Episode 381
The work at the labor camp started at 6 o'clock in the morning, when the world hadn't fully awakened and seemed hazy.
By the time I finished washing and getting dressed, the sun was rising, burning the desert, so it could be said that real work started at 7 o'clock. I filled my stomach with tasteless food and headed to the designated site.
Today's assignment was road clearing. Of course, clearing a road in a region covered in sand was anything but easy. The ground sank beneath every step, as it would in a swamp, dragging down our legs, and the bricks were heavy enough to make anyone curse under their breath. Worst of all was the oppressive heat, which made every breath feel laborious. A normal person would get dehydrated after standing in the heat for a mere ten minutes. In short, it was the perfect environment for training.
"What the hell is this?"
"It looks like he is set on laying the whole road by himself."
"Can lizardmen withstand heat?"
It wasn't intentional, but as I kept shoveling sand and laying bricks, I heard the sounds of people clicking their tongues around me. It was no wonder, as I was doing the work of ten prisoners by myself.
Even the guard managing the laborers approached me and told me, "Aish. Don't overdo it."
I nodded before moving in a half-trance.
As expected, one really had to move one's body. The body and mind were closely connected, I thought as I worked.
I had spent a sleepless night full of thoughts, so I felt frustrated. Now, as I was doing manual labor under the scorching sun, I felt my mind clearing up. My worries hadn't been dealt with, but with every hot breath I exhaled, I felt the lump in my heart getting smaller.
There was a reason they said that when one's head felt stuffy, the best thing one could do was get up and run.
Was it because work started quickly, or because I was doing a lot of it alone? At 11 o'clock, I finished my morning work relatively early. Of course, work was set to continue into the afternoon, so we ate there. Once again, the meal was canned food.
People live for the joy of eating. I started to feel that I needed to do something about it. Eating food solely for the sake of filling my stomach offended my own aesthetics. The canned food, which was nearing its expiration date, was likely a byproduct of the wars unfolding across various parts of the south.
A big city like Airuga was safe, but war was still going on in the southern outskirts, as the south was the most barren and barbaric land in the empire. Despite all of that, the region was not sparsely populated.
This meant people were forced to fight over limited resources. Thus, the empire chose to turn a blind eye to the southern wars. The war could be stopped, but what would happen next? In the end, nothing would be solved if the fundamental resource shortage wasn't fixed.
In any case, the labor camp had probably bought the canned food I was eating now at a discount.
The canned food, nearing its expiration date, tasted bland. In truth, the word bland could hardly describe it. It had no real flavor at all because most of its nutrients had broken down during its long storage.
I can't believe they are serving these things and calling them a meal.
I was thinking about what to eat when Leone approached me again. Of course, it was with Michael's identity.
I watched blankly as he came over with a bucket of water tied to a string.
She grinned and said, "Don't look at me with such a cold expression."
"Do you have anything else to say to me?" I asked.
"Of course. Stubborn people like you need to be persuaded whenever it's possible." It seemed that Leone wanted to force me to be a priest somehow. "Wouldn't this be the most beneficial direction for you? If a demon king from another faction was summoned, it would at least mean the destruction of Airuga."
"Are you saying the Colorless Demon King isn't like that?" I argued. "In terms of the scale of the massacre, he isn't inferior."
I sighed. Senior Brother He Lou's personality aside, he was still the one who had ultimately destroyed the kingdom of Setitus. There were naturally reasons behind it, but when the destruction reached the scale of a massacre, did those reasons truly make any difference?
"Of course. The time of judgment hasn't come, so his blade won't be directed at mortals for the time being," Leone said.
The Colorless believers sometimes called the demon king Judge. Most believers called such transcendent, malevolent beings gods of disaster. The empire's insistence on using the title of demon king was a way of lowering their status, even if it was just a little bit.
Judge? What is he judging? I concealed my doubts and said, "If your words are true, I have no reason not to help."
"Oh."
"There is a problem, though," I said.
"What is it?"
"I heard that the descent ritual requires extremely specialized knowledge and experience. As you know, I don't have either," I noted.
Leone chuckled. "I am here, so what are you worried about? Don't worry, I'll be by your side."
I looked at her face and lowered my voice. "I will be honest. I don't trust you. Of course, you are right. In order to minimize damage, it would be wisest to listen to you, but I can't get rid of the feeling that you are still hiding a lot from me."
Leone said with a wry smile, "In short, you don't trust me yet."
"That's right."
"Well, I thought this would be the case. Originally, I planned to act as Michael, strengthen our mutual trust, and then reveal my true identity," she revealed. "Okay. Now that you've expressed your honest feelings, I should also be more honest with you. It is as you said. I can't tell you everything. To be honest, it would be a lie to say that I am not hiding any other schemes. But..."
Leone looked at me. She still looked like Michael, but I felt that her eyes were glowing red for a moment.
"I swear. I am your ally in this labor camp. Our interests are perfectly aligned," she claimed.
This was not easy to believe. If I took everything someone said at face value just because they sounded serious, I would be a fool. At least, that was what I believed. Still, human relationships meant I couldn't show this openly.
If someone talked like this, I should at least pretend to believe them a little bit, right? Or would it be better to push her further and get some type of confirmation?
I was hesitating for many reasons when Leone remarked, as if in passing, "In addition, depending on the outcome of this competition, our Colorless faction may become an independent force."
"Independent force?"
What did this mean?
I looked at her for an explanation and a smile appeared on Leone's face. "We could even turn our backs on the Dark Church."
My shoulders trembled at this bombshell remark. I looked at Leone in surprise and tried to open my mouth, only to close it again. Leone pretended to drink water with a smile on her face.
