đźź Chapter 10:
Takeru's POV:
What do you expect from a place still stuck in the Middle Ages? Of course they'd have such backward ideas about justice. Their fear of the chaos counterfeit money could cause led them to pass a strict, unfair law—one that sends people to prison without trial, just to avoid the headache of dealing with such crimes properly. But that only made things worse. It turned into a loophole that was ridiculously easy to exploit. Every time a corrupt system tries to patch up chaos too quickly, it ends up creating a slower, deeper kind of chaos.
After Simon finished talking, we followed the guards to the officer's house. It wasn't far. When we arrived, the guard opened the door to look for the officer—only to find him standing right behind it, with a slightly bleeding nose. But there was something else.
Raynar, Zeek, and Rick were all there too.
Raynar looked at me with a face full of sorrow. Why? Didn't they escape using the path marked on Raynar's tattoo? Even though Ren and I covered for their escape by drawing the guards' attention to us, he had failed yet again.
Thinking about it now, that tattoo was twenty years old. Of course things would've changed since then. He should've gotten an updated version.
Wait—if we had taken the same path they did, we would've ended up here too! We dodged a huge mess.
Still, I can't help but feel sorry for him. Maybe the best thing for him now is to just live quietly, serve his sentence, and start a better life afterward.
As for the guards, they looked at Raynar with disappointment. They hadn't expected their beloved cook to try escaping again.
"This is unfortunate, Raynar. We valued you more than the other inmates… but you tried to escape once more, and once again, you failed."
Meanwhile, the officer looked at us suspiciously. Things had clearly gotten messy for him.
The man beside him—probably his deputy—spoke up:
"What's going on here, guard? Why so many prisoners and guards? And who are those two tied up?"
The guard stepped forward and explained everything to the officer and his deputy, handing them all the documents.
Raynar, Rick, and Zeek were taken back to their cells.
Simon received a small compensation as an apology for his wrongful imprisonment and was allowed to leave.
As for Ren and me, we were told to spend the night at the officer's house so we could speak with him in the morning, after which we'd be released.
When morning came, they brought us to the officer's office. He sat behind his desk while we sat on the couch. Then he introduced himself:
"First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rinvald Crain Arstan. You may call me Gomez for short."
What nonsense is that? Not a single letter from "Gomez" is in that long name. How is that a short version? The officer then began to explain what they had concluded from the case.
"We went over everything last night. Grot and Boral will soon face trial for their involvement in the counterfeit scheme. The good thing in all of this is that Simon was the first prisoner they attempted to sell to the nobles, so there are no other victims. They exploited the city's strict counterfeit law, but that law will now undergo major reform.
Boral had been working at the city's reception center, also taking night shifts as a guard. He kept all the forged documents in his private desk. Someone else will be appointed in his place.
As for the other exploited prisoners—they'll be released as well.
Now, that resolves that matter. As for the two of you—you did help expose this mess, but in the process, you sedated our guards, caused damage to both the prison and the reception office, and nearly enabled the escape of actual criminals. So no, you won't be receiving any compensation. However, because I'm such a generous man, I've decided to assign you both to work on the construction of the city's new bank. We're short on labor, so this arrangement works out nicely. Once the bank is completed, you'll be free to go about your lives."
"What?! That's not fair! We didn't have a choice—can't we at least get a few coins?"
"Your payment will be the wages you earn from working on the bank. Now go outside and breathe some fresh air."
Damn it. Nothing ever ends smoothly in this city.
Still, maybe this isn't so bad. It might even help me improve my skills a little.
I'm still nothing compared to Ren. Speaking of him, he seemed calm. He looked at me and said:
"Takero-dono, I think there's someone we should see one last time before leaving this prison."
He said it with a look of gratitude in his eyes. Clear as day—he wanted to see Raynar. If not for him, we wouldn't have made it out.
We requested a final visit to Raynar. When we reached his cell, disappointment was written all over his face—yet another failed escape.
He had hoped to become the first in his family to successfully break out. I wonder what will happen to him now… maybe he won't be the guards' cook anymore.
I felt a little guilty, but back then, I had no choice.
When he saw us, he greeted us with a bittersweet smile.
"I heard the news. Congratulations on getting out of here."
Ren looked at him gratefully and said:
"Thank you, man. I owe you. Without you, we wouldn't have survived."
Raynar smiled again.
"Don't mention it. Honestly, it was your strength and Takeru's mind that made the difference. You two make a great team.
As for me, I actually enjoyed this escape attempt. It was the best I've ever done—even if it didn't succeed."
That last part made Ren's face fall a little.
I guess I should say something too.
"Still, that doesn't change the fact that you helped us, Raynar. I really appreciate it.
By the way… are you thinking of trying again?"
Raynar looked down and said:
"Honestly, I think I'm done. Escaping from prison runs in my blood—my father, my grandfather… but it always ended in failure. Maybe escaping wasn't the right path after all. I'm over forty now, and to be honest, I just want a peaceful life. I'll serve my sentence, get out, and live a life that's actually worth something."
So that's how it is. He really has changed.
This experience left its mark on him.
And honestly, that's a good thing. He finally chose peace.
"So, you're ready to try life above ground this time?"
"Exactly. Above ground—not in those filthy tunnels.
Takeru, Ren—it was great meeting you both. Let's meet again someday."
"Of course! Who knows, maybe we'll find you working as a professional chef."
"Hahaha, you might be right."
And just like that, our meeting with Raynar came to an end.
So did our time in this prison.
Now, a new chapter begins in this crazy world.