"Prisoner number 886."
The guard called out to a man.
The man approached the guard and neatly handed over the clothes and shoes he had been wearing in prison.
The guard checked them, put them in a bag, stamped something on the paper in front of him, and said,
The man bowed his head silently and looked at the exit.
The guard followed his gaze to the closed door. Two guards, looking solemn, began to unlock the door with a key.
The guard called out to the man as he walked away.
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"Anything, Officer Rooker."
The man nodded politely. The guard, looking slightly uncomfortable, asked,
"What were you doing in prison?"
"Nothing, sir. You know that, don't you?"
"Of course, on the surface, you were always just sitting there."
"That's right. But I worked hard when it was time to clean and when it was time to work."
"I know. That's why it's strange."
The guard tilted his head.
This man wasn't a model prisoner, but he was one of the most well-behaved inmates in the prison.
However, the strange thing was that when he was in his cell, he really didn't do anything at all, just sat there.
"Were you really just sitting there? Doing absolutely nothing?"
"Is this some kind of quiz? Will I not be released if I don't answer correctly?"
"No. You're free as of this moment. You're a regular citizen now. I'm just asking out of curiosity."
At the guard's words, the man hummed and let out a light breath.
Then, he raised his head and spoke as if he were looking at something far beyond the ceiling of the prison.
"Actually, I was sleeping."
"With your eyes open?"
"Yes. Haha, it's a hidden talent of mine."
The guard didn't believe him. There were a few people who slept with their eyes open, but most of them were slow to react when the guards called them or when the alarm went off. It was only natural since they were asleep.
But this man was different. He never showed any of the reactions that someone who was sleeping would definitely show.
But he didn't bother asking any further. As the guard himself had said, he was now released and a free man.
"I had a very good dream."
"Is that so? You must have been quite happy."
"Haha. It wasn't so much happy as it was interesting. I always wanted to see what would happen next."
The man chuckled as if the dream he had had came to mind.
Then, as if he had suddenly remembered, he looked at the guard.
"Mr. Rooker. Can I ask you a question too?"
"Did Frondier really leave? This continent?"
The guard's expression hardened in an instant. The man grinned in satisfaction.
"If the imperial family says so, it must be true. The devil has escaped. He hightailed it off the continent."
"Wouldn't it be scary if a devil like that was still in here? I'm just a regular citizen now, you know."
Hmm, the guard nodded. That devil was a definite source of fear. The fact that he was once called the hero of the Empire made him even more terrifying. What he had been trying to do was now unknown.
"Well then, thank you for everything."
With that, the man walked out. He opened the thick prison door and took a deep breath of the air of freedom.
One step. A fresh start.
One step. A refreshing smile on his face.
One step. A gait so far removed from anyone in the prison that they couldn't even see him.
A face shaded from view, a deepening smile, a shadow heading towards the forest.
Noisy cries rang out from behind him, all the way to the front of his head. With a flutter, black wings soared. Dozens of crows cawed in greeting, swirling around him, some landing on his shoulders and arms.
"That ungrateful bastard left the continent without even a word of goodbye."
As if to say that was exactly right, the crow cried out. The man, with the same deep smile, turned towards somewhere.
—You're free as of this moment.
The guard had said so. He had clearly declared him free.
"A devil, hahaha. I knew it. Watching that guy, I knew this would happen."
The crow tilted its head as if asking what he meant.
"Frondier, you're too dark to be called a hero."
The crow cried out as if agreeing with him, raising its head high.
"You can't help but be a crow. It suits you perfectly."
The man could have chosen anything, but he chose crows.
It was a matter of preference. It couldn't be helped.
At the man's light voice, all the crows took flight. They soared high into the sky and spread out in all directions.
"Find out where Frondier has gone."
He had eyes and ears everywhere on the continent. Crows flew in every sky, and rats scurried under every shadowy nook and cranny.
He was the one who devoured every sound of the continent. The one who unearthed every secret.
A lump of greed that wouldn't be satisfied with just one continent.
"Are there crows there too, Frondier?"