I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 3

Kia’s power made everything possible.

So if you lined people up by hierarchy, there were old people and young people, men and women.

And I had tremendous potential and talent for this power.

Enough to overwhelm everyone and stand at the peak the moment I awakened.

As a side effect, I forgot some common sense needed for social life. But that couldn’t be helped, right?

It was the third day since I declared I would find my lost social skills and try to live with common sense.

‘But what did cleaning have to do with common sense anyway.’

I did it because they told me to, but becoming a person with common sense wasn’t easy at all.

‘Well, what can I do. I can’t even escape, let alone get released.’

I tilted my head.

“So, Warden. May I ask what business you have with me?”

“Cheeky thing. Bringing up business first in front of an adult isn’t common sense.”

“It seems like you just call anything that displeases you ‘common sense’ now.”

“That’s your misunderstanding.”

“Yes.”

Though we exchanged meaningless words, Ralph didn’t call me without reason.

The old man was busy and too occupied enjoying his power to call me during this peaceful time without cause.

Something that those who treat me like a dog would order me to do.

Unless there was a huge fight breaking out here like a few years ago that needed suppressing.

“Anyway, Mint. Take it easy, take it easy.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You think I don’t know you deliberately provoked those guys you beat to a pulp today?”

I slightly relaxed my at-attention posture and stood casually.

“Those future promising youths who wanted to become rapists the moment they arrived would make good fertilizer for this land.”

It was presumptuous to act this way in front of the warden, but I could get away with it.

It was the privilege of a veteran.

“You’re really funny. You killed thirty-two people at age twelve, and you think you’re qualified to punish that one rapist?”

“Then I’ll change it to ‘if you’re weak, you die.'”

“That easily?”

“I came to this place to live as I please.”

“….”

“Please cut me some slack. My Amy screamed.”

“Amy?”

“Look. So, the right side is….”

“…Enough. Shut up.”

I scratched and rubbed my ear.

“Didn’t you say so yourself, Warden. That this place is where people live so there’s right and wrong, but whether I follow it or not is my choice.”

Unfortunately, since common sense left home long ago, I’ve been learning things one by one again recently.

‘It’s been almost 10 years now, so I should prepare for when I get out.’

What’s disgusting is disgusting.

I should listen to the faint ‘Pakha’ remaining inside me who’s crying out.

The warden and guards wanted someone more to their taste, either violent.

Or someone drunk on power who licks boots. Or a complete lunatic to become the leader. But it was me who rose up.

“Instead, aren’t I being a dog that barks diligently when you need me to, Warden?”

“When did you ever bark…”

“Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”

“…”

“Woof—”

“I get it, so shut up!”

I could feel the warden looking at me with his usual expression of ‘is there really such a lunatic?’

Like this, I established myself as the troublemaker of the prison cell without even being able to get released, but today’s conversation was somehow different.

“Do you want to get out?”

I erased my cocky expression and looked at the bald warden.

After staring at the warden who had likewise become serious, I tilted my head lazily.

“What kind of hope torture is this for this poor lifer?”

The warden rested his arms on the desk and propped his chin on them.

“I’ll mark you as dead on paper. In exchange, you’ll have to do a job for me.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Some opportunities really do come suddenly like a lie.

I waited quietly for the next words without showing that I was internally moved.

In this prison full of fraud. In this place full of threats and bluffs, what’s needed is precise expression.

An ironclad promise.

“Help me and I’ll get you released.”

“What shall I do, master?”

“…”

The distrust that appeared on his face again was brief.

The king-like existence in this prison cell gave me an order.

“A VIP will be arriving here soon.”

It’s not like nobles don’t come here. Case in point: me.

I’m a noble too, after all.

Of course, it’s rare for them to end up here, but it’s not unheard of.

And ‘VIP’ means a very precious noble among them.

“A new inmate coming in soon, make that guy survive in this prison cell.”

“Is survival everything?”

The warden shook his head.

“Can you make him the leader?”

“…”

They call it a prison cell, but this place is lawless territory.

It’s not a promise I can make lightly.

