Before the Villains’ Ending

4. Terrorists in Sinalore

The splendid description attached to himself, the most outstanding ability in the empire, was true. Assuming that the grand duke fought the crown prince with pure intelligence, it was correct to speculate that the rebellion would have succeeded both in name and reality.

The restraints were not a problem. Calix looked down at his hand and smiled lowly.

‘But using this ability makes the mastermind too clear.’

Will Mel be in trouble then? If they find out she was visiting him, they won’t leave her alone because of the prince’s personality.

“Oh, it’s time to work. I’m going. Work hard.”

The conversation between the guards interrupted his thoughts. Calix narrowed his eyes, and those who didn’t notice were still chattering as they pleased.

“Where did you work?”

“The old Station”

“Fuck it. I wish I could go there too and look around with a whip. I’m with these nobles here, and I’m just bored.”

“You’re a bastard. You should have applied for an advisor.”

‘Old Station’

Calix, who possesses this ability, was not mobilized for forced labor like other prisoners. He was an aristocrat, so he was excluded from labor anyway, but well.

This ability was a blessing possessed by only a very few within the empire. This was manifested only in those who inherited the blood of the imperial family or those who were chosen by some opportunity provided by magicians.

There were also various types, as there was no limit to the development of this ability once learned—of course, it is not easy, but the degree of punishment for the same crime was greatly different for the possessors of the ability. Torture in the name of reducing the amount of magical power was a representative example.

Therefore, Calix had very little opportunity to figure out the outside geography of the prison.

In addition, the Sinalore was solid enough to surround a fence every time the general manager changed. It was difficult for him to escape without using his powers.

“I’m tired to death.”

The murmuring voice was imbued with laziness.

Calix wanted a more modest method. Of course, by Margaret standards.

From what he saw, she didn’t like a lot of fuss. Besides, most of her nerves were on Florencia rather than on him or the Assassins of Alcatraz. Even if he went out, there was a possibility that he would be rejected by hearing bitter words according to the method.

‘There’s so much going on.’

It’s annoying. But he was quite happy plotting his escape. Calix decided to regard this situation as a form of entertainment.

The criteria he set were:

One, to finish in a short time.

Second, attention should not be focused on the point of contact with Margaret.

Third, avoid seeing blood as much as possible.

Calix grinned as he brooded over the latest conditions, unsure whether it would be possible. Even though he complained of the pain of wounds in the torture chamber, Margaret smiled lightly and handed over painkillers. Even ordinary people or other young ladies would have screamed if they saw it.

Since Margaret did not deny his evil deeds, he seemed to think that it was part of the punishment for his sins.

‘I can’t argue with that.’

Calix muttered to himself. Most of their conversations were like this.

‘You’ve been quiet.’

‘… Isn’t it strange that you make such an easygoing sound when you see my face?’

“I’m guilty.”

Margaret used to say that it would get better soon anyway. She acted as if she knew very well that he was strong. Therefore, she was not surprised by his unrealistic power.

Calix narrowed his brow. If he inevitably killed a person once again, he was not sure whether she would treat him as leniently as she did. He had no choice but to expect one more time that Margaret would not show any reaction to his supernatural powers and criminal behavior.

“Well, aside from this… What should I do?”

If you are aiming for a simple escape, even if you have only one spoon lock, a successful escape will be possible.

If you’re a prisoner working in the old station, you might be able to steal a tool. Prisoners working outside will know some geography.

Above all, the deviation of someone’s escape from such a boring prison can naturally gather many helpers, so perhaps there are quite a few precedents even if it is not him in the act of prison break itself.

However, it was easy for the mastermind to be caught that way, so Calix had to deny the assumptions he had made.

“… Ah!”

Or

The former Grand Duke suddenly smiled coldly at the plan he had come up with.

Once, he was a traitor, and his allies were strong enough to destroy parts of the imperial palace. In addition, he also had significant material resources that had not yet been confiscated.

For example, gunpowder.

‘Yeah, I don’t have to get out on my own.’

“It should have been like this sooner.”

Calix Hamel was a grand duke with supernatural powers of destruction, a traitor, and a felon charged with being a terrorist.

“As long as you don’t have physical evidence.”

A goal has been set. Calix looked down at the chains and twisted his mouth.

***

The most important thing to consider shifting the responsibility of escapees to the prison itself was the distraction of attention. Calix was the one who knew that fact more than anyone else.

