There wasn't even a station attendant in the old and shabby station.
Odette noticed a bright red warning sign posted at the station exit.
[※Fenrir Clan's use of public roads is prohibited]
The text said that the Fenrir clan could not use the roads, and could only walk in the sewers next to the roads.
'Count, you damn bastard. Why do you torment the kids like this?'
Since disasters occur so frequently, it was an area where no one among the Empire's citizens lived anyway. The symbolism of not allowing the use of regular roads was annoying.
Odette tore down the warning sign with a cold expression.
'I'm sure my name was mentioned while doing something like this.'
Again, again, again. As she stepped out of the station, Odette saw a desolate wasteland. The barren land, ravaged by frequent disasters, was filled with ruined houses.
After walking along the main road for a while, she finally came across a detention center.
From the outside, the prison appears to be surrounded by fortified walls.
The way the wall was surrounded by iron bars once more seemed intended to prevent escape from inside.
A structure that prevented the people inside from even looking outside. It was like a birdcage made of walls.
Odette headed toward the prison's only entrance: a massive gate made of pitch-black magic stone.
This door was a device that prevented anyone other than authorized persons from entering or leaving the cell.
A hellish environment that seems determined to kill and keep the people trapped inside from ever getting out.
Odette sighed and stood in front of the pitch-black main gate, raising her palm. Then as if recognizing her as the owner, a magic circle of septagrams rose up under her feet, glowing white.
'As expected, the owner of this magic stone is set to be me. It's the same as my last life.'
The court of the previous life. The moment when the fragment of the door, which they had just met, recognized Odette as its master, how absurd and ridiculous it was.
Odette smiled bitterly.
'At least my father's constant nagging to turn me into a villain helps me out a lot in times like this.'
As the white light faded, the heavy front door clanked open and gave way.
But once inside, Odette had no choice but to stop walking.
It was because a boy with shackles on both ankles was looking up at her with big eyes.
'Luca.'
It was the child we saw in Karl's flashback scene in <Redemption>. Even in that flashback, the child was already dead.
“Who are you, sister...?”
Heavy chains connected to round iron balls the size of shells. The chains were engraved with the same magic circle as the one drawn on the main gate.
'A device designed to explode a child's body on the spot as soon as he passes through the front door without permission.'
He was a child who looked to be no more than 11 years old. His round eyes gave him the impression of a puppy.
“Luca.”
Odette called the name. The child flinched, averted his eyes, and knelt on the floor.
“I apologize for daring to look upon the people of the Empire. I apologize for trying to spread the disease.”
Luca nodded his head, trembling with joy.
'Oh my God.'
It was a desolate place with no crops or people, so the Count's servants would have supplied food supplies from time to time.
I guess I know how those bastards treated Luca here.
'...Those little pieces of trash.'
That magic stone gate only recognizes and allows passage to those who possess the owner's blood or those who have the owner's blood.
Odette felt her blood boil as she thought that all they had done was torment this child.
She approached slowly so as not to startle Luca. Then she carefully bent down to examine the child closely.
'Your ankle is a mess.'
Then she saw the child's ankles, scraped by the chains and covered in wounds from the sin. Odette placed her hands on the chains, being careful not to touch Luca's ankles.
Then, the septagram pattern drawn on the chains glowed white and came off smoothly.
“Hey, this can’t be solved. Odette will scold me later.”
Luca, who had become lost in thought, hurriedly tried to re-tie the loosened shackles.
'You even use my name when you harass him, you damn bastards. I'm going to beat you up next time I see you.'
Luca had never even met Odette. How much brainwashing must a child have to do to say something like that?
“Don’t worry. That can’t be happening, Luca.”
“No, I don’t know how much Lady Odette hates me... But, how did you know my name?”
The child looked upset as he tried to put the chains back on but it didn't go as planned.
“I am Odette, Luca. And I never hated you.”
As Odette spoke, she applied the emergency herb she had brought from the mansion to Luca's ankle. Luca's round eyes widened even further.
While Odette carefully applied the ointment, afraid that her fingers might touch the wound, Luca looked up at her with a helpless expression.
His cheeks were flushed as if he was unfamiliar with human contact. The innocent child's eyes were filled with confusion.
The inside of the prison was even more desolate than it looked from the outside.
The well water was dirty, and the food that had been distributed yesterday was all rotten or spoiled.
To drink clean water and cook spoiled food, firewood had to be found inside the shelter.