Even so, I reached out my hand.

“Just leave it to me.”

Green light flowed from my hand like a thin thread.

The warden grimaced with a grunt but extended his wrinkled hand.

Golden light flowed from the warden’s hand.

The moment our fingertips touched, the differently colored threads bound together.

An oath made with Kia.

An oath that would burst one’s heart if broken.

“If the job ends successfully, I’ll definitely get you released. Your existence will die and disappear, along with a new identity.”

I smiled brightly with dark stars embedded in my eyes.

Wouldn’t that be disgustingly sparkling?

After the oath ended, the warden seemed to have a bad aftertaste, shaking his hands as he spoke.

“But the place you need to enter is the men’s prison in the west.”

Huh? Did my hearing go bad? I heard something strange.

“…Unfortunately, my biological gender is female?”

Wasn’t the VIP a female noble? Well, it doesn’t matter if not.

And while going west is fine, as I said, my gender is female.

“So you’ll have to hide it.”

“…Warden, is what’s hanging between your legs detachable by any chance?”

“…What did you just say?”

“How do I attach something that doesn’t exist?”

“Disguise yourself, disguise!”

The warden burst into anger. I see, disguise.

But is that an easy thing to do?

“We’ll handle all the preparations on our end. You just prepare to disappear.”

“Yes, whatever.”

‘Mint,’ who is unnecessary for the plan, will disappear.

I nodded without regret.

After that, several more detailed discussions took place, but nothing was as important as the reward I first heard.

My hands trembled slightly even when still.

I can finally be released.

If I just solve one thing.

* * *

The warden began organizing my identity, and this wasn’t too difficult.

I organized my belongings in my prison cell.

It was a place I had stayed for a whole 10 years, but I had no great attachment to it.

“I’ll be leaving this place.”

At my words, the beauty with pink hair blinked her eyes.

She had burns covering about a third of one side of her face, but she was still beautiful, a woman with brown eyes.

“Ah, finally execution? Are you getting executed, boss?”

The beauty’s name was Ramona. She was someone whose specialty was ‘Poison Creation.’

She was skilled at creating poison using Corrupted Kia.

“Tell me the details, hm?”

“Shut up, Ramona! What details? Damn it. I knew this day would come eventually. It was strange that you hadn’t been punished after all that crap you pulled in front of the warden.”

“Oh my, Deril, why are you saying such things.”

The woman with red hair cut in a short bob was Deril.

Her build, comparable to that of an average adult male, was a characteristic that appeared from having Muscular Enhancement Kia.

“What do you mean what? How many times has the warden replaced leaders he didn’t like under the guise of errands? He’s definitely getting replaced. This guy just lasted unusually long as boss.”

Ramona and Deril were prisoners classified as ‘High-grade/1st class’ among the rankings the guards had established.

In the high grade: 3, 2, 1. Like grades assigned to livestock, the lower the number attached at the end, the higher the grade.

In other words, these two had the highest grade below the leader.

“That’s what happened.”

“What do you mean ‘that’s what happened’? Explain properly. Death? Are you really going to die? Or what, are you being released?”

Deril spoke with a face that clearly suggested the latter was unlikely.

Why do you think release is out of the question? That’s a bit hurtful.

“Oh my, so is it hanging, or flogging? Or the electric chair? Which one is it?”

“Hmm. Think of it comfortably.”

Ramona rolled her eyes and grinned broadly.

“Hard to say, isn’t it?”

When I didn’t answer, Deril flew into a rage.

When Ramona gently provoked her, she raged even more. It was a familiar scene.

Regardless, I turned my head.

There was a woman hunched over, reading the situation.

“You heard? That’s what’s happening.”

Brown hair, a neat face, and a kind impression.

It was the newly arrived prisoner ‘Haira.’

“Um, what do you mean by that…?”

“Originally, I spend about a week with new prisoners, showing them around various places.”

“…”

“This place is quite dangerous, you see.”

This person is pretending to be cautious, but actually isn’t scared at all.

I noticed with sharp intuition but pretended not to know and continued speaking.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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