IMRELM 08

Chapter 8

“Prisoner No. 100.”

A short while later, it was finally my turn. The priest gestured for me to come forward, and I obediently walked toward the platform.

But just as I was about to climb the steps—

“Ah?!”

“Huh?!”

My body suddenly pitched forward, and I stumbled straight toward the platform.

“Karin!”

I heard my sister’s voice calling from far away. But before she could run over, I had already crashed into the platform.

Ugh… that hurts…!

I had only meant to fall lightly and drop the matchstick.

Instead, I took a spectacular tumble.

Still, before I could even worry about the pain, I quickly slipped the small matchstick lying on the floor into my sleeve.

“Are you all right?”

After hurriedly checking the platform, the priest turned to me. A nearby guard also approached after hearing the commotion.

I quickly got to my feet and dusted myself off.

“I-I’m fine! I’m sorry. I tripped.”

My knee hurt quite a bit, but if I admitted that, they’d drag me to the infirmary.

And if that happened, they might discover the match I’d hidden.

“It’s quite all right. Those steps can be rather high for a child.”

The priest smiled kindly.

While the guards set the platform upright again, the priest took my hand and finished the prayer.

When I returned to my seat, I gently rubbed my throbbing knee.

The pain grew worse by the minute, as if it was about to bruise, but…

Compared to the beatings the Count gave me…

This was nothing.

Anyway, I’ve gathered all the materials now.

Time to begin.

* * *

“My lord… are you still thinking about it?”

As the sun slowly began to set…

Sys, who had been finishing paperwork in the office, glanced toward the sofa across the room.

Rodrigo, lounging arrogantly with one leg crossed over the other, raised an eyebrow.

“Thinking about what?”

“The young lady’s proposal.”

Rodrigo let out a long sigh.

“What do you think?”

“I…”

Sys’s expression darkened.

“To be honest, I think her proposal is reasonable.”

“…”

“She clearly has a goal, yet we know absolutely nothing about her.”

Everything they knew came from forged documents.

“If we’re going to determine whether she’ll become a threat in the future, then we should bring her with us when we escape.”

It wasn’t because they pitied her.

Nor because they trusted her.

It was because they were suspicious.

They needed to find out what she was really after.

“It would be better to keep her where we can watch her instead of letting her out of our sight.”

“I suppose so.”

Rodrigo answered quietly, and Sys nodded.

“She is just a child, after all.”

A tiny, frail little thing.

Even if she picked a fight, she’d obviously lose immediately.

There was no way she could ever pose a threat to a dragon.

So she wasn’t really—

BOOOOOOM!!

“!”

“?!”

Both Sys and Rodrigo shot to their feet.

A deafening explosion tore straight through the wall of the warden’s office.

Sys instinctively looked out the window.

The instant Rodrigo sensed something, he immediately concealed himself.

Bang!

A guard burst through the door without even knocking.

“W-Warden! This is terrible!”

“…”

“T-The annex… exploded!”

* * *

One hour earlier…

The moment we returned to our room, Sister Veronica made me sit on the bed so she could examine my knee.

Looking at the bluish bruise, she frowned deeply.

“Should I just tear that place down?”

She muttered something absolutely terrifying.

But…

I’ll be the one blowing it up!

I slipped into the bathroom and pulled out the paper, the emerald, and a piece of black ore I’d prepared earlier.

Squatting on the floor, I spread the paper flat, placed the gem and ore on top, then rolled everything together.

I also tightly tied it shut with a strip of cloth torn from a blanket so it wouldn’t come undone.

Before the guards grew suspicious about how long I’d been inside, I hurried back out.

In my pocket was the homemade bomb I’d just finished.

This is all I need.

The manufacturing process was incredibly simple.

The jewel I had created…

And the black ore that had been deliberately scattered throughout the prison.

The black ore normally acted as a buffer that suppressed magical power.

But it had one fatal weakness.

It was extremely vulnerable to heat.

Once heated, it rapidly expanded.

When it reached its limit…

It exploded.

However, no one knew about this flaw yet.

The ore had only recently come into widespread use, so its dangerous property hadn’t been discovered.

This alone would work…

But if I’m going to blow something up, I might as well do it properly.

When heated, the ore swelled violently, releasing tremendous force.

And the gem I made contains mana.

So what happens when those forces collide?

Boom!

A powerful explosion.

A small amount is enough to make absolutely sure.

Dinner time will be soon.

The prison occupied the central building.

The dining hall was in the east wing.

The guards’ quarters and the warden’s office were in the west wing.

And the prayer hall stood in a separate annex behind the main building.

After dinner, both guards and prisoners usually passed by that annex.

Besides, except during scheduled prayers, the prayer hall stayed completely locked.

No one would be inside.

If I blew up one building…

They’d probably throw me into solitary confinement, right?

Normally, terrorists act in secret.

But I only had one goal.

If I’m going to do this…

I want everyone to see it.

“Come on, little one. Time for dinner.”

“I want everyone looking at me.”

“Sis.”

“Hm? What is it, sweetheart?”

“No holding hands today!”

“What?! Why not?!”

My sister practically screamed.

But this time, I wouldn’t budge.

“Only while we’re walking to dinner!”

Otherwise she’d end up in solitary with me.

And flying debris could hit her.

“Absolutely not!”

I have to protect my big sister!

.

.

.

And so…

“So… you’re the one who blew up a building.”

After an earth-shattering BOOM echoed through the prison…

The building caught in the blast was, naturally, completely destroyed.

Not merely damaged.

It had been blown into countless pieces.

Even most military explosives wouldn’t have been that destructive.

“And of all places… you chose the prayer hall.”

The only place in Izetail considered sacred.

It was a rehabilitation system personally established by the Emperor in cooperation with the Temple.

“Do you understand what you’ve done?”

“Yes!”

“You caused all this… and you’re awfully confident.”

“Yes!”

“…Sigh.”

What was he supposed to do with this little brat?

Sys had a splitting headache.

Of all places, she had attacked the prayer hall.

More importantly…

He still couldn’t understand how she’d even managed to make a bomb using materials found inside the prison.

Unsure where to begin, he decided to ask the question bothering him most.

“Why did you blow it up?”

“She seemed perfectly normal during prayers earlier.”

“Did you have a grudge against the priest? Were you angry at the system? Did a guard mistreat you?”

To be honest, he doubted any explanation would make sense.

Still…

He wanted to know what could possibly motivate a child to demolish an entire building.

“I thought this was the only way you’d believe me.”

“Believe what?”

“That I really, really hate the Imperial Family.”

“…?”

“You didn’t believe me before.”

“You didn’t believe that I hate them.”

Well…

That’s true.

Who would believe that a tiny little girl had attempted to assassinate the Emperor 388,112 times?

Karin nodded as though she completely understood.

“So I proved it.”

“I thought otherwise you wouldn’t believe me.”

“So… you destroyed a building just to earn our trust?”

“Yes!”