Chapter 577: Where I Woke Up, You Ask?

Where I Woke Up, You Ask?

* * *

“…Hmm.”

I opened my eyes—snap—and sat up.

This place… is completely different from the damp, dark Old Imperial City sewer.

The biggest difference is the air.

First, it’s incredibly hot.

It’s as hot as a sauna.

But it’s also very dry.

My hair should have been quite wet after being in the sewer…

I don’t know how long I was asleep, but… it’s completely dry now, while I was unconscious after being forcibly transferred.

Or rather, to lose consciousness from a transfer…

That’s a first.

“…………”

I silently nodded in agreement to Extra-sama’s bewildered voice.

And then I looked around.

The place I’m currently in seems to be a small, square room.

Three of the four walls are made of hard-looking stone.

One of the walls has a narrow opening near the ceiling, perhaps a ventilation duct… too small for a person to pass through, and red light is shining through it, into the dusty room.

And the floor and ceiling are also made of stone.

There’s almost nothing on the floor… except for a large pot of unknown purpose, sitting in the corner of the room.

“…………”

Well.

I’ve tried to describe the room, but—

The most distinctive feature of this room is the remaining wall.

No… it’s not a wall.

This is…

“Bars…?”

Yes.

Three of the four sides are stone walls, but the remaining one is made of old iron bars.

This is… Extra-sama.

Perhaps… Extra-sama.

“…A prison cell?”

It’s a place I can’t normally escape from.

Well, he didn’t lie.

Calm down.

Calm down, Extra-sama.

He probably won’t leave Akashiterika’s side.

I’d like to avoid killing people in front of her…

Hahaha.

Well.

I’m a little drained from the sense of loss right now.

But more importantly—

“As if iron bars can contain me.”

This place… is definitely a prison cell.

But if I want to get out, I just have to break it.

My freedom hasn’t been compromised at all.

Then there’s no need to get so angry.

I grabbed two of the iron bars casually, intending to bend and break them with my brute strength…

…But!

“!?”

—BACHI!—

The moment I grabbed the iron bars… a pain and shock, like an electric current, ran through my body, from my hands!

“…………!”

I involuntarily let go of the bars and looked at my palms.

Although they’re already starting to heal, sizzling… my palms are completely scorched from that single attack.

Or rather, that pain just now wasn’t normal.

Wouldn’t an ordinary person die from shock!?

“…………”

I waited for my recovery, slightly anxious, and after confirming that my scorched palms were back to normal, I turned to the stone wall, clenching my fists.

I lowered my hips, and focused mana into my fists.

“RAH!”

And then, I slammed my fists into the stone wall with all my might!

It’s 【Magic Strike】!

But…!

“!?”

My fists definitely reached the stone wall, and I felt like I hit something.

There was a strange sound—GAHIIN—and…

The damage from my 【Magic Strike】 didn’t affect the stone wall at all.

The prison’s stone wall, which I expected to crumble and create a large hole, remained unchanged.

Extra-sama panicked in surprise, and then—

She gave me that instruction.

I used 【Silverfish】 to crawl up the stone wall like a gecko, and peeked outside through the narrow opening.

The first thing that came into my view is a sunset sky… or perhaps a sunrise sky, without a single cloud.

It should be night in the Old Imperial City right now.

That means I was transferred to a place with a significant time difference.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And the next thing that caught my eye is…

Or rather, besides the sky, there’s only this.

…Sand.

Under the cloudless sky, a vast expanse of sand, without a single plant, stretches to the horizon.

Ah, the sun… is setting.

That means it’s sunset.

The setting sun dyes the sandy ground, stretching to the round horizon, crimson.

The horizon is round.

That means that the prison cell I’m in is at a fairly high altitude.

I wonder if it’s a tower-like building.

Ah, damn it.

I’m a little distracted.

It seems that I’m also quite shaken.

Anyway!

Where is this place!?

To put it simply!

It’s a prison cell in a desert!

Here, Extra-sama let out a cry of despair.

It seems that she’s accurately understood… where this place is, from the scenery.

And she’s lamenting.

Eh, what?

Is this place that bad?

Extra-sama’s words… are usually said cheerfully, but not this time.

Her tone is quite heavy.

Extra-sama spoke slowly.

I sat down on the floor and listened.

The sun is setting further and further, and the red light shining through the ventilation duct is becoming faint.

The prison cell is gradually sinking into darkness.

And then.

Extra-sama, finally—

Revealed where I am.

Clearly.

The stage for a new story… is the ‘Great Prison of Delenezo’!

It’s surely a terrifying prison, impossible to escape from!

What a straightforward name!

Well, although I think it’s a stupid name, as always.

Actually, the name of this prison has already appeared in Arc 18.

So I have no intention of changing it now.

Now, thank you for reading the very long Arc 24.

There are still some epilogues, and a side story unrelated to the main story of Arc 24, before this arc ends.

This was a very difficult arc for me, as I tried something new.

I’m sure there are more flaws than usual, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you for your continued support from Arc 25 onwards.