It means that in this wasteland where there is not even a single dry grass, the children have to move endlessly wearing those beggarly chains.
'This is really making me want to curse. You manage the distribution like a piece of shit, but how faithfully do you bully the kids?'
Anyway, fucking dad.
Every time that happened, Luca, who had been staring at Odette, suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
The place Luca pointed to was a poorly built shack that wasn't even a cabin.
“This is our home, sis.”
Luca, who had briefly built a wall after finding out that she was Odette, seemed to have become closer to her as she supported him.
“Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course. This prison cell belongs to Sister Odette. We are alive thanks to your grace.”
'I explained to you all the way here that it wasn't like that... It seems like it's impossible to get rid of the brainwashing all at once.'
Odette smiled bitterly and patted Luca's head.
Creak!
Odette noticed a bright red warning sign posted at the station exit.
[※Fenrir Clan's use of public roads is prohibited]
The text said that the Fenrir clan could not use the roads, and could only walk in the sewers next to the roads.
'Count, you damn bastard. Why do you torment the kids like this?'
Since disasters occur so frequently, it was an area where no one among the Empire's citizens lived anyway. The symbolism of not allowing the use of regular roads was annoying.
Odette tore down the warning sign with a cold expression.
'I'm sure my name was mentioned while doing something like this.'
Again, again, again. As she stepped out of the station, Odette saw a desolate wasteland. The barren land, ravaged by frequent disasters, was filled with ruined houses.
After walking along the main road for a while, she finally came across a detention center.
From the outside, the prison appears to be surrounded by fortified walls.
The way the wall was surrounded by iron bars once more seemed intended to prevent escape from inside.
A structure that prevented the people inside from even looking outside. It was like a birdcage made of walls.
Odette headed toward the prison's only entrance: a massive gate made of pitch-black magic stone.
This door was a device that prevented anyone other than authorized persons from entering or leaving the cell.
A hellish environment that seems determined to kill and keep the people trapped inside from ever getting out.
Odette sighed and stood in front of the pitch-black main gate, raising her palm. Then as if recognizing her as the owner, a magic circle of septagrams rose up under her feet, glowing white.
'As expected, the owner of this magic stone is set to be me. It's the same as my last life.'
The court of the previous life. The moment when the fragment of the door, which they had just met, recognized Odette as its master, how absurd and ridiculous it was.
Odette smiled bitterly.
'At least my father's constant nagging to turn me into a villain helps me out a lot in times like this.'
As the white light faded, the heavy front door clanked open and gave way.
But once inside, Odette had no choice but to stop walking.
It was because a boy with shackles on both ankles was looking up at her with big eyes.
'Luca.'
It was the child we saw in Karl's flashback scene in <Redemption>. Even in that flashback, the child was already dead.
“Who are you, sister...?”
Heavy chains connected to round iron balls the size of shells. The chains were engraved with the same magic circle as the one drawn on the main gate.
'A device designed to explode a child's body on the spot as soon as he passes through the front door without permission.'
He was a child who looked to be no more than 11 years old. His round eyes gave him the impression of a puppy.
“Luca.”
Odette called the name. The child flinched, averted his eyes, and knelt on the floor.
“I apologize for daring to look upon the people of the Empire. I apologize for trying to spread the disease.”
Luca nodded his head, trembling with joy.
'Oh my God.'
It was a desolate place with no crops or people, so the Count's servants would have supplied food supplies from time to time.
I guess I know how those bastards treated Luca here.
'...Those little pieces of trash.'
That magic stone gate only recognizes and allows passage to those who possess the owner's blood or those who have the owner's blood.
Odette felt her blood boil as she thought that all they had done was torment this child.
She approached slowly so as not to startle Luca. Then she carefully bent down to examine the child closely.
'Your ankle is a mess.'
Then she saw the child's ankles, scraped by the chains and covered in wounds from the sin. Odette placed her hands on the chains, being careful not to touch Luca's ankles.
Then, the septagram pattern drawn on the chains glowed white and came off smoothly.
“Hey, this can’t be solved. Odette will scold me later.”
Luca, who had become lost in thought, hurriedly tried to re-tie the loosened shackles.
'You even use my name when you harass him, you damn bastards. I'm going to beat you up next time I see you.'
Luca had never even met Odette. How much brainwashing must a child have to do to say something like that?
“Don’t worry. That can’t be happening, Luca.”
“No, I don’t know how much Lady Odette hates me... But, how did you know my name?”
