Chapter 2

---

---

“Ahhh!”

Something grabbed my ankle.

At the same time, I dropped the bundle of branches I was carrying.

The branches crashed onto the ground with a loud clatter.

Only then did my scattered thoughts finally return.

A… a demon…?

It was hard to deny it.

Everything happening to me was already so unrealistic that I had no reason to believe otherwise.

Gathering my courage, I slowly turned around.

The moment I did, our eyes met.

It seemed the demon had been watching me the entire time.

And for some reason…

He looked rather dissatisfied.

“You’re exactly like her after all.”

“…Pardon?”

“Then why did you run away?”

“W-Well…”

Wasn’t this obviously the kind of situation where anyone would run?

A half-naked man suddenly appeared.

And on top of that, he claimed to be a demon who granted wishes.

Stories like this always ended with the demon taking someone’s soul as payment.

Of course I had to be careful.

“…Because you’re scary.”

Instead of telling him what I was really thinking, I gave the kind of answer a child would.

The demon let out a mocking laugh.

Then he tempted me with an offer instead.

“Don’t you want to leave this place?”

His deep, smooth voice sounded almost hypnotic.

“If that’s your wish, I can let you leave right now.”

“…Leave?”

“Yes.”

It was an offer that would make anyone’s eyes light up.

But to me…

It only confirmed something heartbreaking.

If he wanted to tempt me, he should’ve offered to send me back to my original world… not just outside the exile settlement.

If he couldn’t do that…

There was no reason to leave this place.

After all, I was much happier here than I had ever been before.

Besides… what would happen to everyone else if I disappeared?

Even if I had been sentenced through guilt by association, I was still officially a criminal who had nearly helped assassinate the Imperial Princess.

If someone like me suddenly vanished…

The remaining prisoners would surely be treated even worse and become even more suspicious in the guards’ eyes.

Especially with how the guards have been acting lately…

Their behavior had changed over the past few days.

The guards who had always ignored the prisoners now picked fights over every little thing.

Yesterday, things finally got out of hand.

One of the guards tried to assault a female prisoner.

She had been sentenced to life for killing her husband.

Her mind wasn’t completely stable, so she couldn’t even resist properly.

Ian stepped in to stop him.

As a result, the guard beat him mercilessly.

Because he was only a prisoner, Ian couldn’t even fight back.

Maybe we should all just…

But what came out of my mouth was something completely different.

“Please give me some medicine for bruises.”

The instant I finished speaking—

Thud.

A small jar dropped onto the ground at my feet.

I crouched down and opened it.

Inside was a sticky white ointment with a terrible smell.

…I’m such a terrible person.

Instead of asking for everyone to escape together…

I had asked for medicine.

Because deep down…

I was afraid that if everyone left the exile settlement, they would forget about me.

“…Mix it with water before applying it to the wound. Bruises take time to disappear, but the pain will fade quickly.”

The demon brushed back his wet hair with one hand.

The scent of soap mixed with the warm steam drifted toward me.

Looking at my filthy appearance…

And realizing my morals were worse than a demon’s…

I felt ashamed.

“…What’s the price?”

“My life?”

“Your saliva.”

“…”

“…Don’t look so disgusted.”

The demon lazily explained that it was simply how the system worked.

Then he casually dropped a bombshell.

“Anyway… you’re all going to die.”

“…What?”

“All of you.”

“You…”

“…and every prisoner.”

“Every single one of you will die.”

The ointment the demon gave me really worked.

As soon as I mixed it with water and applied it to Ian’s bruises, he looked amazed.

“The pain’s already gone.”

I shared the rest with the older prisoners whose joints constantly ached from hard labor.

“But where did you get this?”

“I found it.”

“…You didn’t steal it, did you?”

Ian looked suspicious.

He probably thought I had stolen it from the guards’ quarters.

“Ian, I’m not capable of something like that.”

“…True.”

“Don’t give up your suspicion that quickly.”

When I pouted, Ian smiled despite his swollen face.

The medicine was incredibly effective.

Before long, the swelling around his face visibly went down.

The other prisoners were also happy that their joint pain had disappeared.

The happier they became…

The more my conscience hurt.

This ointment had been the price of staying here instead of escaping with everyone.

Because of my choice…

They were all going to die here.

Yet they smiled at me and thanked me.

I couldn’t even force myself to smile back.

But… will we really die?

Honestly…

It had come so suddenly that it was hard to believe.

But as if mocking my wishful thinking…

The atmosphere inside the exile settlement grew darker day by day.

The guards became more and more violent.

Eventually…

Every adult except me had been beaten at least once.

The ointment from the demon ran out in no time.

After that…

The adults repeatedly warned me.

“Don’t go anywhere near the guards.”

“If they ever look like they’re going to hit you, run straight to us.”

“Ah!”

But I ignored every warning.

I charged straight at a guard.

He was about to punch Livi.

So I bit down on his arm.

“Aagh! Aaaagh!”

“Mmmph!”

I clenched my jaw with all my strength, determined to tear off a piece of flesh.

“Y-You little monster…!”

