In the small space made of rough stones, what you see straight ahead is a thick iron bar.
Even a three-year-old child passing by would know what it means.
Now that I had fully grasped the situation, I was able to figure out what the coldness I had initially felt on my face was.
That was the water the guard had sprinkled.
I barely managed to get up, swallowing the urge to scream.
Normally, my energy would have been so lively that it could have just flown around, but now it was so small that it could barely move a finger.
Like a squid, squirming and writhing.
Oh my, why on earth is my body saggy like this?
My body, heavy as water-soaked cotton, was starting to feel irritating.
I tried to calmly deal with the situation I had never experienced before, but...
As everyone said, I didn't seem to have an ounce of patience.
Ha, it's nothing new, so let's just skip it.
I looked down at the damp. clothes with a disgusted look and tilted my head back.
Now, I was so annoyed that I didn't even want to lift a finger.
I need to sleep some more.
And...
After that, I'll have to sort out this ridiculous situation and then escape.
I closed my eyes, organizing the plan of procedure that had now become familiar in my head. And then it appeared.
"Fuck!"
I couldn't help but scream, really.
I immediately understood why the guard had sprinkled water on me and why ny body was lying there as if I were a corpse. It was sunstroke.
I understood why I was feeling dizzy, short of breath, and not in my right mind.
I was cruelly imprisoned and at the same time exposed to the scorching sun.
After roughly finding out the reason, I barely managed to drag my sagging body to a shaded area at the edge of the prison.
Ah, now I feel like I can live a little.
Only when the surroundings became cool did my mind begin to clear up. Since then, I have been chewing out the man who put me here.
You bastard, what did I do wrong to deserve this?
"Ah, before that I'm thirsty."
It was obvious that the unkind guard would not give me even a drop of water no matter how much I begged.
Since I had already been to prison so many times, I knew very well how the prisoners were treated there.
Even if this country is not my home country, and even if it is an enemy country, in the end, I am treated like a prisoner.
I searched through my tattered clothes for the water I must have brought.
Fortunately, my belongings were safe, as the soldiers had thrown me into prison as ordered from above without any search or interrogation.
Soon, I was able to find a small bottle of water inside my bag.
"Dude. I should've taken it when that kid said he'd cast a refrigeration spell on me. I just laughed at him and said he didn't need it, so I'm the only one suffering."
I thought of my friend who had refused to go to Kracha, saying it was too much trouble, and took a sip of my water bottle, complaining softly.
Lukewarm water flowed in. Feeling thirsty for the first time in a long time, I drank the water without thinking.
But before my thirst could be fully quenched, the water dried up.
A wrinkle formed inevitably on my smooth forehead.
Still, I was somewhat satisfied since I had come to my senses.
I can always fill up the water and drink it later.
"By the way, where is this place?"
Oh, it was a prison.
Looking at the iron bars embedded in the windows, I finally realized my situation.
It was my habit to not think about anything when I was comfortable, but as my mother had repeatedly emphasized, it didn't seem to be such a good habit.
"But If you worry about all that, you won't be able to travel?"
If you are tense, alert, and suspicious every day, wouldn't any place in the world be dangerous?
I could probably bet my entire fortune that if I was that picky, everything would be at risk.
I frowned and asked that question, wanting to forget my mother's nagging that was ringing in my head.
Of course, if my mother had heard this, she would have been furious and scolded me for being so defenseless, but unfortunately, she wasn't here.
Perhaps she is sitting comfortably in her luxurious mansion far north, eating and playing.
"Persian."
I realized it as I looked at the blazing sun beyond the bars.
That this place is truly a desert, the Southern Continent.
The large continent, commonly called Panthiago, was divided into upper and lower halves.
And of course, it was divided into the North Continent at the top and the South Continent at the bottom.
Because the two continents are separated by a jungle called the Forest of Despair and the huge Mediterranean Sea, they were unable to interact with each other at all and wrote different histories for tens of thousands of years.
The result was the current situation.
If there is Cromwell, who is called the loser in the northern continent, then there is Pessian, who is called the King of the desert in the southern continent.
