Struggling as a Villain

Chapter 123: Chapter 122- Prison

This realm was situated somewhere between hell and heaven, and the people working for this facility weren't normal humans. Just like the Headmaster.

Richard had a very faint knowledge of this place given there wasn't much mention of the Endless Hold in the book. It was said that this place established the deities to keep the criminals who have committed grave sins alive long enough to realise their mistakes, and once they did, it was said that their souls gained enlightenment.

Well, Richard was not going there to find this enlightenment.

"Although I don't need to tell you this, don't trust a single person inside there. All of them are just trying to find a way to escape and you can very well be a reason for their protest if you tell them about your situation."

Richard nodded casually as he remained blind under the sac mask, currently draped over his face. Only Marcus knew how to get there, and naturally, he couldn't have let Richard know about it too.

After a few minutes of walking, Richard was told, "Stay right here."

Richard did with his eyes closed.

The Headmaster released the hold from him and went ahead to do something.

Silently, he remained standing for another minute before his mask was removed, and Richard was allowed to gaze at the scene in front of him.

'Holy....'

Just a few meters ahead of him stood the tall building of the jail from where not a single prisoner had ever escaped.

Its walls were rough, dark stone, cracked and old, yet they held a strange power. A cold mist clung to the ground around it, making the air feel heavy and thick. The sky above wasn't like any normal sky, shifting between darkness and dull light, never fully night or day.

There were no windows, just towering, jagged walls that stretched upwards into the mist. A single, massive door stood at the front, carved with symbols that seemed to change when you weren't looking. The ground around the jail seemed untouched by time, empty and silent as if the world itself was avoiding the place.

Truly ominous.

'If the building could look so intimidating, I wonder how threatening the people inside could be.'

A single droplet of sweat trickled down his temple as Richard growled.

"Stand in front for inspection."

Marcus shook Richard out of his daze before signalling him to follow the words of the gatekeeper.

Richard was uncuffed and soon he stood before a long metallic plate which raised to ten feet.

"Stretch your arms up." The man, wearing a blue and black uniform, indifferently stated, and Richard followed.

"Lean your back and cough." The jailor said and Richard did.

Then he was told to turn around and after confirming that he was not carrying anything in his body except for his ragged clothes, he was told,

"Name: Collen. Prisoner number: 132-1-F. Crime: Attempted murder of the Emperor."

Richard raised his brows and glanced at Marcus, who expertly ignored his gaze.

Richard didn't say anything and soon was cuffed again, but this time with something else.

"Since when did the magic blocker become necessary in Endless Hold?" Hearing those words from Marcus, Richard's eyes widened.

Magic Blocker?! Doesn't that mean he wouldn't be able to utilise his spells at all?

The gatekeeper casually stated, "It's not a typical blocker, but just restricts one's ether output. And after reaching the second floor it gets removed." Heaving a sigh, the man added, "You see, prisoners tend to make a lot of fuss during their initial phase, so this decision was made by the Sentinels."

Marcus was shocked, "Sentinels made time for such a trivial thing? I am surprised."

The gatekeeper shrugged, "It is what it is."

Soon another officer arrived near the trio to take Richard.

Marcus gave a last glance to Richard which oozed with the meaning of 'Best of luck' before Richard was forced towards the tall building.

He was led there on foot. It didn't take much time to reach the main building.

The guard or whatever he was, pressed his hand against the runic door before chanting something inaudible under his breath.

The doors parted, and Richard witnessed what the top-tier jail of this world looked like.

The inside of the jail was even more unsettling than its exterior. The walls, though made of stone, seemed to pulse faintly, like a living thing. Narrow corridors stretched out in all directions, twisting and turning in ways that defied logic, making it nearly impossible to keep track of where one had come from.

The air was thick and heavy with a sense of dread, and it smelled of dampness and cold metal as if the place had been forgotten for centuries.

Richard was urged to walk forward as he passed by many cells which were occupied. None of them paid mind to Richard'd inclusion as they were busy either chatting, playing or sleeping. Some of them were even engaged in sex without minding if they were seen.

'How do they control birth here?'

Richard came across three cells where people were getting killed, and the officer did not do a thing to stop them.

Everyone was free to do whatever they wanted and that's what Richard desired.

After walking for ten long minutes, Richard was told to stand in front of one of the cells.

His retina was scanned by a device which didn't look like it should belong to this world.

The cell door parted and he was pushed inside.

Once the officer walked away, Richard looked around the room

It was cold and damp here, but not dirty. There was a pot in the corner, a sink, and bunker beds.

"Hmm?" Now that he looked closely he found someone sitting on the upper bed while looking down at Richard curiously.

It was a young man with bush-like brown hair and brown eyes. The strange part was that Richard didn't notice the guy until he saw him.

"New here or was demoted?" The boy asked, his voice sounding a little too thin for a male.

Richard sat down and casually stated, "New here. You?"

"Just three months." The guy jumped from the bed and sat down on the ground across Richard. With his legs folded he asked, "What did you get caught for?"

"Attempted murder of the Royal Majesty."

The other one scoffed, "At least I was able to finish the task."

Richard raised his brows, "You killed a noble?"

"Yuuuup~the king no less. I was hailed as a hero but not every hero lives a happy life after exterminating the evil." Wearily, he spoke as he lay down on the cold floor without bothering about the fact that his head was nearly touching the pot base.

"So, you got a name?"

"Ah, yes, it's Collen. And you?"

"Brad."

The conversation came to a pause after that. Richard looked at his bed and checked if there was something under the pillow or the sheet which Brad might be using as a weapon. But he can't find anything.

"It's fruitless to make a weapon out of the things they give. Their technology just remoulds everything back to its original shape and scratching this wall with a spoon is foolish."

Richard was surprised to hear such a piece of news. Exactly who is making such advanced artefacts in this world? Another transmigrator? But this jail probably existed before the existence of Earth, and the technology used here has always been like this. Probably.

After lying down on the bed, Richard tried gaining some information, "How do they serve food?"

"Around nine in the evening and eight in the morning. All the prisoners gather in the great hall to have the meals. If you want a lunch, you have to earn it."

Richard asked almost immediately, "Earn it?"

Brad nodded with his eyes still closed as he said, "If you work for the jail, like cleaning, skinning, extraction, they give some token which can be used in exchange for extra food. And yes, you can snatch them from someone else so don't try earning them for a few months. First try getting into one of the factions."

Richard narrowed his eyes. He was contemplating the way to kill as many prisoners as he could. If these tokens are the way to attract their attention, then Richard just has to gain as many tokens as he can.

Getting up from the bunker bed, Richard asked, "Where can I get these jobs? Like do I start cleaning randomly and the tokens would pop up?"

Brad was surprised to hear such a response as he also got up from the floor and tried convincing Richard, "See lad, you look like a good person, so here is some advice: don't invite danger when you don't even know what danger you might have to face out there."

Richard shrugged, "I respect the sentiment, but I need extra food, so tell me where can I find work?"

Brad looked at the guy in disbelief. Just for a little extra food, this person was comfortable risking his life?

Insane.

Heaving a sigh, the brown-haired told him, "Wait for the dinner, I will bring you there."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.