Chapter 388: The Wretched Dogs of Nouvellebag (4)

“……”

Kirko lifted her head with a blank expression. If it were any other time, she might have felt awkward and avoided eye contact. But for some reason, Kirko paid no attention to the fact that Garam was looking at her.

But it was only natural.

Garam’s true identity was none other than Vikir, disguised for the sake of his status.

An escaped prisoner turned guard overnight.

Vikir now stood in this spot in place of the deceased Garam.

“It’s dangerous, so step back.”

Vikir’s words were not for Kirko’s sake but to respect the innermost thoughts of Garam, which he had learned through his diary.

I want to show her the outside world.

If only I could show her the blue sky and salt-free lakes where I was born, the beasts running in the fields at least once…

His wish was now forever unattainable.

Vikir knew the wish Garam had penned in the palm-sized diary, pressed tightly to prevent it from smudging on the old, damp notebook.

And at the same time, he knew it was an impossible task.

Because Garam was already dead and gone.

‘But… I can help the woman you wanted to protect until the end and try sending her to the surface.’

Kirko, Vikir saw possessed tremendous talent and potential. If she were to grow, she could contribute greatly to the Human Alliance.

So Vikir decided to protect Kirko as much as possible.

To groom her as a weapon against demons, a secret weapon of the Human Alliance.

‘In my past life, you may have died nameless somewhere, but… it won’t be the case this time.’

That would be a way to respect the will Garam left behind. A win-win strategy.

Eventually, Vikir began to swing the broken truncheon he held too tightly, striking the prisoners in front of him as they came closer.

Thunk! Thwack! Crunch-

The heads or eyeballs of the prisoners rushing towards Kirko burst.

Some had all their teeth pulled out or tongues cut off.

At that moment, Vikir suddenly noticed the face of one prisoner writhing on the ground.

X

Seeing it, Vikir nodded his head.

‘Hm? Haven’t seen this one in a long time.’

There was no way he could forget the mark he once left.

‘Was his name Imcum?’

It was a fateful encounter from his days at the Colosseum Academy.

Starting from scolding him for bothering Figgy during their rookie learning days.

Vikir, when he was in the form of Night Hound, fought or interacted with him enough to remember his face and name.

‘I heard he got screwed after causing a ruckus in the Abyss tree.’

Although he became king inside the Abyss tree, outside, he suffered political retaliation for his mischief.

I knew there were some issues with his character, but I never expected to see him again in Nouvellebag.

‘Well, it’s somewhat comforting to see a familiar face.’

With a sense of satisfaction, Vikir kicked Imcum’s belly once more.

Although he could feel the sensation of internal organs rupturing under his toes, he paid it no mind.

After that, Vikir continued to swing the broken truncheon.

At first, he didn’t have the time to adjust his strength, but now he had become accustomed enough to control it adequately while subduing the prisoners.

A moderate subduing that only broke a few teeth and fingers or dislocated some arm and leg joints.

The counterattacking prisoners couldn’t even stand properly as Vikir shattered their toes with the heel of his combat boots.

All of this happened smoothly, like water flowing.

Vikir slipped through the shadowy space between the fierce guards and prisoners, subtly swinging his truncheon.

Dozens of prisoners had already become a bloody mess under Vikir’s truncheon, which silently and swiftly pierced their sides or groins.

The problem was that no one, neither the fallen prisoners nor the subdued guards, saw who had subdued so many prisoners in their excitement.

…Except one.

Kirko. She was watching Vikir’s every move with a vacant stare.

“Huh, what’s this? Was Garam always like this?”

He had never seen Garam genuinely engage in subduing before.

Born gentle and kind, he was incapable of harming others.

Every time Vikir happened to see him, Vikir thought, ‘He doesn’t seem suited to be a guard.’

Why would he come here and endure such hardship if he couldn’t properly work?

Kirko, who somewhat pitied Garam, now had a completely different image she had of him.

Was this awakening after the prison riot?

His expressionless face as he subdued the prisoners.

It was like watching a crazy dog, who had lived his whole life harming others, going berserk.

The clandestine movements, erupting violence, overwhelming strength, unparalleled combat ability… Yet, despite all that, her indifferent attitude!

All of this made Kirko feel a thrill.

If there ever existed an ideal guard, a perfect warden, perhaps they would look like this?

“Argh!”

