Recordark (1)
That night, Elise had fully familiarized herself with the play ‘The Bard’. Of course, she had read it when she was 15, but she read it again.
The plot itself is simple. A famous Bard of the kingdom is invited to the palace by the king, where various events related to his past unfold, and in the end, it’s a typical romance with the princess (or prince).
It’s bland and dry. There’s no flavor to it.
No wonder it’s not the least popular among the Latinel’s 23 plays.
“This won’t do.”
Elise closed ‘The Bard’.
She opened ‘The Cunning King’, a tragedy considered the best among Latinel’s 23 plays.
She had to do this. She couldn’t make a deep impression with a flat play like ‘The Bard’.
She couldn’t let that ignorant fool—who somehow digests Latinel so well despite having no culture to speak of, a mystery of the world—ruin the play.
She couldn’t trust that underachiever who probably doesn’t read a book a month, whose thought process is broken…
“Sigh.”
But it was also true that she had no choice. His Latinel skills were objectively superior, even though she hated to admit it.
“Damn.”
How did it come to this?
If she had studied Latinel by reducing her sleep by an hour, no, 30 minutes, from the age of 8.
Would she have avoided this humiliation?
She pressed her temples and opened her smartphone messenger.
[Ballan: Elise, what are you doing~?]
[Tyric: You’re doing a play at the festival, right?]
[Silbin: I should go see the festival lol]
[Bel: Is it scheduled for April?]
There were still many men waiting for her response, but today there were quite a few women as well.
[Layla: T^T Elly, include me, include me, include me, include me T^T]
[Iliya: Elise, you’re doing the festival, right? Don’t you need people?]
It was because of the Magic High Festival. The rumor that she was doing a play had spread, and Professor Beatrice did not set a condition that ‘all actors must be Endex students’.
Because of this, she was frequently contacted by college students who were either into musicals or were actually majoring in theater and film. Since it’s an Endex festival, famous people from Endex would come, so they probably wanted to make an impression.
“……Enough.”
She didn’t need any of that now.
Swish swish swish swish-
Elise scrolled down her messenger and sent a message to the guy she had saved as [Trash].
[Change the play. The Bard won’t do.]
Elise hated this the most. Sending the first message to this worthless guy.
She had to endure it for the sake of Sermones Aeterni.
[I’ll say it again. Change the play. The Bard won’t do. I’m not even asking for The Cunning King. Do The Legs of Belarus.]
After all, she wouldn’t have to see him again after graduating from high school. If they ever met in the adult world, she could thoroughly crush him using adult methods.
She just had to endure until the festival.
Elise, you can endure this much, right?
[By the way, have you read all of Latinel’s 23 plays? You haven’t, have you?]
Ding-
A reply came.
[Trash: Ah, so noisy. I’ll be the one to revise the script. You just focus on practicing your acting. I’m the writer after all.]
“……This trash.”
Elise gritted her teeth.
[You’re thinking wrong. Your thoughts are flawed. No, your very existence is flawed-]
“Ha……”
Elise cooled her anger with a sigh. She tried hard to suppress her rage.
What was needed now was persuasion and coaxing. The more you push such a person, the more they will resist.
[You’re thinking wrong. Of course, your thoughts might be right. But it’s too risky.]
[The Bard ranked 23rd and 22nd out of the 23 Latinel lines. It’s the last place. Occasionally, it ranks just before the last when the condition is good. In all public opinion polls, votes.]
[On the other hand, The Cunning King has already been made into several musical operas, and even adapted into a movie. The ratings are very high. Do we really need to take such a risk?]
[I’ll attach a link. It’s a column by Professor Stellin of Edsilla University who evaluated the 23 Latinel lines. The Cunning King is ranked first, and The Bard is 23rd. Read it.]
Elise sent a message, suppressing her anger and adding words she didn’t mean to make it as gentle as possible.
Ding-
A reply came.
[Trash: Let’s take a risk. Good. I’m more convinced thanks to you.]
Elise squirmed in her seat. She drummed the chair with her back. She rolled her feet.
[Trash: The problem is that it’s already a known work. Why remake something famous? It’s not creative. It’s not challenging. Let’s go with The Bard. I’ll write it properly. You should take this opportunity to take a risk too.]
Unable to bear it, Elise moved her fingers at high speed.
[You’re thinking wrong. Your thoughts are flawed. No, your very existence is flawed.]
[Why you’re obsessed with it, I don’t know, but you just need to follow my words, okay?]
Ding-
[Trash: You’re worse at Latinel than me.]
