Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 78
“Johann, Enrique. If you happen to run into No. 8 in the tournament, just make sure she’s crippled.”
“Got it.”
I had prepared an appropriate briefing, as I had done with Clara, but they agreed without asking any questions.
I’d forgotten that these two didn’t need any reasons.
“You’re not planning to use your abilities in the tournament, right?”
Enrique, lying next to Johann and tapping Furball’s tail, asked.
I’d already told him about my awakening.
While I couldn’t hide my awakening forever, I could still conceal the extent of my abilities.
Ability measurement could only be done at the central research tower or the Divine Investigation Division in the capital.
Since they had already measured me before I entered the prison, there’d be no reason to take me back for a re-measurement.
“Newcomer…”
I thought of the prisoners from the 40th group, whose deaths no one cared about, and closed my eyes.
“Meeeow…”
I felt the soft fur of Furball brushing against my fingertips, as if it was expressing gratitude.
Current karma: 59% – physical deterioration state
So, “saving necessary evil” means that reducing someone’s guilt or judging them through my ability decreases my karma score.
This really sucks.
***
That night, Furball’s injured leg was treated after Johann forcibly woke up the sleeping Prisoner No. 5, who had just boarded the train to dreamland, and made him heal the cat.
I had thought that Grandis was somehow involved with No. 25 and had revealed the cat’s existence to endanger me.
But after interrogating No. 25, I found out they were completely unrelated.
How Grandis knew to tell me to check on the cat remains unclear. There’s no way Grandis would help me.
“Hmm? Looks exactly like Tochi.”
The next morning, as Enrique was folding a blanket, he looked at Furball curiously and tilted his head.
I glanced at Furball, curled up and asleep at my side.
“Who’s Tochi?”
“The tabby cat Johann had when he was younger.”
Did Johann try so hard to save Furball because it reminded him of the cat he once had?
I smiled, recalling how Johann had vigorously rubbed the cat like he was washing laundry.
“Tochi, huh? That name is kind of outdated.”
“What’s this one’s name?”
“Furball.”
Enrique nodded as he neatly folded the blanket.
“A very sophisticated name.”
“Meeow.”
Seeing Furball awake and adorably wandering around made my heart ache.
This little one is my only happiness. Everyone should have a cat.
“Today’s the day of the winner’s tournament. Aren’t you nervous?”
Enrique asked as he gently stroked the small cat’s cheek with his finger.
“Yeah, I’m so nervous I’m shaking.”
I grinned as I continued folding the blanket.
My body may have gotten even weaker, and I still had to hide my ability, but I had a plan.
“Be sure not to get caught. There will be a lot of eyes on you. Some prisoners end up being taken away, and it’s usually not to good places.”
I nodded in understanding.
Before setting out, I requested a discreet meeting with Guard Damian.
“My ex-fiancé, I have a proposal for you.”
“This sounds like a losing deal for me.”
His face was curt but he was nodding for me to continue.
“Have you interrogated No. 8, Grandis? About where the rest of the bloodline, including Marquis Farsene, has gone?”
“She says she doesn’t know.”
Then you should’ve tortured him until he spoke!
But I guess life in prison is pretty much torture anyway, so it doesn’t matter.
“I think I can find out.”
I traced my finger along the line of his shoulder, flashing him a smile.
At this point, it didn’t matter if those bastards ended up in this prison.
“Will you cooperate? You want me to serve my life sentence and die of natural causes, don’t you?”
Damian definitely knew something about me.
Why else would he provide me with special drugs and help me out here and there?
I handed him a piece of paper.
“You hold a pretty high position here in the prison. You could at least manipulate luck for me, right?”
He looked down silently at the tournament bracket on the paper, his expression unreadable.
Since I’m a dirty, scheming person by nature, I plan to give Grandis a proper dose of her own medicine using underhanded tactics.