In this land where religion, climate, culture, and political system were completely different, it was more accurate to say that it was a completely different world. I tried to calm my slightly excited heart.
It was definitely different.
Even when comparing it to my current situation, a comparison was possible. In the North Continent, that is, on Cromwell, we would have been locked up in a deep, damp place where we could not even see sunlight.
Criminals were the scum of the earth. unworthy of association, and prisons had to be as invisible as possible to the public, while also boasting tight security so that criminals could not escape, so it was customary to throw them deep and deeper.
On the other hand, this place was different.
The treatment of criminals was the same, but this prison was built in a high tower, in the center of the city, where there was the most sunlight.
It was a warning to people to be aware of the prison and to be careful about their actions, and above all, the sun-drenched prison was a punishment in itself, as the murderous weather here was more painful than any torture.
I frowned after thinking that far.
What on earth did I do wrong?
I thought I had learned everything there was to know about Pessian.
Even if I don't know the specifics of the law, I can probably guess the general reason, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't get a grasp of it.
What on earth did I do wrong to get arrested?
Actually, it didn't feel like that cheapskate had a reason for throwing me in there.
"I bet my cake that that guy put me in here just to harass me for no reason. Huh."
I grumbled and stood up from my seat.
It would have been better to quietly listen to the guide at Surtr, the entrance to the Southern Continent, and cross the Pass to Kracha.
I chose to take the back road for no reason because of the desert.
Why on earth did I do something so stupid?
But if the time came again to choose, it was obvious that I would quietly make the same choice.
What can I do, I've never seen a desert before.
A world covered in sand, its very existence was unfamiliar.
I always wanted to see it and experience it.
Because I was originally a very curious person, I was not a great person who could avoid the temptation of the desert.
I've experienced all kinds of terrain, but there's one thing I've never experienced: a desert!
Of course, now that I'm sick and tired of the desert, I admit that it was a reckless and pitiful decision...
"Ha, this isn't the first or second time I've done this, so why am I doing this again?"
At first, I was so nervous and excited, but I had to get out of Pessian.
Even though I was crazy about adventure and travel, I wasn't crazy.
No, I was out of my mind, but I knew my life was precious.
Cromwell and Pessian were still enemies and knew that they did not have good feelings towards each other, so if they did not know, they did not dare to walk around with their heads held high in the enemy's country.
Well, honestly, I could have, but I didn't find Pessian attractive enough to take that risk.
Even if it wasn't necessarily Pessian, you could feel the culture of the Southern Continent in Kracha, which was more friendly to Cromwell.
Wasn't Kracha itself a country that broke away from Pessian anyway?
Although I didn't originally have a plan, my thoughts became more solid as I thought about the man who had put me in prison so cruelly.
This country is too dangerous, in so many ways. My brown hair, which had flowed down as I was lost in thought, swayed at my feet. Dyeing to block out people's gaze while traveling.
Oh, now that I think about it, my condition isn't normal.
It's completely dusty and sandy.
I understood why the man laughed without hesitation when I said I was a pretty girl.
Well, if you keep calling me a pretty girl like this, even I'll laugh.
I smiled brightly and roughly dusted myself off.
To be honest, it really hurt when the guy laughed at his words.
I've never really considered myself particularly beautiful, but still. I'm being laughed at like that.
But my heart felt a lot lighter when I realized that it wasn't something I did because I saw my true self.
Well, I'm telling you. I'm a pretty girl.
"Then I guess I should just get out of this damn prison first. Prison doesn't suit a pretty girl like me, right?"
I, wearing the hood attached to my robe tightly, looked lightly beyond the iron bars.
And I took a small pin out of my pocket.
The pin for the anti-lock lock that I carried around for such occasions was comfortably held in my hand.
Skillfully and without hesitation, I pulled out my arm. Inserted a pin into the lock, and started to fiddle with it.
Click, the lock opened smoothly in an instant.
I left the prison with a very satisfied smile on my face.
"As expected, opening the prison door is like eating cold porridge."
My steps, which seemed to have quite a track record, were unstoppable.
Yeah, until this very moment.
Flick.
