NOVEL NEXT chapter 8
8. Isn’t this the most crucial part of the plan?
Despite my troubled expression, the man asks,
“So, will you join us?”
I consider my current situation as he poses the question.
—
Isn’t it better to take action here rather than spend time not knowing what will happen in prison? I ponder this, but then I remember a woman.
“Sorry, let me think about it. I’ve been invited by others too.”
Upon hearing this, the man looks at me with a suspicious expression and asks,
“Who invited you?”
Unable to withstand the man’s intimidating presence, I hesitate for a moment.
I speak honestly.
“I don’t know her name, but she’s a girl with short pink hair and an unusually high energy.”
I share everything I know.
The man nods as if he understands.
“Ah, that’s my daughter.”
I’m taken aback by something I never expected.
His daughter?! This giant of a man’s?!
I’m still in shock, frozen in place.
“W-what? Your daughter?”
I ask, not fully grasping the situation.
The man begins to speak proudly.
“Yes, she’s my daughter. A daughter like an angel! Always cheerful and kind!”
I can’t help but wonder why such a girl would be in Cell 3…
I voice my question directly.
“Why are you all in prison?”
The man’s expression becomes a bit complicated as he starts to explain.
“We can’t use magic.”
Can’t use magic? But they should have magical power since they can enhance their bodies…?
“When we say magic, we mean the type that’s released externally.”
Released externally—things like conjuring fire or wind, manipulating the earth, or unleashing water all fall under this category.
How could that be a reason for imprisonment?
I can’t comprehend, so I fall silent.
The man continues to speak.
“You’re probably from the royal capital, right? There’s no way someone from the holy city would come here, so you don’t know much about the inner workings of the Empire, do you?”
I was surprised to be asked about my origins, yet
a curiosity about the inner workings began to stir within me.
“The Empire is now referred to as the Magic Empire, boasting the finest magical technology in the world. And those like us, who cannot use magic, are called ‘Magic-less’ and are discriminated against.”
Hearing this left me astonished. In the Kingdom, even those who couldn’t use magic were respected for honing their martial skills, so I couldn’t comprehend how a man with such physical prowess could be discriminated against in the Empire.
“When the Demon King’s army was around, the discrimination wasn’t as severe. But after the Demon King died and the Great Sage advanced magical technology, those who couldn’t use magic were persecuted and discriminated against.”
A sharp pain pierced my heart. I couldn’t forgive the fact that the peace Hal and the others fought for, under the banner of peace, had given rise to such a situation.
“We, the ‘Magic-less,’ have huddled together and lived in hardship, but when they tried to lay hands on my daughter, and she got hurt, those enraged spread the word throughout the country, saying, ‘The Magic-less are attacking!’ And then they began to openly harass us. We had reached our limit.”
The man spoke in a low voice, filled with quiet anger.
“So we rebelled, not as the Magic-less, but as the Resistance.”
The Resistance, in other words, a demonstration.
“Almost all those called Magic-less gathered in the Resistance, and we raised our banner against the country. However…”
The man looked down, his words trickling out slowly.
“We couldn’t stand against the Imperial Army led by the Great Sage, and we were all imprisoned in this jail.”
Listening to his story, I felt an unreasonable anger rise within me. How could such tyranny be allowed? I looked into the man’s eyes.
He met my gaze.
“Let’s become comrades.”
I conveyed this to him.
The man seemed to forget his earlier troubled demeanor and smiled, then asked as if he had just remembered,
“By the way, I hadn’t asked your name yet. I’m Gora.”
He reached out for a handshake while inquiring about my name.
I responded while shaking his hand.
“I’m Elg.”
Hearing my name, the man expressed his joy.
“I see, Elg! By the way, the escape will be carried out after lunch tomorrow! I’m counting on you!”
I froze in shock.
The escape is happening tomorrow!?