The guard, half-crazed with rage, punched me square in the face.

I was thrown backward and rolled across the ground.

“Hebenia!”

Livi, who had been lying on the ground after being beaten herself, hurried over and helped me up.

“B-Blood…!”

Her trembling hands tried to stop the blood pouring from my nose.

But I barely felt the pain.

I only glared at the guard as though I wanted to kill him.

Ironically…

The guard looked even more terrified than I was.

The other guards rushed over and dragged him away.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“I told you not to go too far!”

“Today’s work is over! Everyone return to the village!”

After shouting that, the guards practically fled toward the dormitory at the entrance of the village.

The moment they disappeared…

Livi yelled at me.

“Did you already forget what we told you?! We said not to go near the guards! Look at you! Your poor little nose is bleeding!”

“I’m fine. It’s only a little—”

“Only a little?! And we’re not just worried about you! Because of you, the adults almost fought the guards for real!”

Only then did I notice them.

The adults had been glaring at the guards from behind us the entire time.

…Wow.

They gripped their worn pickaxes tightly.

They looked fierce…

But to me…

They looked as dependable as magical girls.

Of course…

I received the biggest scolding from them afterward.

Only then did the pain finally hit me.

I frowned.

Ian sighed and narrowed one eye.

“You fearless little troublemaker…”

Why was he smiling?

“You nearly took ten years off my life.”

Even though my bleeding had already stopped…

He gently pinched my red nose to make sure.

“Don’t look for a reason to help someone.”

When they themselves were beaten…

They endured it silently.

But the moment I got hurt…

Every one of them stood against the guards without hesitation.

Even if it meant risking their own lives.

The worn pickaxes they held…

Looked far more beautiful than the magic wand that had cost me three million won.

Maybe…

Maybe I could become like a magical girl…

Like them.

Like the girls I had always admired.

The girls I had believed I could never become.

A small light of hope slowly pushed away the darkness inside my cowardly heart.

“Even if it isn’t today… hope will definitely save you someday!”

The full moon hung high in the sky…

As though it intended to witness everything.

Only humans could survive inside Exilium.

Horses.

Cattle.

Even tiny birds.

None of them could live here.

They all died.

Because of that, the guards themselves had to pull the supply wagons.

“Damn prisoners should be doing this…”

“And if they escape, will you take responsibility?”

The guards loaded black ores onto the wagons.

None of them touched the ores directly.

Their entire bodies were covered for protection.

These were the final shipment.

The ores the prisoners had mined through months of labor.

As of today…

The Exilium exile settlement would be temporarily closed.

“Why is it being closed?”

“Orders came down from above. There’s no longer any need to mine more ore.”

“Above…?”

“From His Majesty the Emperor, obviously.”

“Don’t bother explaining. He’s only been here two months. Lucky bastard.”

“Unlike this idiot, who’s going to be beaten to death after we leave.”

“Shut the hell up.”

The guard who cursed still had a blue bite mark on his arm.

The captain of the guards looked at him coldly.

“His Majesty has ordered that every prisoner be executed.”

“Bring Hebenia Clavis back to the palace without a single scratch.”

“Remember.”

“There are plenty of other exile settlements that still need labor.”

The guard’s face turned red with anger.

But he couldn’t argue.

Because there was already a precedent.

A few years ago…

A guard had beaten a prisoner.

For disobeying the Emperor’s will, that guard was sentenced to hard labor as a prisoner in another exile settlement.

Meanwhile…

The Emperor had even sent a royal physician to treat the injured prisoner.

“…Ridiculous.”

One of the guards muttered while walking toward the prisoners’ village.

“They’re nothing but tools.”

“Every one of them was framed under the Emperor’s orders.”

“…What?”

The youngest guard’s eyes widened.

“Y-You mean…”

“They were falsely accused…”

“…just so they could mine ore?”

No one answered him.

“Then… can’t we just leave them here?”

“They’ve already suffered enough.”

“If we disappear, they’ll eventually starve anyway…”

“No.”

The guard who had served the second longest answered calmly.

A dagger rested in his hand.

Every other guard was holding one too.

“There’s no need to keep them alive anymore.”

“The ore is no longer needed.”

“Leaving them alive would only create future problems.”

A violent wind swept through the ancient forest.

Branches and leaves crashed together.

The sound pressed heavily over the entire exile settlement.

Leaving the hesitant youngest guard behind…

The others entered the old cabins according to their plan.

A few moments later—

“The prisoners are gone!”

The guards rushed outside.

Under the moonlight…

Every face turned pale.

“The prisoners are gone!”

“Search! Search every inch of the exile settlement immediately!”

“Those bastards kidnapped Clavis—!”

Tap.

A tiny finger touched a floating eyeball with wings.

The guards’ voices instantly disappeared.

The winged eyeball, marked with an upside-down five-pointed star, flapped its wings before slipping quietly into Hebenia’s hair.

Hebenia smiled mockingly.

“Idiots.”

“I’m the one who kidnapped them.”

Then she turned around.

“…Right?”

Behind her…

The prisoners stood in complete silence, their expressions stiff.