The child looked upset as he tried to put the chains back on but it didn't go as planned.
“I am Odette, Luca. And I never hated you.”
As Odette spoke, she applied the emergency herb she had brought from the mansion to Luca's ankle. Luca's round eyes widened even further.
While Odette carefully applied the ointment, afraid that her fingers might touch the wound, Luca looked up at her with a helpless expression.
His cheeks were flushed as if he was unfamiliar with human contact. The innocent child's eyes were filled with confusion.
***
The inside of the prison was even more desolate than it looked from the outside.
The well water was dirty, and the food that had been distributed yesterday was all rotten or spoiled.
To drink clean water and cook spoiled food, firewood had to be found inside the shelter.
It means that in this wasteland where there is not even a single dry grass, the children have to move endlessly wearing those beggarly chains.
'This is really making me want to curse. You manage the distribution like a piece of shit, but how faithfully do you bully the kids?'
Anyway, fucking dad.
Every time that happened, Luca, who had been staring at Odette, suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
The place Luca pointed to was a poorly built shack that wasn't even a cabin.
“This is our home, sis.”
Luca, who had briefly built a wall after finding out that she was Odette, seemed to have become closer to her as she supported him.
“Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course. This prison cell belongs to Sister Odette. We are alive thanks to your grace.”
'I explained to you all the way here that it wasn't like that... It seems like it's impossible to get rid of the brainwashing all at once.'
Odette smiled bitterly and patted Luca's head.
Creak!
As Luca pulled the door, a nasty creaking sound was heard and the dry ground kicked up a dust storm.
“Cluck, cluck!”
As if this door was familiar, Luca called Lara's name without paying any attention.
“Lara! Are you inside?”
Clank, clank, clank.
“Cluck, cluck!”
As if this door was familiar, Luca called Lara's name without paying any attention.
“Lara! Are you inside?”
Clank, clank, clank.
The sound of chains clashing was heard as the little girl came to the front door.
“Brother Luca!”
At the end of the noise, a little girl came rushing out into the hallway.
“Huh? Who is this lady?”
'That kid... is Lala.'
A cute kid with short hair and one missing front tooth, like a rabbit, was looking at Odette with her mouth wide open.
A girl who is too small and skinny to be wearing heavy chains.
Odette knelt down, looked Lara in the eye, and greeted her.
“Hello, Lara? My name is Odette.”
In the kindest voice, she can muster.
Then Lara's face brightened as soon as she heard Odette's name.
“Wow! Great Odette! It’s an honor to meet you!”
"What?"
“Thank you for letting Lara, the dirty Fenrir, live here!”
"...!"
The sight of her kneeling down and bowing her head was filled with blind respect. Odette felt like she had been hit in the head.
'How can a child say hello like that?'
How much brainwashing and torment do you have to do to a child before they truly degrade themselves?
'I underestimated the level of abuse in the detention center. I didn't know it would get to this extent.'
Her younger self appeared overlapping with Lara's sparkling eyes as she looked at her.
The eyes of young Odette, who had been abused for a long time and considered herself a terrible being, looked up at the Count who had taken her in with sparkling eyes.
While Odette was frozen in shock, the door to the shack opened with a creaking sound.
“Brother Luca!”
At the end of the noise, a little girl came rushing out into the hallway.
“Huh? Who is this lady?”
'That kid... is Lala.'
A cute kid with short hair and one missing front tooth, like a rabbit, was looking at Odette with her mouth wide open.
A girl who is too small and skinny to be wearing heavy chains.
Odette knelt down, looked Lara in the eye, and greeted her.
“Hello, Lara? My name is Odette.”
In the kindest voice, she can muster.
Then Lara's face brightened as soon as she heard Odette's name.
“Wow! Great Odette! It’s an honor to meet you!”
"What?"
“Thank you for letting Lara, the dirty Fenrir, live here!”
"...!"
The sight of her kneeling down and bowing her head was filled with blind respect. Odette felt like she had been hit in the head.
'How can a child say hello like that?'
How much brainwashing and torment do you have to do to a child before they truly degrade themselves?
'I underestimated the level of abuse in the detention center. I didn't know it would get to this extent.'
Her younger self appeared overlapping with Lara's sparkling eyes as she looked at her.
The eyes of young Odette, who had been abused for a long time and considered herself a terrible being, looked up at the Count who had taken her in with sparkling eyes.
While Odette was frozen in shock, the door to the shack opened with a creaking sound.
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