The flashier it was, the easier it was to distract attention. So he preferred mayhem using gunpowder and bombs rather than fighting with swords as weapons. Nothing was different this time. It would be enough if the building collapsed and people who had nothing to do with it poured out. Eventually, finding the root cause would become more difficult.

Calix was able to affirm that it would take quite a bit of time to sort things out. To do this, you need to prepare more tools than you think. Of course, it would be the prisoner’s ability to save it, but well.

Procurement of tools and supplies was more remote in Sinalore than in other prisons. Since it is a prison that imprisons special criminals or heinous criminals, these standards are inevitably strict, but it is regrettable. Therefore, all that Calix could obtain without difficulty was anything that could be used in a dining room. (Sinalore’s food rations did not discriminate between ranks.) He clicked his tongue.

However, there was also a comforting point: the fact that Calix Hamel was a former grand duke and head of the rebellion.

Most of Sinalore’s prisoners were his men who were imprisoned for failing to rebel, and some of the guild members of Glaciers who participated in them were imprisoned together, so they got along well. They had to communicate with each other simply by nodding their heads or hand gestures because they were prohibited from talking to those involved in treason indoors.

Calix actively took advantage of the fact that his helper’s assistants were somewhat proficient in the process of learning the code.

Prisoners of different backgrounds quickly spread their codes and hand signals among the prisoners. In particular, the most used was a code based on dots and lines, which was quite useful because it could convey a message even with a simple act such as blinking an eye.

[Gold coins, jailbreak, cooperation.]

Calix knew that Margaret was bribing the guards. Along with where they hide the gold coins. He hinted at it and gathered allies.

After the location was known, the gold coins piled up were stolen in an instant, as if in a natural order. The parties involved, the guards who had been bribes, became nervous.

“They say bribery is a crime, so you’re no different from us.”

Calix laughed savagely, criticizing the jailer who served as Margaret’s guide.

“Clearer than a traitorous bastard.”

“So you don’t know where the money is?”

“…”

The jailer said nothing. In addition to himself as the guide, those who took the bribe included Florencia, the Grand Duke’s guard, and all of Alcatraz. There was no dispute that there were so many gold coins floating around in the prison.

“Those who surrender are excluded from labor. If the room is searched, they will be discovered anyway, so let’s not increase the sentence for nothing.”

Inside the prison, censorship was carried out with a series of intimidation. However, the number of gold coins found was very small compared to the existing amount.

Among the prisoners, they began investigating those who had a hard time living outside the prison as suspects. It was futile, but anyway.

Originally, the most expensive currency for life imprisonment was something that serves as food and stability, including cigarettes and sugar, rather than gold coins. Prisoners were enthusiastic about the things that the aristocratic Calix had, and to death row inmates or high-ranking nobles, cigarettes, alcohol, and food were paid to some extent as a preferential treatment before death. The order delivered to obtain compensation was also fully implemented.

“Thanks for your insensitivity. It’s also evil.”

Calix thought so. The answer to the question of why the guards hadn’t taken the valuable jewels and gold coins right to the bank was right in front of them. He estimated the rarity of the platinum coin in his hand.

The annual salary of a civil servant was stated in a rough estimate. Therefore, it was clear that it would have been too much to deal with a large amount of money immediately, which was suspicious for a knight from a lower rank to possess.

Margaret did not give such detailed consideration to those who had economic power at the level of the common people. Therefore, prison guards could not exchange currency or jewelry with a unique number, platinum coins, or checks that are difficult to counterfeit, along with their salary at a bank, or a public institution.

Well, it must have been hard for Kestiel Reload to rush out with these things in doubt about the bribery.

Calix murmured indifferently, saying, “It’s said to be too much, but it’s not the same.”

In any case, the prisoners divided and distributed the stolen gold coins and hid them little by little in their prison cells.

For example, tearing off the wallpaper or the floorboards and burying them in a hole under them.

Calix was satisfied with the creative power of his accomplice, who cut the head of the spoon and used it as an awl, and also satisfactorily applied the method of using a large size of work clothes worn at the workhouse and stealing things from there.

It doesn’t take as much time as expected before a group is formed and organized in prison. Calix leaned back leisurely, leaving them to wait for the next instruction. It’s torture, but I’m just used to it now.