Memoirs of the Returnee-Novel

Recordark (4)

The control room of Recordark. That place, which monitors the entire prison with hundreds of CCTV cameras, is unusually quiet today. Normally, thirty guards work in three shifts, but only five remain to manage the special activities of the College Board.

“Yawn……”

The work itself is neglected. The guards are either yawning while lying on the chairs, playing games on their smartphones, or blankly staring out the window.

“……Look at the rain outside.”

One of the guards muttered with droopy eyes.

The scattering rain is a bit unusual, but there’s no real concern. After all, the students of the magic high school are as strong as most prison guards, and more importantly, there are ‘watchers’ dispatched from the university association.

Bang- Bang- Double kill-

That’s the person sitting in the back playing a smartphone game. A combatant taking a break.

“Oh right. A storm warning was issued 15 minutes ago.”

At the words of the rookie guard, the chief guard furrowed his brow.

“15 minutes? Are those meteorologists crazy?”

Whooooosh—— Just then, a gust of wind blew.

Thick raindrops hit the window, and things like fallen leaves stuck to it…… in an instant.

————.

Suddenly, the whole world was dyed white. A distant cluster of light rose without any warning, and a dazzling flash flooded in through the glass window.

Boom——!

The thunderous roar of thunder echoed belatedly.

After that, there was a blackout. All devices turned off in an instant and darkness descended.

Ping- Ping- Triple kill-

Only the sound of the smartphone game and the faint light of the screen flickered.

“Ah. What’s this?”

The guards, for starters, got up.

“Ah. Ahh. Can you hear me? Ah shit, the radio’s dead. Hey. Try calling.”

“The phone’s not working either? No signal.”

Both the smartphone and the radio were dead.

“It looks like a magic storm. It’s screwed up, isn’t it?”

A magic storm. A phenomenon where the magic swirling in the atmosphere interferes with the transmission of signals.

“It’ll be restored in 5 minutes, you idiots~ Someone must have gone to the basement generator, just wait.”

“Ah, right?”

At the words of the chief guard, they calmed down again.

After all, there’s a watcher here too, so what could possibly happen.

Ring— Ring—.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell ringing in the darkness. All the guards turned to look at it.

“Hello.”

It seemed that the watcher was receiving a call from someone. As expected, he’s quick.

“Then shall we start?”

The watcher said that and stood up from his seat. He picked up a bag of snacks on the desk while holding his smartphone to his ear.

The rookie guard asked as if it was strange.

“Watcher, you can make calls? Is that phone specially made? Ours are all dead.”

“……”

Then the watcher just looked at him without saying anything. His dry expression was somewhat eerie.

The guard laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.

“Haha…… Did I overstep?”

“Who said that?”

The watcher asked. It was a question with an unknown meaning.

“What…… do you mean?”

The guard replied confusedly, and the watcher blinked his eyes and asked again.

“I asked who said that. That I’m a watcher.”

“……Yes?”

“I’ve just been here. Did I say anything to you guys?”

“No, but……”

The guard looked at his neck. There hung a [Guardian ID: Holden Croft].

A chill ran up the guard’s spine at that moment. Goosebumps covered his entire body.

It was different.

His face.

It was evident enough to be noticed at a closer look.

Swallowing his saliva, the guard placed his hand on the pistol at his waist. The man he thought was a guardian put his cell phone back in his pocket.

“Who are you-”

The situation was resolved the moment he shouted.

——5 minutes ago.

Recordark’s isolation zone.

“……How much did you hear.”

In the flickering light of a faded bulb, Elise asked.

“What.”

I pretended not to know, even though I heard everything. Elise quickly changed the question.

“Why did you come here?”

“To find treasure. Aren’t you here to find treasure too?”

Elise fiddled with her eyebrows at my seemingly natural response.

“That’s true…… but did you follow me?”

“What? Are you paranoid?”

“Para……noid?”

Elise mumbled with a stunned face.

“I thought you were up to something. You sneaked out alone, so I thought you found something and followed you right away.”

“Snea……ky?”

A vein popped on Elise’s temple.

“Yeah. You left the door open. You should close it if you open it.”

Of course, Elise can’t close the door. She has claustrophobia.

“Fine. I get it, so turn around and leave. I won’t make it an issue if you leave now.”

Elise pointed to the exit. I ignored her and approached her. Elise flapped her hands as if to stop me.

“Stay there. Can you not come closer? Your face makes me feel nauseous.”

“Then vomit.”

She glared at me, but I just stood side by side and looked into the cell.

“Hmm…….”

Sure enough, ‘he’ was there.