Soon after this, a guard came up to us. "Hey, lizardman."
"What is it?"
"Yesterday, you played a decisive role in defeating three centurion-class monsters."
"It wasn't just a decisive role." Leone chuckled in the form of Michael. "In fact, it seemed as if Brother Luzard defeated them alone."
"Um."
"What's going on?"
The guard hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Ailak is dead."
Who was Ailak? I pondered for a moment. I soon realized that he was the director of Block 107, to which I belonged.
Leone said with a puzzled expression, "The director is dead. No, how..."
"He went to Block 106 to request cooperation, but it seems that he encountered another monster. I confirmed that pieces of his corpse have been scattered across the desert," the guard explained.
I could picture him running off with the intention of looking after himself, but I had never thought those would be his final moments. I realized just how crazy this labor camp was.
"So why did you come to see me?" I asked.
"Ailak's death means that the position of the director is vacant. Based on yesterday's battle, you are expected to earn around 300 points. With those, you are in line to be the next directorโ"
At that moment, an urgent voice cut in. "W-wait! Wait a minute!"
I wondered who it was, but I saw that it was Jorette.
"What is it?" the guard asked.
"The report hasn't even been submitted yet. Isn't it a bit hasty to assume that he will secure 300 points?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Jorette grinned slyly. "There is still time until the settlement date. As the acting director, I will submit a report soon, so please wait until then."
He slipped something to the guard as he said this.
To my surprise, it was a silver coin.
The guard held the silver coin in his hand and asked, "And your name is?"
"Hehe. Jorette."
The guard chuckled. "Yes. Jorette."
Then, he swung his hand and slapped Jorette across the cheek. The strike landed with a sharp crack, and one of Jorette's teeth was knocked out. The guard was solidly built, and the blow had come so suddenly and with such force that it had knocked the tooth loose.
"E-eh?"
"You damn criminal! How dare you insult me?" the guard demanded.
"W-waitโ"
"Shut up, you piece of trash!" The guard started to excitedly trample on the fallen Jorette. "Acting director? Why are you creating positions arbitrarily? Do you think I'm joking? Aren't you being ridiculous?"
"Ah, no, no, ugh!" Jorette winced in pain.
I watched, feeling dumbfounded. These guys had appeared out of nowhere. What kind of farce were they putting on?
A moment later, the guard spat on the fallen Jorette. Then, he looked at me and said, "You are Luzard, right?"
"That's right."
"From now on, you are the director of Block 107. Keep that in mind," the guard declared.
I nodded. "Um... Yes."
Then, the guard turned around and left. Just before he left, I saw him exchange a glance with Leone.
Jorette managed to see this from where he was lying on the ground and pointed at Leone with a trembling hand. "Gasp, ugh... I-it can't be...!"
Leone said with a smile, "Timing is important when it comes to bribes."
"A-as expected...! H-how much did you give him..."
Leone slowly grabbed Jorette's index finger and broke it, making a scream of pain echo everywhere. The guards had to have heard it, but they didn't get involved.
Leone whispered with a satisfied smile, "I don't know."
***
He had a broken arm and now a fractured finger, so Jorette ultimately returned to his accommodations without doing his afternoon work.
Jorette gritted his teeth. Bastards...
In the labor camp, neglecting assigned work was never taken lightly. Everyone knew what happened to those deemed useless. The situation was bad, worse than ever, and Jorette understood that better than anyone. That was exactly why he had no intention of backing down.
I didn't expect them to bribe the management...
๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐.๐ฌ๐ค๐ถ
Convincing a single administrator couldn't change the atmosphere that had already taken root throughout the labor camp. A member of the lesser races being the director? This was not a place where someone could rise in status simply through strength or a few accomplishments.
Jorette took a deep breath and quelled his agitation. It was painful to miss the afternoon work, but it wasn't bad. At the very least, he could now talk to the person who really held power in Block 107.
"Isn't this ridiculous? Elder Topepo!"
The reason the laborers of Block 107 could keep up performance-wise with other buildings despite being relatively lacking in skills and outnumbered was purely due to the existence of this dwarf craftsman. There were rumors that he was considered a quack outside, but that didn't matter in this labor camp. Just being able to repair, inspect, or even manufacture equipment made him a top worker in the Rahild Labor Camp.
"At this rate, Block 107 might end up belonging to the lesser races!" Jorette enthusiastically pointed out the crisis of Block 107.
Deep down, he was certain that Topepo would support him. It was an open secret that this dwarf didn't like the lesser races.
However, Topepo's attitude was strange. He just glanced at Jorette before starting his hammering again.
Why is his reaction so lukewarm? Jorette became impatient, but he kept waiting for the dwarf's work to be finished. Upon thinking about it, he realized he might be interfering with Topepo's work.
Eventually, Topepo finished his hammering. "So why were you looking for me?"
These were the words he had wanted to hear, so Jorette spoke quickly. "It's nothing. You just have to declare that you will no longer work if the lizardman becomes the new director."
If Topepo went on strike, Block 107's performance would quickly suffer, and the administrators would take notice. If one of them came asking why the block's results had declined so much recently, he would simply give them an indignant look and explain that this was what happened when a lizardman became director.
It is perfect. Every plan depended on the first step, and this time was no different. For this detailed plan to begin, Topepo's cooperation was indispensable.
Jorette looked at Topepo with anticipation.
"I don't want to."
"As expected... Huh?"
"I don't want to." Topepo looked displeased. "If this is all you have to say, leave my workshop immediately."
Then, he glanced at a corner of the workshop in a half-bewitched manner. "I... I have to welcome God."