Part 2 Chapter 102
A wide empty land.
In the middle of the island, there was only one building—the prison called “Abyssus.”
“Alright, let’s move ou—wait a minute!”
Ryan turned around.
Before taking the boat, they had already traveled for a week by carriage and another ten days by ship—a long journey of over fifteen days.
And with him were three children—his sister Diana’s kids:
The eldest son, 13 years old.
The second son, 12.
The youngest daughter, 10.
They all resembled their mother a little.
Looking at them with a strange expression, Ryan said,
“From now on, we’ll be walking a lot. Keep up.”
***
Abyssus Island.
Because of the aftermath of the Bassenberg incident, there had been no wedding ceremony or honeymoon yet.
But somehow, I ended up going on this long trip with my husband—to a prison island known for housing dangerous criminals!
“Do you think my brother—uh, I mean Ryan—arrived already?”
“He must have. It’s been two days since he left.”
We had left in December, but by the time we arrived, it was already January, and the weather had gotten much colder.
“So this is what the place looks like.”
Nike, wrapping my white fur cloak tighter around me, looked around.
“Heehee~”
I tugged on the little bell on my cape, and Nike smiled.
“Cute.”
“The noble prince must’ve never been to a place like this, right? Just follow me—I know the way!”
When I spoke like a prison veteran, Nike looked at me with disbelief.
“Were you a prisoner?”
“Not a prisoner, but I’ve been here before! Just follow me—I won’t let you get lost!”
“There’s literally only one building here. How could we get lost…?”
“Come on! We need to find my crazy brother fast—it’s urgent!”
Ryan Belzer, my brother, had taken his nephews and niece to this island.
During the trip, Nike and I kept trying to guess his reason.
Finally, we came to a conclusion—
He probably brought them as hostages.
But since Ryan wasn’t the kind of man to hurt innocent children, we weren’t too worried anymore.
“The wall’s not that high,” Nike said, eyeing the prison.
Abyssus was surrounded by the sea, so even if someone escaped the building, there was nowhere to run.
That’s why the walls didn’t need to be tall.
Of course, there were still guards.
“Who goes there?”
“Please identify yourselves.”
Two guards stood at the prison gate.
“Is Duke Ryan Belzer here?” Nike asked.
They looked at each other and seemed confused.
Clearly, communication wasn’t great here.
“I know he’s here. We came to see him. Open the gate,” Nike said, showing his royal ID badge.
It gleamed bright red—the mark of the imperial family.
“The Prince! It’s His Highness the Prince!”
The guards immediately bowed deeply.
“Open the gate,” Nike ordered.
But they shook their heads.
“Your Highness, you came without an escort. We cannot open it.”
What? Refusing a royal order so boldly?
They bowed again.
“We apologize, but it’s for your safety. Please return with at least thirty elite guards.”
Thirty?! Are we starting a war or something?
Still, I could guess why.
Abyssus wasn’t an ordinary prison.
It was full of the worst of the worst—people who had committed inhuman crimes.
Almost everyone there was serving a life sentence.
Even the guards here died—one every two weeks, they said.
This wasn’t a correctional facility; it was a cage for monsters in human form.
“The guards die about once every fifteen days,” one of the soldiers warned.
“So even as royals, we’re not safe here?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Don’t worry,” I said, reaching out my hand.
He shook it hesitantly.
“I’m an ability user.”
〈Eye of the Mirror – Divine Punishment〉
A faint electric shock ran through his hand, making him jump.
“Ever heard of an ability user who can call lightning from a clear sky? If anything inside attacks me, they’ll get struck by lightning. So open the gate before that happens.”
Of course, my ability couldn’t really summon lightning—but he didn’t know that.
The guards hesitated, then finally opened the gate.
“Looks dangerous in there,” Nike said.
“Want to wait outside?” I asked.
He smirked. “I’m stronger than you, remember?”
“True.”
We followed the guards inside.
As soon as the main gate opened, dozens of prisoners were shoveling snow and glaring at us with wild eyes.
I stuck close to Nike’s side.
We entered the main prison building, where a guard greeted us.
“Duke Belzer is here. He came to see the new prisoners arriving tomorrow.”
“Were there children with him?” Nike asked.
“Yes.”
“Where are they now?”
The guard scratched his head.
“Well… he’s staying in his old cell, but he moves around a lot. Maybe the gym? Or the cafeteria?”
“The cafeteria?! He’s eating with the criminals?”
“Hmm, maybe not. He said he didn’t like today’s menu—might just be snacking.”
He’s complaining about the food? Is this a vacation for him?!
The guard gave us his room number anyway: [922851].
When I told him to guide us there, he looked shocked.
“Me? I’m new here—I only work at the entrance.”
“Then you know the way, right? Lead us.”
“…Okay, fine.”
He sighed and started walking.
***
We reached the second cell block, started climbing the stairs—
BANG!
“Ahh!”
A man in a guard uniform flew out from around the corner, bloodied and unconscious.
A giant bald prisoner with scars all over his head appeared, followed by a dozen more men.
The new guard trembled. “Wh-what are you doing?!”
All the prisoners turned to look at us.
The guard shouted, “Get back to your cells! These are royal visitors! Don’t cause trouble!”
“Royals?”
“Really?”
“I’ve never seen one before!”
“I have!”
They seemed surprised—
—but then one of them growled, “So what?”
“Maybe they came here to die!”
Uh-oh.
Nike quickly stepped in front of me, drawing his sword.
“This place really is lawless,” he muttered.
The prisoners acted like they had nothing to lose—no tomorrow.
“They’re going to attack,” I whispered.
“I can’t kill them,” Nike said quietly.
“I’ll just hold them off. Let’s find my brother and—”
Then one prisoner suddenly shouted, “Boss! It’s a woman!”
His eyes lit up.
“Whoa! And a damn beautiful one!”
“Woman! Woman!”
“How long’s it been since I saw one?!”
Their crazed eyes terrified me.
“…Forget it,” Nike muttered. “I’ll just kill them.”
And then—
“Bania…?”
A familiar voice came from behind.
I turned around.
It was Ryan!
He was picking his teeth casually, but when he saw me—he froze in shock.
“What the—?! Why are you here?! How did you even get in?! Are you crazy?!”
“Yeah, you lion! We came to find—”
“Boss!!!”
“Boss!!!”
“Boss!!!”
Loud shouting echoed behind me.
I turned back—
Every single prisoner who’d been shouting moments ago now stood in straight lines… bowing their heads to the floor.
The bald one yelled,
“DID YOU ENJOY YOUR MEAL, BOSS?!”
What—meal?
He wasn’t talking to me, was he?
“Don’t lift your heads until the boss says so! Everyone, bow lower!!!”
“Sorry, Boss!!!”
“Boss!!!”
“Boss!!!”
Their voices shook the hallway.
Nike and I glanced at each other, then slowly turned our heads toward Ryan.
The “Boss.”
The King of the Criminals.
Ryan.
We stood there speechless.
Ryan scratched his neck awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