She got up forcefully, gripping the handle of her knife tightly.

Though her back and legs ached, there was no time to daze off like this.

As an ace among the fools, she couldn’t afford to lose to the pitiful dog of Nouvellebag.

“Haaah!”

She shouted vigorously, joining the melee and closely following Garam.

Once again, the chaos of purple surged.

* * *

About 20 minutes later, the situation was completely under control.

The instigators of the riot were bound by even larger and heavier Videsm handcuffs, one after another, as they were escorted to solitary confinement, while the rest were thrown back into their original cells, now reduced to ragged bodies.

There was no question of treatment or meals. Tomorrow, at 4 in the morning, the same hard labor would be imposed again.

…If you couldn’t endure it, death was the only way out.

The captain who commanded the suppression nodded in satisfaction.

“It was indeed a perfect suppression. Initially, there was some concern about the prisoners’ frenzy, but it changed dramatically from the middle. Well done, everyone!”

The lieutenant especially praised the left flank of the suppression team.

“It was all thanks to the excellent performance of Squad B on the left flank that early suppression was possible. You did really well! Who’s in Squad B?”

With his uniform soaked in blood, the captain walked through the lower-ranking guards who were gasping for breath, heading towards the area where Squad B, the hero of the day, was stationed.

And there stood Kirko in Squad B.

The captain shouted as soon as he saw Kirko.

“I knew it would be you! Your skills have improved even more! Thanks to your swift suppression of the left flank’s prisoners, the support team was able to spread evenly to the right flank in time. Well done!”

With the captain’s praise, all the lower-ranking guards around looked at Kirko with envious eyes.

However.

“…I didn’t do it.”

Kirko shook her head, denying the truth.

“Someone else did a great job. Over there…”

As Kirko turned to look for Garam, she paused for a moment.

Garam was not where he was supposed to be.

He was busy cleaning up bloodstains and rubble with the cleanup team from behind.

It was something usually done by guards whose achievements were so insignificant that they were often excluded from the honors.

“No, why is he over there…?”

Just as Kirko was about to express her bewilderment,

“Such humility in giving credit to your colleagues! Truly admirable!”

The captain nodded as if he were sure that Kirko was the protagonist of this action.

Meanwhile, the other lower-ranking guards behind were also saying their own words.

“Of course, it’s Kirko. Always taking down the tough ones during riots.”

“But this riot was tough, yet Kirko still managed to break her personal best record. Amazing, Kirko.”

“She’s a genius by nature. She’s on a different level from us. I bet she’ll be promoted to captain within three years, at least?”

“That’s for sure. Oh, but where did this guy disappear to?”

They soon began to search for an easy target for harassment.

Garam. Once again, he was the one busy with cleanup work from behind.

The lower-ranking guards taunted Garam with mocking attitudes.

“Hey, you didn’t do anything again this time, did you?”

“Couldn’t even catch a single prisoner again?”

“Anyway, Kirko always outshines you.”

“Kirko, the one who took down a bunch of thugs even with this idiot in tow, she’s the real deal, huh?”

They chuckled incessantly, starting to provoke Garam with actions like hitting his back, arms, or patting his head.

…However, Garam’s reaction was slightly different from before.

“……”

The broken truncheon, bent from numerous strikes.

Before the blood of the prisoners even dried, it swiftly swept through the lower-ranking guards’ abdomens.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

The sound akin to a heavy hammer hitting a big snail.

“Ugh!”

“Crack!”

“Gaaah!”

“Splat!”

Four lower-ranking guards clutched their bellies and collapsed in pain.

“What’s going on there?”

When the captain turned his head, he saw Garam supporting the collapsed four comrades, clutching their bellies.

“It seems like sudden abdominal pain. Probably due to the tension being relieved… I’ll take them to the infirmary.”

“Tsk tsk, getting so nervous over such a small protest. What fools.”

The captain immediately dismissed the lower-ranking guards’ situation.

And Garam, who had been mocked by his peers, led them away to a secluded area.

“Alright, friends. Let’s forget about what happened and discuss what’s next.”

The same gaze as when he subdued the prisoners earlier.

There was no intention to hide strength or show mercy in his attitude.

As Kirko watched Garam’s back with such demeanor, she quietly muttered to herself.

“…Something’s definitely off.”

[PR/N: TL is suffering from the flu, Wish her well in the comments!]