I jumped up with a light gesture and landed on the floor. I got up with a bright smile and shook my hands with satisfaction...
Getting out of prison was a piece of cake.
It was so easy to watch the guards and avoid the guard's eyes while climbing over the wall that it was almost yawn-worthy.
Of course, if I got caught, I would be in trouble.
I quickly turned my head to check my surroundings and was satisfied that it was indeed an alley with few people, just as I had expected. I then looked through my bag for a moment.
The niqab, which was supposed to be the everyday attire of the women here, was nowhere to be seen...
I laughed at the idea of covering a woman's face and entire body with black cloth to prevent her from seducing men, calling it a truly ridiculous hobby, but when faced with this situation, I immediately agreed.
That was a really necessary item.
"Oh, here it is!"
I really am a genius!
I'm such a well-prepared genius!
I smirked as I pulled the niqab, which I had thought was bad taste, over my body to fit tightly.
So, now we can just get out of this Pessian as planned?
It was said that this desert lord, who had clearly taken over the entire southern continent, was driving his prey into the barren eastern part. So, where I should go is east.
It was Kracha and Passian.
Well, when I have time, I can check out the other smaller tribes.
Since this was a trip with no set deadline and plenty of time to spare, there was no need to hesitate. If there is a problem...
"I probably don't even know where I am right now."
Hoping that this place wasn't too far west, I covered my niqab tightly and walked into the crowded city center.
Warm, humid air.
The sun rose so high that the roar of the sun could be heard.
Azaleas blooming faintly on the ground.
I had thought things were different in Surtr, but this was a completely new world.
No matter how many lands I've traveled to, this is the first time I've been to a place where everything is so completely different.
I couldn't calm my pounding heart.
I was so excited that I couldn't help feeling this overwhelming emotion.
I feel like I've entered a completely different world.
I felt so passionately that I felt like melting into the heat I was experiencing for the first time.
Exotic climate and cityscape.
And the dark shadows cast by the tall buildings between the buildings made of sand.
A well-paved road and people of completely different races walk on it.
I smiled brightly.
My heart is beating fast and my blood is boiling all over my body.
Yeah, this is the kind of taste that makes you travel.
I wanted to shout out my joy, but I was sad that I couldn't because of the circumstances.
Still, it's Pessian
A place I really wanted to come, but couldn't easily come.
It's finally starting to feel real.
I held my hand, which was trembling with emotion.
Limeia, thank you so much! I love you!
"Yahoo!"
Oh! It looks like I was so excited.
I, who had let out a cheer without realizing it, covered my mouth and rolled my eyes to look around before moving on without making a sound.
People were all looking at me strangely, but no one seemed to be paying much attention.
That was fortunate.
I avoided eye contact, went into a corner, and sighed, clearing my throat.
And for a moment, I felt sorry for myself for not being able to control my excitement.
Idiot, if you get caught here, you won't end up in prison, you'll end up on death row.
Cromwell and this place are complete enemies.
Still... Well, as long as I don't get caught, it doesn't matter.
I smiled and clasped my hands together.
"So what do we do now?"
The tremors still lingered in my body.
I was amazed at how many things I could do were already coming to mind.
It's good to have lots to try.
One of the most fortunate pieces of news was that there was Pessian currency that had been exchanged in Surtr.
I really thought it was a fluke, as I had converted it into a hobby of collecting currencies from around the world.
It's written like this.
As expected, you never know what will happen to other people.
Even if you can hide your appearance to some extent, you can't completely hide the fact that you are a Northerner.
I thought about it for a moment. But still, do I need to prepare a place to stay and food first?
I, who had hoped there would be an inn here, thought of something more important.
"And water too."
Yeah, okay.
Then rush towards the water and food! Not even a minute after shouting that, I was backed into the corner again.
Since I was hit the moment I went out onto the street, some people looked at me strangely.
Whether or not, I suddenly became confused and stuttered.
No, that's right.
No, this is not it.
No, that's right!!
"Why on earth is that guy over there?!"
I covered my mouth in surprise when I heard a sound without realizing it, then glanced at a place in the distance while brushing away my thumping chest.
Shit!
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