“……”
Elise’s fingers stopped abruptly.
Ding-
[Fish Trash: I’m joking. Trust me. I’ll revise it better. No, at least look at it and decide. I’ll send it by Saturday. If it’s not good, you can rewrite it, right?]
She held back the curse that was about to spill from her mouth.
“……Alright, fine. Do as you please.”
Don’t worry about it.
If the script he claims to revise is not good, she can suppress it with authority and power.
No, she should start writing now because it’s obviously not going to be good.
Elise was about to pick up her pen when she paused. She looked at the clock on her smartphone.
[00 : 00]
It’s midnight.
It’s Wednesday, a day with an immediate problem.
“Recordark……”
She is going to that prison tomorrow.
Although she told Layla that her first choice was Magic Tower, her first choice was that place from the beginning.
“Damn……”
The person Elise despises and hates the most.
At present, Shion Ascal is hot on his heels, but he is still the undisputed number one, a real human trash criminal.
Tomorrow, she is going to meet him.
“……I’m already disgusted.”
Elise, who muttered under her breath, looked up at the night sky and was lost in dark thoughts.
The next morning.
I arrived at the job experience site.
Above the gate-like entrance, I could see the engraved [Recordark I].
Recordark is the name of the prison, and I signifies that it’s the first Recordark. There are a total of 13 Recordarks in Edsilla, and the higher the number, the harsher the environment.
“I’m here.”
Today, I’m in that Recordark.
It’s both a welcome and a shitty feeling.
However, Recordark I is a prison located in the capital of Edsilla, a place that is almost like a dream for the prisoners.
That doesn’t mean the quality of the prisoners is good. It’s just a little less compared to the higher-numbered Recordarks.
The person who probably I owe a favor in my previous life is still here.
He’s a life prisoner.
Ah, how do I know this so well?
I was a prisoner too.
“Do you come often?”
Someone called me out of my thoughts. It was Elise.
She ran the back of her hand through her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. The platinum locks fluttered unnecessarily.
“That’s right.”
“……Haven’t you given up on ‘The Bard’ yet?”
“Didn’t I tell you last night that I wouldn’t give up?”
Elise bit her lip. She exhaled a hot breath through the gap.
“Recordark. This place suits you well.”
“What?”
How did she know? It’s an unexpected correct answer.
“Could you stop giving me that rotten look? It ruins my mood from the morning. It’s like bugs crawling around. Well, you’re a stubborn piece who doesn’t even know what he’s doing, without a speck of culture……”
This crazy woman suddenly bursts into a rant. She must really dislike The Bard.
“If you had read even a few Latinel fairy tales, or at least read a paper, you would know why you’re being stubborn-”
“Hey. Shut up and get lost.”
Elise’s words abruptly stopped. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me.
“……Your mouth is really foul.”
“Before it gets more foul-”
She had already hurriedly distanced herself.
Anyway.
The number of seniors who chose, or were chosen for, Recordark for their job experience is a total of 63. There are many from other magic schools, among them from Endex are me, Elise, and…….
“—Wow. He’s handsome.”
“—Isn’t that Gerkhen Kal Doon?”
Gerkhen Kal Doon.
Even his name exudes the charisma of a man born in the desert.
“Ah, nice to meet you, nice to meet you~”
Just then, the entrance of Recordark opened, and a man wearing a hat came out.
“I’m Gaejin, the deputy warden of Recordark Prison.”
A man resembling a weasel, Deputy Warden Gaejin.
I don’t know him.
He wasn’t there in the future when I was imprisoned.
“Endex students, you’re seniors, right? Welcome. Please come in. It’s cold outside.”
He guided us inside. The 63 seniors passed through the corridor and entered the prison.
“This is the hall.”
A tall hall. For security reasons, there are a tremendous number of doors and locks between the corridors leading to the prisoners’ living spaces.
In my time, it was all digital.
“If you pass through the corridor here, you’ll come to the prisoners’ living spaces. They’re basically double rooms, corridor-style. As you walk down the corridor, the prisoners will reach out through the bars, but don’t be startled. They’re guys with anti-mana chips implanted in their Magic Cores. They can’t use magic.”
As Gaejin spoke, a guard unlocked the first lock.
He unlocked the second lock.
He unlocked the third lock.
Only then did the door open.
————Woooooooooooo.
At that moment, a wave of jeers surged like a tidal wave. Trash like paper and scraps of cloth poured out from between the bars.
It was the prisoners’ own way of welcoming, filling the ceiling and floor of Recordark with vibrations.
