Lee Hyun-woo suggested.
“Shall we play the banana game?”
“?”
“What game is that?”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“We take turns saying ba, na, na, ba, na, na, and so on, over and over again while slowing going faster.”
I was bored so I tried it once with the other occupants.
“Ba, Hyunwoo, you’re wrong.”
The first dropout was Lee Hyun-woo, the game’s proposer.
“Here he proposes the game and he’s the first to drop out.”
Baek Nam-gyu playfully said.
“Maybe it makes me feel slightly better after playing games together.”
“Na, oh shit? Wrong...”
“Kuh, you’re no different either.”
The second dropout was Baek Nam-gyu.
Now, there are only three people left in the game: me, Jeon Ji-hye, and Min Hye-rin. However, it was impossible to proceed with the game because the words each of us said would be fixed for 3 people.
“Let’s play another game.”
That’s how we spent our second day in prison: eating, talking, and playing games.
** *
It is now the third morning since ending up trapped here.
“Your future treatment has been decided.”
The man who interrogated us, Ferrad Griff, opened the iron cell accompanied by several soldiers.
“Follow me.”
Now it’s time to up the balls again.
The five of us walked behind Ferrard, and out of the building through the door we entered through at first.
Unlike the academy soldiers, knights wearing full-body armour were waiting for us there.
Behind them, for some reason, is a luxurious carriage that appeared to be built to be used by high-ranking people.
“You guys are going to the imperial palace. Get on.”
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