My old friend was there.

“…….”

I looked at him. He looked at me. Neither of us said a word.

“Get out. Is your brain broken?”

Elise pushed me away with a disgusted look. In that short gap, Yael raised one eyebrow slightly.

It was enough communication.

I pretended not to know him.

“Get out. Now-”

Kuuuuung———!

Just as Elise was trying to kick me out, an ominous roar echoed. At the same time, all the lights went out. The interior was dyed pitch black. Yael, beyond the reinforced glass, was no longer visible.

“Is it a power outage? Hey. Do something.”

“……Why can’t you?”

Elise radiated magic. A blue flame flickered, illuminating about 3 meters around us.

——Kraaaaaa!

“You little shit!”

Suddenly, Yael stuck to the glass window. Elise nearly fell over, and Yael chuckled.

—Hehehe.

“This, this crazy prisoner—”

Elise, trembling with a shocked face, glanced at me and then left the cell.

“……Hmm.”

Thanks to her, I was left alone to face Yael inside the reinforced glass. I met his blue eyes and made a gesture of zipping my mouth.

It’s a prison gesture that means I won’t leak anything now.

—……Pfft.

He, who had been making some strange expressions until now, soon smirked. He spoke with a smiling face, as he used to.

—You, must be disappointed?

“What about?”

—You seem to have followed Elise, but it probably won’t work out for you.

“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”

—What am I talking about. Her ideal type is a tall man. You won’t make the cut.

Yael held his hand horizontally and placed it on his chest. You’re too short- something like that.

I was dumbfounded.

“……That’s unfortunate to hear.”

—Ha! You’re honest.

Yael laughed heartily once, then whispered with a somewhat sorrowful face.

……Try not to act like you know me as much as possible. It’s getting dangerous.

I quietly watched Yael like that. Yael backed away and sat down on the bed.

Whooooosh……!

Then, an ominous wind blew in from outside. Yael narrowed his eyes sharply and gestured with his chin.

—Go. It’s getting dangerous if you stay too long.

“Okay. See you again.”

Yael responded faintly.

—……If possible, that is.

“I’ll come again.”

To see you.

Yael raised one eyebrow in a hook shape, and I returned to the corridor of the isolation zone and went outside.

Swoooooosh——!

Before I knew it, a fierce wind was shaking all of Recordark. Just 10 seconds after I went out, my whole body was soaked.

“What are you doing?”

“…….”

In the middle of the playground, where almost a water curtain was pouring, Elise was standing, staring at the other side. Motionless like a ghost. I also looked in that direction and frowned.

“What’s with her.”

There was a person.

With a student who looked like a senior under his arm, and a bag of snacks in his other hand, he was approaching while stuffing his mouth.

It’s creepy.

Not the behavior, but the appearance is eerie.

His eyes were pitch black. There was no white. It was as if the entire eyeball was painted black.

“Huh? Who are you guys?”

The guy who made eye contact said so, brushed past us, and stood in front of the door to the isolation zone.

Creak—!

The iron door shattered at his gesture.

“……What a barbarian-”

“Wait and see.”

I stopped Elise who was about to step forward.

I’m pretty good at remembering faces. Of course, even if I can’t remember, the 「Notepad」 will, but in the first place, that guy has such a distinctive impression that you can’t forget once you see him.

“He’s quite a strong guy.”

Dark eyeballs. A physique that easily exceeds 2 meters.

I know him. Shall I call it a grudge before regression, or a major customer?

His name is Draven Jacobs. A.K.A The Pulverizer.

He is a member of the point organization [Gloom Guest], which is even famous in the underworld, or will be in the future, and it seems he’s not alone right now. A man is quietly revealing himself from the back of the playground.

He has a face like a college student, but his neck is tightly bandaged and there are scars on his cheeks…….

“Hey, this is a big problem.”

Looking at him, I gave a hollow laugh.

It’s a crisis where my lifespan is shorter than before regression.

“Hello.”

He greeted us as he looked at us. There’s no need to receive a greeting, but I responded with a bright smile.

“Hello.”

“……Hello?”

Then Elise looked back at me with a dumbfounded face.

Bang—!

Just then, some noise echoed from the isolation zone that Draven just entered.

—You, who, what, what are you doing, uh, aaaaaah-! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!!!

A long and desperate scream was mixed in. How can a person scream like that.

Of course, it’s not Yael’s voice. From the beginning, this isn’t the timeline where Yael dies.

“……You should greet him too. Quickly. If you don’t want to end up like that.”

I hurriedly urged Elise. As expected, Elise didn’t even pretend to listen.